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Amid its ongoing general elections, Syracuse University’s Student Association is working to implement several new and returning initiatives for the spring 2024 semester.

SA’s spring programming will focus on increasing a “sense of belonging” and creating “community” on campus and in the broader Syracuse area, Yasmin Nayrouz, SA’s vice president, said. She said the association has already planned several volunteer opportunities, student advocacy initiatives and community-building events for the upcoming months.

Cory Wallack, SU’s associate vice president of student health and wellness, presented SU’s spring 2023 mental health survey during its Oct. 16 meeting, which he said reported “a low sense of belonging” and general wellness concerns among students on campus. SA President William Treloar told The Daily Orange in October that the organization’s future event programming would address these concerns.

SA continued to hold ongoing advocacy initiatives from the fall semester and introduced new ones for the spring. Multiple SA leaders have consistently cited its student advocacy goals as a core aspect of its role as a student government organization.

“I hope students understand Student Association is a resource and is here to help them,” Nayrouz said.

The Daily Orange has compiled a list of SA’s upcoming events and ongoing initiatives for the spring semester.

General elections

SA began accepting petitions to run for office on Monday and will continue to accept them until March 4, according to its spring 2024 election timeline.

Throughout the petition period, SA will hold information sessions for potential candidates during the month of February. The sessions will be held weekly at 7 p.m. in the Gifford Auditorium in Huntington Beard Crouse Hall. People interested in petitioning are required to attend at least one of these sessions, according to SA’s website.

Following petitions, SA will vet and finalize candidates in the first weeks of March and will host its annual executive debates on March 27, according to the timeline.

The final voting period for elections will open on April 1. Information about voting and running for SA elections can be found on its social media pages and website.

Volunteer initiatives

Naryouz said SA will bring back some of its volunteer initiatives in the spring, such as its Spring Into Action initiatives and Career Closet clothing drive.

German Nolivos, SA’s vice president of community & government affairs, said the association is planning to host its Spring Into Action volunteer events — which it typically holds as a week-long event — throughout the spring.

Nayrouz said SA has begun to plan Spring Into Action events, including tree planting and building care packages. While SA has scheduled some events, she said its plans are still tentative. Nayrouz also hopes to hold events that help students give back to the “greater Syracuse community.”

Nayrouz also said SA is in the early stages of planning a Career Closet professional clothing drive — which it first launched last year. The drive will allow students to donate new or gently used business attire, which Nayrouz said intends to decrease the “financial burden” of being a college student. As of Feb. 11, SA has not set an official date for the drive.

“I really hope students take part in those (events) and are able to give back to the community that we are part of,” Nayrouz said.

Cultural events

SA is also working alongside several on-campus organizations to promote and co-host cultural events.

On Feb. 1, SA held a Black History Month Kickoff Celebration in collaboration with SU’s University Union and Office of Multicultural Affairs. Throughout the month, SU’s Multicultural Affairs will hold several events celebrating Black culture, culminating in a closing event co-hosted by SA, Nolivos said.

Nolivos hopes to see high attendance at SA’s cultural events, which he believes would increase students’ engagement with diverse communities on campus.

“(The closing event) is really important for our community,” Nolivos said. “I hope we have an event as big as we deserve, as big as the community deserves.”

SA is also preparing for its Multicultural Week, which Nayrouz described as “a week to celebrate diversity on campus.” The association is still working on scheduling for the event, which will occur later in the spring, Nolivos said.

“My goal for that event is just to highlight the diversity on our campus … encourage students to meet people who are different from them and learn from people who are different from them,” Nayrouz said.

SA is in the early stages of establishing a committee to help plan Latine Heritage Month festivities for the fall 2024 semester, Nolivos said.

Nayrouz said she hopes SA’s cultural events will help promote a “sense of community” and “sense of belonging” on campus.

Published on February 11, 2024 at 10:12 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu