Morgan Eaton has known he’d run for president of Student Association since he arrived at Syracuse University. David Williams, Eaton’s running mate, hadn’t considered it. 

The sophomores met their freshman year in Orange Seeds, a leadership empowerment program, and became friends. The pair decided to run for SA president and vice president earlier this year — as long as their campaign wasn’t about them. 

“Our platform isn’t just initiatives we have — our platform is the students,” said Williams, a policy studies major. 

Eaton and Williams both have experience as elected officials. Eaton served as a member of his hometown’s development review board, Williams as a council member for his high school. SA elections pose unique challenges, though, the pair said. 

Nabeeha Anwar | Design Editor

“We think the best first step to actually getting people to work in SA is to know about it and try to be engaged in at least the voting process,” Williams said.

The pair have hosted two voter drives to encourage students to learn about this year’s candidates, but the most effective way to increase voter turnout is to give students something to vote for, Williams said. 

“What we’re passionate about is what the students are passionate about,” Eaton said. The campaign’s “Driven By You” slogan isn’t a gimmick — it’s a promise, he said. 

Creating feasible goals has been at the forefront of prioritizing student voices within SA, Eaton said. In many cases, the association simply needs to hear from a wider and more diverse pool of students, he said. 

Students representing SU’s 13 schools and colleges currently make up SA’s Assembly. Eaton and Williams want to expand the Assembly’s parameters so more student groups, such as multicultural and religious organizations, can be directly involved in SA’s decision making. 

The new seats would require changes to SA’s constitution and would be put to a vote next year, Eaton said. Eaton, who has served in the Assembly, knows the process well, he said. 

“An institution that’s inclusive allows all students to have a seat at the table,” Williams said. Student-led governance is especially important on the back of a tumultuous year at SU, he said. 

Since early November, at least 32 racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents have occurred at or near SU. #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, organized an eight-day sit-in of the Barnes Center at The Arch in November and occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall for 31 days starting Feb. 17 to protest the university’s response to the incidents. 

#NotAgainSU has called for the resignations of Chancellor Kent Syverud and other university officials. It’s important that university officials recognize they’ve lost the support and trust of many students, Eaton and Williams said. 

“It’s important that when we are sitting in on those meetings, we are very clear that there are several students that want you to resign and want you to do better work,” Williams said. There are also students who don’t support resignations, and their voices should be heard too, he said. 

Multiple student groups and movements have made suggestions and demands that SU administrators have agreed to, Eaton and Williams said. It will be SA leadership’s responsibility to ensure the university follows through with implementing the changes students have fought for, they said. 

“We need to encourage them to actually listen to students,” Williams said. 

Running a more transparent SA will help elevate those student voices, Eaton and Williams said. The pair is exploring ways to livestream SA meetings and post minutes in accessible formats, Eaton said. Williams and Eaton will also update SA’s website with an initiative tracker so students can see what progress has been made on the duo’s commitments to the community, they said. 

A student-driven SA is one that recognizes the accomplishments of students and expands access to opportunities for success at SU, Eaton and Williams said. 

“You’re a human being first, and then you’re a student,” Eaton said. “We want to emphasize the human side of our students and our student body, and that’s more important than ever right now.”

Greater financial aid and scholarships will allow students to focus more on their work and personal goals, Williams said. Eaton and Williams plan to fight for the return of the Atlanta and Los Angeles Posse Scholars program to SU, Williams said. 

The Posse Foundation is a nationally based scholarship program whose 58 college and university partners award four-year, full-tuition scholarships to high school students from 10 different cities in the United States. SU has since discontinued its Atlanta and Los Angeles partnerships and now only offers a Miami program. 

Mental and physical health and well-being will also play a fundamental role in student success at SU, Eaton and Williams said. The team is exploring ways to implement self-care workshops into SU’s first-year forum and hopes to partner with peer educators and the Barnes Center at The Arch to promote wellness, they said.  

Eaton and Williams will also continue SA’s current work to expand access to campus resources through greater funding for organizations such as the Hendricks Chapel food pantry, they said. Making health and wellness at SU a priority can help students focus on enjoying their college experience, they said. 

“That’s what David and I want to do with SA — make this university feel like home for all students and make sure that it’s working for the students because that’s ultimately who it should be working for,” Eaton said. Morg

Voting for SA’s president, vice president and comptroller begins Monday on MySlice and continues until 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

Published on April 13, 2020 at 12:54 am

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3