Every dollar donated during December will go directly toward paying students to produce stories like this one. Give now and ensure a brighter future for The Daily Orange.

Syracuse University’s Graduate Student Organization established an action committee to hold the university accountable for implementing its climate action plan during its senate meeting Wednesday.

The SU climate action plan has not been updated since 2017, according to GSO’s drafted action plan. The climate action committee will act as an intermediary between administration, students and faculty in the implementation of SU’s climate action plan.

Alex Scrivner, an academic program senator for social science, said the climate action committee is greatly needed, and it could serve as a way to hold SU accountable on its implementation of the climate action plan.

John Russell St. Denny, an academic program senator for earth and environmental science, referenced a presentation by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that stated many of the natural disasters we normally see have been intensified by climate change as a part of a pitch to establish the committee.

“It would be great if we can have a major reduction by 2040, but if we do so by continually laying our carbon emission increase until 2035 then rapidly decreasing it, that is not a sustainable plan. That is enabling it to make it worse,” St. Denny said.

Scrivner said that the committee is waiting to get more senators on the committee before determining its priorities. The committee will not try to attack a large number of issues but hopes to target specific issues that they can work on each year with university administrators, Scrivner said. The committee would like to see updates on environmental information similar to SU’s COVID-19 dashboard.

“Why shouldn’t we be getting regularly updated emails on what Syracuse is or isn’t doing?” Scrivner said.

St. Denny said one of the first missions of the committee is going to be sharing information about SU’s progress implementing the climate action plan.The motion to form the group passed unanimously.

Additionally, GSO President Yousr Dhaouadi informed the body about her plan to provide funding for Ph.D. students during the meeting.

“The main focus for my report was that we are looking at summer funding for Ph.D. students. That’s a conversation we’re having with administration and hopefully that’s something we’ll secure, maybe not for this year but maybe in the future,” Dhaouadi said after the meeting.

Eboni Britt, the executive director of strategic communications, informed students about the university’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility five-year draft plan, Dhaouadi said.

The GSO senate also passed three special programs — a religion graduate organization conference, a philosophy graduate organization conference and a traditional dinner night for the Iranian graduate student association, Dhaouadi said in an email statement. Dhaouadi also said the GSO reinstated the African graduate student network.

Published on December 9, 2021 at 12:54 am