SA passes bill to maintain adherence to SU’s sustainability goals

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Syracuse University’s Student Association unanimously voted during Monday’s meeting to solidify the organization’s adherence to the university’s sustainability goals, which were announced this spring.

The bill establishes an internal auditing system to ensure its legislation is compliant with SU’s plastic phaseout plan. In all future bills, SA’s Sustainability Forum will review new proposals using a Green Purchasing Guide, which provides SA members with a list of potential sustainable vendors, before being presented to the general assembly.

Eden Gardner, SA’s chair of community engagement and government affairs and vice president of SUNY ESF’s Mighty Oak Student Association, said the bill was a collaborative effort between various entities within SA and MOSA. Gardner said he co-authored the bill alongside Olivia Curreri, SA’s vice president of university affairs and one of the original authors of SA’s 2022 Sustainability Report.

“We wanted to create this bill as a statement to the university that if we can do this as a student association, so can you,” Gardner said.

Gardner also said he hopes the new commitment will encourage further collaboration between ESF and MOSA in their efforts to promote sustainability. Gardner said the purchasing guide was a result of work between SUNY ESF’s Oakie’s Green Team and the SA Sustainability Forum, which is run by Eniola Festus and Izzy Kaufman, SA’s co-directors of sustainability.

“The only way we are going to successfully implement this bill is through collaboration with sustainability groups and registered student organizations across both campuses,” Gardner said.

SA President William Treloar hopes the bill will serve as a blueprint for registered student organizations’ future adherence to sustainability goals. SA’s new commitment, he said, will demonstrate the accessibility and affordability of sustainable purchasing practices.

“This plastics-free plan is really a way for us to set the example for how we want to see campus purchasing done in the future,” Treloar said.

Throughout the meeting, several SA leaders promoted upcoming initiatives, including Fall Into Action, a week of community volunteer opportunities for SU and SUNY ESF students.

Fall Into Action events will occur throughout this week and the rest of November, including a residence hall clothing drive and an Oakwood Cemetery cleanup Saturday. The entire schedule of volunteer activities is on SA’s Instagram page.

“We may sit up here on the hill, but it’s always great to get back into the community around Syracuse,” Treloar said.

Several SA leaders also promoted the upcoming Gratitude Project, a two-day long event of Thanksgiving-related activities that will be held on Nov. 14 and 15 in the Schine Student Center. During the meeting, SA unanimously passed the event’s craft budget.

Richard Maj, SA chair of university affairs, hopes this event will promote the organization’s continued goal to establish a more unified community on campus and promote overall student wellness.

“It’s important for us as students to step back and remind ourselves to be grateful for what we have despite how hard things can be,” Maj said.

Other business:

• SA approved revisions to its Code of Ethics, which outlines the organization’s standards for the assembly. The changes will clarify member expectations and allow the code to roll over until further changes are introduced, Treloar said.
• Advanced allocation hearings for RSOs will continue throughout the week. Dylan France, SA’s comptroller, said the assembly will begin voting on allocations at next week’s meeting.
• In collaboration with SU’s Native Student Program and SUNY ESF’s Native American Club, SA will host a Native Heritage Paint Night on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. in the NSP House at 113 Euclid Ave., which celebrated its grand re-opening Monday.
• SA will begin hosting its Donuts with the Dean initiative to allow SU students to get to meet administrators. The first Donuts with the Dean will occur in the School of Engineering and Computer Science on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in Link Hall Room 152.
• Chet Guenther, a representative from the New York Public Interest Research Group, promoted the NY General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polling locations at SU are Huntington Hall at the Marshall Street entrance and at the Goldstein Student Center.