The Student Association voted on Monday to create a seven-person ad hoc committee that will read and make recommendations about THE General Body’s grievance and demands document by Nov. 17.

Speaker of the Assembly Dan Hernandez will serve as nonvoting chairman of the committee and said SA will not take a position with the student coalition.

“SA is not taking a full stance within the movement. We encourage you to make your own decisions,” Hernandez told assembly members.

The following assembly members were elected to the ad hoc committee that will discuss THE General Body’s grievances and demands:

— Nia Boles, senior psychology and neuroscience major

— Matthew VanDemark, sophomore music performance major

— Jack Harding, sophomore international relations and political science major

— Henry Hokura, sophomore international relations major

— Jessica Brosofsky, sophomore international relations major

— Lavina Sabnani, freshman international relations major

— James Franco, freshman political science and history major

Members of THE General Body joined assembly members at SA’s weekly meeting Monday in Maxwell Auditorium. THE General Body is a coalition of student organizations that has been protesting diversity and transparency issues it sees with the Syracuse University administration. Danielle Reed, a member of THE General Body, said the coalition represents more than 50 student organizations across campus.

These organizations have different focuses, such as diversity, mental health and sexual assault awareness, but they are all part of THE General Body.

“The belief is that everyone in this room is a member of THE General Body,” Reed said.

Protesters have staged a sit-in and slept overnight in the lobby of Crouse-Hinds Hall since the Diversity and Transparency Rally on Nov. 3. The coalition also created a 45-page document that lists their grievances against the university, which include the closing of the Advocacy Center and cuts to SU’s Posse program. THE General Body member Yanira Rodriguez said the document contains about 10 pages of demands and the rest is research supporting these demands.

“The ultimate goal of this movement is to have organized and recognized coalitions between students and administration who are confirmed to have power in decision-making and are constantly evaluated,” said Koy Adams, a member of the coalition.

The protesters who attended the meeting explained the purpose of the sit-in and answered assembly questions and concerns about their goals. Adams said the sit-in is a “last resort” tactic.

“It took us going on a rally to going to their administrative building for them to take us seriously,” Adams said, referring to administrators.

Ben Kuebrich, a member of the coalition, said the organization’s movement is important to SA because protesters are “fighting” for assembly members and “student empowerment on this campus,” which includes having SA members’ governance practices respected by the university and administration.

Since the sit-in began a week ago, SA President Boris Gresely has been granted access to email all undergraduate students about student life and campus issues.

“We are here to ask for SA support because I think having SA support will definitely expedite this process,” said Jonathan Schmidt, a member of SA’s Student Engagement Committee and THE General Body.

All SU students also have the opportunity to engage in a discussion with administrators next Monday at 7:30 p.m. The tentative location for the meeting is Maxwell Auditorium.

“It’s a special way for students to speak directly to administrators and get that dialogue going,” said Austin Galovski, the chair of SA’s public relations committee.

Published on November 11, 2014 at 12:41 am

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