Glad to see so many new and present senators, Takeena Strachan, president of the Student Association at Oswego State presented her State of the Association Address.
Strachan covered issues ranging from women’s reproductive health, the Food Bill and a trip to the State Capital.
Vice President Matthew O’Donnell explained that due to recent renovations in Mary Walker, the area that formerly hosted women’s reproductive services will be used for something else, leaving SA to decide if they would like to cancel the contract or find a new place to provide such services. Strachan called upon the senators to express their opinion on this issue.
“We fought tooth and nail to get pads in the bathroom,” Senator Maryjay Olalekan said, “I feel like we have a lot of space on this campus that is not being used. We can find somewhere where we can set up shop.”
The remaining senators agreed with Olalekan making the decision to find a new place to host women’s reproductive services, unanimously.
Strachan then expressed her reasons for vetoing the Pizza Bill. The Pizza Bill or Food Bill was a recently passed set of stipulations and consequences a club would face for hosting a failed catered event.
The senators participated in a lengthy debate over the past few weeks about the consequences of a club and it’s Executive Boards for failing to hold an effective catered event. Senators Nathaniel Goldstein and Olalekan had contrary views. Goldstein felt that after two failed events the club’s account should be frozen and re-opened the next academic year as to not punish a new E-board for the previous E-board’s failures.
Olalekan found that freezing a club’s account would damage the club irreparably. Before the bill passed the senators came to the conclusion that accounts will not be frozen for a club’s failure to hold a successful catered event.
However, the amendments made to the Pizza Bill were not enough for Strachan. She found that though the bill makes sense, it puts a lot of pressure and responsibility on Director of Finance Ryan Green. Strachan expressed a need to find a “healthy balance” in establishing responsibility, better language in the bill and more effective communication with students that SA represents.
“I decided to veto this bill at the end because of the fact that I am kind of disappointed, you as student leaders, although you are supporting the institution by passing this bill, which I highly appreciate and respect,” Strachan said. “I find that you guys are failing to uphold the students and your student leaders and the climate of our campus by providing and restricting the way that students are able to engage with other students.”
Strachan suggested that the senate, specifically the involvement committee, work to find an alternative to the Pizza Bill in order to ensure that clubs at Oswego State do not fail, and at the same rate, secure a plentiful contingency fund.
Aside from the Pizza Bill, Strachan stated the projects she has been working on, including extending library hours, textbook affordability, institution accountability, food security and adapting commuter parking on campus. Strachan then introduced members of the cabinet to express their achievements, progress and goals.
Lastly, Strachan wanted to “empower students to take a day trip to the state capital to advocate for higher education.”
Higher Education Action Day is Feb. 27, 2020, at the State Capital in Albany. Strachan encouraged the senate to sit down with elected lawmakers to decide how Oswego State along with all other SUNYs will be funded by New York State, by means of how much students will pay for tuition, textbook, housing and food on campus, as well as the quality of classes students have access to.
Transportation to Albany and lunch will be provided. Students wishing to register for this event may email sa.chiefofstaff@oswego.edu.
Strachan yielded her time to allow the state to adjourn the meeting and continue the State of the Association Address at next week’s meeting.
Photo by Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian
