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Student Association

Student Association’s Finance Board details RSO funding, recommends denial of Cardi B bill

Sara Schleicher | Staff Photographer

The Finance Board, in a 5-3 vote, on Monday recommended the Student Association Assembly deny a bill to bring Cardi B to speak at a women's empowerment luncheon.

By Catherine Leffert

Syracuse University’s Student Association on Monday voted to allocate $3,000 to “Chat and Dine,” a program that allows students to have a free meal with professors.

Chat and Dine is designed specifically for networking purposes, so students can form relationships with campus faculty. Elizabeth Sedore, chair of SA’s student life committee, requested the $3,000 from SA’s student advancement fund to support the now-permanent initiative. Chat and Dine will be running “soon,” Sedore said.

Recently, all registered student organizations also had to submit budget requests to SA’s Finance Board for the spring 2018 semester. A total of $700,000 was made available in the SA budget to allocate to RSOs. In total, though, RSOs requested $1,249,858.32.

The Finance Board ended up providing a total of $601,123.25 in funds to RSOs. Student organizations can appeal a Finance Board vote recommending the denial of funds.

SU’s Haitian American Students Association proposed a bill to bring Cardi B, a prominent hip-hop artist who is half Trinidadian and half Dominican, to a women’s empowerment luncheon to highlight colorism and feminism on campus.



The Finance Board, in a 5-3 vote, recommended the SA Assembly deny the Cardi B bill. Cierra Britton, SA’s comptroller, said some Finance Board members thought Cardi B was not qualified to discuss colorism and feminism.

“Is Cardi B not a woman and a woman of color?” one SA member said from the audience.

Other business:

  • President James Franco said he has met with Candace Campbell Jackson, chief of staff to Chancellor Kent Syverud, regarding the Euclid shuttle project. Franco said Campbell Jackson is in support of the initiative, and she said the shuttle should be operational soon after Winter Break.
  • John Jankovic was elected SA historian, a position created last week. His responsibilities will include documenting SA’s history and maintaining an accurate summary of its proceedings.
  • Parliamentarian Obi Afriyie announced SA will be hosting a public forum for any member of the student body to come and voice concerns to the organization. A date and location for the event have yet to be announced.
  • As part of the organization’s menstrual hygiene initiative, Sedore said SA will be replacing the plastic caddies in bathrooms with metal dispensers. Some bathrooms that have metal dispensers will not need new caddies, though. The project should be finished close to Thanksgiving Break, Sedore said.





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