Last week, delegates from a majority of the 64 SUNY schools passed resolutions that call for changes including diversity sensitivity training for faculty, more affordable textbook prices, and an addition to the Student Association Constitution during the SUNY Student Assembly Conference.
In all, 10 resolutions based on current student issues were passed, all of which relate to the entire SUNY system.
"At our business meetings, we tackle student issues that are currently going on from on campus, dealing with administration (and) legislation that affects students," said Melody Mercedes, the conference organizer and vice president of the Student Assembly.
One of the most debated resolutions was "Embracing Diversity in the SUNY System." According to Mercedes, it is the step-by-step approach SUNY will take to diversify its faculty. The predominantly Caucasian faculty at Geneseo was a source of complaint and was an indicator of the importance of this resolution, she said.
This is the first effort to force the Executive Committee to support the hiring of more faculty from different countries and support workshops that will teach sensitivity to foster a mutual respect and a concept of appropriateness.
Sensitivity training will be available for professors, faculty and students, according to Rohan D'souza, UB SUNY SA delegate.
"The idea is to have faculty, staff and students be offered training on diversity issues on campus - how to tackle them, and sensitivity training," D'souza said.
The resolution does not aim to perpetuate the idea of defining a group or person by what makes them diverse, according to Jack Niejadlik, UB SUNY SA delegate. Instead, the training will help prepare people to appropriately accept difference.
"We conveyed that it would better the people who haven't been exposed and provide proper avenues to take," Niejadlik said.
In the same vein, the delegates added a non-discrimination policy to the Student Association Constitution. For the first time, all SUNY schools will be required to include the comprehensive clause in their constitutions.
"The Assembly has never moved for a general thing to put in all constitutions," Mercedes said.
The resolution called for the implementation of a non-discrimination policy that encompasses all thinkable differences. While most policies focus on aspects like race, color and religious affiliation, this clause includes physical and mental disabilities, among many others, according to Niejadlik. While UB's SA Constitution already contains a non-discrimination clause, it is not as thorough or exact as the one presented by the delegates, he said.
A favorite topic of the UB delegates was textbook prices.
Niejadlik and fellow delegates agreed that it is nonsensical to pay between $300 and $1000 per year for textbooks when those expenses could be easily avoided. Price shifts usually come from the publishers directly, he said.
As part of the resolution, a task force will be assembled to examine and deal with this problem.
"There's a national campaign called the Affordable Textbooks Campaign. SUNY as a system has not embraced this campaign. We as the Student Assembly would embrace this campaign," D'souza said.
Mercedes adds that there is also identifiable fault among faculty.
"They (the professors) have deadlines to meet. If not, then you get book bundles, expensive left over choices, and prices that they are not aware of," Mercedes said.
Mercedes believes the establishment of penalties will persuade faculty to stick to deadlines so students are not stuck with unnecessary book bundles.
"You can't force faculty, but in the real world everyone has deadlines. There is no one to take up that hand with faculty. What does it matter if it doesn't work for you and you have no penalty to deal with?" she asked. "There are many people who are not concerned with it. If they were to keep to the deadlines, we would be dealing with half the costs that we do."
The Student Assembly also resolved to improve transitions within the SUNY system, starting with the smooth transfer of general education credits.
"It's pretty much in trying to make SUNY (general education) credits - level 100 and 200 courses - acceptable for transfer students," Mercedes said.
According to the UB delegates, four-year universities often reject general education credits when courses do not match up to a particular university's standards.
"There was concern that it might dilute the prestigiousness of a university. Consensus was reached that it should not be a burden for a student to want to better their education," Niejadlik said.
According to the delegates, once the resolutions are debated upon and passed during the Student Assembly Conference, which occurs twice a year, the issues go on to the legislative level. The 10 resolutions also become the Assembly's official stance on policies for Governor Spitzer's Higher Education Committee, on which UB President John B. Simpson has an appointed seat. The UB delegates represented five votes out of approximately 80 at the conference.
This semester's Assembly meeting received its highest attendance ever last weekend with 250 representatives who had the chance to attend 18 workshops, according to the delegates. The weekend included the first New York State Student Ball, which was hosted by keynote speaker, NY Assemblywoman Deborah Glick.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
