The Syracuse University Student Association assembly voted Monday to fully approve stipends for SA President Aysha Seedat, Vice President Jane Hong and Comptroller Phil Kramer.

At the organization’s Monday night meeting in Maxwell Auditorium, Hong also addressed the assembly on initiatives she is currently working on, including making the Carrier Dome more accessible for people with disabilities.

At the beginning of the semester, SA set aside in its budget $2,500 for Seedat, $2,500 for Kramer and $1,500 for Hong in stipends. But the money had not yet been approved for distribution.

Before the vote, SA Assembly Speaker Janine Bogris encouraged the assembly to fully approve the stipends, saying that each official’s performance this semester had met SA’s standards.

“They all completely deserve this money,” she said. “I think they all deserve full tuition, but we can’t do that.”

Assembly member Obi Afriyie then asked the assembly to keep in mind that because of the hours Hong, Kramer and Seedat work, they don’t have time for another job.

Shortly thereafter, the assembly voted unanimously to fully approve the stipends. Had the assembly voted to only partially fund the stipends, SA could have used the extra money elsewhere.

This semester marked the first time that approving the stipends was left up to the assembly. In past sessions, it has been up to SA’s cabinet members, Parliamentarian James Franco said.

Earlier in the meeting, Hong reported on the progress of her current initiatives. Throughout this semester, she has been working in tandem with the Office of Disability Services, Otto’s Army and other groups on campus to make the Dome more friendly to people with disabilities. In October, Otto’s Army President Natalie Wiesnet said the Dome doesn’t have enough entrances for people in wheelchairs.

Hong said Monday night that she is “utilizing an outside corporation” to assess the overall accessibility of the Dome. She also plans to collaborate with SU Athletics to improve the issue.

Hong also informed the assembly about the Mental Health Awareness Campaign, an initiative she and Seedat have been jointly working on and plan to launch next semester. It would be a weeklong campaign meant to address mental health issues and would closely mirror the It’s On Us campaign, a national initiative to address sexual assault on campus.

Hong said the discussion about mental health awareness is particularly important at SU.

“With the weather during (spring semester), depression is pretty common on this campus,” she said.

Published on November 30, 2015 at 11:22 pm

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu