The Student Association unanimously approved a resolution encouraging Syracuse University to change its policy about how employees report child abuse at the last meeting of the 57th session on Monday night.

Recorder Nick Bonafilia and representative Nedda Sarshar proposed the resolution during the Nov. 18 assembly meeting. The resolution urges the university administration to change its current policy directions and mandate SU employees to report suspected or actual abuse of minors under the age of 17. Bonafilia said the current policy directions encourage employees to report abuse but that the new wording would obligate them to report it or face termination.

“This doesn’t actually change any policy, this is just us calling for the university to take action,” Bonafilia said.

Bonafilia said the resolution had been a work in progress throughout the semester. He said it began when he looked at the University of Kansas’ policy, which was changed after child abuse occurred at Pennsylvania State University without being reported. He said he wondered why SU hadn’t done something similar to make university employees mandated reporters of child abuse.

Bonafilia added that the resolution didn’t come up for a vote until the end of the semester because SA first discussed it with administrators to ensure they supported the resolution. He added that the resolution was a joint effort between the two parties.

“The administration was presented the bill as it’s written and they encouraged us to pass it and send it their way,” Bonafilia said.

There was some debate before the resolution was approved. Nia Boles, chair of the Student Engagement Committee, made a motion to amend the resolution to include not only minors under the age of 17, but all SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry undergraduates. But Parliamentarian Ben Jones and other representatives brought up that New York’s privacy and consent laws would make it difficult to report abuse of undergraduate students 17 and older.

Jones supported the resolution without the amendment, saying it helps children who can’t report a crime.

“This university doesn’t exist in a bubble, it exists in a community,” Jones said. “The purpose of this is because children don’t have the ability to speak up for themselves.”

At the beginning of the meeting, Interim Chancellor Eric Spina spoke to the assembly about Bain & Co., a consulting firm that is working with the university to look at how SU operates and how it can improve.

“It’s pretty simple, we want to get better as an institution,” Spina said.

A steering committee consisting of staff, deans and administrators was formed earlier this fall to conduct the “Innovation and Opportunity Assessment.” The committee will work with Bain on the direction of the project and its research.

Spina said the goal is to collect data and facts that can be used for university planning. He said Bain has been on campus collecting information for a few months, adding that the group’s focus is on understanding and comparing universities.

In addition, Spina said, the firm will hold focus groups in December and January with students from SA and the Graduate Student Organization and others who will be randomly selected. He said they will seek input on what students view as opportunities and challenges at SU.

Published on December 3, 2013 at 1:38 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27