The 2011-12 academic year has brought both promising and troublesome news to the Syracuse University community. With all the news, it can be hard to keep track of concerns during the summer break.
There are certain issues that will not be forgotten about during the summer: the Bernie Fine investigation, the defamation case against SU and Jim Boeheim, and SU’s rankings. Though many will continue to remember these issues, there are also other problems that cannot be forgotten about.
Below are five issues members of the community must continue to focus on during the summer months:
University officials must take action to provide support for international students. This year, the struggles international students face were highlighted in more than one University Senate meeting, but there are no concrete plans to fix the problems yet. The university must use the summer months to prepare new or improved methods to help international students transition to campus.
Medical amnesty has been a campus issue for more than two years. Earlier this year, the Student Association announced a partial medical amnesty would be added to the Code of Student Conduct. But that has not happened yet. SA must push the administration to change the codes during the summer so the new rules can go into effect at the start of the fall semester.
The billion-dollar campaign will conclude in December. The university, which is on track to surpass its goal in total, broke down the billion-dollar campaign into different categories. According to the latest updates, the university is behind in certain fundraising areas, particularly for faculty members. Officials must use the summer months to strategize ways to reach the goals for all the different categories listed.
In February, news broke that the New York Police Department had been monitoring multiple Muslim student associations at different universities, including SU, beginning in 2006. Since then, the U.S. attorney general has started an investigation into the NYPD. The investigation is important to remember, as it directly affects students on this campus.
Multiple campus construction projects will begin in the summer months. Campus West is on track to be finished this summer, and the groundbreaking of Dineen Hall will be May 10. Construction in the west area of campus will eliminate many parking spaces. The university needs to find ways to accommodate for the lost parking spaces. Plans for the construction of a bookstore on University Avenue are still in the works but have been stalled because of a controversial PILOT agreement.