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David Bruen, president of Syracuse University’s Student Association, approached Amaar Asif in September about a position in the organization: undergraduate student representative in SU’s Board of Trustees.  

“(Bruen) told me I would be perfect for the position of Board of Trustees to represent all students,” Asif said. 

Asif, a senior biology and neuroscience student, said that he realized the potential of the role as the undergraduate representative on the board. 

“(The) Board of Trustees runs the school,” he said. “Students don’t know a single member of the board besides the chancellor. We are trusting the people we don’t even know. We’re paying lots of money. Those people are making decisions we are not aware of. And that’s not right.”

Asif came to SU initially to work towards attending medical school, and he interned with SUNY Upstate Medical University during his freshman year. He said that he made it his life’s mission to advocate and work in the health sciences. 

After joining multiple organizations at SU, friends recommended Asif consider joining SA, and they later encouraged him to apply for a cabinet position. 

“I applied to be a chair of academic affairs. That was one positive experience that opened my eyes to how SU functions and dealing with administration decisions that most students don’t know,” Asif said. 

Asif said that he hopes to become an active participant on the board and have students’ voices heard by administration. 

“There should be different ideas because we all feel different ways on certain things given our program, background, year of class, et cetera,” he said. “I could report those ideas and concerns so they can make better decisions. SU is certainly a good university. But we can work together to make it better for a good academic experience.”

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Asif said his main goal is to bridge that gap of communication between the board and students. The board consists of Chancellor Kent Syverud and a variety of alumni and faculty, as well as selective and life trustees. There is also one staff representative and one law school representative on the board.

Last year, SA proposed allowing the undergraduate student representative to have a vote on the board. The board quickly shut down their proposal. 

Asif explained that he is looking forward to seeing how the board works, and his position is the highest level position he has held so far.

“It is basically a high-level administrative decision at SU,” he said. “They’re the ones who run your tuition and dictate where it is going. If you want to know where your money is going, it’s better to understand (the) Board of Trustees and how they utilize it.” 

The board meets twice a year, and their first meeting will take place in November. Asif said that he is working on a report to file later in October, which will include concerns and voices of undergraduates on issues, initiatives and updates on campus life. 

“I would like to address financial accessibility, tuition, response to the pandemic, financial aid-especially for international students … quality of education and more,” Asif said. “There should be more issues coming up after speaking to students.” 

Asif also said he encourages students across campus to get involved. 

“Get involved in organizations to understand what you’re paying for here. Understand (the) Board of Trustees. Try to figure out how you can make a difference on campus,” he said. “You never know what the possibilities are.”

Published on October 3, 2021 at 9:31 pm

ikhosbay@syr.edu