Symplicity, a software to benefit Syracuse University student organizations, was once again a heated topic of conversation at the Student Association’s meeting Monday night.

Sacha Forgenie, SA’s comptroller, asked members of the finance board to attend Monday night’s meeting. SA president Marlene Goldenberg asked the finance board to explain why it feels the Symplicity software is unnecessary.

The finance board has unanimously rejected SA’s request for funding Symplicity twice. Bennison Ntsakey, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, spoke on behalf of the finance board at the meeting.

‘This is a conflict of interest, SA getting to vote on an SA budget,’ Ntsakey said. ‘It represents a corrupt system.’ Though SA members said they recognize the Symplicity controversy could create a bad precedent for other student organizations, the consensus was that it is still necessary software.

The finance board said Symplicity is a good program, but most student organizations already have a way to do what Symplicity would do for them, for example, student organization Web sites.Many SA members said they were concerned that having the finance board at their disposal at Monday night’s meeting was unfair to other student organizations that have also had budget requests rejected.

As willing as the finance board was to speak about its position on the funding they’ve denied twice now, Natalie Clay, SA’s parliamentarian, had to step up and end the heated debate. Because the finance board members were not on the agenda to speak, the conversation could not technically take place at the meeting. Clay expressed her hopes for setting up a formal meeting in the near future.

The meeting continued, following procedure, and the following issues were covered:

Open forumSA will hold an open forum Nov. 10 for students interested in presenting questions on any topic. Goldenberg said she has high hopes that this meeting will draw a large crowd to talk about more than just budget matters, as the budget-cut meeting will happen the following week.

ElectionsSA’s new election term is approaching. Liz Ferree and AJ Ellis presented the new ad campaign to encourage voters. The posters show SA members in various settings boasting, ‘So easy you can do it in the shower,’ or ‘So easy you can do it in between snooze buttons.’

Off-campus safetyBoard of Trustees liaisons Larry Seivert and Helene Kahn spoke about their work on ensuring a safe environment for all students, especially off campus. There was talk about community members’ interest in making MayFest safer for both the students and the community. Both Seivert and Kahn expressed an interest in bringing safety concerns of the off-campus community to SA’s attention in hopes they will brainstorm ways to make it safer and more appealing to both students and local residents.

Comedy showSA passed a bill brought before the assembly Monday night, awarding $6,713.40 for the Muslim Students’ Association and the Hindu Students’ Council to co-host a comedy show. The Brown Men Group, presented by Comedy Central, will perform Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

New memberHayes Thornton, a freshman in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was elected to the board of elections membership.

Reaching outSA has implemented a new plan in which every SA member will be a liaison between different campus departments and SA. At Monday night’s meeting, members signed up for the campus department for which they will be responsible.

40 BelowThe 40 Below Summit: Syracuse Exposed was discussed. The downtown event will be held Nov. 10 and feature free beer, food, music and a show at Syracuse Stage. Registration is online.

Thanksgiving bus scheduleThere was an update on Thanksgiving bus schedules provided by the university. There are no seats left on the bus to Boston, some left on the second bus to New York City and a few left on the bus heading to Philadelphia.

mequalte@syr.edu

Published on October 13, 2008 at 12:00 pm