As he does nearly every week, Student Association Vice President Travis Mason stood before the assembly Monday, laying out plans and projects and recruiting volunteers.

Even in a position with few formal duties, Mason, a sophomore political science and economics major, has been a busy man.

‘I’m trying to make the most out of the job,’ Mason said.

The SA vice presidency largely depends on what the officeholder makes of it. The vice president’s only official duty is to act as a liaison between SA and the Syracuse Common Council and Chamber of Commerce, said SA President Drew Lederman, who chose Mason as his vice president after an unopposed victory in November’s election. Beyond those duties, Mason is free to pursue his own programs.

‘We all have our own projects,’ Lederman said. ‘He has his things to do, and I’m going to support him in that.’

Mason plans to eventually pursue the SA presidency, one reason that many of his goals focus on building for the group’s future.

One of Mason’s chief projects for the session is the creation of the Student Organizational Council. The council is designed to replace the now-defunct Organizational Voice Committee as a liaison SA and the organizations it funds.

‘There’s a huge problem for SA with external relations with student organizations,’ Mason said.

The new committee will tie into the still-developing ‘vision statement’ for SA’s 48th session by increasing their visibility on campus and allowing student organizations to view SA as more than the ‘funding people,’ Lederman said. Mason is working on organizing a summit meeting between himself, Lederman and student organization presidents.

Mason is also planning to revive the Armory Square Shuttle, which has foundered for the past two semesters. He plans on retooling the shuttle’s image to fight the negative publicity it has received in the past and is contemplating adding a bi-weekly shuttle to area supermarkets.

Despite having such a wide range of projects, Mason is confident he can accomplish all of his goals by laying out a timetable and enlisting the support from other SA members.

‘I think he can get what he wants done,’ Lederman agreed.

In other SA news:

n Student Association officials are meeting with representatives from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Undergraduate Student Association to discuss ways of allowing SUNY ESF students access to SA’s online voting system, said Jessie Cordova, chairwoman of the SA Board of Elections and Membership.

Published on February 16, 2004 at 12:00 pm