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Syracuse University’s Student Association held its first meeting of the new Transparency Task Force Sunday night.

The group, which aims to improve public understanding of certain parts of the organization, will hold public forums and help update SA’s website along with any other social media platforms, SA Vice President Adia Santos said in a statement. Each part of SA will also work to improve how it shares information about the initiatives it’s working on and improve communication with the university community, she said.

“This is an effort that aims to lessen confusion about the role of the Student Association on campus and to enhance our relationships with everyone at SU by openly presenting what we’re working on,” Santos wrote.

The organization has developed similar programs in the past, but many of them have been tied to just a person or group, SA President David Bruen said. He said he wants the task force to continue across the entire organization for years to follow.

SA’s website is an important mode of providing transparency, Bruen said. He said SA should publish meeting minutes and bills to the website, and update them regularly. The website should also allow transparency efforts to last beyond the current yearly administration, Santos said.

“Even though we have a website and regularly update social media accounts, I think we do a disservice to students when they don’t know where or how to access information and support from us,” she said.

Students could see the results of the task force’s progress in the coming weeks, Santos said. Bruen said he is excited for both new and old SA members to improve transparency issues within the organization.

“We have a lot to do in terms of just getting people to know who we are and getting people to understand what we do and to gain their trust as students,” he said.

Published on November 6, 2022 at 11:28 pm

Contact Sydney: srrothst@syr.edu