At 11:45 a.m. Monday, Taylor Carr announced his candidacy for Student Association president to the general student body.

Behind a podium in the Schine Student Center, Carr, chair of the Student Life Committee and junior public relations major, outlined his experiences in SA so far, named four separate goals for his presidency and responded to criticism voiced by his opponent. Carr spoke for about five minutes to about a dozen people.

In his tenure at SA, which began the second semester of his freshman year, Carr has worked as the assistant director of the Non-Traditional Student Commission, the director of advocacy of the Residence Hall Association and the chair of the Student Life Committee.

‘All of these experiences and opportunities and many more have led me to decide to run for Student Association president. I have titled my campaign ‘We are SU,” he said. ‘It is a reminder that we the students make this great campus what it is.’

As students who hold stock in the success of Syracuse, Carr said, students must remember they owe it to the university to make it better. Carr proposed mandating community service hours for SA members if elected president.

Carr touched upon different bills he has worked to pass while at SA, including co-authoring last year’s cyberbullying resolution. The administration is looking into implementing the changes set down in the resolution, he said. Carr was also instrumental in helping coordinate the free buses to Wegmans and Target.

One of the goals Carr hopes to accomplish if he is elected president is bringing a stronger voice to non-traditional students.

‘Student Association must do a better job of reaching out and hearing the voice of off-campus, part-time and commuter students,’ he said.

Carr’s other goals include bringing SA to the community, implementing a communal space for students to socialize in during late-night weekend hours and making sure the student voice is heard during conference realignments and athletic changes.

At the end of his speech, Carr addressed a concern he said was presented by many, including opponent Dylan Lustig.

‘Candidate Lustig believes that I feel it is my rite of passage to become SA president because of my age,’ he said. ‘To that I argue this: I don’t feel that it is my right, that I am entitled to this position or I am owed this honor. I feel that by being a junior, I’ve had an extra year to gain experience, work on initiatives and gain a better grasp of life on the Hill.’

medelane@syr.edu

Published on October 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meghin: medelane@syr.edu | @meghinwithani