To kick off this week's Undergraduate Student Association (USA) meeting, President Stoute attended, sharing his first report with the Senate and answering a few questions from senators and committee chairs. Stoute says his main goal is to empower everyone at Canisius — faculty, staff and students. He also says he is committed to co-creating the future of Canisius with its student leaders. When asked about the strengths and weaknesses he would identify at Canisius, he expressed his pride in the strong undergraduate research opportunities and mentoring relationships that students have with the faculty and staff. President Stoute believes that the loss of the sense of community — a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic — can be rejuvenated within Canisius’s culture of engagement.
Updates from the Desk of the USA Executive Team this week include first-year and junior senator elections taking place. First-year students and juniors are encouraged to vote in those elections. The new first-year senators and junior senator will be announced on Friday afternoon by 5:30 p.m. Liaison positions will be appointed at next Tuesday's meeting. Additionally, the USA website has been officially updated by Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Julia Slazyk.
The chairs of the Senate committees and boards are working hard on developing ideas for upcoming resolutions. The Diversity Board and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Committee are joining forces in an effort to develop a Women’s Health Center on campus and to run a book drive during the upcoming National Hispanic Heritage Month. The Sustainability Committee is holding a clean-up on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon. People who are interested are asked to meet outside of the library doors. Free lunch will be provided to helpers. Two appeals were passed by the Senate in favor of the Student Interest Committee. This week will be the last Thursday in the Quad, with anticipation of a potential tailgate party for a Bills game later in the semester.