The Cuse Conference is a prime example of the type of initiative the Student Association should organize. Efforts like these should not stop, though the next Cuse Conference should take place earlier in the academic year.

SA, in partnership with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Undergraduate Student Association, Graduate Student Organization and Residence Hall Association, organized the first event of its kind to bridge the gap between students, faculty, staff/administrators.

The event was organized by students and attended by administrators. Ideally this is the direction cross-campus discussions will take in the future. It was an opportunity to link groups on campus and give members of the general student body the uncommon chance to directly communicate with campus leadership. SA President Boris Gresely had been working to put on this event since he was campaigning for office in 2013. It’s good to see that his plan came to fruition.

This forum brought the campus community together to discuss persisting issues. But since it happened so late in the year, this momentum could be lost over the summer.In the future, it would be better if The Cuse Conference occurred early in the fall semester to lay the groundwork for future events where different RSOs can work with one another.

The Cuse Conference honed in on two recurring problems that face SU: “a disunited student body who often duplicates efforts and cannot properly assemble or follow through,” and, “a lack of efficient, reliable and trustable avenue for students to provide feedback into university operations.”

Students across campus were invited to discuss a multitude of topics ranging from Student-to-Student Accountability for Sexual Consent to Restructuring RSO System Engagement. The SU Task Force identified these topics by evaluating what concerns were most discussed by student leaders, THE General Body and a survey. Moving forward, these problems must be kept in mind and addressed. This forum was a great first step.

Now, SA and the groups involved need to take the contributions from this meeting and turn them into concrete changes that will affect the SU community for years to come.