Syracuse University’s chapter of the New York Public Interest Research Group will hold a referendum on the Student Association election ballot to determine if it has the support of the student body.

NYPIRG, a student-directed research and advocacy organization, arranges for the vote every three years to make sure to not lose touch with the student body and to make sure that NYPIRG has the approval of students to use their student activity fee. The SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry chapter is completely funded by the $3 per student per semester fee.

The referendum will remain open for the duration of the Student Association election, which is taking place through Thursday.

Jonathan Schmidt, a freshman NYPIRG intern, noted how important student consent is to NYPIRG.

“NYPIRG is unique amongst (registered student organizations) because it gets put to a vote every three years. We feel it is very important to get the students (sic) consent to remain on campus,” Schmidt said in an email.

But the vote also benefits the students, all of whom benefit from NYPIRG advocating on their behalf, said Brittania Smead, the NYPIRG project coordinator for SU and SUNY-ESF.

“A lot of the work we do benefits the student body in one way or another. The whole student body also benefits in a way because we work on higher education affordability,” Smead said. “The whole campus community is benefiting from that work.”

Not to mention, the referendum also gives students a democratic voice in NYPIRG. Smead said it promotes student engagement and reassures the organization that it has students’ support.

Marvi Najam, a senior psychology major, serves on NYPIRG’s student board of directors, which consists of two to three students from each campus chapter. Najam said similar things to Smead. First and perhaps most importantly, the referendum helps NYPIRG to remain connected to the needs of the student body.

“(NYPIRG) is very focused on students and what they want and the needs of students,” Najam said. “The issues are very relevant: reducing tuition, registering students for voting and helping them find voting booths.”

In preparation for the vote, NYPIRG distributed fliers all over the SU and SUNY-ESF campuses and tabled in the Schine Student Center. Najam added that the referendum adds a touch of democracy to NYPIRG’s operations.

“Basically, the referendum represents a democratic process for students. It’s saying we’re here because students want us here,” she said. “Every three years, we can confirm that students want us on campus.”

And even though the referendum usually passes, as it did in 2011‒12, students who voted no or who simply disagree can receive a refund of their student fee. Since the referendum usually passes, NYPIRG challenges itself to try to get even more people to vote than in the previous vote, Najam said.

Published on April 13, 2015 at 11:30 pm

Contact Jake: acappucc@syr.edu