After returning from a week of break, current Student Association Vice President Allie Curtis immediately began preparing for her transition into the presidency.

Curtis won the hotly contested SA presidential election with 31.1 percent — or 1,221 — of the votes on Nov. 16, right before Fall Break. Since returning to campus, Curtis and current President Dylan Lustig have been working together to ensure a smooth transition.

“(Lustig is) handing off everything he has done and he has been working on to me, and introducing me to a lot of people that he has worked very closely with, and having a sit down and talking about future goals, and what’s attainable for the 57th session,” Curtis said.

She said she plans to continue initiatives and projects that began during Lustig’s presidency but are not yet complete. For example, Curtis said, the Student Life Committee will work on the free ATM initiative.

These incomplete initiatives are often “unavoidable” due to various circumstances, she said. Each session and each semester yields some projects that don’t fully come together, but Curtis said she is thrilled with what was accomplished in the 56th session.

“I honestly am very proud of the work that was achieved and I think we set up a good precedent for not only my administration, but administrations to come,” she said.

Curtis is also focusing on selecting members of her cabinet. She said she has already received applications from current SA general assembly members. Every position is open, Curtis said, and any undergraduate may apply.

Because she has worked closely with Lustig as vice president, Curtis said, she feels confident in her ability to take on the role of president.

“It’s already working very well with everything he’s putting together to make sure the transition’s running smoothly, and I’m really happy with the process and I think it’s going to go very well come January,” she said.

When he first came into the presidency, Lustig said, he still had a lot to learn. He knew what the job entailed, but he didn’t know the day-to-day details and certain issues.

“I knew that I’d be focusing on the organization and I knew that I’d be focusing on the student body as a whole,” he said. “But I didn’t know the technical issues of creating a $91,000 budget.”

Right after returning to campus from break, Lustig said, he contacted Curtis to set up times for them to begin the transition.

It was difficult, Lustig said, to make the connections he needed to do his job well. He had to spend a great deal of time training himself for the job.

“I promised myself and I promised her that that won’t happen,” he said.

Although Lustig will be studying abroad next semester, Curtis said this will not affect her transition because the bulk of the process takes place in the weeks after Thanksgiving break.

Said Curtis: “Of course I’m going to miss having Dylan here physically, but I know that I’ll be able to still contact him when I need him and he’s always there for advice.”

Published on November 27, 2012 at 11:13 pm

Contact Casey: cffabris@syr.edu | @caseyfabris