By Carmen Wolcott,
Advanced Certificate in Public Administration and Public Policy
And just like that, another semester at SLU comes to a close.
For any fellow students that I didn’t get the chance to meet: my name is Carmen and I’ve been serving as your Student Union Secretary this year and as SLU’s Graduate Delegate to the University Student Senate.
In these positions, I’ve had opportunities to speak directly with the chancellor of CUNY, the dean of SLU, and countless other decision makers to advocate for the “SLUdent” perspective. It has been an honor to be a student leader on our campus.
This has been a big year for student engagement at SLU, and I hope it’s something we continue to foster in the years to come.
In the fall, the student union hosted SLU’s first ever-club fair! At the time, we only had two student clubs: the Solidarity Economy Club and SLUdents4Palestine. Since then, the number of clubs has more than doubled! We welcomed the crocheting club Cro Flow, Solidarity Spirituality, and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) as new clubs on our campus.
Over the winter, the Student Union and the Solidarity Economy Club collaborated on the Food Security Survey, which showed a serious need for additional resources. Both groups are now collaborating with Dean Mantsios to create collaborative solutions to end hunger on our campus. In the interim, we’ve brought a new food vendor to campus, Sophie’s Cuban. Most importantly, our generous students have come together to make soup for each other. I know I’m not the only one who went from my stomach grumbling during evening classes, to feeling warm and full from a cup of soup!
This spring, the Student Union hosted an event with The People’s Money to bring participatory budgeting to campus. We also collaborated with SLU staff to host two headshot and networking events in April. We did more, too, but that end-of-semester energy is clouding my memory, so I’ll leave it there for now.
For those continuing at SLU next semester: Remember what brought you here! You chose to study at this institution – you took a chance on one of CUNY’s youngest colleges. Why? Take the opportunities to build community on campus! Say hello to familiar faces! If you have ideas, PLEASE share them – together we can make them happen!
For my fellow graduates, carry the SLU energy with you throughout the city and the world! Remember what you learned here. Carry solidarity and hope with you while leaving outdated systems behind. And remember, you are always welcome to come back.