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President Hurley Speaks, Vacancies Filled at 3 Hour Senate Meeting
September 22, 2021
The September 21, 2021 meeting of the Senate lasted nearly three hours as members of the Senate had the opportunity to hear from President Hurley and then fill three vacancies on the Senate, in addition to the regular business of U.S.A.
President Hurley opened the meeting by providing a welcome and brief update on the college and the plans for his final year. He welcomed questions from Senators, mainly focusing on the future of the institution beyond his retirement and questions surrounding diversity on campus. President Hurley discussed the foreseeable “demographic challenge” that will occur over the next ten years and how the institution is preparing and becoming “more open and welcome to more diverse students.” He also spoke on how the college administration will need to continue to adapt Canisius as an evolving and urban campus, specifically regarding “pedestrian and bike friendliness” as well as the college’s “commitment to sustainability.”
The three vacancies were filled by the following:
Zachary Lundy ‘22 will serve as Senior Senator.
Senator Christopher LaRussa ‘22 will take on the the role of Public Health Committee Chair.
Natalie Faas ‘24 will join Senate as the Vice Speaker.
To read the entire press release click the button below.
The Senate fills their Cabinet for the 2021-2022 Year
May 5, 2021
At the second meeting of the 2021-2022 Senate, the members completed the appointments for Speaker, Vice Speaker, & Committee Chairs. With twelve of the fourteen elected Senators present, the Executive Board shared their recommendations one by one for the Senate to vote on. All of the recommendations were confirmed by a majority vote, filling the Cabinet of U.S.A. for the upcoming academic year.
Marissa Brandel ‘23 will return to her role as Speaker of the Senate, following her term for the 2020-2021 year.
Jahare Hudson ‘24 will join U.S.A. as the Vice Speaker.
Jasmine Thomas ‘22 will resume her role as chair of the Diversity Board.
Ashley Kekeisen ‘22, now serving as a Senior Senator, will return to chair the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Committee following her appointment early in the Fall 2020 semester.
Anna Ziemba ‘23, a returning Senator, will serve as the Public Health Chair, a seat recently vacated by the now President of U.S.A., Alyssa Deacon.
Sydney Carlo ‘22, a Senator since her freshman year, will return to her seat as the Student Interests Committee Chair for this upcoming year.
Alisa Slawinski ‘22 will serve as the Sustainability Committee Chair, previously chaired by the newly elected Executive Vice President, Zoe Kaminski.
The Senate of the Undergraduate Student Association will now go on a hiatus through the end of the semester, until the annual summer meeting planned for July.
Apply to be on Finance Board!
May 3, 2021
Apply to be a member of the 2021-2022 Finance Board! Have your voice heard in the appeals process for club funding appeals as a member of the Finance Board!
Applications are due by Monday, May 24th at 5 PM!
If you have any questions or concerns contact VPBF Matthew Johnson at johns310@canisius.edu!
The 2020-2021 Senate Year In Review
April 20, 2021
At the final meeting of the 2020-2021 Senate, President Patrick Eugeni presented the Annual Address to the Senate, highlighting the work that the Undergraduate Student Association completed throughout the academic year.
This video highlights his presentation and the accomplishments of the 2020-2021 Senate.
The 2021-2022 Senior, Junior,
& Sophomore Senators are Announced!
April 16, 2021
The results of the 2021 Senator elections have been announced! The Senior, Junior, & Sophomore members of the 2021-2022 Senate will be:
Senior Senators
Ashley Kekeisen
Daniel Kennedy
Christopher LaRussa
Husna Raheem
Junior Senators
Sydney Carlo
Carlo Mastrodonato
Jacob McLaughlin
Julia Slayzk
Anna Ziemba
Sophomore Senators
Rami Daham
Jillian Galanti
Sean O’Brien
Avery Penoyer
Hawa Saleh
The first session of the 2021-2022 Undergraduate Student Association Senate will be Tuesday, April 27th at 7 PM.
The 2021-2022 USA E-Board is Announced!
March 26, 2021
The results of the 2021 Executive Board election have been announced! The members of the 2021-2022 USA Executive Board will be:
President Alyssa Deacon ‘22
Executive Vice President Zoe Kaminski ‘23
VP of Business & Finance Matthew Johnson ‘22
VP of Marketing & PR Justin Brown ‘22
The first session of the 2021-2022 Undergraduate Student Association Senate will be Tuesday, April 27th at 7 PM.
USA Diversity Hosts Annual Seat at the Table Event!
March 12, 2021
USA Diversity Committee presents "A Seat at the Table." Come join us in our virtual celebration of Women's History Month by recognizing Women in Power. Together we can educate and empower! The event will be held on March 20th from 1:30- 3:30 pm via Zoom. Speakers, stories, raffles, food, and prizes. Students, Alumni, Parents, Staff... All are Welcome!
USA Announces 2021-2022 Presidential Debate!
March 11, 2021
The 2021-2022 Presidential Debate will happen virtually on Thursday, March 18th at 7 PM. You can submit your questions for the debate through the form below.
The debate will be moderated by the current USA President, Patrick Eugeni, The Griffin Editor-in-Chief, Mike Pesarchick, and Afro-American Society President, Amaya Dennis.
USA Sends Open Letter to the Faculty
March 5, 2021
The Executive Board of the Undergraduate Student Association wrote and sent an Open Letter to the Faculty of Canisius College discussing areas of concern based on the results of the Fall 2020 Student Experience Survey.
The three areas of concern outlined in the letter are: (1) streamlining onto D2L, (2) recorded lectures, and (3) the student connection with professors.
You can read the letter by clicking the cover page or the button below. The Executive Summary of the Fall 2020 Student Experience Survey can be found below.
USA J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Committee is Celebrating Women’s History Month with Trivia!
March 1, 2021
The USA J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Committee is celebrating Women’s History Month with some trivia!
Participants can complete the trivia via the button below, those who answer at least 80% of the questions correct will be entered into a raffle to win one of three prizes!
The deadline to complete the quiz is 11:59 PM on March 21, 2021.
USA Works to Promote 2021 Giving Day!
February 28, 2021
USA Executive Board had the opportunity to meet with Matt Gorczyca, Associate Director of Annual Giving & Stewardship, at their February 19th meeting. Gorczyca presented on the 2021 Giving Day and E-Board decided to make it a USA initiative to promote and encourage the members of USA to create profiles to support the initiative.
Check out this year’s Giving Day video featuring three members of USA (in order of appearance): Sophomore Senator Mylan Hawkins, President Patrick Eugeni, and Freshman Senator Rami Daham.
Giving Day 2021 will take place March 3rd. You can learn more and donate at canisiusgivingday.com
Join us for Coffee with Club Leaders!
February 26, 2021
USA E-Board is inviting all club leaders to join them on Tuesday, March 9th from 6 PM to 7 PM to discuss the rest of the semester, end-of-year-transitions, and answer any questions you may have for USA E-Board!
All Club Leaders who RSVP and attend the event will receive an e-gift card for coffee!
To receive the zoom link and ensure that you receive your e-gift card you must RSVP!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this event, feel free to DM our Instagram or email usa@canisius.edu, usaevp@canisius.edu, or usapres@canisius.edu.
Apply to be Student Interest Committee Associate Chair!
February 8, 2021
The Student Interest Committee is seeking an individual to serve as Associate Chair and the on-campus point person for the Spring 2021 Semester! If you are interested in applying you can access the application through the button below or by clicking the image.
No Longer Accepting Applications.
If you have any questions, contact Committee Chair Sydney Carlo at carlos@canisius.edu.
Application for February NFTA Pass Available!
January 25, 2021
As we look towards the start of the Spring 2021 Semester, the monthly NFTA pass offer will resume for the months of February, March, April, and May. The application for the February NFTA Pass is now open and can be completed and submitted through the button below!
The application will be available until Monday, February 1st at 6 PM.
A post will be made on our Instagram Story (@canisiususa) when the passes are available for pick-up.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the pass, feel free to DM our Instagram or email usa@canisius.edu.
Fall 2020 Student Experience Survey!
January 1, 2021
Due to the unique nature of the Fall 2020 semester, the Undergraduate Student Association hosted a survey to get input from the student body regarding the semester’s quality. The Executive Summary summarizes the results from the survey based on:
General Demographics (Academic Year, Living Situation, Instruction Method, Etc)
Course Delivery (In-Person v. Online)
Student Success & Challenges for the Semester
How U.S.A. can Better Advocate for the Student Body
Student Mental Health in relation to the Semester
Click this Image to View the Full Summary!
Joint Election Day Statement
November 3, 2020
USA President Patrick Eugeni joined Afro-American Society President Amaya Dennis, USA J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Committee Chair Ashley Kekeisen, and Asian Student Association President Husna Raheem to put together a joint statement regarding the upcoming national election and to remind Canisius students of our values and our student promise.