University at Albany Student Association

The University at Albany Student Association is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and the undergraduate student government of the University at Albany. It is the largest student run organization at the university. Established in 1923, the University at Albany Student Association is the official on-campus undergraduate student government. The Student Association exists in order to provide and encourage opportunities beyond those offered in the formal curriculum.

The focus of the Association is to provide the undergraduate student population with a positive campus experience. The Association funds over 180 student groups and events on campus, including social, cultural, academic, and professional organizations.

Early years and formation as Myskania (1914–1921)
Interest in forming a student government dates from 1914. However, President Milne rejected a student petition at that time, stating, "There is no place in this institution for the association and activities contemplated in this petition." President A.R. Brubacher (1915-1939) took a more favorable attitude toward student government. In response to a 1915 student petition, he instructed Professor Risley to form a committee to study the possibility of creating a student government. An attempt at forming a rudimentary student organization was made in January 1916. As a result of Risley's study, Myskania was formed in 1917. Myskania, initially referred to as the student council, was an honorary body comprising seniors responsible for representing student opinions and improving the student body's department. In 1921, Myskania played a crucial role in suggesting the formation of the Student Association, the official student government.

In 1921, Myskania was responsible for drafting the initial constitution for the Student Association, effectively relinquishing its leadership role in student governance. It held authority over Greek social and service organizations and clubs, including approving their constitutions, the State College News board, and the Finance Board. Myskania also vetted officer candidates for student-funded organizations, primarily ensuring compliance with the student tax, and served as the student judiciary.

Early structure and conflicts with Myskania (1921–1928)
The Student Association was officially formed in 1921 with the purpose of managing all non-academic student matters. It had legislative, financial, and executive powers. Myskania served as a single judicial branch and guardian of school traditions. The Student Association's executive branch was initially managed by the Executive Board, consisting of the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, who carried out the provisions of the Assembly and acted as a court of appeals.

The relationship between Myskania and the Student Association witnessed conflicts as early as 1927-28. According to the Student Association's 1945 constitution, the Association claimed the right to represent students before the Faculty Council and changed the election process of Myskania members. Despite this, Myskania suggested that some members should still be chosen from a list prepared by its outgoing members.

By 1928, a new constitution altered the executive branch's structure. The Student Council replaced the Executive Board, and it included the president, vice president, secretary, and presidents of the four classes. The new Student Council had broader duties, such as arranging programs for Student Association meetings and executing all legislation passed by the Student Association.

Engagement with contemporary issues and the reduction of Myskania (1930s–1960s)
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Student Association assemblies addressed contemporary issues, including presidential campaigns, the New Deal, and World War II. In 1949, the Student Association was involved in a project called CARE, aimed at assisting children affected by war.

From the late 1960s onward, the Student Association placed increasing emphasis on student rights and equal opportunity. Minority groups, such as the Women's Liberation Front, Black Students Alliance, and Lesbians for Freedom, gained formal recognition from the Student Association.

Over the decades, the changing nature of the college and successive Student Association constitutions gradually reduced Myskania's functions and powers. Factors contributing to this included an expanded enrollment, relocation to the uptown campus, and the abandonment of certain traditions, such as Rivalry, which ended in 1963.

Dissolution of Myskania and Further Initiatives (1960s-1990s)
By 1965, Myskania had lost its judicial powers, and its last election occurred in 1978. The Student Association's refusal to fund Myskania's ceremonial functions led to the organization's dissolution in 1979. In 1982, University President Vincent O’Leary initiated the Purple and Gold program, inspired by Myskania's service aspects, such as "assisting at events and providing guides for high-school tours on campus.

From the 1970s through the 1990s, the Student Association gained influence in academic affairs, including assessing the competence of teaching faculty and publishing the results of surveys in ACT and SCATE Booklets. Initiatives like the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) were developed in 1973.

The Student Association extended its focus to environmental issues, with the recognition of NYPIRG on campus in 1982. It also supported academic initiatives like the Frosh Reading Program.

Historic Achievements, Senate Controversies, and Impeachment Proceedings (2017-2020)
In 2017, Jerlisa Fontaine was elected as the University at Albany Student Association president. Fontaine was celebrated as the first black woman to assume the position, and the first female president in seventeen years. Fontaine's plans for the Student Association focused on improving budget transparency and emphasizing academic excellence and mentorship.

In 2018, the University Senate voted to remove all religious holidays from their academic calendar in favor of a new fall break in October. Concerns were raised by the Student Association, and legislation was introduced to call on the University to support Jewish holidays like Yom Kippur. Many Jewish students came to the SA to lobby to have the Jewish holidays remain, such as UAlbany Hillel,: a student group on campus. A divided Student Association voted down the resolution urging the University at Albany to keep the religious holidays off for the following academic year.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, the Board of Finance launched an investigation into the Student Association President Desann Chin-Carty for the misuse of funds. The Student Association Senate heard testimony and reviewed evidence to determine whether the president misused more than $1,000 in student fees to purchase personal items. The Board of Finance Chair Samuel Salazar flagged purchases such as gold-colored office accessories, glow-in-the-dark rocks for a fountain in her office, essential oils, and Glade air fresheners. The Board of Finance investigation drew hundreds to a Senate meeting on February 2, 2020, where the board recommended the Senate impeach Chin-Carty and recommended bylaw changes to prevent future misuse, and the Student Association Senate proceeded to vote for impeachment based on Article I: abuse of power and Article II: Neglect of duty, which drew comparisons to then recently-concluded first impeachment of Donald Trump. Chin-Carty defended her purchases and called the interrogation a "witch hunt".

The COVID-19 pandemic, Election Integrity Issues, and Social Justice Initiatives (2020-2023)
In June 2020, a petition initiated by members of the University at Albany appealed to the university to rename Indian Quad to Indigenous Quad as a part of a broader movement towards cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. It also urged the university to establish a task force responsible for identifying and renaming buildings that presently bear names reflecting racist ideologies or histories.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Student Association partnered with university administration in 2021 to promote student COVID-19 vaccination through the "#GetVaxxedUAlbany" initiative. The vaccine initiative was started "in hopes of not only promoting vaccinations but also to address any questions and concerns the student body [had] about the COVID-19 vaccine".

At the onset of the 2020-2021 Legislative Session, hostilities arose quickly between the Executive Branch under President Damilola Adesanya and the Legislative Branch under Chair of the Senate Bryan Ramsaran. Hostilities reached a boiling point during an October 2020 Senate Meeting after an event, For The Night, hosted by the Director of Intercultural Affairs, Abdoullah Goudiaby, violated New York State Executive Orders pertaining to gatherings during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Senate considered but narrowly failed to pass a measure to condemn the "actions and events" that took place.

During the 2021 Spring General Election Cycle, it was alleged that Presidential Candidate Bryan Ramsaran, Vice Presidential Candidate Peter Moscovitis, and other members of his campaign sought to undermine the electoral process through allegedly corrupt and threatening means. It was alleged that the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Prakash Thakur, threatened the Deputy Comptroller's future employment with the organization if an endorsement for the Ramsaran-Moscovitis Campaign was not given. In April of 2021, the Ramsaran-Moscovitis ticket successfully campaigned against the Campaign of Abdoullah Goudiaby and Mya Williams, garnering 51% of the vote. However, after numerous protests by supporters of the Goudiaby-Williams Campaign and allegations of numerous campaign violations, the Student Association Elections Commission voted to retroactively disqualify the Ramsaran-Moscovitis ticket and award the Presidency to Abdoullah Goudiaby.

In 2023, President Jalen Rose and Vice President Crawford engaged in talks with UAlbany's Provost, Carol Kim, discussing various academic-related matters including extending the S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) course option dates, addressing issues related to academic advisors and faculty advisors not meeting students' expectations, and reducing the cost of printing for students

The University at Albany Student Association met on October 4, 2023 to pass legislation that would make an official call on the university to halt the merger of Africana Studies (AFS) and Latin American, Caribbean & U.S. Latino Studies (LACS) departments. The Student Association collaborated with the UAlbany chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Puerto Rican Student Association organizations to promote a protest in front of the University Hall to call on Provost Carol Kim to address the issue.

On November 1, 2023, UAlbany President Havidan Rodriguez addressed the Student Association's concerns over the merger of the LACS and AFS departments, iterating the "responsibility as an institution to make decisions that we see will benefit the institution moving forward". On November 13, 2023, the Student Association questioned Provost Carol Kim over the merger, marking her first visit to the SA boardroom all semester. She clarified several points regarding the merger, assuring that the two departments were keeping all current programs, explaining that the merger was done as a result of declining enrollment, and Dean Jeanette Altarriba of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) was responsible for the original idea to merge the two departments.

Response to the Israel-Hamas War and Campus Advocacy (2023-present)
In the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the Vice President for Student Affairs sent out an email with a statement on the current conflict between Israel and Palestine. A UAlbany student who attended the Senate meeting spoke out against the email during the public comment, said “The main reason we are here is that, for the past 75 years, Palestinians have been undergoing oppression, genocide, and apartheid by the Israeli government’s illegal occupation, yet there was silence from UAlbany. My own country has been at war, but there was silence from UAlbany.

Six months later, the Student Association passed the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) resolution, which calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, as well as an academic boycott and “End to University Complicity in Genocide”, becoming the first SUNY student government to do so. The resolution drew out many protesters and supporters of it, making it the most crowded meeting of the year. Many Palestinian and Muslim students, as well as others, showed their support for the bill and encouraged all Senators to vote in favor of it. Many paralleled the struggle in Palestine to struggles with apartheid in South Africa.

Later that month, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Young Democratic Socialists of America held their largest protest of the semester on April 29. Hundreds of students, including several Student Association senators, were present at the protest calling on the State University of New York (SUNY) and, specifically, the University at Albany to divest from Israeli universities and businesses.

Student Government Operations
The UAlbany Student Association comprises four branches; Legislative, Judicial, Executive, and Finance. They also operate several departments that execute the Student Association's plan throughout school years.

The University at Albany Student Association is structured as follows:
 * The Executive Branch, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations.
 * The Legislative Branch, consisting of the Student Association Senate.
 * The Judicial Branch, serves to solve disputes within student organizations.
 * The Finance Branch, consists of the office of Comptroller, who manages supplementary requests.
 * The Board of Finance, an independent committee that produces the budget.
 * Elections Commission, an independent commission that facilitates Student Association elections.

Dippikill Wilderness Retreat
The Dippikill Wilderness Retreat is the largest student-owned natural preserve in the United States. The 1,000-acre private wilderness retreat has belonged to the Student Association of the University at Albany since 1956, and is located in Thurman, New York.

In late 2019, the Student Association gave less funding than requested for the fiscal year of 2019-20, but added money for more buses to the camp. Dippikill was allocated roughly $30,000 less than they asked for to go towards development and renovations, which the Student Association said is necessary for critical maintenance.

In October 2019, Dippikill closed to the public. According to Assistant Director of Operation Heidi LaPrairie, the retreat "had a history of issues with the general public with regards to misuse and abuse of [the] property." She explained that the property's listing on AllTrails and social media publicly drew more and more visitors to the site. The cabins and campsites are only open to reservations from University at Albany undergraduates and affiliates.