When the State of the University Address started 13 minutes late at 7:43 p.m on Tuesday, FUSA President Eddie Muniz’s voice and the background sounds of bouncing ping-pong balls echoed throughout the B.C.C.
“Our mission is to serve the student body and develop student leaders,” Muniz said; however, the attendance of less than 30 students at the speech proved otherwise.
Every year the FUSA President is required to give a State of the University Address at the beginning of the President’s term. After delaying the delivery of the initial speech, Muniz and his Executive Cabinet Members made an appearance to talk about the initiatives and actions of FUSA. Muniz outlined the six “boards and initiatives” of FUSA: Senate, Class Council, S.W.A.T, Programming, C.O.S.O and Executive Cabinet, providing information on how each have worked towards improving student involvement this year.
The address reiterated what the student body already knows: programming is the biggest part of FUSA. A budget of over $70,000 was spent this year in efforts to increase student activities, “to increase creativity and home grown events,” according to Muniz. This includes late night activities on Friday and Saturday, as an “alternative to drinking.”
Muniz and the Cabinet also addressed controversial issues such as the negative image associated with FUSA.
“We can’t make everyone happy,” Muniz said. “People complain that we have too many program events…I mean, I think that there is definitely a negative connotation, but I don’t know if there is one way to break that.”
Another important topic touched upon was the role of the Class Councils. The Class Councils, which work towards “unity and pride” for each grade, have mostly been successful in planning events. Muniz pointed out that the class of 2012 council lacked commitment and experienced a resignation of about 2/3 of their members. A recent ex-senator for the class of 2012 supported this observation by playing ping-pong throughout the duration of the speech.
When discussing these issues, Muniz continued to refer to them as learning experiences.
“Through my experience in FUSA, [I] have learned an invaluable amount… about growth as a person,” Muniz explained.
A turning point in the speech was when Muniz proceeded to address the future of FUSA. His only focus, however, was the ongoing constitutional convention. Muniz explained that the resolution did not go through, however, he did not offer an in-depth explanation of this pressing event. Muniz quoted Charlie Knights, Class Council President of 2012, saying “whether or not it passes, it was a great learning experience for everyone on the committee.”
During the question and answer session, Muniz’s responses to most questions lacked depth and bordered on ambiguous. When asked if he felt that he had achieved all he set out to do as President, Muniz said, “The three major goals that I did have this year, I feel that the work I have done has been good.” Yet Muniz didn’t state what those goals were. The FUSA President did admit, however, that working with different administrators on campus was difficult.
Said Muniz, “I think that’s definitely the biggest challenge, just because we’re working against them sometimes, but we’re also working for them.”
Students expect FUSA to provide them with a plethora of activities and events that will keep the students entertained and invested in the University. FUSA stays active by having senators and using The Mirror as a source of student media coverage.
When asked about the address, Muniz responded that he was pleased overall with how it went. “I felt like it was good to have the students ask questions,” he said.
“Overall, I thought it was good to see the President directly speaking to the students,” said Matthew Morrisey, one of the authors of Resolution S4705, the original proposition of a State of the University address. “I think the President’s commitment was admirable and we look forward to their examples of information sharing in the future.”
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