Freshman Class President Jameson Cherilus is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it any more.
“I am just outraged,” Cherilus said of Quinnipiac’s plan to move graduation to the TD Banknorth Sportscenter and divide it into two separate ceremonies. “Tradition is something that is very important to me, and I don’t feel comfortable knowing that my university does not value tradition as much as I do.”
Cherilus believes that moving graduation will hurt Quinnipiac’s feeling of community.
“I remember in the summer when we all had our black gowns on,” he said. “It was hot, but I was able to endure that experience because it was like a community. I looked to my left and the girl sitting to my left was going through the same thing, and I looked to my right and the guy to my right was going through the same thing. We were all hot, but do you know why it was bearable? Because we were all going through the same thing. We need to graduate together.”
Cherilus believes that there would be less of a disconnect between the student body and administration if members of the administration would come to SGA meetings more frequently.
Graduation was hardly the only thing that Cherilus was worried about. He believes that the administration has been too slow in finding a replacement for former Director of Multicultural Affairs Tyrone Black. “We have to hold administration accountable before this campus, this community, gets used to not having that office,” Cherilus said. “I went yesterday to go to the office. I was in the rec center building and I went upstairs. I was just curious. I just saw an RA there. To me that’s wrong. There needs to be someone professional there, someone with a degree in that background. So before this campus gets used to Tyrone being gone, that vacant position needs to be filled immediately.”
Cherilus also has reservations about the recent housing shake-up, which left sophomores with less housing choices. “”Yes it’s good for the sophomores, but… the only options we have are Mountainview and Village,” he said. “Those are two of the most expensive dorms. So in terms of finance, we don’t have an option. Both of those are equally expensive.”
Cherilus was hesitant about the school’s long term plans to make housing at the Mount Carmel campus strictly for underclassmen. He thinks that living with and learning from upperclassmen is a big part of the college experience. “When you talk about diversity, it’s not only race, it’s also class,” he said. “One of my best friends is a junior and I would not have had the opportunity to meet her if she didn’t live on campus. So I feel like we’re taking away from future classes. We’re taking away the opportunity to meet the upper class.”
The school’s decision to cut the outdoor track, volleyball, and golf teams hit close to home for Cherilus, who has friends on the teams.
“I feel like they should have been saved, and that’s why I want to look into waste spending, to see what can we do,” he said. “Maybe we don’t need the tennis lights on all the time, you know? I’ve seen disappointment in my peers. I have a friend who is a golf player, and he came to me and said ‘Jameson you’re the freshman class president right? I need your help. Please, please help me.’ When he said that, my heart broke, because these were my friends who were basically admitted to play a DI sport and had it taken away from them.”
After those sports are dealt with, Cherilus wants to push administration for a definite answer on the issue of club sports. He said, “I feel like it’s my responsibility to hold administration accountable. They haven’t really told us what’s happening yet. At first they gave us a yes, but it’s not going to happen for a couple of years, which is ok, but there needs to be a system for holding administration accountable. There has to be a procedure.”
Cherilus will have at least six weeks left in SGA to push for his solutions to these issues, but right now he has a more pressing concern, as he is up for re-election today against two challengers.
