Vol. C | Spring | Issue XI
The Student Senate held an informative meeting on April 3. During this meeting, the Senate approved the creation of three new student organizations, The Philosophy Club, The Racquetball Club, and The Genetically Engineered Machines.
The Philosophy Club showed a lot of passion in discussing existentialism and epistemology in literature and media. This organization plans to hold book club meetings and invite keynote speakers.
The Racquetball Club aims to provide an engaging space to interact with the sport of racquetball in the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center and around campus. The members of this club want to bring the sport to all students of all skill levels and are aiming to host coaching days and attend racquetball conferences.
The Genetically Engineered Machines explained their idea of being a part of an international organization and competition about genetic engineering. This club has planned several fundraising initiatives and offers a great opportunity for biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering students to explore other opportunities in another area of their career.
One Senator Report was presented during the meeting, in addition to one collaborative report from the Ying Wu College of Computing and its major representatives.
The Ying Wu College of Computing representative, Eric Huang, second-year student in business and information systems, Megha Saju, third-year student in business and information systems, Jhanvi Pai, third-year in computing and business and major representative, and Hunter Russo, second-year in information technology and major representative, presented one collaborative Senator Report, which included contributions from Devon Wallerson, second-year computer science student and major representative, and Kamil Arif, third-year student in data science major representative.
They met with Associate Chair for Information Technology Dr. Michael Halper and Associate Chair in Informatics Dr. Lin Lin to address many new initiatives and plans for information technology and systems course scheduling. This includes adding honors sections, adding more courses to the web development and security specializations, and adapting certain course requirements. They also addressed the currently out-of-date web and information systems course catalog, which will reflect new changes in the Fall 2024 catalog.
Vol. C | Spring | Issue X
The Student Senate held its annual Multicultural Festival in the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center on March 27. It was an amazing event, with over 750 students attending. There were outstanding live performances from some amazing companies, such as the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Group, Red Hawk, Zawadii, Crystal Dancers, and even some NJIT organizations, like the Coptic Society and some of the senators. The Senate plans to go even bigger and make lots of improvements next year, so we hope to see you all there!
The annual NJIT Spring Concert is being held on Friday, April 26. It will take place from 6:30–10 p.m. at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center. There will be an opener by WJTB Radio, followed by Rich the Kid at 7:30 p.m. Food and apparel will also be available during the event. Tickets are on sale now. Invite your friends and join in for the fun!
Student Senate Election Season has just started — look out for campaign posters for the eboard, college, and major positions. Elections open on April 8 at 10 a.m.
Instagram: @njit_senate
Website: njitsenate.org
Vol. C | Spring | Issue VII
The Student Senate met with Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Marybeth Boger, who encouraged students to complete the student experience survey. The Dean of Students office plans to solve student issues on and around campus. The survey can be found in students’ university emails from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
The Senate reopened the discussion regarding the web and information systems major representative. Benjamin Shuster, third-year student, became the representative.
The Finance Bylaws were also updated, with wording and grammar changes. Senators also addressed a lot of issues students and organizations had regarding clarification for semesterly and yearly budgets and grant hearings. No financial policies were changed.
Additionally, the Student Senate had the pleasure to meet with two new and approved student organizations and one revival.
The Turkish Students Association aims to create a safe and enjoyable environment for the large Turkish student population on campus. It plans to hold meetings and share Turkish tea and other pastries, events where they can teach traditional dances, barbeques, and much more!
Nepali Students Association wants to promote a safe space for Nepali students. While being a small country, its culture is different from other Asian countries’ cultures. The club wants to teach this culture through collaborations with Asian clubs on campus and with a major cultural festival on Mar. 11.
Now revived, Society of Physics Students goal is to unify the community of students with a major or minor in physics, even reaching out to any students with a general interest in the topic or organization. The society is already thriving with an active body of students participating in club activities and professors engaging with the club. It has a Discord server for its members and has already hosted a club interest event with guest speakers.
The Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC) representative, Eric Huang, second-year student in business and information systems; Kamil Arif, third-year student in data science; and Megha Saju, third-year student in business and information systems; presented one collaborative Senator Report, which included contributions from Devon Wallerson, second-year computer science student major and representative; Jhanvi Pai, third-year computing and business major and representative; and Hunter Russo, second-year information technology major and representative.
The first three representatives mentioned met with Dr. Brook Wu, Associate Professor of Informatics and Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Xiaoning Ding, Associate Professor of Computer Science, to discuss issues regarding the computer science curriculum, advising, and information technology and information systems courses.
The YWCC faculty plans to rework the curriculum for the core computer science courses so that they can include more topics and information early on that will be important for later courses. The main issue was that a lot of the later courses relied on information that was not being taught or given in the introduction courses.
They also plan to add linear algebra to the course work which could open the door for computer science students to take additional classes that many are taking now as electives. There was also discussion regarding classes that information technology and information systems students need to take that are not coordinated or have little sections available. The faculty wants to offer more of these courses in-person, as too many are hybrid as of now. They plan to meet again for a follow-up.
The Senate held its semesterly feedback fair on Feb. 21. More details on the results will be published later this semester.
Lastly, the 2024-2025 General Elections packet has been announced. It includes the timeline for the elections process to serve on the Senate in the next academic year. Find the document with all the details at www.njitsenate.org/resources.
Vol. C | Spring | Issue V
On Feb. 14, the Student Senate met with four candidates running for three vacant representative positions. The biology representative position was left open. Nikita Nair, third-year student studying law, technology, and culture, became the representative for her major. Discussion regarding the web and information systems representative was tabled for next week’s meeting.
The Student Senate also revisited discussions regarding the Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) and the financial technology representative positions. Shahd Ali Elsayed Ali, second-year architecture student and previous senate architecture representative, became the HCAD representative. Zeynep Kus, second-year financial technology student, became the major representative.
Finally, there was discussion concerning revisions to the NJIT Student Senate constitution. Under Article III, Section 4, modifications to the wording were made to clarify the section better and help mitigate confusion regarding whether officers were allowed to serve on the executive boards of clubs that aren’t recognized by the Student Senate.
Vol. C | Spring | Issue IV
On Feb. 7, the Student Senate cordially welcomed Dr. Kristie Damell, Associate Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator, and Brittany Gaviria Sanchez, Prevention Specialist, to speak about their roles and work during the public forum.
Damell addressed the importance of offering support to those in need who may not know who or where to ask. Gaviria Sanchez stressed that they are here to be an advocate for students to help support survivors in any way they can. They also expressed how ensuring the campus maintains a secure environment for all students is a commitment that they are pleased to continue upholding. The Dean of Students office is now located next to the Agile Strategy lab in the Central King Building.
There were seven new candidates running for four vacant positions: two first-year representatives, one Hillier College of Architecture and Design representative, and the other representing financial technology. Jainam Shah, first-year computer science student, and Steve Limaymanta, first-year general engineering student, became the two new first-year representatives. The discussion regarding the Hillier College of Architecture and Design representative and the financial technology representative were tabled for further discussion.
Vol. C | Spring | Issue III
During its meeting on Jan. 31, the Student Senate met with four candidates running for representative positions. Anthony Rodriguez, fourth-year civil and environmental engineering major, became the new Newark College of Engineering representative, and the first-year representative position was tabled for further discussion.
There was a discussion regarding the student affairs committee bylaws. Members proposed an addition to their bylaws. Under section V, Financial Limitations, identity-based organizations may now submit a proposal to the student affairs committee without first requesting a grant from the finance committee. This would alleviate the stress encompassing diversity and inclusion-based organizations trying to get extra funding for monthly events. The Senate found this to be in the best interest of the student organizations on campus and to the benefit of the student body.
There were two senator reports presented; one was from engineering technology college representative Matthew Torres, third-year electrical and computer engineering technology major, and the other report was by third-year mathematical sciences student and major representative, Pakhe Mewani.
On Dec. 6, Torres met with Samuel Lieber, acting department chair for engineering technology, regarding course and registration issues. They are looking into updating NJIT’s course catalog to better fit the requirements of students and what they can and want to take. Degree Works will also be updated in the near future.
They discussed research opportunities for engineering technology students. Resources are available to allow students to better connect with professors. Professors conducting research on campus can be found on NJIT’s website.
On Dec. 13, Mewani met with the head of the mathematical sciences department, Dr. Eliza Michalopoulou. Mewani noted the improvement in the department’s communication with the student body and how they plan to further improve upon it. They also discussed plans for a career fair involving companies looking for students with heavy backgrounds in mathematics.
Finally, Ying Wu College of Computing’s representatives are looking for student feedback regarding courses, advisors, or anything of the like. Please see the poster below for further information.
Vol. C | Spring | Issue II
NJIT’s Student Senate is excited to welcome students and organizations back for the Spring 2024 academic semester. Below are updates and proposals that the Senate discussed during its meeting on Jan. 17.
The student affairs committee proposed a new Study Sync initiative. The proposal involves skilled tutors on campus who will be available from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., five days a week, in residence halls. The Study Sync would provide students an environment to thrive academically when the tutoring center closes. There were more than 100 students who expressed interest in the proposal and most stated that they do their homework and studying at night. Overall, the majority of students said that they would like a tutoring center opened at later hours, and the student affairs committee even researched other schools, such as Seton Hall University and Kean University, who found success implementing similar programs.
Bridgitte Limaymanta, fourth-year industrial engineering student and Senate’s major representative, presented her senator report that covered her meeting with associate mechanical and industrial engineering professor Dr. Athanassios Bladikas on Nov. 21.
In the course IE 492: Engineering Management, students have found difficulty in registering for this course due to a limited amount of sections available. Limaymanta plans to survey more students about the issue and plans to try to push for a summer course teaching the material.
She also plans to revive the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers NJIT chapter to help bolster student morale and foster a friendly environment for students in industrial engineering.
Third-year chemical engineering student and major representative Melisa Bilgili presented her senator report which covered her Nov. 29 meeting with chemical and materials engineering department chair and professor Dr. Lisa Axe.
Bilgili and Axe addressed chemical engineering students’ concerns of wanting more study groups and general exam preparations available outside of classes. Bilgili plans to implement specific hours for each course in the lounge for NJIT’s Chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Bilgili shared future events being planned such as a faculty board meeting scheduled for the first week of February or March and an Industry Fair & Professional Workshop planned for early February.
Finally, Sriya Jidugu, second-year biochemistry student and major representative, had the last senator report presentation. The report covered her Nov. 6 meeting with Dr. Bhavani Balasubramanian.
She talked about a few errors on the NJIT Chemistry Department website that were recently fixed as well as a Discord being created for the Chemistry & Environmental Science department where all students will be able to chat and connect.
Jidugu also talked about plans for future events such as a welcoming event to help incoming classes transition and integrate into the department more effectively. She also discussed wanting to have a peer mentor program where upperclassmen would pair up with other students to better support them.
On Jan. 24, the Senate had the pleasure of meeting with three new candidates for three vacant positions: civil engineering representative, Albert Dorman Honors College representative, and the vice president of finance. Jelani Blow, second-year civil engineering student, became the representative for his major. Giovanni Olaya, first-year civil engineering major, was given the Albert Dorman Honors College representative position. Finally, Nahomy Zuniga, second-year financial technology major, became the new vice president of finance.
There was also a discussion regarding the Student Organizations Bylaws. The new changes were made under part VII of the bylaws, New Student Organization Process. Steps 4, 5, and 6 were addressed and altered to better clarify the processes of club approvals and decision-making.
There are still vacant positions available for the semester. Check out www.njitsenate.org to see which positions need representatives — there are at least 20 positions up for grabs.
