The Student Activities Fund Review Board (SAFRB) approved a record 12 proposals towards Campus Improvements totaling $231,926.44.
“This is the single largest amount spent on proposals to improve the campus in one semester ever,” said Mark Neubauer, President of the Student Senate. SAFRB appropriates leftover funds from previous Senate years to improve Student Life and the Quality of the campus. Proposal ideas are generated by the Student Body and the next round of SAFRB proposals will start to formulate in December so that they can be finalized by the end of January.
Kellen Kadakia, Secretary to the Student Senate, explained the process in which proposal ideas transition into becoming actualized. The Student Affairs committee, with 44 student members, decide on the proposals to work on and contact administration, faculty, and vendors to make sure that the proposal is met to the proper criteria required by NJIT. The finalized proposals are then brought up to the entire Student Senate to be put to a vote. Finally, SAFRB goes over all the selected proposals and votes on whether they can be implemented on campus.
President Neubauer outlined each of the proposals, starting with the Basement Offices in the Campus Center, which will benefit the clubs and organizations that use them. Each office will receive a brand-new desk, swivel chair, lounge seat, round ottoman, and white board.
New tables, chairs, and lounge furniture will replace the old ones in the lounge space outside of the Game Room. Inside the Game Room, students can look forward to the installation of an air hockey table, foosball table, and an arcade machine, which will have a large variety of games installed. On the first floor of the Campus Center, a couple massage chairs and napping pods will be placed in the lobby space for students to use. There will also be new furniture put in the 4th floor Campus Center lounges, Fenster Plaza (the outdoor plaza space between Fenster Hall and the Campus Center) and the second floor of the Library.
The completion of the Water bottle filling stations project was approved; the final three stations will be installed in Faculty Memorial Hall, PC Student Mall, and the Mechanical Engineering Building.
The most visible changes will occur on the Honors College Green and Campus Center Terrace. A portion of the Honors green will be paved so that more seating can be placed outside, as well as a “Solar Connect Table” which students can charge their phones with. The volleyball court will also be relocated to the Honors Green, since the space where it currently resides will be utilized as part of the second phase of the Wellness and Events Center Construction.
As for the Campus Terrace, there is a plan to plant up to 21 different species of perennial flora to help beautify the space.
This being only the second year of SAFRB proposals, the aim was to “think big,” said Neubauer. “The scope of SAFRB has expanded to target the whole campus.” Without the diligence and hard work of the Senate and Student Affairs Committee, none of these improvements could have come to light. Moving forward, student engagement and conversation with our elected representatives will continue to be a pillar in improving and beautifying both the Campus and the experience students have here at NJIT.
