Nashed served as the Student Senate’s Vice President of Finance this past year and, with the help of his committee, was able to “award over $50,000 in student organization grants and to advocate for student voices while serving on administrative committees to ensure that we are both represented and heard.” He has also experienced being Director of Public Relations and a Freshman Representative in the past. One of his biggest goals as President is to increase transparency between the Senate and student body. He would like to expand on the Senate’s presence on various social media platforms such as Reddit and Discord in order to provide regular updates on what the Senate achieves, “whether it be academically, departmentally or in the realm of our all-embracing campus diversity through recognizing each of our cultures.” Nashed emphasized, “I plan to lead the Senate through my vigorous work ethic, compassion and ambition to guarantee that no single voice shall go unheard.”
“This past year, I ensured that the Student Senate was functioning efficiently by guiding senators and making them aware of their resources,” Sharobim said. As the chair of the Academic Affairs committee, she worked with the college representatives to ensure there was student representation on various committees with administrators; she also joined the Dean of Students in spreading awareness concerning code of conduct and academic integrity policies. “With the members of the academic affairs committee, I intend to increase student representation at the college and departmental level, advance tutoring, collect more student feedback and enhance the advising experience,” she mentioned. As the work of the Vice President of Administration is currently ongoing, already being in this position “allows [her] to smoothly continue what was started and to jump into implementing improvements and introducing new projects immediately.”
Azer aims to continue addressing the budgeting and financing of clubs that the Student Senate oversees. “One of my personal goals as Vice President of Finance is to work with upper administration to understand the costs of tuition and where those funds go to ultimately make it public to the student body,” she said. “In order to achieve this, I would like to create a Student Fee Advisory Board; all students and faculty would be welcome to come to the meeting to learn about where tuition costs are going.” As Vice President of Student Affairs this past year, she and her committee was able to accomplish goals such as the Lyft Smart Ride Free Passes and outdoor charging tables. “Spearheading these projects taught me a lot about working with contractors as well as the university to be able to compromise with administration on a healthy balance for what the students want and what the university can provide,” Azer said.
Samuel plans to bring the requests of NJIT students to life. “There are a few issues with our campus that I plan to fix: the aesthetics of campus, minimal study spaces, minimal left-handed desks in lecture halls and even minimal women’s bathrooms in lecture halls,” she said. “I also aim to implement a student-run cafe, allowing students to paint it themselves.” She served as a First Year Representative this past year and successfully executed a first-year networking event. Using skills from this event along with many others, she is confident to take on this role in the upcoming year. “I hope to keep the students involved in the steps it takes to execute great projects,” she added. “This will enhance the school spirit and love for NJIT. I want every student to feel safe to express concerns or ideas to better daily life at NJIT.”
Nashed stated, “I will be working very closely with the Vice President of Finance to make sure that all the resources needed are properly provided to optimize the impact organizations can have on NJIT.” His biggest motivation for running for this position was seeing how much the previous Director of Student Organization’s committee was able to do this past year for Senate-recognized organizations across campus. “With a university consisting of mostly commuter students, it is my goal to outreach to all students on and off-campus and ensure that their voices are heard to provide an inclusive and hospitable environment here at NJIT,” he added. Being part of the Student Senate as a First Year Representative has allowed him to expand his horizon and expose himself to the wonderful opportunities provided at this university.
“The most prominent issue I would like to address regarding my position is the lack of awareness and understanding of what the Student Senate is and what role it plays. Senate representatives sit on a lot of Board of Trustees and administrative meetings in which they are heard to make decisions that affect us on a daily basis,” Naguib said. “This should be made aware to the students that we can truly advocate for them through the feedback that we get.” Another issue she would like to address is that the students aren’t always made aware of what their major representatives are working on. In response to that, she added, “My goal is to have an ongoing conversation with the student body in which they feel comfortable enough to share feedback, approach us for help and see us as the resource we can be.”
Andrawis served as Secretary this past year. She said, “My role is to supervise the Student Senate’s internal affairs, hold senators accountable and ensure the Senate is efficient in its performance.” She facilitated weekly general body meetings for 40 or more senators and developed skills in technology setup. This included reserving rooms and effectively communicating with senators and administrators as well as orchestrating impactful Constitutional changes to encourage long-lasting rules and regulations. “Being able to provide senators with all the resources that will make them successful in helping the student body is crucial,” she said. “Maintaining the NJIT Student Senate Public Drive so that the student body has all Senate documents easily accessible to them.”