Photos from Student Senate
President
Lauren Azer
Third-year biomedical engineering major
On the Student Senate, Azer served as a first-year representative, Vice President of Student Affairs, and Vice President of Finance during her first three years, respectively. A significant part of her presidential platform for next year includes advocating for mental health resources and funding for counseling services; she would like to work with the Vice President of Administration to complete the process of providing wellness days to students. Azer also mentioned that although many Senate-recognized groups have an office, these rooms are outdated. Thus, a renovation project is in her sights for the summer. “I have already scheduled meetings with Dean Boger as well as Andrew Christ to discuss this project and work towards its completion by September 2023,” she stated. Overall, she said, “by prioritizing effective communication, engagement, and collaboration, I am confident that I can overcome challenges and lead the Student Senate towards a successful year.”
Vice President of Administration
Macrina Makar
Second-year biomedical engineering major
Makar represented the Newark College of Engineering this year, hosting an engineering networking event and addressing the incorporation of co-ops, growth of the college’s tutoring center, and matters regarding lab courses. In the upcoming year, she hopes to increase the opportunities for students to express their opinions and connect with the Student Senate by sending semesterly evaluations and maintaining an open form of communication via email and Discord. “I hope to address issues with lack of advisor availability by lowering the advisor to student ratio, decrease the maximum weight of final exams and assignments to 30% for final grades, incorporate job skills in the first-year seminar curriculum, and ensure no exams take place the day after break,” she said. “By improving the quality of education at NJIT, I hope to give students the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom in terms of internships and co-ops.”
Vice President of Finance
Beshoy Sefen
Third-year biomedical engineering major
As a first-year representative two years ago, Sefen noticed that “first-year students have a lot of potential but are just so occupied by getting acclimated to the new environment.” He appreciated seeing first-years networking, socializing, and getting out of their comfort zones during an ice cream social hosted that year while he was on the finance committee. “The most prominent issue that I plan on tackling is extra funding for clubs. Most clubs just choose not to request extra funds that they may need because of the long-winded process,” he stated. “I want to work with the [university’s Committee on Finances] to return a sum of funds to students in any form, whether it be scholarships or certain programs with grants.” Sefen would also like to make tutorials for organizations to learn how to use eMerchant properly.
Vice President of Student Affairs
Marina Samuel
Second-year biomedical engineering major
Continuing her position from this year into the next, Samuel mentioned, “I have received some feedback regarding building renovations, dining hall issues, and others, and I am eager to hear more about the most prominent issues that require attention.” She understands the importance of building strong relationships with students and taking the time to listen to their concerns. During the last year, she has learned how to write more effective proposals that lead to change on campus, such as access to free menstrual products. “My primary motivation for running for this position was my desire to make a meaningful impact on campus and enhance the love and productivity among students,” she commented. “I will amend anything necessary and not take no for an answer.”
Director of Student Organizations
Nicholas Marshall
First-year architecture major
Marshall served as a first-year representative this year and was part of the student organizations committee. He stated, “One of the biggest issues I would like to address is the poor communication between the Student Senate and organizations on campus.” He finds it difficult to solve problems with many clubs at once with the system that is in place. Another initiative he aims to work on is encouraging NJIT’s outreach in conferences and competitions to build the university’s and students’ reputations outside of campus. “During this next year, I expect to meet resistance with the college regarding change on campus,” he mentioned. “I plan to work heavily with both the school and the rest of the Senate community to positively impact the student organization process and foster a community where organizations can grow.”
Director of Public Relations
Jonathan Ghaly
First-year biology major
A first-year representative on the public relations committee this year, Ghaly learned that his position for next year “requires a proactive, hands-on approach as well as innovative thinking to bring out the best in NJIT for our student body.” Organizing events and running the social media and merchandise sales are two activities that appealed to him, motivating him to serve as director in the upcoming year. “I plan on creating an environment on campus where students can feel that their voices are heard regardless of their identity,” he said. “I also plan on working closely with the Diversity and Inclusion Officer to make NJIT a place where all feel welcomed and are excited to be a part of the community.”
Secretary
Marianne Doss
First-year biology major
Doss served as a first-year representative on the finance and internal affairs committees this year and has organized the internal after-hours events of this semester as a way to be introduced to her role in the upcoming year. “A goal I have is to reinforce the Senate community by doing an after-hours field trip at the Newark Museum of Art and community outreach together!” she commented. Additionally, she would like to improve communication with Media and Technology Support Services to maintain general body meetings’ quality. Another task on her agenda is creating a public calendar with event dates, deadlines, schedules and more to make sure organizations and the Student Senate are informed of what is happening in the most effective manner.
