If you care about where your money goes, what classes you take, and who’s in charge of professional and social opportunities on campus, vote in the Student Senate elections taking place from April 8-10. Encourage other students to do the same.  

The NJIT Student Senate bridges the gap between the undergraduate student body and people in higher, usually administrative roles at the university, ultimately to improve the student experience. Some areas that affect the general student body the most include: academic affairs (policies and curriculums), student affairs (general student life and campus outlook), student organizations, diversity and inclusion, and external affairs (connections to companies and local opportunities).  

Under academic affairs, senators have discussed topics like the implementation of wellness days, adding more common hour times, and restructuring the co-operative education program. The student affairs committee has looked into updating labs and classrooms, providing more inclusive dining options, and reorganizing spaces for commuters and student organizations. These are matters that directly impact all students in some way, shape, or form.  

At a school with almost 10,000 total undergraduate students, only about 13% put in their votes for executive board candidates last year. Some of these races could have seen dramatically different outcomes if just 200 students, about 2% of the total pool, voted for a different candidate.  

Each candidate brings a distinct agenda and campaign to their respective race, and you have the chance to vote for the ones who are pushing for actions that matter most to you. These are the people who can directly work with advisors and NJIT’s administration to change policies and practices on campus. Their priority is to advocate for you.  

Very little of that can happen if students don’t participate in the elections process. On April 3, there was a town hall that had opposing candidates introduce themselves, present their qualifications and experience, and describe their priorities and goals if elected. In addition to reading posters and seeing other campaigning techniques, this is a great and candid way to learn more about the candidates you feel most confident in when casting your votes. You can find the full recording on the Senate’s Instagram page.  

In NJIT’s payment portal, you’ve likely seen a Student Activities Fee each semester you’ve been enrolled. The actual amount varies, but it’s typically about $31 for a full-time undergraduate student, on a semesterly basis. With nearly 8,000 full-time undergraduate students, that’s about $248,000, which is still an underestimate of the total amount since part-time students and those taking over 18 credits pay the fee per credit.  

That’s how much goes towards Senate and all the other student organizations that it manages. You can best support the initiatives your money pays for by voting in these elections. The money is going to come from you, the student body, regardless. So, make it count towards something that you actually want to see at NJIT.  

Voting begins on April 8 at 10 a.m. and runs until April 10 at 11:45 p.m. Students, you will receive an email to vote on ElectionBuddy. The full elections timeline can be found on Senate’s Instagram page and in its public Google Drive folder, which is linked on its website under the “Resources” tab.  

Put your money and ballots towards people who will listen to and advocate for you.