Vol. CI | Fall | VI
During the meeting on Oct. 30, the Student Senate met with Ed Wozencroft, Vice President for Digital Strategy and Chief Digital Officer, Vice President for Digital Strategy CIO, and Blake Haggerty, Associate Vice President for Digital Learning & Campus Support and Deputy CIO, Vice President for Digital Strategy CIO. They discussed technological initiatives including integrating more AI into the school, creating a student-powered cybersecurity program, and partnering with small businesses.
The last two constitutional changes were then presented to Senate. These changes included rephrasing sections, clarifying guidelines, and defining the governing documents. Senate discussed and approved both changes.
Three New Student Organizations (NSO) ⏤ Munch Madness, Remote Area Medical, and Girl Gains ⏤ came to present their organizations. Senate approved all three. Finally, third-year Applied Physics Representative Marwan Kashkoush presented a report discussing possible changes and improvements to the curriculum.
At the meeting on Nov. 6, Rachel Williams, Hearing & Development Officer for Student Conduct, Dean of Students, came to speak to the Senate about the conduct process for academic integrity, how these outcomes are determined, and when artificial intelligence (AI) should be used in the classroom.
We then had three Senators present their reports. The first was Albert Dorman Honors College Representative Marianne Doss, a third-year, who suggested making colloquiums virtual, including transfer students in first-year service projects, and creating an honors-specific community floor. The Civil Engineering Representative Jelani Blow, a third-year, spoke about curriculum changes to the major and other initiatives. Lastly, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Natalia Pena, a third-year, advocated for bringing more awareness to heritage and awareness months and holidays ⏤ given that NJIT has been recognized as an HSI (Hispanic-Serving Institution) and AANAPISI (Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution).
Finally, a special election was held to fill the Residence Life Representative position, which is now occupied by second-year Diana Mei.
If you would like more details, feel free to check out the minutes in the Student Senate public drive.
Vol. CI | Fall | V
On Oct. 9, the Student Senate met with Associate Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator, Kristie Damell, and Prevention Specialist and Dean of Students, Brittany Gaviria. During this meeting, they spoke about the resources available to students concerning the topics of dating support and Title IX, as well as answering questions regarding the excusal policy.
New revisions were presented to our standing rules regarding “Section 5: Referendum and Polls.” A major constitutional change led to the creation of the newly established Committee Cabinet, which was later presented to and approved by the Senate. Applications to apply for these cabinet positions can be found on Highlander Hub.
A new Biochemistry Representative, second-year student Valeria Malty, was sworn in. A senator report was presented by our Ying Wu College of Computing Representative, fourth-year student Jhanvi Pai, who shared new information regarding curriculum changes, addressed issues with Hillier College of Architecture and Design/Ying Wu College of Computing cross-registration, advising, and plenty more.
At the meeting on Oct. 23, Sr. Vice President for Real Estate Development and Capital Operations, Andrew Christ came to speak with the Student Senate regarding all renovation plans on campus. Some updates include changing the 2nd floor of Martinson Hall to NJIT President Teik Lim’s new apartment, upgrading Campus Center and Fenster Hall, replacing Oak Hall, leasing new buildings (hopefully freeing up parking spots), and plenty of other initiatives. Dr. Angela Garretson also came to speak on an initiative called Ballot Bowl, a new way to encourage students to pledge for voting in this year’s election where students can also win prizes.
A resolution regarding Presidential Housing was presented, instating that the NJIT administration must get input from students before proceeding with any future projects conducted on campus. This was discussed and approved by the Senate.
Finally, a senator report by our Fraternity and Sorority Life Representative, fourth-year student Melissa De Cunto, was presented. The report proposed a push towards greater collaboration between Greek Life and the Senate. One possible approach was to host an event during the spring semester for these organizations to showcase their philanthropies, in hopes of breaking the stereotypes that are affiliated with Greek Life.
If you would like more details regarding any meetings, please view the minutes in the Student Senate’s public Google Drive.
Matthew Torres is the Senior Class President of the NJIT Student Senate.
Vol. CI | Fall | IV
During a meeting on Oct. 2, the Student Senate welcomed five new senators: third-year Greek Life Representative Melissa De Cunto and First-Year Representatives Benjamin Youssef, Kermena Samer, Anthony De Nova, and Timothy Bailey.
The Academic Affairs Committee also proposed a resolution to obtain Adobe Creative Cloud access for all students. With its approval, it will now be proposed to the administration for consideration.
Special elections were also held for some positions, including Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts Representative won by third-year student Kevin Gettler, Applied Physics Representative won by third-year student Marwan Kashkoush, Biomedical Engineering Representative won by fourth-year student Ana Villanueva, and Mathematical Sciences Representative won by third-year student Thomas Omiatek.
At the meeting on Oct. 9, the Student Senate swore in some of the new senators and voted on the new Biochemistry Representative, second-year Valerie Malty.
A series of constitutional changes were presented to the senators, including grammatical changes, more in-depth details of role expectations, and re-wording of certain sections. Both were discussed and approved by the senators. There was also a senator report presented by our third-year WIS Representative Benjamin Shuster which discussed new details regarding the Student Senate website.
If you would like more details, feel free to check out the minutes found in the Student Senate public drive.
Matthew Torres is the Senior Class President of the NJIT Student Senate.
Vol. CI | Fall | III
During a meeting on Sept. 18, the NJIT Student Senate met with Deneen Scuderi, the Director of Campus Health Services. Scuderi spoke about the many campus resources available on their website regarding health education and wellness. She mentioned that the new CityMD Urgent Care Center located in Maple Hall will focus on learning and adapting based on the needs of the students this semester, and it plans to be smoke and tobacco-free by next year. It was also added that based on demand for the center’s services, there is a possibility that it will expand its hours.
The following week, the Student Senate held an election for the new 2024–2025 Director of Student Organizations, with third-year biochemistry major Sriya Jidugu winning the election. As the new director, Sriya hopes to “[improve] communication with student organizations and [the] overall NJIT campus, and [help] NSO[s] and other [organizations] to transition into the tiering system more efficiently.”
The Student Senate also elected new senators, including second-year Chemical Engineering Representative Edward Trivella, third-year Digital Design Representative Carolyn Toledo, third-year Cyberpsychology Representative Naketa Wiliams, fourth-year Greek Life Representative Melissa De Cunto, and third-year Forensic Science Representative Mia LaRe.
The Senate was presented with constitutional changes to two sections, which included grammatical and structural revisions and a clarification of senatorial expectations, which were approved by the senators.
If you would like more details on the election turnout and the Senate’s plans for the school year, feel free to check out the minutes found in the Student Senate’s public Google Drive.
Hunter Russo is the Director of Public Relations for the NJIT Student Senate.
Vol. CI | Fall | Issue II
The Student Senate had an amazing first meeting of the 2024-2025 academic year on Sept. 11. Here are some of the matters that the Senate discussed.
Several amendments were made to the Student Senate standing rules. This includes changes in how vacancies are handled, office hour adjustments, announcements regarding public documents and policy changes, and the addition of referendums. For more information, or if you are interested in joining the Senate, please take a look at these changes in more detail in the Senate’s public drive.
We had the pleasure of having eight students run for six empty vacancies. Discussion regarding the candidates was tabled until Sept. 18.
We have four new vacant positions to be filled. If you are interested in becoming the Student Senate’s Biomedical Engineering, Mathematical Sciences, Concrete Industry, or Business and Information Systems Representatives, please apply using the form on Highlander Hub.
Hunter Russo is the Director of Public Relations for the NJIT Student Senate.
Vol. CI | Fall | Issue I
Hello students of NJIT! We hope that you had an amazing summer and are ready for an even more amazing year! The Student Senate has some updates that we would like to share with you as the semester starts.
To learn more about the Senate’s executive board for the 2024-2025 academic year, please follow this link.
The Student Senate will be holding its general body meetings at a new time. Moving forward, these meetings will be held weekly on Wednesdays from 4–5:30 p.m. in the Agile Strategy Lab. The first Student Senate meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 11. We encourage students to sit in on these meetings to get an understanding of what we are working on and share their thoughts as a part of the public forum.
One of the first things that the Student Senate has planned for this upcoming year is the return of Study Sync. This initiative will commence between Sept. 15–17 and will introduce the program, which is aimed to help students study material for common exams and will run every week that common exams take place. The first Study Sync will take place in Cypress 114.
The Student Senate Constitution was updated this summer. There were many amendments made including, but not limited to, changes to the standing rules, finance bylaws, purpose and duties, and student organization policies. We highly encourage all NJIT students to read over the Student Senate Constitution in preparation for the upcoming year.
You can help set an example for the student body and lead NJIT into a successful academic year. Sign-ups for representative vacancies and students-at-large are open on the Student Senate’s Highlander Hub page.
With the semester starting, the first-year representative elections will be opening soon. The form to run for positions opens on Aug. 26. Campaigning will last from Sept. 9–20 and voting will take place between Sept. 16–20; results will be announced on Sept. 23. More information can be found on the Student Senate Highlander Hub in the new 2024-2025 First Year Representative Elections Packet. We can’t wait to see who the new leaders of the student body will be, and we hope to make this year spectacular for all of NJIT!
Hunter Russo is the Director of Public Relations for the NJIT Student Senate.
