Nov. 29 marked the last Senate meeting for the fall semester. As a result, the Senate prefaced their typical meeting schedule to express appreciation for the contributions each member has made to their constituents and highlight hopes for future contributions.
In preparation for the next semester, the Senate discussed plans for next term. Specifically, Chief of Staff Elizabeth Sauerman (‘24) informed her fellow senators that all of the board representatives for several on-campus student body organizations associated with all three Drew schools had been invited to a strategic planning meeting with President Hilary Link and Drew’s strategic planner. The purpose of this meeting was to proactively invite student representatives to discuss their hopes and insights about the future of the university.
Vice President Jocelyn Freeman (‘25) shared her sentiments that while she would be less directly involved with the Senate in the future, she still wants to provide guidance for Senate members.
As for the Student Concerns and Compliments portion of the meeting, Kibel stated that there are not enough trainers on campus, leaving athletes ill-equipped to properly manage injuries. “Multiple athletes have been just grinding out their injuries and/or aches and pains that aren’t natural instead of going to see the trainer,” Kibel said. Kibel proposed hiring another trainer to combat delays in physical health assistance and access.
Frank Mercx, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Campus Life at Drew University, had this to say about Drew’s athletic department: “We use the NATA (National Athletic Trainers’ Association) tool for how we go ahead and staff our athletic training department, and we’re more than in compliance with national medical standards.”
The Social Responsibility Committee’s representatives were in attendance to introduce their organization to the Senate. Co-chairs Amineh Al-Aydi (‘25) and Marianela Piña De La Hoz (‘25) stated the goals of the committee: “Essentially, the Social Responsibility Committee hopes to work with the school to have conversations, have a better investment plan that reflects the values of the school and the Drew community and students.”
The committee also outlined their future plans. “We hope to work for students to have bigger representation where the school’s endowment fund [is concerned],” said Al-Aydi. They provided a petition to increase institutional transparency, which would allow the Drew community to see where Drew aligns its involvement.
Al-Aydi expressed concern about Drew’s ethical practices, claiming that research has found that universities across the country have financial investments in controversial companies that have been complicit in environmentally destructive behaviors or contradict the values of Drew’s Students for Justice in Palestine.
“We actually have no idea what the school’s invested in that’s unethical. We don’t even know where to start,” Al-Aydi said about the lack of access Drew’s populace has to Drew’s financial activities. “But we’d love to begin these conversations somewhere, to have a starting point, to start talking about ‘what are we investing in?’”
When reached for comment, the two co-heads had this to say about achieving communication between Drew and its populace in the future: “As student body representatives, our aim for the Social Responsibility Committee (SRC) is to forge a strong and respectful relationship with the university’s administration and board of trustees. Our overarching objective is to collaboratively engage with the school’s decision-makers, evaluating and proposing guidelines for the university’s affiliations with entities that may not align with Drew University’s community standards and values. We also strive to align the school’s internal practices with the sentiments of the broader Drew University community.”
Rosie Sapperstein is a senior majoring in English with a concentration in literature and minoring in media and communications.
