Drew University’s CLA Student Government hosted a town hall attended by many senators and constituents on Wednesday, Nov. 19. At the event, President Zaire Wright (‘27) gave a presentation on StuGov’s progress so far this year.
President Wright and Vice President Daniel Ohr (‘26) outlined a number of initiatives that his administration had been working on so far, such as a designated campus mental health day and increased student accessibility when it comes to The Pub.
The event, held in LC 28 under the Drew Library from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., was open to all members of the student body, and light snacks were available near the entrance to the room.
Questions asked by constituents included the possibility of expanding service hours for the Health Center, availability of religious accommodations for meals during holidays like Ramadan and Passover and potential accessibility of the Pub to students under 21, with the noted but obvious stipulation that there would still be identification required to actually purchase alcoholic beverages.
Senators James Dempsey (‘27) and Dejanayha Hill (‘26) confirmed that expansion of Health Center hours is a priority for the Health & Accessibility Committee, of which Dempsey is currently the interim head. While he noted that it may not be possible to keep a “24/7” staff on deck, he added that it could be feasible to retain a kind of “skeleton” staff instead during later hours so that any urgent medical needs could be addressed.
In response to the question about the availability of religious dining accommodations, multiple senators noted that Kosher and Ramadan options are available during religious holidays, and that an email will be sent to students in the days preceding the holidays with a form to fill out if they choose to request such accommodations.
Wright and Ohr further clarified the Pub accessibility initiative to include under-21 access to the inside of The Pub itself at specific times, so that it could remain a balanced space open at times only to upperclassmen and at other times, to everyone. The Pub is a valuable space for community gathering and togetherness, noted Wright, adding that it is important for campus spaces to be accessible to all.
Sabr Keres-Siddiqui is a junior majoring in political science and minoring in sociology and anthropology.
