To:   NJIT Students
From:   Student Senate
Date:  Tuesday, March 3, 2009
RE:  VERY IMPORTANT Updates   

As spring break nears I am please to update everyone with a mid-semester memorandum. Your Student Senate is still continuing its ongoing efforts to improve the main concerns and issues of the undergraduate student population. Below is a list of various things we are working on and have accomplished for you. If any student has any questions or concerns please e-mail us at senate@njit.edu   

Best regards,  

Baker Assaf
President, NJIT Student Senate

University Code on Academic Integrity
After about a year and a half of a continuous effort to improve academic integrity at NJIT (while relatively low compared to other institutions) the University Faculty approved the new document last Wednesday, February 25, 2009. To summarize the document’s changes, any student who fails a course due to academic dishonesty will receive an “XF” on their transcript rather than an “F.” The “XF” will denote on the student’s transcript “failure due to academic dishonesty.” The actual document will be sent out to the NJIT community by the Office of the Provost so please stay alert.  

Student Advising Guidelines (second update)
At the beginning of this semester there was a posted link in the memorandum that was sent out so that every student can view a copy of the document, here is the LINK once more if you did not get a chance to view it the first time. Since that e-mail, the document was approved for distribution by the Institute Committee on Academic Affairs. We encourage every student to look over the document do their part so that the advising process successfully improves. 

What to do now? Part of the guidelines allows students to nominate their advisor to receive “The Excellence in Advising Award” which will be administered by the Student Senate. There is currently three weeks left for the nomination period, so we are urging everyone to fill out the nomination form if they feel their advisor has displayed excellence in performing the duties of their position. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE 

Warren Street Station Task Force
The Student Senate approved an ad-hoc committee to research student’s complaints about the Warrant Street station and determine the feasibility of working with NJ Transit to update the ambiance of the station.  

Student Senate General Elections
On February 18, 2009 the Student Senate approved the 2009 General Elections Packet. During the second Monday and Tuesday of every April the Student Senate must hold general elections for ALL positions on the Student Senate. If you would like to run for office and have your name on the ballot, please fill out the Elections Packet and be very weary of all deadlines and requirements. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PACKET 

FEEDBACK SESSIONS
All feedback sessions for the Spring 2009 semester have been scheduled and updated on the Senate’s website. We encourage all students to participate in their respective sessions as they are our main communication line from students as what needs to be improved academically such as the Advising Guidelines and Academic Integrity that we have so-far successfully completed. In addition to solving your issues, each feedback session provides students with some incentive for attending such as Free Food, flash drives, raffle-offs and much more! CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SCHEDULE 

Weekends @ NJIT
The weekend programming started about two years ago as a Student Senate initiative to transition the campus to seven days of programming and activities rather than the traditional five. As this great effort continues, the Senate’s Executive board is researching the additional funding needed to sustain and improve on the success we’ve had over the last two years and is likely to recommend to the Student Senate a proposal to increase the student activities fee (currently at $53 per semester). 

New Highlander PUB Specials
The Highlander Pub (3^rd floor of the Campus Center) has recently added a “daily special” at the recommendation made by the Senate’s Student Affairs Committee based on student complaints of pricing being too high. In keeping with themes of our economic status, there is also a “Daily Pub Stimulus Combo” so check it out! CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW SPECIALS  

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Ø      Dr. Altenkirch’s presentation to the Student Senate
Ø      Yearbooks for Student Clubs
Ø      State of the Student Address
Ø      NJIT Intramurals: “where any student can play”
Ø      The Gateway Plan

Please Note: You received this e-mail based on a list compiled by the Student Senate Student Advising Guidelines ad-hoc Committee because you attain some form of advising position. This document may not apply specifically to you, yet it is essential that you are weary of its existence.  
 
Best regards,  
 
Baker Assaf
President, NJIT Student Senate

We are currently working on a a strategic plan to improve the relationship between students and advisors…

• College and School reps on the Senate have already met with their Deans to request documentation
• All major Reps are currently putting together individual proposals by the next meeting on behalf of their constituents
• The Student Senate has approved an Adhoc Committee, Student Advisory Guideline Committee (SAG) to compile a final proposal to be presented to the Administration

WE COULD USE YOUR (students) INPUT… so please feel free to write ANY comments here…

Baker

 If anyone has any comments regarding senate activity, please post them here and will try to respond during my office hours.

-baker