THE SCOPE, Volume I, Issue 3 by Rutgers Interprofessional Student Congress (RISC)

THE SCOPE

A Quarterly Publication of the UMDNJ Student Senate

The Sc pe

The Student Voice of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Volume I, Issue 3

What’s inside? • • • • • •

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Senate & School SGA Leadership – Reloaded Editor’s Foreword Chair’s Message: Appreciation and Admiration Executive Council Reports The Scoop: Student Voice on Boards of Trustees: a Necessary Evil or an Equitable Minimum? Hot Topics - The Senate’s Pulse on UMDNJ: Avoid-the-Fiscal-Cliff National Campaign, Poll Results – Benefit/Harm of Rutgers/Rowan Mergers for Students, New Name for Student Senate Student Spotlight: Sharese Porter, MPH, SNNJIT-RU ‘14 Scoping Out: UMDNJ Stratford Students, Faculty & Staff Collect 1,000+ Clothing Items for Sandy Victims in 3 Distressed Townships! Scoping Out: UMDNJ Students Well Represented at the National Association of Graduate and Professional Student (NAGPS) Conference! Random Shots: 09-05-12 – Flowers Grow in Newark! FYI: Senate General Meeting Minutes – August 26, 2012 FYI: UMDNJ Student Government Manifesto, September 27, 2012

The UMDNJ Student Senate at RU-SBHS: Student Government Manifesto – New Name, New Face, Same Goals

The Rutgers University School of Biomedical and Health Sciences: A Potential Blessing for Student Voice & Representation at UMDNJ?

Student-Led Beautification of the UMDNJ Newark Campus! Before and After Pics!

Stratford Sandy Clothing Drive: UMDNJ Students & Faculty in Action! SN SGA: Adopt-a-Family by December 14!

THE SCOPE is an independent publication authored by UMDNJ students and edited and approved by the Student Senate at UMDNJ. Any views, opinions, and representations presented in THE SCOPE are solely those of its authors and do not necessarily represent those of the leadership, faculty and staff of UMDNJ, nor reflect UMDNJ policy. UMDNJ does not control the content of THE SCOPE and is not responsible, and accepts no liability, for its content. The mission of the UMDNJ Student Senate is to serve as the official voice of the UMDNJ students on any and all issues of student concern, to serve as effective advocates for students and their student governments within central UMDNJ administration, and to facilitate increased inter-school student activities and involvement.

Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 1

2012-2013 UMDNJ Student Senators & SGA Execs Vice Chair – Paul Boulos, SOM ’14, boulospa@umdnj.edu

Chair – Christine White, NJMS ‘13, whitecm@umdnj.edu

Executive Council

Treasurer – Richard Arilotta, SPH ’13, arilotri@umdnj.edu

Secretary – Yuri T. Jadotte, MD, SN/NJIT/RU ’15, jadottyu@umdnj.edu, Editor

GSBS – Shelly Uppal ’12 (UA/LA), Gerard Limerick ’15

SHRP – William Cole ’15 (IA)

NJDS – Eileen Danaher (CS), Laura Hsieh (CS), Arabelle Castillo (CS)

SN – Yuri Jadotte ’15 (UA/LA, IA), David Grimm ’13, Renada Woodward ’13

NJMS – Michael Hayoun ’14 (IA), Kiauntee Murray ’15 (CS), Christine White ’13 (CS, UA/LA, AA, IA)

School Senators

RWJMS – Richard LeBano ’13 (UA/LA)

SOM – Paul Boulos ’14, Dewan Fahima ’13, Osman Abbasi ’14

SPH – Varun Malik ’13 (AA), Richard Arilotta ’13 (CS), Fred Brown

SGA Representatives – Feel free to contact them and anyone from the Student Senate!! GSBS – Newark: Jessian Munoz (P), Samantha Cole (VP), Stephanie Veerasammy (T), Archana Gopalakrishnan (S); GSBS – New Brunswick: pending; GSBS – Stratford: pending NJDS: David Moghadam (P), Meha Sheth (VP), Dan Dinowitz (S), Misato Fukuda (T) RWJMS: Chase Hulderman (P), Bill Beckerman (P-New Brunswick), Richard LeBano (P-Camden), Alison Sarokhan (VPStudent Affairs), Uma Damle (VP-Administration) SOM: Paul Boulos (VP)

SN – Newark: Danielle Massaro (P), Jigna Patel (S); SN – Stratford: Alex Rocha (P), Kaye Balicanta (S), Jennifer Bolger (VP), Amy Melsy (T) NJMS: Raymond Malapero (P), Rich Schmidt (VP), Leia Rispoli (S), Kiruba Dharaneeswaran (T) SHRP: Joel Summer (CC) SPH – Piscataway: Varun Malik (P), Sabrina Hassan (VP), Michael Cestare (S), Jeremy Taylor (T); SPH – Newark: pending; SPH – Stratford: Mutiat Otunba (P), Tulsi Shah (VP)

Legend: SENATE COMMITTEES – AA (academic affairs), CS (community service), IA (internal affairs), UA/LA (university and legislative affairs) (see last p. for descriptions); SGA LEADERSHIP ROLES – C (Chair), CC (Co-Chair), P (President), S (Secretary), T (Treasurer), VP (Vice President)

Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 2

Chair’s Message

Admiration and Appreciation I have no words to adequately describe the admiration and appreciation that I have for the many UMDNJ students who have done so much to help the victims of Superstorm Sandy. Within a week, efforts were organized on each campus to facilitate the donation of food and clothing, and the response was incredible. Students went out of their way to donate even when they themselves did not have power or did not have easy access to fuel for transportation. I am also especially grateful to the faculty and staff that contributed to the cause. As I write this letter, our fundraising campaign has reached $870 in donations, all from UMDNJ. Our fundraising campaign can be reached through the homepage of our website: https://sites.google.com/site/umdnjstudentsenate/. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped in this tremendous effort. (continued on right)

Admiration and Appreciation (continued from left) Elections at the Senate are two months away (in February), and I'd like to take the time to discuss what will happen here. First of all, elections at the Senate will happen in the usual manner for the upcoming term (February to February). Three senators are voted in from each school, and elections are usually run by their student council or leadership council. If you are interested in running for the position of senator, keep your eyes open for emails from your school's leadership, but please email us if you are currently interested, because we are happy to help facilitate elections. At the Senate's quarterly meeting in February, which is held on the New Brunswick campus, the committee co-chairs and executive board will be elected. These members do not need to be elected by their schools, and they do not all require prior Senate experience. There are also non-elected positions, and nominations for these positions may occur at the February meeting as well. If you are interested in becoming more involved, please email me (whitecm@umdnj.edu) or any of the other Senate members. We would love to have you join us. This upcoming year will undoubtedly see many changes to the Senate as well as to UMDNJ, and there is a lot of opportunity to shape various programs and projects around your goals. Please consider getting involved. Christine White, NJMS ’13 2012-2013 Chair of UMDNJ Student Senate

Editor’s Foreword By Yuri T. Jadotte, MD, SN/NJIT/RU ’15 I cannot begin to apologize enough for how late our last newsletter was! The target publication date was the beginning of September, but we were not able to get it to you until mid-November! On behalf of the UMDNJ Student Senate (which may soon be called the Rutgers Interprofessional Student Congress [RISC], more information to come regarding that in a few months), I ask you to bear with us as we work to get this right. As you can imagine, writing a 15-20 quarterly, interdisciplinary, inter-school newsletter that is broad enough in scope to be relevant and interesting to 7,000+ health professions students with no budget and only a volunteer staff of 1 who is a full-time PhD student and works full-time as a research associate is no easy task. Couple that with an ever increasing number of administrative rules to follow prior to allowing university-wide publication, and you’ve got yourself a real challenge! Nevertheless, the dust surrounding publication of THE SCOPE seems like it may finally be settling, and we are emerging with a clear set of agreed-upon guidelines for publication between the UMDNJ Student Senate and central UMDNJ administration. For example, you may have noticed now that there is a legalStudent disclaimer at the header of each page, and that our newsletter is now archived on the Spotlight: Student Senate UMDNJ webpage: http://www.umdnj.edu/acadweb/studentsenate/links/newsletter.htm. Advocating for students by pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo without running the risk of self-destruction is the name of the game when you are in student government. And speaking of risk, we hope you are paying attention to what happens to the Student Senate over the next few months as UMDNJ becomes “Rutgers Biomedical & Health Sciences” (RBHS). We are fighting to preserve the unity of student government at RBHS, to ensure that your voices do not become lost in the Rutgers void. Check out the UMDNJ Student Government Manifesto after page 12 to learn more on this effort. We hope you will join us in advocating for your rights as future Rutgers students.

Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 3

Hot topics – The Senate’s Pulse on UMDNJ: Avoid-the-Fiscal Cliff National Student Campaign! We are confident that you have heard of the fiscal cliff that is fast approaching the door of Congress. Yet you may not realize that if it is not addressed, and we are allowed to go off the cliff, students’ live will be in serious jeopardy! In particular, graduate and professional student (i.e. all 8 UMDNJ schools would be affected, not just GSBS where much of the research is done) research funding would undergo massive cuts, leading to fewer assistantships and less stipend support for upcoming students. The National Association of Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS) has launched a campaign to urge members of Congress to protect America’s future by continuing to invest in students. We ask that you show your support & sign the petition at: www.AvoidtheFiscalCliff.org

Poll Results: What Should be the Name/Structure of the New Student Senate?

Poll Results: Will Rutgers/Rowan Mergers Benefit UMDNJ Students? Anonymous Student Quote “Overall, it is a great idea and will likely work out to the benefit of all UMDNJ students in the long run. However, it is unfortunate that the School of Osteopathic Medicine will be split from the other UMDNJ schools. Let's hope whatever relationships SOM has with the other UMDNJ schools in Stratford stays relatively the same.” Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 4

Executive Council reports A Word from the Vice Chair By Paul Boulos, SOM ’14 There are many things this holiday season that we enjoy, family, food, gifts, seasonal lattes at the local coffee hut, but it’s also a time to reflect on the ability to provide others with the opportunity to enjoy the finer things in life, even for just a moment. Healthcare can be a rollercoaster of emotions for many and at times it is the holidays that are the toughest test for struggling families. It is important to be unwavering in our pursuit for a healthier happier community, providing hope and giving back is a start but sometimes all it takes is just a smile. A little bit of laughter can go a long way. On behalf of the Executive Council and the entire UMDNJ Student Senate, I wish all UMDNJ students the best of luck on their final exams, and a happy holiday season to all faculty, staff, students and all who makes UMDNJ such a special place to work, learn, and care for those in need.

Financial Scope of the Student Senate: What is to Come

A Minute Word from the Secretary

A Message from the Executive Council

Much has been happening at UMDNJ in the past few months as I am sure you know. Just to give you a quick update, the UMDNJ Student Senate has:

The restructuring that is happening at UMDNJ will undoubtedly affect the finances of all student governments, particularly the Student Senate. We are hoping to see some positive changes come from the mergers between Rutgers, Rowan and UMDNJ. Many of you do not know that unlike all the student government associations (SGA) at UMDNJ’s individual schools, the Student Senate does not receive a formal annual budget from the university and has to depend on the generosity of the SGAs of all 8 schools. While we are extremely grateful to those who do contribute, unfortunately this leads to a very inconsistent funding stream, which has made it very difficult for the Senate to do sustain substantially large activities, as one would expect of a student governing body of its scope and stature. Nevertheless, we are continuing to pursue a number of exciting initiatives. We are in the planning stages of a university-wide UMDNJ’s Last Ball in Spring 2013, which is an effort led by the Stratford campus. We are also providing some financial support to UMDNJ’s new interprofessional honor society, the Alpha Chi chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda. And we are also considering starting a new round of community service grants. Be sure to look out for more information on these!

Eight Schools, One Voice

By Yuri T. Jadotte, MD, SN/NJIT/RU ’15

1-Successfully launched THE SCOPE newsletter (which is getting rave reviews not only at UMDNJ and from students, faculty and staff, but also may become a national model for how to establish a successful student newsletter since the strategies were presented on the national stage a few weeks ago…more on this on page 12), 2-Successfully launched the start of the 1st interprofessional honor society in the US (a milestone accomplishment by any measure) 3-Collected 1,000+ clothing items for Sandy victims 4-Raised close to $1,000 in monetary donations for Sandy 5-Written a 3-page policy document that may serve as a guide for Rutgers on how to integrate UMDNJ student government at the new RBHS, 6-Dealt with the loss of our office space by making increasingly greater use of cloud computing via Google, all while continuing to do business as usual. We have a number of organizational challenges still ahead, and are struggling with keeping up with some mundane tasks (such as keeping an accurate contact list for all UMDNJ school student governments and councils who change leadership at different and irregular times throughout the year). If you have any ideas you want to share on how to make things more efficient and more effective, both for your own SGA/Student Council and for the Student Senate, we’re all ears. Email me at jadottyu@umdnj.edu!

November 2012, Page 5

The Scoop: Student Voice on Boards of Trustees – A Necessary Evil or an Equitable Minimum? By Yuri T. Jadotte, MD, SN/NJIT/RU ’15 The title of this article should leave no doubt in your mind as to my position on this matter, but unless you see this as an issue of social justice like I do, you might find yourself feeling boxed in by the title (and that’s actually my goal…read on, you will learn why). Seeing this as a necessary evil or an equitable minimum is really the same side of the same coin, i.e. that student representation on the BOT is needed, though your personal justification may vary. If I was interested in addressing the other side of the coin, I would title the article “Students on BOTs: A Necessity or a Nuisance”. The latter is the frame of mind of most university administrators who oppose the issue, so I will not frame the issue as such, because I want to see real change in the best interest of both students and the university. If there is anything that I have learned from being a PhD student in the Urban Health Systems joint program between UMDNJ, Rutgers-Newark and NJIT, is that when it comes to the ability to effect change in one’s life, there are really only two types of resources that really matter in the end: economic and political capital. That is, your agency, or your ability to influence a structure or institution, from which you need to extract a particular resource or assistance, is highly correlated with the amount of those two types of capital that you bring to the table. This is not just my own personal belief. It is in fact a foregone conclusion of most sociologists (albeit not in those stark terms), and it is backed by theoretical as well as empirical evidence. This applies to race relations in American history (i.e. how the acquisition of greater political and economic power by the Black middle class has been and continues to be the main mechanism for greater acceptance of African-Americans in society), to your personal success in buying a house in a neighborhood where you may not be wanted because of your religion (i.e. how the amount of economic and political power you bring with you can overcome religious discrimination), and as I will show, to student advocacy at colleges and universities. The interesting fact regarding political and economic capital is that you can use one to bargain for or acquire a greater amount of the other. (continued on right)

Eight Schools, One Voice

(continued from left) In essence, I am saying that in order for students to truly have a say in the responsiveness of their universities to their needs, they must bring adequate political and economic capital to the table. If you think carefully, you will realize that sometimes students do bring adequate economic capital to the table, but it may be a moot point depending on what university you are applying to or, in UMDNJ’s case, what profession you are applying to. For example, at a small liberal arts college that is struggling to maintain a steady stream of students to support its function in a world of academia that is increasingly dependent on tuition support, students (or in all likelihood, their parents) can probably easily bargain for greater political power (i.e. membership in or representation on the Board of Trustees [BOT], the perceived ultimate decider in all matters at virtually all American universities) by using their economic might. The same is true for very wealthy alumni and legacy students at Ivy League or prestigious universities. While this argument simplifies the rather complex issue of uneven social distribution of representation on BOTs, it is sound at its core: that political capital and economic capital perpetuate each other, and that you need one or the other to really effect change in your institution. So what is it about an institution like UMDNJ that leads to the very idea of student representation on the BOT being seen as a taboo subject? As you may not know, the Student Senate has in the recent past approached high-level central UMDNJ administration members about considering the addition of student representation on the BOT, and the response was a flat-out emphatic “no”, without consideration of the merits or benefits of the thought itself to students and to the university. In any case, if any of the higher-ups gave it a second thought, certainly the Student Senate was not made aware of it. So in order to answer this urgent question, what I seek to do in this article is to use evidence from the published literature and from other universities to examine how and why the decision to allow students to gain representation on the BOT was supported or opposed, and to compare and contrast the reasons for their choices with possible reasons UMDNJ does not want such representation, however much it could benefit from it. First, I believe that UMDNJ’s resistance to the idea of having student representation at the highest level of administration is a reflexive symptom of poor institutional culture. Not unlike many other universities, it is an institution that has never been considerate to unrepresented voices unless it was forced to listen. In fact, if we take our cues from history, we will note that this institution would have been founded and built in Newark with complete disregard for its potential consequences for the local, poor urban residents, save for the socio-political fallout of the Newark Rebellion of 1967, which resulted in the Newark Agreement of 1968, a document that to this day continues to have beneficial social justice repercussions in NJ. (continued on p. 7)

November 2012, Page 6

Student Voice on BOT (continued from page 6) Furthermore, UMDNJ’s past is checkered with instances where organizational culture has impeded the voices of those who lack political and economic power. I will discuss the issue of student representation in this context in a short while, but note that other groups at UMDNJ, while not represented in the BOT, do have sufficient political and economic capital to make their voices heard. I am speaking, of course, of tenure-track faculty and unionized staff members. For example, anyone who knows anything about the mergers of UMDNJ with Rutgers and Rowan (and the law that was signed by the Governor on August 22 and approved by the Rutgers Board of Governors on November 19) will note that these two groups have been able to get their voices heard at the highest level of administration. What most people don’t realize is that it is due to the fact that they have lots of political and economic capital to bargain with, which they have used and will continue to use to acquire sufficient economic capital to meet their needs. Students, on the other hand, particularly those at institutions like UMDNJ, are in another boat altogether. Although we make up about 50% of UMDNJ’s personnel, we have minimal to no say in what happens at the highest levels of UMDNJ administration. Sometimes, students do have some voice in specific matters within their specific school, but usually it is only cursory in nature. For example, having served for 4 consecutive years as a representative there, I know that the NJMS Student Council elects student representatives to various NJMS administrative committees; but ultimately these representatives act to bring the student perspective into the fold without the ability to make any substantial decisions. You only have to look at the fact that tuition at NJMS was hiked by close to 20% for the start of the 2010-2011 academic year to realize that this is the case. There was a big brouhaha and much student opposition to such a massive increase within a single year, but ultimately it all fell on deaf ears, or rather on ears that did not have to respond because students at UMDNJ lack political and economic capital. While the lack of political capital among UMDNJ students is clear, and in fact is the very reason this article deserves to be written, you may be wondering why I believe there is also a lack of economic capital and why we should care anyway. After all, some would say “well if students don’t like the way we do things here then surely they can leave or transfer elsewhere, where they can be happy”. While I have no direct evidence of this (nor would I dare quote such a statement even if I did have the evidence, for fear of adverse disciplinary action), I am sure that high level administrators somewhere at UMDNJ have probably said this at some point given the organizational culture here. In any case, the reason students lack economic capital is the fact that this is a health professions school, one with extremely rigorous academic admission standards. For medical students, for example, getting into medical schools is practically half the battle. Furthermore, health professions are all connected through close socio-professional networks. Therefore, a student who leaves one school for “unhappiness with student representation” is likely to be unofficially stigmatized and thus to have a harder time getting into another school. Thus, not a single medical, nursing, dental, physical therapy or doctoral research student in his or her right mind will leave on grounds of unfair student representation practices, and what I argue here is nor should they ever have to. The call for greater student representation at the highest levels of university administration is nothing new in American society. And, like UMDNJ, many universities have grappled with the issue, and unfortunately many continue to oppose the idea (GW Hatchet Newspaper, 2005). However, at the very least other universities have grappled with the idea: UMDNJ, on the other hand, will not even consider discussing it! Silence is compliance after all, and if the administration’s silence on the issue is any indication, chances are that UMDNJ will never have students on its BOT, although it may be a moot point now, given its impending merger into Rutgers and Rowan. However, interestingly enough, Rutgers University has had students on its BOT for many years (RU Board Member Profiles, 2011). Many other universities in NJ have had this as well, including Montclair State University (MSU) and Kean University. In fact, at some universities not only are there multiple student trustees but they also have substantial influence. For example, at Howard University, a highly-regarded private research university in Washington D.C., 2 out of the 6 trustees are students (Howard University, Wikipedia, 2012)! The benefits of adequate student representation are clear and have been discussed in the literature for decades. From bringing greater attention and care on the BOT to issues that affect students, such as disciplinary action policies (Seavey, 1956, Harvard Law Review; Goldstein, 1970, Pennsylvania Law Review), to ensuring greater consideration for issues where students are disproportionately affected, such as tuition hikes, there is much evidence in favor of greater inclusion of student voice and engagement in high-level decisions. Non-peer-reviewed sources such as newspapers and editorials concur with the general idea on similar grounds, i.e. that it is beneficial to the university to give students access to a student-based political entity that administrators HAVE TO genuinely listen to, and to bring the student perspective into the mix on policy decisions that will mostly affect students (GW Hatchet Newspaper, 2005). There is wide variation in terms of how much input student trustees get to have on decision made at the highest level of administration. They range from a fully equal vote on all matters affecting the university, to the ability to sit in on BOT committees and attend closed session meetings but without the ability to vote. At MSU for example, there is a voting and a non-voting student BOT representative, and they get to partake fully and their vote counts in all decisions like that of any board member at all times. At Rutgers, on the other hand, the student BOT members are non-voting, and while this is a serious disappointment for us future Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences students, it is certainly better than UMDNJ’s BOT and central administration where the silence on the issue is deafening. (continued on page 8) Goldstein SR (1970). Reflections on Developing Trends in the Law of Student Rights. Pennsylvania Law Review, 118;612-20. Seavey, WA (1956). Dismissal of Students: “Due Process”. Harvard Law Review, 70;1406-10.

Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 7

Wanna write for the Scope? Email us your article at umdnjsenate@gmail.com. Share your insights with the entire UMDNJ student body!!

Hot topics – The Senate’s Pulse on UMDNJ: Is there is a student-related issue you want to write about? Do you want more lounge space in your school? Are the cafeteria hours on your campus too short? What is your opinion of the UMDNJ/Rutgers/Rowan merger? Are you having difficulty accessing a student service office? Email us and voice your opinion. That’s what “Hot Topics” is all about. Contact us at umdnjsenate@gmail.com.

Student Voice on BOT (continue from page 7) The bottom line is, universities that claim to be politically equitable and inclusive, such as UMDNJ, should give their students a full voice in their daily affairs, by not only allowing them to have representation at the seat of decision-making, but also by allowing their voice to officially count on equal footing as the non-student board members. It is often argued that non-student BOT members have extensive real world experience that they bring to the table (whether in law, medicine, business, finance, marketing, etc), and this is the reason why they belong on the BOT and students do not. While these skills and assets are in fact extremely valuable, in addition to the social and fundraising networks they bring with them, it is also true that no student is arguing for diminishing the political power of this select group within universities! Furthermore, this does not discount the fact that these individuals may be decades removed from the university experience on the ground, and hence may not fully grasp neither the meaning of this experience for current students, nor the potential impact of their policies on students. Even the US healthcare system, perhaps the most hardened institution in the nation, is finally coming to terms with the general idea that giving voice to the otherwise voiceless is good, as we can see by the emergence of evidence-based medicine and nursing, the rise of patient centered medical home models, and increasingly greater emphasis on patient engagement. Still, if you remain unconvinced of the need for greater political inclusion of students within the highest levels of administration, perhaps the following comparative analysis will help shed some light: UMDNJ, with a population of 7,000 students, has no student representation whatsoever on its BOT. What does this mean for the university? (finished on page 10)

Upcoming Topics (for February 2013 issue): THE SCOOP: Evidence-Based Health Care, Research, and Practice – What Does It All Mean for You!

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!!! Hot Topic: Updates on UMDNJ-Rutgers-Rowan Mergers; Hot Topic: The National Association of Graduate and Professional Students & More Student Advocacy

Hot Topics Poll What do you think about having inter-school clubs? Click here: Inter-School Club Charter Initiative Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 8

Addressing the Social Determinants of Health for Diverse Populations Sharese Porter is a fourth year student studying Urban Health in the Joint PhD Program in Urban Systems. The program is jointly sponsored by UMDNJ School of Nursing, Rutgers University-Newark, and New Jersey Institute of Technology. In addition to being a student, Sharese works full-time as a community health educator and program coordinator with Rutgers Cooperative Extension. She began her career in Public Health as an intern at UMDNJ where she worked on projects that evaluated Medicaid managed care programs; and, was a health educator at the New Jersey Medical School National Tuberculosis Center, now named, the Global Tuberculosis Institute. One of her most rewarding learning experiences came from working at the City of Newark Department of Health, where she was responsible for providing education and support concerning some of the most pressing public health issues that urban areas face. These issues ranged from HIV/AIDS, cancer prevention and screening, healthcare for homeless individuals, and a number of chronic illnesses that disproportionately affect the culturally diverse population in Newark. During her time with the health department, she was team captain for the annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk, which raised money for the American Cancer Society and has worked with other community based organizations and advisory groups. During her tenure as a student in Urban Health, Sharese is involved in bringing students together to enhance the atmosphere for learning. She is a student leader in the Urban Systems program and was appointed to be a student representative to the Urban Systems Executive Board. Sharese was also one of the key members of the planning committee for the first student-led Urban Systems Conference held in June 2012. As a third year student, Sharese became a research assistant to work with her dissertation mentor who is researching neighborhood effects on health. She has co-authored a published article on women’s health and has several book chapters and manuscripts pending publication or under review and has given a number of scholarly presentations at national and regional conferences. The New Jersey Society for Public Health Education awarded Sharese with an Academic Scholarship award in 2011 and the Rutgers-Newark Graduate Student Association awarded her the Graduate Student Excellence Award in 2012. (continued below)

Student Spotlight: Sharese N. Porter, MPH, SN/NJIT/RU ’13

Picture 1 and 2 (above). Sharese educating children on good nutrition, and conducting adult health education! Pictures 3-5 (below) Sharese in Cuba.

(continued from above) Sharese is dedicated to improving health literacy, helping communities advocate for resources that support better health, and motivating individuals to maintain healthier lifestyles. She volunteers her time to talk to public school students in Newark about careers in public health and teaches them about the importance of physical activity, nutrition, and how to make healthier snack and beverage choices. Because urban health is such an interdisciplinary field, Sharese takes comfort in knowing that her interests do not have to be limited to one field. She easily is able to make connections between history, anthropology, politics, economics, sociology, education, and health. In January, Sharese traveled to Cuba to tour and experience the health care system as it is known for integrating traditional and natural medicine. She previously traveled to Haiti where she participated in a service mission with the Haiti Support Project and to Brazil, where she also spent time learning about the health care system. Many of these experiences have contributed to her dissertation topic which examines the role of social environments, particularly neighborhood structures and historical experiences on selfreported physical and mental health among African American and African Caribbean immigrants in the U.S. Her work strives to bring increased attention to social determinants of health for diverse populations.

Eight Schools, One Voice

November 2012, Page 9

Student Voice on BOT (finished from page 8) • •

•

The Scoop

No student voice, input or contribution (direct or indirect) in any way shape or form, or if it does occur, it has been sporadic and based on the capricious needs of high level administrators (and examples of this abound!) No student accountability and leadership development, not even at the BOT committee level, and no intermediary authoritative board to which students have access (the closest of such groups at UMDNJ is the Student Senate, which has been in existence for only 4 years and in any case has no decision-making capacity whatsoever with regards to any policy/rule of any kind at UMDNJ) Absence of any decision making capacity (i.e. not even in an advisory role to the central administration)

Rutgers, with a population of 58,000 students, has 3 student BOT reps, all non-voting; however, the Rutgers Senate, a different authoritative board with substantial policymaking powers, has dozens of students as voting members, and this body reports to the BOT and BOG. What does this mean for the university? • • •

Indirect but present and systematic voice of students through both lower and higher levels of administration (i.e. Rutgers Senate and BOT, respectively) Marginal but direct student accountability and leadership development Lack of true decision making capacity (i.e. advisory role only)

MSU, with a population of 18,500 students, has 2 student BOT representatives, 1 voting and 1 non-voting (pending the acquisition of voting capacity the following year with more experience gained on the BOT) • • •

Direct and systematic student voice at the highest level of administration, and an avenue for the MSU Student Government Association to have a say in matters at that level of university governance Thorough and direct student accountability and leadership development True decision making capacity

Given this bleak picture and general organizational culture, is it any wonder that UMDNJ has had a harder time than Rutgers and MSU in: building student loyalty to the university, coordinating sustained student advocacy efforts at a university-wide level, or convincing students of its impartiality and fairness in matters of disciplinary actions or other university-wide academic policies? For example, what political recourse do UMDNJ students have, faced with policies and rules being implemented by the central or school administration? The answer is: none. Basically, without realizing it, we all just pray that they have mercy on us. What about Rutgers students and student governments? While I am sure they still pray for mercy, they also have access to the Rutgers Senate, and if the issue is beyond that body, it may even reach the BOT via the student representatives and perhaps even the BOG if the issue falls outside of the jurisdiction of the BOT and Rutgers Senate. What about at MSU? Again, one still needs to pray for mercy, but one can at least rest assured that there is ultimately a studentcentered political recourse that is systematically available, the most important of which being the student representatives on the BOT, who can ask that certain issues (if pertinent) be put on the BOT agenda, and can speak directly about student issues to the highest authorities at the university. This applies whether it is an issue that affects individual students, or a student organization advocating for student voice, such as the UMDNJ Student Senate. Having heard all the arguments and positions, which scenario would you rather be a part of, all other things being equal? I think we can all unanimously agree that the MSU way of doing things at the BOT level sounds pretty good right about now. I am a firm believer in adequate representation for all persons, regardless of their position or status in life (i.e. race, gender, ethnicity, educational status, income, etc), and so are most of the people reading this article. It is clear that extending this basic tenet of equitable governance to student representation at UMDNJ is the right thing to do. On this note, Rutgers University is much more evolved than UMDNJ because of the presence of the Rutgers Senate, where student representation is in full force, as well as representation of students on the BOT! This is the saving grace of Rutgers’ reputation as an institution that values equity in decision-making, and it is just another reason why I foresee good things coming to UMDNJ from the merger. This should hopefully bring a high-level decision-making process that is more responsive to the needs of UMDNJ’s 7,000+ students. It would not only be a breath of fresh air, but would also lead to the perpetuation of a culture of student advocacy and engagement heretofore unseen at UMDNJ, one that supports a broader, more inclusive and more equitable scope of daily practice and decision-making.

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Scoping Out: UMDNJ Stratford Students, Faculty and Staff Collect 1,000+ Items for Sandy Victims! By Shelly Uppal, GSBS â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;13 The clothing drive went really well and I want to share what happened on Stratford campus with you all. It was really amazing to see Stratford campus unite together on such a short notice. The donations from Facility, Staff, Alumni and the Graduate Students from EVERY program on Stratford Campus made us hit our goal of 1000 pieces of clothing! We were able to donate the clothing to three areas of dire need: Bradley Beach, Atlantic City and Wildwood NJ. Thank you for all your support!

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Scoping Out: UMDNJ Student Senate Well Represented at the 26th Annual Conference of the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS), Duke University, Durham NC, November 1-4, 2012! By Yuri Jadotte, MD, SN/NJIT/RU’15 The 2012 NAGPS Conference served as an excellent opportunity for both myself and the UMDNJ Student Senate. There were a number of concurrent sessions which I found to be truly helpful and pertinent, both personally and to further my work with the UMDNJ Student Senate. I was not only to present my own work with this newsletter on a national forum, sharing knowledge with other graduate student leaders, but I was also able to learn from other students who are doing amazing things at their own schools and nationally. Jason Stricker's definition of engagement has helped me understand what it takes to truly nurture graduate student involvement at my university. Brian Spatacco (who, interestingly, is a Rutgers University alumnus) and his detailed strategies for ensuring success in advocacy efforts have convinced me more than ever of the need to continue pursuing these goals at UMDNJ. The full conference proceedings and program are available here: http://nagps.org/files/NAGPS_26th_Annual_Conference_Program_Web_version.pdf

Picture 1. Yuri’s Presentation. Picture 2. Gathering of the graduate student organizations that are represented in NAGPS.

(continued from above) Much is happening at UMDNJ, including its pending conversion into Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences by July 1, 2013. This is a move that is fraught with many perils not only for the graduate students of UMDNJ, but also for the Student Senate, the graduate and professional student government association of UMDNJ, because as of yet there are no policies in place that support its continuation at Rutgers. Attendance at this conference has given me access to broad-based advocacy networks that I intend to use to the benefit of both the students and the Student Senate at UMDNJ. I have also acquired the ability to continue to pursue graduate student advocacy, now on a larger scale, as the new Social Justice Chair for the Northeast Region of NAGPS. I am thankful to NAGPS for the travel grant and for making all of these opportunities available to both myself and the UMDNJ Student Senate.

Picture 3 (left). Spreading THE SCOPE newsletter strategies on the national stage. Picture 4 (right). New Northeast Regional Board of NAGPS. Student Senate Secretary Yuri Jadotte, MD, SN/NJIT/RU’15 elected Northeast Region Social Justice Chair for 2013-2014.

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University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Student Government Manifesto Draft proposed by the UMDNJ Student Senate Executive Council September 27, 2012, University Day, Newark Campus “We, the students and student government leaders of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (herein referred to as UMDNJ), do hereby establish and promulgate this manifesto on this twenty seventh day of September, two thousand and twelve. UMDNJ is an institution with 58 years of history, and throughout this time, it has seen generations upon generations of students and student government leaders come and go, and as its individual schools were being established one by one, it has also seen generations of such students and student leaders and student governing bodies operate within the silos of their individual schools. Several efforts were undertaken to create a forum where students and student leaders from all of UMDNJ could gather and discuss issues of importance, not only to the university and its constituents, but also issues inherent to the broader aspects of being a student in the biomedical and health sciences professions. In 2009, more than 55 years after its founding, and with the support of the university administration, most notably the Office of the President, UMDNJ was finally able to create such a forum: the UMDNJ Student Senate. The mission of the UMDNJ Student Senate is to serve as the official voice of the UMDNJ students on any and all issues of student concern, to serve as effective advocates for students and their student governments within central UMDNJ administration, and to facilitate increased inter-school student activities and involvement. Since its inception, the UMDNJ Student Senate has served as the impetus behind a great number of initiatives, which have transformed the way students and student leaders communicate and do business at UMDNJ. This includes the following: ü Regularly holding meetings at which all 8 UMDNJ schools have been consistently represented, ü Serving as an outlet for the coordination of inter-school student activities, including the Japan Relief Fund and the Knit-a-Square Project, just to name a few, ü Providing a support structure for the promotion, distribution and dissemination of student, faculty and staff activities and events, ü Assisting in the development of inter-school policy initiatives and recommendations to be presented to UMDNJ’s central administration, such as on financial aid issues and campus safety, ü Coordinating student lobbying efforts at the local, regional and statewide level, ü And encouraging students to support the mission of UMDNJ [To Teach, To Discover, To Heal, and To Care] through the award of service grants and coordination of assistance to projects that support this mission using an inter-disciplinary approach. More recently, with UMDNJ’s embracement of the concept of interprofessionalism, which represents the newly established methodology to do business in the biomedical and health sciences, the UMDNJ Student Senate has been working hard to invigorate the university with the spirit of interprofessionalism at the student level, by pursuing the following highly successful initiatives: ü Increased support for the Inter-Professional Grand Rounds (IPGR) via better promotion and greater student participation, Page 1

ü The quarterly publication of THE SCOPE, the newsletter and print voice of UMDNJ students, which continues to receive rave reviews from all cross-sections of the university, including from individuals at the highest levels of central administration, ü The creation of the 1st interprofessional honor society in the United States of America, the Alpha Chi Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the Graduate and Professional School Student Honor Society, which represents a milestone in the history of the health professions and bodes well for the positioning of the university in raising its status as a visionary leader in interprofessional education, service, research and collaborative practice, ü The creation of a support structure to encourage increasingly greater levels of interprofessional collaboration at UMDNJ via the granting of inter-school club charters, ü And investigations on the benefits of having the UMDNJ Student Senate become a member of the National Association of Graduate and Professional School Students, which could bring tremendous benefits and opportunities to all UMDNJ graduate and professional degree students, including discounted health insurance and access to student advocacy initiatives at the national level. We have been following the development of higher education trends within our state and have carefully examined the legislative bill entitled “The New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act” (herein referred to as NJMHSERA), which has been signed into law as of August 22, 2012 and will officially transfer all schools and assets of UMDNJ to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, with the exception of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, which will be transferred to Rowan University. While we applaud the benevolent motives and promising implications of this initiative, we are concerned by the absence of clear support for the continued existence of a student government support structure that includes all UMDNJ schools, which is a role currently fulfilled by the UMDNJ Student Senate. In light of this new reality, and in order to ensure the continued success of university-wide student advocacy and governing at UMDNJ, we, the students and student leaders of the governing bodies of the individual schools of UMDNJ and of the UMDNJ Student Senate, do hereby declare: ü Whereas the name UMDNJ will no longer exist as of July 1, 2013, as a result of the NJMHSERA, ü Whereas the new educational, clinical, and research entity which we call our home shall be named the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (herein referred to as RBHS), ü Whereas, although the exact name “Student Senate” does not currently exist at Rutgers University, it is a fact that the name “Senate” already exists at several student governing bodies at Rutgers University, most notably the Rutgers University Senate, which is a large, university-wide authoritative body that consists of elected students, faculty, staff and other appointed members that regularly makes policy and other recommendations to the Rutgers President and Board of Governors, ü Whereas two of Rutgers University’s campuses’ (i.e. New Brunswick and Newark,) each have two large student governing bodies that represent their respective two student populations (i.e. graduate and undergraduate), ü Whereas the Rutgers University-Camden campus has one large student governing body that represents both its graduate and undergraduate student populations, ü Whereas all individual school academic units at Rutgers University elect at least one student as University Senator to represent their concerns at the level of the Rutgers University Senate, with the number being incrementally greater than 1 depending on multiples of 900 enrolled students at that individual school, Page 2

ü And whereas NJMHSERA states that RBHS is to maintain all of its individual schools and will also consist of the Rutgers College of Nursing (herein referred to as RCN) and the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (herein referred to as EMSOP), implying the existence of 9 distinct academic schools, united under the overall administrative banner of RBHS, Be it resolved that: ü It is clear to all parties, both within and outside of Rutgers University, that we fully support the continued existence of a united student governing body for all 9 schools and for all students of the new RBHS, ü From this day forth, the student governing body of the new RBHS may be called the Rutgers Interprofessional Student Congress (herein referred to as RISC), which is to be made legally official on July 1, 2013, at the same time as the completion of the NJMHSERA transition, ü RISC shall consist of 3 elected representatives per academic school unit, bringing the total number of elected representatives to twenty seven (27), up from the current number of twenty one (21), due to the addition of RCN and EMSOP, ü For each school, these elected representatives shall consist of the student(s) elected University Senator(s), plus one (1) or two (2) additional elected student representatives, who will hold the title of School Representative(s), for a maximum of three (3) elected representatives per individual academic school unit, ü Each of these three (3) elected representatives shall hold the title of, and thenceforth be referred to as, Student Congressman or Congresswoman at RBHS. ü With the exception of these changes which are being made to allow RISC to better fit into the Rutgers University student government framework, no other changes are recommended to the current bylaws, standing rules, structure and mission of RISC, ü No changes are recommended to the structure of the individual school student governing bodies at any of the nine (9) schools of RBHS, ü It is made clear that we cordially invite the students and student leaders of RCN and EMSOP to formally join us as full partners in the establishment of RISC at RBHS, ü This manifesto is to become the official position of the student leaders of RBHS upon the signature of their respective student government representatives, and the contents of this document shall be considered the will of said student governing bodies starting on July 1, 2013, ü Amendments may be made to this document between September 27, 2012 and July 1, 2013, by majority vote of RISC. In witness and support thereof, we, the students and student leaders of RBHS, have hereunto affixed our names and signatures.” UMDNJ Student Senate 2012-2013 Executive Council: Name School & Year Christine White NJMS, 2013 Paul Boulos SOM, 2014 Yuri T. Jadotte, MD SN, 2015 Richard Arilotta SPH, 2013 Michael Hayoun NJMS, 2014 William Cole SHRP, 2015 Page 3

Position Senate Chair Senate Vice Chair Senate Secretary Senate Treasurer Senate IA Co-Chair Senate IA Co-Chair

Random shots! 09-05-12: Thanks to Students, Flowers Blossom on the Newark Campus

"I looked around the medical science building courtyard, and it seemed like no one was doing anything about making this place look attractive. Somebody ought to, so I thought I would try". - William Mallon, NJMS '14 "This [UMDNJ] is such a prestigious place. There is no reason why it shouldn't project that status in its aesthetic appearance". - William Mallon, NJMS '14 Stats from the day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 5, 2012: - 60 Mums planted in total by more than a dozen students. - 30 by the walkway near the library and the entrance to the P3 Norfolk Parking Deck. - 30 near the CHEN shuttle bus stop across the street from University Plaza by the Dental School Building. - More than half of the students were from NJMS, but SN and SPH were also well represented.

UMDNJ Students hard at work beautifying the Newark Campus! (bottom right) William Mallon, NJMSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;14 leading the way! We thank you William!

For a video snapshot of students in action on this project, check out our YouTube video at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1Z_lTsP qho

Picture 1 (above). Before. Picture 2 and 3 (bottom and left). After + a little surprise mulch from ?? & voila!

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Would you like to contribute to Random Shots? Email us your pics and a short description at umdnjsenate@gmail.com

FYI: Senate General Meeting Minutes 08-26-12 Agenda – Sunday August 26, 2012 at 1 PM Third Quarterly Meeting, New Brunswick Campus Attendees: In person: Shelly Uppal (GSBS Senator), Richard Arilotta (SPH Senator), Christine White (NJMS Senator), William Cole (SHRP Senator), Michael Hayoun (NJMS Senator), Yuri Jadotte (SN Senator), Michael D'Ecclessis (GSBS rep), Jeremy Taylor (SPH rep) Over the phone: Kiauntee Murray (NJMS Senator), Sri Ram Pentakota (SPH rep), Osman Abbasi (SOM Senator), Dewan Fahima (SOM Senator), Varun Malik (SPH Senator), Jennifer Vergeon (SPH rep), Christina Laguerre (SPH/GSBS-Newark rep) I. II. III. IV. V.

VI.

Call to order a. Meeting called to order at 1:20 PM Roll call Approval of agenda a. Approved unanimously Approval of minutes a. Approved unanimously Bills a. Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL), the Graduate and Inter-Professional Honor Society: Christine discussed the fact that we have been given preliminary approval by President Rodgers to establish this honor society. This will be a pilot year. The vote was postponed until this meeting, in order to get Dr. Rodgers’ approval prior to the Senate’s vote on it, and also because some schools were somewhat hesitant about it. Shelly asked how to become part of the inter-professional honor society. Yuri clarified that the National Office of the AEL Honor Society maintains three criteria: top 35% academic rank in degree program, at least 1 year of full-time credits cumulatively, & leadership activities during graduate school. Jennifer asked about how the second criterion is decided, in terms of full-time credits, because this is a concern for parttime students, especially some of the SPH Newark students. Yuri clarified that students become eligible once they’ve accumulated at least one year’s worth of full-time credits: if students go part time this takes longer to reach but they are still eligible. Bill thinks that we should reach out to the department chairs as a way to reach more people. Mike D’Ecclessis asked about where the credits come from if you are also from Rutgers. Yuri replied that it's based on your program, so credits from different institutions qualify. Sri Ram asked about whether Rutgers would have an issue with this. Yuri clarified that there is no chapter at Rutgers, and Mike Hayoun mentioned there is only a pre-medical honor society, so this should definitely not be a problem. Yuri added that we have a preliminary designation of Alpha Chi chapter, and the National Office of AEL is excited to have us join the ranks of its chapters. i. Motion by Christine to vote on approving this honor society’s charter as a pilot project of the Senate for this year. Seconded by Bill. Approved unanimously. Committee reports – quarterly reports a. University and Legislative Affairs i. Student Health Clinic in Newark: Sri Ram mentioned that there were two quarterly calls. The first issue is the student health services on the Newark campus. They will wait to talk to the new Director and see how to approach this for SPH and SN students, who are the main ones affected by this issue. ii. Library Security: Shelly mentioned that there were a few robberies on the campus, and she visited the Newark and the New Brunswick campuses and has found that there is a security officer at each one. For the Stratford campus,

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Shelly has worked with the librarians to institute an ID check policy at entry. She also wants to get a mass email sent to all students on how to reach out to university police. iii. Colleges Against Cancer: Shelly also discussed CAC’s plan for a "Last UMDNJ Congregation", which would be a formal event that all UMDNJ students could attend. It is a charity event, and it would be $35 per ticket. Mike discussed the fact that for Newark students, maybe the cost could be $45, and $10 would be for transportation to Stratford. Varun mentioned that we should coordinate with the different SGA's to avoid event overlaps. Shelly asked whether the Senate wants to co-sponsor the bill financially. Christine clarified that this is a possibility, but we would need a more concrete plan. b. Internal Affairs i. Senate Name and Structure: Mike mentioned that our meeting with Dr. Rodgers offered some insight into the Senate's future. He clarified that there is a Rutgers Senate, which has students, faculty, and staff. We are proposing that the UMDNJ Student Senate should be the overall student body government for the Rutgers University School of Biomedical and Health Sciences (RU-SBHS). Mike stated that we are proposing to Rutgers that our structure be as follows: 3 students from each individual school would be Senators, and one of those 3 would be that school’s Senator for the Rutgers Senate. Dewan wants to be kept in the loop in order to figure out how to integrate SOM’s student government into Rowan. He also wanted to know if SOM would still be included in the new Senate. Mike said we have to focus on the Rutgers framework. Bill mentioned perhaps it should be called the RU-SBHS Congress. Sri Ram wanted to know how many representatives there will be, since it looks like UMDNJ will only be one school, as opposed to the separate schools. Bill said that this is a concern because it seems like there is an attempt to cut down on administrative costs and salaries. Yuri mentioned that this is unlikely because the bill still mentions having multiple Deans, which implies separate schools, but there is still a concern as to what the Rutgers Board of Governors will choose to do in this matter. Shelly wanted to know if she would be part of Rutgers or Rowan, since she is part of GSBS Stratford. Mike clarified that she will be a Rutgers student, so everything is still through Rutgers. c. Community Service i. Student Web Portal: Richard stated that one major goal of this committee is to increase communication between the different groups on the many campuses. Some ideas include: using the UMDNJ website, Facebook, and emailing all students to inform them about community service events. Kiauntee stated that ultimately the goal is to create a site where people can reach out to each other, without the Senate being a mediator for it. She also encouraged senators to reach out to the committee. ii. Susan G. Komen Race and the Newark Gardens: the second goal is to improve the different programs from last year, particularly the food drive, the Susan Komen Race for the Cure, and the community garden, for which there is a planting coming up on the Newark campus on September 5, 2012. Jeremy mentioned that the American Cancer Society (ACS) is working to enroll 300,000 individuals to volunteer for a study, to be followed for 20 years, and the enrollment week is from October 21-27. ACS needs volunteers for these events, and they are looking for 1,000 volunteers for the Newark region, which could be a great project for the Senate. Jennifer stated that SPH SGA would gladly get involved in this. Rich stated that we should try having an SGA President's conference call to help unite them. iii. Food Shelter: Rich also addressed the fact that only shelters are able to take food that is already prepared, as suggested by Dr. Rodgers on July 30. Kiauntee

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VII.

Officer a. b.

will talk to Lacretia about how to make this happen, as they believe they have found a shelter that can take the food. iv. Miscellaneous: Christine reiterated that we should try to support the planting in Newark on September 5. She also emphasized that if anyone is interested in joining a committee, please let us know and feel free to start your own project. Academic Affairs i. Recognition Awards Nominations at University Day: Jeremy stated that there were 21 nominations for the Student Senate Recognition Awards, to be presented at University Day on September 27. Christine discussed the purpose of that day as a day to recognize the accomplishments of faculty, and this year Dr. Rodgers is turning it into a celebration of UMDNJ's legacy as well. The nominees were: Dolores Anthony (NJMS, administrative), Dr. Vincent DeRisio (SOM, teaching, administrative & clinical), David Derschawitz (NJMS, clinical), and Dr. Tobaya (teaching). There was extensive debate regarding whether or not there should be an overall excellence award, because as of now there are only 4 award categories, and yet Dr. DeRisio was nominated for 3 out of the 4 categories. Varun clarified that the committee will notify the recipients. 1. Yuri motioned to create an overall excellence award. Seconded, motion passed with one opposition. 2. Mike motioned that this award be called the "Interdisciplinary Excellence Award". Seconded by Yuri. Unanimously approved. ii. Senate Letter to Deans Regarding AEL: Yuri mentioned that this letter will contain everything we already talked about. He also mentioned that in the future it would be beneficial for AEL to become the group that host the IPGR regularly on both of UMDNJ’s main remaining campuses (Newark & New Brunswick). reports Chair i. Christine re-iterated the structure of the new RU-SBHS, and recommended that everyone reads Dr. Rodgers' emails regarding this for more details. Vice Chair i. Christine stated that Paul is not present, but he continues to work on IPGR and the merger with Rowan, especially regarding the reaccreditation of SOM and the direction that the Senate members from SOM will need to take. Secretary i. THE SCOPE: Yuri mentioned that it was sent to everyone 3 weeks ago, but there were a few updates this week. The first major update is on the UMDNJ disciplinary policies. Bill pointed out that it is possible that Rutgers' policy will completely replace UMDNJ's policy. This is another reason to put this issue on hold. The other update is a statement on the structure of the Senate, and the inclusion of the survey on the Senate’s potential new name. 1. Christine motioned to approve the Scope. Approved unanimously. ii. UMDNJ Student Senate at RU-SBHS – The 2012 Student Manifesto: Yuri discussed that this is the document that Dr. Rodgers asked us to work on in order to continue to justify the Senate’s existence to Rutgers after the merger. The Internal Affairs committee will prepare and present it to the Senate and SGA’s student leaders soon. Treasurer i. The current balance is $4300. Since May, the Senate has spent $315 for the year 2012-2013: $85 on food and $230 on the community service grant for the Student Family Healthcare Care Clinic at NJMS. $500 of expenses are pending, including: $130 for the Stem Cell Society, $300 community service and then office supplies (amount TBD), $65 for food at today's meeting. This brings the

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VIII. IX.

closing balance to $3800 as of today, but this is prior to any Senate dues from the SGA's. Rich will begin contacting the school SGAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to collect the dues.

Public sector a. Christine re-iterated the fact that University Day is happening on the Newark campus on September 27. Elections a. Outstanding Senator Positions: there are 2 positions available for SN, and there are 3 for RWJMS. Christine went over the rules of nomination and election. Renada Woodward from SN-Stratford emailed the Senate about being a Senator. She was approved as she ran uncontested. There are also senator positions still open for GSBS. b. Miscellaneous: Bill mentioned that he is trying to get SLC at SHRP to give them some feedback regarding Senate issues, but nothing will happen until September. Adjournment a. Meeting adjourned at 3:13 PM.

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SCHOOL OF NURSING SGA PRESENTS

2012 ADOPT-A-FAMILY PROGRAM The School of Nursing has been provided with the ages and gift wishes for 10 designated families and we would like to ensure they are not forgotten during the holiday season! We invite the entire SN community to participate in this worthy cause by purchasing a gift for one (1) family member You can find more information on the following site or ask your SGA Level Representative or officer: http://sn.umdnj.edu/news/donation.html

All Donations being accepted until Friday Dec. 14th Please bring in your unwrapped and labeled gifts to CAS on the 11th floor of SSB, Debora Tracey in room 1039, or Sharon Anderson in room 1018.

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UMDNJ Student Senate 65 Bergen Street, Suite 1551, Newark, NJ 07101-1709 umdnjsenate@gmail.com or studentsenate@umdnj.edu, Tel: (973) 972-0916 Please leave a message, we will return your call and/or address your concern! UMDNJ Senate Website https://sites.google.com/site/umdnjstudentsenate/ http://www.umdnj.edu/acadweb/studentsenate/ Senate Committees Descriptions & Co-Chairs/Contact Persons Academic Affairs: Develops and maintains a good relationship with the administration and faculty to address student concerns, including student academic issues such as student advising, course offerings, research and scholarship opportunities. Email: Varun at malikva@umdnj.edu or Jeremy at taylorj3@umdnj.edu for more info or to join. Community Service: Develops and coordinates community service efforts among students from various schools. Email: Rich at arilotri@umdnj.edu or Kiauntee at murrayk3@umdnj.edu for more info or to join. Internal Affairs: Addresses internal matters of the Student Senate, such as changes to the Constitution and Standing Rules, removal of officers, loss of Senate voting privileges, and committee attendance. Email: Bill at colewi@umdnj.edu or Mike at hayounmi@umdnj.edu for more info or to join. Legislative Affairs/University Affairs: the Legislative Affairs arm of this committee advocates for student interests at the local, state and federal levels on pertinent issues, remains as non-partisan and unaffiliated with the UMDNJ administration as possible, and organizes annual lobbying efforts in coordination with Office of Government Affairs and local budget hearings. The University Affairs arm of this committee addresses non-academic student concerns, working with the administration to resolve them. Email: Shelly at uppals1@umdnj.edu or Sri at pentaks1@umdnj.edu for more info or to join.

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