By James Michael de los Santos —
Approximately $956,000 is in the hands of our elected student leaders. Where this money goes affects the networking opportunities and college experience for thousands of students on campus. Like any bureaucracy, Student Government Organization (SGO) struggles to adequately meet those goals. Funding has become a nightmare – just ask anyone on student council.
Last semester the Art Therapy Association seeking to reactivate their $300 budget after a year of being active (less than 0.05% of SGO’s budget) the E-board and Student Council deliberated for over 20 minutes on whether of not this organization of 25-plus NJCU students should receive funds their club is entitled to. In the same meeting an NJCU staff member requested $450 to fund an event where former Seton Hall students would come on campus and sell DVDs and T-Shirts. The latter proposal was approved in less than five minutes with no deliberation.
Hector Rivera, SGO VP of Finance and Administration said, “The two actions are completely unrelated to each other. One-time events such as this can be proposed and voted on council within a week of an SGO meeting.”
Priority of the students should be above all during any actions taken by the SGO. That $450 became wasted on an event that delivered no personal or career development opportunities; however, the small amount granted to the Art Therapy club benefited NJCU students more than you would think.
Petty debates on minuscule issues should not become the reason a group of 30 student leaders meet. As student leaders we should be paving pathways for those who are expecting you to lead. The problem is that many of those that choose to become involved in leadership positions have not built the pathway for themselves. In the real world 4.0 GPAs and bake sales do not correlate to the job of your dreams.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
Everyone who goes to NJCU is here for a reason and it’s to graduate and get the job they want. Every thing we do, including networking, should be a stepping stone en-route to that goal. At the end of the day, you need Student Leaders who will build their agenda around yours not theirs.