David Wakim is the President of the SEBS Governing Council. David is a Biological Sciences major with a minor in Psychology. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis and fulfilling his responsibilities as the president of SGC. Aside from SGC, David has been involved on campus as part of the SGC council as a RUSA Representative, Class 2019 Representative, and as a Biological Sciences Representative. In the past he has also been a member of the Allocations Committee serving for a year before transitioning as the Chair of the Committee for the next two years. David spoke with Her Campus Rutgers Senior Editor Hannah Javed about SEBS Governing Council.
Image Source: David Wakim
Hannah: Can you tell me a little bit about SEBS Governing council?
David: SGC is the liaison between SEBS students and administration. We make sure that student needs are met, whether its major based or class based (Class of 2020, Class of 2021, etc.). For example, we have student representatives that help ease the transition for transfer or freshman. We have sophomore student representatives for sophomores that may help sort out class schedules or give advice for research opportunities. The representatives are students themselves, which makes it easier to connect with other students who might be struggling with the same situation as yourself. The student representatives and senior representatives help take care of the needs of the students and provide network connections.
Hannah: How can someone get involved in SGC?
David: You can email us at corresponding.sgc.council@gmail.com. We also have our website, sgc.rutgers.edu. You can find all our information on the website for SEBS Governing Council. There is also an election process in the fall and the spring. We already held an election in spring 2019 for the fall 2019 semester where we elected a new president, but there will be another election in fall 2019 to give students another opportunity to get involved.
Hannah: What are some major events that you held this year?
David: We held the Life After College, which is co-sponsored by the Cook Community Alumni Association. The Alumnis come in and speak to students of different majors to talk about how they (the alumnis) got to where they are currently in life. We also cosponsored the Responsible Drinking Happy Hour, which was held at the Cook Cafe. We also held the Mr. and Mrs. SEBS pageant which was a more fun event to help students destress.
Hannah: What’s been your favorite part about being in SGC?
David: My favorite thing has been being able to serve the student body of SEBS as president. I was able to have close communication with the chancellor to voice the SEBS students concerns. It was really gratifying to be able to serve SEBS, a school that has provided me with many opportunities. I really enjoy giving back to the community and I am so thankful to be able to contribute to the Rutgers community.
Hannah: If all the student organizations at Rutgers united to be part of the Avengers, what superhero would SGC be?
David: Doctor Strange, hands down. He uses the environment to defend the universe. We are the environmental aspect of Rutgers and we do our best to defend and protect the rights of all students. Also, Doctor Strange has a really cool cape.
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It was an amazing experience to interview David. If you are a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) student, be sure to check out the SGC. There are many opportunities at Rutgers to get involved, it’s important to take advantage of the resources, networks, and connections that can be formed from participating in organizations.