Illustration by Joaquin Kunkel
General Assembly Report
Discover what was discussed in the most recent General Assembly.
Feb 19, 2017
The General Assembly of Feb. 12 primarily focused on the end of year event. The End of Year Event Committee chair Alia Ozair suggested that the event could move away from the formal gala format that was held in previous years. The suggested alternative would be an event held on the beach or by a pool, which would allow for students to attend in less formal clothing.
James Carrington-Gardner, Class of 2017, brought up the first point of contention, urging the GA to see the gala aspect of the event as a NYU Abu Dhabi tradition, as this has been the format in previous years.
Treasurer Cyril Čuda suggested that a beach event would be an appropriate alternative.
"Given that our campus is on the beach it would not be inappropriate to start a new tradition, following what's more suitable for where we live," said Čuda.
Suggestions for an alternative location to hotel ballrooms included the Saadiyat Beach Club and Aloft. Yumi Gambrill, Class of 2018, raised concerns that live musicians with wooden instruments would be unwilling to play outdoors in the heat during May.
Other concerns included dress codes, as students who prefer to dress conservatively may not be comfortable at a beach or pool event, while for other students, a gala event with a formal dress code dissuaded attendance.
A Facebook poll on NYUAD’s Room of Requirement was started on Feb. 13 by Alia Ozair, gauging student interest in the options presented at the GA. Currently, the gala option has 104 votes, while the alternative options have a combined 51 votes.
Other topics at the GA included the proposal for an expansion of the Environmental Studies curriculum. This discussion was led by Miraflor Santos, Class of 2018, who critiqued the current course offerings.
“In my opinion [the environment concentration] is very weak, there are only one to two [classes offered] per year,” said Santos.
Currently, Associate Professor John Burt is pushing for an expansion within the science curriculum, and one option would be an environmental science major within the science track — which would require students to take Foundations of Science and then specialize in environmental science classes.
Global Vice President Patrick Wee informed the GA that the Office of Global Education has been in contact with students affected by President Trump’s recent executive order. Wee also notified students that the proposed Global Student Council constitution has been released.
Additional reporting by Paula Estrada.
Connor Pearce is Editor-in-Chief. Email him at feedback@thegazelle.org.
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