FAQs
- How does RUSA differ from my high school student government?
- What types of issues does the RUSA body tackle?
- How do I get involved?
- What is the difference between Campus Councils and RUSA?
- What does RUSA do for the students?
Q: How does RUSA differ from my high school student government?
A: RUSA members officially represent the student body on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus. We advocate on behalf of over 25,000 fellow students by addressing issues that are most important to us such as tuition increases, academic issues, university student services, student organization support, etc... While many high school student governments focus on fundraising for special events (prom, senior trip, etc…) the primary focus of RUSA is to pin point student concerns, convey them to administration, and ultimately improve the quality of our campus life, and academic career. Simply stated, we are the voice for students all across the New Brunswick Piscataway campuses.
Q: What types of issues does the RUSA body tackle?
A: To start, we have four core committees: Academic Affairs, University Affairs, Legislative Affairs, and Public Relations. Members of these committees are given charges to investigate and address various student concerns. For example, the Academic Affairs committee may look into issues students have registering for classes, University Affairs may develop some suggestions for a more efficient housing selection process etc. Our projects are diverse; they are the product of the large range of issues that are important to students. We address as much as we can in a semester.
Q: How do I get involved?
A: RUSA would benefit tremendously from gaining new and dedicated students who are interested in advocating on behalf of their peers. Some ways you can get involved with RUSA include but are not limited to the following:
- Run for a position on a campus council or professional school council (check our website for open seats throughout the year or ways to run in our general elections)
- Come to our meetings and participate (check out our meeting times/dates on the main site)
- Join a committee (check out our committee page or email one of our committee chairs for more information)
- Interact with us through our website or send us emails!
Q: What is the difference between Campus Councils and RUSA?
A: Campus councils are local campus advocacy organizations. They serve the students on their campuses, and they seek to expose the specific concerns of the students living in their constituency. Although their main role is defining and advocating local issues, they play a critical part in university-wide discussions and campaigns, beginning with electing members of their council to sit on RUSA.
RUSA is the Rutgers University Student Assembly, and is the official voice of all NB students. Campus councils focus mainly on concerns specific to their campuses whereas RUSA deals more with university-wide issues. RUSA is comprised of representatives from each campus council, professional school, and cultural umbrella organizations and so focuses on broader issues that effect equally students of every campus.
RUSA is the Rutgers University Student Assembly, and is the official voice of all NB students. Campus councils focus mainly on concerns specific to their campuses whereas RUSA deals more with university-wide issues. RUSA is comprised of representatives from each campus council, professional school, and cultural umbrella organizations and so focuses on broader issues that effect equally students of every campus.
Q: What does RUSA do for the students?
A: The term "advocate" can take many meanings; however, we are simply a group of students who are united with a passion for making life at Rutgers better. We will deal with any issue that we feel will better our community. In the past, those involved with student government at Rutgers have accomplished great things. This is our first year as RUSA, so we are working on laying our foundation and accomplishing great things for our inaugural year.