Senators discussed the limited availability of coffee on campus, followed by the announcement of hot coffee being added to the Southside Smoothies menu two days later.
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Barbara Vasquez, Editor-in-Chief
The Manhattan University (MU) Senate held their first meeting of the year on Wednesday, Oct. 7, where they reviewed past initiatives, extending dining hall hours and emphasized a focus on student experience.
Andrew Berg ‘26, the recently appointed speaker of the Senate, opened the meeting with his hopes for the coming year, primarily emphasizing larger communication between the Senate and the campus community.
“One of my priorities as speaker is to encourage greater deliberation, not simply discussing ideas when they reach us, but actively creating space for senators to raise questions, raise concerns, ask questions, consider different perspectives and work toward thoughtful solutions,” Berg said. “…We are representatives of a broader university community, [and] that means we need to remain connected to the people we serve.”
Reports from the standing committees followed, beginning with a run-down of the Educational Affairs Commission (EAC) meeting that occurred earlier that week. Grishma Shah, Ph.D., shared discussions of establishing a max-credit allowance, limiting the maximum of credits a student can take in a semester before requiring “special permission”, the addition of a student bereavement policy, which will be available publicly with the university’s attendance policy when passed, and a proposed MU school of nursing, which has yet to be voted on by the Board of Trustees.
Following the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and its disciplines, the school is also in the process of developing its university AI committee.
“We will be working through the membership of the AI committee as well as coordinating meetings between the faculty technology committee and the university AI committee, to discuss policies and other initiatives,” Shah said.
The university AI committee will also reportedly look into adding student governance in the coming year.
Kristell Lowe, vice president of student life, then moved on to the campus life committee report, discussing the success of the STEM career fair hosted last Tuesday with over 520 students, 135 employers and positive feedback from participants. Student Life also hosted a “First-Year Fall Recharge” on Thursday, Oct. 8 as part of further assessing and developing students’ first-year experience. Manhattan Madness has been planned for Thursday, Oct. 15, introducing the 2026-27 men’s and women’s basketball teams and their calendar game activations.
If students or faculty are ever worried about attending a school event, or require additional tickets, Lowe urges them to stop by Student Life.
“Students, of course, you get to attend the games for free, but if you ever need more tickets, I never want it to be a hassle,” Lowe said. “I just want to see you there. So, if your family is coming, you stop by my office. We’ll get you taken care of… don’t let that be something that prevents you from attending games. If you need more tickets, we will work it out. We just want to see you there.”
On Oct. 1, two new resident assistants have been onboarded in response to the popularity of the single suite dorming option the school introduced last semester, allowing students to reserve one side of a suite-style room for themselves. Three new Public Safety positions will also be filled this year, occupying the Gaelic Park and Leo Hall area, Kelly Commons walkway and Draddy Gymnasium entrance from 3-11 p.m..
Mehnaz Afridi, Ph.D., brought up concerns over dining option hours on campus, specifically the availability of coffee after 2 p.m.. Other senators chimed in and agreed that extending hours or having another cafe option on campus would be beneficial, even as a place to lounge. Lowe responded, reporting that while the university did have the option previously – the since-closed Kelly Commons Starbucks, now occupied by Southside Smoothies – the daily revenue was poor and did not support the spot.
Additionally, as Gourmet Dining employees are union employees contracted by the university, there are difficulties when it comes to revising schedules. For now Lowe’s priorities are extending the dining hall’s hours on Fridays, when they now close at 7 p.m., severely limiting many students’ dining options. Lewis Forster, student senator and track and field team member, brought the issue up to administration upon realizing that his team, as well as many other athletes on campus, had no campus food available after practice.
Senators discussed possible internal solutions to the problem, proposing the possibility of a student-run coffee shop on campus. Students have shown previous interest in the idea, according to student government president Allyson Haskins. Lowe mentioned that the school has looked into adding a Saxby’s, a popular student-run college chain, but the process takes a lot of work. Shah, interim dean of the O’Malley School of Business, offered to work with Lowe to work the project into the curriculum.
“I’m open to restarting that conversation,” Shah said. “I think it’s a great idea to have a student-run business on campus and build it into some of the entrepreneurship things we’re doing… we can talk. I know it’s a tremendous amount of work.”
“I think it was overly complicated, but I think two people who want to make it work, would make it work,” Lowe responded.
As of the meeting, the only available option for hot coffee on campus, after Zaro’s closure, was using the self-service machine available in C-Store. Two days after the meeting, Manhattan University Dining announced the addition of hot coffee to their Southside Smoothies menu on their Instagram. Discussions of to-go containers in Locke’s Loft were also discussed.
Moving forward, senators discussed a recent $3 million grant given to the school over the next 5 years, in support of developing the Pathway Center in Thomas Hall. This new center will combine some of the services already offered, including Academic Success, Career Services and success coaching.
The James Patterson Honors Program (JPHP) Blue Circle Program has been a success, with increased attendance at program events already.
Wrapping up the meeting, previous Senate speaker Jeff Cherubini echoed Berg’s sentiments on bettering communication between the larger campus body and Senate.
“Touching upon our opening from Senator Berg and connecting to Senator Lowe, the idea of everyone delivering a great experience,” Cherubini said. “I think one of our a good task for us as a unit, as a group, is all keeping an eye on the quality of experience. What I mean by that is from the garage to the dorm, to the gym to the classroom, to anywhere… we’re looking for a shared commitment.”