Rutgers University hosts over 700 student organizations, covering a wide range of interests. Governed and funded by student government, students can organize groups for any political ideology or issue, ethnic or religious affiliation, academic subject, activity, or hobby. Notable student groups include the Daily Targum, the second oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States, established in 1869, the Philoclean Society, a literary society, the Rutgers University Glee Club a male choral singing group established in 1872 among the oldest in the country, as well as the Rutgers University Debate Union.
Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) is the overarching student government at Rutgers University. RUSA acts as the voice of all Rutgers students and is composed of delegates from the local campus councils, professional school councils, and several special interest groups. Professional school councils send a number proportionate to their school size. In addition the following organizations send one (1) delegate: the Board of Governors (student representative), the Board of Trustees (student representative), the Off Campus Student Association, the Asian Student Council, the United Black Council, the Latino Student Council, the Queer Caucus, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the Equal Opportunity Fund, and the Residence Hall Association.
The Council of Presidents is an congregation of the presidents of each of the council and professional school councils that sets the agenda for RUSA and acts as the chief brain tank of student governance at Rutgers.
In addition to this large assembly, a side branch of RUSA contains the Allocations Board. This board of students allocates student fees to the 300+ student groups at Rutgers. In order to receive funding all of these groups must follow guidelines set forth by RUSA.
The executive board used to be internally elected by RUSA members but in the Spring of 2010, the RUSA Constitution was changed to allow Rutgers Students the ability to vote for their President, Vice President, and Treasurer. The President of RUSA is charged not only with the duty of chairing any RUSA and Council of President meetings but also acting on behalf of all Rutgers University students. On April 30, 2010 the Rutgers student body had their first democratically elected student government President Yousef J. Saleh sworn in as President and Chair of RUSA.[1]
| Executive Board Position (2010–2011) | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| President | Yousef J. Saleh | |
| Vice President | Matthew Cordeiro | |
| Treasurer | Anthony Weigand | |
| Corresponding Secretary | Katherine Yabut | |
| Recording Secretary | Rebecca Pero | |
| Parliamentarian | Jorge Casalins |
| Term | President | Local Council |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-2011 | Yousef J. Saleh | College Ave. Campus Council |
| 2009–2010 | Werner Born | Engineering Governing Council |
| 2008–2009 | Christopher Keating | College Avenue Campus |
| 2007–2008 | Jim Kline | College Avenue Campus |
The RUSA Allocations Board is an affiliated committee of RUSA that operates separately from RUSA and is responsible for the allocation of funds to registered Rutgers University Student Organizations as well as various registered events on an as needed basis. The goal of the Allocations Board is to promote and support diversity of programming made available to all Rutgers University Students through the fair and efficient use of the student activity fee. RUSA Allocations provides over a million dollars worth of program funding to over 350 different organizations at Rutgers University New Brunswick campus.
| Executive Board Position (2010–2011) | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Janaki Shah | |
| Vice Chair | Zain Ahmad | |
| Treasurer | Amy Patel | |
| Internal Secretary | Wilhelmenia Ross | |
| Auditor | James Joseph & Tara Kousha | |
| Public Relations Chair | Harsh Shah |
The Rutgers University Residence Hall Association (RHA) is an organization designed to serve the residential population of Rutgers New Brunswick/Piscataway. As stated in the Mission Statement of the RHA Constitution, "Residence Hall Association (RHA) aims to improve the residential experience for on-campus students through intentional programming and feedback-based advocacy initiatives while fostering the personal growth and leadership development of its members."
The foundation of the Residence Hall Association is a system of hall governments. Each residence hall, apartment complex, and suite complex elects a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and additional positions considered valuable. All residents are welcome at hall government meetings.
Each hall vice president represents their residents at Residential Council meetings. The Residential Council also includes the respective Campus Chair and Vice Chair.
Each hall president represents their residents at General Assembly meetings, which include the members of the Executive Board.
The Executive Board of RHA is composed of Executive President, Executive Vice President, Internal Affairs Director, Public Relations Director, Advocacy Director, National Communications Coordinator, Executive Secretary, Executive Treasurer, and the four Campus Chairs.
| Executive Board Position | (2011-2012) |
|---|---|
| Executive President | Frederick Grant Whelply III |
| Executive Vice President | Monisha Shivakumar |
| Internal Affairs Director | Cortney Brewer |
| Public Relations Director | Kathleen Sindoni |
| Advocacy Director | Jeniffer Jung |
| National Communications Coordinator | David Osworth |
| Executive Secretary | Andreana Barefield |
| Executive Treasurer | Matthew Brazza |
| Busch Residential Council Chair | Prachi Baodhankar |
| Busch Residential Council Vice Chair | Jineta Raval |
| College Ave. Residential Council Chair | Danit Weiner |
| College Ave. Residential Council Vice Chair | Ireh Shin |
| Cook/Douglass Residential Council Chair | Jack Hummel |
| Cook Residential Council Vice Chair | Michael Lee |
| Douglass Residential Council Vice Chair | Rachel Daddio |
| Livingston Residential Council Chair | Luisa Gutienez |
| Livingston Residential Council Vice Chair | Sindu Parvathaneni |
Throughout its history, Rutgers has had several secret societies on campus, including the Brotherhood of the Golden Dagger (1898–1940), Sword and Serpent (1872), Casque and Dagger (1901) and Cap and Skull (1900–1969, 1982–present). Only Cap and Skull is still in operation. However, Cap and Skull is now university-sanctioned, has shed much of its secrecy, and is a general society.
The Chabad House at Rutgers University is a community center for Jewish students operated by the Orthodox Jewish Chabad movement. It was established in 1978. In 2010 it announced a $10 million fund raising campaign to add a 55,000 sq. ft. expansion to its existing 35,000 sq. ft. building.[3][4] The old building, completed in 1996, was the third of many Chabad houses worldwide designed as architectural reproductions of the residence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.[5]
Rutgers University is home to chapters of many Greek organizations, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. Several Fraternities and sororities mainain houses for their chapters in the area of Union Street (known familiarly as "Frat Row") in New Brunswick within blocks of Rutgers' College Avenue Campus.
Chapters of Zeta Psi and Delta Phi organized at Rutgers as early as 1845. Chi Psi fraternity was the first fraternity to own a house on campus, the same "Lodge" currently owned by the fraternity. Presently, there are over fifty fraternities and sororities on the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, ranging from traditional to historically African-American, Hispanic, Multicultural and Asian-interest organizations. Greek organizations are governed by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. The New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University has a chapter of the only active co-ed Pre-medical Fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon, as of 2008.[6] Twelve organizations currently maintain chapters in New Brunswick without sanction by the University's administration.