“I just want students to be listened to and treated as whole people. We’re spoken of as an ‘incredibly intelligent, artistic, creative, academic student body’ and then we’re not treated as such. I want that shift to happen, and I don’t think it’s impossible.”
Noor LimaBoudakian is determined to make New School student voices heard and their talents shared: They are currently serving their first term as Student Senate President. As a third year student at Lang, double majoring in Global Studies and Economics, LimaBoudakian chose The New School because of their family legacy. Their grandfather attended the New School for Social Research in 1982, receiving a masters in International Affairs, and their father studied at Lang and graduated with the class of 1984.
With firsthand accounts of what The New School was like from family members, they pictured a diverse student body, small seminar-style classes, and a tight-knit community. After arriving on campus, LimaBoudakian saw their version of the university come to life. The creativity of the student body inspired them, giving LimaBoudakian a sense of pride to be a New School alum.
LimaBoudakian soon began looking for ways to get involved with their new community. After searching for the right club to join, they eventually settled on running for The New School Student Senate. “I didn’t think I would be someone to join the Student Senate,” said LimaBoudakian. They’re first interaction with the organization was meeting its former chair, Clair Stevens, at an admissions event for the university. LimaBoudakian recalls Stevens as being sweet and enthusiastic about the Student Senate, and eventually convinced LimaBoudakian to join as a general member in they’re second year.
In their first year on the Senate, LimaBoudakian fell in love with the work they were doing in the Senate, even though it involved simple tasks like drafting emails. Though, they quickly worked their way up to become Director of Staff and the co-chair of the Shared Governance Initiative. “I was just doing a lot of behind the scenes work to keep the Senate functioning,” said LimaBoudakian.
After a year of assisting the Sitting Chair, LimaBoudakian decided it was time to sit in the presidential seat. They went into the election for the 2021 school year with a vision of what they wanted the Student Senate to do to help the student body and what the New School could become.
“I think one of the ultimate frustrations of both students and senators at The New School is that we have very strong opinions, and are very well educated and solid in our activism,” said LimaBoudakian.“That’s not always reflected in how we’re listened to.” In an effort to create an open channel of communication between students and administration, LimaBoudakian and the Student Senate’s advocacy committee are working on a series of “fireside chats,” informal conversations between university administrators and Student Senate leaders. LimaBoudakian is also trying to establish regular meetings with President McBride and Provost Renée White on student concerns.
LimaBoudakian is also passionately working in collaboration with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and Provost White to provide resources to students to alleviate the stress that many students have felt regarding financial holds. LimaBoudakian has worked with the AAUP to draft an email to the university administration to bring the financial aid threshold–which can prevent students from registration if not paid timely–back down. They advocated either to bring it down permanently, or to wait until after registration, so that students do not have to worry about not being able to enroll for the Spring 2022 semester. Although Provost White didnot rescind the threshold increase, she informed LimaBoudakian that she is in the process of providing other relief to lower the burden on students..
Another focus of LimaBoudakian is to make sure that students are having their talents showcased. The Student Senate is always looking to support New School student initiatives with the funding they have for things like clubs and projects. Additionally, the Senate’s anti-discrimination committee is currently producing a video that features femme artists of color from various parts of the University. “It’s modeled after Rihanna’s savage X Fenty show, but it’s going to have a political message. A really cool thing is that we get to pay the artists for it, ” said LimaBoudakian.
The Student Senate is working on a future student activism series, in which students would serve on panels and hold community discussions.
LimaBoudakian wants students to know the Student Senate is working to fix the institutional problems that students face.. “We’re listening and we’re trying,” they said, adding that the Senate is just as frustrated on every single issue that the student body is facing.” Students can reach the Student Senate via email at uss@newschool.edu or send questions and concerns via Instagram, @TNS_USS. Students can also attend the Student Senate town hall meetings on Zoom. Information about town halls can be found on the Student Senate Instagram or via email.
