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In March 2022, Neela Patel, the executive director of Rutgers’ Student Centers and Activities in the Division of Student Affairs, became president-elect of ACUI, the longest-running organization of college union and student activities professionals. Patel served as president-elect of ACUI this past year and will transition to President on March 1 at the Annual ACUI Conference.

Every year, when transfer and first-year students enroll at Rutgers University—New Brunswick for the first time, departments engage them to ensure that they know about the resources and opportunities available at the university. 

Though maintaining student engagement and success is crucial, of course, there is also another group crucial to this transition: those students’ parents.

With everything that Rutgers students have going on—classes, part-time jobs, and extra-curricular activities—it can be difficult to find the time to take care of themselves. To help meet that need, free group fitness classes are available to students at four out of the five Recreation Centers at Rutgers University—New Brunswick. 

This February, as students, staff, and faculty across Rutgers University—New Brunswick honor and celebrate Black History Month, the Paul Robeson Cultural Center (PRCC), in the Division of Student Affairs, continues to take a leading role in supporting Black life at Rutgers.

On Sunday, November 6th, generations of Rutgers Ultimate alumni returned to play in the annual alumni-student game—and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the team’s first game. As usual, the alumni won. For many, though, the game itself was less important than what it represented.

Students at Rutgers University—New Brunswick participate in all kinds of activism—they attend rallies and protests, run for positions in Rutgers University Student Assembly, and start political organizations to make their voices heard on-campus. For the rest of January, the Cultural Center Collaborative in the Division of Student Affairs will be providing a program on social justice and activism that students can tap into: its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Series. 

An outside observer visiting the Rutgers Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) might be forgiven for thinking that the varied backgrounds of its professional staff were the norm in other such spaces. However, those familiar with other Cultural Centers know that that is not the case.

For students entering undergraduate life, discussions about interpersonal and sexual violence are among the most difficult, yet necessary, conversations. Many students have either never discussed these topics at length or might have learned all they know about it through sources that fail to capture the modern reality of these topics. Enter: SCREAM theater.

In honor of Tuesday's National First-Generation College Celebration, we asked students to share their stories about what it means to be the first in their families to go to college. Here is what they had to say.