On Oct. 30, the NYU Abu Dhabi Student Government General Assembly centered on the proposal of two new majors by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee: Arabic Studies and Interactive Media. At the end of the curricular discussion, the GA voted to send a letter endorsing the creation of the proposed majors to the faculty committee tasked with reviewing the UCC’s proposal. Other topics of discussion at the assembly included fixing the meal plan, reforming the book fees system and two proposed amendments regarding the Board of Appeals.

Student representatives Monika Filipovska and October Li of the UCC joined the GA to give an overview of the two proposed majors as well as an overview of the approval process for new majors. According to the pair, the UCC, as a body composed of both student and faculty representatives, is only in the early stages of a multi-stage major approval process. Following the UCC receiving and approving a major proposal, the proposed major must be approved by various parties including the Dean of the relevant program, the U.S. Department of Education and the UAE Ministry of Education.

The proposed Legal Studies major is currently under evaluation by the UAE Ministry of Education. Although the schedule is uncertain, the UCC imagines that Legal Studies will become a major starting from the 2017-18 academic year.

The Arabic Studies major is currently under review by the Vice Provost. According to the UCC, the students will learn both formal and colloquial Arabic and will then go on to take multiple classes taught in Arabic, such as linguistics and sociolinguistics, as part of the major.

The Interactive Media major is currently under review by the UCC with several proposals having been put forward. In addition to existing Interactive Media courses, the major will create new courses related to the arts, sciences and communications.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the GA passed a vote on an endorsement letter, encouraging the next bodies in the major approval process to approve the majors currently under review. The body of the letter read:

“Drawing from our liberal arts experiences, the NYUAD General Assembly of the student body is in full support of and urges the Faculty Council to approve majors in Interactive Media and Arabic Studies. We hope that the university provides all the needed support in order to successfully offer these majors at the soonest possible time.”

During the New Business section, Campus Life Policy Committee representative Max Eckert updated the GA on recent discussions with Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance and Operations Peter Christensen. The CLPC is currently working to create a more flexible meal plan which would include adjusting the ratio of Campus Dirhams and meal swipes based on student needs and possibly adding new suppliers in addition to ADNH Compass, which currently handles catering in the university. The CLPC is also working on reducing book fees for students not receiving full financial aid.

Finally, two amendments were proposed by Student Government Vice President Maitha al-Memari regarding the BoA, which will be voted on at the next GA. The first amendment, if approved, would increase the BoA’s members from three to five. The second amendment, if approved, would require a majority vote of the GA and BoA in order for the BoA to change its rules and procedures, as opposed to the current threshold of two-thirds.