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Stevens students outline civic initiatives: voter education, mentorship pilot and business passport
Summary
Stevens Institute student government told the council about curriculum changes to PRV 101 to include voter registration, community outreach such as STEM nights and a proposed 'local business passport' to connect first-year students with Hoboken businesses; they reported survey data estimating student local spending.
Leah Mayer and Noah of the Stevens Institute student government presented recent and planned civic-engagement initiatives to the council, seeking feedback and city collaboration.
They described curriculum updates to PRV 101 to include voter-registration instruction for first-year students, student attendance at council meetings and a campus ‘‘coffee and donuts’’ event on election day to encourage voting. Outreach activities this year included a STEM night at Weehawken Middle School, student volunteer sessions at the local food pantry, and a holiday food drive. The student government said it had surveyed roughly 89 students and estimated Stevens students spend about $6.6 million in Hoboken annually, an increase of about $500,000 from last year.
Planned pilots include a ‘‘mile square mentors’’ program pairing Stevens students with local high-school students and a composting program funded by the youth climate action fund (noting current funds for the program were exhausted and the group seeks new support). They proposed a local-business passport to incentivize first-year students to patronize and learn about Hoboken businesses and requested city input on senior capstone projects that could address real municipal problems.
Council members thanked the students for their civic participation and applauded the proposals; members suggested working with the administration on internships, micro-internships and program sustainability.
