While most students were enjoying dinner at Umphrey Lee last Thursday night, a select group of SMU students were eating steak with the Board of Trustee Members.

This unique opportunity, known as Dining with Decision Makers, is an 11-year-old tradition at SMU and allows students to interact on a personal level with the Board of Trustees.

Less than 30 students were chosen from an applicant pool of 50 through an application and interview process.

Before the event, students mingled with the trustees, SMU President R. Gerald Turner and Dr. Lori White, vice president for Student Affairs.

During the event, students and trustees dined together on the basketball courts of the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. Five SMU students, including Student Trustee Andrew Galloway, third-year law student Randy K. Jackson, Meadows student Karoline Kuss, engineering student Daniel Liu and pre-med student Lauren Powell, spoke about their lives at SMU.

The trustees expressed that they care about the students and the overall experience of SMU and were interested in making the university better.

At the conclusion of the event, a question-and-answer session was conducted with the trustees, students and the panel. When asked about the best and worst qualities of SMU, many students cited SMU’s generous financial aid. As for its worst quality, students mentioned concerns for both parking and better performing facilities.