Student board member Adrianna Martinez shares her story with guests at the Dining with the Decision Makers event in Prothro Hall Thursday evening. (CLAYTON T. SMITH/SMU)
A handful of SMU students had the chance to discuss their experiences and university issues while dining with the SMU Board of Trustees.
The annual Dining with the Decision Makers (DWDM) banquet was held Thursday night in Prothro Hall at the Perkins School of Theology.
The Board of Trustees, composed of 42 members, is the chief governing authority for he university.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for establishing policies for SMU and the election of the university president.
Currently, Adriana Martinez represents the student body as the Student Trustee Representative to the Board of Trustees.
“They are chiefs of industry and amazing people who influence society. They are civic leaders, philanthropic leaders and people who care about SMU students and want to give the best advice and teach from their own experiences,” Martinez said.
Trustee members meet four times in the calendar year: February, May, September and December, which follows with an evening reception and dinner.
Selected DWDM students, representing a wide range of student issues and backgrounds, have the privilege of attending the dinner and get to know the Trustees on a personal level.
“They are more than just this amorphous being that make decisions about this school. The trustees wish there could be 60, 100, or 1,000 [here],” Martinez said. “They really want to get to know the students and they do an amazing amount of work. It is not for the university as an idea, but for the people in the university, for each and every student.”
The DWDM event provides a mutual benefit for both the student attendees and the Board of Trustees. The trustees have direct access to a multitude of students.
The dinner benefits the students because it enables them to present in a public forum, to the board, their values and the things that are important to them.
“It is not as much the need to change but sometimes it is affirming what is important,” Brad Cheves, vice president of development and external affairs, said. “The students affirm some of the academic culture, the co-circular things that we are involved in, the things they hold as important and valuable.”
The mixing of minds and values in an intimate setting strengthens the relationships between the student body and the figure heads of the university. The outcome of the exchange only increases the awareness of the happenings that are taking place at SMU. This way change can be made effectively where both students and board members are both working toward common goals.
“I have never seen so much SMU pride in such a small space. It is very enthralling to be a part of this and I am very excited,” junior Amie Kromis said.
