The Chatham Student Government (CSG) meeting on Thursday, February 12 was cancelled in order to allow a few members to attend an invitation-only lunch with Chatham’s Board of Trustees, who were in town for meetings from Wednesday, February 13 through Friday, February 15.

Select students from both undergraduate and graduate programs at Chatham were sent email invitations to the event, which was held in Chatham’s Mellon Board Room on Thursday from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Students were encouraged to mingle with the trustees, and as everyone began to seat themselves for lunch, they were encourage to spread out so that there were at least a few students at each table.

Lunch was buffet style, and after filling their plates, everyone went back to their tables to eat and socialize.

After a few minutes of friendly mealtime conversation, Dr. Esther Barazzone, President of Chatham University, took her place at the podium to welcome everyone to the event and thank everyone for taking the time to attend.

“We wanted the Board of Trustees to meet some of the wonderful student leaders here at Chatham,” she said enthusiastically.

After Barazzone’s welcome, she introduced Zauyah Waite, Dean of Students, who said a few words of welcome, then asked the 15 students in attendance to each stand and “take a few minutes to introduce [themselves].”

The students then stood up one by one and took a few minutes to talk about their years, majors, interests, future plans, and involvement in organizations on campus; and each received a round of applause.

All had impressive resumes and accomplishments to recount from their time at Chatham, even if many cracked jokes about their uncertainty about the future.

Some students received enthusiastic laughter from the attendees, like Skylar Wilcha, who began her introduction by saying, “It doesn’t really make a difference whether I sit or stand,” in reference to her height.

After the introductions, Waite congratulated the students on their accomplishments, then everyone went back to conversing and enjoying their meals.

Throughout the event, the trustees showed a great deal of interest in the students, their feelings about Chatham, and their plans for the future.

“What makes Chatham special?” one trustee asked the students at her table. “What sets it apart?”

Some of the trustees, who were alumni of the University, were interested in knowing how the school had changed since their time at Chatham. They also asked students what problems they had and what measures could be taken to improve Chatham University.

The event provided an excellent opportunity for students to get to know the people in charge of making important decisions at Chatham University and for the trustees to meet the students that they represent.

The CSG will resume its regularly scheduled meetings on Thursday, February 19. All CSG meetings are open to the student body, and students are encouraged to attend.