On Sunday, May 7, I had the excellent opportunity to meet with the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, Jay Perman, alongside 12 other Muslim students. Every month, Chancellor Perman meets with students across the universities in the state to discuss important issues. This month, he wanted to speak with Muslims and to learn about our experiences at our campuses.

Shelby Speer, whom I work with as a member of the Student Leadership Advisory Council (SLAC), presented me with this opportunity. Shelby emailed me about the monthly chat with Chancellor Perman and without question, I accepted this offer! This is something that is a once in a lifetime chance not to pass up. Even though I am a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, I went to represent USG because this is my home campus. Not only that, but I believe students at USG deserve to have their voices heard and represented, and that was my job at this chat.

We met with the Chancellor at the Hidden Waters Residence in Pikesville, Maryland, which was about 10-15 miles outside of Baltimore. We had breakfast and some drinks such as water, coffee, and tea when we got there. Then we all sat down and introduced ourselves. Chancellor Perman gave his backstory from applying to medical school, becoming a doctor, and getting into advocacy. Hearing his story allowed me to understand who he is as a person, but also as an advocate and why he is chancellor. 

Chancellor Perman asked us questions throughout the discussion that prompted students to speak about the positive and negative experiences at their individual campuses. A few of the topics that we raised questions and concerns about were having accommodations for prayers, food that is halal (permissible according to Islam) as well as providing food during Ramadan, and the Muslim Student Association on campus. Everyone provided a concern and input into the conversation and I was interested in hearing more.

At the end of the two hours we had, Chancellor Perman reassured us that these issues would be taken care of. He was thankful that we shared our experiences with him and even educated him a bit about Islam. Chancellor Perman was confident that our issues would be resolved.

I am glad to have been chosen to meet the Chancellor and represent fellow Muslim students. We took a group photo and networked with each other in order to stay connected while were in school. This event was a great way to close out the year and I very thankful for Shelby and everyone at USG who have supported me as a student advocate during my first year on campus!