DuJuan Smith is looking to make a change at NIU.

Smith serves as the student representative on the NIU Board of Trustees, the governing body of NIU which rules on the university’s major financial transactions, among other matters.

“My primary responsibility as the student trustee is to promote and provide the student experience within the context of all of our dialogues and discussions,” Smith said. “In all that I do within the BOT, I am always representing the student body.”

Smith has big plans for his tenure as student trustee.

“This year, I plan to promote student activism by engaging our students in various activities throughout the year that will increase their understanding of this institution and the power they have to be an agent for change,” he said.

Helping secure more funds for the university is one of Smith’s chief projects, he said. Through the Student Association, Smith said he is helping plan a trip to Springfield next semester to advocate for more state funds for the university. Smith also serves as chair of the Study Abroad committee and said he is investigating ways to increase student participation in abroad activities.

Student input will be key to Smith’s success in initiating change on campus, and he encourages students to contact him, he said.

“What I feel is important for students to know about me is that I am very open and always willing to listen to the concerns and successes of students,” he said. “I cannot be successful without the input of students.”

One of the greatest issues facing NIU, in Smith’s eyes, is the need to make students more aware of the resources around them, such as Students’ Legal Assistance and the Career Services department.

“This institution has done an amazing job of creating services and resources to address the needs and concerns of our students. However, I believe that many students do not utilize a lot of these beneficial services,” he said. “I feel the solution lies within the university and students working together to promote these services.”

Smith, a second-year graduate student from Chicago, said he aspires to be a counselor, personal chef and organizational development consultant. He’s pursuing a master’s degree in community counseling.

Outside of his duties as student trustee, Smith serves as treasurer for the Black Graduate Student Association, and is a member of both the Northern Illinois University Counseling Association and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.