Rider events left uncertain in ‘transition’ period
By Grace Bertrand
The future of Rider-staple events like R-Factor and the yearly spring concert is up in the air as the Student Entertainment Council lost their former faculty adviser Nick Barbati, according to President of SEC Jason Aretino, a senior finance major.
Barbati was the former vice president for Student Affairs before he was removed from the university’s website in the late fall semester. Former Director of Communications Rachel Stengel did not confirm if Barbati was laid off, after a request to comment in November, calling it a personnel matter.
While R-Factor is not an SEC event, Aretino said, but rather run by Barbati on his own, the spring concert happening “is not up to us.”
He continued that while no events are being “disbanded” since Barbati’s departure from the university, the majority of the SEC’s time at the moment is being spent planning the big events toward the end of the semester.
“It was a big loss to see Nick go but as a council we are still operating at the same capacity as before and have big plans ahead,” Aretino said.
The SEC has not been assigned a new faculty adviser, according to Aretino. He said that in place of an official adviser, Rider’s Student Affairs Office has been a pillar for the SEC, calling them “an amazing asset to us for help on the faculty end of our operations.”
Dean of Students Christine Mehlhorn emphasized the support Student Affairs has been able to provide to the executive board “during a period of transition.” She said, “Many of the advising needs right now are logistical in nature — things like risk management, contracts, budgeting, and event logistics — and these are areas where Student Affairs professionals bring a great deal of experience.”
Calling the SEC a “strong, student-led organization,” Mehlhorn said she thinks the executive board has been able to “show leadership, creativity and commitment to campus programming,” as the university undergoes several internal changes.
Mehlhorn encouraged the SEC to think about the student events in a new way as it moves forward, telling the executive board to “plan proactively” as they prepare for fall 2026. Aretino’s hope, however, is that the rest of SEC’s events can go as planned for the spring semester.
Some events that are here to stay, Aretino said, include “Live from The Pub” every other Wednesday, starting on Feb. 11, “Live from The Rock” when the weather gets warmer and the annual off-campus Phillies game trip in April. The SEC is also set to have a new dance class in March, he said.
Aretino added, “We are setting up for a big event to end the semester and start a new tradition … We have no plan to let up on programming this semester since we are still the same board as before.”
Acknowledging the importance of events like Rider’s Drag Race, Aretino said while he hopes to see the beloved event stay within the SEC’s programming, it will take place in early fall once he has graduated.
“Although a lot of these events were under Nick’s advising it was still always up to the board members to get a lot of the planning done,” Aretino said.
As the SEC starts off its first semester without Barbati as its faculty adviser, Aretino said it is looking to make the most of the resources and support it has to create an environment of unity for students.
“I believe [the] SEC has a great opportunity to shine right now by everyone being so vocal on what they want to see with the school’s future and there is an opportunity for SEC to use those in the production of new and improved events to really hit the students’ wants and needs,” Aretino said.
