The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate confirmed the election of the new GUSA executive administration and passed three bills addressing key campaign issues at its Jan. 12 meeting.
Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26) and Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) were sworn in as GUSA president and vice president and the senate confirmed 13 students to the Henshaw-Wagner cabinet. The senate also passed three pieces of legislation to increase GUSA outreach by surveying its student approval, install swings on campus and improve the structure of the Finance and Appropriations Committee (FinApp), which is responsible for allocating the Student Activities Fee.
Senator Amelia Snyder (SOH ’28), the outreach bill’s sponsor, said creating a research group to survey students each semester on GUSA’s overall performance and specific policies would help students feel that their opinions matter to GUSA.
“It gives us direct feedback on if we’re actually pursuing activities that the whole population deems necessary,” Snyder said at the meeting. “Also, it lets people know that we are actually doing things, and allows them to realize that they actually have a say in what we do in a more direct and accessible way.”
The 13 cabinet members confirmed by the senate will assume positions managing internal affairs, such as chief of staff and treasurer, as well as focusing on specific portfolios including Student Health and Wellness and Facilities, Transportation, and Dining.
Senator Tina Solki (MSB, SFS ’26) said the FinApp amendment to the bylaws would clarify the responsibilities and parameters for FinApp liaisons, senators in the FinApp committee who oversee a particular area of campus life that receives appropriations, after the senate removed a different position from the committee.
“I put down more strict guidelines on what we expect as our liaisons and what we produce as an initial budget application,” Solki said during the meeting.
The final bill passed by the senate, if implemented by the university, would deliver on the Henshaw-Wagner campaign’s promise to install a swing set on campus.
In response to Henshaw’s promise to discuss the swings initiative with the university provost, senator Keatyn Wede (CAS ’27) said she thought the university should be responsible for financing the swings rather than GUSA, especially in light of the tuition increase announced for the 2025-26 school year.
“Since you’re bringing it up in the provost and now we’re talking about the tuition rates, why does this have to come out of our GUSA budget?” Wede said.
Although the bill suggests GUSA would partially or fully finance the swings, Henshaw said he would work to negotiate with the university on funding, as well as direct his administration to reach out to donors.
“I was told that it’s likely that we’ll get a lot of financial support in it, but there are only so many things the GUSA budget can be spent on, and this is one that I think will be fun,” Henshaw said at the meeting.
“My treasurer is working on building a donor list right now to increase the amount of money that GUSA is taking in, so that’s ideal,” Henshaw added.
The swing set is estimated in the bill to cost just under $2,000, and, according to Henshaw, will be installed near the koi pond next to White-Gravenor Hall, on the field next to Regents Hall or a third location, depending on what the university approves.
A bill to encourage the administration to review insurance claims resulting from the repeated floods in Harbin Hall was withdrawn from the agenda.
The senate concluded the meeting by looking ahead to future legislation, including a bill written by senator Youngsung Sim (SFS ’27) that would increase Georgetown University Transportation System (GUTS) service to the Capitol Campus.
The senate also discussed an initiative led by senator Sam Lovell (CAS ’25) to move the Asian-Pacific (AP) House, an affinity space on campus, under the wing of the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access (CMEA), a university center which provides support to communities who have historically faced barriers to educational access.
Henshaw, whose confirmation will leave a senate seat open in GUSA, said he looks forward to bringing the initiatives passed by the senate to the university.
“We have our weekly provost advisory meeting coming up, and we’re going to have several resolutions prepared to take and introduce there, mostly the stuff that you’ve all been passing,” Henshaw said.
