STUDENT GOVERNMENT DuBose Inaugurates New GUSA Executives By Derek Richmond Special to The Hoya
Charles Nailen/ The Hoya Outgoing GUSA President Ryan DuBose (COL ’02) swears in 2002-2003 GUSA President Kaydee Bridges (SFS ’03) on Tuesday.
Over a week after GUSA’s executive position announcements, outgoing GUSA President Ryan DuBose (COL ’02) and Vice President Brian Walsh (COL ’02) swore in the new executives Tuesday night. In their recap of GUSA’s accomplishments under the DuBose/Walsh administration, the executives stressed the importance of interaction between GUSA, university administration, student groups and individual students.
President Kaydee Bridges (SFS ’03) and Vice President ason Ayer (SFS ’03) outlined their goals for the 2002-2003 school year following their inauguration.
DuBose presented Ayer with a gavel and turned the meeting over to his control, though not before jokingly threatening to leave the meeting early in favor of The Tombs.
“We weren’t sworn in tonight, we were thrown in,” Ayer said of the way he felt DuBose relinquished the helm.
The outgoing executives emphasized the importance of projects such as the Georgetown One Book – which includes telephone numbers of local merchants – and improved homecoming events, which resulted from interactions with groups like the Corp and Hoya Blue. They also stressed the importance of GUSA’s meetings with faculty and university administration to voice student concerns.
“For the most part, our biggest job as executives this year was to meet with various administrators and go to different meetings to represent the students,” DuBose said. “It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but if someone is not going to those meetings then the student voice isn’t heard.”
“Collaboration with other groups is the name of the game and it’s really the only way that anything gets done here,” he said. “That’s where GUSA can do a lot of great work . bringing these groups together and a lot of great things can get done,” Walsh said.
DuBose and Walsh agreed that in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, GUSA initiated programs such as a Red Cross fund-raising drive that helped the university and community cope. The events led to long-term safety initiatives such as the extension of Safe Walks’ hours and Georgetown’s first ever Health, Safety and Justice Week. They added that during their term, the GUSA office became a student response center and was used for flu vaccinations.
Following the “year-in-review report,” the new executives were officially sworn in. Bridges and Ayer will be inducted into their posts in a more formal ceremony at the Fountain Day celebrations on April 2.
Bridges and Ayer pointed out that work still has to be done to get their administration primed for the implementation of their platform, such as the filling of GUSA administrative positions.
“There are 160 positions available and a lot more applicants than that, so going through all those applications, doing interviews, getting people put in the positions that they will fit best in – that’s what we’re going to devote most of our time over the next month to,” Ayer said of the transition period between administrations.
“Mason and I want to get a lot accomplished, but at the same time, so much of what we’re going to accomplish this year depends on who we appoint,” Bridges said.
DuBose and Walsh said they were sad to leave their positions but felt honored to have represented the student body through GUSA. They added that they have high hopes for the new executives. After thanking GUSA, DuBose and Walsh congratulated Bridges and Ayer on their victory, wishing them a successful year.
“We have tremendous confidence in Kaydee Bridges and Mason Ayer and believe that they have the knowledge, the energy and the dedication to represent student interests in the coming year,” DuBose and Walsh said in a letter to GUSA.
