As Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill elect congressional leadership this week, the new GUSA Senate filled its own top positions on Tuesday, choosing students to guide the Student Association’s legislative arm through its inaugural year.

Members elected GUSA Senator Christina Goodlander (SFS ’07) as speaker over Senator Will Dreher (SFS ’09) and Sebastian Johnson (COL ’10). Johnson is not a member of the body, but the GUSA constitution does not prohibit any Georgetown student from running for Senate speaker.

Goodlander served as a representative on the GUSA Assembly, which was replaced by the Senate through a successful constitutional referendum in October. Last spring, she was elected chair of the Assembly.

Goodlander said that the Senate’s first year will be formative for the body.

“We will be able to shape where the Senate goes this year, and I want to try and make it a premier body for students,” Goodlander said. “It’s going to be very important to build a relationship with the [university] administration and make sure that they view [the Senate] as an institution that has credibility.”

GUSA Senator Reggie Greer (COL ’09), who represents the top three floors of LXR Hall, was elected the vice speaker.

GUSA President Twister Murchison (SFS ’08) said the elections were a vital first step for the Senate.

“It’s very important for this branch of the Student Association to have a strong start . because it’s a young institution and first impressions are obviously the most influential,” Murchison said.

Eden Schiffmann (COL ’08), GUSA’s chief of staff, said that he looks forward to working with the Senate and seeing it expand its role now that it has elected its leadership.

“The new speaker will definitely affect how the Senate will function for the rest of the year,” he said. “This is a huge opportunity for the student body because an effective Senate will enhance the role of the Senators and help the students have a strong voice.”

Much of the body’s day-to-day business will be handled by the Senate’s six committees – Finance and Appropriations, Student Safety and Health, Academic Affairs, Housing and Facilities, Outreach and Ways and Means – whose chairs were also elected on Tuesday.

Former GUSA President Pravin Rajan (SFS ’07), who returned to student government when he was elected to the Senate last month from an Alumni Square district, will chair the Student Safety and Health Committee. Rajan was nominated to serve as the Senate’s vice chair during elections, but declined the nomination.

“I think I could help out more in the informal sense than in the formal sense,” he said.

Mariclaire Petty (SFS ’08), GUSA’s director of operations, said that the committee structure will allow members to focus their works and make the Senate more effective.

Senators “will have specific responsibilities, and that will provide more structure in general for how the new Senate operates,” she said.