16 students are running for seats in the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate in its Nov. 5-7 election.
In addition to improving printing, expanding dining hours and improving GUTS bus times, candidates are focused on increasing GUSA communications with the student body, reducing plastic waste, expanding student discounts in the Georgetown neighborhood and improving policies for student organizations without university benefits.
First-years will be able to elect seven out of the 10 first-year candidates to represent the Class of 2028. Six candidates are competing for the four at-large seats, which are elected by sophomore, junior and senior students.
The Class of 2028 candidates are Harry Block, Tyler Chase (SFS ’28), Nikki Jiang (SOH ’28), Cameran Lane (CAS ’28), Paul Nassar (SFS’28), Emma Nicotra (CAS ’28), Sam Schwartz (CAS ’28), Amelia Snyder (SOH ’28), Zadie Weaver (CAS ’28) and Michael Francis Williams (SFS ’28). Aidan Patrick Liss (CAS ’26), Hassan Malik (SOH ’26), Nico Santiago (CAS ’27), Youngsum Sim (SFS ’27), Saahil Rao (SFS ’27) and Olivia Mason (CAS ’26) are running for the at-large seats.
Polls in the GUSA election will open at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, as voting in national elections across the country closes, and will close on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.
Snyder said she hopes to improve communication between GUSA and the student body and connectivity between the administration and students.
“I had not heard of GUSA before the campaign newsletter went out and have found that many other students feel the same way,” Snyder wrote to The Hoya. “This disconnect inhibits the student body’s ability to voice their concerns and ideas for improvement.”
Chase said he will conduct campus-wide surveys to implement student voices into his policies.
“To address these needs effectively, I plan to conduct thorough surveys across the student body to understand specific routes, times and dining preferences, as well as to identify popular outdoor spaces,” Chase wrote to The Hoya. “I believe that building policy through peer input is essential for creating meaningful, lasting improvements.”
Weaver said she is focused on increasing student credit for laundry services and ensuring the laundry machines function correctly.
“On the second week here, my friend spent $10 on a load of laundry because every single dryer left her clothes wet; one load of laundry shouldn’t cost a quarter of your laundry balance,” Weaver wrote to The Hoya. “That’s just one example of small things that, if fixed, would make our lives so much easier at Georgetown.”
Sim said his campaign is focused on new policies, including easing the process of finding clubs on campus.
“I commit to finding a method of making exploring the extracurricular activities on campus easier, whether it be upkeeping a database of all the existing clubs with relevant contact information or rehauling CampusGroups to be more student-accessible and easier to search,” Sim wrote to The Hoya.
Lane said his campaign is focused on ensuring all student groups, recognized or unrecognized by the university, have equal access to resources.
“The key policy goals for our campaign all revolve around pushing for the things that matter to the class of 2028,” Lane wrote to The Hoya. “Securing more late-night dining options, making sure projects started by the administration are completed in a timely fashion and working to make sure H*yas for Choice can operate with the same dignity and support that Georgetown Right to Life does.”
Liss said that in addition to advocating for the end of legacy admissions, another of his campaign goals is to increase transparency around tuition increases.
“I was shocked when my notice of increased tuition consisted solely of a vague pie chart and a two-page FAQ,” Liss wrote to The Hoya. “I was equally dismayed when I talked to students who only found out about massive cuts to the performing arts program only when services they relied on shut down.”
“If elected, I’d fight for clearer updates on tuition spending, department and resource allocation shifts and enough notice to allow for student feedback,” Liss added.
Santiago, a former Class of 2027 GUSA senator, said his campaign’s goal is to increase physical and resource accessibility on campus to ensure students can flourish.
“I wish to uphold and facilitate the amazing community we have here at Georgetown, whether it be by making sure everyone has a seat at the table at our dining halls or by ensuring that we are able to enjoy essential traditions, including Georgetown Day,” Santiago wrote to The Hoya.
“I have proven to be an effective advocate and I will continue to fervently represent the interests of the student body.”
This election will see fewer first-year candidates, as 27 candidates ran for first-year seats in Fall 2023. The election will coincide with the GUSA executive election.