The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate approved seven bills on dining reform, lobbying and religious organizations as well as a statement of gratitude for campus workers at its Feb. 22 meeting.

The senate unanimously passed the statement of gratitude for campus workers, as well as a resolution that calls on GUSA and the university administration to work to distribute gratitude gifts to employees who worked during the snowstorm at the end of January. The senate also unanimously approved legislation that calls on the university to extend access to dining halls during breaks; exempt students living in apartment-style housing from selecting a meal plan; and affiliate with non-affiliated religious organizations.

Speaker Cameran Lane (CAS ʼ28), who introduced the statement of gratitude and the bill in support of campus workers, said the statement and legislation — which aims to offer gift cards from The Corp to workers — show students’ appreciation for employees who supported the campus during the snowstorm.

“It’s a statement on behalf of the entire senate,” Lane said at the meeting. “But there’s also the bill that’s pairing it with some type of tangible form of showing appreciation, which right now, we’re hoping will be Corp giftcards.”

Senator Roan Bedoian (CAS ʼ28), who introduced the bill that calls on the university to expand dining options during breaks, said the bill requests the university to include healthier and comprehensive meals during breaks, when Epicurean & Co. is often the only option for students.

“I think we’re all aware that over breaks, specifically Thanksgiving and spring breaks, tends to be only Epi’s open and tends to be only open until 6 p.m. and tends to be only grill,” Bedoian said at the meeting. “This is really problematic for a lot of reasons. We all know Epi’s grill options are not the most nutritionally substantial meal choices — they’re good for 1 a.m. on a Saturday, not for actually trying to feed yourself for the entirety of Thanksgiving or spring break.”

Bedoian also said eating at restaurants in the Georgetown neighborhood during these breaks as an alternative is not economically feasible for many students. 

“We know that the Georgetown area is very expensive,” Bedoian said. “23% of college students experience food insecurity. That’s a national statistic. That’s probably not true for some students, realistically speaking, but the point stands that just because you’re in college does not automatically mean you have access to nutritional food when you need it and Georgetown has a responsibility to provide that when students are paying thousands of dollars for a meal plan if the dorms are open.”

Bedoian, who also introduced a bill that calls on the university to exempt students living in apartment-style housing with kitchens from selecting a meal plan, said the bill is important amid the university’s ongoing dining contract negotiations since the contract with the current provider, Aramark, is set to expire in 2027. 

“This may have to be implemented with the new dining contract, but right now is a really important time to make sure that we have that conversation,” Bedoian said. “This will just allow students to make a choice that makes more sense for them in terms of their housing.”

The senate passed a bill asking the Federal & D.C. Relations Committee (FedRel), a federal lobbying committee within GUSA that operates independently, to merge with GUSA executive’s Department of External Affairs, which organizes lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. 

The senate unanimously passed a bill that asks the university to offer university affiliation to non-affiliated religious organizations.

Senator Jacob Intrator (CAS ʼ27) said some non-affiliated religious groups have faced difficulties obtaining university recognition.

“This is basically a bill that encourages the university to affiliate with non-affiliated religious groups,” Intrator said at the meeting. “Right now, we see two or three, that I know of, religious groups that are seeking further affiliation with the university but due to either the bureaucracy and the difficulty of the university or just the different stringent rules of the university, it has been pretty difficult for those religious groups to gain affiliation.”

Religious organizations such as Chabad, a Jewish student group, are not formally recognized by the university and do not receive university benefits.

Intrator said Georgetown’s emphasis on religious inclusivity makes it important to recognize different religious organizations.

“It’s most certainly the Georgetown values to pursue as much religious inclusivity as possible,” Intrator said.