It’s that time of year again – Georgetown University Student Association’s annual Senate seat campaigns. It’s hard to go anywhere without encountering an upperclassman’s campaign poster that promises to give the university a makeover or drowning in a sea of posters made by freshmen enthusiastic to get involved in student government. So to get to know each candidate better, THE HOYA asked students running for Senate seats to answer a few questions before the Sept. 29 elections. Students of Georgetown, meet your possible representatives for 2011-2012 year.
The following questions were asked of all students running for GUSA Senate.
1) Name/School/Year/District
2) Campaign platform in three words
3) Goal for term in GUSA
4) Biggest challenge Georgetown student body currently faces
5) Biggest challenge GUSA currently faces
5) My quote
7) My Leos dish
8) My floor of Lau
Max Gottlieb/COL/ 2014/ At Large
2)Student Improvement Now
3)Have more programs that serve the students directly, and make it so that GUSA is more visible and can better address the needs and wants of the student body.
7)Whatever isn’t being served that day.
8)2nd floor!
Colton Malkerson / COL / 2013 / At-Large
2) Reform. Results. Accountability.
3) Continue the successes of the past two years and ensure the Endowment money is spent wisely on good projects
4) Lack of space and facilities. Campus life is also being harmed by University policies related to the campus plan.
5) Continuity and maintaining its momentum forward
6) Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard
7) Wrap station
8) Lau 2 outside Midnight Mug
Victor Tolomeo/COL /2014/Copley
2) Make GUSA relevant.
3) Provide opportunities for all Hoyas, such as Zipcars on campus, a more responsive SAC, and more study spaces.
4) Collaborating with the administration to advance student goals around campus.
5) Staying relevant
6) “It always seems impossible until it’s done” – Nelson Mandela
7)Â Wisey’s
8) Lau 2
Cannon Warren/Â SFS/2014/ At-Large
2. Will-Can-Work
3. I want to accomplish a more sensible alcohol and drug policy, more in-line with those of our peer schools, and try to get a climbing wall!
4. Making sure that students don’t get the short end of the stick in the upcoming Campus Plan.
5. Spending the increased student activity fee money and endowment fund intelligently, which doesn’t mean all at once.
6. “[The] main thing a man had, [that] made him into a man – women knew it too. No bloody fear.”
7. Hot dog with cheese and bacon, smothered in tabasco sauce, served with a couple chunks of the vegan pumpkin bread on the side.
8. 5th floor by windows, never ever in a cubicle
Trevor Tezel/SFS/2015/New South
2) Accessibility, Integrity, and Commitment
3) To introduce and pass 3 bills that originate directly from the ideas of students at New South
4) The perception that student voices can’t be heard on the issues that they care most about
5) How to effectively use endowment funds to create new student space
6) “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
7) Chocolate chip cookies
8) 2nd
Matt Sarge/ 2015/ New South
2) ‘Drill Baby Drill’
3) I hope to redraw senate district lines to more equally represent ‘one person, one vote.’ Especially to more fairly represent New South
Rachel Park/SFS/2013/Kennedy Hall
2) Get-Things-Done
3) Implementing the most practical yet crucial needs of students.
4) The first wave of essays and exams? 🙂
5): Dialogue & Budget. GUSA, along with many on-campus organizations, has also been dealing with the budget–securing more funds and best-allocating them. In addition, GUSA needs more grounds for dialogue–to hear students’ voices. There should be a simpler and more casual way for students to throw their opinions on various issues–such as a Facebook group, twitter, or an opinion box.
6) “It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we make our next steps into the world. Remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must Always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.” – Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
7) Favorite Leos dish: Dinner: juicy, carved beef with salad/ Breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon – Oh! The new freshly-squeezed orange juice machine!
8) Work time – Lau 4 (the quiet room in the back!) / Wake-up time – Lau 2 (Midnight Mug!)
Matt Morris/SFS/2014/LXR
2)This is tough, but I’ll go with: Addressing Student Needs
3) Continue to address the most basic issues facing students: fair treatment by the university, space, access to benefits, and a GUSA that truly works for them.
4) Lack of adequate space for student needs and a code of conduct deeply in need of an update.
5)Â GUSAÂ has become too insular and if it really wants to do what is best for students it should make a new push for involvement and input from constituents.
6) “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it” FerrisBueller
7) The Oatmeal Raisin cookies.
8) Lau 4.
Adam Talbot / COL/12/ At-Large
2) Things should work.
3) Make the funding of student life less bureaucratic and liberate student intellectual capital. Allocate student activities fee endowment responsibly.
4) Administration that prefers to wait for students to graduate than to work with them to make Georgetown a better place.
5) How to become a more accessible institution that deserves its mandate.
6) “Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving in words evidence of the fact.” -George Eliot
7) The new french fries are pretty phenomenal.
8) The ones with windows.
George Smith / COL / 2014 / Reynolds
2) Transparency, Advocacy, Improvement
6) “Because everybody dies, but not everybody lives” –Drizzy
Sheila Walsh/ COL/ 2014 / Copley
2) Prudent Endowment Allocation
3) To prepare respective endowment proposals for referendum after engaging with the student body during a publicity campaign. Also, I hope to redefine the Senate dynamic by breaking down barriers that make the body seem insular and divided.
4) The Georgetown student body is hampered by forces both internal and external: the administration and the surrounding Georgetown community.
5) In my mind, GUSA’s greatest challenge is that it continues to operate as an archaic “boy’s club,” which is not welcoming to students who don’t identify with that culture. Increased diversity withinGUSA would enhance the quality of discussion and strengthen the body’s public image.
6) “When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.” – Mary Oliver
7) Chicken stir-fry with General Tsao’s.
8) Lau 2, of course. Quiet where you need it, and way too social at times when you need a break.
Charlie Long/COL /2015/New South
2.) Our Future Together
3.) As a freshman senator, making sure that the freshman class is able to fully enjoy our first year on the hilltop, it’s a special place.
4.) In terms of my district, New South, it has to be the wireless. It took me fifteen minutes to load my fantasy football scoreboard on Sunday, that’s a serious first world problem.
5.) Staying relative. The organization has an important responsibility to serve the university, but, as a student organization, it is imperative that its chief responsibility be addressing the needs of its constituents.
7.) One crushed up sugar cone, two pumps caramel sauce, one crank of cinnamon toast crunch. Tastes like cinnamon fried iced cream.
8.) Second to attempt to do work, fifth to do work.
Christopher Yupang Chang/MSB/2015/Harbin 2-5
2) Innovation, Dedication, Accommodation
3) I’d like to do the best I can.
4) I believe there is a lack of communication throughout campus.
5) N/A
6) “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Dead Poet Society; Keating
7) Grilled bagel with mayonnaise, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and turkey.
8) 2nd floor!
Ziad Jawadi/ College/ 2015/ At-Large
2. Significant Food Reforms
3. To increase the flexibility in terms of meal plans, specifically with regards to where a meal can be used, and to help the University make certain spaces more conducive to studying.
4. There is no doubt that Leo’s is one of the finest dining institutions on a college campus in the country; however, there are many inefficiencies in the way that it is run and the way that meal plans are set up that I have identified solutions for.
5. Reaching out to the average student voter and getting them involved to help GUSA help you.
6. “Make sure you have a different opinion and people will talk about you” – Arab Proverb
7. Chicken Finger Thursdays!
8. The 4th floor–specifically that “Quiet Room” all the way in the back with a view of the Potomac.
Christina Cieplak/SCS/2014/Off Campus
2) Your opinions matter!
3) My goal is to establish a method of communication between the students that live off campus andGUSA.
4) The greatest challenge GU students face is the poor relationship between the administration and students. A perfect illustration of this relationship is the Healy Pub proposal.
5) There is a lack of diversity in the students that voice their concerns to GUSA. We need everyone’s feedback—even yours!
6) “You are not judged by the height you have risen, but from the depth you have climbed.” –Frederick Douglas
7) I was the President and Vice President of the Student Senate at my former college (I transferred) and was the student member on the college’s Board of Trustees.
8) Main Floor
Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson/ SFS/2014/ At-Large
2) Ask, Listen, Change
3) To use student ideas to make siginifigant improvements to the entire Georgetown Student body. The students do have great ideas, we need to just open the channels of communication.
4) We are a well of knowledge, but we are not sharing ideas with others who are different than ourselves
5) There is no direct, active, and consistent communication channel between GUSA and the Georgetown student
5) All love all love no hate. I created and live by this quote everyday. It means we need to display twice as much love to counteract the “hate” and negativity in this world
7) Stir-fry
8) 3rd, because that’s where the exit is
Sydney Davis/ COL/ 2015/ Harbin 2-5
2) BID for SYD
3) I wish to work towards improving all aspects of Georgetown life for students academically and socially.
4) Students feel compelled to get involved in and out of the classroom, but they tend to feel as though they are being overwhelmed.
5) OMIT
6) “Two wrongs don’t make a right but three rights make a left.”- Ty Webb, Caddyshack
7) Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Sweet Potato Fries with a side of grapes
8) Floor Four
Michelle Mohr/ COL/ 2015/ Harbin Floors 2-5
3. Find ways to give better support to the facilities/ maintenance workers so that our dorms can be fixed more efficiently
4. Finding a balance between academics, extracurriculars, and social life – Georgetown just has so many opportunities!
7. My favorite Leo’s dish is soft serve chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge and oreos!
8. Honestly, my favorite spot is any place outside of Lau. I prefer to work outdoors, although, with all the rain recently, that hasn’t really been an option.
Nick DeLessio/ College/ 2015/ Village C West
2) Better student facilities
3) I want to further GUSA’s work in developing more student-friendly space on campus, such as the proposed Healy Pub and the New South Student Center.
4) Remaining at the forefront of higher education during a time when competition to be a top school is extremely fierce.
5) Bridging the disjoint that can sometimes occur between a student body and a school’s bureaucracy.
6) “The worst part about politics is that you’re always right and no one ever knows it.”
7) Pepperoni Pizza
8) I don’t study in Lau
Blair(Harrison)Meek/ 2014/ Village B
2)Â Git-R-Done
3) to keep things fresh, and work to represent/protect the interest of ALL my fellow students.
4) The biggest challenge GU students currently face is the new D.C. noise ordinance and all the changes in rules/policies that goes around the the negotiations of the new campus plan.
5) Publicity, I think too many students don’t know what GUSA is let alone what it can do to help them. I think GUSA needs to do a better job this year of getting its name out in the open.
6) “One does not simply walk into Mordor”-Lord of the Rings/ “I guess I understand”-Eric Cartman
7) Shepherds Pie
8) N/A
Dan Silkman/COL/ 2015/New South
2. Let’s do this.
3. Promote New South, establish a sense of community, and have a good time.
5. Transparency.
6. “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” – Tom Brokaw
8. Obviously the second floor…coffee…
Ziad Saqr / NHS/ 2015 / At Large
2) Vote 4 Z!
3) Bring an outside perspective to GUSA. I want to learn what GUSA does in
my freshman year so that I can hopefully become a more effective
member in the association down the line.
4) Meal plans at Leos. I think there should
be some sort of reimbursement policy with regards to unused meal-plans
where students can get partial compensation in the form of flex
dollars or simply extra cash on their Go-Cards. body.
5) I wouldn’t know specific challenges that face GUSA at the moment
since I am somewhat fresh off the boat in terms of being a Hoya but I
think with whatever issues the association has, I can help out whether
it be issues with the university’s administration or simply GUSA’s
funding.
6) “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Joe Sabah I want GUSA to be a part of what “forms” me here at Georgetown as I start the next chapter of my life.
7) Stir fry
8) 4th floor. I like silence when working.
Alex Cave/COL /2015/Village C West
2) A Fresh Voice
3)Having not participated in student government high school, I will provide GUSA with a new perspective and a fresh voice on the issues facing the Georgetown student body, as well as common-sense solutions to those issues.
5) “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” ~ John F. Kennedy
7) Chicken stir fry with onions, peppers, broccoli, white rice, and zesty orange sauce
8) 2nd, of course–the Midnight Mug is there!
Zach Singer/SFS/2015/New South
2. Getting stuff done
3. My goal is to cultivate the great Georgetown spirit and work to help my district, New South, in getting things that will help their lives up here on the Hilltop.
4. I think Georgetown students have to deal with the repercussions from the strained relationship between our university and the neighborhood.
5. Continuing to allocate the Student Activities Fee well and working to improve the experience for students.
6. “Winning, duh”
7. It’s a tie between chicken finger Thursdays and the tossed salad station’s wraps
8. The 2nd floor
Matt Hamblin / COL/2015/ New South
2) Experience. Vision. Action.
3) Find ways to improve the day-to-day lives of undergraduate students.
4) Having its voice heard in campus matters.
5) Lack of apparent and meaningful impact of the organization on the lives of students.
6) Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever. – Mahatma Gandhi
7) Pizza and rustic bread
8) Lau 2
Scot Conner/MSB/2015/Harbin 6-9
2) Space, Sustainability, Transparency
3) To make sure that the campus has more student space, install solar panels on university townhouses, repair relations with the neighborhood while realizing the fact that Georgetown is a vibrant and significant part of our community.
4) Rising tensions between the student body and the neighborhood.
5) Ensuring reforms and programs are effective, efficient, and representative of student’s needs.
6)”All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”-Gandalf
7) Vegan Spicy Pasta with Black Beans!
8) 2nd floor because I can get caffeine there and talk with people!
Samantha (Sam) Foggan/College/2015/Harbin floors 6-9
3): I have tons of great ideas that I am excited to bring up on the senate floor, like changes in campus dining, better residence maintenance, and more student activities and campus wide events!
4): I think that freshman in particular have a difficult time voicing their opinions and being heard by the larger student body, and, if elected, I hope to change this by meeting with my peers to hear their ideas and opinions.
5) connection to the student body. I want to make sure students get a direct voice in the decision making process.
5) “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” -from A Cinderella Story
7) I love Sunday brunch! My entire floor goes together!
8) I love the quiet section….I can get tons more work done there than in my dorm!
Christophorus Calvin Hartanto/MSB/2015/Village C West
2) Improving everyday life
3) I want to improve everyday life for everyone here- whether that is adding hand sanitizing stations in the dorms to changing Leo’s strict dining policies to the way scheduling is run. I want to remove the little inconveniences that add up in our days here and to make everything smoother.
4) I think that the biggest problem the student body faces is that we have so many wonderful ideas, but too few get implemented.
5) I think the biggest challenge GUSA faces is listening to all of the ideas that our peers have and finding the best solution to improve our school.
Bridget Power/ 2012/Townhouses
4) We at Georgetown can do a better job of fostering a deeper sense of community on campus between students, faculty, staff, alumni, and neighbors.
5) In addition to attending to the process that SAFE reform kicked off last fall, the GUSA Senate faces the challenge that many students lack confidence in GUSA’s ability to take action and work for improvements on behalf of the student body.
Robert Shepherd /2015 /Village C West
2. 18 meal plan
3. My goal is to make pragmatic decisions that will improve the quality of student life at Georgetown.
7. Anything that comes out of the panini maker downstairs
8. The 2nd floor cubicles: quiet but still close to the activity
Rich Lafferty /COL/2013/At-Large
2) Raise our voice.
3) My goal for my term in GUSA is to improve relations with our neighbors through community outreach and negotiations to provide a more agreeable environment for Georgetown students and residents of the community alike.
4) It often takes too long for university officials to respond to housing, facilities, and technological issues.
5) Many students do not seek out their representative when they have concerns for fear that nothing can be done, preventing GUSA from adequately representing the entire student body.
6) “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift”- Steve Prefontaine.
7) Chicken fingers on Thursdays.
8) Lau 3
Dänish Zaidi/College/2013/VCE
2. Being epic daily.
3. Getting rid of rats on campus. Permanently.
4. Academic advising.
5. Student body outreach.
6. “It is what it is.”
7. Leo’s Homemade Mac & Cheese.
8. Two.
Nate Tisa/ SFS ‘14/Kennedy
2) Experience, Vision and Reform
3) Work with the Senate to empower students and student life in the face of increased restrictions on and off campus, investigate diversity in student group leadership, and use SAF funding to promote student entrepreneurship and involvement.
4) Recent increases in police presence in the Georgetown area should be investigated in connection with last year’s Noise Ordinance change. Along with other student bodies in the District, we run the risk of being marginalized by the city if we do nott become effective self-advocates.
5) The GUSA Senate needs to make itself more accessible for and responsible to the student body. I’d like to see regular, open meetings held publicly and advertised on the existing GUSA website (www.GUStudentAssociation.com).
6) “The best way out is always through.” -Robert Frost
7) Trick question?
8) 2! Its where I go to relax (kind of) between my suffering on the other floors.
Neesha A. Tambe/COL ‘13/LXR
2) Your Voice Heard
3) Effectively representing the students of LXR and making YOUR voice heard
4) A common thread, message and goal for all of Georgetown
5) Lack of active, widespread student civic engagement
5) “It takes one drop of water, to start a waterfall” and when we join hands, look at the change we can inspire
7)Â Calzones
8) Upper!
Toniann Maniscalco/ COL ‘15, Harbin 2-5
2) Strengthen the GU Community
3) To help allocate the 3.4 million dollar endowment the senate recently got and to foster a strong sense of the Georgetown Community by bridging the different student groups and organizations to help each group help each other.
4) I think that the student body faces a challenge in receiving enough funds to do all of the amazing things they wish to do.
5) I think GUSA faces a challenge in
6) “Do or not do, there is no try”
7) Omelets to order
8) 2nd
Tim Lyons/ COL ‘15, New South
2) New South, represent
3) To bring a fresh voice to the debates surrounding all aspects of student life here at Georgetown
5) Too much politics – not enough representation from outside the loop
6) Life is a game of inches – Any Given Sunday
7) Strawberry cake
8) 2nd (Midnight Mug’s Chai Latte is the best thing in the library, period.)
Candidates not listed could not be reached for comment.
