Twenty-six students are running for seats in the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate, Georgetown’s elected student government, in its April 14-16 election.
Candidates’ key policy issues include reforming GUSA’s internal processes, improving the quality and variety of campus dining options, expanding student access to transit and adding furniture to study spaces on campus. Candidates are also running to advocate for research and diversity in higher education under the administration of President Donald Trump.
First-years will be able to elect six of the 14 first-year candidates to represent the Class of 2028. Only five candidates are competing for the six Class of 2027 seats, which are elected by sophomore students, and seven candidates are running for the six Class of 2026 seats, elected by juniors.
The 14 candidates running to represent the Class of 2028 are incumbent senators Cameran Lane (CAS ’28), Tyler Chase (SFS ’28), Paul Nassar (SFS ’28), Nikki Jiang (SOH ’28), Zadie Weaver (CAS ’28), Amelia Snyder (SOH ’28) and Mikey Williams (SFS ’28), as well as first-time candidates Zain Khan (SFS ’28), Abrahim Sawez (SOH ’28), Erik Hsu (CAS ’28), Luke Schneeman (CAS ’28), Diego Vázquez-Perez (CAS ’28), Roan Bedoian (CAS ’28) and Ignacio Loaiza Sandoval (CAS ’28).
Hsu said his campaign is focused on ensuring students have access to essentials like printing, laundry and dining.
“The biggest challenge is that Georgetown often expects students to just ‘figure it out’ — whether it’s finding places to eat later at night, getting downtown or even just finding where to print something at midnight,” Hsu wrote to The Hoya. “That’s where GUSA should step in — not to fix everything overnight, but to at least recognize what’s not working and do something about it.”
Lane, who served on the GUSA Ethics and Oversight Committee and the Dining Committee, said he hopes to increase students’ laundry credit as he did for Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) students.
“Last term, I wrote and passed a laundry credit increase for first-year GSP students, I want to expand that credit for all Hoyas,” Lane wrote to The Hoya. “We should have a starting laundry balance of at least $80 a semester.”
Chase said that, in addition to pushing for higher-quality meals on campus, his campaign is focused on improving the financial appropriations process, through which GUSA distributes funding to clubs and advisory boards.
“In terms of financial appropriations, I want to make sure that every student gets real value from the $185 student activities fee they pay each year,” Chase wrote to The Hoya. “If elected to the Finance and Appropriations Committee, I will advocate for a more equitable distribution of funding across all student clubs and organizations.”
Vázquez-Perez said his key policy goals include increasing the number of on-campus jobs, making student amenities more reliable and working on issues the senate has overlooked.
“Although the current GUSA legislature has made great strides in the last year to improve student resources, some issues have slipped through the cracks and need more attention, such as the inconsistencies in financial aid resources and dining quality on campus,” Vázquez-Perez wrote to The Hoya.
Loaiza Sandoval said he hopes to increase Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) and public transit access for students, especially for first-generation and low-income students like himself.
“I would love to continue working alongside the Office of Transportation Management to improve the frequency of GUTS, make it easier to incorporate GUTS into trip planning, and look at the potential for expanding access to the Hoya Transit program, specifically for GSP students,” Loaiza Sandoval wrote to The Hoya. “I think these measures are practical, would directly improve students’ and other community members’ experiences, and are issues with strong support.”
Bedoian, who is running in a joint campaign with Loaiza Sandoval, said she is running in response to the Trump administration’s higher education policies, which she said impact free speech, international students and financial aid.
“We have seen many of our peer institutions come under fire already, and I want to ensure that Georgetown University does not back down or give in to that federal pressure,” Bedoian told The Hoya. “Georgetown needs to protect international and undocumented students, uphold our commitment to free speech, and communicate with students about how they’re responding to all policy changes.”
Under the Trump administration, federal government cuts to research funding have forced Georgetown to adjust its research practices. In addition, concern for noncitizen and international students has increased following the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s detainment of Georgeown postdoctoral research fellow and Indian national Badar Khan Suri and the revocation of about six community members’ visas.
Snyder, whose campaign is focused on GUSA outreach and student health and wellness, said she would use her position in the senate to advocate for students affected by Trump administration policies.
“Whether my advocacy is shown through supporting affinity spaces on campus for queer students and students of color, supporting accommodations and increasing access for students with disabilities, or listening to student concerns, I pledge that I will fight for every Hoya’s right to a safe and secure learning environment,” Snyder wrote to The Hoya.
Two new candidates are running for the Class of 2027 seats — Asha Gudipaty (CAS ’27) and Sadie Nichols (CAS ’27) — while Han Li (CAS ’27), Sienna Lipton (CAS ’27) and Lecholas Njomin (SFS ’27) are seeking reelection.
Sara Eyob (CAS ’27) is also running a write-in campaign, supported by incumbent senator Evan Cornell (CAS ’27), who is going abroad for the Fall 2025 semester.
Li, who served as vice chair of the Finance and Appropriations Committee, said he will focus on reforming the budget process and extending GUSA’s reach to the Capitol Campus.
“I seek reelection because I want to oversee the Finance and Appropriations budget cycle for the next year, and institutionalize certain changes we made this year to streamline the budget process,” Li wrote to The Hoya.
Gudipaty said her campaign is focused on addressing affordability for students on campus, specifically by implementing more sustainable practices.
“Georgetown students seem to always get squeezed out price wise regarding transportation, D.C. prices, laundry, textbooks, housing, not to mention tuition,” Gudipaty wrote to The Hoya. “I’d love to address this in a sustainable way going forward.”
The seven candidates running to represent the Class of 2026 include first-time candidates Christian Spadini (CAS ’26), James Beit (MSB ’26) and Michael Liu (MSB ’25), who is graduating in December 2025, and incumbents Rhea Iyer (CAS ’26), Tina Solki (SFS, MSB ’26), Meriam Ahmad (SFS ’26) and Crystal Liao (CAS ’26), who was appointed to fill the seat left vacant by Ethan Henshaw’s (CAS ’26) confirmation as GUSA president.
Beit said that, as one of the only students from the McDonough School of Business running for the senate, he wants to improve GUSA’s relationship with the McDonough School Advisory Board (MSAB), the club board that oversees student business organizations.
“I hope to bring my experience in club leadership to help reform GUSA and its relation with the MSAB,” Beit wrote to The Hoya. “I want to bring to clubs more autonomy and the power to do more than what administration otherwise lets them do right now.”
Liao said she wants to draw on her communication and technology skills as a computer science student to increase GUSA’s outreach.
“Many students don’t know about GUSA or what it does,” Liao wrote to The Hoya. “I want to make sure every student knows about what GUSA is doing and how to utilize it.”
Polls in the GUSA election opened Monday, April 14, at 8 p.m. and will close Wednesday, April 16, at 8 p.m.