GUSA President and Vice President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) and Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15) will not endorse a ticket for the upcoming GUSA executive election, but said that this decision is fluid and could change in the future.
“At this point, we think it’s best to not endorse any candidates,” Jikaria and Tezel wrote in a statement to The Hoya yesterday. “All the candidates have unique perspectives to bring to the GUSA executive. While we believe there are those that may be better suited for the positions, we believe that it’s best to let the campaign season play out. In the event we feel making an endorsement is necessary, we will do so.”
Jikaria and Tezel declined to elaborate on why they would make an endorsement later into the election.
According to Tezel, he and Jikaria hope for an executive group with a knowledge of student needs and an ability to work constructively with the administration.
“I’m looking for a ticket that combines wide knowledge of campus issues, involvement with groups outside of GUSA and who can smartly negotiate with administrators on behalf of students in the next campus plan,” Tezel wrote in an email.
Half of the twelve students vying for the executive spots have been or are currently involved in student government. Sara Margolis (COL ’16) and Ryan Shymansky (COL ’16) are the only candidates currently working under the Tezel-Jikaria administration.
Shymanksy said that although he has worked with the current executive team, he and Margolis understand why they have decided against endorsement.
“We respect Trevor and Omika’s decision to stay neutral and we are not actively seeking their endorsement,” Shymansky wrote in an email. “We are looking forward to the Georgetown student body choosing their next President and Vice-President from a qualified field of contenders.”
Candidate Tim Rosenberger (COL ’16) agreed, and said that he and running mate Reno Varghese (SFS ’16) respect the executive team’s decision.
“While Reno and I each have the utmost respect for Trevor and Omika, we are neither seeking, nor do we desire, their endorsement,” Rosenberger wrote in an email. “It is our understanding that this administration will adhere to precedent and remain neutral in the race to succeed them. While we of course would appreciate their support, votes and counsel, we do not expect any formal show of support.”
Abbey McNaughton (COL ’16), the current GUSA senate vice speaker, and her running mate Will Simons (COL ’16), also said that they respect the decision.
“We greatly respect Trevor and Omika, and the work they’ve done for Georgetown over the past year,” Simons and McNaughton wrote in a statement. “We would love their support for our campaign, but we completely understand their desire to remain neutral and let the race play out on its own.”
Previous GUSA President and Vice President Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) and Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14) decided against endorsing any ticket during the 2014 executive race in late February last year. Tisa said that he and Ramadan made their decision in the beginning of the spring semester, far before the executive elections began.
“Fairly early on in the spring semester, we felt confident enough in several of the teams that we really didn’t think there was a need to voice an opinion one way or another,” Tisa said. “Fundamentally, it wasn’t our choice. The student body was going to vote and make their choice. We think our role as trying to improve the level of the race as much as possible in terms of understanding of the issues, strategic positioning on the campus plan and a couple of other long term issues like that.”
Tisa said that despite this initial decision, he and Ramadan would have endorsed had they recognized a ticket that threatened GUSA as a whole.
“We decided that should something go wrong or should there be a clear danger to the institution that we would have voiced an opinion to make sure a competent, qualified team won,” Tisa said. “In our case, that wasn’t really necessary.”
Alum • Feb 9, 2015 at 3:43 pm
@Burr, either you have been woefully out of touch with GUSA or you refuse to acknowledge their successes. Sure GUSA isn’t as powerful as the administration, but for a student group that has its members cycled out every year it’s done some wonderful things.
“Nor have they raised any money for students?” GUSA under Mike and Greg successfully raised the student activities fee and had some funds matched by the University, much of which went into the patio in the Healey Family Student Center.
Last year the referendum against a satellite campus gave the University administrators a strong voice of opposition to present to the neighborhood on why a building 25 minutes away was simply unfeasible, and now a decades old building is going to house students in the Old Jesuit Residence.
“Nor have they increased student representation or power?” The year before last, Clara and Vail successfully lobbied for student representation in the Georgetown Community Partnership and each committee and subcommittee under the GCP.
If you’re going to criticize, at least know a little bit of what GUSA has done in the past few years, because to deny its increased power is silly.
Burr • Feb 10, 2015 at 12:56 pm
Taxing students (another word for coercion) by raising school fees and decreasing their available (and for most, limited) spending money isn’t “raising money” except in some bizarre world where up is down, war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength. I’m shocked you would make the connection.
Now if GUSA created a system that allowed students to donate their student fees or additional money directly to specific clubs, I may be less critical. But let’s be honest, the university would have spent that match money anyways on the Healy Center or something university related, so all that happened was diversion of resources. GUSA didn’t raise any money, pure and simple.
As to advocating against a satellite campus I’m with you that it’s a good thing but it doesn’t cover any of my critiques. I’m glad though about the new on campus dorms.
As to the BoD, we lost representation and influence. The Hoya had a recent piece on it. GCP is a town-gown coordinating committee and nothing more. You also think that Healy wouldn’t have put a student on GCP without GUSA advocacy. Healy is strategic in dealing with students and knows how to string them along all four years until they leave. Put them on a coordinating committee this year, and then next year we can kick them out of BoD meetings. GUSA gets played all the time.
Ultimately, your arguments fall flat. The fact remains GUSA is more or less irrelevant to the majority of students and is more about those who are a part of GUSA than the students as a whole. The lecture fund, program board, and the students who run and actively participate in the various clubs on campus and put on events are far more important than any “representative” on GUSA was or ever will be.
Alum • Feb 9, 2015 at 1:46 pm
I disagree, Burr. It’s well-known that Trevor and Omika have strong ties with one of the tickets and were probably under pressure by their friends (who campaigned for them) to endorse. Not picking a side publicly is a classy move that shows courage and respect for the institution. I hope they decide to stick with the call rather than endorse at the last minute for more impact.
Burr • Feb 10, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Why is not picking a side a classy move? If one refuses to take a stand against an issue, either way, because they fear what will happen is to their detriment, I fail to see how it is courageous, so perhaps you can tell me. And how does it show respect? It doesn’t show respect to the the students who they think should be elected, nor the student body who could presumably benefit from their advice. You make grand statements but don’t justify them. Why not call Trevor and Omika brave while you’re at it? Or heroes?
Burr • Feb 8, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Interesting how two of the three tickets quoted actually said they didn’t seek Tezel’s and Jikaria’s endorsement and the third said they would be fine with it but didn’t mention whether or not they actually asked for it. This article would have been better if the authors had actually investigated whether anyone ticket had lobbied for it, and would have benefited from more reporting on the connections b/w the current GUSA student “leaders” and why no there is no endorsement.
If they really cared about Georgetown then they would endorse a ticket. After all, Tezel says in his quote that he and Jikaria believe one team is “better suited” than the others to replace them. Refusing to do endorse suggests a lack of courage and the fear they might upset friends they don’t endorse, or that they want to be on the winning team and are waiting to endorse based on who they think will win. Which is another way of saying it’s not about what’s best for the students of Georgetown. Of course, that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
At any rate, what does it matter? Most students don’t vote anyways and what has GUSA actually done to reduce or stop the continued growth in the cost of attendance? They have’t done anything to improve the quality of education at Georgetown, nor have raised any money for students, nor have they reduced the high number of administrators, nor have they increased student representation or power vis a vis Healy and the Board of Directors?
At any rate, let the popularity contest begin . . .
@Burr • Feb 9, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Lol wow someone’s emotional
Burr • Feb 10, 2015 at 12:31 pm
What a great way to attack my arguments without having to address them. I’ll be sure use that line next time some girl speaks up in class. In fact, that should be everyone’s default response to feminists. Thanks for the idea!