Your headquarters for Student Association news and analysis.
Brandon Butler, Senior News Editor and
Andrew Ramonas, Senior Staff Writer
The GW College Democrats and the GW College Republicans announced their endorsements for Student Association President and Executive Vice President tonight in the Marvin Center.
The CD’s will be endorsing juniors Marc Abanto for SA President and Nick D’Addario for SA EVP.
The CR’s will be endorsing juniors Casey Pond for SA President and sophomore Brand Kroeger for SA EVP.
Stay tuned for more election news throughout the upcoming weeks and be sure to join the Hatchet and the SA in the First Annual SA-Hatchet Candidates Debate, Thursday February 15, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the Jack Morton Auditorium.
Juniors Vikas “Vik” Jayadeva and Elliot Rozenberg retracted their respective candidacies for Student Association president and executive vice president in a phone call to the Hatchet tonight.
Jayadeva said he realized it would be “too difficult” to run for the SA’s top office.
Check out tomorrow’s SA Note for information on junior Marc Abanto’s “The Student Union” slate and junior Michael Ray Huerta’s “Students for Progress” slate.
The SA Blog would also like to hear from you if you are running for positions in the SA, Marvin Center Governing Board, and Program Board. Let it be known here!
Junior Vikas Jayadeva told the Hatchet Tuesday night that he will be seeking the office the Student Association President. He will be running with executive vice president candidate junior Elliot Rozenberg, also a junior.
Jayadeva, who is commonly referred to as Vik, is a former SA Senator and member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Jayadeva spent last semester studying abroad in Rome but decided upon his return he would seek the SA’s highest office.
“I’m definitely excited about this,” Jayadeva said in an interview Tuesday night. “I’m looking forward to the entire process and the election. I’m not going to stress myself out on it, but it is exciting.”
If elected Jayadeva said a major initiative would be to change the University’s Health and Safety inspections. The inspections are performed at random times throughout the year in which University or building management staff enter students rooms to inspect the life safety equipment and to ensure no forbidden items are in the room. Upon finding a prohibited item, such as candles or a halogen lamp, they are confiscated. Jayadeva said he would work to give students are opportunity to claim their items back.
Jayadeva said he has a necessary mix of SA experience and outsider perspective to be SA President.
“I’m a student first, a college student,” Jayadeva said. “I don’t plan my life around being SA President, but I have been involved in the SA as well as other things on campus, so that’s my draw.”
Jayadeva will be running with Rozenberg, an SA Presidential candidate from last year, and a team of 7-10 other SA senator hopefuls. He said his “team” does not yet have a name.
Student Association President Lamar Thorpe proposed an overhaul of the SA’s structure starting in the 2008-2009 school year during his 16-minute State of the SA address Tuesday night on the Mount Vernon Campus.
See the Hatchet Web Update here and look for continued coverage on the proposed SA reconfiguration and student fee increase in Thursday’s Hatchet.
Student Asssociation President Lamar Thorpe’s State of the SA Address (audio)
Student Association Senator Vishal Aswani (SEAS-U), a sophomore, announced his resignation from the SA Senate last night in an e-mail sent to members of the senate and the Hatchet.
Aswani, whose resignation was effective since winter break, said his decision to leave the senate came after analyzing the amount of time he could devote to serving the senate effectively.
“It wasn’t easy to (resign), but I felt that given where I was now within the senate and with WRGW and my studies, that this had to be done,” said Aswani in the e-mail.
Aswani said that SA senators must not neglect their personal lives while working for the senate.
“Remember your friends, your studies, and your lives,” said Aswani. “Remember that we have a duty to serve the students but at the same time we are students ourselves.”
Aswani said he will continue to meet with administrators and assist graduate SA Senators Kartik Bulusu (SEAS-G) and Tolu Oyekan (SEAS-G) with projects for School of Engineering and Applied Sciences students including the extension of operating hours at Tompkins Hall, the creation of a “graduate to graduate” mentoring program for SEAS students, and will work to assure SEAS students do not lose free printing privileges.
Student Association Senator Nicole Capp (CCAS-U), a sophomore, announced her candidacy for SA president this afternoon in a leadership forum that was organized by the SA senator.
Capp, who is running without a SA executive vice presidential candidate, said she will work to increase advocacy and communication in the SA, if she is elected president.
“It is time for a change,” said Capp, at the forum. “I have been frustrated with the lack of progress in the SA executive and senate…There is a major disconnect between the students and the student government.”
As SA president, Capp said she would initiate a program called “411” which would allow students to email the SA with their questions and would include bi-monthly updates on the SA executive’s meetings with GW administrators.
“It pisses me off that I don’t know what is going on in the meetings that the SA executive has with administrators,” said Capp, who will hold town hall meetings with students every Tuesday, if elected.
Capp said she would also start a SA commission or council that would provide an easier line of communication between student organizations and the SA.
“You need to involve students on every single level,” said Capp. “It’s all about communication. It is simple things. It’s not rocket science.”
Capp said she will be holding more town hall meetings and forums over the next few weeks as she continues to campaign for SA president.
A year ago former editor in chief Michael Barnett created the Hatchet blogs and launched the SA Blog to supplement our Student Association news and analysis coverage. Today the SA Blog welcomes a new regular contributor and has set up a future to continue its legacy.
Andrew has been one of The Hatchet’s most trusted senior staff writers this year covering campus news and the Student Association and recently he has been working hard to post new content on the blog about the upcoming SA elections. Right before this important season for the SA seemed like a perfect time to introduce the new tag-team duo for the Blog: Butler and Ramonas.
Andrew and I will both continue to make relevant posts on SA news, elections, analysis and the inner workings of how we decide which articles are written and in what way. Andrew is a fine writer and will be an excellent addition to this blog.
So, Andrew, welcome aboard!
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