GUSA Hopefuls Vie for Pres., VP

Only a few months after the heyday of the U.S. presidential election came to a close, election fever has once again overtaken campus with the beginning of the race for GUSA president.

As eight tickets launched their campaigns this week, they used various methods, from banners to Facebook groups, to make their names and platforms known to the student body.

Candidates Peter Dagher (COL ’10) and Elias Ibrahim (SFS ’10), say they plan to unite past and present student associate efforts by strengthening programs that began under current president and vice president, Pat Dowd (SFS ’09) and James Kelly (COL ’09), respectively.

“A major focus for us will be successfully carrying out the work Pat Dowd has done in office. Establishing the GUSA Summer Fellows program was a huge accomplishment and that’s something we’d definitely like to nurture and expand upon,” Dagher said. “Additionally, Pat’s initiative to bring back Hindi classes is an issue we would like to pick up immediately.”

Dagher and Ibrahim also plan on increasing student contact with university administrators, improving SafeRides coverage, and creating a book-sharing program in which students currently enrolled in a class can interact and sell their books to students taking the same course in the future. Additionally, these two candidates plan to hold intramural collegiate tournaments with local colleges and establish direct GUTS bus transportation to Verizon Center for basketball games.

Brock Magruder (COL ’10) and his running mate, Brian Litwak (MSB ’10), on the other hand, say that GUSA needs change.

“There are jokes all over the GU blogs about the ‘pointlessness’ of GUSA, which shows [that] it is obviously not doing its job,” Magruder said. “We want to implement a system in which GUSA is both accessible to the student body and can express the feelings of the students to an open administration.”

Magruder added that if he and Litwak are elected, they want to make the administration more accountable for the university-wide decisions they make, change aspects of the alcohol and disciplinary policies, and reallocate student club funds so that they are more evenly distributed.

Presidential candidate Josh Mogil (SFS ’11), says that he and his running mate, Lauren Klein (MSB ’11), also hope to bring change to the student government.

“Basically our theme is Yourtown. So first of all we are open to any and all suggestions, since the school exits for the students, and they deserve a responsive government [whose] platform is not set in stone … ,” Mogil said. “‘Yourtown’ means a number of things, but most importantly, we want to help the students retake Georgetown and foster a vibrant on-campus community.”

He added that their platform includes creating more wireless hotspots, instigating a rollover meal plan and reworking the alcohol policies on campus.

Having run for GUSA president and vice president last spring, Sean Hayes (MSB ’10) and Andrew Madorsky (MSB ’10) feel that they gained valuable experience during their previous campaign and also plan to focus on the student body.

“Last year we had many of the general platform that GUSA candidates have reiterated for years – campus safety, wireless, SafeRides, alcohol policies, etc. ... We have chosen to keep our platform [relatively] open [this year], because what are most important are not our ideas, but the [ideas] of the student body,” Hayes said. He added that his and Madorsky’s three primary goals include diversifying the opportunities offered by the Career Center to non-business students, expanding mentor programs available at Georgetown and changing printing services on campus to benefit more students than the current system does.

Jeffrey Lamb (MSB ’10), and his running-mate Molly Breen (MSB ’11), focused their campaign on a five-pillar plan, which includes campus safety, instituting cross-school minors, advancing the recycling program and energy efficiency on campus, increasing Jesuit awareness and interaction, and reducing noise violation penalties in the area.

“The people that have helped me design the five pillars are dedicated in their service to Georgetown … Molly and I have already met with a number of diverse student groups on campus, and plan to meet with any one else who is willing to entertain us in order to truly listen to what the students have to say,” Lamb said.

Cory Perkins (SFS ’10) and his running mate, James O’Brien (MSB ’10), have identified three main issues that, according to Perkins, must be resolved.

“Jamie and I see safety, transparency and financial security of students as the three more imperative issues to tackle if we were elected to GUSA,” said Perkins. “Enhancing these aspects of life at Georgetown would include utilizing our security resources more effectively, like the safe rides program and DPS escorts for students who live off-campus.”

The major focus of Calen Angert (MSB ’11) and Jason Kluger (MSB ’11) is life after the Hilltop for Georgetown graduates.

“While the Career Center functions well in some areas, it needs improvement in others. Outside of majors in the MSB, there exist few resources for students in other fields. Furthermore, the Career Center needs to not only help students find jobs, but help them discover which jobs are right for them,” Angert said. “Aside from career services, Jason and I think that student safety and intellectual life need further examination. We wish to promote closer ties with professors through GUSA-sponsored initiatives run outside the classroom.”

Angert added that for safety concerns, he and Kluger would work with the Department of Public Safety to expand campus security funds.

The eighth candidate pair, Joe McGroarty (COL ’10) and Dimitrios Kaoutsoukos (SFS ’10), plan to focus on the lack of student awareness that pervades Georgetown’s campus in regards to campus issues.

“We think that, at Georgetown, the biggest problem is students being unaware of the issues, and it’s not their fault,” McGroarty said. “Basically, our campaign is all about change through knowledge. We want to empower the student body to make changes by getting answers to their questions from the appropriate administrators.”

McGroarty said that they will acquire these questions through a Web site or Georgetown University student Facebook group.

“We feel like a huge problem with GUSA is the lack of continuity between administrations and we would like to see the creation of a Transition Document that details the good programs and policies and major issues of the past presidencies,” McGroarty added.

The election for president and vice president of GUSA will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24.