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The Legislative Branch
Kate Carpenter
(She/Her/Hers)
Executive Vice President (EVP)
The Student Association serves as both a direct communication for the
student body to GW's administration and as a beacon for school spirit. Through meeting with students, writing legislation, investing in the community, and developing relationships with administration, we are here to serve you and make GW the school we have always dreamed about.
The Student Senate
The SA Senate is composed of both undergraduate and graduate senators, representing every college within the university. Senators draft and vote on bills and resolutions, allocate money to student organizations, and work on policy projects.
The Student Senate meets biweekly on Mondays at 8:30 p.m.
To follow its happenings, click on the graphics below.
All of our Senate meetings are live-streamed on Facebook.
Meeting agendas are posted 48 hours prior to Senate meetings.
Meeting minutes are posted after the next full-Senate meeting.
Senate legislation can be tracked throughout the legislative process.
The Senate Staff
The Senate Staff is appointed by the Executive Vice President and confirmed by the Senate. They assist the EVP with carrying out all administrative tasks of the Legislative branch.
Chris Johnson
Chief of Staff
David Lee
Deputy Chief of Staff
Grace Pedersen
Parliamentarian
Jared Levy
Policy Director
Melanie Campbell
Senate Secretary
Jessica Zhao
Senate Secretary
Katie Miller
Senate Communications Director
Ishani Patel
Deputy Senate Communications director
Daria Nastasia
Community Liason
The Senate Committees
Within the Senate body are five committees and one assembly, which are headed by student chairpersons and cater to distinct needs of the legislature. Committees meet bi-weekly via Zoom and are open to the public.
See committee meeting minutes and agendas here! Reach out to individual committee chairs for meeting zoom links.
Financial Services & Allocations Committee
The Financial Services and Allocations Committee allocates more than $1.7 million in Student Association fees to over 500 undergraduate and graduate student organizations. In addition to allocations, the SA accepts funding requests in the form of spring allocations, co-sponsorships, micro-loans, and line-item transfers to support events and operational expenses for student organizations.
Physical Facilities & Urban Affairs Committee
The Physical Facilities and Urban Affairs Committee focuses on issues and legislation concerning campus facilities and services. This includes Housing, Dining, Transportation/Parking, Campus Buildings, Disability Support Services, Mail Services, GWPD, and more. The Physical Facilities & Urban Affairs committee also encompasses the Permanent Subcommittee on Sustainability.
Learn more about the Physical Facilities & Urban Affairs Committee
Student Life Committee
The Student Life Committee advocates for improvements to on-campus issues outside of the classroom. In the past, the committee has worked on projects ranging from expanding dining options, to changes in Safe-Ride, to improving school spirit.
Education Policy Committee
The Education Policy Committee focuses on issues surrounding advising, libraries, and all other aspects of academic life on campus. The committee has routinely advocated for projects concerning course descriptions, syllabi access, and the cost of textbooks.
Governance & Nominations Committee
The Governance & Nominations Committee is responsible for filling Senate vacancies, overseeing proposed amendments to the SA Bylaws, and keeping the EVP informed of the progress of the three permanent committees. The Chairperson of the Governance & Nominations Committee is the Senate Pro Tempore.
Diversity & Inclusion Assembly
The Diversity and Inclusion Assembly works closely with the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement to advocate on behalf of multi-cultural student groups on campus. The assembly also creates strategic plans to ensure representation and foster multi-cultural community outreach.
The Senators
Popularly elected by their respective school, SA Senators directly represent the interests of undergraduate and graduate students at GW. Senators embody the Student Association's mission: to advocate, allocate, advertise, and assist.
(SMHS-G)