Candidates for SA GWSB Undergraduate Senator (2 positions)
Jake Greenstein
Background:
I am a freshman in the GW School of Business currently pursuing a B.S. degree in finance with a double major in computer science and a minor in philosophy. I am running for the SA Senate as the GWSB Undergrad Senator because I believe that we have the resources to help make the School of Business a better place to study business and would like to see these opportunities capitalized on rather than sidelined.
Do you think the university should be more transparent in its budget, operations, and strategic planning processes?
The university should absolutely improve upon its transparency, especially regarding its budget. As students of The George Washington University, I believe that we maintain the right to know how our tuition dollars are spent in a manner which is clear and transparent to the student body. The SA can and should advocate for a transparent budgeting process so that students can personally evaluate the strategic decisions that are made with their tuition money, and voice their opinions when they feel that there money could be put to better use.
Similarly, what can be done to ensure more transparency within the Student Association?
The Senate should post meeting agendas, organization funding allocations and special working groups committee reports online on the SA website. Senators must bear in mind that they are elected to serve and represent the constituency of their respective schools, and therefore SA Senators should keep students as aware of Senate activities and agendas as possible. For example, with the finance committee overseeing the allocation of over a million dollars, one should be able to easily go to the SA website to see where that money has been allocated and how much funding organizations are requesting.
How would you work to increase student awareness of existing university services that many are often not aware of?
Omitted.
Is the affordability of a GW education an important issue to you? Why?
The affordability of a GW education is absolutely an important issue. In a job market which demands higher education, it is essential that acquiring a college degree does not put students under a mound of debt. That being said, the answer to the problem may not just be lowering the cost of tuition, but ensuring that financial aid is distributed in a manner which ensures that students who cannot afford the sticker price are provided with adequate financial support. I am personally in favor of a university policy similar to that of the University of Pennsylvania which states that all admitted students who receive financial aid will receive a package that meets their full demonstrated need.
How will you advocate for increased university attention to student needs (whether related to academics, housing, health, student organizations, campus life, etc) while keeping in mind that increased spending on such initiatives could lead to higher costs of attendance for future students?
I certainly believe that the SA should represent the student body voice to actuate change on an administrative level. However, one must bear in mind that certain programs can cost money, and not raising costs beyond a reasonable amount must be a primary concern. One way to minimize costs would be to oversee that program spending is done so as efficiently as possible. This would minimize costs with no loss of programs.
What are ways you would advocate for lower costs of attendance at GW (such as tuition and fees, housing, dining, charges for services, printing, SA fees, etc)?
Omitted.
What are your thoughts on the new requirement that Juniors in the Class of 2018 and onward live on campus? How will you advocate for inexpensive housing alternatives to defray the impact of this policy?
Requiring Juniors to live on campus has the ability to lower housing costs for all because it adds more people into the pool of students who will be paying housing fees to the university. However, in enacting a policy which requires students to stay on campus, the university has a responsibility to ensure that its prices remain comparable to off-campus housing, as it is prices that often drive students off-campus in the first place. As a business student, I will personally advocate for the university to take the position that such a policy must come with the caveat of maintaining low prices. If not, then the program will not be sustainable.
How will you advocate for increased university engagement with students related to budgets and strategic planning?
Omitted.
Do you support GW Not For Profit’s proposal for non-voting student representatives on the financial committees of the Board of Trustees?
Omitted.
How will you, in the position you are seeking on the SA, personally listen to the needs of students and their organizations?
By maintaining regular meetings with student organizations and continuing an open dialogue, I can ensure that I am constantly aware of the needs of students, and will do my part to represent their voice in the SA Senate.
I am a freshman in the GW School of Business currently pursuing a B.S. degree in finance with a double major in computer science and a minor in philosophy. I am running for the SA Senate as the GWSB Undergrad Senator because I believe that we have the resources to help make the School of Business a better place to study business and would like to see these opportunities capitalized on rather than sidelined.
Do you think the university should be more transparent in its budget, operations, and strategic planning processes?
The university should absolutely improve upon its transparency, especially regarding its budget. As students of The George Washington University, I believe that we maintain the right to know how our tuition dollars are spent in a manner which is clear and transparent to the student body. The SA can and should advocate for a transparent budgeting process so that students can personally evaluate the strategic decisions that are made with their tuition money, and voice their opinions when they feel that there money could be put to better use.
Similarly, what can be done to ensure more transparency within the Student Association?
The Senate should post meeting agendas, organization funding allocations and special working groups committee reports online on the SA website. Senators must bear in mind that they are elected to serve and represent the constituency of their respective schools, and therefore SA Senators should keep students as aware of Senate activities and agendas as possible. For example, with the finance committee overseeing the allocation of over a million dollars, one should be able to easily go to the SA website to see where that money has been allocated and how much funding organizations are requesting.
How would you work to increase student awareness of existing university services that many are often not aware of?
Omitted.
Is the affordability of a GW education an important issue to you? Why?
The affordability of a GW education is absolutely an important issue. In a job market which demands higher education, it is essential that acquiring a college degree does not put students under a mound of debt. That being said, the answer to the problem may not just be lowering the cost of tuition, but ensuring that financial aid is distributed in a manner which ensures that students who cannot afford the sticker price are provided with adequate financial support. I am personally in favor of a university policy similar to that of the University of Pennsylvania which states that all admitted students who receive financial aid will receive a package that meets their full demonstrated need.
How will you advocate for increased university attention to student needs (whether related to academics, housing, health, student organizations, campus life, etc) while keeping in mind that increased spending on such initiatives could lead to higher costs of attendance for future students?
I certainly believe that the SA should represent the student body voice to actuate change on an administrative level. However, one must bear in mind that certain programs can cost money, and not raising costs beyond a reasonable amount must be a primary concern. One way to minimize costs would be to oversee that program spending is done so as efficiently as possible. This would minimize costs with no loss of programs.
What are ways you would advocate for lower costs of attendance at GW (such as tuition and fees, housing, dining, charges for services, printing, SA fees, etc)?
Omitted.
What are your thoughts on the new requirement that Juniors in the Class of 2018 and onward live on campus? How will you advocate for inexpensive housing alternatives to defray the impact of this policy?
Requiring Juniors to live on campus has the ability to lower housing costs for all because it adds more people into the pool of students who will be paying housing fees to the university. However, in enacting a policy which requires students to stay on campus, the university has a responsibility to ensure that its prices remain comparable to off-campus housing, as it is prices that often drive students off-campus in the first place. As a business student, I will personally advocate for the university to take the position that such a policy must come with the caveat of maintaining low prices. If not, then the program will not be sustainable.
How will you advocate for increased university engagement with students related to budgets and strategic planning?
Omitted.
Do you support GW Not For Profit’s proposal for non-voting student representatives on the financial committees of the Board of Trustees?
Omitted.
How will you, in the position you are seeking on the SA, personally listen to the needs of students and their organizations?
By maintaining regular meetings with student organizations and continuing an open dialogue, I can ensure that I am constantly aware of the needs of students, and will do my part to represent their voice in the SA Senate.
Christina Giordano
Background:
Hi Colonials!! My name is Christina Giordano and I am a freshman in the School of Business majoring in International Business and Marketing. I love GW; I applied early decision and it's the best decision i've made. Some of the activities I am involved in include: a core member of the Freshman Advisory Council for the SA, STAR Tour Guide, VIP 2014, Vice Chair of GWCIA conference and a sister of ADPi. I am running for this senate position because I believe I can be an effective advocate for our GWSB student body.
My platform is ICE and it has three main points: inspire, create and engage. Inspiring a community atmosphere by improving colloquium speakers, creating real world opportunities in the classroom and engaging in our DC city. I want to incorporate internships into the business curriculum and have focus groups with students to ensure our feedback is heard. Please visit my website votechristina.weebly.com to learn more about my platform. I will work as hard as I can for a brighter future for GWSB. Thank you for this opportunity! GO BUFF&BLUE!
Do you think the university should be more transparent in its budget, operations, and strategic planning processes?
Of course I believe the university should be more transparent. Transparency is an important part of trust between administration and the students. All decisions should be made in the best interest of the students and the school so those choices should be sufficiently supported.
Similarly, what can be done to ensure more transparency within the Student Association?
I do support the posting of the Senate meeting agendas. We are all representatives of our schools' constituents. They should see what we accomplish at the Senate meetings. Allocation of funds should be published as well because it is logical that this information is public knowledge. Moreover, special working group committee reports should be reported when enough work is complete on the project.
How would you work to increase student awareness of existing university services that many are often not aware of?
I would increase student awareness by further utilizing social media to communicate with our students. I would also work with these university services that are not often broadcast such as CADE, we should partner with these services to create fun events. These are some of the ideas we discussed at our FAC meetings.
Is the affordability of a GW education an important issue to you? Why?
Affordability is an incredibly important issue to me because although we are exposed to a plethora of amazing opportunities, our education should not become unaffordable for our students. We need to look at ways to make GW a cost effective investment.
How will you advocate for increased university attention to student needs (whether related to academics, housing, health, student organizations, campus life, etc) while keeping in mind that increased spending on such initiatives could lead to higher costs of attendance for future students?
Omitted.
What are ways you would advocate for lower costs of attendance at GW (such as tuition and fees, housing, dining, charges for services, printing, SA fees, etc)?
Omitted.
What are your thoughts on the new requirement that Juniors in the Class of 2018 and onward live on campus? How will you advocate for inexpensive housing alternatives to defray the impact of this policy?
Omitted.
How will you advocate for increased university engagement with students related to budgets and strategic planning?
Omitted.
Do you support GW Not For Profit’s proposal for non-voting student representatives on the financial committees of the Board of Trustees?
I do support GW Not For Profit's proposal, this is a great way for more students to be directly involved in GW's major decisions.
How will you, in the position you are seeking on the SA, personally listen to the needs of students and their organizations?
As an SA senator, I think listening is a major component of the job. I would schedule meetings with organization leaders and advisors. I would be as accessible as possible to ensure fluency, consistency and effectiveness.
Hi Colonials!! My name is Christina Giordano and I am a freshman in the School of Business majoring in International Business and Marketing. I love GW; I applied early decision and it's the best decision i've made. Some of the activities I am involved in include: a core member of the Freshman Advisory Council for the SA, STAR Tour Guide, VIP 2014, Vice Chair of GWCIA conference and a sister of ADPi. I am running for this senate position because I believe I can be an effective advocate for our GWSB student body.
My platform is ICE and it has three main points: inspire, create and engage. Inspiring a community atmosphere by improving colloquium speakers, creating real world opportunities in the classroom and engaging in our DC city. I want to incorporate internships into the business curriculum and have focus groups with students to ensure our feedback is heard. Please visit my website votechristina.weebly.com to learn more about my platform. I will work as hard as I can for a brighter future for GWSB. Thank you for this opportunity! GO BUFF&BLUE!
Do you think the university should be more transparent in its budget, operations, and strategic planning processes?
Of course I believe the university should be more transparent. Transparency is an important part of trust between administration and the students. All decisions should be made in the best interest of the students and the school so those choices should be sufficiently supported.
Similarly, what can be done to ensure more transparency within the Student Association?
I do support the posting of the Senate meeting agendas. We are all representatives of our schools' constituents. They should see what we accomplish at the Senate meetings. Allocation of funds should be published as well because it is logical that this information is public knowledge. Moreover, special working group committee reports should be reported when enough work is complete on the project.
How would you work to increase student awareness of existing university services that many are often not aware of?
I would increase student awareness by further utilizing social media to communicate with our students. I would also work with these university services that are not often broadcast such as CADE, we should partner with these services to create fun events. These are some of the ideas we discussed at our FAC meetings.
Is the affordability of a GW education an important issue to you? Why?
Affordability is an incredibly important issue to me because although we are exposed to a plethora of amazing opportunities, our education should not become unaffordable for our students. We need to look at ways to make GW a cost effective investment.
How will you advocate for increased university attention to student needs (whether related to academics, housing, health, student organizations, campus life, etc) while keeping in mind that increased spending on such initiatives could lead to higher costs of attendance for future students?
Omitted.
What are ways you would advocate for lower costs of attendance at GW (such as tuition and fees, housing, dining, charges for services, printing, SA fees, etc)?
Omitted.
What are your thoughts on the new requirement that Juniors in the Class of 2018 and onward live on campus? How will you advocate for inexpensive housing alternatives to defray the impact of this policy?
Omitted.
How will you advocate for increased university engagement with students related to budgets and strategic planning?
Omitted.
Do you support GW Not For Profit’s proposal for non-voting student representatives on the financial committees of the Board of Trustees?
I do support GW Not For Profit's proposal, this is a great way for more students to be directly involved in GW's major decisions.
How will you, in the position you are seeking on the SA, personally listen to the needs of students and their organizations?
As an SA senator, I think listening is a major component of the job. I would schedule meetings with organization leaders and advisors. I would be as accessible as possible to ensure fluency, consistency and effectiveness.
Zack Bachmann, Harrison Furman, Jinwan Jeong and Carlo Wood are also running for this position.