Wednesday night, voting for the 11 positions—one for each of 11 student group categories—on the first executive board of Georgetown’s Student Group Union finished, with candidates for nine of the spots running uncontested. The two contested seats represented student political and cultural groups.
The newly elected executive board will meet at least once every 15 days, with a general body meeting once a month, according to Etian Paul (SFS ’12), co-chair of the SGU steering committee. Any student group leader can run to represent that group’s category on the board. Student groups are each given one vote for candidates representing their category.
Georgetown’s Assistant Vice President for Communications Stacy Kerr said the administration is “eager to engage with student leaders on the issues and opportunities that emerge from their conversation.”
SGU is devoted to this conversation, and the union’s influence continues to grow. In the past week, 14 more groups have joined the SGU, bringing the total number of member groups to 75.
Elections will take place every semester, and no term limits are currently in place. According to Paul, the next executive board elections will take place in either September or October.
According to Emma Green (COL ‘12), part of the SGU steering committee, the organizations started when student leaders were campaigning to change SAC’s fundraising guidelines. However, the group denies allegations that it is merely a reaction to antagonism between student groups and SAC. Green said the organization is not about “picking fights, it is about filling in this void of communication.”
Still, Paul said the SGU is “not going to shy away from challenging anything negatively affecting student life.”
While acknowledging the benefits of the CSP online program Hoyalink, Green mentioned that Hoyalink as an “internet forum is not enough to build a network,” and would not advocate for student groups.
Green describes SGU as a “paradigm shift” in student bureaucracy. “It’s about taking people with expertise and channeling that into facing issues that come up year after year,” she said. “This is a goal-driven and a goal-oriented organization.”
