The Rao-Weaver campaign confirmed that GUSA presidential candidate Saahil Rao (SFS ’27) is a member of the Second Stewards Society on Oct. 15 after days of speculation on Instagram and Fizz, a popular student forum.
The Stewards is a private society that does not disclose its membership or activities; it has faced criticism for its exclusivity and secrecy throughout its history. In 2013, a Stewards spokesperson wrote that the society remains private to “honor anonymous service.”
The Rao-Weaver and competing Darius-Nazgol campaigns released clashing statements the same day that Rao confirmed his membership in an interview with The Hoya.
The Darius-Nazgol campaign condemned Rao’s Stewards involvement because of the society’s all-male, invitation-only membership. The campaign also alleged that the society was once all-white and criticized the society’s associations with Stewards alumni who have attempted to discredit or dissolve progressive clubs and programs.
Rao emphasized in his statement that he will not be a “puppet” to “old conservative white men,” following speculations that his policies would be guided by conservative Steward alumni.
“I could not push back on this in stronger terms,” Rao wrote in his statement. “Besides being demeaning, this is not at all true.”
Similar controversies emerged during the 2013 and 2014 GUSA elections when six executive candidates across both years confirmed membership in a secret society.
In 2013, a candidate criticized the opposing campaign’s ties to the Stewards, which an anonymous source had revealed. However, the competing candidates later confirmed that they were both members of the society.
The following year, all four executive candidates revealed their membership in the Second or Third Stewards Societies publicly, similarly to Rao’s public confirmation. Anonymous sources reported to The Hoya that the Second and Third Stewards evolved from the original society’s organizational split in the 1990s.
The Darius-Nazgol campaign statement claimed that Rao’s membership limits his ability to fulfill the GUSA executive’s responsibilities.
“You cannot serve a community while standing with those who have sought to divide it,” Darius-Nazgol wrote. “The mission of student government – to represent all Hoyas – cannot be reconciled with the Stewards’ record and purpose.”
The statement claimed that Stewards alumni had worked with undergraduate Stewards to condemn LGBTQ-friendly organizations and dismantle GU Choice, a pro-choice club now known as H*yas for Choice, and disaffiliate it from the university.
One hour after the statement’s release, Rao responded to criticisms in a post to the Rao-Weaver campaign Instagram.
“We are a service fraternity that operates privately,” Rao wrote in the statement. “When they reached out to me, a democrat who tables for H*yas for Choice, I was proud that they thought I could help service Georgetown.”
Rao declined a Voice request to provide specifics about the services the Stewards perform.
“The entire point of the anonymity piece is that service should be for services sake, not to be praised or shouted out for it,” Rao wrote to the Voice. “I know it may be hard to believe everything I’m saying given the circumstances of anonymous frats, but I wouldn’t involve myself in anything that harmed fellow Hoyas or made people’s lives worse.”
Rao acknowledged that the Stewards’ private nature raises questions for voters. He wrote to the Voice that the Stewards are not a political organization and the society has no affiliation with his campaign or policy agenda. He also wrote that he was a GUSA representative before joining the Stewards.
Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) told the Voice that the Stewards cannot claim to be an apolitical organization if its alumni and undergraduate networks have exclusive membership policies and alleged leadership in anti-choice and homophobic campaigns.
“What does that say when you’re aligning with an organization that has made it harder for a club that you table for?” Wagner said, referring to Rao’s tabling for H*yas for Choice.
Rao said that his previous work demonstrates his commitment to all Hoyas. Rao currently serves as GUSA’s Speaker of the Senate. He has backed policies for the establishment of a free speech zone at the Capitol Campus and increased access to free menstrual products on campus.
“I’m affirmatively pro-choice, an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, and an advocate for marginalized groups on campus–-and I always have been,” Rao wrote to the Voice.
Rao wrote that criticisms of his Stewards membership seek to distract from the Rao-Weaver policy goals concerning Vil A and club funding.
“The Darius-Nazgol campaign’s claims are untruthful and malicious in intent,” Rao wrote to the Voice, referring to the campaign’s Oct. 15 statement.
Wagner contested Rao’s claim that the Darius-Nazgol campaign sought to distract from policy discussions. He said that his campaign released the statement to inform students, not distract them.
“We have a record of delivering for students that we’re proud of,” Wagner said. “This isn’t serving as a distraction, because look at our policy. We’re really excited about them.”
GUSA elections will take place from Oct. 22 and Oct. 24. The GUSA Election Commission will release results on Oct. 26.
