2018-19 Student Association Annual Report

2018-2019

ANNUAL REPORT STUDENT ASSOCIATION

From all of us at the Student Association... ...we thank you for your continued support this year in our advocacy efforts to improve the student experience.

Our advocacy was empowered by the stories of the GW student body, which leads to countless partnerships with student organizations, administrators, and faculty. It has been a busy year for both the Executive Cabinet and the Senate, and we are thrilled to present our team’s accomplishments.

This report outlines over 30 initiatives that SA leaders spearheaded over the past year. Our priorities included a wide range of issues concerning the student experience reflecting the stories and struggles of our fellow students. We have made significant strides in academic accessibility, affordability, food insecurity, and community building, and while there is more work to do, we are confident that the progress this year will be a stepping stone in making the student experience more equitable for students of all backgrounds.

It has been the honor of a lifetime for us to serve you as your 2018-2019 Student Association. As our terms come to an end, we remain steadfast in our belief that student voice is and will always be the strongest agent for change.

2018-19 SA LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ashley Le SA President Ojani Walthrust Executive Vice President Yannik Omictin Chief of Cabinet Nassim Touil Chief of Staff & Vice President for Financial Affairs Ian Haimowitz Senate Chief of Staff Paige Grande Former Chief of Staff

As always, we are rooting for you, GW!

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STUDENT ASSOCIATION CHARTER We, the Students of The George Washington University, have the right and responsibility to achieve a system of representative governance.

For this purpose we establish The George Washington University Student Association. This Association will foster students’ rights and responsibilities, and establish channels of communication within the University. The Association will promote the general welfare of students and campus organizations, and cultivate interest in activities. The George Washington University Student Association will have the responsibility to represent the interests of the students under this charter.

EST. 1976

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YEAR IN REVIEW September

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT-ADVISOR COMPACT HUNGRY HARVEST GW LISTENS STREAMLINE october

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18TH CREDIT POLICY PARTY AT THE MAILBOX ON THE VERN "WHAT GRAD STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW" NEWSLETTER FOOD EXPERIENCE TASK FORCE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ASSEMBLY LISTENING SESSIONS NOVEMBER & December

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COMMITTEE ON GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR BUILDING NAMES THANKSGIVING DINNER AT ST. MARY'S COURT PEOPLE FOR PERIODS EXPANSION TO THE VERN January

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CCAS POD 3 PILOT ONE-ON-ONE ADVISING MODEL CREATION OF THE BLACK WORKING GROUP (BWG) February

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INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK RELIGIOUS CALENDAR & HOLIDAY COMMUNICATION POLICY INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP PORTAL CCAS UNDERGRADUATE ADVISING COMPARATIVE REPORT CLASSROOM CLICKERS SURVEY & REPORT

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YEAR IN REVIEW MARCH

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TEXTBOOK ADOPTION DEADLINE ENFORCEMENT TITLE IX ELS-TRAINING MANDATE STUDENT ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT CORPS COLONIAL MONIKER RE-EVALUATION NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINBLE INVESTMENT april

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STATE OF DINING 2019 REPORT WATER BOTTLE FILLERS INSTALLATION ON THE VERN ACADEMIC RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE FINANCE ALLOCATIONS & APPEALS STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS DINNERS IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY - LAUNDRY IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY - PRINTING IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY - SPACE RENTAL

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PROJECTS SEPTEMBER

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT-ADVISOR COMPACT Nicole Cennamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs

In response to concerns illustrated in the 2018 Undergraduate Academic Advising Report, we developed a set of clear, concrete expectations for advising sessions that outlines the responsibilities of both students and advisors. Though the compact reaffirmed that students should be proactive and prepared for their meetings, its primary focus was to hold advisors to a higher standard and push them to take extra efforts to build personalized relationships. These expectations became the criteria that the university used to assess academic advising in a survey released in October 2018.

HUNGRY HARVEST Amy Martin, ESIA Undergraduate Senator; Victoria Lewis, Director of Interfaith Engagement As we prioritize the advocacy for more affordable and accessible food options, the Student Association continues our partnership with Hungry Harvest, an organization that seeks to end food waste by providing produce, that would otherwise be wasted, to GW students at a very low price.

GW LISTENS STREAMLINE James Harnett, Senior Policy Advisor; Alyssa Bogosian, GW Listens Director Established in January 2017, GW Listens provides a platform for students to speak anonymously with student volunteers who have been trained by mental health professionals. Students have the options to call, text, or chat online with volunteers from Sundays - Wednesdays between 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. In September 2018, we streamlined our call and text line through one unified number: 202-902-TALK (8255) Â .

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PROJECTS OCTOBER

18TH CREDIT POLICY

Yannik Omictin, Chief of Cabinet; Peak Sen Chua, former Student Association President; Sydney Nelson, former Executive Vice President, Will Raderman, former Undergraduate At-large Senator.

In April 2018, we released a report advocating for the expansion of the minimum academic credits included in undergraduate tuition from 17 to 18, arguing that such a change would remove significant financial barriers to accessing new academic opportunities. The Board of Trustees approved the proposed credit limit increase in their October 2018 meeting, and it is set to take effect in the Fall 2019 semester.

PARTY AT THE MAILBOX ON THE VERN

Tyler Kusma, Director of Mount Vernon Affairs To encourage voting among students on the Mount Vernon Campus, the Student Association partnered with the Nashman Center and GW Votes to expand their Party at the Mailbox initiative to the Vern. The event provided free envelopes and stamps to mail their absentee ballots and opportunities for students to interact with politicallyactive student organizations.

"WHAT GRAD STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW" NEWSLETTER Adriianna Lagorio, Vice President for Graduate Students Policy

In an effort to increase graduate students engagement in university-wide disoucrse, we launched a direct line of communication between the Student Association and the graduate students community. Using an email newsletter called “What Grad Students Need to Know,” we promoted campus resources available for graduate students, including the campus food pantry, student spaces, as well as other opportunities available to better engage the graduate student community.

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PROJECTS FOOD EXPERIENCE TASK FORCE

Izzy Moody, Vice President for Sustainability In partnership with student leaders from The GW Store and GW Dining, we launched the Food Experience Task Force in the fall of 2018. The Task Force convenes students, faculty/staff, and administrators from all disciplines and departments of the University to engage in constructive dialogue and action around food insecurity, dining affordability, and a lack of culturally appropriate food.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ASSEMBLY LISTENING SESSIONS AJ Link, Law Senator; Senate Diversity and Inclusion Assembly

During the first year of the DIA, we hosted several Listening Sessions for various communities on campus to try to learn more about their experiences at GW. The idea behind these sessions was to give communities an opportunity to bring specific grievances to the Assembly so that we could then take this information to the SA and administration. Moving forward, the DIA hopes to increase awareness around campus and beyond its social media platforms.

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PROJECTS NOVEMBER

COMMITTEE ON GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR BUILDING NAMES Shelby Singleton, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion

Building names at GW have been a constant source of controversy. Reflecting trends at other institutions facing similar challenges, we advocated and drafted a proposal for the creation of a committee, comprised of students, faculty, and staff, to establish principles and values on building names and name changes, as well as to recommend the creation of a future name evaluation process. The committee officially began in January 2019.

THANKSGIVING AT ST. MARY'S COURT

Jillian Wolons, Vice President for Community Affairs As we seek to pursue a closer relationship with the Foggy Bottom community, the Student Association worked with St. Mary’s Court, a living community for seniors, to prepare and serve a full course Thanksgiving lunch for its residents. This year, we expanded this annual tradition by partnering with Alpha Phi Omega, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, and the GW Pitches to connect the residents with GW students through meaningful service.

DECEMBER

PEOPLE FOR PERIODS EXPANSION TO THE VERN Amy Martin, ESIA Undergraduate Senator; Tyler Kusma, Director of Mount Vernon Campus People for Periods is a Student Association initiative launched in November 2017 with the Feminist Student Union and other campus partners to provide equitable access to feminine hygiene products by placing free tampons and pads in bathrooms across campus. After the initial stocking of restrooms on the Foggy Bottom campus, we brought the initiative to the Mount Vernon Campus's Ames Hall.

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PROJECTS January

CCAS POD 3 PILOT ONE-ON-ONE ADVISING MODEL Nicole Cennamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs

The results from our 2018 Undergraduate Academic Advising Report depicted profound dissatisfaction with the structure of the CCAS POD advising system. Students expressed concerns over being paired with a new advisor for every visit, potentially with little familiarity of their individual cases. In response, we worked with CCAS advising to launch a pilot program matching students in POD 3 with individually assigned advisors. We will continue advocating for the implementation of this one-onone advising model across all three PODs.

CREATION OF THE BLACK WORKING GROUP (BWG)

Ojani Walthrust, Executive Vice President; ShanTorrian Underwood, CCAS Undergraduate Senator; Shelby Singleton, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Campus Partners: Black Law Student Association, Caribbean Student Association, GW Dining The Black Working Group (BWG) was established to explore how the university can best promote community among Black students. This year, the BWG focused on diversifying dining and grocery partners in light of the absence of Black vendors among GW’s current dining partners, identifying 15 African, Caribbean, and Southern food businesses to be submitted to GW Dining. The first business from the list, a Cajun and Creole food truck named Puddin’, held a pop-up shop on April 23rd, garnering significant student interest and cementing the BWG’s role in promoting the conversation around securing diverse food vendors on or near campus.

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PROJECTS February

INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK

Victoria Lewis, Director of Interfaith Engagement Campus Partners: GW Interfaith Council The Student Association worked with the GW Interfaith Council and other faith-based organizations to host GW’s first-ever Interfaith Harmony Week, an eight-day long exploration and celebration of our campus’ different faith communities. We hosted several events aimed at educating students on particular faith traditions and promoting interfaith dialogue.

RELIGIOUS CALENDAR & HOLIDAY COMMUNICATION POLICY Victoria Lewis, Director of Interfaith Engagement

In an effort to be more inclusive of GW students' religious diversity, we proposed the expansion of the GW Religious Holiday calendar to include sacred days for underrepresented faith groups. In addition, we also recommended a more flexible communication policy through which students may have up to 4 weeks before the holiday to request accomodation for religious observance.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP PORTAL

Avia Zhang, Director of International Students; Drisya Antose, Student Engagement Committee member The International Friendship Portal is a peer advisory portal for international students that facilitates their transition to GW. International students are able to meet with students and faculty who speak their native language regarding academic, career, and student organizations’ support. The Portal provides a social platform for international students at GW to form connections, to better adjust into a new environment, and to encourage greater cohesion within the GW international community.

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PROJECTS CCAS UNDERGRADUATE ADVISING COMPARATIVE REPORT Nicole Cennamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs

As a supplement to the 2018 Undergraduate Academic Advising report, we compiled a 28-page report providing a detailed overview of the advising systems of Arts and Sciences colleges within GW’s peer institutions. Our research found that GW fell short of market basket-wide averages and best practices in individualized advisors, student-advisor ratio, peer advising, and streamlined access to online resources. The report proposes four specific improvements, including hiring more advisers and assigning students to specific advisers, to ameliorate the CCAS undergraduate academic experience.

CLASSROOM CLICKERS SURVEY & REPORT Nicole Cennamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Amy Martin, ESIA Undergraduate Senator; Matt Ludovico, Undergraduate At-large Senator Clickers often pose an unnecessary and unexpected cost for the majority of students. In order to assess the cost and frequency of clicker usage, we released two surveys, one to the student body and one to a sample of faculty members. Using the survey results, we compiled a 28-page report and submitted it to high-level administrators, highlighting three primary areas of concern: the lack of a universal system, the high cost of clickers, and the unexpected expense they pose.

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PROJECTS March

TEXTBOOK ADOPTION DEADLINE ENFORCEMENT Executive Initiative

As course materials become more costly, it is important that students receive information about their textbooks before the first day of class. However, only less than 30 percent of faculty provide this information prior to the beginning of every semester, which raises concerns of acadmic affordability and accessibility. The Student Association worked with the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Senate to enforce a set deadline for textbook adoption, making it a requirement for all faculty to make available course materials to their students.

TITLE IX ELS-TRAINING MANDATE

Amy Martin, ESIA Undergraduate Senator In January 2019, the Panhellenic Sexual Assault Working Group “PSAWG” created an Education Guidebook outlining educational resources on campus, in the DMV area, and nationwide, giving students the tools to be trained on issues regarding Title IX. The SA Senate passed a legislation to endorse the guidebook, and partnered with the Center for Student Engagement to implement a requirement that one of the five required ELS trainings for student organizations to be based on Title IX related topics, such as bystander intervention, risk management, and sexual assault prevention.

STUDENT ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT CORPS

Samantha Paralikas, Vice President for Judicial and Legislative Affairs; Logan Basch, Director of Student Advocacy Working with the Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities, we established the Student Advocacy & Support Corps (ASC), a team of eight undergraduate students who aim to better advise and inform their peers of their on-campus rights when they are accused of Code of Student Conduct violations, providing a welcome resource in times of high stress and uncertainty. This optional service provides access to peer advisors who can be present in all stages of the conduct resolution process to students in need.

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PROJECTS COLONIAL MONIKER RE-EVALUATION

Hayley Margolis, CCAS Undergraduate Senator; Amy Martin, ESIA Undergraduate Senator; André Gonzales, CCAS Undergraduate Senator In response to a GW Voice petition calling for the removal of the Colonials moniker, we promoted a conversation throughout the year to evaluate whether the Colonial nickname aligns with the university’s values and promotes a safe, inclusive campus community. We hosted academic panels, met with several prominent administrators, and held student-led town halls to push the issue to the forefront of dialogue on community identity. In April 2019, we proposed a referendum question to the student body on whether the Colonials moniker should be abandoned, to which 56% of students responded “yes.”

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY Executive Initiative

Working with Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, we updated our Constitution to include a clear, firm non-discrimination policy, reaffirming our commitment to equality in our procedures and actions to best represent the student body. 91% of students voted in favor of adding the policy.

COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT Izzy Moody, Vice President for Sustainability

Established in the spring of 2018, the Sustainable Investment Fund created a $2 million fund within the endowment exclusively invested in sustainable companies. The fund seeks to test the viability and profitability of sustainable investment portfolios, as well as generate revenue for financial aid. To ensure maximum student representation in fundraising and oversight, we collaborated with the Office of Sustainability to create the Committee on Sustainable Investment, drafting a mission statement and work plan for the Committee, which includes three student members who will serve alongside faculty, staff, and administrators.

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PROJECTS April

STATE OF DINING 2019 REPORT

Izzy Moody, Vice President for Sustainability Campus partners: The Store, GW Dining, Multicultural Student Services Center, Nashman Center for Civic Engagement, Center for Student Engagement Using results from a food experience survey released in January 2019, the Task Force crafted a nearly forty-page State of Dining report. The report put forward nine evidence-based recommendations, including evaluating options to establish a dining hall on the Foggy Bottom campus, increasing the cultural diversity of dining vendors, and making decisions regarding Dining Dollar changes more transparent. It further highlights the prevalence of food insecurity among GW students, and advocated for more institutional and sustainable solutions.

WATER BOTTLE FILLERS INSTALLATION ON THE VERN

Tyler Kusma, Director of Mount Vernon Affairs; Ojani Walthrust, Executive Vice President Access to water for first year students has been a concern, with most of the Vern’s water filler stations and water fountains found in West or Ames Hall with limited hours. The Student Association advocated heavily for the installation of water bottle filling stations in the Hillside dorms, and on April 10, they were added to the lobbies of Merriweather, Clark, Hensley, and Cole Hall.

ACADEMIC RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE

Nicole Cennamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs To address the affordability of course materials (specifically textbooks and clickers), we advocated for the creation of the Academic Resource Subcommittee in the Faculty Senate Educational Policy Committee. The mission of the subcommittee is to draft a clear university policy about the publicity of course materials prior to the first day of class and pursuing ways to reduce the financial impact they have on students. The subcommittee is comprised of five faculty and staff members along with four SA representatives.

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PROJECTS FINANCE ALLOCATIONS & APPEALS

Matt Ludovico, Undergraduate At-large Senator; Nassim Touil, Vice President for Financial Affairs; Senate Finance Committee & Governance and Nominations Committee The Student Association Finance Committee has allocated the most money in recent history this past fiscal year. We placed a large emphasis on supporting more student orgs and allowing more programming to occur. Aside from the allocation of over $400,000 dollars in the co-sponsorship fund this past year, the Finance Committee has also led bimonthly ELS session on SA Finance 101. During the FY20 allocations, we received about $4.4 million dollars requested, while only had about $760,000 dollars to allocate to over 350 organizations. The Finance Committee continues to ensure every student organization has the resources to create the vibrant and diverse GW environment.

STUDENT ORGANIZATION DINNERS

Soni Chaturvedi, Vice President for Student Activities To expand engagement with student organizations and offer a platform for students to air their grievances, we hosted a series of free dinners geared toward connecting new executive board members of student organizations with Student Association members.

Over seventy student leaders attended the dinners.

IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY - LAUNDRY

Rose Collins, Vice President for Undergraduate Student Policy We performed significant research into the policies at peer institutions, discovering that GW charged the highest fee for laundry among comparable schools. With this research, we successfully advocated for 24 loads of laundry per semester to be subsidized for all on-campus students beginning in the Fall 2019 semester. The change in laundry cost will save students more than $500,000 per year.

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PROJECTS IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY - PRINTING Executive Initiative

Over the past few years, GW students have responded to the call of improving our sustainability progress by printing less or using double-sided printing. Usage data from 2018 shows that 75% of registered users printed 250 sides or fewer, and 91% printed 550 sides of fewer. As we seek to improve affordability while also encouraging our community to continue sustainable practices, students will receive an appropriate allotment of printing credits beginning in the Fall 2019 semester for any printing job submitted to a WEPA Kiosk on both the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon Campus.

IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY - SPACE RENTAL Bella Gianani, Vice President for Campus Operations

Similar to previous affordability areas, we researched and compiled a report outlining the cost of reserving event space for student organizations among GW’s market-basket schools. The report included a break-down of average cost by the amount of hours included in the rate and the amount of people the event space can hold, giving a summary value of a cost per hour, per person. Moving forward, rental fees for higher demand spaces such as the Lisner Auditorium and City View Room will be re-evaluated to be significantly reduced or eliminated completely.

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18-19 STUDENT ASSOCIATION Senate Alvin Lam, SEAS Graduate Senator Amy Martin,ESIA Undergraduate Senator Andrè Gonzales, CCAS Undergraduate Senator Anisha Hindocha, Law Senator Armon Panahi, Graduate At-large Senator Ashli Farfan, MISPH Graduate Senator Claire Bechtel, ESIA Undergraduate Senator Colin Medwick, SOB Undergraduate Senator Curtis Nguyen, Graduate At-large Senator Devin Scarlett, Graduate At-large Senator Firdavs Nazarov CPS Undergraduate Senator Foster Adade, Graduate At-large Senator George Glass, Undergraduate At-large Senator George Hardigg, Graduate At-large Senator Hayley Margolis, CCAS Undergraduate Senator Jabari "AJ" Link, Law Senator Jake Corsi, CCAS Graduate Senator Jesse Altum, Graduate At-large Senator Jillian Morgan, MISPH Undergraduate Senator Julian Taylor, CCAS Graduate Senator Julie Apagya Bonney, Undergraduate At-large Senator

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Katherine Hurley GSEHD Graduate Senator Mason Molesky, SEAS Graduate Senator Matthew Ludovico, Undergraduate At-large Senator Nicholas McRae, SOB Undergraduate Senator Olumide Lawal, ESIA Graduate Senator Payton Beaumier, Undergraduate At-large Senator Rachel Shearer, CCAS Undergraduate Senator Rico Pride, CCAS Undergraduate Senator Rilind Abazi, ESIA Undergraduate Senator Ronit Dastidar, MISPH Graduate Senator Sam Gunter, Graduate At-large Senator Shantorrian "Torri" Underwood, CCAS Undergraduate Senator Sofia Gonzalez, Undergraduate At-large Senator Stephanie Johnson SMHS Graduate Senator Theresa Buechler, SMHS Graduate Senator Thomas Hawatmeh, Undergraduate At-large Senator Vaibhav Vijay CCAS Undergraduate Senator Zamir Brown, Graduate At-large Senator

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18-19 STUDENT ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE CABINET Abby Gipe, Director of the Arts Adriana Feijoo, Director of Student Engagement Committee Adriianna Lagorio, Vice President for Graduate Student Policy Alyssa Bogosian, Director of GW Listens Avia Zhang, Co-director of International Students Bella Gianani, Vice President for Campus Operations Elizabeth Dillon, Director of Digital Policy and Innovation Hannah Goldstein, Director of Greek Affairs - Panhellenic Association Izzy Moody, Vice President for Sustainability Jake Lieberfarb, Director of Survey Design Jared Awner, Director of Veteran Students Jillian Wolons, Vice President for Community Affairs Josh Beacher, Director of Gender and Sexual Identity Logan Basch, Director of Student Advocacy Margo Kaplan, Director of Creative Services Nicole Cennamo, Vice President for Academic Affairs Noah Wexler, Director of Student Health Services Rose Collins, Vice President for Undergraduate Student Policy Sahar Qazi, Co-director of International Students Samantha Paralikas, Vice President for Judicial and Legislative Affairs Shelby Singleton, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Soni Chaturvedi, Vice President for Student Activities Tiara Mead, Director of Greek Affairs - Multicultural Greek Council Tyler Kusma, Director of Mount Vernon Affairs Victoria Lewis, Director of Interfaith Engagement Wanxing Niu, Vice President for Public Affairs

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