New Kids on the Block

New Kids on the Block

Welcome back, GSSC! The General Studies Student Council is very much getting back into the swing of things, and this week involved a lot of position appointments. GSSC Bureau Chiefs Jennifer Nugent and Romane Thomas bring you through the whole new cast of characters.

This week was eventful in the General Studies Student Council, as 14 new people were appointed to positions on council. While this constituted the majority of the meeting, there were also a few items on the agenda from other council members, including a new opening for Vice President of Finance, a sold out Welcome Back party, and our very own Senator Ramond Curtis was appointed to lead the committee in the University Senate for students with disabilities. After this general business, each candidate seeking council approval had a few moments to present themselves, so here are some of their best lines:

  • Hannah Joy (First Year Vice President): “I’ve managed a hotel, so I’ve been everything from a plumber to a psychologist.”
  • Simon Xu (First Year Treasurer): Being in leadership at his previous university taught him to work with difficult people.
  • Franklin Forbes (Senior Class President): After gaining a certain reputation from his previous experience with GSSC, he promises (seriously) to stay in budget if appointed.
  • Laura Cabrera (Senior Class Vice President): When asked how she would motivate students to come to events, Cabrera answered that she would do what she needed to do, including kicking people in the you-know-what.
  • Sam Hughes (Senior Treasurer): Though he has been on GSSC for several years, Mike of the Alumni Affairs team was concerned that Hughes might cheat on his budget like he did at fantasy football. However, Hughes argues that his trades have always been legitimate and genius.
  • Daria Greeno (Comptroller): As the former VP of Finance, who resigned from that post this week, she assured council that she “probably wouldn’t resign twice.”

  • Barak Ben Noon (Technology Chair): Council was happy to hear that this highly experienced programmer could reportedly find a way to do whatever they wanted, and already has plans for a much more integrated system.
  • Utsa Ramaswami (Policy Committee Member): Despite her many types of experience with political policy, Utsa credits French bureaucracy for giving her firsthand experience as to what can happen when policy and execution both go horribly wrong.
  • Jeff Solazzi (Students with Disabilities Representative): Having been a caregiver for quadriplegics in the past, Jeff has firsthand experience as to the types of accommodations that are reasonable and the daily struggles that students with disabilities face (example, wheelchair lifts around campus have been in repair for the start of school).
  • Claire Lee (Diversity and Equity Representative): As someone who has given trainings on how to integrate people of different cultures, Lee has extensive experience with the issues she’ll face as a Diversity and Equity Representative. Even better, one initiative she’d like to create is to have a music-sharing night (and potentially a potluck) for GS-ers to discover more about each other’s cultures.
  • Justin Dill (Family and Working Student Representative): As a representative, Dill wants to ensure that GS students have the option of participating in student life even with important comitments. One focus will be to ensure that students actually know what is available to them in terms of events!
  • Shira Kingburkman (JTS student representative): Shira wants to expand the relationship between JTS students and other GS students by bridging the age/religion gaps with huge Shabbat dinners and focusing on ice-breakers.
  • Karl Rodriguez (Social Media Representative): Since she held the position last semester, Carly is aiming at continuing her work to revamp the GSSC Facebook page and work with the various other sections of council to ensure that events and initiatives are getting the attention they deserve.
  • Paul Maslag (Community Service Representative): As someone who has done (or aims to do) every possible community service outreach, Maslag hopes to engage GS students in community service in a way that fits into their schedules. He aims to inspire fellow students with his morale-boosting tattoos!