Name: Jeff Marootian
Hometown: Wayne, N.J.
Major: Human Services
Year: Junior
Credentials: Student Association vice president for Community Affairs, Colonial Inauguration co-coordinator, community service director of GW College Democrats, Faculty Senate Committee for Urban Affairs, HIV/AIDS Peer Educators, Residence Hall Association, JBKO Hall Council, Thurston Hall Council
Web site: http://gwu.edu/~jeffm

Jeff Marootian jokes that nearly every position he’s ever held while at GW has the word community in it.

And he said he feels that’s a good thing, since he hopes to foster a greater spirit of community at GW as the next president of the Student Association.

A large part of his campaign Web site is dedicated to the idea of unity.

I think unity is a threefold concept, and it starts with internal Student Association unity, Marootian said. The overall philosophy of leadership has not been working to serve students, it’s really a political thing.

Marootian said he also hopes to build greater on-campus unity and unity with the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

I look at the faculty and members of the Foggy Bottom as my communities, Marootian said. Even though I am elected by students I think it is my responsibility to work for everyone’s best interest.

First, though, Marootian said he wants to focus on the SA and make it more effective as a student organization.

I want to have people be able to say that they can utilize the SA in any way, that they can utilize us as a resource, Marootian said. Hopefully I’ll hear people say that we have done something to make their life better in some way.

While trying to turn the SA into a better student government has been a difficult task in recent years, Marootian said he believes he has the credentials and leadership ability to make it happen. He has been the SA’s vice president of Community Affairs and has been involved in peer education.

I’m able to lead and also to work with people and sort of share power, rather than have power over people, said Marootian, noting how he thinks he differs from past SA leaders.

Marootian has a detailed platform of what he hopes to accomplish as president, headed by his desire to help improve academics at the University. By working with the administration, Marootian said he hopes to ensure that class sizes are reduced, academic advising is improved and that the SA’s academic services are updated and expanded – including online versions of the test file and the Academic Update.

Beyond that, according to Marootian’s Web site, he said he wants to advocate on behalf of students to improve the quality of dining services, campus safety and campus technology.

And to help identify issues that concern students next year, he plans to hold monthly town hall meetings to bring together students and administrators.

My goal is making sure we are always there when students need us, Marootian said.