Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Major: Marketing
Student organizations/activities: GW Spikeball, GW-TV, George’s Army, GW Palooza
SA experience: GW School of Business undergraduate senator, assistant secretary for athletics in the executive branch
Favorite restaurant in the District: Roaming Rooster
Favorite “Only at GW” moment: National Christmas Tree Lighting with District Connections
Favorite class: Marketing for Social Impact with Marlene Towns
Go-to study spot: First floor of the University Student Center
Role model: My father
Moniker choice: Blue Fog
Deli order: Everything bagel with cream cheese and sriracha
Rami Hanash Jr. wants to bring “energy and the fire” to the Student Association.
Hanash – a current senator representing the School of Business – said he is ready to strive for “achievable” policies like connecting graduate students to campus via GW traditions and resources, adding GWorld to Apple Pay and enhancing financial transparency within the SA. To pad his promise to tap into the SA’s full potential, Hanash said his two years of involvement in the SA have primed him for the presidency.
He said he wants to change students’ perception of the SA, which has been colored with concern over alleged bias in the SA’s budget allocations process for student organizations. Former Finance Committee Chair Ian Ching resigned after the Office of Senate Legal Counsel issued a report accusing him of bias during the allocations process.
“I’d like to change that,” he said. “I’d like to show that we are capable of doing really great things for the students.”
He said he has worked “tirelessly” to make students feel represented since joining the SA as a freshman as the assistant secretary of athletics, meeting with the SA’s Student Life Committee weekly. Hanash said he hopes to show students that the SA can help them finance events.
“Whether we are voting on new legislation that affects the entire University or voting on which representatives to appoint to various SA positions, I always work to represent as many GW students as possible,” he said.
Hanash said the University lacks a “sense of community” between graduate students and the wider campus population. He said he wants to “educate and include” graduate students – who make up 56 percent of the student population – in campus traditions, resources and events.
He said he plans to host a town hall for graduate students to learn about campus resources, survey the SA’s Graduate Student Caucus on issues that affect the graduate population and place a “higher emphasis” on graduate student outreach with the SA’s marketing and communications team.
Hanash said he also aims to work with senate chairperson pro tempore and vice presidential candidate Demetrius Apostolis on a project to add GWorld to Apple Pay so students can use their phones for tap access and to pay for campus dining meals.
He said if elected, he wants to increase communication between the executive and legislative branches to make operations “smoother” within the SA. He said the current branches have “little to no” communication, and as a senator, he often does not know about the work going on in the executive branch.
He said his first action as president would be to rename the SA to the Student Government Association. He said he heard complaints from students who said the student organization’s current name could be misconstrued as an acronym for sexual assault.
Hanash said former SA Vice President Kate Carpenter’s work ethic, motivation and timeliness inspired him to restore the SA to its former self. In her time as vice president, Carpenter helped implement the U-Pass program and kickstarted the University-wide President’s Weekend Palooza, now called GW Palooza.
Hanash also said advocating for diversity would play a key role in his administration.
“I just think it’s really important to emphasize that all students are cared about at GW and through the Student Association and that if I were to be elected, I would try my absolute hardest to hear everybody out and meet with everyone who wants to meet with me,” Hanash said.
Erika Filter and Brooke Forgette contributed reporting.
