A Student Government Association senator and chair of the Financial Service and Allocations Committee announced his bid for the SGA vice presidency Wednesday.
Sophomore and SGA Sen. Ethan Lynne (CCAS-U), who studies political communication, said if elected, he would amplify student concerns to GW Dining, add GWorld as a form of mobile payment and conduct an audit of campus spaces to provide student groups more meeting venues. Lynne said representing Thurston and Shenkman halls as Residence Hall Association president and chairing a committee in the SGA Senate has helped him form connections across campus that set him apart from other candidates.
He said as vice president, he will ask for weekly meetings with GW Dining officials to advocate for longer weekend hours at University-run dining locations and more food options and variety. He said he and other RHA members surveyed Shenkman residents on their preferred hours of operation for the market, and discussed expanding the hours with the building’s community coordinators.
Lynne said there is the lack of communication about dining hall focus groups from University and dining officials, which leads to low attendance and participation.
“Because I think that one of the biggest problems of the schools is lack of communication,” Lynne said. “Dining assembles focus groups, but then they don’t publicize them and that people never go, and then it just turns into a whole back and forth.”
Current SGA Vice President Demetrius Apostolis launched a dining focus group in September where students shared food safety concerns like undercooked food and improper allergen labeling in GW dining halls to Chartwells Higher Education, the University’s food provider. GW Dining also created its own advisory panel last year.
Lynne said he would work to add GWorld to mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay for tap access and meal swipes. He said he wants to modernize the system since smaller and similar-sized schools to GW, like the University of Maine and New Mexico State University, have synced their campus currencies to mobile payment apps.
“It’s certainly a way for us to keep up with modernization because that’s something we pride ourselves on here at GW is staying ahead of the curve, tackling things head-on being where the news is,” Lynne said.
The SGA Senate discussed implementing additional mobile entry sign-in options to Gelman Library last summer. Rami Hanash Jr., who lost to SGA President Arielle Geismar last year, also campaigned on adding GWorld to Apple Pay.
Lynne said he wants officials to perform more renovations to the Lerner Health and Wellness Center. He said despite officials performing HVAC renovations in fall 2022, he wants to ensure the building, which was constructed in 1999, is up to date due to its age and the closing of the Smith Center pool, which could lead to a surge in use of the three-lane pool in Lerner.
“Obviously, they did the HVAC work, but it still is an old building,” Lynne said. “Even in my SGA senator role, I still hear tons of complaints a week about things.”
He added that he wants officials to add more plants, seating and lighting to community spaces like Kogan Plaza, University Yard, Square 80 and Anniversary Park.
“I think that they’re going to start to do good work with what they’re doing on the I Street Mall, but we want to stay on top of them to make sure they have plans for all of our spaces,” Lynne said.
Officials announced earlier this year they will be renovating the I Street Mall between 23rd and 24th streets this summer. The plan includes landscaping, additional lighting, reconfigured seating and the installation of anti-rat trash cans and recycling bins.
In his role as Finance Committee chair, Lynne said he helped address student organizations’ concerns, including the lack of meeting spaces. He said if elected, he wants the University to conduct an audit of all campus spaces to identify areas that student groups could use to meet.
“I have been told time and time again that they have to book events a year in advance,” Lynne said. “They’ll sit down on the first day of school to book all of their meetings. That’s just unacceptable for a city school like us. We add so many each year, they are the backbone of our University.”
Some student organizations said they have struggled to find available meeting spaces this year and faced steep fees for room rentals, preventing obstacles to holding events and consistent meetings.
Lynne said he will continue his work with organizations like GW Reproductive Autonomy and Gender Equity to continue to subsidize Plan B and call for the Student Health Center to offer abortion pills. Lynne said as senator, he helped move unused funds from the Student Organization Resource Center to help Geismar reduce the price of Plan B and endorsed a bill calling on the University to provide abortion pills on campus.
“My first bill actually introduced in the senate was to free up the money to bring the cost of Plan B on campus down from $15 to $10,” Lynne said. “I want to continue working with our reproductive health care organizations on campus, where I already have good relationships, to keep that price as low as possible.”
Officials installed new contraceptive vending machines in District House and West Hall in fall 2023. Geismar contributed $1,000 of her executive budget to subsidize the price of Plan B in the machines from $15 to $10.
Lynne said he formed relationships on campus through his involvement with SGA, RHA and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions — where he leads prospective student tours and works in the welcome center.
“In all of these roles, I’ve developed connections that I like to use and I’ve learned how to talk to and work with certain departments to get the best, effective results,” Lynne said.
Lynne is officially one of two candidates on the vice presidential ballot. The Joint Elections Commission will hold the election April 11 and 12.
