Year: Sophomore
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Westchester, New York
Student organizations/activities: GW-TV, Shakespeare Company
SGA experience: Director of Military and Veteran Affairs, Columbian College of Arts & Science Senator
Favorite vendor on GWorld: Toryumon Japanese House
Your favorite “Only at GW” moment: Getting blocked by President Joe Biden’s motorcade on the way to Toryumon
Favorite class: The Modern American Presidency with Bell Clement
Zodiac sign: Scorpio
Which actor would play you in a movie of your life: Shah Rukh Khan
Role Model: My grandmother
Go-to study spot: Vault in the Flagg Building
Dan Saleem wants to take the front door of the Student Government Association office off its hinges.
If elected president, the SGA senator said he wants to implement an “open-door policy” by removing the front door off the SGA office on the fourth floor of the University Student Center so all students feel welcome to enter at any time of the day and express their concerns about the University.
“Enough with the scheduling of meetings like I am an actual president,” Saleem said. “This is a student government and we have to stay grounded.”
Saleem, the first presidential contender to announce their candidacy, said his family — his mother’s side is from the Caribbean and his father’s from Pakistan — had a tough start in the United States. His parents met working blue-collar jobs at a gas station and his mother worked to put herself through nursing school, he said.
Saleem said his parents, who eventually worked their way up to “comfortably living” in New York, inspired him to advocate for the lesser-heard voices in his community, including Mount Vernon Campus residents and commuter and military students. He said as a first-generation American and minority student, he knows how it feels to be underrepresented.
“There are so many unheard groups on campus because we often pigeonhole the typical GW student into the student that’s living on Foggy, who has a meal plan, who doesn’t commute to this campus,” Saleem said. “But we need to wake up and realize that if we’re going to be a student government for all students, we need to represent all students.”
Saleem faced disqualification from the ballot last week after the Joint Elections Commission indicted him for collecting endorsements from the leaders of two student organizations before the official election campaign period commenced. Saleem pled guilty, but since one of the signatures was an “authorized agent” of Saleem, the JEC dismissed one of his charges.
Saleem’s remaining five penalty points will appear next to his name on the official ballot, per the ruling.
Saleem said that if elected, he wants to give commuter students tap access to residence halls to reduce their exposure to safety concerns, like the shelter-in-place in September spurred by a homicide suspect’s escape from custody on campus.
He said he constructed a pilot program with Dan Wright, the director of Campus Living & Residential Education, and Commuter Student Association President James Tan to give first- and second-year commuter students tap access to residence halls in 2025.
Saleem said also he plans to examine the Vern’s accessibility for students with wheelchairs due to the campus’ steep hills by working with the Disability Support Services office, members of the custodial staff and GW Facilities.
“I have gotten reports from students that they don’t feel as if the Vern is accessible and that is something that has to change before we go off and buy more real estate for $14 million as well as a Whole Foods,” Saleem said, referring to GW’s purchase of The Avenue, an apartment building also home to Whole Foods, Sweetgreen and other retailers.
Saleem said he deferred his acceptance to GW one semester to undergo basic training for the U.S. Army in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he described himself as the weakest person in his training after weighing in at 120 pounds.
After 10 weeks, Saleem moved to the special operations sector at Fort Jackson where he trained to be a civil affairs specialist — a liaison between the Army and civilians — for another 10 weeks.
“It was a lot of misery and it was a lot of like, do you have the fortitude?” Saleem said.
Saleem — now an active reservist — said his experiences in the Army pushed him to sponsor a bill to request officials consider accepting transfer credits from students who underwent military training which the Senate passed unanimously in November. He said he is currently working with Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Special Programs Jeffrey Brand to “ensure” there is “at least a consideration” from officials to implement the change.
“I’m not here to be your idol,” Saleem said. “I’m not here to be a hero. I am here to be a fellow student who wants to make all of our experiences at GW better.”
