Year: Sophomore
Major: Political Communication
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Student organizations/campus activities: Hawaii Club, Philippine Cultural Society
SGA/student government experience: CCAS undergraduate senator, chair of the Finance Committee, chair of the Student Life Committee, executive assistant to former SGA Vice President Ethan Lynne
Actor that would play you in the movie about your life: Jim Carrey
Favorite campus view point: City View Room
Favorite meal deal or swipe: Chaat House
Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Rams
Favorite musical artist: Raye
Cheydon Naleimaile-Evangelista wants to bring the aloha spirit to GW.
Naleimaile-Evangelista, the only Native Hawaiian senator in the SGA, said people in his home state live a “laid-back lifestyle” that does not exist at GW — a vibe he wants to instill in students. He said GW’s often-cutthroat culture leaves little room for students to prioritize their own well-being and argued that the University has failed to fill that gap — prompting him to run on a platform focused on strengthening student support across issues ranging from sexual misconduct, dining and immigration.
“During this campaign period, one of the biggest things I’ve been doing is bringing that Aloha spirit to GW and reminding students to take time for yourself,” Naleimaile-Evangelista said.
Naleimaile-Evengelista said his first action as vice president would be to work with officials in the Title IX Office to commit GW to being a “violence-free campus.” He said he would work to amend the wording used on the University’s Title IX policy — which currently states GW is a campus committed to maintaining an environment free from violence — to specifically commit GW to be a “violence-free campus” that supports survivors of sexual assault.
He said the current policy’s wording pushes the Title IX Office to focus more on punishing wrongdoers than supporting victims of sexual assault, which he said amended language and expanded survivor resources could change.
“Not mentioning having zero tolerance for sexual misconduct definitely persuades these other services and support systems that we have,” Naleimaile-Evangelista said.
He said he would work with survivor support organizations, like Students Against Sexual Assault and It’s On Us at GW, during the amendment process to expand the Title IX Office’s own resources for survivors and ensure the University is directing students toward what the organizations offer, which often goes beyond what the office currently provides for comforting and aiding victims.
“That would be the first step on how to amend the services and support we provide to student survivors,” Naleimaile-Evangelista said.
Naleimaile-Evangelista has previously served as an SGA senator, chair of the Finance Committee, chair of the Student Life Committee and executive assistant to former SGA Vice President Ethan Lynne. He said beyond Title IX advocacy, he was involved in organizing three SGA town halls this year, where he heard student grievances, including one in which students asked the body how it would advocate for officials to be more transparent about National Guard troops on campus.
Naleimaile-Evangelista said the town halls allowed the SGA to hear student concerns directly, informing their policy decisions and helping diminish a “barrier” between the SGA and students. He said as vice president, he would encourage more committees to host town halls hearing student grievances across different issues. As a senator this year, he wrote a bill requiring the Committee on Student Life to host at least one town hall a semester.
Naleimaile-Evangelista said he has heard from members of GW Dining’s student advisory panel — which advises dining officials on student experiences — that they feel administrators do not take student concerns at meetings seriously, coming up with excuses and brushing off their grievances instead of working to solve issues. Naleimaile-Evangelista said the vice president title would give him the opportunity to communicate more with GW Dining officials who run the panel meetings and push them to make more substantive changes suggested by students.
Naileimaile-Evangelista said he would collaborate with GW Dining officials to extend dining hours to midnight during midterm season because he understands many students study late at night for midterms. He said he’d start with conducting a survey to see which weeks most students have midterms, then ask officials to extend dining hours during those weeks.
Officials would likely agree to expanded hours, he said, because they extended Shenkman dining hall’s hours to midnight during last fall’s final exam period without the SGA asking them to do so.
Naleimaile-Evangelista said he believes the University has been “delayed” in responding to the increased presence of National Guard troops and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on campus, which has surged since October. He said despite officials meeting with National Guard troops last November and posting signage clarifying they are not allowed to enter University buildings, he still sees them on campus, indicating officials’ communication about security procedures is still lacking.
University President Ellen Granberg said in an October email to community members GW cannot remove federal law enforcement officers if they are on public property near campus, like streets and sidewalks, which fall under local and federal jurisdiction.
Naleimaile-Evangelista said international students he’s spoken to have expressed fear about being on campus as federal agents ramp up immigration enforcement nearby and disproportionately target minorities. He said as vice president, he would aim to encourage the University to make more outward statements supporting international students and protecting them from federal intervention, though he did not specify how the University would do this beyond reiterating security policies.
“I’m proud of the people we have here,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people, and I’ve had great interactions with everyone I’ve met so far, and I wouldn’t want them to leave because they’re scared.”
