Roger Kapoor communicates with students like it is his job. In fact, it is his job. As a community facilitator at The Schenley, Kapoor interacts with residents and other students constantly – something he says will help him become an effective Student Association president.

Kapoor said running for SA president is a natural outgrowth of his experiences with residents.

“I think that the one thing that the Student Association is missing is the students,” he said. “I am running because I work with students on a 24-hour-a-day basis. I hear their concerns and hear what they have to say about their issues.”

As director of campus spirit for the SA, Kapoor said he has remained an outsider to student politics. He said his power will come from students who share their ideas.

“I can reach out to students and provide hope for the SA as the president,” he said. “There are many great ideas, but my ideas come from students. Students are practical, realistic and they have ideas that the SA needs to hear. The SA is a group of people who all have a vision of what GW should look like. I want to consult with what people have to say in making decisions.”

To institute his ideas, Kapoor has developed plans to meet students’ needs by facilitating better SA-to-student communication.

“Many students and graduate students don’t know what the SA is or what they really do,” Kapoor said.

Kapoor’s plans include a “State of the SA” address and a monthly radio address, voting representation for freshmen, outreach to all residence halls and a push to integrate the Mount Vernon Campus. He proposes to spend a third of his office hours and hold a third of the SA Senate meetings at Mount Vernon

“The SA is one of the most powerful groups on campus,” he said. “They have great resources that students need to be aware of and take advantage of.”

Kapoor said he will reach out to graduate students.

“The graduate students need to know that the SA is here for them too,” Kapoor said. “This means that we need to cater to some of their needs, which are not always the same as (undergraduate) needs.”

Kapoor’s campaign slogan, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” conveys his student-outreach message.