Updated: April 7, 2020 at 1:49 a.m.
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Waldorf, Maryland
Major: Political communication, human services and social justice
Student organizations/activities: WRGW District Radio, Residence Hall Association, School of Media and Public Affairs Director’s Advisory Council, College Democrats, The Rival GW
Previous SA experience: CCAS senator, vice chair of governance and nominations committee, Black Senators’ Caucus chair, member of the SA finance committee
Favorite GWorld spot: Poppabox
Favorite off-campus spot: National Zoo
Dream job: Sixth grade social studies teacher
Proudest GW moment: Serving as a student orientation leader last fall
Fun fact: I have never left the East Coast time zone
Favorite place in the world: Old Annapolis, Maryland
Favorite childhood memory: Playing basketball with my dad every summer
Role model: Kerry Washington
Brandon Hill has a love-hate relationship with GW.
Hill said he ran for student government his freshman year to share his love of the Mount Vernon campus and student life, but after a year of witnessing instances of “ignorance and bigotry,” he now detests the University. The executive vice president candidate said he would raise awareness for student needs, like mental health resources, and continue the push for fossil fuel divestment to “make the University a better place for everybody.”
“I’m running as a student driven by hate and passion and sadness,” Hill said.
His platform includes plans to work with an SA vice president for campus operations that would work to redistribute student organization offices in the Marvin Center to better represent smaller student groups. He said larger organizations that occupy the offices take away visibility for other growing organizations.
“This is a major way for us to increase visibility of graduate organizations and also go through a sort of reclamation process in the name of multicultural orgs of a space that not many minority students or students of color feel welcomed in,” Hill said.
He added that he wants to move GW Listens – a student-run mental health hotline – to outside of the SA’s Marvin Center office to ensure the location is kept under wraps for students who use it. Hill said he would also frequently check in with members of the hotline to ensure they are operating throughout their designated operating hours.
Hill said if elected, he would also call for the University’s “immediate” divestment from the fossil fuel industry and urge SA members to work with student groups like Sunrise GW – a group that held a series of protests in February urging GW to divest its holdings in fossil fuel companies.
He sponsored legislation in January backing students’ calls for GW to distance itself from the fossil fuel industry. Hill said SA leaders should collaborate with Sunrise GW through general body meetings to work together on fossil fuel divestment.
“I think it’s really easy to protest the Board of Trustees and march on LeBlanc’s house and just get frustrated with the lack of results,” Hill said. “So being able to use the SA’s voice to show that students are being heard and that things are happening on an institutional level, as well as keeping them informed and involved in the process throughout every step, would allow for greater partnership.”
This post has been updated to clarify the following:
We have updated this post to better reflect a paraphrase from Hill.
