While you likely know about the Student Bar Association (SBA), you may be less familiar with its university-wide analogue: the Student Government Association (SGA). The SBA funds law school student orgs and advocates on behalf of students to GW Law administrators; the SGA is responsible for the same at the university-wide level. In fact, the SBA only exists by virtue of the SGA, which allocates student fees to the SBA each year.
This Thursday and Friday, Apr. 10 and 11, the SGA is holding elections, including for seats in its Senate to represent GW at large. All GW Law students are eligible to vote for a President, a Vice President, and three GW Law Senators. Additionally, there is a referendum on a constitutional amendment that would ensure, among other things, the SBA can conduct independent elections in the future.
Constitutional Amendment Referendum
GW Law students should vote yes on the constitutional amendment referendum. Most of the amendments will not greatly impact GW Law students — except for one. The amendment in Article XIII provides that the SBA will be allowed to administer elections for SGA Senate seats representing GW Law. This is how elections were conducted for the first time last year under an agreement — Law SGA Senators were elected during the course of the SBA elections, allowing students to vote for SGA Senators alongside other SBA representatives in a single election. Last spring’s joint SBA-SGA election had the single greatest law student turnout for an SGA election in recent history.
That agreement was not renewed this year, requiring SGA Senate candidates to run elections right now, in the week leading up to finals and months after the SBA elections already concluded. Most GW Law students do not know the policies of the SGA, and those that do know that they make it difficult to effectively campaign in the law school. This has adverse impacts on candidate participation. And, most law students only want to have to participate in elections once per year (if at all). To me, it’s a no-brainer.
President and Vice President
While graduate students — including GW Law students — can run for President and Vice President, all five candidates are undergraduates. However, through my experience working with them as an SGA Senator, I am confident that Liz Stoddard and Ethan Lynne will continue to seek the law student perspective and effectively advocate for GW Law student needs.
Liz Stoddard’s vice presidential platform specifically includes stronger collaboration with the SBA to foster a stronger student voice. Her platform includes other plans like expanding childcare support for graduate students, increasing awareness and accessibility of university resources, and conducting capital improvements on physical facilities. Put simply, she wants the SGA to work for students — including GW Law students — in a meaningful way. Stoddard currently serves as the second-in-charge of the SGA Senate and leads its Governance and Nominations Committee.
Ethan Lynne’s presidential platform includes incorporating graduate housing and a childcare facility into the campus master plan. He wants to solve practical but tedious issues, such as making U-Pass pickup easier and more accessible for GW Law and graduate students. And, he will hold regular meetings with the SBA President to ensure GW Law students are part of university-level conversations. Lynne currently serves as the SGA Vice President and presides over the SGA Senate.
The GW Hatchet has profiles on candidates for President and Vice President available here and has endorsed Liz Stoddard and Ethan Lynne. On Tuesday, candidate Dan Saleem announced his withdrawal from the presidential race due to “‘virtual and in-person attacks’ on people close to him.”
GW Law Senators
Presently, the only registered candidate for the GW Law Senator seat is Henrietta Denise Ssettimba. However, any GW Law student may run a write-in campaign, and there are three seats to fill. Those running a write-in campaign are advised to read through the rules as they differ from SBA campaigning rules. To physically campaign within the law school or other academic buildings, candidates must receive joint approval from the SGA Joint Elections Committee and the SBA. Campaigning via GroupMe should not violate campaign rules (but candidates should be courteous and respectful of people’s notifications).
