Content Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault.
SGA President and Vice President
Walker Liu & Kenneth Power
Walker Liu (26C), treasurer of Alpha Tau Omega, and Kenneth Power (27C), vice president of service at Alpha Kappa Psi, Emory University’s business fraternity, are running as a ticket to be the next president and vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA).
The duo plans to improve student life by introducing custom meal plans, expanding a carpool program for students, implementing a mobile ID system to integrate EmoryCard into Apple Wallet, and promoting food access via the Alumni Memorial University Center’s Community Fridge and Pantry as well as other local food pantries.
Additionally, Liu and Power aim to improve SGA by introducing ranked-choice voting to SGA elections, creating office hours for SGA members to meet with students, and making weekly Instagram Reels to communicate SGA updates to the student body. As for academics, Liu and Power hope to reopen the Robert W. Woodruff Library 24/7, curate a student-led syllabi database, make a professor review platform for students, and install printers in Greek life and theme housing.
Liu and Power plan to help student organizations and campus programming by encouraging cross-club collaboration to secure funding and creating a “Big Ideas Pitch Competition” to incentivize students to creatively enhance campus life with SGA funding. They also hope to start a weekly social event similar to Keeping Emory Goizueta Social (KEGS) event called “Emory Commons” to promote campus unity, and begin a monthly “Spotlight Series” to help smaller campus organizations gain visibility. Liu and Power also want to promote funding for clubs to implement green initiatives, improve Oxford College-Atlanta shuttle systems, and strengthen club collaboration between the campuses.
Tyler Martinez & Zoe Grotjan
Tyler Martinez (26C), Emory National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s second vice president, and Zoe Grotjan (24Ox, 26B), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Council member, BBA Council SGA representative, and former Oxford SGA (OxSGA) vice president of finance, are running for SGA president and vice president, respectively.
The pair plans to promote equity through a peer advising initiative that helps students navigate financial aid, put two student representatives on the University Board of Trustees, establish a discreet location that provides free clothes and other necessary resources to students in need, and remedy issues on the Clairmont Campus, such as improving waitlist mobility for housing at Clairmont and boosting off-campus housing resources.
Martinez and Grotjan hope to improve campus wellness by increasing the accessibility of Student Health Services, providing better long-term mental health care through Counseling and Psychological Services, and leading Title IX reform to support victims of sexual assault. The ticket also hopes to work with the University Senate’s Committee for Open Expression and the Graduate SGA to rewrite the current Respect for Open Expression Policy to prevent violence against student protestors.
Another key issue in Martinez and Grotjan’s campaign is to ensure that the University administration investigates bias reporting and that anyone with repeated bias reports is barred from holding positions of authority at Emory.
Martinez and Grotjan plan to provide networking opportunities by launching a version of KEGS called “ECAS Cafe.” They also plan to lead reform in the Department of Accessibility Services to streamline the accommodations process.
Seth Weinfield & Maahi Sethi
Seth Weinfield (27C), second-year SGA and College Council legislator, and Maahi Sethi (27C), SGA First Year Council director, are running for SGA president and vice president.
Weinfield and Sethi plan to advocate for disabled students by establishing a “disability identity space” in the Belonging and Community Justice center, create a uniform accommodations policy for Emory’s divisional councils, and develop an interactive campus map that denotes wheelchair-accessible spaces.
Additionally, the ticket plans to improve current open expression policies by creating an SGA open expression subcommittee open to all students on campus. They also hope to host town halls and presentations to help students better understand Emory’s open expression policy.
They plan to leverage their experiences as Peer Advocates in the Peer Advocate Office to create a student-led peer advocate office that communicates with students directly. The pair also intend to collaborate with the Center for Student Wellbeing to facilitate access to resources on medical amnesty protocols, sexual health and substance abuse education.
In regard to academics, Weinfield and Sethi are campaigning for extended library hours and standardized accommodation policies across Emory’s undergraduate colleges. They plan to improve shuttle services to other areas of Atlanta and bolster Atlanta-Oxford relations by helping Atlanta clubs recruit at Oxford. Weinfield and Sethi also plan to strengthen shuttle services to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
College Council President
Si Kai Feng
Emory College Republicans President Si Kai Feng (28C) is running for College Council president. His platform uses the acronym “T.I.M.E.” to emphasize his desire to improve academic and student life on campus. “T.I.M.E.” stands for time, impact, memories and equity.
Feng hopes to give students more “dead days” to prepare for finals, and wants to extend library hours and dining options on campus to give students more variety. Feng plans to improve school spirit and traditions through game-day events and festivals. He additionally aims to create an “Experience Emory” initiative, which would give students grants to explore the greater Atlanta area.
Another priority for Feng is academic and career support through increased job fairs, mentorship programs and networking opportunities. He plans to prioritize mental health by providing additional resources and events to promote wellness.
Vladyslav Senenko
College Council Chief of Staff Vlad Senenko (27C) is running for College Council president. Some of Senenko’s priorities include reforming the club charter process and establishing emergency funds for “urgent club needs.” He plans to improve student-administration communication through town halls and College Council office hours. He hopes to introduce a College Council newsletter to keep students informed on council activities.
Senenko’s academic initiatives include extended library hours, syllabus transparency during enrollment and expanding student access to publications like The Economist and Politico. He also advocates for free technology lending to make laptops, chargers and flash drives more accessible and an expanded Career Closet to improve student access to clothing for professional events.
Additionally, Senenko hopes to enhance student well-being by increasing late-night food options and expanding mental health support through peer support groups. He also plans to launch a club event competition to award extra funds to exceptional organizations.
College Council Vice President
Ellie Estridge
Ellie Estridge (28C) is running for College Council vice president. Her platform prioritizes increasing student attendance at sporting events and elevating school spirit by creating new traditions. Estridge also advocates for academic attendance flexibility for sick students.
“I will push for more structured sick policies that allow for doctors notes to excuse students, and test makeups for those who cannot take the test due present to illness,” Estridge’s platform states.
Another priority for Estridge is to add more utensils to the DCT to prevent students from scavenging for additional forks and knives.
Estridge is a member of Emory’s Softball team and serves as an Emory student ambassador.
Braden Newsome
Braden Newsome (25Ox), speaker of the OxSGA Senate and Oxford Honor Council member, is running for College Council vice president. His platform focuses on advocating for more robust mental health resources, reducing mental health stigma, reducing “busywork” that professors assign to students, and hosting monthly forums that discuss mental health.
Newsome hopes to ease first-years’ transition to Emory by connecting them with mentors, and to expand community and belonging at Emory by increasing support for cultural organizations. He also wants to encourage increased transparency in College Council’s decision making by making sure to communicate information with students. In his potential role as College Council vice president, Newsome intends to serve as a liaison between students and administration.
BBA Council President
Cate Navarrete
BBA Council Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Cate Navarrete (26B) is running for BBA Council president. She hopes to strengthen career development at Goizueta Business School through the startup support app Runway, collaborative LinkedIn groups, and a micro-credential program where students earn badges for their accomplishments. She also plans to create two new vice president roles: a vice president of professional development, who will help connect students with opportunities, and a vice president of international initiatives, who will aid students studying abroad and develop global initiatives.
Navarrete’s platform prioritizes community building through connections with alumni, a business school fair, a TEDx BBA collaboration and KEGS events. Additionally, she hopes to promote a better work-life balance among students through a Goizueta recruiting wellness series — a program intended to help students prioritize their well-being during the recruitment season. To improve student accessibility and equity, she hopes to implement identity-focused programming to celebrate diverse cultures.
Sydney Song
BBA Council Vice President of Programming Sydney Song (26B) is running for BBA President. She aims to expand career development resources by creating the vice president of career initiatives role, which will support students pursuing “non-traditional” business careers in fields such as film, arts, entrepreneurship, tech, and music, and assist international students during the recruiting process through an optional buddy system in which exchange students are paired with Goizueta students.
Her platform focuses on clearer communication by integrating feedback into BBA events, an anonymous feedback box and reducing concerns about transparency regarding BBA Council’s policies through a centralized BBA Council hub that publicizes meeting minutes and policy documents.
Song also plans to foster community by enhancing KEGS with interactive activities, student music recommendations and alumni engagements. Additionally, she hopes to promote student well-being by organizing de-stress events and securing fitness discounts for Goizueta students.
BBA Council Vice President
Simon Stumbris
BBA Council Vice President of Programming Simon Stumbris (26B) is running to be BBA Council vice president. He hopes to make BBA Council’s programming more effective and transparent and prioritize collaboration within the council and with other student organizations. He plans on implementing QR code surveys to improve feedback and guide decision-making.
One of Stumbris’ main focuses is to celebrate the Emory’s diversity and ensure that BBA Council’s programming reflects that diversity. One of the ways he plans to do this is by collaborating with Partnership for Southern Equity, an Atlanta nonprofit dedicated to promoting racial equity. He also hopes to build community by celebrating historical months and cultural observances.
If you or someone you know experienced sexual assault, you can access Emory’s Department of Title IX at 404-727-0541 and the Office of Respect’s hotline 24/7 at (404) 727-1514. You can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault hotline 24/7 at (800) 656-4673. You can reach the Atlanta Grady Rape Crisis Center crisis hotline 24/7 at (404) 616-4861 and the Decatur Day League Sexual Assault Care and Prevention crisis hotline 24/7 at (404) 377-1428.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is an assistant news editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and East Asian Studies. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
