Name: Daniel Egel-Weiss
Year: 2015
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Involvement: Student Association Senate President, ZBT, Finance fellow for Jack Evans for Mayor
How does it feel to be a campus celebrity?
“It feels great. It’s definitely an honor to be a campus celebrity. I hope that this opportunity will allow people to know that my door is always open. I want them to come reach out to me if they have problems or issues, and I’m always happy to hear from my constituents.”
Were you involved in student government prior to GW?
“I started really at GW. I had very limited involvement in student government in high school. Once I came to GW I saw a lot of potential that I thought wasn’t being tapped into in terms of how student life could be made better. I wanted to get involved in the beginning and get my hands dirty in terms of making sure that students really had a great experience here.”
Why did you get involved in the SA?
“Well I figured when I first came to school that I wanted to make GW the best place it could be and the way I could do that would be by getting involved in an early stage. I ran for the Columbian College Senator Seat my freshman year, and I just wanted to ensure that while I was here I could do everything I can to make GW the best place it could be. I feel like I sort have been able to accomplish a lot of what I wanted to in my time here and I have been happy with my experience the SA so far.”
What have you accomplished so far?
“Last year I was on the finance committee, and we were focusing on getting the resources to student organizations that they so desperately need. I helped cosponsor the student fee increase, which means that more student organizations will get the funding that they need to carry out the programs that GW students want to see so over the next several years. The student fee will increase and from there students will be able to have more awesome programming and a lot more events will be happening on campus, so we are really excited about that.
“Another area I have focused on is on the safety of GW students. I am currently working on an initiative to get 4-Ride to be more efficient by texting twice instead of the current system that they have in place. I am hopefully going to have a text message that says, “We are on route to your location,” and a text message that says, “We have arrived at your location,” to campus safety. People should feel better about when their 4-Ride is on the way.”
Â
What has being in the SA taught you?
“It has taught me a lot about how to work with other people and how to get things done. You need the entire Senate behind you to really get through to the administration and push your initiative. It has taught me how to reconcile differences amongst student leaders and pave the way for agreement and understanding amongst both the administrators, the students and the Student Association.”
What has been your biggest challenge?
“The biggest challenge is that there are issues that students see that administrators don’t necessarily see. We need to get our message across to them and make sure they understand that these are issues that aren’t only being brought up because students want to improve their life style here, but there are necessary changes that typically need to be made in order for students to have a wonderful experience at GW. “
What advice would you give someone who wants to get involved with the SA?
“My advice would be come out to SA Senate meetings, which happen every other Monday night. Listen to a little bit about what we do, get a broader idea and understanding of what our role is on campus, and then from there talk to your Student Association Senators and talk to the Student Association President. We are all very accessible and just be sure that we here your concerns and keep pushing us on it.”
What has been the best advice you have gotten as a member of the SA?
“The best advice I have gotten has been to go directly to the people that can actually make change. Instead of just writing a resolution or just presenting something to Her Campus or to The Hatchet, go straight to the administrator or the city council member or whomever you want to actually make the change. Don’t necessarily take credit for what you’re doing just make sure that it gets done.”
What are your career aspirations?
“I’m certainly interested in government politics. I love Chicago, so I will most likely go back and hopefully be able to work my way up on a political campaign to become a campaign manager in some capacity. On what level, I don’t know. That’s really where my interests lie and being able to recognize the needs of the constituency you’re representing and the powers of the government. That’s really an interest to me and something I want to pursue in the future.”
What is your favorite “only at GW” moment?
“I have many awesome only at GW moments. I think personally that the inauguration of Barack Obama was a great moment. Just to able to walk out of my door at International House and be able to walk down the street to the ceremony was spectacular. To see that unbridled patriotism in the streets was something that I don’t think many college students get to see.”
Is there anything else you want students to know?
“I just can’t stress enough how much I would love for people to come to all the Student Association Senators, especially myself, with issues that they’re facing. We will have an understanding and hopefully be able to work out any problems they are having because that is our job and personally I can say I love my job.
“We have the right mechanisms in place to reach out to administrators when we have a valid concern and make them hear us.”
Â
Â