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Senate

The Senate, chaired by the President, is the legislative body of the Vassar Student Association. The nine Executive Board officers, six Committee Chairs, and sixteen Class Senators work to advocate on behalf of the student community through the Senate resolutions and casework processes and their service on college committees.

What We Do

Elected to represent the student community, the members of the Senate work to legislate and advocate on behalf of the student community and serve on the joint committees of the College.

Your four elected Class Senators are your connection to the Senate and VSA! It is their responsibility to communicate regularly with you and bring forth and advocate for your legislative initiatives and issues in their committees and the Senate. They are also your peer advocates through our casework system, holding the authority to support you through a variety of issues with faculty, administrators, and offices.

Who We Are

Executive Board

Julián Aguilar

President
(he/him)

Joseph Mangan

Vice President
(they/he)

Traci Francis

Chair of Equity and Inclusion
(she/her)

Maxwell Bergman

Chair of Residential Affairs
(he/him)

Emily Doucet

Chair of Academics
(she/her)

John Wapner

Chair of Organizations
(he/him)

Naveen Malik

Chair of Finance
(he/him)

Faye Stevens

Chair of Health and Wellness
(she/her)

Dhriti Seth

Chair of Programming and Traditions
(she/her)

Committee Chairs

Dan Kuruvila

Chair of First-Year Programs
(he/him)

Izzy Rico

Chair of Environmental Action
(they/them)

To Be Appointed

Chair of Communications

Kyle Flyn

Chair of Athletics
(he/him)

Noon Elmostafa

Chair of Student Labor
(she/her)

Jyotsna Naidu

Chair of Community Affairs
(she/her)

Senators

Alex Kaye

2023 Senator
(he/him)

Henry Turner

2023 Senator
(he/him)

Brian Scannell

2023 Senator
(he/him)

To Be Appointed

2023 Senator

Jordan Norman

2024 Senator
(she/her)

Olivia Gross

2024 Senator
(she/her)

Noura Lamb

2024 Senator
(she/they)

To Be Appointed

2024 Senator

Charlie From

2025 Senator
(any pronouns)

Lydia Freedman

2025 Senator
(she/her)

Zerah Ruiz

2025 Senator
(she/her)

Simon Lewis

2025 Senator
(he/him)

Dariana Reyes Marquez

2026 Senator
(she/her)

Karolina Naidon

2026 Senator
(she/her)

Sophia Greene

2026 Senator
(she/her)

Matthew Tavarez

2026 Senator
(he/him)

Committees

Chaired by the Vice President, the Operations Committee is the administrative committee of the Senate, responsible for the maintenance and enforcement of our Governing Documents and any additional Senate rules and policies.

Chaired by the Chair of Equity & Inclusion, the Equity and Inclusion Committee oversees initiatives regarding the physical, emotional, and mental safety and empowerment of students with marginalized identities and initiatives to improve and consider issues of campus climate as it relates to identity, equity, and inclusion. The Equity and Inclusion Committee also provides funding through the Social Consciousness Fund (SCF) to support affinity programming.

Chaired by the Chair of Academics, the Academics Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding academics and the academic life of students.

Chaired by the Chair of Residential Life, the Dining Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding the dining services provided by the College to students.

Chaired by the Chair of Organizations, the Organizations Committee oversees all student organizations, recommending the recognition, sponsorship, and certification of preliminary and certified student organizations. The Organizations Committee is also responsible for auditing student organizations. Each committee member serves as a liaison for student organizations and provides support and guidance on Organization Committee policies to them.

Co-chaired by the Chair and Vice Chair of Finance, the Finance Committee oversees the funds of the Association, recommending the disbursal of funds to student organizations to the Senate and ensuring our bylaws and policies are adhered to when funds are spent by student organizations.

Chaired by the Chair of Health & Wellness, the Health and Wellness Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding the mental, physical, and emotional health and wellbeing of students.

Chaired by the Chair of Programming & Traditions, the Programming and Traditions Committee cooridnates all-campus programming, including Tasty Tuesday and the Saturday and NYC Shuttle programs, and traditions, including Serenading, Halloweekend, and Founder’s Day.

Chaired by the Chair of First-Year Programs, the First-Year Programs Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding the success and wellbeing of the first-year class.

Chaired by the Chair of Environmental Action, the Environmental Action Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding the environmental impact of the VSA.

Chaired by the Chair of Communications, the Communications Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding the communication and general outreach by the VSA to students.

Co-chaired by the Chair of Athletics and Student Athlete Advisory Committee’s Student Government Liaison, the Athletics Committee oversees initiatives to foster communication between athletes and non-athletes.

Chaired by the Chair of Student Labor, the Student Labor Committee oversees initiatives and issues regarding the employment conditions of students.

Chaired by the Chair of Community Affairs, the Community Affairs Committee oversees initiatives to foster greater exchange between Vassar students and the greater Poughkeepsie community.

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