Student Government Association Senate Election Results
Courtesy of The Catholic University of America
By Margaret Adams and Jaci Jedrych
The 2022-2023 Student Government Association Senate (SGA) election was an historic race for Catholic University, from a record number of candidates in the freshman race to the unfounded success of write-in campaigns.
The class of 2023 Senate winners were Matthew Drauschak and Curtis Bommer. During his time as senator, Drauschak is hoping to start a partnership with the Old Soldiers’ Home Golf Course and lower wait times in the Pryz. He also hopes to spearhead a DPS Appreciation Day and a charity art contest with Brookland Community.
Curtis Bommer won the race as a write-in candidate–his last-minute social media announcement garnered enough attention from his peers and he won after an endorsement from Drauschak.
The class of 2024 re-elected two senators: Jamie Besendorfer and Matthew Michels. Besendorfer was elected for her third year on the Senate for the class of 2024. Michels hopes to continue reforming Title XI policies, make campus more inclusive, and improve campus safety.
The class of 2025 elected Neil D’Attelo and Ashley Martin. D’Attelo hopes to work with dining services to improve food options and quality, pass legislation to make Veteran’s Day a University holiday, and increase the number of trash cans and recycling bins on campus.
Bennett Bert and Michael Kish won their senate seats for the class of 2026 out of 15 total candidates.
The biggest academic school on campus, the School of Arts and Sciences, elected Jack Kruger and Jordan Gehrig. Kruger wants to highlight the totality of the School of Arts and Sciences, thanks to his involvement in classes across the school. A major tenant of his campaign is student worker policy and on-campus job reform. He also hopes to expand the menstrual equity program, create a separate Diversity and Inclusion standing committee, foster cultural competency through new courses, and expand on Thea Bowman committee’s work.
Jordan Gehrig’s campaign emphasized her leadership experience, alongside endorsements from Matthew Michels and Jack Kruger. She hopes to incorporate Monroe Street Market restaurants into Catholic University’s meal plan, lengthen hours of the Market, invest in U passes, improve senate approachability, increase mental health services on campus, foster better communication with DPS along with faster response times, and increase hours of campus shuttle.
Hess Djilioni and Marisol Zayas won the election to represent the School of Architecture and Planning. The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, & Art senators are Daniel Campbell and Anthony Curioso. The senators representing the Busch School of Business are Ryan Downing and Samantha Phillips. Ash Samuels and Michael McCarthy represent the National Catholic School of Social Service in the Senate. Cristian Henriquez and Olivia Musick are the elected senators for the Conway School of Nursing. Luke Bubel and Allison Ewing represent the School of Engineering, Liam Foley and Charlie Tamayo represent the School of Philosophy, and Ryan Corey and Andrea Suarez represent Theology and Religious Studies in the Senate.
“This year was a historic election for the SGA Senate, and we’re so thrilled for the year to come,” said SGA Vice President Maevis Fahey. “With many newcomers along with some returners on the Senate floor this year, we will all need to lean on each other to make this year the best it can be. All are welcome to attend Senate meetings every other Monday night at 8:15pm in the Great Rooms!”
