A sophomore became the first candidate to announce his bid for Student Association president this spring, pledging to continue the battle for student space if elected.
SA Sen. Michael Morgan, ESIA, said he will advocate for technology upgrades in conference rooms and classrooms, in addition to battling for Marvin Center and “superdorm” space. It would be the third-straight year with student space topping the organization’s agenda.
“We need to modernize the student space we have, making it better for the students, making it more technologically advanced and somewhere that is really directed at students,” Morgan said.
Morgan said his experience lobbying administrators makes him the best candidate for the student body’s top advocacy seat. He added that he would hold weekly office hours at J Street to hear student concerns.
“We really need to elect an SA president that has the experience and background to represent students, how to work with the University and how to really push for our issues,” Morgan said. “You have to really know how to work the system.”
He also plans to lobby for more security in residence halls, in wake of the assault at the administrative building Rice Hall in December. Morgan, who works for the University Police Department checking student IDs in Thurston Hall, said GW should keep guards in all halls from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
GW's largest residence halls – including Guthridge and Thurston halls – have guards stationed at entrances from evenings to 3 a.m., unlike other city universities, like New York University, which has 24-hour checkpoints in every building.
Morgan also serves as chair of the Student Dining Board and said working with administrators has prepared him for the top SA post.
“If I did not think I had the leadership experience, if I didn’t think I had the proven results working with the University, if I didn’t think I had the ideas or the know-how, I wouldn’t do it, because that would be an SA presidency wasted,” Morgan said.
Morgan also has ideas that delve into the University’s commitment to becoming more sustainable. He said he has already talked with student leaders from Green GW about bringing solar-powered picnic tables with outlets for laptop and cell phone charging to campus as well as sustainable room upgrades for interested students.
This year's elections will take place after spring break.
This kid’s got it together. I’m excited to see where things go when he wins.
Please not another Sigma Chi…
He’s Beta!
Yup.
Who cares if he is a Sigma Chi? In the past three years, Sigma Chi presidents have expanded Gelman, reduced over five fees, expanded the career center, and opened Duques/Funger for longer hours. The only people who keep saying “not another sigma chi” are people that hate Sigma Chi. If a great candidate comes out of Pike or Beta or Adpi or DG, I’d support them regardless because it’s about the candidate. Who cares what their fraternity affiliation is.
At least someone here speaks sense. It really is only about the candidate, not which fraternity or sorority the candidate is involved with.
I heard Michael Wasserman and Zoe Valentine were also running. This kid will definitely lose to them.
Michael Wasserman is abroad.
A BROAD!!!*
Mike Morgan’s a power-hungry misogynist, doesn’t do his job well in the Student Dining Board as is, and is a total joke. Nobody who has worked with Mike thinks he’d be a good SA President.
He doesn’t give a shit about sustainability and the only reason he’s addressing that is because he feels its a fad issue that people will latch on to. Such a fucking manipulator and a total dick.
Uh…you wanna try backing any of that up?
With the SA’s very limited budget and scope, is sustainability a real concern?? If the university uses less water are people happier?
Michael Morgan would be a horrible SA president for three reasons. First, he’s done a horrible job as Student Dining Chair. He was not responsible for the Auntie Anne’s decision (GW did that on their own) and he often takes the side of administrators in meetings rather than students. Second, he fails to connect with people when representing them. He treats students as if their pawns in his scheme to become SA president. Third, he wants to be SA president to “be SA president.” He doesn’t want to be president in order to represent the students. After interacting with the guy for the past year on several projects, he would be the worst possible person to carry on the fight for student space.
So what does Auntie Annes have to do with any of this? Sorry I’m new and don’t understand what the SA President and high calorie pretzels that probably cause diabetes have in common. But again hey, I’m new.
I actually know the guy. He’s a good dude and about as personable as anyone I’ve met. If you have a issue with him, go catch up with him sometime, he’s not unreasonable, maybe you can work it out or get some clarification.
Your point doesn’t rebut any of my three points. He’s unqualified and doesn’t work well with people in a professional setting. I don’t mind hanging out with the guy but that’s not a qualifier for being president.
My point, is that if you have a professional issue with the man, take it up with him face to face like a professional. That’s how things work outside high school.
How the heck do you refute points two and three?
Here’s an example of a possible argument:
you: “He treats students as if they were pawns in his scheme.”
me: “No he doesn’t”
you: “Yes he does”
me: “Ok”
you: “He wants to be SA President to be President”
me: “How do you know that?”
you: “You can see it in his face”
me: “Ok cool.”
I can’t speak to point one, considering I’ve never worked with the guy, but your “points” are just thinly veiled opinions masquerading as fact.
As for point two, you could refute it by providing an example of how Michael has worked with someone in a professional setting and treated them with respect. My point went to the fact that he only deals with people who serve a political purpose rather than just treating everyone in a respectful manner. As for point three, he’s made it clear that he’s running for SA president since October and his focus on being president has proven detrimental to his performance as a senator and Dining Board Chair.
“The renovation of Columbia Plaza, geared towards student needs and accessible space.”
Columbia Plaza is an apartment and liquor store; Columbian Square is the seating area in J Street. If he’s going to run for SA President and tout dining and the dining area as main reform items, maybe he should start by learning what these places are called.
It will be quite telling if Mike gets the endorsement from the College Republicans, as he has really not done a good job in his position of publications manager. He has failed to produce the CR monthly, and his posters for events look like a 4 year old put them together. If he is able to get the endorsement from one of the premier student organizations on campus, everyone should look into how he got it. I think they have meetings this week, we should show up and make sure that the CR’s give their endorsement to the best candidate, not to the candidate who is pretending to run back door deals. This is a college election, he should lose, and I hope he will lose.
Yeah! The CRs are really important!
Yeah! The SA is really important!
These elections are about students and the issues. They are not about calling each other names or throwing mud at one another.
I’m not passing judgement here on Mike as SA President. Rather I am simply commenting on us, the students. We complain about the SA and we complain about elections being picky over rules, yet we have comment feeds like this one.
I for one just hope this election season is a good clean one. One where actual student issues will be discussed and one where the best candidate for the job will win, whomever that may be.
You see, the thing is, Mike Morgan is a SUPERSTAR and is the most qualified candidate for an SA position since Sam Free ran for EVP!
JMG aka Josh Goldstein? Didn’t you lose EVP, then support Sam Free (who lost), then support Bennett (who lost), and now are supporting Bennett? Man, you really pick winners….
That’s very clearly a troll.
that’s kinda embarrassing that you know that much about SA politics.
I LIKE TURTLES
There is no doubt that Mike has an egotistical sole, and from what I’ve heard he really doesn’t do a good job handling the money that the Student Dining Board is entrusted to take care of. I know for a fact that he never held meetings of the Board, and then allocated money which is against university rules (and basic ethics.) He should work at the Auntie Anne’s he talks about so lovingly (although, he didn’t bring it here to GW, he just acts as if he did.)
One of my best friends is on the board, and I know they HAVE had meetings. If you’re going to bash a candidate, do it on the facts.
HE’S A ROCKSTAR!!!!!!
You’re late to the party. JMG has already commented.
I am a man of many, many, many words.
Will Mike Morgan bring the Puppy Bowl to DC?
OK
Leave me out of this
I heard he is in bed with Standard Oil!
Ray Lewis killed a guy.
Laura Bush killed a guy.
Point of Information: Laura Bush’s car killed a guy.
Matthew Broderick killed a guy too
I heard he dresses in women’s clothing!
Oh SA Elections, where the worlds of frats bashing each other, those terrible kids in your PSC classes that keep you late, and mountains of bureaucracy collide.
Why anyone cares is anyone’s guess.
It would be great if instead of student space the pipes in 1959E could stop bursting
Also, being conservative has nothing to do with being a misogynist. The person who said most GW students find them old fashioned at best should really talk to more people on campus.
http://encyclopedia.gwu.edu/index.php?title=Baldwin%2C_Alec
In case anyone thinks drama is knew in SA elections, heres a recount of the troubled campaign run by Alec Baldwin when he ran for SA president here
Come home to me Michael :(
Not a Fan? I beg to differ!
http://www.hackcollege.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Fan.jpeg
Oh my God people. This is A STUDENT ELECTION… in the real scheme of things, you will look back one day and realize how absolutely ridiculous it is to be mudslinging and bad mouthing a guy you barely even know because he stepped up to run for SA president. At least the candidates who do decide to run, have the balls to put themselves at the mercy of this overly judgmental student body. These candidates know when they decide to run that you are going to make up crap about them, call them on their shit, criticize everything they’ve ever done in life… I highly doubt someone would subject themselves just for the sake of “being SA President”… 30 years from now whether or not you were SA President is not going to mean anything. Cut the mudslinging GW it’s just childish.. some of you really ought to read George Washington’s rules of etiquette because some of you don’t have any. Let the issues be what matters, let the speeches influence you….not your peers.
I know Mike Morgan. Do I know if I’m voting for him for SA President?… I’m not sure yet, I’m waiting for the election to play out… it’s not about personal feelings, it’s about what needs to get done.
I had a similar experience.
You’re joking, right? Chivalry does not preclude misogyny. No one’s trying to make the point that he has bad manners. He is a conservative Republican who often talks about his traditional values (which most of GW’s student body would consider old-fashioned at best), as well as someone who obviously works hard to be perceived as charming. I’m not surprised that you had a nice date, but he is decidedly not a feminist.
Preach it
How do you know he/she “barely even [knows]” Mike?