Footage from O’Neil’s meeting with the Hatchet Editorial Board

Student Association Sen. Ted O’Neil (ESIA-U) wants to make improving the quality of life for students at the Mount Vernon Campus a top priority, if elected executive vice president, he said.

O’Neil, a sophomore, said some of his most important goals include implementing late-night dining hours for Ames Dining Hall at Mount Vernon and building a structure students can use to keep dry while waiting for the Vern Express shuttle bus.

“As EVP, I want to accomplish practical changes with profound effects,” O’Neil said. “What this means is taking the steps that the SA is already equipped to make and which the students on this campus will benefit from immediately.”

He added, “With these types of changes, we can make very big differences.”

The EVP candidate also said he will work to improve funding for student organizations by creating an advisory committee that would participate in the student organization budget allocation process.

“While there need to be improvements, I want the input of student organizations and other student leaders to find a solution that works best for everyone,” O’Neil said. “So, I want to establish a committee to explore various allocation methods. Together, we can decide on the best option.”

O’Neil said that despite his broad-reaching goals for GW, he will not neglect the senate, which he would chair as EVP. He said he will help reaffirm the senate’s role as an “initiative-based” body.

“What that means is rather than submitting resolutions that say we need to make changes, we need to make those changes,” O’Neil said.

He also has plans to make the SA more of a resource to students by creating an “office of constituent services” that would include a handful of unpaid staffers to assist students with their problems.

“(The office’s) domain would include how to go about getting a grade appeal, the test bank, sending out regular surveys to the student population, etcetera,” O’Neil said. “It would also include liaisons to the individual graduate schools in an effort to increase communication and bring them closer to the SA and the GW community as a whole.”

The Connecticut native said his experience in the SA is what makes him the best candidate for the senate’s top job.

“I have served in the senate for the last year so I am familiar with its processes and with Robert’s Rules and parliamentary procedure,” O’Neil said. “Also, because I know the system already, I know what is working and what can be improved upon.”