GCC Student Senate

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Student Senate is the representative body for the students of GCC. Some of their primary responsibilities include making recommendations to the College on student issues, allocating student activity fee funds, and reviewing club/organization applications. Student Senate holds regularly scheduled meetings that all members of the campus community are invited to attend. Student Senate is comprised of eleven student leaders in the following positions: President, Vice President, Student Trustee, and eight Senators. The Student Senate Constitution can be viewed here: GCC Student Senate Constitution. One of the major responsibilities of Student Senate is to allocate the Student Activity Fee Budget. GCC groups or individuals seeking annual or one-time activity fee funding should complete the Activity Fee Budget Request.

2025-2026 Student Senate

  • Leilani Aires, President
  • Nate Woodard, Vice President
  • Michael Hannigan, Student Trustee
  • VACANT, Secretary
  • Henry Morgan, Treasurer
  • Lily Hohn, Senator
  • Lakshmi Moye, Senator
  • Peter Pavone, Senator
  • VACANT, Senator
  • VACANT, Senator
  • VACANT, Senator

Student Senate Positions

President: The President is responsible for drawing up an agenda prior to Senate meetings, and presiding over meetings (Bi-weekly). They meet with the Senate Advisor (Coordinator of Student Leadership & Engagement) regularly, and are in regular communication with the Vice President. The President (along with the Student Trustee) are expected to participate in Student Advisory Council (SAC) which is a statewide organization created to set up a dialogue between student leaders from every public college and university in Massachusetts and the Board of Higher Education.

Vice President: The Vice President assists with planning of agendas, and fills in for the President in the event they are unable to fulfill their responsibilities.

Senators (8): Senators attend Senate meetings (bi-weekly). Senators have the opportunity to fill the roles of Treasurer and Secretary, and may participate in Committees (ex: Finance Committee, Student Activities Council, Senate Review Committee, etc).

Student Trustee: In addition to attending bi-weekly Student Senate meetings, the Student Trustee is expected to attend GCC Board of Trustees meetings (monthly) and GCC Board Internal/External Committee meetings (every other month). During Board meetings, the Student Trustee will present a monthly Student Senate report. The Student Trustee (along with the Student Senate President) are expected to participate in Student Advisory Council (SAC) which is a statewide organization created to set up a dialogue between student leaders from every public college and university in Massachusetts and the Board of Higher Education.

Are you interested in developing yourself as a leader on campus? Do you want to have a positive impact on the student experience at GCC? Are you looking for a place to discuss current important issues on campus and work towards solutions? Are you interested in having a voice in how Student Activity Fees are allocated? If you answered YES to any of these questions, consider running for Student Senate! No prior experience is needed—we will provide training and support! Elections take place each fall (and spring if there are vacant seats).

Applications for the spring election cycle are open!  We are currently looking to elect students to nine (9) vacant seats, including President, Student Trustee, and 7 Senator seats.  The term of these positions will be from April 2026-April 2027 (with the exception of the Student Trustee, which runs June 2026-June 2027).

Eligibility

To be eligible to hold a Student Senate position (President, VP, Student Trustee, or Senator), students must be enrolled in at least one credit-bearing course and be in good standing with the College (i.e., maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and good judicial standing).

Application Process
  • Meet with the Coordinator of Student Leadership and Engagement, Sara Allred, to review the responsibilities and time commitment of the Senator position. This meeting can take place at any time during your application process but must happen before the application deadline of April 6, 2026. To schedule an appointment (it’s best to do this right away!) email allreds@gcc.mass.edu.
  • Complete the application form by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 6.
  • Submit the signature sheet with 25 signatures of current GCC students OR have a GCC faculty or staff member submit a letter of recommendation for you to Sara Allred by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 6. You can pick up a signature sheet in C216.
Spring 2026 Timeline
  • Before April 6, – Meet with Sara Allred to express interest and review responsibilities of positions
  • Monday, April 6 – Completed application form (and 25 student signatures or a letter of recommendation) due by 11:59 p.m.
  • Candidate(s) are encouraged to campaign after their candidacy has been confirmed by the Coordinator of Student Leadership & Engagement (by April 7). Candidates are welcome to make campaign materials and post on bulletin boards. Content (language and imagery) of all campaign materials should be in alignment with GCC values and policies as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct and Standards of Behavior.
  • Candidates may vote in an election, however they cannot assist with the election process as a candidate.
  • Following the election the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement will notify all candidates and then the campus once votes have been counted.
  • The newly elected Student Senate members will attend the next Senate meeting (on 4/22, 3:30-5 p.m.) to begin their term.
Apply/Self-Nominate
Name(Required)
Email(Required)
Must have a min. 2.0 GPA
Availability(Required)
Are you free to attend all Senate meetings (see schedule) on campus or via Zoom?
Describe yourself and why you want to represent the GCC student body in 5-8 sentences.
Upload a photo so your fellow students can meet you!
Accepted file types: jpg, png, gif, jpeg, webp, Max. file size: 8 MB.

Senate meets every other Wednesday (unless otherwise noted) from 3:30-5 p.m. in Macleish (C307) & via Zoom

  • Wednesday April 8 - 3:30pm
  • Wednesday April 22 - 3:30pm
  • Wednesday May 6 - 3:30pm

    • If you would like to contact the senate, email student_senate@stuemail.gcc.mass.edu

    All College Meetings usually take place every second Monday of the month from 12-1 p.m. in the Dining Commons.
  • Monday April 13 - 12:00pm
  • Monday May 11 - 12:00pm

    • Board of Trustees Meetings take place the third Wednesday of the month from 4:30 p.m. and can be attended by Zoom. For dates, agenda and Zoom link, see the Board of Trustees webpage.Tab content