Student Senate held its weekly general assembly meeting last Thursday. The meeting included remarks from the President of Student Senate, Evan Jackson, and Vice President Ty Vanlerberghe, along with guest speakers from the Senior Leadership Team.
Three members of the Senior Leadership Team presented at Thursday’s meeting — Vice President, Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer Stacie Behler, Vice President and General Counsel Jessica Weare and Vice President for People, Equity and Culture Robert Shorty. Their goal was address the federal landscape amid a partial government shutdown and advocate for student affordability.
A funding bill, which includes the Department of Education, is yet to be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives. Without a clear funding plan, public universities’ ability to budget remains uncertain.
“I show up every day and I work with legislators to help them understand that the success of our students means the success of our state and success of our country,” Behler said. “We’re going to keep fighting that fight.”
Last week, the Senior Leadership Team was scheduled to discuss plans around federal budget legislation. However, those plans were postponed due to concerns over a then potential government shutdown, which is now partially in effect.
“There is a lot of concern about things that are being funded within that bill,” said Behler. “We need that funding for each and every one of you (students) and the many students that are going to come behind you.”
Despite federal uncertainty, administrators continue to promote the University’s financial achievements. They reported GVSU’s investment return from the state generates over $30 for every $1 spent on GVSU. According to a 2025 economic impact report, GVSU remains in nation’s top 1% for talent retention and produces an annual $3 billion impact.
With this data, the Senior Leadership Team reiterated their purpose: student advocacy. Each member of the team shared words of encouragement to the senate.
“I love the idea of people being politically engaged,” Weare said. “Your government is supposed to be responsive to you so they should be hearing the things that you’re interested in.”
The Student Senate provided a separate statement to the Lanthorn highlighting its goals for wider engagement.
“Engaging with public policy and the processes behind it is an essential component of this work, as decisions made beyond campus directly impact students’ access, affordability and academic opportunities,” the statement read. “Student senators play an active role in representing their peers, engaging with University leadership and contributing to University-level decision-making.”
Future plans for Student Senate include Jackson and Vanlerberghe attending a meeting with Marouane Kessentini and Eric Kinney of the College of Computing to discuss students’ perspective on navigating AI use. The remainder of the Student Senate body prepares for its election season this upcoming March.
