Student Senate 3/24: Elections Forum, Facilities Explains Laundry System
Alfredo Roman Jordan ’26 is running unopposed for Senate president. (Grace Jurchak/The Gettysburgian)
By Brandon Fey, News Editor
Student Body Forum
The meeting began with a student body forum of the candidates for Senate executive board positions next semester.
Alfredo Roman Jordan ’26 is running unopposed for the presidency. The vice president position is contested between Oliver Eckloff ’27, Jocelyn Duquette ’27 and Dominic DiLuzio ’26. There are no candidates for the Inclusion Officer position.
The forum was moderated by Gettysburgian Editor-in-Chief Vincent DiFonzo ’25, who explained that candidates would each be given 40 seconds for opening statements and 40 seconds for answering each question. He said that no personal attacks against individuals were allowed and that candidates were required to show respect to the moderator and one other.
The first round was for the president position. In his opening statement, Roman Jordan stated that he believes that Gettysburg College deserves a Student Senate that truly represents the student body, and stated the current Senate strays away from what the wants of the student body. He said that the Senate ought to be less political and remain uninhibited by bureaucratic procedure.
DiFonzo’s first question asked about Roman Jordan’s goals for the Senate should he serve as Senate president. He responded that he would like to put a working group together to address issues students have reported with campus laundry. He also mentioned trying to extend dining hours at Servo and adding a dinner swipe at the Bullet Hole for first-year students with late labs.
Gettysburgian Editor-in-Chief Vincent DiFonzo ’25 moderated the forum. (Grace Jurchak/The Gettysburgian)
The next question was about the prior experience that would qualify him to be Senate president. Roman Jordan said that he has been a member of the Student Senate for three years, serving as treasurer for one year, and as a committee chair. He cited his familiarity with the current senators and described himself as personable and involved on campus.
DiFonzo’s last question for him was what he thought to be the greatest issue facing the campus community. Roman Jordan replied that within the scope of the Student Senate, laundry has been a recurrent student concern.
Those in attendance were then given the chance to ask questions. One student asked about Roman Jordan’s plan for dealing with difficult administrators, to which he responded that he intends to “pressure” the administration with repeated emails.
When asked what he would do differently than the current executive board, he said that the president should be more proactive in working with the executive board.
Next, the vice presidential forum began, during which the candidates shared their opening statements.
Duquette spoke about the importance of the vice president’s role in running the Senate floor, and said that she thinks everyone’s voice in the Senate should be heard.
Eckloff said that as the Senate’s current inclusion officer, they are committed to uplifting the voices of peers, and wants to advocate on behalf of students while making all feel welcome.
DiLuzio said that he joined the Senate because he wanted to make an impact on campus, but it has failed to make tangible corrections to issues of the student body and the College often ignores the Senate. He said that he wanted to push against the administration.
The candidates were then asked about their goals should they be elected.
Eckloff mentioned goals aimed to address student concerns that are frequently expressed at the Senate meetings including laundry, food quality and parking. They said that she would work with the administration to address them properly.
DiLuzio said that he wants to enable all to enact change while also enabling discussion, citing a lack of directionality in the Senate.
Duquette’s goals included making the student body more involved with the Senate and informing them about the issues it discusses.
The next question asked about the prior experience of each candidate that made them qualified for the position.
DiLuzio got the first reply, talking about his five semesters on the Student Senate, participation in Senate committees, his rank of Eagle Scout and his presidency of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Duquette commented on her experience as a senator and secretary of the Class of 2027. She said that beyond her sorority, she has been able to meet people through club and intramural soccer as well as her job at a museum.
Eckloff spoke about their experience as Senate inclusion officer, work with new member orientation, position as chair of the College Life Advisory Committee, their coordination of the Senate Spring Blowout and their role as an inclusion and belonging peer educator.
Candidates for Senate vice president (left to right) Dominic DiLuzio ’26, Oliver Eckloff ’27 and Jocelyn Duquette ’26. (Grace Jurchak/The Gettysburgian)
The final question asked by DiFonzo asked what set each candidate apart from the others.
Duquette emphasized her passion and love of the campus, stating that she wanted to attend Gettysburg since her sophomore year in high school. She said that she wants all to share her positive experience at the school.
Eckloff said that they wanted to bring their current mission as inclusion officer into the role of Vice President by prioritizing inclusion and belonging among the Senate and the student body.
DiLuzio said that his experience sets him apart, as he has a demonstrated ability to advocate for school improvement, and his outspoken nature can facilitate change.
Voting will be open in EngageGettysburg until March 30 at noon.
Officer Reports
President Michael Woods ’25 announced that students will soon be able to nominate members of the senior class for the annual Franklin Moore Award. This award is meant for a student who has made a clear benefit to the Senate or College community.
Vice President Abby Ruggiero ’26 stated that the Inclusion Committee has not been able to reach a quorum this semester of a member who refuses to attend. She asked if anyone would be willing to attend the committee so it could meet.
Treasurer Jack Thompson ’27 reported that $23,674.12 remains in the Senate budget for the academic year.
Inclusion Officer Eckloff said that the Inclusion Committee will meet on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in CUB 206.
Advisor Report
Senate Advisor and Director of the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life Jon Allen announced that his office will proceed with implementing the new student organization model he proposed at the last meeting. This now creates questions about the funding for tier-one organizations.
Guest Speaker
Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning & Management Jim Biesecker visited the Senate accompanied by Director of Facilities Services and Communications Jennifer Coale to discuss the opinion that the Senate passed about laundry on campus.
Biesecker said that he has overseen the College’s laundry contract since 1991, and intended to provide context information and answer questions.
He stated that there are 35 laundry rooms on campus with 180 units of equipment, which includes one washing machine and one dryer. The industry standard is one equipment unit for every 30 people, which he explained that the College meets in most laundry rooms except for the one in Apple Hall, which has a slightly larger ratio of one unit to 32 students.
Biesecker explained that the College must have a combination of front- and top-loading machines because front-loaders require a higher amount of draining that the local sewer infrastructure cannot handle.
In addition, he said that the cost of each equipment usage is set by the College, and not the company, Caldwell & Gregory. The rate has been $1.50 for over 12 years, to cover the cost of the contract plus equipment and fees. He explained that the College does not make a profit on laundry, and the price is separate from that of College housing to support enrollments.
The College has contracted laundry from Caldwell & Gregory for over 17 years, and they service their own equipment. The current contract will expire in 2026, and the College will have the option for extension under current terms, new negotiation, or search for a new provider.
The Speed Queen app is through a separate company that is contracted by Caldwell & Gregory.
Biesecker emphasized the importance of reporting work orders when laundry equipment does not operate properly. Reports can be filed through a Caldwell & Gregory QR code, or College QR code posted in laundry rooms, or online.
He also explained that Caldwell & Gregory has one technician assigned to the campus who arrives every Monday for general maintenance regardless of the number of work orders if any. Service is available every Monday through Friday. Any service order filed after Friday at noon will not be fulfilled until the following Monday.
Besecker said that given the scale of the equipment on campus and the frequency at which it is used, there will always be some kind of interruption. This usually involves faulty belts and pumps in washing machines because of overloading, which can also damage washing machine doors. Delays are often due to the limited availability of parts and a lack of reporting of malfunctions.
During the question portion of his presentation, Biesecker said that no changes to the current are currently planned for negotiation next year, though he is willing to receive student feedback on the issue. He said that in his experience, Caldwell & Gregory has offered good service compared to other providers.
He also responded to a question about locations without laundry equipment and said that Facilities is looking into them and considering what additional equipment would entail.
Equipment is serviced by Caldwell & Gregory, though the exterior of machines are cleaned by College facilities.
Coale commented on the importance of students reporting laundry issues, as despite the frequent concern over Hanson Hall’s laundry issues to the Student Senate, only eight of the 136 reports this academic year have been for those machines.
One senator asked if there is a compensation process for clothing that is damaged in College laundry equipment, to which Coale replied that items damaged in laundry must be reported to either Caldwell & Gregory or Facilities Services. She said that she received a compensation request report from the company every week, none of which has had any requests since August.
Coals emphasized that the Facilities work order page should be treated as a customer service page, as opposed to merely an instrument for repair requests.
Committee Reports
The Board of Committee Chairs will meet biweekly on Saturdays from 3 to 4 p.m. in CUB 206.
The College Life Advisory Committee meets on Thursdays at 11:30 am, typically in CUB 212. The committee has not been able to meet a quorum for the past two meetings.
The Opinions Committee, which meets Mondays at 4:30 p.m. in CUB 230, announced that it would be sharing an opinion later in the meeting.
Club Reports and Announcements
President Iuliano will hold office hours on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Bullet Hole.
Servo will celebrate Major League Baseball’s opening day on Thursday with a baseball-themed dinner.
Lambda Chi Alpha will host a philanthropic pickleball tournament on Saturday.
Student Concerns
President Woods commented on the progress that has been made on previous student concerns:
- Customizable omelets will now be available Monday through Saturday with both types of cheese.
- Kazue in the Bullet Hole will at tempeh to the salad bowl option.
- Facilities Services will inspect each room in Stevens Hall for roaches. Buildings are typically inspected during the summer as well.
- Heating concerns in residence halls have likely been because of inconsistent day and night temperatures over the past few weeks, and individual rooms can be serviced for temperature.
- Chicken fingers cannot be multiple days at Bullet Hole week because yearly specials are already planned, but a change could be made next semester.
The floor was then opened for students to voice new concerns:
- The FD Meal Planner app has not been updated with the new Bullet Hole menus. Students expressed their preference for the previous system in which the menu was posted on the Dining Services webpage.
- Rice in the salad line at the Bullet Hole has reportedly made several people sick.
- There have been filthy utensils in Servo and at the Bullet Hole.
New Business
There were four budget requests.
The Pennsylvania College Guard requested $248, and the Budget Committee recommended $112 instead. The request was for food for events and new clothing materials. $132.44 was allocated to also cover the cost of tote bags for storage of uniforms.
Gettysburg College ROTC initially requested $915 for a medical training event over the weekend. The money would be used to pay for lunches for cadets visiting from local universities that comprise the regional battalion with Gettysburg. Only $430 is needed to cover the cost of 11 meals on the first day and 28 meals on the second day, which is the amount that was allocated.
The International Club requested $2,350 (2.5% of the Senate’s total yearly budget) to host a cultural New Year event in April. The request was funded in full.
SANGAM requested $2,350 and the Budget Committee recommended $865. This money is for funding a Holi celebration on campus. The committee recommended a lower amount because the Senate has already allocated a large amount of money to the organization over the years. The recommended amount of $865 was fully approved and the club representative was encouraged to return if he could not find the other funds from another source.
The Opinions Committee shared an opinion for the creation of a crosswalk at the intersection of North Washington Street and West Water street near the Eisenhower Institute building. The opinion was passed.
