My name is Teddy Warner (Chemistry G4) and I am running for re-election as GSC President. We have accomplished a lot this year and though opinion on campus is divided, I have strived to help everyone feel respected. Together, the GSC is larger than it has been in recent memory (81 members), we standardized the bylaws by fully rewriting large portions, have endorsed many statements from different perspectives, and have represented graduate students internally and externally. This upcoming year will bring a variety of challenges, such as decreased federal funding and the enactment of the SOWG Changes. My goals as President are to ensure that conditions remain fair for all graduate students in all areas, but specifically:

• Graduate students at MIT should not have their research impeded by illegal funding pauses or other budget cuts.
  • We are going to continue working in Washington, on Beacon Hill, and at MIT to support students.
• The student life fee should be distributed equitably between graduate students and undergraduates. Currently, graduate students receive ~$0.70/$1.00 that we pay into the New Fund.
  • With the implementation of the One Fund, we can seek equality.
• Policies around ethical funding sources should be established and publicized.
  • The GSC has passed resolutions concerning the Suri Report. We will work with MIT administration to ensure that grants are subject to a similar review process.

It has been a great honor to serve as GSC President (and Secretary) and I hope to continue with my work next term.

My name is Molly Warndorf, and I’m a fourth-year chemistry PhD candidate. I am confident that my diverse experience and leadership skills make me a strong candidate for the position of Vice-President. I’ve been involved in various organizations and committees within the Institute and have been an active member of the GSC since my second year.

I joined GSC’s Muddy Charles Pub Committee and have served as their Treasurer for the past year. I’ve learned valuable financial management skills and insight into the importance of budgeting, resource allocation, and accountability that’s required of an organization within MIT. In a time when the Institute is drastically changing its funding structure, this experience will enable me to promote the effective allocation of the council’s resources, collaborate efficiently with the GSC Treasurer, and ensure that our initiatives are both financially sound and impactful.

I’m extremely familiar with the operations of the GSC, having served as a Committee Member of this past year’s Governing Documents Committee. I have a deep understanding of the council’s processes and the needs of the graduate student body and I’m passionate about advocating for graduate students, improving our collective experience, and ensuring that our voices are heard.

If elected as Vice-President, I’ll press for the Institute to provide better transparency on their funding and policy decisions. Additionally, I’ll push for more recruitment efforts to fill open Representative positions on GSC Committees, Institute Committees, and Departmental Representative roles. It would be an honor to serve as Vice-President, and I look forward to the continued success of the GSC.

Hi! I’m Audrey, and I’m a second year Nuclear Science & Engineering PhD Candidate. For the last year, I’ve served as President of Edgerton House, one of MIT’s Graduate Communities, where I led the rewriting of our Constitution and rescoping of our house government roles. I’ve attended quite a few GSC GCMs over the last year, as well as most Housing and Community Affairs Committee meetings. I’ve had a great time getting things done with the GSC, and particularly enjoyed taking the lead on the community logging of laundry issues across MIT graduate dorms, which led to the resolution of almost all recurring laundry issues. Now we only have to worry about the occasional mechanical error or missing sock! I have also worked extensively with MIT Graduate Housing and Residential Services to update the housing selection process over the last two years (to prevent repeats of the Great Portal Crash of 2023), and am currently trying to work to create a better process for roommate groups to be placed together. I’ve had the privilege of representing MIT Graduate Communities to the Student Life Visiting Committee, hosted by the MIT Board of Trustees. I also served as the President of my undergraduate community at Caltech, and was appointed to 5 Institute committees where I served as the representative for the student body, contributing to conversations on academic policies, standards and honors, and student life. I am responsive, organized, and eager to contribute to the GSC for many years to come!

Hi! I’m a third-year in Building Technology, which bridges Architecture, CS, Civil, and sustainable concrete. I’m also an international student from Hong Kong and an MIT ‘22 undergrad.

Currently, I serve on the GSC as the Architecture council rep and as a student voice on the Presidential Advisory Committee. I’ve long been involved in advocacy at MIT—serving on CJAC, contributing to the MIT Values Statement, and working to build communication and trust between students and the administration. I believe decisions should be made collaboratively, for the benefit of our whole community.

As VP, I will:

• Structure outreach: Work with council reps to create a strategy for gathering bottom-up feedback at GSC events. Empower reps to use GSC funding creatively and publicize events to encourage joy and connection.
• Increase visibility: Boost GSC presence during orientation, open houses, and across platforms like the Anno, socials, and the Pulse. Build a cohesive brand identity.
• Develop strategic goals: Create a living document outlining grad student needs—political, curricular, residential—accessible to Institute Committee reps alongside feedback from their personal networks. GCMs could include workshops to build it together.
• Streamline support: Collaborate with DSL to provide clear, centralized student support as immigration, political, and funding conditions shift.
• Strengthen committees: Advertise open leadership roles more broadly and uplift committee work across the community.

Every graduate student should feel safe, supported, and empowered at MIT. I’d be honored to work with you to make that a reality.

Hi, all! I’m excited to run for the GSC Secretary position. Across my 4 years so far as an MIT Linguistics PhD (Course 24), I have spent some time deeply involved in student leadership, event planning, and community building. My experience organizing and helping out in large-scale initiatives, coordinating teams, and ensuring effective communication between groups and individuals has prepared me to take on a role like this to support the GSC’s work in representing and advocating for graduate students.

At Sidney-Pacific, home to one of MIT’s largest and most active graduate communities, I have served various officer roles, and I am now the incoming elected President of the Sidney-Pacific Executive Council (SPEC). At SP I’ve been involved in everything from planning events to managing hall councillors, working with MIT Housing or MIT DoingWell, and resolving resident conflicts or keeping residents informed about grad life and the relevant policies or resources on campus. I am also an active member in the Student Events Board (SEB), helping to put on some of MIT’s biggest student-led events (e.g., Fall Fest, Tech Twinkles, and Spring Fest).
Earlier, during my second year I was also a part of the Political Action Committee of the Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA). Across all of these positions, I’ve handled logistical challenges, improved outreach and publicity, and helped build strong relationships within and beyond the graduate student body.

I hope that my past experiences can be a positive contribution to the GSC. The Secretary plays a crucial role in ensuring clear communication and fostering engagement across the graduate community. If elected, I will work to improve how students access and understand the resources that GSC can provide, making sure they know what support is available and where to turn for the different questions they might have. I also want to strengthen collaboration with student groups and enhance how we share information about events and initiatives happening across
campus. Above all, I aim to be an approachable and informed presence on campus, helping to make GSC more accessible, responsive, and connected to the graduate student body. Cheers!

I’m Eric, a second year BE graduate student and current GSC Secretary. I’m eager to return as Secretary to continue the several projects that I’ve been involved with over my current tenure and begin new ones. On the technical side, this term I would focus on infrastructure: allowing future secretaries to take on the same projects with less technical expertise. For example, bringing the Anno away from the antiquated certificates system, providing infrastructural support for the communications manager and archivist positions, and continuing the GradPulse project with the goal of interfacing it on the backend with the Anno.

On the advocacy and engagement side, we’ve seen more council representative engagement over the past year and I hope to contribute to its continued improvement by communicating with them directly to understand and build on how reps interface with their constituents.

Finally, we have a plod of fine real estate on the infinite corridor which is underutilized so I’ll put new stuff there.

Hello! I’m Shashata, a graduate student at CSAIL. I like to think of myself as a dreamer, and it makes me happy when my ideas turn into reality. I’ve gained a healthy amount of organizational experience starting from high school, and I currently serve as the president of the Bangladeshi Students (BSA) here at MIT. I’ve also served as treasurer for both my school’s music club and BSA, so I have the training and experience to take on the treasurer role for our graduate student body. I’m excited to collaborate with the new team, continue the great work of previous councils, and enhance the graduate student experience here at MIT if I’m given the chance. 

My name is Hallie, and I’m a third-year chemistry PhD candidate. Currently, I serve as one of the State and Local Affairs Co-Chairs for the External Affairs Board, a role I pursued because I believe local politics offer a low-barrier yet impactful way for graduate students to engage with government and advocacy. In this position, I have organized initiatives that connect graduate students with policymakers, including coordinating a State House Visit where students met with legislators to advocate for bills affecting their lives. I also led the creation of a voter guide for state-level elections, spearheaded graduate student advocacy for Cambridge zoning changes to increase housing, and helped organize a public transit panel.

Beyond local efforts, I have also contributed to federal advocacy. On a DC advocacy trip, I met with legislators to discuss research funding and mentorship. I helped prepare documents outlining the graduate student perspective on National Institutes of Health (NIH) modernization and co-authored a letter to Health and Human Services and NIH under the new presidential administration.

Next year, I hope to serve as the External Affairs Board Chair to continue advocating for graduate student priorities while expanding opportunities for students to engage in advocacy. Now more than ever, those in higher education must take an active role in shaping policy.