GM Candidate Profile: Vicky Guo

Editor's Note: The Poly sent a questionnaire to every candidate that had filed to run for GM, PU, and UP prior to Spring break. Below are the unedited responses from GM candidate Vicky Guo '26.

Why do you want to be Grand Marshal?

I want to be Grand Marshal because I care deeply about the student experiences here at RPI and that Student Government has the potential to make real changes in how student’s years at RPI are affected. Through my roles on the Union Executive Board, Undergraduate Council, and the Student Government Communications Committee, I have seen how policies and different initiatives have directly impacted the student body. My time as a Residential Assistant has also given me the opportunity to connect with students across different academic years and backgrounds, to understand their concerns firsthand. I have also worked with students of all majors as a Python mentor to understand their academic concerns as well. I am running for Grand Marshal to advocate for better accommodations, more accessible housing information, improving campus engagement during Arch, and greater support for internship and research opportunities. I want to ensure that every student feels that their opinion is heard, and that they are supported and can make a change at RPI and beyond.

What makes you qualified to be Grand Marshal?

My experience in Student Government, combined with my leadership as an Residential Assistant and my academic background in Computer Science and Business Management makes me a well-rounded candidate for the role of Grand Marshal. I have worked with various branches of Student Government, which gives me insight on how policies are developed and implemented. This allows me to fully understand how all branches of student government work together and can better improve the relationships between them as well. Additionally, my role as residential assistant has strengthened my ability to listen, communicate and advocate for the student needs. I have a strong understanding of both administration processes and student concerns and I am committed to bridging that gap to create change for the better. I have also served as a previous president of Red & White, a student-alumni organization, in which I was able to communicate with alumni on changes students would like to see at RPI and how they are able to help contribute to the changes. This opportunity also allowed me to meet members of Board of Trustees and the President and directly gave them insights on what the students could benefit from during their years at RPI.

Name three short-term goals (within your term of office) and three long-term goals(beyond your term of office that you have for the Student Senate)

Short-Term:

1. One of my short term goals would be “Better Housing Support & Communication” for the student body. Many students miss information about on-campus and off-campus housing since not everyone looks at the posters posted. They are sometimes also posted in academic buildings where students are rushing to class so they tend to be poster blind about those as well. I want to improve communications through emails, residential hall postings, and information sessions to ensure students have access to the resources they need. Something that typically attracts students is food, so if it is lunch and learning, more students would be more willing to attend the information sessions or even hear about them.
2. Another one of my short term goals would be the increase of “Arch Semester Engagement.” Many students find Arch to be isolating and exhausting as they are students studying 3 - 4 semesters in a role. They were looking forward to finally being down with their classes and getting ready for summer break but they have to be at Arch instead. I want to work on introducing more engaging activities and social opportunities during the summer to create a better experience for students who are required to be on campus. Some events that went well over the previous summers are like the Lake George Trips and Wednesday Events and we should work to expand those opportunities to multiple days so more students are able to attend.
3. Lastly, I want to increase “Internship & Research Support” to students. A lot of alumni were confused about the idea of Arch and they thought RPI is like Northeastern where students are paired up for Co-Op or internship opportunities. However, aside from the handshake notifications, which some students don't even know about, career fairs, and daily mail advertisements of company hiring events, most students have no idea where to start this search. By leveraging RPI’s industry connections, and increasing transparency about opportunities, I think students would be able to secure more semester-away placements that align with their career goals. There definitely is room for improvement on how students learn and hear about these opportunities.

Long-Term:

1. A long-term goal that I have would be “Stronger Dining and Food Security Initiative.” Many students either struggle with food insecurity or the meal plans are often underutilized. I want to push for more flexible dining plans and additional resources for students facing food insecurity. There are resources that the school offers for those who may need a meal plan but those are not talked about enough. There is also a newly opened food pantry but others do not really know about it as well. I want to ensure that everyone would not have to stress about food, which is a basic necessity for anyone.
2. Another long-term goal would be “Improve Student-Administration Relations.” A big role of the Grand Marshal is to talk to administration and give feedback on what the students can benefit from. I will work to establish stronger communications channels between students and administration to ensure that the students' voices can be heard in those discussions affecting campus life. I hope to find a way to incorporate the students into the conversations as much as possible and hold more surveys or postings to gather the student ideas more easily.
3. Lastly, I want to expand the “Mental Health & Academic Accommodations.” Something that the previous student senate was able to do was create the ability to request different exams dates if they have more than 3 finals in one day. This was beneficial because now students are able to focus on their other exams and not stress about studying all night. This would help with their health and mental health to give them more leeway on the exam days. Long term, I want to advocate for stronger mental health support, better academic accommodations and more accessible wellness resources to create a more supportive academic environment.

In your own words, what do you feel are the roles of the Grand Marshal and the Senate?

The Grand Marshal is someone who is advocating for student needs and ensures that the Student Senate operates effectively. The Grand Marshal is also someone who is representing the Student Senate in front of administration and communicating the needs of the student as well. The Senate’s role is to create policies and initiatives that address student concerns, working with students, faculty and administration collectively. Together they are ensuring that the student voices are heard and that RPI is able to continuously improve as an institution.

Do you think that the current Senate is fulfilling that role? If any, what changes could be made?

The Senate for the most part is fulfilling that role throughout the year in several areas but there is always room for improvement. One change that can be made would be the communication aspect. Many students don’t feel that they are informed about what Student Government has been up to and what Student Government does in general. I want to improve that transparency even more, especially since the Senate has created a newsletter that updates the student body. These newsletters should also be spread to different platforms like emails, social media and maybe in-person platforms as well. Additionally, I believe the Senate can take a more proactive role in addressing student concerns, particularly in areas like housing, dining and career support.

What do you think are the incumbent Grand Marshal’s strengths and weaknesses? What would you do to improve upon them if you are elected?

The current Grand Marshal’s strength was her ability to advocate for the student body and being very active around campus as well. She has done a great job in advocating for the student concerns and engaging with administration on key issues. She has also hosted office hours that made student engagement more frequent. Something that could be changed would be how that engagement could be expanded. That way more students are able to hear about what student government is and want to be more involved in it. As of now, if you have done student government before, then you would want to be part of it, however if you don’t have that interest, then you would not care about it at all. I want to be able to expand on this by tabling on what student government is and host events during freshman orientation so the incoming freshman can hear about student government. I want to ensure that students feel they would be able to have a way to change their own experience at RPI and make it as interesting as they want it to be.

What does the student-senator relationship look like? What should it look like?

As of now, many students don’t understand what the Student Senate does or how they can be a part of it. Ideally, the relationship should be a lot more interactive, where students are comfortable reaching out to the senators and their class representatives to seek feedback and gather ideas. The way to achieve this would be to create a more open structure to share the inputs. The surveys, tablings, open hours and one on one conversations are a good way to do it.

How do you plan to engage with the president of the Institute and the rest of Institute administration?

I plan on engaging with the President and other administration through regular meetings, direct advocacy and collaboration on student concerns, particularly through student leader meetings. These meetings would provide a critical way to maintain an open line of communication for any concerns that may arise. By ensuring that the discussions are ongoing and productive, I can work proactively to address the students' needs in real time. In addition to general engagement, these meetings will focus on specific actionable issues that impact student life including but not limited to housing accessibility, arch engagement, dining improvements and academic accommodations. I will also push for greater transparency in administrative decisions ensuring students are kept informed about major policy changes before they happen.

What qualities should a leader have? How are you a leader?

A leader should be approachable, proactive and committed to serving the community and in this case, the student body. They should be able to listen to the concerns that are brought up and develop the solutions and effectively advocate for those changes. I embody those qualities through my multiple experiences in Student Government, my role as an RA, my mentoring for students and my commitment to improving student life at RPI overall. Leadership should be about bringing more people together to create positive changes and through all the different means of activities, I know I will be able to do that as the next Grand Marshal.