Meet Your Senators
Cenobio Hernandez, Class of 2018, is considering Product Design as a major. Cenobio is from the city of Fort Worth, Texas. His goals on Senate are to build relationships between the Senate, the student body, and the administration to create a more empathetic, efficient, and accountable University. He also plans to work on the new funding system to make sure it functions effectively in supporting student groups to receive financing for their events and activities, which all contribute to making Stanford the special place that it is. On Senate, Cenobio is Treasurer, Deputy Chair of Appropriations Committee, and on the Academic Affairs Committee. Cenobio is also the Representative to the Faculty Senate. Outside of Senate, he is a part of Mariachi Cardenal, Robotics Club, Students for Education Reform, and Student and Labor Alliance.
David Wintermeyer, Class of 2017, is studying History and Management Science. He hails from Indianapolis, IN, and is serving his second term as a senator. Working in the Student Life and Administration and Rules committee, he hopes to use his office to help lower printing costs for undergraduates and improve campus sustainability measures. He is a Camp Kesem counselor and tutors at East Palo Alto Tutoring and Tennis.
Eni Asebiomo, Class of 2018 is planning to major in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. He was born in Brooklyn, New York but has lived most of his life in Georgia. Eni plans to work to begin bridging the gap between students and the Senate. He is currently serving as the Communications Chair and is a member of the Student Life Committee. Outside of Senate, Eni is involved with Frosh Council, Robotics Club and is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
Gabriel Knight, Class of 2017, is originally from Evanston, IL. On senate, Gabe serves as Chair of the Advocacy Committee and as an active member of the Administration and Rules Committee. He is studying Human Biology with a concentration in The Application of Mathematical and Computational Science to Healthcare and Medicine. On campus, Gabe is a core member of Health++ and works as an Oral Communications Tutor in the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking.
Hattie Gawande, Class of 2018, is originally from Boston. She is undeclared but hopes to major in Economics and possibly History. She is Deputy Chair of the Senate and serves on the Appropriations and Communications committees, and hopes to use her positions to improve the funding process and increase the transparency of the Senate. Outside of the Senate, she is a member of the Stanford Debate Society and the Sophomore Class Cabinet, and she coaches a local high school debate team. When she’s not debating or juggling her student government responsibilities, she enjoys playing frisbee and obsessively following the Red Sox.
Jasmin Espinosa, Class of 2018, is looking into majoring in Psychology with a secondary major in Chican@/Latin@ Studies. Home outside of Stanford for Jasmin is back in Norcross, Georgia where she have spent most of her life. Jasmin’s goals for senate involve making it a place that is more readily available and present for students to access. A long-term goal involves building on current dorm diversity programming. Outside of senate, Jasmin is a member of MEChA de Stanford and participates in cross-community events.
John Luttig, Class of 2017, hails from Chicago, and plans on completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He wants to keep the Stanford Senate focused on issues that directly affect students and that the Senate has the authority to affect. He is the chair of the Academic affairs committee, and also sits on the Student Life Committee. He writes for The Stanford Review and races for the Stanford Ski Team.
Justice Tention, Class of 2018, is from far-away Palo Alto, California. He serves as Appropriations Chair of the 17th Undergraduate Senate and will focus his term on transitioning the ASSU to funding reform. Outside of Senate, you can catch Justice giving tours as a campus tour guide, or going for a run around the Dish.
Matthew Cohen, Class of 2018, is originally from Orange County, California. Matthew is majoring in Political Science and minoring in Computer Science. He serves as the Chair of the Administration and Rules Committee (Parliamentarian) and is a member of the Appropriations Committee. On the Senate, he wants to work with the University to make Stanford a more environmentally sustainable place by reducing our carbon emissions and water consumption. Outside of the Senate, Matthew is a columnist at The Stanford Daily, travels with the Model United Nations team, and serves as the financial manager for the Stanford Democrats.
Mehraan Keval, Class of 2018, is from Amman, Jordan hoping to major in Economics and American Studies. During his term on Senate, he hopes to work towards making the Senate a more transparent body on the Communications committee, and advocate for all voices represented on campus. In his free time, he loves to play basketball, listen to music, and wear crocs.
Molly Horwitz, Class of 2016, is a religious studies major. She is originally from Asuncion, Paraguay, but has lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for over half of her life. On Senate, she would like to focus on increasing the availability and awareness of mental health resources on campus. She is the chair of the Student Life Committee and a member of the Administration and Rules Committee. She enjoys walking the dish and having short dance breaks when I’m not busy working on my honors thesis.
Sina Javidan-Nejad, Class of 2017, is the chair of the 17th Undergraduate Senate. He is pursuing a degree in Political Science and Philosophy, with a Global Studies Minor focusing on Iranian Studies. Throws discus on Stanford’s Men’s Varsity Track team, serves as an executive member of the Stanford Pre-Law society and is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He grew up in the lovely city of Sacramento, California. During his tenure he will strive to uphold the efficiency and fairness of the ASSU. In addition to being the Chair of the Senate, he is a member of the Administration & Rules Committee, Appropriations Committee, and the Advocacy Committee.
TG Sido, Class of 2018, TG plans to major in Electrical Engineering and hails from the city of Dublin, CA. As a member of both the Advocacy and Communications Committees, he plans on working to connect communities across campus and to keep the entire student body informed and in the loop with regards to Senate dealings. Outside of the Senate, TG is a proud member of both the Society of Latino Engineers (SOLE) and the Society of Black Scientists and Engineers (SBSE).
Malcolm Lizzappi, Class of 2017, is from Houston, TX, and is majoring in African and African-American Studies. His goals for senate are to help legislation that aids the learning and development of all students. Malcolm is a member of the Appropriation and Communications committees on Senate and he is involved in Students for Justice in Palestine, Muslim Student Union, and Black Men’s Forum.
Leo Bird, Class of 2017 majoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Leo is from the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. His goals on Senate are to be a voice for marginalized communities on campus, advocate for victims of sexual and domestic abuse, and establish a stronger relationship between the student body and the undergraduate senate. On Senate, Leo serves on the advocacy, administration and rules, and appropriations committees. Outside of Senate, he is active in the Stanford American Indian Organization, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and Natives in Medicine.
Senate Committees
The Advocacy Committee collaborates with community groups on campus, focusing on communities that have been historically underrepresented on Stanford’s campus and in society at large. Advocacy committee members are liaisons between community centers, student groups, and the administration.
The Academic Affairs Committee primarily engages students, faculty, and administrators to discuss and improve Stanford’s academic programs and supporting resources. Among other roles, the Committee works heavily with the Faculty Senate on creating and amending academic policies. This year, goals include increasing alumni involvement in academic opportunities, discussing faculty diversity and the pre-major advising program, and improving pre-professional group resources.
The Appropriations Committee makes it rain for the 600+Voluntary Student Organizations (VSOs) at Stanford. Whether it is a General Fee group applying for event funding or Special Fee group seeking to modify their budget, we review and recommend hundreds of requests each quarter. This year, we hope to streamline our funding policies, increase communication with student group leadership, and carefully manage Stanford’s General Fee to prevent overspending. The current chair is Senator Justice Tention who can be reached at approps@assu.stanford.edu.
The Student Life Committee is focused on community building, student wellbeing and student services. Our goals this year range from engendering political conversation on campus to rendering student services more transparent. Additionally, we are working with student groups on improving the mental health services on campus.
The Administration & Rules Committee is essentially the lawyer committee of the Senate, and ensures that everyone is abiding according to the governing documents of the ASSU: the Constitution, By-laws, and Rules of Order. It also acts as a gatekeeper for most non-funding related bills that go to the floor of the Senate, and play an enormous role in the drafting of all significant legislation. In addition to those identified roles, A&R also takes on any responsibility that is not explicitly delegated to another committee on the Senate. The current chair is Senator Matthew Cohen, who also serves as Parliamentarian.
The Communications Committee of the ASSU Undergraduate Senate is tasked with maintaining the lines of communication between the student body and the Senate itself. Through outreach programs, town hall meetings, and other Senate initiatives, this committee does its best to ensure that the student electorate remains informed and vocal. It works with the Senate, other ASSU organs, as well as VSOs to promote the student voice, and bring student government closer to its constituents. The current chair is Senator Eni Asebiomo, who can be reached via email at eniolufe@stanford.edu.
