Earlier this month, Student Body Co-President Julisa Lugo ’26 announced proposed policy changes on behalf of the Faculty Student Senate in an email to all students and employees. Currently, they are working to bring senior parking closer to the core of campus and are considering the possibility of opening The Grille to upperclassmen during study hall. However, these are only two of many proposals that the Faculty Student Senate considers and takes action upon. But how exactly do they do that? What processes do the members use to address the issues raised by the school community, and how does the Senate itself operate?

With 17 members composed of eight students and nine faculty members, the Senate meets every other Tuesday during lunch to review prior discussions and set action plans for future items. They also review all suggestions submitted by students via an all-school Google Form, the link to which was first released in a September 10, 2025, Community Meeting. Every student submission received via the form is thoroughly discussed, and the Senate then makes decisions on a case-by-case basis about whether or not to advance a specific proposal. 

This year, the student members of the Faculty Student Senate include Co-Presidents Julisa Lugo ’26 and Luke Chon ’26; Vice President Victor Tse ’26; Head Grade Representatives Ethan Sbarro ’26, Renee You ’27 and Amelia Kunamneni ’28; and at-large electees Sanai Parrish ’26 and Stephanie Oh ’26. All but the at-large members were first elected as either an officer or a Head Representative on the Student Council, and thus automatically gained a position on the Senate as well.

The eight voting faculty members are: Alan Michaels, Bridgette McKnight ’10, Bronwynn Woodsworth, Caitlin Turner, Danielle Kelley, Jennifer Amieiro, Robert Toste and Joseph La Bella ’03. Each faculty member is first nominated by their colleagues, and those who accept the candidacy are placed on an election ballot. The top four resulting candidates then gain a position on the Senate for the following two years, and this process repeats each spring to ensure there are always eight faculty members. Additionally, the Senate has a non-voting chair, currently Greg Wriede ’95. Mr. Wriede has served as a grade dean since last year, which presents a conflict with the position of chair of the Senate. However, he will remain on the Senate until the team finds a suitable replacement. 

Historically, proposals that the Senate decides to advance are first sent to the Head of School, who decides whether or not to send the proposal to the entire faculty for a vote. Faculty members will hear a presentation by the Senate and may ask questions before the vote is taken. If the faculty vote is in favor of the proposal, it again goes to the Head of School, who retains final decision-making authority.

The Faculty Student Senate works closely with administrators and school departments to implement policy changes in practice. For example, the aforementioned recent two proposals have involved communication with Building Services, Security, Assistant Head for Student Life Dean Brown, and others. 

Commenting on the operation of the Senate, Co-President Lugo stated that “meaningful policy change often requires time and lots of collaboration. The FSS prioritizes thoughtful dialogue over speed, and while not every initiative results in policy change, each one contributes to a broader culture of communication between students and faculty.” She also encouraged all students who have ideas or feedback to submit their concerns via the all-school Google Form.

Student proposals to the Faculty Student Senate may be submitted via the Google Form linked below: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctzGuB6Fnf3-9vltSupF6PdRU6mMpi5RToHWewapQnrBdRuA/viewform