Fifteen minutes after the Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, GSG President Amari Tankard GS walked in, wheeling a cart of wine, beer, and cheeses to be distributed among the attendees.
With the required quorum of 17 voting GSG Assembly members reached, the assembly began the meeting, recapping the distribution of beer jackets, discussing changes to student housing prioritization, and debating the overlapping roles of GSG and the Graduate College House Committee (GCHC).
The plan for the upcoming GSG Executive Board elections, which establishes Jan. 26, 2026 as the start of the new term, was approved unanimously. Candidates will be announced and voting will begin on Jan. 6, 2026, with polls to close on Jan. 25, 2026.
Tankard outlined the GSG Executive Committee’s issuance of beer jackets. Started by undergraduate students in 1912 to avoid post-drinking laundry costs, beer jackets are a prized tradition at Reunions. While undergraduates select a new design each year, the graduate jacket has been fixed from year-to-year.
Tankard, who initially ran for president on a promise to redesign the jackets, said, “the beer jackets are a really time-honored and treasured legacy for Princeton students over the last over 115 years.”
On Oct. 31, 2025, GSG ordered 500 jackets at a cost of $23,625. So far, 217 have been sold, recuperating about half of the cost. GSG is confident that the Alumni Council will buy any leftover jackets not purchased by graduate students.
“Alumni Council president Ryan Ruskin [’90] actually wore his new beer jacket that I gave him back in October at the Many Minds, Many Stripes conference, and there were hundreds of alums who asked for this jacket,” Tankard said. “I’m positive that we will not have to give this burden to the next GSG executive board.”
GSG’s budget outlook is not as optimistic in other areas. With the first semester of the year not even finished, the spending category of special events is 89 percent of the way through its $20,000 budget for the entire academic year, while only 26 percent of the $28,000 social budget has been spent. The special events category mostly covers larger events, while the social budget typically hosts happy hours and executive dinners.
GSG Vice President Caridad Estrada GS responded to the problem by saying, “We can go and get reallocation approval from the next board, when the next special events chair and the next social chair come.”
Additionally, Jan Ertl GS, the vice president of internal affairs, raised concerns about the changes in priority housing spots given to members of the GCHC. “[GCHC members] now get priority for living in Graduate College or in Annex which, to a lot of people, is not really their ideal living situation,” he said.
The Housing Committee is a separate organization from GSG, drawing funds from different student stipends, despite having similar events, executive positions, and constituencies. GCHC’s biggest events each year are the graduate student formals. This year, there are no candidates running for the Committee’s vice president, treasurer, social chair, special events chair, and facilities chair positions. As a result, Estrada floated the idea of consolidating GCHC with GSG.
“Perhaps in situations like this, it’s better to find ways where we can work together instead of being siloed,” she said. “GCHC is more than just a housing committee, and I think it’s rational to think that we could share some roles and perhaps make it better.”
Ertl, however, expressed hesitation toward the proposed consolidation.
“I think if you suddenly consolidate and say GSG also plans formals, they will get overwhelmed, and there will be less good formals and less good special events overall,” Ertl said.
With the orderly question-answer structure of the meeting largely abandoned in favor of rapid argument, Estrada emphasized the need for immediate change. “We don’t know where this is going with endowment taxes, etc. So, if the choice is to do this now, instead of waiting and continuing campaigning for a housing priority, then I don’t have a nice way of saying it’s not the best idea.”
She added, “We’re being stubborn, and then we’re going to wait until we’re behind instead of being proactive for one day.”
The meeting concluded with the question of GSG and GCHC consolidation unresolved. GSG meets the first Tuesday each month in Robertson 100.
Gray Collins is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Villanova, Penn. and can be reached at gc7410[at]princeton.edu.
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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