Despite never being involved in student government, Dev Gupta, ‘30, began his first year at Lehigh by running for Student Senate. He earned the position by unifying first-year students over an inconvenience most can relate to: laundry fees.
Currently, one wash cycle costs $3.50 total, $2.00 for the 25-minute washer and $1.50 for a standard one-hour cycle in the dryer.
Gupta says the initiative to have free laundry reveals a deeper problem.
“There are different places where we see the university make money off the students, and they make it in petty ways,” Gupta said. “The most basic universal thing that I can point to and say, if a university actually cared about its students more, (laundry is) something that they would make free.”
Throughout his first month in Senate, Gupta said he’s identified additional components to the foundational issue of paying for laundry and has started taking the necessary steps to mitigate these issues.
Gupta said he’s aware the process to make changes can be slow. He said he’s met with the dining and transportation administration about this free laundry campaign over the past month to discuss how it can be financially viable for them.
Living in six countries throughout Gupta’s childhood shaped his perspective and prepared him for success in this role.
At Lehigh, he’s in the Integrated Business and Engineering program with an interest in entrepreneurship. Gupta is also the founder and CEO of an AI startup called HealthAI, a platform that scans x-rays for an immediate medical diagnosis, and he said his entrepreneurial foundation also allows him to believe in the impossible and build something from nothing.
Gupta said he believes his lack of experience in student government is a strength rather than an obstacle.
“I think it’s because I don’t have any experience in student government that I don’t believe in limitations that (student governments) impose on themselves,” Gupta said. “I present ideas, and people look me dead in the eye and they say that’s impossible.”
Gupta is also leading an initiative to make dining dollars accepted at restaurants throughout the Lehigh Valley.
While Gupta said Lehigh would be hesitant to give up the revenue, he found through his conversations with administrators that there’s less than a 10% profit margin for each dining dollar spent. If off-campus restaurants paid 10% of their revenue from dining dollars to Lehigh, the university would make a profit, he said.
Beyond tangible measures, Gupta said he wants to restructure the mindset of Student Senate to a framework based on accountability and addressing the root issue rather than allowing pre-existing expectations to speak for themselves. He said he hopes to induct the next generation of senators with this mindset to keep the momentum going.
“It should truly be a question as to why this hasn’t already been done,” Gupta said. “Who is stopping it?”Tell me the name of that person. Let’s call that person.”
Beza Geberesilassie, ‘27, is the chair of the Senate Facilities and Services Committee, supporting six committee members including Gupta.
She said Gupta has already been a positive asset to the committee and attests to his go-getter attitude. “We just immediately started talking about his goals regarding laundry and dining,” Geberesilassie said. “And not only did he have goals, but he also had fully thought-out proposals that he had done the work for by already talking to different stakeholders before even joining the Senate.”
She said she invited Gupta to attend a meeting later that week with administration and other operating senators. She said he replied instantly to take the opportunity, with no hesitation
Geberesilassie also said he put his proposals onto the meeting table for consideration, and since that meeting, he’s been constantly following up with those administrators to push on goals.”
“He really just took charge of the meeting,” she said.
In his personal life, Gupta’s roommate Kai Beattie, ‘30, said his ambition and drive are evident in his lifestyle.
“Dev loves to learn,” Beattie said. “Today, he was teaching himself game theory. He’s always pushing to be the best version of himself.”
Beattie said Gupta inspires his peers to do the same.
“He’s always motivating people to try to become the best versions of themselves,” Beattie said.
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