USF St. Petersburg students elected 19 new Student Government senators earlier this month.
The senators account for Student Government’s legislative branch, which is responsible for allocating the more than $1.8 million dollars collected from the student-generated Activity and Service fees. A&S fees fund clubs and organizations and other student services on campus.
As outlined in the SG constitution, the legislative branch has the “authority to enact, amend or repeal statutes of Student Government by a majority vote.” With two-thirds of the vote, senators may propose amendments to the SG constitution, appoint executives to the student body president or override a president veto. The legislative branch has the power to impeach any SG member.
Senators must be elected to serve. Elections are held in the mid-term during fall and spring semesters. New senators must attend at least two general assembly meetings and their respective committee meetings before they can vote on existing bills.
In the first part of an on-going series, The Crow’s Nest sat down with six of the new senators to get to know them and their vision as USFSP leaders.
Joey Vars is only 19, but he knows what he needs to do before he dies: visit space.
“If I’m confined to this planet, I haven’t reached my full potential,” said the Land O’Lakes native and newly elected student government senator.
Space permeates many aspects of Vars’ life. His parents say as a baby, his first word was “rocket,” not “mom” or “dad.” Vars conservatively estimates that he’s visited the Kennedy Space Center about 75 times, and when a NASA representative canceled a talk at the St. Petersburg Science Fest, Vars volunteered himself as replacement, saying he knew the presentation, more or less, by heart. An enthusiastic cyclist, when Vars heard the space center planned to host a triathlon in May 2013 he signed up immediately. He’s contestant No. 001.
Vars, a history major, spent his freshman year of college at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, a private school without a student government presence.
“I absolutely love being involved in campus activities, so the first thing I usually ask before any other question is what is there to do to get involved,” said Vars, adding the overwhelming answer from his peers was Student Government. During his time as senator, Vars hopes to keep the momentum of green initiatives going. Vars would also like to see new academic disciplines, such as space science or astronomy.
Sophomore Christina Johnson wanted to join USFSP’s Student Government for the “upper edge.”
“Leadership is what sets you apart,” said Johnson, 19, a biology student and aspiring pharmacist.
Johnson said during her freshman year she volunteered with Harborside Activities Board, and knew this year she wanted to be involved in SG for and make decisions.
“SG is in place to be the voice of the students,” said Johnson, adding if students aren’t satisfied, she hopes they’ll come to her with their problems and suggestions. Parking is one issue Johnson hopes to tackle during her tenure.
For Bryce Fitzgerald, a lifelong artist, many things he’d like to fix at USFSP are related to aesthetics.
“There’s no reason for us to fall short of everyone else, and really be the jewel by the bay,” the 19-year-old said.
In addition to improving the intramural field and fixing perpetually leaky sprinkler heads, Fitzgerald would like to “give students more access to the stuff they pay for” by extending hours at the library, pool and lounge.
Fitzgerald, born in Albany, N.Y. but raised in Spring Hill, has lived in Japan, Australia and Mexico with his family. He learned about the advantage of leadership in high school, when he served as vice corps commander of ROTC.
Tall, thin and soft spoken, Fitzgerald plans to combine his love of art and interest in technology into a graphic design career. Fitzgerald said his art is Nightmare Before Christmas-esque, but humorous: “It’s kind of out there, that’s what I do.”
In addition to his SG duties, Fitzgerald works as a resident assistant at a senior citizen home. “I just help them live comfortably … I like helping people.”
Freshman Mikayla Zafir decided to run for Student Government senator because she loves student interaction.
“I’ve always been involved in my community, so I thought SG would be a perfect organization to be involved with,” said Zafir, 18, who grew up in Boca Raton by way of Montreal, Canada.
Zafir said community volunteering has shaped her own character, and by volunteering at hospitals, senior living facilities and animal shelters, she’s learned responsibility and selflessness.
“It’s fun for me,” the mass communication student and aspiring news anchor said. “It’s not about what you can do for yourself, but for others,” adding she hopes more students volunteer at events on campus, especially as USFSP expands.
Zafir said before her four years at USFSP are up, she expects the campus to be a lot bigger, with new buildings, resident halls and maybe an improved cafeteria.
“The meal plan needs to be fixed,” Zafir said. “A lot of students are very upset about it and it’s brand new. I feel they don’t cater to students’ needs properly.”
If students know only one thing about Thomas Hamby, he’d like it to be that he’s the guy you can come and talk to.
“That’s who I am and what I stand for,” said Hamby, 19, who is studying political science with a minor in cultural anthropology. Hamby said he has a true open door policy, and always sleeps with his Residence Hall One door open, just in case.
Growing up in an Army family, Hamby moved to a new home every few years, sometimes to a new country or continent.
“Moving around a lot is probably one of the biggest blessings I’ve had, because you meet so many kinds of people,” Hamby said. “It just makes you more open.”
Hamby contemplated running for Student Government during his first year at USFSP, but as underclassman captain on the sailing team, he didn’t want to spread himself too thin. He still holds the sailing team position that comes with a considerable time commitment, sailing from 3:30 p.m. to dark three days during the school week, plus workouts.
This year, Hamby would like to see the 10 bills on the docket move “smoothly” through the senate, making the legislative process more “streamlined.” Hamby said senators are already polling students what they want to see improved on campus. Personally, Hamby would like to see more intramural sports available to students, and better lighting on campus for improved security.
“A safe campus is a happy campus, and we please students by making them safe,” Hamby said.
In his downtime, Hamby enjoys building models, such as cars, airplanes and helicopters, as well as culinary adventures. His specialty—the 14-minute omelet—is a rarity these days, due to the mandatory meal plan for on-campus students. Hamby said he used to go to the Saturday Morning Market for ingredients for his breakfast dish, which is “perfect for college kids.”
“You take a Ziploc bag, beat up the eggs, and put all your toppings in there,” Hamby said. “As you’re doing that, you’re boiling the water, and then you close the bag and put it in water for 14 minutes. It’s going to be a perfect omelet, you just slide it out of the bag.”
Sophomore Steven Bird is 20, but has already gone through more than one career change before realizing his passion for law.
Before starting college at University of West Florida in Pensacola, Bird was offered a full ride to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, a two-year conservatory. The pianist and singer decided a career in the performing arts was too risky, and decided to follow another passion—animals—and study marine biology.
Bird said the first semester didn’t go as well.
“I re-evaluated, and saw I did excellent in a criminal justice class,” said Bird of the moment where he realized what he wanted his career to be. Bird has a plan for after USFSP as well: pursue both a juris doctorate and master in international relations from Boston University.
Even though he’s sure about his future, Bird wasn’t convinced he’d be elected senator.
“I had a lot of doubts,” he said. “I’ve always been quiet, reserved, shy, so I thought no one would remember or recognize my name.”
Now that he’s officially a senator, Bird is excited about the position, and the potential of his role that will put him out there and open himself up.
Bird has somewhat of an underdog mentality when it comes to campus life, as well.
“One of the biggest things I want to get done is to make sure as the campus grows, it’s not just people in SG who are making decisions about this campus,” Bird said. “I want to make sure students have a say, that everyone is heard equally.”
Bird’s vision for the physical campus includes equality as well, and the Idaho native said he wants to see less popular campus corners improved, such as the commuter lounge, recreational field and beach.
“The USC and Harborwalk look fantastic, but we can’t forget other parts of the campus need to be kept up as well,” he said.
