A bus packed full of USF St. Petersburg students will be departing from campus before dawn on Feb.11 en route to the Capitol building in Tallahassee.
USFSP will join dozens of students and faculty from both the USF Tampa and Sarasota campuses and will be lobbying in front of the top lawmakers within the state to help fulfill the needs of the universities.
USFSP’s main goal at this year’s A Day at the Capitol is to receive more funding for the Kate Tiedemann College of Business, one of the university’s top majors. USFSP will be lobbying for $12.3 million, which will mainly go toward the construction of the new business building, according to Taylor Russell, student body vice president.
Russell believes that this event is a great opportunity for students.
“You are connecting with people you potentially voted for, who are now representing your interests as students,” Russell said. “Now you get the chance to talk to them one on one.”
Russell told The Crow’s Nest that last year’s “Rally in Tally” was quite chaotic and disorganized. She fears that it might have painted USFSP in the wrong light.
This year, SG is working diligently to make sure everything runs smoothly and that all of the attendees are well-informed and ready to rally. A finalized list of accepted students will be compiled by Feb. 3.
A mandatory meeting will take place the following Thursday. It will cover everything from dress code and paperwork to expected conduct and the purpose of the trip.
“This year we want to make sure the students are educated,” Russell said.
A misunderstanding about eligible students has been lingering around campus during this year’s planning process. Many students seemed to be under the impression that only specific people are allowed to attend, and while SG does prefer that certain students take part, all USFSP students are welcome to apply.
According to Russell, SG wants vocal students who are up-to-date on current issues on campus, as well as club leaders, and political science and business majors.
“We are hoping it’s a nice mix,” Russell said.
The bus, which holds a total of 54 people, will be leaving campus around 1 a.m. on Feb. 11, and will return late that night.
By the end of the semester, all of the universities should hear back about the decisions made by the lawmakers.
