The senators plan to combat multiple issues from onion rings to parking to outreach. The winners will be announced by Wednesday.
By Emily Wunderlich and Jonah Hinebaugh
Beginning Monday, 11 students will fight to fill 10 senate seats in the Student Government midterm elections.
To qualify for candidacy, students had to be enrolled in at least six credit hours as an undergraduate or four as a graduate student. They also had to have a minimum 2.5 GPA and collect 25 signatures from the student body.
Senators represent the student body and help allocate $1.6 million in student fee revenue to clubs, organizations and events. They must sit on at least two committees and attend general assembly meetings.
Students can vote in The Reef from Oct. 22 to 23 or online on the SG elections PeteSync page.
Alexandria “Lexi” Bishop
Age: 18
Year: Freshman
Major: Biology
Hometown: Brandon, FL
Email: bishopa1@mail.usf.edu
Bishop hopes a position in SG will allow her to be more involved around campus.
“In high school, I was a part of student council and the dance committees, and I wanted to continue my school spirit and contribute to the betterment of the community here,” she said in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
She says her personality is what sets her apart from other candidates and describes herself as a “straightforward kind of person.”
“I like to laugh and make others laugh. However, when it’s time to be serious and get things done, I am 100 percent dedicated,” she said.
For Bishop, no change is too small if it’s what the students want.
“Whether it is making the campus more eco-friendly or simply adding onion rings to the grill in The Reef, I hope to make the changes that my fellow classmates want to see,” she said.
Bishop is also a member of Phi Chi, the university’s pre-medical fraternity, and the Campus Community Church.
Chase Cooley
Age: 18
Year: Freshman
Major: History
Hometown: Oldsmar, FL
Email: chase25@mail.usf.edu
Cooley’s mission is to help bridge the gap between students and SG. One way to do that, he says, is by listening to students.
“I believe the most important part of a government is doing what the people want,” he said.
He cited an article from the Sept. 24 issue of The Crow’s Nest that highlighted the pattern of low voter turnout at elections on campus.
“I’d like to see that number go up to a more reasonable level, so that it’s not just a couple of students having a say over everyone else,” he said.
Cooley said reaching out to commuters is essential to increasing overall student involvement and promoting online sites like PeteSync will help bring them “a bit closer to the campus.”
Cooley is on the Ethics and Debate team and the stage acts committee of Harborside Activities Board. He also works for the University Student Center setup crew.
He said he “adjusts to environments pretty quickly, like a chameleon” and describes himself as “a person of action.”
“If it’s something that I say, chances are it’s going to get done,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to make sure it gets done. I don’t like to disappoint.”
Gregory Cote
Age: 19
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology
Hometown: Port Charlotte, FL
Email: gcote@mail.usf.edu
In one year on the senate, Cote served as chair of the policy committee and is the chair of the appropriations committee. Now he’s running for re-election.
“I always stick to my main goal, which is to make the campus a safer, friendlier, more inclusive campus,” he said. “And then also to make sure that we are being fiscally responsible.”
As appropriations chair, Cote wants to make budget season “smoother” by starting it in November instead of January.
Aside from SG, Cote works as the fiscal and business assistant in the Department of Student Life and Engagement. He’s also involved in the Pride Club.
Cote said SG helped him “grow as a person” and encourages students to “vote wisely” in the midterm elections Oct. 22.
“A lot of the times, we get people who join Student Government and they’re not passionate, and then in a month, they drop out,” he said. “I don’t want to see that happen again … I think this year is going to be a lot different because there are so many enthusiastic candidates.”
Nicholas Cropper
Age: 22
Year: Senior
Major: Biology
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Email: cropper@mail.usf.edu
A transfer student from USF Tampa, Cropper says he’s done his due diligence by reviewing governing documents and attending senate general assembly meetings.
His main concern is how Activities and Services fees are being spent.
He said constituents “don’t even bother” requesting money from the special funding committee. Instead, they fund trips and other expenses through donations from club members, Cropper said.
“We shouldn’t be appropriating $40,000 to student organization activities and then being so inefficient about it that they don’t even want to come and take that money,” he said. “I’m wondering where the rest of that goes.”
He is also concerned with senators who have “voted to increase their own pay” using Activities and Services fees.
“Currently during the fall, there are no appropriations activities going on,” he said. “The committee chair of appropriations continues to get paid in the fall, even though nothing’s going on.”
Cropper encourages students to get involved by voting and learning how SG works.
“Student Government may seem like a small part of their lives … But it’s an important part of our campus,” he said. “They have a $3 million budget and they help decide what gets funded, what doesn’t get funded, and how student organizations work. They have a lot of policies that really help govern how this campus is run.”
Zoe Dukas
Age: 21
Year: Junior
Major: Political science
Hometown: Trinity, FL
Email: zdukas@maill.usf.edu
Dukas is a transfer student from Pasco-Hernando State College, where she says she worked as treasurer for SG.
She estimates that she oversaw a budget of $5,000, and now she’s ready to bring her leadership to USF St. Petersburg.
“If people want it, I’m going to make it happen,” she said. “I think I’m a go-getter.”
Her goal is to increase student involvement on campus because “our events are really awesome,” she said.
“I don’t think the word is out,” she said. “There are flyers and there is PeteSync, but … there has to be other ways. Maybe just physically going up to people.”
Dukas believes she has “a really strong voice” and wants to use it for other transfer students on campus.
“Some people that are new to the campus feel like they shouldn’t join anything because they’re new and they don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “To be chosen, it would just show that people see something in me and make me feel confident that I’m doing something right.”
Katherine Fishman
Age: 20
Year: Junior
Major: Political Science
City: Safety Harbor, FL
Email: bsfishman@mail.usf.edu
Fishman serves as the chair of university and community affairs committee and is a member of the Student Green Energy Fund.
The university and community affairs committee looks to “provide a forum and find areas of agreement for any and all USFSP students when expressing their views and/or concerns regarding Student Government and guidelines implemented by Student Government.”
Looking to be re-elected, Fishman plans on continuing her work with the committee, as well as aiming to introduce paper recycling to the campus and covers for the bike racks to prevent excess exposure to the elements.
“I plan to continue to push for processes that’ll bring Student Government and the student body closer together and make it more relevant to students,” Fishman said.
Veronica Jimenez
Age: 19
Year: Freshman
Major: Political Science
City: Miami, FL
Email: vjimenez4@mail.usf.edu
Jimenez never took part of her high school student government, but that didn’t stop her from attempting to make a difference.
The freshman political science major serves on the gun reform committee and education committee for the League of Women’s Voters.
“I want to help the student body as much as possible,” she said. “I want to see what they need, respond well and make sure that I’m following through with my own responsibilities.”
She’s eager to gain experience for herself and move up the ranks, but she said the students will always be her first priority.
“(I plan on) doing the best I can for Student Government to help USFSP in the best ways possible.”
Joe Morales
Age: 19
Year: Senior
Major: Biology
Hometown: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Email: morales17@mail.usf.edu
Morales graduated high school in Puerto Rico and his main focus, if elected, will be to help fix the parking situation on campus and allocate more money to the Student Green Energy Fund.
“I believe that spending more than 10 minutes searching for a parking spot is unacceptable considering the time crunch that most students have due to classes, assignments, exams, work, volunteering and interning.
“Students that live on campus might not be affected by this – I never noticed it when I lived on campus, but commuters are heavily affected by it.”
Morales is a biology major and the secretary of the Computational Biology Club, but he said his most important role is serving as the student assistant for the College of Education’s “Prep for Middle School Success” program. He visits elementary schools across Pinellas County four times a week to help fifth grade students learn life skills such as teamwork, attitude and respect.
“(I) decided to run for a position as senator because I saw a need for action to be taken on the ideas and concerns of our university’s student body,” he said.
Naya Payne
Age: 18
Year: Freshman
Major: Political Science
City: Palm Beach County
Email: nayapayne@mail.usf.edu
Despite being a freshman, Payne is no stranger to being active in the political community.
“I’m a member of the League of Women Voters, so I go all around the place registering people to vote, giving presentations and producing materials to get people more involved in the political process,” he said.
According to Payne, he has hosted elected officials on his high school campus, registered hundreds of students to vote and was a guest speaker for Representative Lois Frankel, a Democrat representing the 21st district of Florida.
“I feel like this is right up my alley. I’ve met with real legislators and elected officials,” Payne said. “I would bring my experience to the table and I would implement more civically minded programs.”
He also hopes to open up a more direct line of communication between SG and students.
“I know it’s sometimes hard to reach some of the people in SG when you have an idea or something you want to start, and the process tends to be a bit lengthy,” he said. “I want to open the door more to that and just be an accessible representative and really serve the student populace as best that I think they should be served.”
Hannah Rose Wanless
Age: 20
Year: Sophomore
Major: History major
City: St. Petersburg, FL
Email: hrwanless@mail.usf.edu
Wanless is a St. Petersburg native and first chose to run for SG to be one of the people who made a difference for this campus and showcase the “amazing parts of our school and amazing parts of our city.”
“Back in my high school student government was more of a popularity contest and I thought SG would be like that here. I realized it wasn’t they were way more involved and actually made a difference on campus,” she said. “I’m from St. Petersburg, I love my city so I want people to love it the same way I do.”
Wanless serves as the Senate President Pro Tempore and, if re-elected, wants to continue her effort to make sure she and SG are dedicated and committed to the students they represent.
“It’s a small school so you get to know each other well,” she said. “I want to make sure that as a senator I’m representing the student body and the community I love so much.”
She’s focused on making sure SG is more than just a “faceless entity” and said it can better represent the students if they are more aware of the organization and are willing to come voice their opinions.
“Our door is always open and please email me if you have any questions,” she said.
Trevor Martindale
Age: 18
Year: Freshman
Major: Political Science
City: Orlando, FL
Email: tjm4@mail.usf.edu
Martindale, a freshman political science major, has dreams of one day of becoming SG president.
He said it’s hard for him to have a platform he can promise to push because his involvement in the organization is just beginning, but being involved in intramural sports and knowing “a lot of people” has helped him gain an idea of what needs to change including student participation and communication.
Besides student participation, his goal is to be a conduit for students to communicate their needs and wants to SG.
“I think a lot of students want certain things but don’t feel like they have an open line of communication, so I want to be open to students and be able to communicate with them you know what issues they have,” he said.
Another issue Martindale mentioned was the lack of paper recycling.
“On each floor of the University Student Center there’s recycling for plastic, but a lot of people that I’ve talked to expressed how they want to have paper recycling because people just throw away their paper. It’s a waste,” he said.
His “first decree,” if elected, would be to implement paper recycling in the dorms and eventually everywhere on campus.
