By Dylan Hart
Voting will begin today to determine the next USF St. Petersburg student body president and vice president alongside nine uncontested senate seats.
Students can vote in The Reef from today to Feb. 28.
A contested presidency
This year’s ballot features two presidential candidates and their running mates.
Last year, the candidates for student body president and VP, Daniel “Kaeden” Kelso and Ysatis Jordan, ran uncontested after their respective opponents, Mariah McQueen and Sam Fiore, were disqualified for illegally collecting campaign signatures.
The student body president earns $10,968.75 a year. According to SG statutes, their job includes signing legislation, nominating members of the executive and judicial branches, initiating the annual budget process and acting as a student representative for the campus.
The vice president earns $8,325 a year, and their job includes representing SG at campus events, overseeing the executive branch and assuming the role of student body president should they be unable to complete their term.
The two presidential tickets consist of experienced SG members, but both have different focuses.
Senate appropriations chair Gregory Cote and his running mate, senate policy chair Tyra Warren, are running against director of sustainable initiatives Jadzia “Jazzy” Duarte and her running mate, senate president pro tempore Hannah Rose Wanless.
Duarte and Wanless’ platform centers around sustainability. They say that a priority is to make USF St. Petersburg a “TreeZero campus,” replacing all paper products on campus with biodegradable products from Atlanta-based company TreeZero Inc.
Duarte, an environmental science major, wants to push for a greener campus by working with student organizations like the Student Green Energy Fund. Additionally, they want to open an office of sustainability in Student Government.
But while Cote thinks that sustainability is important, he thinks that Duarte and Wanless are leaving key issues unaddressed.
Cote was a senator in 2017 and 2018, and, if elected, he wants to continue work that he started as a senator. His primary focus is helping student organizations grow.
Cote also wants to finish his January 2019 plan to install a food pantry on campus, expand the College of Arts and Sciences and introduce a theater program at USF St. Petersburg.
Both tickets think that transparency is important. Duarte and Wanless plan to create constituent office hours for students to speak with SG. Cote and Warren prefer to focus on increasing SG’s social media presence.
Warren is from Coral Springs, Florida, not far from Parkland, where a Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killed 17. Cote and Warren want to dedicate a plaque to MSD.
“To be able to show support against gun violence means a lot,” Warren said.
Cote and Warren cite their experience, connections and access to SG resources as their qualification for presidency. Duarte and Wanless say that their advocacy for student issues makes them the better pair.
Meet the 2019 senate candidates
To qualify for candidacy, senate candidates 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.
To be elected, senators must collect 25 votes from students.
Jasmine Ayo-Ajaji
Year: Freshman
Major: Unspecified
Age: 18
Hometown: Broward County, Florida
Email: jayoajayi@mail.usf.edu
Ayo-Ajaji is heavily involved in campus organizations, particularly the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Black Student Organization.
“My priorities would be to make sure we are funding programs that help elevate students to be better,” Ayo-Ajaji said in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
Karla Correa
Year: Junior
Major: Political Science
Age: 19
Hometown: Clearwater, Florida
Email: karlacorrea@mail.usf.edu
Correa is in her second semester at USF St. Petersburg, and says that she wants to spend the rest of her time here “being as involved as possible.”
As a senator, Correa wants to bring student concerns before senate and aims to “make the school more inclusive to racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ members and women” by working with student organizations.
Correa thinks that transparency, accountability and trust are her most important qualities.
Ariel Duhart
Year: Junior
Age: 20
Major: Environmental Science and Policy
Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida
Duhart is the senate chair of special funding. Now, she’s seeking re-election.
“If (re-elected) to senate, I would make it a priority to bring new ideas and initiatives to Student Government,” Duhart said.
Duhart also works for Compass as a programming team member and is a member of the USF St. Petersburg Pre-Law Society.
Kevin Jimenez
Year: Junior
Major: Biology
Age: 20
Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida
Email: kjimenez2@mail.usf.edu
Jimenez, like Warren, is from Coral Springs, only minutes away from Parkland.
Because he lived in a community so heavily affected by a mass shooting, Jimenez is concerned about the possibility of a similar shooting here, and wants to make safety his top priority as a senator.
“There is a need to address campus safety,” he said.
“With the recent incident detailed by the University Police in February 15th’s Crime Alert Bulletin, it’s clear that there is more to be done. What will happen if someone gains access to the residence hall again and has a weapon?”
Additionally, Jimenez wants to address plastic waste created by The Reef.
Michael Johnson
Year: Freshman
Major: Environmental Science
Age: 19
Hometown: Oviedo, Florida
Email: mjohnson24@mail.usf.edu
While Johnson is a freshman, he already has experience in government.
Johnson was an intern for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, in summer of 2018. He was also a member of student government in high school.
Johnson’s priority as a senator would be to “expand student involvement” in government and student organizations.
Lauren Khawam
Year: Freshman
Major: Political Science
Age: 19
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Email: laurenkhawam@mail.usf.edu
Khawam’s top priorities are to be a student voice and to help students prepare for the effects of consolidation.
She went with USF St. Petersburg students to Tallahassee earlier this month for Day at the Capitol, and says that the relationships she made there will help her as a student senator.
“I would be a great senator because I enjoy being involved in politics, and I hope, through my work, I can educate others on social issues so that they aren’t afraid to speak out,” she said.
Yelizza’S Mercedes
Year: Freshman
Major: Unspecified
Age: 18
Hometown: Oviedo, Florida
Email: ymercedes@mail.usf.edu
Mercedes is a member of several student organizations, including medical fraternity Phi Chi, OMA and the Pride Club. She is also a member of the St. Petersburg chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Before coming to USF St. Petersburg, she was a member of student government at Seminole State College, a community college in Seminole County, Florida.
Mercedes wants to be a student advocate in senate. She says that her position as a bilingual Afro-Latina student will additionally allow her to represent students who speak Spanish and “come from a mixed ethnic background.”
Lydia Anderson
Year: Freshman
Major: Anthropology and History
Age: Unspecified
Hometown: Unspecified
Email: lydia11@mail.usf.edu
Anderson did not respond to several emails from The Crow’s Nest requesting a comment.
Camden Conte
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology w/concentration in Marine Science
Age: Unspecified
Hometown: Unspecified
Email: camdenconte@mail.usf.edu
Conte did not respond to several emails from The Crow’s Nest requesting a comment.
