A big focus for candidates is transparency when it comes to the budget.
By Katlynn Mullins and Carrie Pinkard
Nine students will seek your vote in Student Government’s midterm senate elections next week.
Each candidate needs 25 votes to win a spot, and each voter can choose up to five candidates. To qualify, candidates needed a cumulative 2.5 GPA as an undergraduate and to be enrolled in at least six credit hours.
Last year, there were approximately 4,500 students at USF St Petersburg. Only 256 casted votes in the midterm election.
With consolidation ahead, and Student Government changing with it, this term may only run through the spring semester.
Voting will take place from Oct. 28 through Oct. 29. Polling locations will be released closer to the election date.
Name: Mia Bonilla
Age: 18
Major: Forensic studies and justice
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Valrico
Email: bonilla3@mail.usf.edu
Mia Bonilla is originally from Bronx, New York, but moved to Valrico for high school. Her platform for Student Government focuses on kindness and inclusion. She said USF St. Petersburg feels like home to her, and she wants to make it a home for all students.
“I think it’s important to foster an environment where every student feels like they have a place to belong here, and I would love to be a part of that,” Bonilla said. “I have always been passionate about making my peers feel happy and included, and Student Government is definitely a direct way to do that.”
Bonilla said she thinks SG operates like a “one-way mirror,” and that students don’t always see the impact it has on campus. If elected, she wants to be an SG member that students feel comfortable approaching with their problems.
One unique change she wants to bring to campus is more printers. She wants to add printers on every floor of the residence halls so students don’t have to feel unsafe walking to the library at night to print their homework.
Bonilla said she has a passion for politics and wants to bring this to her position in SG.
“I have a very good understanding of politics and current events in our country, and if elected, I will make sure to fully understand the politics and current events of USFSP so I can effectively take part and make a change in the best ways I can,” Bonilla said.
Name: Isaiah Castle
Major: Political science
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: St. Petersburg
Email: isaiahcastle@mail.usf.edu
Isaiah Castle says he’s always enjoyed helping people and wants to do it for the rest of his life. He feels the first step toward this goal would be getting involved in Student Government.
Though he’s a sophomore, he started at USF St. Petersburg in August and is bringing “fresh, innovative ideas” along with him.
He would like the university to partner with South Central St. Petersburg, a part of town he feels has “been kind of forgotten.” It’s poverty stricken, he said, and “seems like it could be renovated and helped. It just needs someone to help it.”
He would like the same to be done with the university’s harborside.
Castle would like more transparency with the budget as well. He’s heard a lot of students “don’t know what Student Government does with their money.”
He feels that the people he speaks with set him apart. He’s talked with students that float through college with ease and others who have had to “fight and claw to get into college.”
“I feel like I’m in touch with all of these groups,” he said. “And that’s something I like to think makes me unique”
Name: Chase Cooley
Major: History
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Oldsmar
Email: chase25@mail.usf.edu
Chase Cooley is running for reelection.
He said he loves being able to represent students and have a community to be part of.
This term, he wants to implement something similar to the Support-A-Bull Market food pantry or the “communal clothing rack,” but with school supplies. Students would be able to borrow supplies, like a stapler before class, take what they need or donate what they don’t at the end of the year.
Cooley also said that SG meetings feel closed off. He suggested streaming meetings to keep students informed on the changes brought about by consolidation.
“I think SG gets sort of a bad reputation,” Cooley said. “Being a bit more open and honest would help (counter that).”
Cooley believes his major separates him from the rest of the candidates. He said it’s fine that a lot of SG members are political science majors, but “if you only play politics, it can be a tough environment. It’s hard to get things done.”
Name: Katherine Fishman
Major: Political science
Year: Senior
Hometown: Safety Harbor
Email: bsfishman@mail.usf.edu
This is Katherine Fishman’s third election.
After almost two full terms in senate, she wants to continue her service to the student body and is striving for a more “open and transparent Student Government.
If elected, Fishman hopes to implement a committee to help students connect with the city. There was a similar committee in the past, but Fishman said it never “made good on its promises.”
Whether through volunteer opportunities or events in the community, she said she wants to make “students aware of what resources there are.”
One change Fishman plans to push for is making budgeting more transparent to students.
“That is the most important thing we do,” Fishman said. She wants to make sure students “know exactly what is going on and that everyone is getting a fair chance, because they didn’t last year.”
Name: Jonathan Hatzistefanou
Major: Political science
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Stewart
Email: jonathanhatz@mail.usf.edu
Sophomore Jonathan Hatzistefanou, “like anybody,” thinks Student Government is a good place to start as a junior politician.
Recently, he’s heard a lot about “infighting and the dysfunction of Student Government,” referring to the “impeachment crisis” of spring semester.
He said it’s important that USF St. Petersburg has a “functional Student Government.”
He sees himself as a source of stability and believes members of SG seem to have their “own little personal agenda and way that they want it to specifically run,” but working that way doesn’t get things done.
Making sure everybody gets along and having the funding needed for student activities and clubs are what’s important to him.
“I’m willing to do what others won’t,” Hatzistefanou said. “I’m willing to go to the extra meetings… Sit down and talk with everyone and see what they actually want. And not just pass bills just because that’s what we need to do. I actually need to make sure what we’re doing is right for everyone.”
Name: Veronica Jimenez
Major: Political science
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Miami
Email: vjimenez4@mail.usf.edu
Age: 20
Veronica Jimenez, who’s running for reelection, grew up in Miami, where she became interested in politics during her Advanced Placement Government class as a senior in high school.
Jimenez is passionate about political science as a major and as a way of life. She serves as senate president pro tempore and is a member of the League of Women Voters.
She said she’s learned a lot through her position and wants to continue growing in the role.
“This position gives me a chance to connect with the student body and organizations on campus, as well as represent USFSP,” she said. “It has also given me so much experience in the legislative field, as I would love to pursue something in the legislative and government field.”
Jimenez said her patient personality helps her succeed in Student Government.
“I focus on being level-headed when it comes to attending meetings and inputting my view points, and patience when constituents or any senator asks for help or advice.”
Name: Madeline Rhodes
Major: Interdisciplinary social sciences– international relations and sociology
Year: Junior
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Email: rhodes10@mail.usf.edu
Junior Madeline Rhodes is a transfer student who lives on campus.
“I’m actually a military brat,” she said. Originally from Salt Lake City, she moved with her parents to Clearwater in December.
Rhodes wants to get involved on campus and feels this is where her skill set applies most. Though she lives on campus, she was a commuter before she transferred, and, while also being an out-of-state student, understands a lot of situations.
“I don’t know what the demographic of the senate looks like now, but I think it’s mostly first-year students,” she said. “I know there are a lot of problems that transfer students deal with, and I want to act as an advocate for those students, on top of dealing with other issues.”
With the campus’ large commuter culture, Rhodes would also like students to get more involved. One goal of hers is for students to feel like they can email her with “any problems” they may have.
Rhodes also wants to advocate for higher wages for employees in The Reef. She’s spoken with some of them and thinks they “add a lot of value to the campus, but they’re definitely underpaid.”
Name: Caitlyn Roland
Major: Biology with a concentration in biomedical science
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Gainesville
Email: caitlyngrace@mail.usf.edu
Age: 19
Caitlyn Roland said she was intimidated about coming to USF St. Petersburg at first, but now she feels at home and loves the school and the city.
Roland said that being more involved on campus helped with her transition to college, and she wants to use her position in SG to help students find a club they belong in.
“I want to run for senate because I feel like student involvement is a very integral aspect of the college experience,” Roland said. “I want to be able to equip clubs and students with what they need to thrive and succeed.”
She said one thing she would want to change about SG is how it relays information to students.
“I feel that most students don’t listen to minutes and attend general assembly meetings, so a social media entity that recaps meetings and informs students about important events would be a great addition,” Roland said.
Also running for senate is sophomore Eran Fruehauf, who did not respond to The Crow’s Nest request for an interview.
