Pictured Above: (Left to right) Yamaris Rodriguez, Kayla Idzior, Daniel Lujo and Connor Chilson are four of the seven candidates who were approved to run in the Student Government interim special election to fill the vacant Campus Council.
Courtesy of Yamaris Rodriguez, Kayla Idzior, Daniel Lujo and Connor Chilson
By Trevor Martindale
Student Government will be holding an interim special election this week, Oct. 27-28, to fill the vacant Campus Council.
Under the newly consolidated USF Student Government, the Campus Council will act as the local legislative body tasked with making allocation recommendations through the “interim funding” process.
This process would entail the St. Petersburg Campus Council making local budgetary recommendations for the Federal Activities and Services Recommendation Committee, who finalizes the budget.
Seven candidates were approved to run in the interim special election, marking an increase in involvement from the first fall special election, which only had three candidates.
Since there are nine Campus Council seats available, the election will be uncontested.
Candidates will only need one vote to be elected.
Yamaris Rodriguez
Major: Political science
Year: Junior
“I am passionate about politics and helping people, so I chose to run for this position,” Yamaris Rodriguez said in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
If elected, Rodriguez plans on heeding the budgetary concerns of students on the St Petersburg campus.
Kayla Idzior
Major: Psychology
Year: Junior
“I felt like (getting involved in Student Government) would be the most straightforward way to help make a positive impact on campus,” Kayla Idzior said.
Idzior hopes to allocate the budget in the interest of the student body.
Daniel Lujo
Major: Finance
Year: Sophomore
“I want to be able to make a positive change on our campus in any way that I can and being a representative of our community would be a fantastic way to do that,” Daniel Lujo said.
If elected, Lujo is looking to “be in touch” with the school community and adhere to their needs.
Connor Chilson
Major: Political science
Year: Freshman
Connor Chilson has always been interested in obtaining a leadership position, following his previous involvement in high school.
Chilson has both short and long term goals in Student Government.
“The stigma around student government tends to still make it look like an elitist clique and this surely needs to be changed,” Chilson said. “(In the short term), I only wish to do my job impeccably and make those who pointed me in the right direction proud.”
Brandon Majercin, Britney Clarke and Stephen Fleming are also running for Campus Council, but did not respond to The Crow’s Nest’s requests for comment.
