Results of the Student Government midterm elections were confirmed on Oct. 22.
Courtesy of Anna Bryson
By Annalise Anderson
Student Government midterm election results were confirmed on Oct. 22, validating the seats of USF St. Petersburg’s five new Senators and seven new Campus Council members.
Like the preliminary results suggested, every student who campaigned in the election won a seat. However, Campus Council candidate Abigail Baker, who won 68 votes, did not accept her seat, leaving one opening on Campus Council.
St. Petersburg’s new senators are Kande DaCosta, Valeria Ferrari, Taylor Herman, Iris Van der Zeen and Lucas Walters.
With 101 votes, DaCosta was the most popular Senate candidate, which, for her, was “very unreal.”
“I knew that I had the support of the student body, but to have won the popular vote – I was on cloud nine,” DaCosta said. “I am beyond grateful for the support I have received from my fellow peers throughout my campaign and on election day.”
Now that her seat is confirmed, DaCosta, a freshman finance major, plans to fulfill her campaign promises.
“I hope to build meaningful connections with my fellow peers and help create an effective budget that would allow clubs on campus to have proper funding for activities,” DaCosta said. “Additionally, I will be an advocate for minorities across campus no matter their race, gender, sexuality or ethnicity.”
Herman, a freshman political science major, was elected to both Senate and Campus Council, meaning she had to choose which seat she preferred to fill. Though she chose to fill the Senate seat, she felt “super honored” to win both.
“I would have loved to fill either position,” Herman said. “However, I ended up choosing the Senate seat because I wanted to take on the commitment and be more engaged with the student body and all of the activities and programs at USF.”
Getting students involved and learning about what concerns the campus community is a priority for Herman now that her seat is confirmed.
“As a senator, I aim to get to know more about the students and staff at USFSP and their thoughts and opinions on certain campus issues,” Herman said. “It is also my goal to try and increase student engagement in the government process or even more importantly in USF activities as a whole.”
The campus’s new Campus Council members are Chevaughn Bashford, Julia Bailey, Reanna Cowan, Jalise Martinez, Maya Morant and Jayden Sutliff.
Bashford, a senior environmental science and policy major who was also elected to Senate and Campus Council, said he was happy but a “bit surprised” by the results. He thanks those who voted him for both positions, but he chose to fill the Campus Council seat.
“I chose to be a Campus Council representative because I believe that is where I will be able to best serve the St. Petersburg campus,” Bashford said. “I look forward to effectively representing the interests of the community members on the St. Petersburg campus and in particular the interests of the student population.”
As a confirmed Campus Council member, Bashford plans to not only support the campus community, but to also introduce “new ideas” to further improve “our already amazing campus.”
Of USF St. Petersburg’s 3,738 eligible voters, 184 cast their ballots, marking a 4.92% voter turnout.
This year’s midterm election saw a 3.85% jump in turnout from fall 2020’s special and midterm elections that yielded a dismal 1.07%.
St. Petersburg Assistant Director of Student Engagement Bob Herron is excited about the increase in voter participation this semester.
“I think this engagement shows a desire from our students, particularly our new students here in St. Petersburg, to be active and involved on campus in an effort to really take-in all our campus has to offer while serving in roles empowered to make change,” Herron said.
“I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg of Student Government engagement from our students, post consolidation,” Herron said.
Herron hopes that the campus’s new SG representatives will be strong leaders and gain formative experience for their future careers.
“I hope, and I expect, to see these students lead from a perspective of inclusiveness, service and continuous learning as they gain practical experience, preparing them for their careers post-graduation,” Herron said.
Students next opportunity to cast their ballots for campus representatives is the SG general election in Spring 2022.
Applications to campaign in the general election will open during the spring semester.
