Pictured above:Students from all three campuses pose with USF’s Interim President Rhea Law and House Speaker Chris Sprowls at the Capitol.
Courtesy of USF
By Sophia George
For members of the University of South Florida community, USF Day at the Capitol was not only a time to advocate for the institution’s priorities, but also a unique opportunity for young leaders to expand their knowledge of the legislative process.
According to a Jan. 18 press release, dozens of students attended the event alongside USF Interim President Rhea Law, Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford, Vice Chair Mike Griffin, St. Petersburg campus Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock and Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook at the state capitol complex in Tallahassee.
Among the university’s 2022 priorities are a $50 million increase in USF’s operational budget, a fund of at least $30 million to begin construction of the USF Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research and Teaching Facility on the St. Petersburg campus, $18.6 million to go toward remodeling research labs on the Tampa campus as well as a request of $3 million to plan construction of a new STEM facility on the Sarasota-Manatee campus.
“Day at the Capitol is a great opportunity for our students to get a feel for the important work being done by our legislators. It also reminds legislators that university students and the education they receive at state universities are critical to the future of the state of Florida,” Tadlock said.
Students from all three USF campuses joined together in Tallahassee where they spent the day meeting legislators, lobbyists and journalists.
The students participated in a mock trial and were able to tour the House Chamber, Senate Chamber and Supreme Court.
“Personally, this event is so exciting because it gave me the opportunity to understand what’s happening firsthand in the Florida Capitol, and the important work that’s being done on behalf of USF,” Sean Schrader, a senior majoring in business management and serving as a senator for Student Government (SG) at the St. Petersburg campus, said.
Schrader told The Crow’s Nest that he believes USF’s priorities for this year are strategic as they place focus on expanding and bettering every campus, ensuring that USF can continue to be a top university.
Other attending students made similar statements, like 18-year-old biology major, Nathan Tout-Puissant.
“[The goal is to] make the university better for the students by creating more research opportunities on all campuses, especially since we are a top school,” Tout-Puissant said.
Tout-Puissant is a member of the St. Petersburg campus’s SG and explained that it gives him a sense of community on campus. His passion for politics and government made this event even more exciting.
“I got a better understanding of the inner workings [of legislation] and I got to meet members of the House and Senate. There was a real connection [between the students and legislators] despite the age gap,” Tout-Puissant told The Crow’s Nest.
Another SG member in attendance for Day at the Capitol was St. Petersburg campus’s Governor, Veronica Jimenez.
Jimenez attended the event her freshman and sophomore years at USF, but it was cancelled her junior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said it was amazing to be back, but it was even more special this year as it was the first time all three USF campuses fully collaborated.
“This is the first year that it was a more consolidated event. In the past, each campus would sort of do their own thing, but since we are one USF now, we all worked and planned together,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez described how special it was to have students from every campus and every background unite to accomplish the same goals in Tallahassee.
“We tend to see Tallahassee and the government in general as this separate entity that is untouchable, so getting to meet with our legislators, representatives and senators is really amazing and impressive,” Jimenez stated.
Jimenez illustrated how remarkable it was to meet senators and representatives because many of them have the same origin stories in terms of getting into politics.
“We all share one thing in common, and that’s serving the people,” Jimenez said.
