Pictured above: (From left to right) Nithin Palyam, Amy Pham, Tony Tran and Rughved Brahman are the candidates for the presidential ticket in this year’s SG elections.
Courtesy of Aubrey Carr | The Crow’s Nest
By Sofía García Vargas
The Student Government (SG) general elections now shift to the hands of the USF community to choose the university’s next representatives, with voting starting today until March 3.
Students will vote on SG president and vice president, as well as campus governors and lieutenant governors. Additionally, voters will have a say in different constitutional amendments regarding SG’s branches, the election process and voters rights.
Two Tampa-based tickets will face off in the presidential election: Deputy Chief Financial Officer Nithin Palyam with Relations Committee Chair Amy Pham, and Finance Committee Chair Truong Tran with Circuit Court Associate Judge Rughved Brahman.
Palyam and Pham’s initiatives aim to “advocate for the health and wellbeing” of their fellow students, with a focus on “mental health, sustainability and food insecurity” and the importance of a relationship between students and SG across all three campuses.
Tran and Brahman plan to bridge the gaps between campus cultures by creating new traditions and upholding old ones while promoting communication and transparency within SG.
The Crow’s Nest asked each candidate why they chose to run for SG and what they hope to accomplish if elected:
Presidential candidate: Nithin Palyam
Palyam is a junior computer science major at USF Tampa
“USF has been my home for the past two and half years and has provided me with many resources and opportunities. I would love to take this chance to serve as student body president, alongside Amy Pham, to give back to our community. Amy and I are running on a platform centered around the HERD: Health, Empowerment, Resource and Development. We will advocate for the health and wellbeing of our peers and environment through initiatives focused on mental health, sustainability, and food insecurity. We want to empower and uplift communities like international, LGBTQ+, minority and transfer students, as well as emphasize survivor advocacy with platforms and resources. As your representatives, we want you to know what SG can do for you, which is why we will create a resource center with all campus resources in one, easy place to find. As One USF, we want to develop connections between all three campuses through transportation and campus-specific initiatives.”
Vice presidential candidate: Amy Pham
Pham is a sophomore biomedical sciences major at USF Tampa
“Having been part of Student Government for the last year and now serving as the Senate relations chair, I realized I loved connecting with my peers and giving back to the USF community. I chose to run alongside Nithin Palyam to serve as your next vice president so that I can help students address campus concerns and advocate on their behalf. My goal is to empower and uplift students as well as ensure that their voice is heard. If elected to this position, I hope to ensure that students know what resources are available to them and what Student Government can do for them. Nithin and I will also advocate for mental health resources and more sustainable projects, like a composting initiative and clothing exchange. We would also like to develop the connections between the St. Pete, Sarasota-Manatee, and Tampa campuses with cross-campus transportation, as well as incorporating campus culture into student orientations. We also hope to advocate for more diverse food options on the St. Pete campus.”
Presidential candidate: Tony Tran
Tran is a junior biomedical sciences major at USF Tampa
“I chose to run for Student Body president because I felt that my call to service began in the federal legislative branch serving as a senator and finance chair. While spending time advocating for students, I also had the opportunity to reach out and learn issues that they face every day. Being part of the legislative branch, I was not able to solve the issues due to the position focusing on writing bills and allocating money to departments and student organization. As my list of initiatives grew, I looked for a position in the executive branch. Comparing initiatives to the job descriptions of governor and president, the initiatives affect all campuses — I knew that it was time to take charge and UNITE the student body as a one consolidated USF. If elected, our administration’s main priorities are to represent the student body without being biased and accomplish all of our initiatives encompassing the unification of all three campuses, navigation through unprecedented times, integration of inclusion and diversity, transition to a better and greener USF and continuing the exploration of opportunities of growth.”
Vice presidential candidate: Rughved Brahman
Brahman is a junior health sciences major at USF Tampa
“I chose to run for this position because I wanted to be at the forefront of change on campus by materializing initiatives. My previous position in Student Government, as associate judge for the Tampa Circuit Court, I got well acquainted with the parking and transportation sector at USF. In this role I also got to learn about the problems in this sector. I noted down student concerns regarding parking and transportation and I wanted to provide a solution for these concerns. The opportunity came for me to work with Tony and run for a federal executive position in which I could effect change and act on student concerns. I would first and foremost be the right-hand man and advisor to Tony. My goal is to be an ear to the student body and rally their concerns to SG to effect change and serve the students in a democratic way. Unifying the student body is one of our main concerns as well as providing students the resources they need to have the best experience possible at USF.”
