“St. Petersburg campus governor-elect Abdul Muqeet Khawaja and lieutenant governor-elect Taylor Herman.
Courtesy of Aubrey Carr | The Crow’s Nest
By Aubrey Carr
The University of South Florida’s Student Government (SG) will host its third general election since consolidation, with the presidential race featuring its first USF St. Petersburg candidate.
This year, eight students are campaigning to fill slots for Governor, Senate, Campus Council and Lieutenant Governor of the St. Petersburg campus. This is a large decrease from last year’s pool of thirteen candidates.
Abdul Muqeet Khawaja, a junior majoring in finance, and Taylor Sherman, a junior majoring in political science, are running an uncontested race for St. Petersburg governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. As there is only one ticket running for the role, there will be no gubernatorial debate this year.
Muqeet and Sharman’s platform focuses on four pillars –– student wellness, environment, engagement and diversity, collectively known as “S.E.E.D.” The pillars break down further to include more specific efforts the ticket plans to implement.
Student wellness includes mental health, physical accessibility, recreation opportunities and cross-campus transportation.
Environment includes conscious sustainability, improved recycling and implementation of compost locations.
Engagement includes student advancement efforts, civic engagement, and community involvement.
Finally, diversity incorporates student representation, cultural education, student empowerment and cultural events across campus.
According to Laura Shaw, SG supervisor of elections, the governor and lieutenant governor act as leaders of the campus, advocating for the needs and wants of their own student body.
For campus counsel, Giovanna Belisario, a junior, is running against Erin Turney, a junior.
Campus counsel is a vital, yet often overlooked, part of maintaining life within the university, Shaw said.
“There’s the St. Petersburg campus Council, Sarasota Manatee campus Council and a Tampa Council campus Council. Only students on their respective campuses can serve on their campus Council. Each campus Council decides where money is allocated on their respective campus,” she said.
For senate there are five candidates from St. Petersburg –– Alexis Hobbs, a junior majoring in biological sciences, Kenneth Bright, a sophomore majoring in health sciences, Nathan Poinsette, a senior majoring in Digital Communication and Mulitmedia Journalism, Giovanna Belisario and Alexa Michelle Matos, a junior majoring in political science.
“Senator student body is made up of students from all three campuses, and they’re deciding where to put money university wide,” Shaw said. “They also work more with policy. The Senate will vote on different policies, and each senator must be part of one committee. That’s the ethics committee, Relations Committee or Policy Committee.”
In contrast to the St. Petersburg-specific elections, the presidential pool has grown this year, with four tickets bidding for the highest student title within SG.
Presidential candidate Cesar Esmeradli, a Tampa junior majoring in health sciences, is running alongside Vice Presidential candidate Elizabeth Volmy, a Tampa junior majoring in health sciences.
Their campaign, “M.O.R.E,” has four main focuses –– mental health, opportunities, rides, parking and transportation, and the environment.
Nathan Poinsette, the only St. Petersburg student in the presidential election, is running alongside Taeler Bell, a Tampa senior majoring in biological sciences.
With a focus on philanthropy, resources, inclusion, development and empowerment, their campaign is entitled “P.R.I.D.E.”
Sebastian Solano, a Tampa junior majoring in accounting, is running alongside Jessica Malanga, a Tampa junior majoring in accounting.
Aiming for transparency, health, resources, integration, vision and empowerment, their campaign is called “T.H.R.I.V.E.”
Manik Jindal, a Tampa sophomore majoring in computer science, is running alongside Shubhankar Parashar, a Tampa freshman majoring in computer science.
Unlike the three other tickets, Jindal and Shubhankar’s campaign does not have a title. Instead, their platform focuses on increasing communication between administration and students and providing international students with more resources.
You can find out more about the presidential tickets here.
