Muqeet Khawaja and Herman ran uncontested for SG governor and lieutenant governor
Courtesy of Aubrey Carr | The Crow’s Nest
By Kelah Lehart
With the newly elected Student Government (SG) governor and lieutenant governor of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus taking office on April 20, the team shared their excitement and vision for the future with The Crow’s Nest.
“I am grateful to the student body at USF St. Pete for choosing us as their leaders and for putting their trust in us,” Abdul Muqeet Khawaja, student governor, said.
With a strong emphasis on gratitude and community, the pair discussed their plans to create a more inclusive and accessible campus, and how they aim to engage students in shaping the future of the university.
“Our vision for the future is to make this community a better place, which is through certain initiatives that we have decided upon,” Muqeet Khawaja said.
Muqeet Khawaja and Lieutenant Governor, Taylor Herman, have been involved in Student Government for the past two years. Within that time, they have identified key issues that they intend to work on which include sustainability, diversity, student engagement and student wellness.
“We really would like to focus more on sustainability, recycling and composting initiatives on campus,” said Taylor Herman, lieutenant governor at USF St. Petersburg. “Also, we intend to work closely with [the Office of Multicultural Affairs] and continue to support our different multicultural groups on campus as well.”
Muqeet Khawaja expanded on the topic of sustainability and expressed more in detail what current projects are already in progress.
“We want to move forward with more recycling initiatives and work with the Student Green Energy Fund,” Muqeet Khawaja said. “Right now, we are currently in the works of discussing and establishing the compost project and also a food garden on campus.”
Another area of focus for the newly elected is campus safety. Muqeet Khawaja and Herman agree that it’s important for SG to have a strong connection with the University Police Department (UPD) and to be transparent about what needs to be done to provide a safe environment for students and faculty on campus.
Muqeet Khawaja highlighted that SG recently organized a donation of bike locks for students so that bike theft is reduced on campus. The locks are available for students to pick up at the University Police Department. Students just need to register their bikes with UPD in order to receive a free bike lock.
In the coming months, Muqeet Khawaja and Herman will also focus more on student wellness and mental health, with plans to collaborate with the Wellness Center and other entities on campus.
“Our main focus on mental health is to provide educational experiences and safe spaces for students and make sure that everyone is aware of all the resources that are available on campus,” Herman said.
Another pillar of focus for Herman and Muqeet Khawaja is the importance of student engagement on campus. They want students to be more involved with certain clubs and organizations that help them connect with the community.
“This lets students know that there is a place for them and that there are different opportunities here on campus to pursue,” Herman said. “We want others to know that they do have a voice both at the university and civically through voting.”
Muqeet Khawaja expressed further on this topic and discussed their plans on “growing the diversity” at the St. Petersburg Campus, as he shared his experience being an international student.
“When I came to the U.S. in August 2021, I was welcomed with open hands in this tightly knit community,” he said. “And that is what we want people to feel. We want every person to feel welcome in this community and at our campus. In order to do that, we need to create open, safe spaces for students to be a part of.”
Muqeet Khawaja says that these spaces are for students to talk about matters that they feel are important to them. This includes controversial topics and discussions that are constructive, progressive and help educate other students on campus.
“The student government is here to serve the students and to represent their needs. It is by the students and for the students,” Muqeet Khawaja said. “Our main goal is to be able to represent and advocate the voices of the students on our campus and to be able to put their interests first and foremost and forward in front of the administration.
One way to achieve these initiatives, Muqeet Khawaja said, would be to “act as a liaison between the student body and the administration, who has the adequate resources to cater to the needs of the student body.”
Muqeet Khawaja says that an important way to achieve their initiatives would be to collaborate with other campus partners.
“If we don’t collaborate, then we wouldn’t be able to achieve everything individually by ourselves as part of student government,” Muqeet Khawaja said. “So, collaboration is the key.”
Muqeet Khawaja has been organizing one-on-one meetings with campus leaders to talk to them about matters and discuss how they can aid them as a student government.
“I believe in fostering relationships with community partners and allowing the student body to be able to feel connected, is our key goal,” Muqeet Khawaja said.
As their term begins, both leaders look forward to working with students and faculty to achieve their goals for the term of their office.
