Photo by Mahika Kukday | The Crow’s Nest
By Mahika Kukday
In a season of firsts for USF St. Petersburg, Elise Prophete will be the campus’ first Black governor.
The mid-semester change comes after former governor David Nguyen’s resignation on Nov. 13.
Nguyen declined The Crow’s Nest’s request for comment on Nov. 13. Both Prophete, a political science sophomore, and USF St. Petersburg SG advisor Janice Bao, said they did not wish to speak on his behalf, but would share their own experiences.
Prophete said that discussions leading up to the resignation were held between the three of them, and she learned his reasons for the decision in the process.
“I do know that his personality didn’t exactly mesh with SG and it wasn’t really where his passions lie,” Prophete said. “I do feel like he did want to move on and he’s glad to [do so], and I’m glad to support him in whatever he’s doing too.”
Photo by Mahika Kukday | The Crow’s Nest
She added that she felt that Nguyen was “really hard working” in SG and that he was extremely intelligent with his decisions in the role.
Prophete assumed the role of interim campus governor effective immediately after Nguyen’s resignation and was officially voted in on the Nov. 19 student government senate meeting.
The current OneUSF student government system, wherein each of USF’s campuses have their own governor, lt. governor and individual cabinets, along with a “federal” leadership body that presides over all three campuses, has been in place since the university consolidated in 2020.
Since then, USF St. Petersburg has had four governors, with Nguyen being the fifth. This is the first time the campus governor has changed before their allotted term ended.
Nguyen’s departure was not sudden, and internal discussion had been ongoing as the almost entirely new St. Petersburg campus SG members grew into their roles.
“I think he’s more a quiet leader and the type of person who likes to do behind the scenes work,” Prophete said. “Whereas governor is a very outward position where you’re always advertising yourself and SG.”
She is looking forward to making student government more communicative, increasing visibility and improving engagement with the student body.
“I’m actually really excited and I don’t just want things to go back to normal, I want things to be better than they were in the past too,” Prophete told The Crow’s Nest when asked about next steps.
Photo by Mahika Kukday | The Crow’s Nest
In this unprecedented situation, Prophete is focusing on transitioning into her new role and enacting her goals. First up on her list of tasks is filling the position she once held: lieutenant governor.
Aspirants to the positions of lt. governor and governor usually run a joint campaign in SG’s general elections every spring semester.
However, the lt. governor will now be treated as an appointed position rather than elected one in these circumstances. The job will be posted on Handshake in the upcoming days, where students can apply.
“I want to make it an equal opportunity for all students, because there’s people with so much potential [on campus],” Prophete said.
Photo by Mahika Kukday | The Crow’s Nest
OneUSF student government operates in accordance with its constitution and statutes. Until the Nov. 19 senate meeting, there was no clear line of succession in case a governor resigns.
Reforms were made to Title 3 of the student government statutes on Nov. 19, outlining that in the case of a vacant governor position, the order of succession is the lieutenant governor followed by the campus council chair, campus council vice chair and student legal advocate. The reforms passed with a majority vote of 26 and one abstention by senate president Jackson Jones.
Bao said that SG is planning an event to announce Prophete’s new role as governor. The appointment, even after being passed by senate, is awaiting the approval of student body president Suryakanth Prasad Gottipati.
“We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to David Nguyen for his service as campus governor. David made significant contributions to student government during his tenure, and we respect his decision to step down to focus on his academics and other personal pursuits,” Bao said in a statement to The Crow’s Nest.
