The presidential election for USFSP is underway and while some students already voted some are on the fence as to who they should vote for to represent their campus next year. Check out Jimmy Richards and Jordan Iuliucci reasons as to why they should be your President and VP!
Jimmy Richards, who is running for the position of Student Body President is a very determined student. He is currently your student body Vice-President, and because of that he has gained the necessary knowledge to take USFSP in a whole new direction to really put it on the map. He would like to do this by serving as your 2013-2014 student body President.
When asked what three changes he would like to see for USFSP in the future, he said:
- Revamp the career center and provide the internship opportunities that students want and need! This will give them practical experience outside of the classroom that will give them a “leg up” on the competition when they graduate.
- Get a College of Business building! There are more business majors than anything else on this campus and they have no place to call home. Investing in our students is not only good for us, but it is good for the community. A College of Business building provides more than just classrooms, it can provide a live stock trading floor or event student run businesses.
- Bring Greek Life to USF St. Petersburg. It is very evident that students want access to fraternities and sororities and I believe that it is our obligation to listen to them. These networks do not just provide students with the real college experience, but they provide them with genuine connections that are hard to form anywhere else.
All of these are very important changes that students should really think about and could definitely turn USFSP around.
When asked about the opposing team Mark and Christa, Jimmy feels that they are very
qualified for the position. He views them as just meeting the standards, but going above and beyond. Remember how excited all the students were when the bronze bull was revealed on our campus? Jimmy, on his first day of office said he would get this bronze bull. Unfortunately, it was fought against and retracted during Senate, but he was persistent with following with his word and ended up accomplishing his goal. Now, the bronze bull is an icon to remind us everyday that we are USF bulls. Richards also feels that what really separates Jordan and himself from the opposing team is that together they will not make empty promises. Mark ran on a platform of the “Real College Experience” last year, but did not provide it. “ I will never feed the students any “bull” , Jimmy says.
Sodexo has been at our campus for less than a year and there has been much buzz with students complaints. Richard’s gave us his input as to what he thinks of Sodexo and if he sees a future for it on the USFSP campus
“ I think that we have a growing and improving relationship with Sodexo. I think that they take a lot of criticism from the students (some deserved and some not), but a lot of times they act on that criticism and do what they can to fix it. At any point in time you can contact Josef Rill and Louis Duran (reps of Sodexo) to speak about their policies and they will genuinely listen to you and your concerns. It has only been 1.5 semesters during this 5 year contract and they are already showing great improvement. I believe that with a strong student voice, we will be able to make Sodexo everything that they want it to be.”
Jordan Iuliucci, who is running for the position of Student Body Vice President, is an extremely well rounded student who has accomplished many things while being at USFSP. Many of the accomplishments she has made have been to benefit student government and the student body as well. First starting out, Jordan became the Student Services and Audits chair for the Senate. Not only has she increased the internal procedure of the Senate, but also sponsored the bill for PeteSync. PeteSync has become fairly important for clubs and organizations to communicate with their members. On top of all of these accomplishments, Jordan is immensely proud of being a bull, as well as being a part of the USFSP campus.
I asked Jordan some important issues in regards to the campaign.
When asked what three changes she would like to see for the future of USFSP, she said that she would like to maximize the amount of job opportunities for students after they graduate. A lot of students cannot grasp the concept that when you go to college you are trying to start a career and turn a new page in your life. The second change is for Student Government to collaborate more with the Career Center to get it off the ground and produce internships for students’ during their college careers. Internships are key because it allows students to gain needed experience as well as giving their resumes an extra punch so they can be “best out of the bunch”. Jordan’s top change would be to increase communication between the clubs and organizations at USFSP. Being a Student Government Senator currently, she believes that the senators should not be spending the money; the senate should be allocating it towards clubs and organizations, because they should be using the money the way they deem necessary. Jordan and Jimmy are all about students succeeding and will help in any way when they are elected.
I also got the chance to ask Jordan what she thinks of the opposing team, Mark and Christa. She says that it has been such a pleasure to work with Mark and Christa for the past two years, however, this year it’s time for new leadership.
The real question is what characteristics separate Jimmy and Jordan from the opposing team and why you should choose them as your campus President and Vice President. Accountability, communication, leadership, and the ability to accept criticism are what separate them from their opponents. Students should vote for Richards & Iuliucci because of the C.O.S.T. of college is what you should be getting. C.O.S.T. stands for Careers, Opportunity, Spirit and Traditions. When Jimmy and Jordan are elected they will make sure that what the students are paying for is what they are getting out of the USFSP campus.
HerCampus wishes both parties the best of luck in this upcoming election. Make sure to vote March 4th through March 7th. For more information about Richard and Iuliucci’s campaign, visit Richards Iuliucci 2013.
* Images from the Richards Iuliucci 2013 Facebook page.