By Re’nesia Mills
On Tuesday, March 23, The University of Tampa’s Student Government (UTSG) held a virtual meet and greet to introduce the new candidates for the 2021-2022 school year.
Each candidate was given one to two minutes to give a short speech about who they were, why they were running, and why they deserved to be elected as president, vice president, speaker of the assembly, and senator.
Voting will take place through Monday, March 29 through Friday, April 2 through Engage.
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President and Vice President Candidates
Alyssa White
President
White is a junior environmental science major. She has previously served as academic chairperson and campus-wide senator for student government.
Much of her motivation comes from her family.
“I’m a first-generation college student, so I kind of had to set the pathway for the rest of my family, I have three little siblings,” said White.
Isabella Burgui
Vice President
Burgui, junior political science major, has previously served as the freshman and sophomore senator.
As an only child who was born to immigrants, she has been her encouragement to run for vice president.
“My mom has raised me to always challenge myself in different ways and this was something that I saw myself doing,” said Burgui. “I envisioned myself in this position.”
If elected, White and Burgui vow to focus their mission on promoting diversity, strengthening the school spirit, and stand for mental health at UT by advocating for one to two mental health days for students and faculty each semester.
“Obviously, since the pandemic, our school has been super disconnected, and I think that just uniting our entire student body, like, that’s what sets us apart from other schools is our Spartan pride,” said White. “If we aren’t proud to go here, then how are we supposed to get other people to be proud to go here?”
“I think we both want to push for open-mindedness on our campus because that creates, you know, a more accepting and safer place for everybody, whether this be for diversity issues or mental health awareness,” said Burgui.
Gwendlyne Guido
President
Guido is a junior double major in philosophy and political science. She joined UTSG her first semester on campus and her experience with the organization led her to join several other organizations on campus allowing her the opportunity to meet new people.
“While student government elections might not seem important, they’re very important as the people you elect are the people who make a lot of decisions about Registered Student Organizations funding and if campus-wide events can get the funding they need to go on,” said Guido.
Emiliann Palermo
Vice President
Palermo is a sophomore economics major. She is from Long Island, New York, and comes from an Italian background and she has utilized her leadership abilities within other campus organizations.
“I think The University of Tampa prides itself on being a university that’s student-led, and if they really want to hold themselves to what they say that they do, I think that addressing these student concerns, I think they might be more lenient than we’re expecting,” said Palermo.
If elected, Guido and Palermo plan to facilitate a return to the state of normalcy, promote transparency between UTSG and the student body, the modernization of general assembly, and the compatibility between RSO and UTSG.
“We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges,” said Palermo.
“We have our priorities, we have plans to get there, and we have experienced working together for transparent, effective student government,” said Guido.
Speaker of the Assembly Candidates
Gabriella Almedia
Almedia is the current director of programming for student government. She’s also on the executive board for the Panhellenic Council.
“I’m running because I believe it’s an opportunity to bring students and organizations together on campus and interconnect a diverse group in a unique way,” said Almedia.
Jack McMonagle
McMonagle is a junior cybersecurity major from Baltimore, Maryland. He is also the president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
“As Speaker of the Assembly I really want to make sure communication between SG and student organizations is clear and easy as possible,” said McMonagle.
Lynzi Baxter
Major: Biology and marine science
“I plan to listen, advocate, act upon, and accomplish what we as a group like to do while still providing an environment that cultivates success and its members and is friendly to all,” said Baxter.
Morgan Woods
Woods is a participant in the honors program who places student government and academics first.
“I’m running for this position to not only be more involved on campus but be a voice for the student body,” said Woods.
Senator Candidates by Class
Senior
Stephanie Chorzepa
Chorzepa, political science major, is currently serving as the campus-wide senator.
“I plan to work with the other senators to truly be able to make a difference at the university,” said Chorzepa.
Junior
Cassie Disharoon
Disharoon is a communication major who is also a part of the honors program. She is currently serving as the committee chair of campus life.
“I would prioritize making decisions that best serve students as we return to face-to-face instruction and as the pandemic eventually winds down,” said Disharoon.
Sophomore
Ava Marconi
Major: International business and management
“I’m super excited to be running for sophomore senator and a position of student government, so I have the ability to represent my class as well as be a resource for students,” said Marconi.
Michaela Greczek
Major: allied health
“I hope to work well with others in student government to create new and exciting events here at UT,” said Greczek.
Campus-Wide Candidates
Becca Turner
Turner, nursing major, is a previous Week of Welcome leader.
“I plan to be honest and authentic and want what’s best for everyone around me,” said Turner.
Haleigh Hafner
Hafner is a junior marketing major who has previously held positions in student government.
“I feel like I really have some good ideas in mind that are going to be great for the whole campus,” said Hafner.
JayVian Boston
Boston, freshman finance major, is a member of the Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
“My position is devoted to the people and I will work endlessly for the student body’s voice to be heard,” said Boston.
Meghan Violette
Year/Major: sophomore biology major
“Being a voice and advocate for other individuals is super important to me,” said Violette.
Michael Mugno
Year/Major: junior business management
Mugno is from New Jersey.
“I’m running for campus-wide senator because I want to improve the overall life and experience on campus,” said Mugno. “I don’t want to discuss what we can do, but actually get results that benefit our student body. There wouldn’t be a UT without them, so it’s time for them to be heard.”
