USF Tampa’s gubernatorial tickets shared their goals, hopes and solutions for the upcoming general election. ORACLE PHOTO/ELLIE FROST

Two Tampa Student Government gubernatorial tickets discussed their campaigns during a debate Tuesday. 

The tickets shared ideas for mitigating budget issues with USF’s activity and service fees, as well as for advocating for students.

There are two tickets running for the Tampa campus gubernatorial election:

Ava Unutoa, a sophomore communications and psychology major, is running for governor alongside Brooks Cornelison, a freshman global business major running for the lieutenant governor position.
James Mayer, a sophomore political science major, is running for governor with Julia Jacomini Silva, a sophomore business analytics and information systems major, as his lieutenant governor.

None of the candidates running for gubernatorial positions currently serves in SG.

SG governors, who are campus-specific, represent students on multiple “representative bodies” and serve on the Campus Allocation Funding Committee, according to SG.

CAFC is responsible for the annual allocation of USF’s A&S fees, according to SG.

Lieutenant governors, who are also campus-specific, serve as the main advisers and assistants for governors, according to SG.

The gubernatorial debate was held in Ballroom A of the Marshall Student Center. It was moderated by Oracle Editor-in-Chief Clara Rokita Garcia and Oracle News Editor Isabella Oefelein.

Related: USF SG senate president resigns amid ‘toxic’ climate, seeks freer advocacy

Silva said the core pillars of her ticket’s campaign are to raise awareness and understanding of fees and tuition costs, be transparent about funding and improve access to resources on campus. 

Student tuition fees are reinvested in student resources, such as transportation through the Bull Runner and campus improvements, including building upgrades, according to USF.

Therefore, Mayer said students deserve a strong advocate to ensure their money is spent effectively. 

“I think the governor’s role on this campus is to fight fiercely for students’ budgets and students’ needs,” Mayer said. 

Unutoa said her ticket aims to be transparent about the CAFC allocation process and offer an interactive platform for students.

“We want everyone to be able to see where that money is going, what it’s doing, how it’s benefiting us and just overall, creating a better environment around campus, a more open, friendly environment,” Unutoa said.

The ticket also plans to hold “town hall” events to strengthen relationships between SG, students and faculty, she said.

“There’s strength in numbers, and USF is made up of so many different people and so many people that can come together and do such amazing things,” Unutoa said.

Related: Free speech, funding among topics discussed at USF student government gubernatorial debate

Both tickets said they wanted to expand and maintain — rather than add — SG programs and resources for students through marketing and engagement.

SG’s executive branch oversees three agencies — SAFE Team, Bulls Media and Student Computer Services.

Silva said her ticket aims to improve campus and student safety by reducing wait times for SAFE Team services — which transport students across campus every day from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. 

Mayer said focusing on existing services would be more cost-effective and would also help students become familiar with the resources SG provides them.

“I would much rather like to see an expansion of old services and better marketing and communication for them,” Mayer said.

James Mayer, who is running for governor, on the left, and Julia Jacomini Silva, who is running for lieutenant governor, on the right. ORACLE PHOTO/ELLIE FROST

Because gubernatorial roles play a key role in allocating A&S fees, the tickets also focused on solutions to a declining reserve of funds.

Students pay A&S fees as part of their tuition — for Tampa students, these fees are collected through a $7 flat fee and an additional $12.08 per credit hour, according to SG.

This fee supports SG boards, programs, 12 success departments and over 250 student organizations to improve services related to student activities.

Student organizations saw a roughly 50% budget decrease for the 2025-26 fiscal year due to a $2.6 million shortfall. 

Departments also experienced reductions during that period — which resulted in hour changes to USF’s MSC and Tampa Library last year. 

Although they are on different tickets, both Cornelison and Mayer said student organizations would be their top priority when allocating budgets.

Related: USF student orgs hit with budget cuts as funding shortfall deepens

Ava Unutoa, who is running for governor, on the left, and Brooks Cornelison, who is running for lieutenant governor, on the right. ORACLE PHOTO/ELLIE FROST

Cornelison said cutting funds from student organizations would be “detrimental” to USF’s campus community.

Cuts to facilities such as the Campus Recreation Center or the MSC could prompt USF administrators to step in to address budget needs, he said.

“If the school cares about these things so much, they have to, you know, replace what we want to cut,” Cornelison said. 

Building relationships across university departments could help SG negotiate better plans moving forward, Cornelison said. 

“I would try and build rapport with the new president and the new staff, and try and build a relationship because we might be able to get some money from them,” he said. 

Mayer said that if elected, he and Silva would “audit” SG departments across campuses to identify overlaps within SG to free more A&S money.

“I think there’s a lot of overlap and a lot of duplicate roles and a lot of people that are being paid for stuff that doesn’t really need to happen,” Mayer said.

Cornelison said that despite the “crisis” with the A&S fees, he is not worried or scared about potentially taking on the lieutenant governor role — he’s excited. 

Unutoa added that the two promise, if elected, to do their best to represent and strengthen USF’s community. 

“We want to create a more friendly and transparent environment for everyone, inside and outside,” Unutoa said. 

Mayer said he and Silva come from different backgrounds, as he is from Florida and she is from Brazil.

Still, he said USF offers the “biggest” platform of common ground between the two and connects them through pride for the Tampa campus. 

“This campus has given me so much, and I’m proud to be a part of a campus that keeps on growing,” Mayer said.

Voting will take place from March 2-5 at in-person polling stations on campus.