According to the unofficial election results released on March 11 from the UNF Student Government Office of Elections, Talon Party’s Hazel Joseph and Tommy Mazzella have won student body president and vice president seats.

Mazzella has served as Director of Public Relations for SG while Joseph serves as the Budget and Allocations Chair.

Students React

Lisa Dimuna, a UNF student who voted in the election, said she initially supported the Talon Party for the presidency and vice presidency, and the SAM party for senatorial positions.

However, after the election, Dimuna felt mixed emotions about her decision. 

“I felt indifferent,” said Dimuna. “I started to regret voting because I heard about drama during the election. A lot of the candidates were disrespectful.”

Still, she hopes the Joseph-Mazzella administration will make a positive impact on campus and handle student tuition with care. 

Rachel Mates, another student, said that people from both parties visited her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, to present their campaigns, but Mates said she voted for Joseph and Mazzella, citing that Joseph is “strong with what she wants.”

Unofficial Winners’ Reactions

Upon learning the unofficial election results, Joseph and Mazzella both expressed gratitude.

“What started as a simple conversation between the two of us about coming together and building something for students quickly grew into a full campaign,” said Joseph.

Mazzella and Joseph also said the campaign was draining, but ultimately meaningful as they both spent time on campus talking with students, clubs and athletic teams.

“Having real conversations with students about their experiences, their concerns, and what they hope to see from student government meant a lot to us,” said Joseph.

Joseph said that student feedback will play a major role in the Joseph-Mazzella administration to address concerns across campus.

“As we move forward, we are committed to continuing the positive momentum created by the Dyal-Summerall administration while also working to expand opportunities for engagement across campus,” said Joseph.

While Spinnaker reached out to the SAM party’s candidates for comment, Benjamin Shmia and Hunter Hayes have not responded at the time of publication.

Results

Joseph and Mazzella received a winning 1,586 votes, with the SAM Party’s Benjamin Shmia and Hunter Hayes receiving 856 votes.

160 students abstained, bringing the total to 2,504 students who voted.

All 20 senatorial seats for the spring semester have also been filled. Below is the full list of candidates who won SG Senate seats, with their party affiliation: 

Sienna Cole (Talon)
Tea Tola (Talon)
Pranitha Susendrakumar Balavijayalakshmanan (Talon)
Nevaeh Perez (Talon)
Jadah Brown (Talon)
Valerie Cruz (Talon)
Chloe Nowak-Vansant (Talon)
Carson Switzer (Talon)
Brooke Deluccia (Talon)
Lauchlin Faglie (Talon)
Ethan Byrne-Callan (Talon)
Junior Rodriguez Perez (Talon)
Logan Bell (Talon)
Jenna Long (Talon)
Alexander Gomez (Talon)
Emma Rose White (Talon)
Hailey Elias (SAM)
Thomas Villamil (Talon)
Shipton Macdonald (SAM)
Troy Montinola (SAM) 

On March 27, the election results will be validated at the SG Senate meeting.

On April 10, the newly elected candidates will be sworn in.

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