{"id":134820,"date":"2026-01-28T11:44:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T11:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/134820\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T11:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T11:44:06","slug":"usf-sg-leaders-encourage-students-to-apply-for-2026-general-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/134820\/","title":{"rendered":"USF SG leaders encourage students to apply for 2026 general elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>USF Student Government applications for the 2026 general elections opened on Jan. 20 and are available until Feb. 6. ORACLE PHOTO\/AUDREY KOCZANSKI<\/p>\n

Ethan Walsh, USF Tampa\u2019s lieutenant governor, said his favorite parts of being in Student Government are the people he has met and the leadership skills he has gained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Applications for SG\u2019s 2026 general elections are open until Feb. 6 \u2014 and Walsh said students who have a \u201cpassion\u201d for USF and ideas for improvement should apply.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have the ability to set your own path in Student Government, deliver on initiatives and see the direct impact your work has on students,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Madisyn Mcreynolds, SG\u2019s supervisor of elections, said students interested in joining SG must complete a mandatory Canvas course<\/a> \u2014 which provides more information for positions and requirements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Students can then apply for their intended positions via BullsConnect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some SG members said students should apply because their roles can be rewarding and useful for real-world applications in their future careers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: USF SG sees fewer voters but zero grievances after ending online voting<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Open positions<\/a> for the election include student body president, vice president, governors and lieutenant governors, as well as senators and campus council representatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The student body president<\/a> and vice president<\/a> serve all three USF campuses, while governors<\/a> and lieutenant governors<\/a> are campus-specific. Each position serves a one-year term, according to SG<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Senators<\/a> or campus council representatives<\/a> serve for one-semester terms, according to SG<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Campaigning begins Feb. 16, followed by voting from March 2 to 5, Mcreynolds said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Each campus will have designated polling stations but will not have QR codes or hyperlinks for students to use to vote, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SG eliminated online voting<\/a> last fall to reduce voter intimidation from campaign tickets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Walsh is also the vice chair of the Campus Allocation and Funding Committee<\/a>, which distributes activity and service fees across USF departments and clubs.<\/p>\n

A&S fees are collected via flat fees and credit hour charges as part of tuition, and are used to fund more than 250 student organizations and 12 student success departments<\/a> at USF.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jennifer Bielen, SG\u2019s associate director, said that because SG leaders decide how A&S fees are allocated, it is important for students to vote for representatives who align with their needs.<\/p>\n

A depletion<\/a> in CAFC funds caused a multi-million dollar A&S fee deficit<\/a> for the 2025-26 academic year \u2014 resulting in significant budget reductions for student organizations and success departments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: USF SG shares tips for submitting A&S budget requests as deadline nears<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Walsh said applicants should research the positions they will be applying for to better understand how the roles work and operate on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n

He added that personal interviews with sitting SG leaders, including himself, can help applicants familiarize themselves with the process and responsibilities of the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be daunting if you have not been a part of SG before, but many current leaders are happy to give any information or advice,\u201d Walsh said.<\/p>\n

Walsh said becoming more involved in student life can help applicants understand the needs and wants of the student body \u2014 and therefore better cater to students.<\/p>\n

Students can get more involved on campus by talking to classmates, joining organizations and attending events, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuild your campaign not just around what you think should be improved, but also around what students tell you they need,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cStudent Government exists to serve all USF students, and the more involved you are on campus, the stronger your campaign and leadership will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: USF SG sees fewer voters but zero grievances after ending online voting<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mcreynolds said she enjoys listening, understanding and advocating for students and their needs on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like being in such an active role, having to debate with other people and understand their side, really helped me evolve my mindset and understand what my true values are,\u201d Mcreynolds said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But outside of being an advocate and a leader, Mcreynolds said being in SG requires a strong set of ethics and judgment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes the decisions that I make might differentiate from my own personal opinion, just because it\u2019s for the greater good,\u201d Mcreynolds said. \u201cI never want to make a decision out of personal gain or liking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mcreynolds said being part of SG has taught her to be more \u201cpersonable\u201d with others and has pushed her to embrace leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really pride myself on being a kind person, and I think interacting with so many different types of people, you really learn how to cater your kindness and not let your personal life kind of interfere with how you interact with other people,\u201d Mcreynolds said.<\/p>\n

She said applicants and leaders should allow mistakes to guide them rather than knock them down.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know that your fight, your foundation is within good standing, and you know that it\u2019s in good faith, don\u2019t let the outside noise deter you from that,\u201d Mcreynolds said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bielen said students should run for SG positions so they can transform the ideas, wants and needs of their peers into fruition.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong-lasting impact for the students, by the students, is a means of public service that fosters and builds SG leaders\u2019 growth significantly,\u201d Bielen said.<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Annabel Upton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USF Student Government applications for the 2026 general elections opened on Jan. 20 and are available until Feb.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134821,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-134820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-tampa","9":"tag-tampa-headlines","10":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}