{"id":174789,"date":"2026-03-02T10:29:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T10:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/174789\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T10:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T10:29:07","slug":"usf-sg-presidential-debate-covers-budget-cuts-transparency-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/174789\/","title":{"rendered":"USF SG presidential debate covers budget cuts, transparency and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>USF Student Government presidential candidates discussed their goals and hopes for the next term. ORACLE PHOTO\/DYLAN SABOL<\/p>\n

Three out of five USF Student Government presidential tickets took the stage at the Marshall Student Center\u2019s Oval Theater for a debate on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n

The tickets who attended the event were:<\/p>\n

Caio Esmeraldi (student body president) and Maria Julia Mussa Martins (student body vice president)
\nDavid Douglas Zahn (student body president) and Titan Sanchez (student body vice president)
\nHunter Rabinowitz (student body president) and Mia Riley (student body vice president)<\/p>\n

Another presidential ticket, Tyler Williams and Haran Mahesh, emailed the SG associate director Jennifer Bielen minutes before the debate began, saying they would not attend.<\/p>\n

Muhammad Kamli and Linda Kohak, another ticket, did not show up for the debate or notify Bielen.<\/p>\n

Neither of the tickets responded to The Oracle\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

But for the candidates who attended the event, the debate offered a space to discuss their campaign platforms and introduce themselves more directly to the student body.<\/p>\n

The discussion was moderated by The Oracle\u2019s Editor-in-Chief, Clara Rokita Garcia, and Managing Editor Noah Vinsky.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: USF Student Government gubernatorial candidates discuss budget allocation<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Esmeraldi and Martins<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Caio Esmeraldi, who is running for student body president, to the right, with Maria Julia Mussa Martins, who is running for student body vice president, to the left. ORACLE PHOTO\/DYLAN SABOL<\/p>\n

Esmeraldi and Martins said their campaign slogan, \u201ca bolder USF,\u201d focuses on better funding, student resources and stronger awareness of what SG does.<\/p>\n

Martins said a bolder future involves better funding for student organizations by raising awareness for existing and new resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think teamwork is an essential part of this process,\u201d Martins said. \u201cI really trust my running mate, and we bring different perspectives to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esmeraldi said he and Martins represent the \u201cauthentic USF student experience\u201d because they value every student group at the university.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUSF\u2019s legacy demands more, and personally, I feel like it demands more of us to be authentic,\u201d Esmeraldi said. \u201cWe\u2019re so excited to create a future that we believe in for USF \u2014 a bolder future for USF.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Esmeraldi said SG needs consistency rather than new faces amid declining activity and service fee budget.<\/p>\n

A&S fees are collected as part of student tuition, based on a flat fee and an additional fee per credit hour, according to SG<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These funds support<\/a> 12 student success departments and over 250 student organizations \u2014 which saw a nearly 50% budget decrease<\/a> for the 2025-26 fiscal year.<\/p>\n

Esmeraldi is the current student body vice president, while Martins has been a Tampa senator since May and is vice chair of the policy committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how our funding process is and what needs to be changed,\u201d Esmeraldi said. \u201cWe know what works, because this is not our first time around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Esmeraldi said students often don\u2019t know what SG does or can do for them \u2014 something the ticket plans to address through better marketing and visibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that we\u2019re visible in person, but also that our student boards know our student government, and that we can create that bridge with the students and their communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

USF has three campuses with different sizes and needs, and therefore, Esmeraldi said campus safety is an important topic to address.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re having these conversations about safety with the people that currently do represent those campuses,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s our job to advocate for it, but I also want to stay in touch with the people who live through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esmeraldi said he feels prepared to step up to the role of student body president, as his current role has given him a better understanding of budget allocation and SG operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what to expect, and I\u2019m prepared to step into that role and truly bring some good action and change for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Relate: USF SG senate president resigns amid \u2018toxic\u2019 climate, seeks freer advocacy<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zahn and Sanchez<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>David Douglas Zahn, who is running for student body president, to the far right, with Titan Sanchez, who is running for student body vice president, to his left. ORACLE PHOTO\/DYLAN SABOL<\/p>\n

For Zahn and Sanchez, their campaign will run on advocacy, efficacy and engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zahn said that although he does not have experience with SG, he spent a \u201cnumber\u201d of years with Boy Scouts of America<\/a> in a role that taught him how to lead others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His ticket would communicate more directly with individual students rather than limiting itself to organizations, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe plan to be in person once a week at every student center across all three campuses for them to receive complaints or grievances from individual students, or to let them know what\u2019s going on exactly with what\u2019s happening,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sanchez, who is also not part of SG, said he and Zahn are working to build connections with students.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince we haven\u2019t really been involved yet, we didn\u2019t really know what student government was about,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cSo we\u2019re here trying to push it further and focus more on the individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zahn said improvements in communication tie back to interacting with students in person, relying on the ticket\u2019s \u201cload-bearing wall\u201d of advocacy \u2014 a main point of their campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re able to make more of a one USF across all three campuses with engagement, student life has more opportunities to flourish, and more students have more opportunities to engage across those campuses,\u201d Zahn said.<\/p>\n

Sanchez added that SG should be active in person, not just behind social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI see their initials everywhere, but I don\u2019t see them anywhere in person,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cThat is what we\u2019re trying to do. We\u2019re trying to be in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efficacy and engagement are both important to catering to and fostering a community around SG, Zahn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that when one of us steps forward and takes that mantle, that we are recognizing that we\u2019re all a government by students, for students,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Zahn said new infrastructure expansions at USF, including the on-campus stadium set to open in 2027 and the Fletcher District set to open in 2028, make campus safety an increasingly important issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t exactly fix it overnight \u2014 it\u2019s something that has to go through the process,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if we focus on expanding the university grounds before we work on safety, that raises some flags.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zahn said each person running for the presidential election brings \u201csomething unique\u201d to the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that we all recognize that not any one ticket is running solely for themselves,\u201d Zahn said. \u201cThey\u2019re running for themselves to represent the entire student body across all three campuses in order to be one beautiful USF.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: USF\u2019s Student Health and Wellness Center sees more visits this flu season<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rabinowitz and Riley<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Hunter Rabinowitz, who is running for student body president, to the right, with Mia Riley, who is running for student body vice president, to the left. ORACLE PHOTO\/DYLAN SABOL<\/p>\n

Rabinowitz and Riley said their platform stands on collaboration, safety and simplifying SG processes for student organizations.<\/p>\n

Rabinowitz is the chair of the SG ethics committee and vice chairman of the A&S fee recommendation committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said the A&S budget shortages are affecting organizations and student opportunities across USF\u2019s campuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we need to make it easier for student boards to use the funds they are allocated,\u201d he said. \u201cThere can be a lot of restrictions, a lot of rules that are not made clear to the student organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabinowitz said he would not have a \u201clearning curve\u201d as student body president because he has already developed an understanding of USF and SG structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked directly with administrators, I\u2019ve navigated eligibility disputes, I\u2019ve seen how budgets are defended,\u201d he said. \u201cYou must understand both the student perspective and the institutional structure. I feel like I\u2019ve operated in both spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley is not part of SG but is the vice president of USF\u2019s Strides for Strays<\/a>, which partners with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay to prepare homeless animals for adoption.<\/p>\n

She said leadership is not only about providing ideas and solutions, but following up on them, communicating and taking accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy role is to ensure that student government doesn\u2019t just make promises, but delivers on them, that student government commits and stays productive, that initiatives stay moving and that collaboration stays strong,\u201d Riley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Riley said the ticket\u2019s main priority is collaboration, which would help foster involvement with SG and translate into greater transparency and deeper relationships between organizations.<\/p>\n

She said the ticket plans to reach out to students and organizations who may not be as familiar with or engaged in SG by attending meetings, hosting open forums, and using social platforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want them to be comfortable enough to come to us and speak to us directly or reach out to our people who work with us and all of that,\u201d she said. \u201cStudent government should not feel exclusive, and it should feel accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabinowitz said stepping into the role of student body president is about laying the groundwork and creating a foundation for years to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been building on things of previous administrations and just trying to improve and learn from the mistakes of previous administrations, try to just be the best administration you can be,\u201d Rabinowitz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Voting<\/a> will be held March 2-5 at all three USF campuses. St. Pete polling will be held from March 2-5 in its University Student Center, while Sarasota-Manatee will host polling from March 2-5 in the Academic Rotunda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tampa polling stations will be:<\/p>\n

March 2 and 3: MSC Bulls Patio and Cooper Hall
\nMarch 4: MSC Bulls Patio and Argos
\nMarch 5: MSC Bulls Patio and Chemistry Building<\/p>\n

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