The University of North Florida Student Government held a debate on March 3 for the 2026 presidential candidates, in which Benjamin Shmia (SAM Party) and Hazel Joseph (Talon Party) discussed a variety of topics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shmia currently serves as a senator in the SG legislative branch. SAM Party\u2019s vice presidential candidate, Hunter Hayes, is also a senator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the Talon Party, Joseph is both a senator and the Chair of the Budget and Allocations Committee. Running alongside her as Talon\u2019s vice presidential candidate is Tommy Mazzella, who is currently the Director of Public Relations for SG\u2019s Executive Branch. Mazzella previously ran as the Soar Party\u2019s<\/a> vice presidential candidate for the Spring 2025 elections.<\/p>\n Below are a few questions asked during the debate, along with each candidate\u2019s responses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Addressing UNF\u2019s residential halls\u00a0<\/p>\n As a resident of Osprey Villages, Shmia said he had experience cleaning mold in his apartment and calling maintenance to address it. He also acknowledges there is a mold issue in all of UNF\u2019s residential halls.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe that maintenance needs to understand how this issue is spreading and find ways to tackle it,\u201d said Shmia.\u00a0<\/p>\n He plans to address this issue by communicating infrastructure issues with UNF\u2019s interim president, Angela Falconetti<\/a>.<\/p>\n Joseph also said that mold is an issue for students living on campus and would want to focus on student feedback to find solutions to the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI proudly say that the Joseph-Mazzella administration will reach out to students, understand their concerns, take it up to the board of trustees, [and] work with the interim president to see what can be done about this issue,\u201d said Joseph.\u00a0<\/p>\n What personal and leadership qualities would you look for in a new university president for UNF?<\/p>\n As the Senate Body President will be responsible for working with the Board of Trustees to select UNF\u2019s next President<\/a>, the presidential candidates were asked what they looked for in the next university president.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joseph said that she wants the next UNF president to be passionate about helping out students and advancing the university as a whole. She would also want the next UNF president to work with her to address student concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like Joseph, Shmia wants the next UNF president to focus on students. He also plans to allow students to suggest what change they want from the UNF president through a suggestion box or table events during Market Days.<\/p>\n Plans for student engagement\u00a0<\/p>\n The candidates were also asked what their plans were to improve UNF SG\u2019s engagement with the rest of the student body.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shmia said that SG should provide the tools to empower students to build their own communities, such as clubs. Shmia also mentioned a graphic posted on the SAM Party\u2019s Instagram <\/a>outlining facts about the UNF SG budget and how it gets passed.<\/p>\n Whenever he campaigns, Shmia said that he tells students that the fees collected per credit hour from their courses go towards the multimillion-dollar yearly<\/a> budget. The budget is allocated to facilities such as the Student Wellness Complex, the Student Union, the Lend-A-Wing Food Pantry, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n Joseph emphasized the Talon Party\u2019s slogan of \u201cBuilt by students. Driven by change.\u201d She said that student feedback is important for SG to plan new initiatives. Joseph also said Talon Party senators have met with students in person over the past two weeks to inform students about SG and how it works.<\/p>\n How would you advocate for more affordable textbooks and course materials?\u00a0<\/p>\n Joseph said she aims to make SG\u2019s financial decisions transparent to the student body through monthly emails and to find cheaper alternatives to course materials, such as access to online textbooks.<\/p>\n Shmia said that SG has connections to people in academia, like professors who are also published authors. He aims to network with people in academia to see if there are any available discounts on textbooks. Another solution he thinks could help make textbooks cheaper is from paid UNF parking tickets.<\/p>\n Why should students trust you to represent their interests as student body president?\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Shmia, his experience in SG as a senator and collaboration with the SAM party make him an eligible candidate for SG president.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the three years he has been a senator, Shmia said he developed a strong understanding of how SG works and has been involved in advancing bills, positioning him as an equipped representative of the student body.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy experience in Student Government is what allows me to bring it to the next level and help the students as a whole,\u201d said Shmia.<\/p>\n Joseph mentioned her development as a student following her participation in SG.<\/p>\n said that before joining SG, she was a commuter student who would go to class and leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy simple day would be a nine to 12, which is something I didn\u2019t like because I\u2019m paying all this tuition,\u201d said Joseph.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that she works in SG and is involved on campus, she wants the UNF student body to be involved and successful in their college career.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo when I say, \u2018Why vote for me?\u2019 it\u2019s because I have been that student; I have been in those shoes,\u201d said Joseph.<\/p>\n She also plans to work with the athletics department to be engaged in SG.<\/p>\n Voting in the spring elections<\/p>\n Voting for the Spring 2026 elections will be held on March 10 and 11 in the Osprey Plaza. On-campus voting will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m. each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n For online voting, the voting window will open at 9:00 a.m. March 10, and will close at 4:00 p.m. on March 11. Students can vote online through the Perch Portal.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n