The University of North Florida Student Government Senate closed out the Spring 2026 semester on Friday by swearing in the 2026-27 Legislative Cabinet.<\/p>\n
The Senate also heard from guest speakers with UNF\u2019s Victim Advocacy Program, who discussed victim confidentiality and encouraged collaboration with SG.<\/p>\n
Legislative Cabinet of 2026-2027<\/p>\n
The following were elected or re-elected to the Legislative Cabinet for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n
Senate President:\u00a0 Kamyla Carrasquillo-Lebr\u00f3n<\/p>\n
Senate Pro-Tempore \/ Rules and Oversight Committee Chair: Winter Slaughter<\/p>\n
Budget & Allocations Committee Chair: Logan Bell<\/p>\n
University and Student Affairs Committee Chair: Junior Rodriguez-Perez<\/p>\n
Senate President nomination<\/p>\n
Carrasquillo-Lebr\u00f3n, elected Senate president in fall 2025, ran uncontested and was reconfirmed during the Friday meeting.<\/p>\n
\u200bIn her candidacy presentation, Carrasquillo-Lebr\u00f3n discussed her SG experience and long-term goals.<\/p>\n
\u200bBefore her election, she served as Senate Pro Tempore and vice chair of the Budget and Allocations (B&A) Committee and the University and Student Affairs (USA) Committee.<\/p>\n
\u200bHer goals have remained consistent since taking office.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cI really want to try and improve retention between senators,\u201d she said. \u201cIf people are coming, I want them to stay. I want to strengthen the relationships between everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carrasquillo-Lebron was reconfirmed as Senate president.<\/p>\n
Senate President Pro-Tempore nomination<\/p>\n
Senate President Pro Tempore Winter Slaughter was also reconfirmed and will continue to chair the Rules and Oversight (R&O) Committee.<\/p>\n
\u200bAs Chair, Slaughter said they plan to host workshops for the next attorney general, parliamentarian, and new senators on serving as vice chairs of legislative committees.<\/p>\n
\u200bWhen Sen. Audrey McGrath asked about the parliamentarian\u2019s role, Slaughter said the parliamentarian ensures the Senate operates under Robert\u2019s Rules of Order.<\/p>\n
\u200bSlaughter also wants to post Senate recaps on Instagram, inspired by Florida Gulf Coast University\u2019s Student Government page.<\/p>\n
The Senate unanimously reconfirmed Slaughter.<\/p>\n
Budget and Allocations Committee Chair<\/p>\n
Three senators \u2014 Benjamin Shmia, Alexander Gomez and Logan Bell \u2014 sought the position after former B&A Chair Hazel Joseph became student body president.<\/p>\n
Benjamin Shmia nomination<\/p>\n
Vouching for his candidacy, Shmia cited three years of SG experience.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cI have an understanding of how B&A works,\u201d said Shmia. \u201cI\u2019ve also been the treasurer of two clubs, and I\u2019m just finishing my term as president of the Jewish Student Union.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bShmia also said he wants to establish more executive commissions for UNF\u2019s international and cultural organizations.<\/p>\n
\u200bExecutive commissions<\/a> are administrative divisions within SG\u2019s Executive Branch that provide students from specific groups with a place to organize, express their culture, and access SG support.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI think all students are really deserving of this,\u201d said Shmia. \u201cIt\u2019s a really great system.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bHe also aims to streamline the SG funding application process and improve transparency.<\/p>\n \u200bWhen asked how he would work with the executive branch, Shmia said he is open to collaborating with the student body president and serving as a liaison for commission groups.<\/p>\n Alexander Gomez nomination<\/p>\n Sen. Alexander Gomez, a freshman double-majoring in political science and philosophy, outlined a three-phase plan to strengthen Finance Code <\/a>enforcement and improve student communication within the B&A Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gomez\u2019s three-phrase plan focused on \u201cimplementation, communication, and sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have an idea to develop a centralized tracking system utilizing Microsoft Excel to allow students to have an updated, consistent awareness of their own inflictions,\u201d said Gomez. \u201cThis involves gathering baseline data, which surrounds tier status, durable grid limits, and audit requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bSen. McGrath asked whether Gomez had attended a B&A meeting \u2014 he had not, but said he had spoken with Joseph about the process \u2014 and asked about his leadership style.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say very proactive and welcoming,\u201d said Gomez. \u201cI think I\u2019m someone who very much needs to get what\u2019s happening done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bSen. Hunter Hayes asked how prepared Gomez would be and how he would keep committee members accountable.<\/p>\n \u200bGomez recalled removing a teammate from a high school competition for ethical violations.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cIt was a conversation where I myself felt leveled with this person, had to put myself in shoes where I am a little bit above them and tell them, you can\u2019t compete anymore, and had to keep it completely neutral,\u201d said Gomez.<\/p>\n Logan Bell nomination<\/p>\n Sen. Logan Bell said he would work with SG staff, uphold recent Finance Code changes from former B&A Chair Joseph and former Student Body Treasurer Katherine-Toro Villanueva, and establish criteria for funding decisions.<\/p>\n He said he also hopes to improve communication with registered student organizations to ensure applications are complete and expectations are understood early.<\/p>\n Bell is a freshman majoring in logistics and transportation, with high school experience in Model Senate and Model United Nations and an internship with the U.S. Air Force 700th Contracting Squadron.<\/p>\n In his presentation, Bell said that his Air Force experience included managing purchase requests and handling contracts.<\/p>\n McGrath asked Bell if he had attended a B&A meeting \u2014 he had not \u2014 and about his leadership style, which he described as adaptive.<\/p>\n Bell said that his experience as a military kid, moving from place to place and attending high school in Germany, exposed him to several kinds of leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen so many different perspectives,\u201d said Bell. \u201cSo I feel like whatever is required of me in the moment is something I act on.\u201d<\/p>\n Discussion and results<\/p>\n After Bell\u2019s presentation, Fiscal Advisor<\/a> Jason Edgar asked each B&A chair nominee what would scare, excite, and ground them if they were to get the role. Shmia said that creating the fiscal budget is both daunting and rewarding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s around $6 million. It funds dozens of organizations around campus. You really have to work on it,\u201d said Shmia. \u201cOn the other hand, I would say that it\u2019s exciting that I\u2019m able to work on a $6 million budget, and it\u2019s exciting that I\u2019m able to get this money to all the people that need it and use it daily.\u201d<\/p>\n Gomez received four votes, Shmia received six, and Bell received nine votes from the Senate. Thus, Sen. Bell was selected as the new B&A Committee chair.<\/p>\n University of Student Affairs Committee Chair In the meeting, Sen. Hayes gave an enthusiastic presentation about his experience in SG and wants to help students find their \u201ctrue north\u201d at UNF.<\/p>\n Hayes currently has a perfect attendance record in the USA Committee and in the Senate. He has also canvassed for each Osprey Voice survey since being elected to the Senate. In the Spring 2026 election, Hayes ran with Sen. Shmia as the SAM party\u2019s vice presidential candidate.<\/p>\n One of Hayes\u2019 biggest goals, if chosen as USA Chair, is outreach.<\/p>\n \u201cEither using the Student Government Instagram or creating a USA Instagram, I want to publish our surveys online,\u201d said Hayes.<\/p>\n Student Body Vice President Tommy Mazzella said that because SG has centralized its Instagram account, the USA Committee cannot create its own.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, he asked Hayes if he would be willing to work with the social media coordinator to share posts about the Osprey Voice survey, which Hayes is open to.<\/p>\n Hayes also wants the USA Committee to hold town hall meetings with the UNF student body to gather direct opinions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the outreach arm for the student body, and USA doing this would be very important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Junior Rodriguez-Perez nomination<\/p>\n In his presentation, Sen. Rodriguez-Perez shed light on his relevant experience for the USA Chair position. Rodriguez-Perez said that he served as USA Vice Chair, worked as an Osprey Community Ambassador (OCA) and volunteered at campus events for the Office of Student Life.<\/p>\n \u200bFollowing his presentation, outgoing USA chair Shipton Macdonald asked how Rodriguez-Perez would approach leading the USA Committee compared to how he had led it.<\/p>\n Similar to Hayes, Rodriguez-Perez said he would like to continue collaborating with student organizations when conducting Osprey Voice Surveys.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI would love to take on the responsibility of making events for us senators as well,\u201d said Rodriguez-Perez. \u201cSo we can come together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bRodriguez-Perez said one of his goals is to make SG \u201cmore visible, more approachable, and more connected to students.\u201d<\/p>\n Discussion and results<\/p>\n \u200bSen. Slaughter endorsed Hayes based on his presentation, whereas Shmia endorsed Rodriguez-Perez.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s about who has a better heart, and who\u2019s more emotionally connected to it,\u201d said Shmia.<\/p>\n Rodriguez-Perez won the USA chair with 13 votes.<\/p>\n UNF Victim Advocacy Program<\/p>\n Senior Coordinator An\u00e9 Nguyen and Director Maurisha Bishop-Salmon of UNF\u2019s Victim Advocacy Program<\/a> spoke at Friday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n \u200bBishop-Salmon and Nguyen emphasized that victim autonomy and confidentiality are prioritized, and that victims can choose whether to file police reports.<\/p>\n \u200bThe program provides confidential, 24-hour crisis intervention for people impacted by trauma, crime, or victimization, according to the UNF website<\/a>. Services are available in person at the Student Wellness Complex.<\/p>\n \u200bNguyen noted UNF has only four confidential offices: UNF Victim Advocacy Services, the UNF Counseling Center, Student Health Services and Student Ombuds<\/a>.\u200b<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody else is non-confidential,\u201d said Nguyen. That includes all other UNF offices, mandated reporters, Campus Security Authorities, faculty and staff.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cThey will have to report any incidents of sexual misconduct, any violence, anything like that,\u201d said Nguyen. \u201cNot to harm you in any single way. It\u2019s the law to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bWhen Hayes asked what SG could do to support the program, Bishop-Salmon said collaboration would increase its visibility.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cCome out with us, partner with us, let the university see what you are a part of and what we do,\u201d said Bishop-Salmon.<\/p>\n
\nHunter Hayes nomination<\/p>\n