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Let’s be clear: Student Government is about more than meetings, procedures, and red tape. It’s about action. It’s about recognizing the struggles students face and fixing them. And if you’ve ever tried to get funding for your club at UNF, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

For the past two years, I’ve served as your Attorney General in Student Government. I’ve seen firsthand how complicated, confusing, and unnecessarily difficult it can be for student organizations to get the resources they need. I’ve sat in funding board meetings and seen how challenging it can be for passionate students to secure the funding they need to grow their organizations. Student organizations are the beating heart of our campus. They bring life, energy, and community to UNF. And yet, we make it harder than it should be for them to thrive.

When the opportunity came to change that, I took it. I helped to ensure organizations such as the Black Student Union and Pride Club had a direct pipeline to funding working with President Barcal on the bill’s language. But there’s more work to be done. Groups like the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and the Vietnamese Student Association deserve the same level of recognition and support. As Student Body President, I will push to expand the commissions model, making it possible for more cultural and identity-based organizations to receive stable, guaranteed funding—because a diverse and vibrant student body is what makes UNF strong.

But let’s not stop there. The way we fund clubs and organizations at UNF is outdated. It’s complicated. It discourages students from engaging rather than empowering them. That changes now. As your Student Body President, I will work to expand access to funding and streamline the process so that no student organization has to waste time wading through bureaucracy when they should be focusing on building community.

UNF is a place of opportunity—a campus where students come to grow, to learn, and to find their place in the world. But we can’t ask students to succeed without giving them the tools to do so. That’s why I’m committed to expanding resources for academic success, starting with the SMART Center. Our students deserve more access to tutoring, study resources, and academic support, and I will fight to bring those resources directly to them. No student should struggle alone when we have the means to provide them with the help they need to thrive. Investing in the SMART Center is investing in the future of our students and, by extension, the future of UNF itself.

Beyond academics and student organizations, I have also worked to ensure our campus remains a place where all students feel safe, respected, and heard. As a member of the UNF Clery Act Committee, I have been involved in discussions on campus safety, transparency, and ensuring our university meets the highest standards in student protection. Safety is not just about policies; it’s about trust, and I am committed to fostering a campus where students feel secure and supported in every aspect of their university experience.

And community is exactly what I believe in. If you’ve ever tailgated at a UNF basketball game, you have seen the work I’ve done. Under the Grosso-Sullivan administration, I helped bring tailgating back, making game day something students actually get excited about again. This past January, I worked across departments to bring students together for an unforgettable night at an Icemen hockey game—securing free tickets so students could have an experience they might never have had otherwise. That’s what real student government looks like: removing barriers, creating opportunities, and making sure student life is something to be proud of.

This election isn’t just about choosing a candidate. It’s about choosing a vision. A vision for a UNF where student organizations don’t have to beg for the resources they deserve. A UNF where engagement isn’t just encouraged—it’s made easy. A UNF where student government works for students, not against them. A UNF where academic success is within reach for every student, and where safety and transparency are prioritized.

That’s the UNF I want to build. And I’m asking you to help me build it.
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Editor’s Note: Anthony Balsamo represents the Soar Party and is running for student body president in the Spring 2025 student government election. Balsamo served as SG Attorney General for both Barcal-Davidson and Grosso-Sullivan administrations and then relinquished his position to run in this election per SG bylaws.