The UNF Student Government held the first Senate meeting of the summer term on Friday, May 11 to hear Student Body President Jenna DuPilka’s goals for her administration and to vote on the confirmation of the final members of the Executive Cabinet.

The candidates for the offices of Attorney General, Treasurer, Student Advocate and Elections Commissioner were each confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote.

The Executive Cabinet is now comprised of Cody Choir as Attorney General, Madison Brantley as Student Advocate, Julia McComb as Treasurer and Larry Dutton as the Elections Commissioner.

Prior to the confirmation of the final positions, the following Executive and Cabinet members were appointed by DuPilka and Student Body Vice President Maria Bermudez:

John Aloszka as Chief of Staff, Sophia Ward as Communications Coordinator and Randall Johnson as Graphic Designer.

Additionally, agency officers Maria Bello, Luis Tejeda and Jacob Rigg were appointed as Club Alliance Director, Club Alliance Assistant Director and Lend-A-Wing Assistant Director.

During her report, DuPilka addressed the Senate on her feelings regarding the new administration.

“I’m really excited about these people because, even as senators or even as deputies, they are really student-centered. They always spoke up in Senate, they always said what was on their minds and what they thought students wanted,” she said. “Each person said in the interview that all they want is to make sure students are heard.”

DuPilka also shared that the Community Swoop program is moving forward, which will offer students a 15 percent discount for the entirety of the 2018 – 2019 school year when students show their Osprey1 card at checkout.

DuPilka also announced that she will also be working with Physical Facilities to add more seating and shade around campus and that she wants to make sure that “the students’ voice is heard” in the upcoming library and campus wifi upgrades.

The new Assistant Director of Lend-a-Wing, Jacob Rigg, then addressed the Senate to announce that Lend-A-Wing itself food was serving approximately 20 students daily in the spring.

The newly confirmed Cabinet members then addressed the Senate in order to share their goals regarding their positions.

Treasurer  McComb shared that she spent several hours listening to Senate budget hearings during her time as a senator, serving to build her passion for the budget process.

“One aspect of the position that I’m really excited about is my responsibility as a liaison for the student body,” McComb said. “A lot of students don’t really understand what the treasurer does and I want to change that.”

McCombs stated that, in light of this, she would like to host her own forums in order to better inform students on how the money is being spent.

Attorney General Choi then told the Government Oversight committee that he is “very organized and up front” and he believes the Attorney General is not somebody who should be feared. Rather, he should be there to help.

Next, Student Advocate Brantley told the Senate that sitting in on the University and Student Affairs Committee as a senator last fall helped her to develop a passion for aiding fellow students, stating that she would like to be “a voice for the students who don’t feel heard on the third floor.”

Finally, Elections Commissioner Dutton shared his plan to reach out to the Duval County Election Commissioner and build a relationship that will both educate and encourage students to become more involved in their local government.

DuPilka and Bermudez appear optimistic about the year to come.

“We are thrilled and humbled to have dedicated and hardworking people apart of Student Government,” DuPilka said. “Our goal remains to create open and transparent communication between student government and the students and to ensure the student body that Student Government is there to serve the students.”

The next Senate meeting is scheduled for June 8th.

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