Goals, change, and making the University of North Florida a better place for students is what Red Party presidential candidate Joseph Turner is determined to do.

Turner always felt at home in Jacksonville, making UNF the perfect college for him. From the day he set foot on campus, Turner jumped straight into Student Government and has been working to serve the student body ever since.

As a junior finance major, Turner said his father raised him to focus on making others happy and always to do the right thing.

“I took that to heart. Customer service, help people out, that’s the wisdom my dad tried to impart to me,” said Turner. “Whatever you’re doing in life as a person, in your job or profession, just try to help people out.”

Now, Turner is taking his father’s advice as he plans to make UNF a university that caters to its students in different ways. His focus is to improve the UNF experience by creating a greater sense of community for commuters and on-campus students alike.

“I think there are some things we can do at the university level and the trustee level to ensure that the university takes the right steps and measures to support our academic prowess,” said Turner.

Turner said he plans on considering more than just the students living on campus and attending events, but also the students commuting to classes just a couple of times a week.

“There’s something we can do to represent all of those students and add value to all of their time here,” he said.

Plans to renovate the amphitheater, allow a student exchange of information and ideas, and create more indoor and outdoor student lounge space are some of the initiatives for the Red Party under Turner’s guidance. The party also hopes to add parking monitors on campus and allow discounts for veterans at all vendors on campus.

Turner has a supportive team to back him up. The party is more than willing to support his decisions and trust his leadership.

Collin Waychoff, a sophomore international studies major running for a Red Party General Senate seat, said that Turner has years of experience that make him the leader the party needs.

“I’ve worked really close with Joe. He has years of experience in not that many years. When I pose him a question, he’s able to give me the full answer, whether it be the dictionary definition of what the constitution word-for-word says and then gives examples of how to use that,” said Waychoff.

Turner is proud of his team. He jokes that they call themselves the “new brand of red” because the party carries more energy and enthusiasm to accomplish goals more than they ever have.

Blake Kennedy, a junior finance major running for the Coggin College of Business seat in the Senate, said that Turner is determined to make UNF a better place.

“Joe is a standup guy. He loves what he does, he loves telling people ways they can improve and helping in any way he can,” said Kennedy.

Turner challenges his team in ways only a passionate leader can. Kaitlin Ramirez, a junior running for a General Senate seat for the Red Party, said that Turner’s ability to play devil’s advocate and share his knowledge makes him the go-to guy for questions.

“Joe is always so knowledgeable and works so hard. If you have any questions, Joe not only hits you with the textbook answer, but then he’ll give you a situation. He’ll do what the job is meant to do and he’s a great inspiration,” said Ramirez.

Besides being a book of knowledge on all things constitutional, Turner has a broad personality that makes it easy for his party members to work with him.

“I’m very proud to be American. I try to be a good friend to everyone. I like making people laugh and I like having a good time, but I know when to get serious as well,” said Turner.

Turner admits that the job won’t always be an easy one.

“In general, the most difficult situations you face in life is when you have a decision in front of you that compromises your morals,” said Turner. “I’m sure there will be some of those times in the future, especially as president.”

The party has high hopes for the future of UNF and Turner is extremely determined to make his time at the university as productive as possible. Turner said, “No matter what, I will succeed.”

Turner will make his “Oath of Office” at the annual Student Government banquet in April.