By Kaitlin Carman
News Editor
The Student Government Association announced election results for the 2024-25 academic year after voting closed on April 11.
Elected candidates had until April 12 to formally accept their appointments.
Evelyn Campbell, a junior honors student majoring in Communication Arts with a double minor in English and Marketing, was reelected as SGA president.
She ran unopposed and received a total of 52 votes.
She said she initially joined SGA as the outreach and events coordinator and “it transformed into much more than that.
“I love advocating for students. I love working with our administration to try and fix student issues, and it’s just become a really prevalent part of my life here at FSU - and that is my favorite thing about it,” she added.
Campbell said some of SGA’s accomplishments this year include having funded baby-changing stations throughout campus and facilitating the installation of an accessibility ramp outside of CASA after an SGA safety walk.
“I want to continue doing stuff like this, even if it is small improvements to overall boost our community and outreach,” she said.
Other goals SGA intends to accomplish are partnering with the Black Student Union to get affordable hair care products available on campus, creating an official SGA website, and diversifying SGA, according to Campbell.
She said she wants to include more student voices on SGA, and “That might look like … having a spot for commuter students, resident students, athletes, and first gen[eration] students.”
César Matos, a former senator, was elected vice president of SGA with a total of 55 votes. He ran unopposed.
Matos said, “I wanted to run for vice president because I felt like it was a role that was more related to my strong suits - my strong suits being connected with the student populace, and more so with the student body.
“And I can work as a liaison between SGA and the student body and work in that position as sort of a larger voice,” he added.
Matos said one of his goals includes expanding internship opportunities for students. “I’ve seen a lot of potential already with a few things that have been done in the background, and I just want to bring it into the forefront of what FSU is about,” he said.
Jeremy McDonald, a junior political science major on the pre-law track, was elected as Student Trustee with 53 votes. He ran unopposed.
McDonald will be replacing former Student Trustee Ryan Mikelis as he will be graduating at the end of the semester.
He said his experiences as a member of the All University Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee prepared him for his new role - especially with their involvement with University administrators.
McDonald said, “I knew that based on my first year in SGA that I was more inclined to run for a position that was admin-facing - something that involved upper-level administrators as well as staff and faculty - and so that led me to run for a position like a trustee.”
He said one of the goals he would like to accomplish is creating an honors program for transfer students.
“I appreciate everybody that's given me the opportunity to become trustee. I would also say that I am open, like listening to anybody that's willing to share ideas that they have,” said McDonald.
Aimée Takouda, a junior sociology major, was reelected as SATF (Student Activity Trust Fund) treasurer. She ran unopposed and received a total of 56 votes.
Takouda said SGA has started hosting workshops for campus clubs and organizations on how to request and handle funding. “I plan on having many more workshops because we have not had a lot.
“We have made a lot of changes around campus, but I want to focus on clubs being more educated on funding and how to actually handle their money and buying stuff,” she said.
Being a part of SGA is important to Takouda. She said, “This is my third family. I have my own family, my friends, and SGA is also my family - I am always here, like 24/7.”
With 58 votes, Liv West, a sophomore psychology major, was reelected as the outreach and events coordinator. She ran unopposed.
West said she enjoys being a part of SGA because they advocate for students and make positive changes on campus.
She said she ran for the position again because “I liked the opportunities it gave me. It was fun to be more independent and be in more of a leadership position.”
West added, “I get to do really fun stuff - like [managing SGA’s] Instagram page, posting fliers, and I get to work with people, plan events, and go to a lot of events. I love our fRAMily.”
Raffi Elkhoury, a senior, was elected senator with 56 votes after stepping down from his former position as vice president.
Iz Shields, a freshman, was reelected as a senator with a total of 11 votes.