This year’s student government elections at the University of South Florida may mean more for students than ever before.
Now that President Moneer Kheireddine and Vice President Shaquille Kent have secured the victory, they are pushing their platform, “Hear the HERD.”
“It stands for heritage, entertainment, access and representation,” said Kheireddine.
Their mission is to bridge the divide between the student body, student government and USF administration. One way in which they hope to achieve this is via an online petition system, meant to gather physical evidence in support of their agendas. The system would give students a voice to tackle obstacles like limited parking and dining options.
The two also intend to focus a lot of their efforts on mental health.
“We will be advocating to the Florida legislature to increase funding for mental health and also awareness,” Kent said.
They want to provide more resources not only to students, but also to the mental health counselors on campus, who are often fully booked by students. They aim to provide funding in order to increase the current amount of mental health employees USF offers.
Kheireddine understands that while they “won’t be able to accomplish everything on their platform within one year,” they still intend on making a difference.