Student body president Cesar Esmeraldi and vice president Elizabeth Volmy reached nearly every campaign goal during their term. The one thing that didn’t persevere was their unity.

The pair ended their tenure reflecting on it from separate rooms.

“We’ve had a great year,” Esmeraldi said. “I’m very happy with everything we’ve built. But because of recent events, I really don’t feel comfortable and I thought it would be better to do it separately.”

Volmy disagreed. 

“I feel like we’re both adults,” Volmy said. “I can be in a room with him.”

The pair is referencing a public social media disagreement where Esmeraldi used the SG official Instagram page to share his personal opinion on a Senate divestment resolution. 

Related: USF student body president urges senators to vote against divestment resolution

Volmy said his use of the page was “inappropriate” in her own video which was also posted on the SG Instagram account the next day.

Related: USF SG vice president condemns Esmeraldi’s handling of public statement

Volmy approved of the video, according to Esmeraldi. However, Volmy said there was “no consulting” her or other campuses’ SG before he posted the video.

Both Esmeraldi and Volmy said there has been no communication since. Still, Esmeraldi said their accomplishments as a team won’t be erased by recent events.

“I might be biased, but I think it’s likely one of the most successful terms in the history of Student Government,” said Esmeraldi.

Their campaign’s main goals were entitled M.O.R.E, an acronym for mental health, opportunities, rise in transportation and parking and empowerment.

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In terms of mental health, Esmeraldi and Volmy’s campaign focused on marketing USF’s existing resources instead of creating new ones.

The pair launched the Herd CARE (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience for Emotional Wellbeing) initiative, which served as a platform for reaching out to different centers responsible for mental health and asking how to better serve students’ needs. 

The initiative also promotes services like USF’s 24/7 virtual mental health platform TimelyCare around campus and through social media.

There have been three on-campus suicides since the fall of 2022. Both Esmeraldi and Volmy said there are still things that need to be done under future SG leaders to ensure students’ full wellness mentally.

“We try to do our best in having those resources but I definitely think that there’s much improvement to be done,” Volmy said. 

Related: USF student who fell from building is third on-campus suicide since fall 2022

Volmy collaborated with Dean of Students Danielle McDonald in organizing this year’s Student Memorial Ceremony, a yearly service honoring USF students who passed away. 

She said the students who passed away this year will be honored in the next ceremony.

Esmeraldi and Volmy’s second goal was to ensure all USF students have opportunities, especially international students.

The pair organized the biggest event ever held by SG, the International Workshop, to which over 300 students signed up for. The event was held at the SG office, where immigration attorneys met with students to showcase what resources are available to help them attain work visas. 

SG also released a 16-page pamphlet about U.S. work visas and company sponsorships in October, which are still available for students at their office.

It was a collaboration between federal and local resources, according to Volmy, and one of the biggest achievements of the pair’s term.

For improvements in transportation, Volmy said she collaborated closely with the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) for events that promoted safety on campus, pedestrian-bicycle safety and signage on campus through student surveys and Q&A’s. 

Volmy said the relationship with CUTR and the work they did during her and Esmeraldi’s term could move along the project for the OneUSF bus, which would take students between the three campuses.

Another goal regarding transportation was to help the Bull Runner run smoothly and help students understand how it works. 

They accomplished this through constant collaboration with Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) and bringing USF students’ concerns about Passio GO!, the app used to track the Bull Runner, directly to the company, according to Volmy.

In terms of empowerment, Esmeraldi said there has been a change in motivation for international students after the support they received from SG.

“A lot of them were confident and happy,” Esmeraldi said. “It’s hard, I’ve had a lot of friends who graduated and they had a month to get a job, and if they don’t, they’re out of the country.”

Volmy said they made sure students were aware that SG actually listens to their concerns through highlighting resources that could help them in their careers and wellbeing.

Bringing attention to National Eating Disorder Awareness Week and Love Your Body week with events like Fashion Show and Tell and a body positivity panel were some ways to reach their goal of empowerment, according to Volmy.

When asked if there was anything they could’ve done differently to achieve all of their goals, both said they are satisfied because they managed to do everything they planned on doing.

“I believe I was able to actually have a positive impact in our community, Tampa, Sarasota and St. Pete,” Esmeraldi said. “And I think these are the two main things I got to actually contribute to the betterment of our society and meet great people on the way.”

Volmy had a similar sentiment.

“There’s so much that goes into it,” Volmy said. “Meeting so many people and getting to immerse myself in advocating for students and getting to plan events was really awesome.”