There is a new face in Florida Atlantic University’s Student Government, with Darsham Gonzalez becoming the new student body president during SG’s general election last semester. As the newest member of the FAU Board of Trustees and its youngest on the board, his job is to make sure student voices are heard in university decision-making.

Gonzalez ran a campaign with the “Atlantic Party,” the only official party running in the election, which also included Vice President Kade Salzer, Boca Raton Governor Lance Moore, and MacArthur Governor Jadyn Cooper. Their campaign promises focused on expanding Greek life housing, creating an airport shuttle service, and strengthening student representation.

He says his role as student body president is first and foremost about being a student advocate so that the needs and concerns of FAU’s student body are heard. 

Although Gonzalez’s ticket lost the popular vote in the election for SG president, according to a University Press article. He and Salzer were sworn into office due to their opponents, Jean Luma and Ellie Raab, being disqualified.

According to the University Press article, the disqualification was a result of them handing out campaign T-shirts in the Student Union during a Greek life event – a violation of SG bylaws, stated by the Supervisor of Elections, Nick Stone. 

In the end, the Atlantic Party took the victory and assumed office. Gonzalez sat down for an exclusive interview with the University Press to share how his administration plans to turn those promises into action.

This conversation has been edited for clarity. 

Q: Can you tell us about your campaign and how the election process played out for you?

A: Our campaign was very interesting. I think it was unprecedented in student government history, even with the history of the student body. We ran as smooth and as clean of a campaign as we possibly could. At the end of the day, this was student-centered, and we really made sure that we were listening to students, we were learning, and making sure that we could be a strong representation of their voices. 

Q: Is there any misinformation that you want to clear up about the campaign process?

A: I think that, very honestly, the campaign was as fair as it was. At the end of the day, it did go to the courts, and we really did just make sure that everything was fair – following guidelines, following our statutes, and really just ensuring that everything was by the book. 

Q: What are your top priorities and initiatives for students this year?

A: Some of our most important (campaign promises) were Greek housing and Greek life, so we’ve been working very closely in tandem with the university administration just to make sure that we can expand this community. I think that it is a really important demographic because they’re so consistently active within the student community. 

But we are looking for airport shuttles, something that we really do believe is going to help students. We have a large amount of students who attend this school that come from out of state, and students who have financial burdens of paying tickets. Spending $200 on a ticket and maybe $100 on Uber there and back (from the airport) is a lot of money to spend.

While we’re laying the groundwork, we really hope that we can kind of launch that at the end of the year. At the end of the day, my administration is here to provide each and every one of our students with the resources needed to succeed within their four years at our esteemed university.

Q: How do you advocate for students when it comes to concerns like parking, housing, or any other campus issues?

A: In terms of advocacy, my job is to bridge the gap between our students and our administration.
When I go into our board meetings, the most important thing in my mind is making sure that I can advocate for student needs. And really making sure that students feel safe to come to us and talk about issues that they feel uncomfortable with, and making sure that their needs are being heard. 

Q: Most student government presidents, including yourself, have been involved in Greek life. Why do you think that connection exists, and do you think Greek life helps influence the student government voting outcome?

A: I think that Greek life is just, again, very active in terms of students doing community support outreach within the student body. And so when we talk about government and engagement, I think that they are just such a largely active demographic within the student body, within this university. (…)

I think that it really is such a vital piece when running for an election. (…) You can go into chapters, you can speak about your initiatives, and at the end of the day, we’re such a large, tight-knit community of people who unite. That’s really what I think is what’s so special about our Greek life here.

Q: What systems are in place to ensure that student government leaders are held accountable?

A:  So we do have the House of Representatives, and we have the Senate. (…) We try and mirror our own government. (…) Just the same way that we have checks and balances in real government, we have checks and balances through these processes with the Senate and with the House of Representatives.

Jada Strayer is the Political Reporter for the University Press. Email her at jstrayer2023@fau.edu or contact her on Instagram @jadastrayer for information regarding this or other stories.