Executive candidates for the 2026 Student Government elections held a debate Feb. 19 in the Russell House Ballroom.
Each candidate shared their ideas and initiatives for improving the USC experience and Student Government with The Daily Gamecock, SGTV and members of the student body.
Candidates for student body president
Jordan Cooper, Bradley Gittens, Cole Rotondo, Emma Strickland and Jacob Whisenant are the candidates for student body president.
Cooper currently serves as the secretary of student services in Student Government. He previously served in the philanthropy committee.
He said his platform is based on three key points: parking, Cockpit and Greek life. These points were selected because they “scream at students.” It’s important to him that the student body president makes connections with the student body and administration from day one.
For Cockpit, Cooper aims to increase the point rollover for rising in class from 10% to 25%, as well as rewarding points for both voting in the election and other non-athletic campus events. Another priority he has is greater collaboration with Greek life and hearing them out, he said.
Gittens campaigned for student body president in the last election. He said his main priority is advocating for representation across campus.
Being a transfer student, Gittens said his field is underrepresented university-wide and wants to help those underrepresented populations. He wants to persuade administrations like the board of trustees to consider these alternative perspectives.
Since his ticket is called the “uplift ticket,” Gittens said he wants to encourage students who do not know much about Student Government to learn more.
“It’s never about me. It’s about building that legacy and putting a platform for people that can make those bigger changes,” Gittens said.
Rotondo currently serves as chief of staff for current student body president Courtney Tkacs. He said he aims to make tangible change while also moving the ball forward for future students.
Rotondo wants to put an emphasis on going to students directly and making sure all perspectives are heard. He also wants to go to student organizations directly, as well to make it easy for them to express their opinions, he said.
According to Rotondo, if students give their opinions, the student body can be represented completely through its feedback, he said.
“It’s everyone’s voice because two people cannot be representative of 40,000 without their voices being heard,” Rotondo said.
Strickland currently serves as chief of staff to current student body vice president Jordan Richardson. Her campaign is focusing on infrastructure, support and innovation.
Strickland said continuing the current Russell House expansion is a priority of hers while also receiving feedback from students on what they want to see from the expansion.
Taking student concerns directly to university administration is something she wants to build on from previous student body presidents. Strickland also wants to help give students taking different classes the same opportunities.
Whisenant was formerly in student senate before being removed in September. His campaign is focused on affordability, as well as transparency between Student Government and the student body.
According to Whisenant, many students have reached out to him about fee concerns, as well as learning about how Student Government works. He said he wants to create an open forum where students can talk to Student Government.
For transparency, Whisenant wants to have open communication because he understands that USC has a diverse range of opinions, he said.
“I believe every student here is entitled to that opinion, and I think we, as USC, should celebrate free speech here on this campus," Whisenant said.
Candidates for student body vice president
Grant Hunter is campaigning alongside Cooper. He currently serves as a student senator.
One of the campaign’s goals is to “sharpen our spurs,” Hunter said. He wants USC to impact the rest of the student body as much as it has impacted him with its amazing opportunities, he said.
According to Hunter, their campaign goals were carefully picked to make them tangible. He wants to make communication with organizations a priority as well.
“I want to hear what their stories are,” Hunter said.
Myron Harris is campaigning alongside Rotondo. He currently serves as director of outreach in Student Government.
According to Harris, their campaign is built on student feedback. Each one of its pillars has a story connected to it, he said.
As vice president, Harris said he wants to be the main form of communication for students who do not know much about Student Government. Another goal of his and Rotondo’s is to set up a monthly “town hall” meeting for students to have a voice, he said.
Harris aims to improve transparency, so students are not just believing in the idea of what they are running on, he said.
Candidate for speaker of the student senate
Kiki D’Apolito is running unopposed for speaker of the student senate. She currently serves as chair of the judiciary committee.
According to D’Apolito, she wants to make more use of the Student Government Instagram page, with weekly recaps of senate meetings and other initiatives being posted so that students feel more knowledgeable about student senate. She also said she wants to implement a peer mentor-mentee system for senators.
Another one of D’Apolito’s goals is to promote both constructive criticism and listening skills in the senate chambers, she said.
“It’s very important to promote talking about our different ideas and ... how we can put these together and either reach to a compromise or the best idea,” D’Apolito said.
Candidate for student body treasurer
Ashley Reynolds is running unopposed for re-election as student body treasurer. Reynolds is running on the same ticket as Strickland.
To stretch funds for the current school year, Reynolds helped implement a new partial funding system. She said it helped spread the money out until recently and believes it worked really well this year. Reynolds wants to help refine the system for next year with the finance committee, she said.
Moving forward, Reynolds would want to reach out to student organizations to ask for their input on the partial funding system. She also would look forward to continuing to build the relationship between the Student Organization Funding Assistance Board and Student Government.
Reynolds said she believes her innovative mindset and ability to manage funds outside of USC through two nonprofits makes her fit for the role. Reynolds said she is running with Strickland because their values and goals for the student body align.
Voting will open online Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. and close on Feb. 25 at 5 p.m.