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The Student Voice Since 1929
January 28, 2026
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Bautista appointed SA President
Portrait of Jeaneva Bautista. (Photo by Jehiely Balabarca).
Hayden Kobza Editor-in-Chief Jeaneva Bautista, senior accounting major, waited calmly for the Student Association (SA) cabinet members around her to receive the news she had already known for over a week. Moments into a special SA meeting, John Hargy announced his resignation as SA president due to the completion of his biophysics degree. Bautista, the then-vice president, would be taking his place. According to Dennis Negrón, vice president of Student Development, Hargy can no longer work for SA because he is not taking any credits this semester. “SA officers must be members of the general assembly of Southern, more easily interpreted as the student body,” stated Negrón in an email to the Accent. “But the general assembly, as defined by our constitution and by-laws, is defined as all full-time students—those taking 12 hours or more. John was not taking any hours this semester, so I couldn’t make an exception.”
In a text correspondence with the Accent, Hargy explained the reasoning for his resignation, citing that when he originally ran for presidency, he did not know he would no longer be able to take classes this semester. “I completed my degree earlier than expected at the conclusion of the fall semester, which resulted in a change to my enrollment status,” Hargy stated. “At the beginning of the academic year, my enrollment and financial aid were confirmed for the full year, and I accepted the Student Association presidency in good faith with the expectation that I was enrolled through the spring semester. The exact timing of my degree completion was not fully clear until the end of the fall term.” Hargy, now an alumnus, shared his plans for the future, with graduate school applications at the top of his todo list—along with traveling. As senior SA advisor, Negrón worked closely with Hargy during his presidency. “John, in the most positive sense of the idea, is hyper-focused on his goals, and he approached being president in
that manner,” Negrón stated. “But what was so enjoyable about working with John is that he connected so well with his whole team.” Third Female President in 30 Years Sitting in her new office last Thursday, Bautista expressed optimism about her position. She had known Hargy would be stepping down since the first week of school, and now she felt prepared to assume the presidency. In an interview with the Accent, Bautista said that initially, she was not sure if she could do justice to the role while taking two senior capstones and a 14-credit load. However, she felt the need to give back. “I saw it as an opportunity, and I also felt bad for the team as someone who has been in SA for three years,” Bautista said. “I felt that [I] would have let some people down if I didn’t.” Now that she is in office, Bautista reflected on what it means to lead Southern’s student body as a woman, which only two other individuals have done since Negrón has been at Southern. Those two are Sheryl Kambuni,
approximately six years ago, and Windy Cockrell, in the early ’90s, according to Negrón. The first female president was Gale Jones Murphy who served from 1974 to See SA President on page 3
Portrait of John Hargy. (Photo by Jehiely Balabarca).
“I think it ’s history...we haven’t had a female president in a while." - Carlos Peguero