In a lecture room Monday, Alfonso Mejia stood up and told students how he dropped out of rushing for his fraternity because he knew he would never be UF Student Body president.
“I gave up at UF,” the 22-year-old UF finance senior said. “It’s true. It’s all real.”
About 60 students showed up at Turlington Hall to listen to Sabrina Philipp, a former District A senator with Swamp Party. She spoke about the history of Student Government and The System, which refers to an institutionalized practice in SG by which students with Greek affiliations receive preference for positions and votes are coerced, according to the Not My System movement.
After posting a video Sunday night, her tell-all video has garnered more than 77,000 views as of press time.
Not My System, a movement of students looking to open communication between SG and students, invited UF administrators and influential students in SG to discuss how to destabilize The System. None of those invited, including UF President Kent Fuchs and Vice President for Student Affairs Dave Kratzer, attended.
Philipp said she hopes Fuchs can help change SG.
“It’s not just about putting a watchdog on The System — it’s about destabilizing it,” she said.
Philipp said she is no longer afraid of the consequences.
“I’m here to tell you it’s all true. I’m in a sorority, I’m in (Florida) Blue Key,” Philipp said. “I think that I have legitimacy when I come forward.”
Contact Melissa Gomez at mgomez@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @MelissaGomez004.
Sabrina Philipp takes questions during the Not My System town hall meeting at Turlington Hall on Feb. 16, 2016. On Tuesday, she hosted an online Q&A.
