Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the UF Student Senate unanimously voted to spend $80,000 to fund construction of a veterans memorial on campus.
About 10 uniformed members of the Collegiate Veterans Society attended the meeting and proposed the memorial's construction, which will honor Gators currently active and those who died while serving in the armed forces.
Daniel Wojcik, Collegiate Veterans Society president, said the memorial will consist of a fountain in the pond behind the Reitz Union and two flagpoles framing a row of five granite plaques, one dedicated to each military branch.
The eco-friendly fountain will supply air in the pond and make it a habitable environment for fish, turtles and aquatic life other than the algae and tadpoles currently there, Wojcik said with a laugh.
Orange and blue lights will illuminate the fountain at night to intensify patriotic sentiment in Gator students.
The memorial is a low-labor project, which could be completed in as few as 30 days once orders are made, Wojcik said.
As all 53 senators present at the meeting confirmed their support by voting in favor of the memorial, the veterans at the front of the room smiled.
Sen. Eric Wolf stood up from his seat to personally thank the veterans for their efforts before they left.
"I just wanted to thank you all so much for the service you've given on behalf of our country," Wolf said.
And Wolf was not alone.
The room was filled with applause when Senate President Kellie Dale dismissed the veterans from the meeting.
"Congratulations," Dale said as people clapped.
Wojcik said he appreciated the Senate's approval and interpreted it as a meaningful declaration of their support.
"It's not about making a political statement, and it's not pro-war or anti-war," Wojcik said. "It's about supporting our student veterans in The Gator Nation."
