Legislation aiming to reduce Student Senate's minority party protections was rejected at Tuesday night's meeting. If passed, the proposed rules would have required 40 percent approval from senators present to add nominations for open committee seats in addition to those already made by the Replacement and Agenda Committee. Currently, 20 percent is required.
Many UF students spoke against the legislation at the five-hour Nov. 18 meeting, requiring a move to a larger room and spurring about two hours of public debate, which is a venue for students to share their opinions at the beginning of the meeting.
On Tuesday, a majority of senators voted to limit public debate to one hour. An ensuing debate about the proposal lasted about an hour.Gator Party Sen. Jonathan Fager said the purpose of public debate was abused in the last meeting and used as a filibuster by the minority power. Limiting debate to make things more efficient will re-focus senators' efforts on the students, Fager said.
Some senators and students in attendance said time for public debate should never be capped.
Orange and Blue Party Sen. Ben Cavataro read from Student Body Statutes, citing Senate's legal responsibility to allow students to address the Senate.
"If you don't like my ideas, go after me," Cavataro said. "Don't try to limit the voice of the people I represent."
Senators also voted to approve a recommendation for the chairman of Image, the SG agency responsible for producing video recordings and providing a weekly broadcast of SG activities, including Senate meetings. UF senior Ankur Lakhani was chosen over UF senior Frank Bracco, a former senator who has led an SG agency in the past and videotaped Senate meetings in the absence of an Image chairman for the past four months.
Some senators said Bracco was the obvious choice until he displayed rowdy behavior during Senate meetings. Bracco has been nearly removed from the Senate chamber twice this semester because he spoke out of turn.
Some senators said Lakhani would bring a fresh perspective to SG, but others said he was the less qualified candidate.
"Anyone who's questioning Frank Bracco's character doesn't know what they're talking about," Cavataro said. "It's a no-contest, guys."
