Much to our surprise, Student Sen. Katie Waldman has been recommended as chair of the Allocations Committee in UF Student Government.
Last week, Jason Tiemeier issued a written apology for throwing away issues of the Alligator during this semester’s SG elections.
In his apology, Tiemeier identified Waldman as the woman he was with during the incident. Whether or not Waldman actually threw away the papers is unclear; her presence during the incident is not.
As the current vice chairwoman of the Rules and Ethics Committee in the Student Senate, one would have hoped that Waldman might have advised Tiemeier that his actions were unethical.
One also might have thought that someone on the Senate ethics committee would report unethical campaign activities during the election.
This, of course, did not happen.
But what can we expect from the same Student Government that, even after voting that eight out of 13 election codes were violated during the fall elections, did not hold anyone accountable for the screw-up?
With the recommendation that Waldman head a committee, bad behavior is being rewarded, and the corruption continues to seep deeper into the fabric of SG.
The Student Senate must not let this pass in today’s meeting.
Because of her actions, Waldman should not be given a higher position.
Let us be clear that this is not personal.
Anyone who has shown the lack of professionalism and responsibility that Waldman displayed during the last election should not be rewarded with more power.
This appointment could very well lead to higher positions within SG, and we cannot, in good conscience, sit back and let this occur without expressing our displeasure.
If SG wishes to be viewed as a credible organization, it should address this matter by doing the following:
(1) The Student Senate should reject the recommendation that Waldman serve as chairwoman of the Allocations Committee.
(2) Waldman should step down or be removed from SG after not reporting the incident.
(3) Anyone else in SG who knew about the incident should explain why he or she did not come forward with the information.
Remember: Members of SG were claiming that the story had been fabricated.
Until these events occur, the scrutiny with which we watch SG over the coming months will only grow.
We are not asking for much.
We simply want to see some level of accountability.
Giving Waldman a promotion within SG would definitely not be the right course of action.
