After the new Activity and Service Fee budget received its final nod of approval Tuesday night, UF’s Student Senate opened up the floor to a few guest speakers.
Hiram Martinez-Cabrera, a UF public relations junior and the executive director of UF’s Pride Awareness Month, criticized Student Government’s handling of the recent assaults on campus during public debate.
He said the hashtags #NoGatorWalksAlone and #BeAwareBeAGator blame the victims instead of preventing rape.
“Sexual assault is not only a women’s issue,” Martinez-Cabrera said. “The community of sexual assault survivors is as diverse as our students.”
After, Dean of University Libraries Judy Russell presented the redesign of Library West’s Colonnade to get ideas from senators.
The colonnade will be renovated into an outside study area for students, adding 290 seats. The area will use solar panels to power fans, lighting and charging stations.
The $1.4 million project will be funded by private donors, Russell said. Depending on if they get the money, it would take only 77 days to finish the outdoor study area.
“Access to the library will not be affected during construction,” Russell said.
Her presentation was followed by a homemade SG video to educate students about how to avoid towing after the City Commission raised towing fines from $75 to $100.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/17/2014 under the headline "Student Senate hosts guest speakers"]
Sen. Davis Bean, chairman of the budget and appropriations committee, discusses the budget during Tuesday’s Student Senate meeting.
