UF students joined the Florida Legislature in a round of “We are the Boys” on Tuesday afternoon at a luncheon sponsored by the UF Alumni Association.
Florida Blue Key members and UF dignitaries — including President Kent Fuchs, alumni and administration — gathered in the Capitol for the annual Gator Day, UF’s legislative advocacy day.
Dave Chauncey, Florida Blue Key president, said students go to Tallahassee to celebrate and advocate for UF.
“We want them to know what we’re about, and why it’s important for the University of Florida to be successful,” the third-year UF law student said.
The students made the case for additional preeminence funding, explaining how UF appears to be the frontier of innovation in the state and the nation.
More than 70 students were on the Senate floor and about 250 attended the evening event at the Florida Governor’s Mansion, said Caroline Harding, director of Gator Day.
She said the amount of student participation made an impact, and Fuchs’ genuine interest in The Gator Nation fostered confidence within the university.
“It’s inspiring how powerful the University of Florida is in Florida and the U.S. as a whole,” Harding, a 21-year-old UF finance senior, said.
Chauncey, 27, said UF is the state’s preeminent university, as it receives $800 million in research funding and will create new jobs in the technologically advancing world. He said meeting with legislatures went positively.
“It was great having their ears for a day,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 3/25/2015 under the headline “Students speak at Florida Legislature for Gator Day”]
