Hey Gators!
As the summer comes to a close, I wanted to share everything that Student Government has accomplished for students over the Summer term.
First, we announced that 24-hour access is moving back to Library West and will now be 24/7, allowing students the opportunity to study at any time that fits with their schedule. With the installation of Gatorade vending machines at the Student and Southwest Recreation Centers, students will be able to enjoy Gatorade while working out starting this Fall. A new distribution program will help students stay dry by offering recyclable ponchos in various locations around campus. Students will also be able to rent hammocks, free of charge. Plans to open Au Bon Pain in Newell Hall have been finalized for 2017, which will expand healthy eating options on our campus, and construction will begin shortly thereafter in the Hub allowing for Chick-fil-A breakfast options.
SG agencies have been hard at work as well. External Affairs Chairman, Jason Richards, set up listening tours with Multicultural and Diversity Affairs to discuss their vision for UF and how SG can help them make that vision possible. Action SG Chairman, Ty Robare, has also made great strides in improving our social media, including a new Snapchat account (@ufstudentgov), a rebranding of our Facebook pages and an expansion of our follower base to include thousands of new and current students as well as alumni. Additionally, students are now able to keep track of all SG initiatives with the Platform Tracker. This series of videos allows all Gators to follow our progress throughout the year and hold us accountable on the promises we made to you. The platform tracker video series has been extremely popular and our social media has reached more students and had more interactions in the past semester than all of last year combined.
Also, SG announced that The Big Event will be taking place on April 1, 2017, so mark your calendars! The Big Event is one of the largest, one-day, student-run service projects in the nation, and we are excited to participate for the first time. This event is an opportunity for UF students, staff and local residents to come together and build a better Gainesville community.
Following the UF Supreme Court’s most recent decision, Senators have moved to place overturned amendments back on the ballot, including amending the SG non-discrimination policy, online voting and the transition of the Honor Court Chancellor into an SG agency head.
From July 22 through July 24, UF had the honor of hosting the 2016 SEC Student Government Exchange. Over 200 student leaders from across the Southeast region came together to exchange ideas in an effort to improve our respective college campuses. UF managed to bring home awards for Outstanding Student Government Achievement for Legislation, which mandated the addition of U Matter, We Care resources to all syllabi beginning Fall 2016. We also took home Outstanding Student Government Annual Event for the Young Leaders Conference. My administration and I are confident that with all of our progress thus far, we will be able to represent UF extremely well next year in Baton Rouge. The SEC Exchange was an incredible success thanks to the efforts of Senate President Jenny Clements and Chairman Danny Murphy, and we look forward to utilizing the resources we gained to better serve our Student Body.
If you didn’t get a chance to come by Snow Cones and SG last week, make sure to look out for me as you’re moving into your residence halls where my team and I will be helping incoming students! During the first week of the Fall and beyond, SG will be hosting weekly tabling events to ensure students both new and seasoned have the opportunity to learn more about their representatives and how to get involved.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any comments, questions or concerns.
Go Gators!
Susan Webster is the UF student body president. Her column appears monthly.
