Every ten years, a Revision Commission for the UF Student Government’s Constitution is called. The commission is generally regarded as a good opportunity to adapt SG to the changing needs of the student body, and I agree.
It is for that reason that I direct myself to writing this open letter. I believe that constitutions should serve the people which it governs, not students from a decade ago who are long gone. While it is true that amendments by petition or Senate resolution are available options, gathering the many signatures or Senate support that are the prerequisite for an amendment to even be considered is a monumental bottleneck that is very difficult to overcome. I would like for the upcoming Revision Commission to amend its own provision in the constitution so that they meet every 4 years.
This should give a majority of students the opportunity to have their interests represented in and protected by the SG Constitution. Meeting every four years rather than every ten will guarantee that every UF generation of students have a voice in the Revision Commission before graduation, and it will give future generations an opportunity to make the necessary amendments so that their interests as as represented as their predecessor’s.
The effect will be that the legitimacy of the constitution will be strengthened, as everyone will have the opportunity to update their social contract with the Student Government in a way that is currently only available to the lucky few classes present the decade after the previous revision. The current system, with the many obstacles aforementioned, makes this very difficult and the constitution obsolete in some respects, as evidenced by the existence of Senate seats with no mention of them in the Constitution, for example. Therefore, I respectfully submit my request for the amendment to the public, so that the possibility may be explored in this decade’s Revision Commission.
Respectfully,
Alfredo Ortiz
