UF Student Body President Olivia Green issued an executive order recognizing Pride Month and supporting LGBTQ students at a June 13 Senate meeting.
The order states Student Government officials will continue the development of programs and initiatives that support LGBTQ individuals both on and off UF’s campus. The executive order does not require any specific initiatives.
The meeting was called to order at 7:08 pm by Senate President Oscar Santiago Perez (Change-District D) — with 62 senators present — and adjourned at 11 p.m due to the Reitz Union closing.
Public comment opened the floor for more civil discussion compared to previous meetings, with some Senators sharing content at Green's executive order and others briefly addressing partisan gridlock.
Green apologized to the Change caucus for comments made at previous meetings where she felt as though she had grouped Change into a mold, but still urged senators to vote for the executive nominees they believe are qualified, she said.
Sen. Nathaniel Pelton (Change-CLAS), though not currently an active senator, went on public comment to bring up the previous gains of the opposing caucus having been prioritized, but noted there are a lot of hypocrisies in the Senate chamber from both sides, he said.
Minority Party Leader Bronson Allemand (Gator-District A) commended those who are working on initiatives in the chamber and avoiding the politics, and said everyone has the right to vote how they please, he said.
Judiciary Committee Chairperson Jonathan C. Stephens (Change-District D) took the time to comment on the food insecurity issues existing within UF and even members of SG — emphasizing no one should go to sleep food insecure, they said.
Stephens noted that 40.8% of students are food insecure, according to the NCHA 2022 data report.
The Senate failed to approve Riley Towbin, the Replacement and Agenda Committe LGBTQ Affairs nominee, in a vote of 34 to 28.
Green urged members from the Change caucus to not make any more comments pertaining to Towbin’s qualifications after her ideas were described as performative.
The Senate approved Reagan McGurk as the Class Councils Agency Head in a vote of 35 to 25. Members from both party affiliations stood to approve McGurk, with senators visibly yelling in excitement at the approval.
Sen. John Brinkman (Independent-District B) said he was always impressed by McGurk’s dedication to class councils — class councils enhance the connection between each class and McGurk has always been committed to that goal of increasing collaboration, he said.
The Senate passed the Executive Nomination Clarification Act . Authored by Allemand, the bill would allow up to two chairpersons for multiple executive agencies.
The Senate also passed the Amendments to the Agenda Senator Protection Act.
The Senate approved 12 budget bills at the meeting — Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Cox (Gator-District A) said he thinks the amount passed must be a new record for the chambers.
Stephens shared after the meeting how they’ve lost confidence in the Gator affiliates to be able to be impartial amongst nominations and how Gator members would rather twiddle their hair than focus on the candidates, they said.
“I think that what I really appreciate about our caucus is that we vote with our conscience,” Stephens said. “We try our best to vote as closely aligned as possible.”
Allemand announced towards the end of the meeting that he will submit a case to the Rules and Ethics committee in regard to expelling Santiago Perez as Senate President.
In an email sent to The Alligator by Allemand after the senate meeting, attached was a file showcasing 20 signatures required to recommend expulsion of a senator, per Rule XIII (2)(b) of the 300 codes.
“In a time of such polarization, we must not lose our ability to continue to hold our leadership accountable,” Allemand wrote. “If found guilty by the Rules and Ethics Committee, I am recommending expulsion from the Student Senate in order to uphold the values that our body is based on.”
Allemand said that with it being the last week of the Summer A term, this would be the only time to submit the case. The announcement served as a way of providing transparency rather than letting it be an under-the-table case, he said.
Allemand believes that he has enough evidence to call for a case to be heard by the Rules and Ethics committee.
Santiago Perez said the charges filed against them are completely political stunts with the attempt to get a flashy headline from The Alligator and to distract from the issues that are really important for the student body.
“Students are facing issues of food insecurity, students facing issues on the brink of being able to afford basic necessities,” Santiago Perez said. “I think it’s funny to see the Minority Party Leader who wants to be visibly part of an attack against me.”
Santiago Perez will be preparing their own case to defend themselves against the accusations Allemand brought against them, they said.
Contact Vivienne at vserret@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @vivienneserret.
Vivienne Serret is a UF journalism and criminology senior, reporting for The Alligator's university desk as the student government reporter and managing editor for The Florida Political Review. She loves debating, lifting at the gym and singing.
