The Fall semester in Student Government — marked with budget controversies and calls for impeachment of the student body president — has set the stage for a contentious spring election for both Gator and Change parties.
The major bill in question would allow students to vote on whether they’d prefer an remote online voting option as well as in-person ones for future Student Government elections. If passed by Senate, the amendment would be put on the Spring 2023 SG ballot, where students would vote on whether to allow remote voting for the following election.
The Change Caucus reintroduced the resolution to impeach Student Body President Lauren Lemasters to the Senate floor Nov. 15 despite its failure in the Judiciary Committee Sunday.
Seven months into their terms, Student Government executive leaders gathered to brief the student body on the state of the campus Nov. 14. The address featured speeches from Student Body President Lauren Lemasters, Vice President Daniel Badell, Treasurer Sierra Kantamneni and other executive leadership.
The Judiciary Committee does not believe Lemasters conducted malfeasance — or violating a contractual obligation — by breaking the trust of other elected officials. Change caucus said it will continue to find ways to hold Lemasters accountable.
Lemasters’ appearance follows the Change Caucus’ submission of a resolution to impeach her for voting in favor of Sen. Ben Sasse for UF president.
During her report, Senate President Olivia Green (Gator-District A) said both she and the student body disagreed with Lemasters’ decision, and she was disappointed in Lemasters’ choice.
The resolution standing with Iranian women came nearly 40 days after protests in Iran against the government’s enforcement of modesty laws, which began following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Minority Caucus Leader Faith Corbett (Change-District C) spoke on the resolution during the meeting, calling for Lemasters to vote “no” on Sasse’s confirmation. Lemasters holds one of the thirteen votes cast by the Board of Trustees.
The Senate met twice in back-to-back meetings Oct. 11. The first meeting closed last Fall senators’ terms, while the second opened the new term. The Senate also postponed the vote on a highly-contested bill reclassifying student organizations and affecting their funding.
Throughout its campaign, Change Party had its sights set on winning one-third of the Student Senate. During Monday’s Student Government elections, it finally met that goal — growing its minority caucus from eight senators to 31 and shrinking Gator Party’s supermajority control.
Accent Speakers Bureau, a Student Government agency tasked with bringing speakers to the university, announced the event Tuesday on Facebook. The event, which is free to UF students, will be held in the University Auditorium at 7 p.m.
Though Change was five candidates short of a full slate, it won 27 seats in the Fall election, overcoming Gator’s 22-seat grab and reducing its Senate supermajority. Liberation Party didn’t claim any seats.
UF students are still advocating for their organizations in an ongoing conflict with the university and Student Government after the Senate vote on a bill that allocates funds was pushed back.
Due to school closures in response to Hurricane Ian, the second day of elections was moved from Sept. 28 to Monday, Oct. 3. Voting times and locations will remain the same, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at any polling location.
The second day of UF Student Government elections has been pushed to Monday, Oct. 3, according to an email from supervisor of elections Ethan Halle.
After recent organization classification changes over summer from the university, Student Government revised allocated funding for organizations. The revisions are scheduled to be voted on at the Sept. 27 Student Senate meeting.
Several UF students have heard about SG but never look into how, when and where to vote. Lack of interest or incentive is often the main culprit, which contributes to exceedingly low voter turnout for SG elections.
Three parties have slated candidates for Fall UF Student Government elections Sept. 27 and 28, which will decide the next 50 students to hold seats in the Student Senate.
In a statement on Instagram, UF’s Gator Party, the majority party in Student Senate, condemned the alleged actions of Jonathan C. Stephens. They include screaming at another senator, making sexist remarks to Senate President Elizabeth Hartzog and disrupting Senate procedures.
Solutions by The State News
