Four Vision Party candidates were elected to UF Student Senate leadership during a Tuesday night meeting.
Rainn Wilson proudly strolls on to the University Auditorium stage and passionately speaks to an excited crowd of UF students; little about bears, beets or “Battlestar Galactica,” but more about passion and the mechanics behind it.
Vision Party, which ran for the first time, gained 40 seats while Change Party won nine on-campus seats; the Graduate and Family Housing seat was left vacant. Pizza Party and Gator Party didn’t win any seats.
YikYak posts obtained by The Alligator Tuesday night contain a leaked screenshot from the online messenger app GroupMe, which appears to show 22-year-old UF law graduate student Jared Weingard instructing Greek life members on election procedures.
After recent controversies surrounding UF Student Government, polls for SG elections opened Tuesday morning for students to elect their Fall 2023 Senators.
John Green, a 46-year-old novelist, philanthropist and online content creator, discussed everything from his writing philosophy to his least favorite state in an hour-long discussion with Ted Spiker, the UF College of Journalism chair.
Obtained documents, a Reddit post and public record requests on the UF Student Government agency ACCENT Speakers allege the agency has financial conflicts of interests to the Florida Blue Key institution.
The Gainesville City Commission requested a special Senate meeting with UF’s Student Government. They met Sept. 19 to discuss transportation and traffic safety concerns as well as student housing and sustainability issues.
With the recent tensions brought forth by campaign season and a new apportionment map, recent Senate meetings have fallen short of being considered productive. Senators have taken public comment as an opportunity to vent their frustrations into the mic — calling one another corrupt and disorganized.
In the Fall, students elect district representatives senators who represent students per their dorm or off-campus district. Students will get to vote for Change Party, Gator Party, Vision Party and Pizza Party in the upcoming election cycle.
The UF Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in favor of a districting map that consists of 37 at-large seats with some dorm seats being altered — making the Fall 2023 election a winner takes all.
A recent Senate meeting continued Senators' battle over voting districts, which could impact who represents students in the upcoming Fall election. Over the Summer, both Gator and Change affiliated Senators formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Fall 2023 Apportionment Realignment to refine the way off-campus students will elect their Fall senators.
The Summer Student Government term brought forth the greatest number of cases a Senate President has had filed against them within the last two decades—a new budget and a world of possibilities for how the Fall election cycle might play out. Looking back on the previous election cycles and this past Summer term can give students an idea of what to expect for the upcoming semester.
UF President Ben Sasse hired Lauren Lemasters, former UF student body president, as the presidential assistant and student life liaison in May. As student life liaison, Lemasters serves as a point of contact for student groups, collaborates with the Office of Student Life and provides recommendations to enhance the student experience.
Santiago Perez was exonerated of all charges, and they believed the committee made the right decision given the inconclusive evidence.
Some UF Student Government members have made it a point to submit legislation in solidarity with students who may be affected by the new Florida laws.
Members from the Gator Party and the Change Party addressed the July 18 Big Five budget reading and the recent Rules and Ethics Committee removal of a Student Government Senator at the July 25 SG Senate meeting.
After the Big Five budget had its first of two readings at the July 18 UF Student Government Senate meeting, an amendment reallocating funds from SG agencies passed despite a majority of Senate disapproval. It will undergo its second reading July 25.
The July 18 Senate meeting brought forth concerns about the recent Southeastern Exchange Conference, which took place at the University of Mississippi from July 13 to July 16.
Former Progressive and Communist Parties’ leader Alfredo Ortiz filed two cases against Senate President Oscar Santiago Perez (Change-District D) after eligibility debate sparked at the July 11 Senate meeting.
Solutions by The State News
