UF Student Max Klein audio recorded the debate, posted it on YouTube and gave the Alligator permission to share it.
Swamp Opening Statement
Joseph Michaels: Good evening, everyone. I’m Joey Michaels, and I'm honored to be standing on this stage as the Student Body presidential candidate for Swamp Party. I cannot express how excited I am to have the opportunity to discuss the issues that truly matter to our Student Body, and I want to thank each of you for taking your time to come out here tonight.
At the end of the day Student Government's full purpose is to serve the entire UF Student Body, and I am thrilled that you all are taking time out of your day to get informed on our plan to do just that. I would also like to thank the Freshman Leadership Council for all their hard work on putting on this event. Throughout the debate tonight, I along with my two running mates, Tia and Hadar, will go into detail about the issues that affect every facet of our Student Body.
We have worked to mitigate these issues throughout our involvement in Student Government, and most importantly, we will discuss our plan to enhance the student experience. Tonight, and through the rest of this campaign, I can assure you that we will advocate for the needs of the students at this university and utilize the experience we have and the experience you need to deliver the results you deserve. When we talk about the experience you need, that experience means so much more than just the positions held.
Rather, our experiences characterized the nature of the accomplishments and contributions to the university and the entire Student Body. As president of the Jewish Student Union, Hadar Arazi took one of the largest student organizations on this campus and created an expansive set of programing all while reducing her SG-funded budget by $15,000. That experience, coupled with her experience in providing funding for a number of student organizations as a member of the Senate allocations committee, gives her a unique perspective. A perspective of both sides of the budgeting process, which is a crucial attribute to any successful Student Body treasurer.
Similarly, roughly three years of holding leadership positions in Cabinet, one as Cabinet director and one as Cabinet chairwoman, Tia Smart is instrumental in creating an official and efficient outlet for Student Government to work directly with the students, all while winning cabinet director of the year. Her direct understanding of each Cabinet position and how they interact with each other is invaluable and ensuring that cabinet works for the students making her an ideal Student Body vice presidential candidate.
Finally, as an active member of Student Government — specifically Student Senate— my first semester as a Gator I have worked tirelessly to better every aspect of the student experience, advocating for one of the best student bodies in the entire nation. When we talk about the results you deserve, we want to be very clear with what we mean by that, and our platform focuses on completely addressing the concerns of students from every corner of this campus.
Our platform is a commitment to make sure students from all walks of life to let their Student Government work for them, and our platform is committed to providing ways to ensure that every individual voice on this campus can be heard, and our platform contains obtainable solutions that address the heart of the problem students at the University of Florida face on a daily basis.
Our platform isn’t just a set of empty problems but a platform with a plan. Our platform and our plan was built entirely around including every aspect of the student experience here at the University of Florida. Specifically, we want all students to live better, to save more, to study smarter and more importantly thrive together.
To help students better live, we’re going to add services that will meet the needs of every student, making this campus a home away from home in the Gator Nation. This included mitigating the parking problem on campus by working to build additional parking garage, reducing overcrowding at our gyms and combining healthier food options over campus.
To help students save more, we’re going to work and keep fighting to alleviate the number of financial burdens students face on a daily basis in pursuing their college career ensuring that an education from the University of Florida remains as one of the most valuable educational experiences in the nation. This includes continued lobbying to prevent tuition increases, but more than that, establishing tuition plans to help students spread out their financial burden through their semester.
To help students study smarter, we’re going to provide additional resources to eliminate unnecessary stresses that currently prevent students from succeeding at the highest academic level they can. This includes finding cost-efficient ways to expand our library hours to mirror a larger percentage of students’ studying habits.
Finally, all students thrive together. We're going to work for fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion on every level of this university. We want students to feel comfortable in expressing their individuality, and we want student organizations of all sizes to have control over the programing that they feel would best meet the needs of their members. The Gator Nation is truly a special place in that it consists of individuals from every background imaginable, and we want to ensure that our Student Government does everything it can to embrace those individuals in order to thrive together. I cannot express to you just how excited I am —
Mike Foley: I’m sorry. Your time is up. Access Party, you have five minutes.
Access Opening Statement
Joselin Padron-Rasines: Good evening, everyone. I hope everyone’s had a great night thus far. I wanted to start by thanking the Freshman Leadership Council for holding this debate, as well as Professor Foley for moderating it. I think it’s so important to have a thoughtful exchange of ideas in elections, so I appreciate the Swamp Party for attending tonight. It’s important that as students you receive the opportunity to hear both sides and what they hope to bring to Student Government.
My name is Joselin Padron-Rasines, and I’m running to be your Student Body president. To tell you a little bit about myself, I’m a third-year studying political science international studies. My time at the University of Florida has been filled with involvement in meaningful experiences. I’ve been a treasurer of one of the largest student organizations in Hispanic Student Association, where I currently serve as vice president, and I’ve also been a senator for two years serving on the budget and appropriations committee, as well as being member at large.
And on a more personal level, I love to dance, and I’ve been a part of Sabore Latino Dance team, which allows me to fulfill my lifelong passion of dance, and, on top of all my involvement, I currently am a working student at the University of Florida Bookstore. And I am so lucky to be joined on stage with my running mate, vice presidential candidate Kevin Doan and my treasure candidate Nicholas Carre.
Kevin currently serves as a (inaudible) in the Student Senate where he serves in the budget and appropriations committee, and he is also the treasurer of the Asian American Student Union. Nick is currently the treasurer of the Black Student Union and is currently on his second term in Senate, where he serves on the allocations committee. And we are the Access Party. The Access Party stands before you today as a broad coalition of students who know that Student Government has failed you. And we are committed to making Student Government more accountable, affordable and accessible for every student.
Currently, Student Government just doesn't work. For far too long elected officials have been stuck in the Student Government bubble. They get elected, they want to make a difference in student life, but they get caught in the traffic of Student Government. The three of us, along with our slate of Senate candidates, understand the importance of students and student organizations. You are the life and blood of our campus.
We know what it’s like to deal with a Student Government that can be unresponsive to the concerns and needs of all students. We know that Student Government should listen much more than it dictates, and we are so proud to have engaged so many students and student organizations as campus leaders and developing a platform that truly addresses the change we need in Student Government. We bring a fresh perspective, and we aren’t stuck in that (inaudible) Student Government. We are listening, and we know that on day one our No. 1 focus will be on making Student Government accessible to every student. No matter who you are or where you come from, you should have the same chance to be anything you want to be on this campus. We’ll make sure that everyone who is passionate and committed to fighting for students has a place in Student Government, and their aspirations won't be kept.
I believe, and my party believes, that Student Government should serve 100 percent of the Student Body. Not just the powerful or well-connected. Student Government is funded by every single one of us. It’s our money. We need to make sure that it’s used responsibly, fairly and effectively. Our party has the experience within student organizations. We are the everyday Gators. We’re not stuck in the Student Government bubble. So many people get into Student Government and forget how Student Government affects the average student and student organizations. We know what it’s like to deal to be on the receiving end of out-of-touch Student Government, and if elected we are here to promise that Student Government will remain open to all. Let’s finally make Student Government accessible to every Gator. Thank you, and I look forward to answering any questions you may have.
First Question
Foley: Now, if I may squeeze a word in here, we will move to the questions, and maybe this will work. It does. The University of Florida is positioned to become one of the top 10 public research universities in the country, which is the catalyst for many recent events on campus. What are the responsibilities of the Student Government and the Student Body to support this cause? Access, you’re up. You have two minutes.
Padron-Rasines: Thank you for that question. As the potential Student Government president, I represent every single student on this campus. I’ll represent the Board of Trustees. I represent 24 agencies and secretaries that represent UF students. And I get to work with UF administration in making sure that, as students, we go to a school that not only represents us, that - but that makes sure that our needs are put first. And it is really important that your Student Body president is connected to this campus. I am so proud that the University of Florida wants to be a top 10 public institution, but we have a long way to go. And our platform addresses those issues.
Currently, the University of Florida does not have an online voting system. Now what does that mean? It means that students that are on satellite campuses or that are taking school online are not able to vote for their Student Government. Georgetown, FIU, UCF, USF all offer online voting. This is a standard across the nation. And why can’t the University of Florida engage in this too? We want to make sure that every student has a voice because as your Student Body president, I represent every single one of you. And Student Government should allow and be a platform for every single student, and that begins by expanding voting for everyone.
Another issue is that currently, the University of Florida does not have a chief diversity officer. All top 10 public institutions have a chief diversity officer. What this means, a chief diversity officer is basically a vice president for diversity where they will engage in hiring (inaudible) faculty that will come from underrepresented communities. And this is important because when you look at the SERU survey from 2013, 88 percent of white students said that they feel comfortable. Well, when you ask Asian-Americans only 67 percent of students have said that —
Foley: I’m sorry your time’s up. Swamp, you have one minute.
Michaels: Thank you. This is an extremely important topic, and I’m glad we’ve begun to have this conversation. Swamp Party has been having this conversation, and I’ve been having this conversation, with not only the University of Florida president thus far, but a number of students on this campus. And the first thing Dr. Fuchs and this university needs to understand is just how great the student voice is and how valuable our Student Body is and capable of effecting change. In order to do that we need to talk about the result of what we’ve already provided. Whether it’s securing $10 million of funding for Newell Hall to create a state-of-the-art learning and study facility or recruiting Uber. Students can grate — effective change change to the University of Florida. The next piece is using that to discuss our mutually beneficial topics such as living better, saving more, studying smarter and thriving together. So that together we can reach our shared goal of becoming a top 10 public institution. In order to do that we need to understand that every Gator brings something to the table. And that every Gator has an integral role. Thank you so much.
Foley: Access, you have 30 seconds.
Padron-Rasines: I would like to reiterate that my goal as potential Student Body president would be to make sure that every single one of your voices is included. And that begins at when I (inaudible) administration I’m not going to be working for them but for you as students. I’m going to be working with administration to make sure that every single one of your opinions and needs are heard student and --
Foley: Pardon me ... Oh, I’m an idiot. I can’t see that far.
Padron-Rasines: For the past three years all you’ve seen as Student Body president who have been a voice for the Board of Trustees. They have not been a voice for UF students and that’s what Access Party wants to change. Thank you.
Second Question
Foley: Now, we’ll move onto general question number two. Last spring only 7,919 students voted in the Student Government elections, but even in years with multiple parties, turnout struggles to top 10,000 votes. At a university with nearly five times that many eligible voters, what can SG do to increase turnout?
Michaels: Voter participation is extremely important in ensuring that every voice is heard here at the University of Florida. Not only that, but participation with students throughout the entire year. To expand students’ voice at the level of voting, we plan to expand visible voter locations throughout campus to increase our presence and ensure that there is a safe, reliable voting on every corner of this campus. In doing this, we’ll provide students with a great means of expressing their opinion, of providing their decisions and how they should have their Student Government ran. And that is the keystone of what we are about. Providing results to students based on their (inaudible), and in these last couple of years, we have been able to do just that. Whether it’s been determining how we can better save money, by enhancing your experience or by allowing you to complete what you sought to do at UF as a career, Swamp Party is determined to continue to have you participate in our elections and expanding voting locations.
Padron-Rasines: So currently the only accountability we have is voting, but a simple majority of the Student Body are 80 percent don't vote, and that's because they feel their vote doesn't matter. And the Access Party was formed to address that because we want to change that. We want to make sure that students feel included, and we want to expand voting for everyone, and we do this through online voting. Online voting would give students the ability to vote from off campus by (inaudible). I get it. Duke, Georgetown, FIU, FSU, UCF all use this. We need to expand access to voting, and currently the Swamp Party since 2013 has shot down voting legislation to expand voting through online. But the Access Party is here to change that. We want to expand voting for everyone, and UF should be leading the nation in expanding voting for all of its students. Thank you.
Foley: You have 30 seconds.
Michaels: So I think it's important to note that the most important piece of a vote is to ensure its integrity, to ensure it's reliable and to ensure that the voice that is committing that vote is actually voting. And so in doing so, we should look to some of the examples that were pointed out. FSU did not actually increase voter turnout when they created online voting. It's unreliable, and you see that time and time again. And we want to protect the integrity of every vote, which is why we should do so through expanding our voting locations this upcoming year. Thank you.
Question Three
Foley: This next question is directed at the treasurer candidates. Mr. Carre, you're up first. One of the responsibilities of treasurer is to prove or deny funding requests based on the 800 codes. Give one example of an improper request you would deny. You have two minutes.
Carre: So the 800 codes, if you did not know, are the financial codes that govern what Student Government funds go towards. They can be found on the website sg.ufl.edu. So the improper requests that wouldn't be approved by myself if I were to be your
Student Body treasurer would be for items such as alcohol, items such as banners that go over a certain amount of money, items that give awards to individuals who aren't students because the activity service fee that you pay towards the $18-plus million that goes towards Student Government are supposed to be directed towards you, the students. So we can't pay for items and things of that nature that goes towards students outside of this campus.
So whether it's food — there's a limit on the amount of food you can pay for; whether it's a request for 15 percent or $600 or whether it's the amount of money you pay for banners, parking, things of that nature, but we make sure that what you're paying for is going to be tangible; it's also going to fall within the codes. All these codes can be found online if you have any questions in regards to that.
So, like I reiterated before, alcohol — anything in the nature that a reasonable student would need because we understand there are all types of things that you could request for; whether it be napkins, whether it be a tablecloth, whether it be a banner, whether it be a DJ, whether it be a venue, whether it be so many other things that you need for your organization, we understand that that varies, but we make sure what you're using it for is respected. And that's what the program is. In my experience as treasurer for the Black Student Union, I've had to go through countless, over 180 SARs at this point in time submitted that I have to make sure are vetted through the 800 codes. I know what it takes because I am currently the treasurer, and I actually sit on the Allocations Committee, which actually approves the thousands of dollars worth of funding for your organizations and assistant organizations. So I know when an improper request is improper and I have definitely denied them before. You can ask individuals within the Black Student Union.
Foley: Ms. Arazi, you have one minute to respond.
Hadar Arazi: Thank you. As Student Body president, our responsibility would be to oversee the activity of the budget, which all students pay into. Using my past experience as the president of the Jewish Student Union, I've had the opportunity to work with our budget to ensure that every single dollar of our budget is spent in a fiscally responsible manner. Additionally, on the allocations committee, I worked with a number of organizations who have submitted requests; not all of the requests follow the code, but I'm sure that every single time I worked with the organizations to ensure that we take the request and turn it into a request that does give out 800 codes, making sure we follow the codes and remain fiscally responsible with every single dollar in the student budget. Thank you.
Foley: You have 30 seconds.
Carre: I believe the question was, “Give one example of an improper request.” With that being said, I am the treasurer. Our executive ticket with the Access Party are all treasurers of larger organizations on this campus, and we know, and we program, we budgeted, we know what it takes, we sit down and use the tools on a daily basis, and we've all sat on financial committees within the Student Senate, so we have a first-hands experience that's required to know when a request is improper or whether it should be approved. Thank you.
Question Four
Foley: This next question is for presidential candidates. In your capacity as president, how do you plan to stay informed and connected to the issues facing students who might not know how to bring them to the attention of Student Government on their own? Mr. Michaels, you have two minutes.
Michaels: So Student Government this past year, along with the year prior to this past year, has done a lot to achieve the idea of bringing Student Government to the students. We created Student Government TV, which is viewed by tens of thousands of students. In Senate, we work to ensure every Gator is understanding of what we're here to accomplish. And in doing so, we've involved student organizations, and we've involved a number of different students throughout this process. We've put on (inaudible) ton of students in order to ensure they were involved within this process and to ensure that they understood what the Senate did for them.
Moving forward, we also work with student organizations to present in pieces of legislation that affects their body. In doing so, for instance, we work with the Black Student Union president in creating this legislation. I've worked with a number of student organizations and with that experience have learned how we can do a better job of being more present, communicating better with students and student organizations. The first means of doing so is something that we've already worked on and I work on, and that's creating a new website. Currently, I sit on a committee that is working on doing just that, enhancing the line of communication with the students through a central location — not segmented pieces, but a central location for student organizations, where it is a one-stop shop to get information they need in order to be more involved in said process.
More than that though, we need to be reaching out to students and enhancing that line of communication itself. And that means having a strong presence throughout the University of Florida. In doing so we're going to be putting on a lot more events, specifically the Cabinet, coming up with a flagship event for each specific cabinet, which will increase our presence at the University of Florida. This is a really big issue. Currently 15,000 of the 50,000 students are being reached, and there’s room to grow, and with the Swamp Party, we are going to do just that. Thank you.
Foley: Ms. Padron-Rasines, you have one minute to respond.
Padron-Rasines: Thank you. As a contrast to my friends on the opposite side of the stage, all of Access Party on the ticket has been on the front lines of student organizations. And while we were in our leadership positions, we saw a Student Government that is less willing to work with the very organizations that provide the resources and educational opportunity for students. And we're here to change this. What Student Government needs to do is to give students a seat at the table. We need to stop throwing promises to students, and we need to start making students a part of the conversation.
What our party wants to do is that we want to reform the Senate constituency so that senators have monthly town halls and have weekly office hours so that students have the opportunity to personally meet with their senator and address any concerns they have. We also want to send biweekly newsletters, like the Gator Times, only dedicated to Student Government, so students are always updated with what Student Government is doing. Thank you.
Foley: You have 30 seconds.
Michaels: So I agree. It is extremely important to be working with students and student organization to enhance the line of communication, and that's exactly what we've done in the past year. I've always proposed pieces of legislation and worked on pieces of legislation with the members of Big Nine organizations and with smaller organizations, and it'stwo pieces. It's us coming to them, but it's being accessible and allowing them to come to us, and that's something we've demonstrated this past year, and it's something we're going to continue to build on this upcoming year.
Question Five
Foley: Next question is for the vice-presidential candidates. You will choose to make up your cabinet and will have major roles in shaking the atmosphere of the campus next year. What traits or experiences will you look for most in your campus team? Mr. Doan.
Kevin Doan: Right now Student Government Cabinet consisting of its 19 departments is meant to be a direct link to the Student Body and to serve as a resource to student organizations and to students. However, students have deep concerns about the Swamp Party leadership, and it has failed to effectively connect with the Student Body. My opponent may be able to give a laundry list of events and programs over the past few years and Cabinet, but what if you were to (inaudible) candidates of the Cabinet and the majority of the programming and budget on poor programming on events that students do not willingly go out to and that student organizations do not connect with.
Students often feel it is difficult to find meaningful responses from cabinet, and this is because cabinet and departments are not working with the respective single organizations. Cabinet is (inaudible), and as an executive board member of one of the largest student organizations here on campus, the Asian American Student Union, I know what it takes to effectively program because I've done it time and time again. And what I will do is select traits of cabinet directors that are connected to the Student Body, that have been a part of student organizations, executive boards, that they know how they operate, they know how to connect to them.
I, along with my running mates, have all had this experience, (inaudible) and as treasurer I've overseen a budget that is twice the size of cabinet, and I've overseen programs that thousands of students have attended to. And using this experience I know how to budget effectively, I know how to book venues, I know how to contract speakers and performers, and I will serve as a mentor for each of these directors to make sure they know how to do it too. I will use this experience to completely overhaul how a cabinet operates to better serve the Student Body. Thank you.
Foley: Ms. Smart, you have one minute.
Tia Smart: I think the first thing you need to understand is understanding the structure of cabinet. The office of vice president oversees 19 cabinets that are divided into three different divisions. I served as a director, as director of internal communications, and I understood — I went into there not knowing or understanding the complete purpose; and as your vice president I want to bring passion that meets a purpose. Each of the directors needs to understand what their cabinet’s purpose is to bring it back to the student. For example, Cabinet this year has not provided any events, and I think that starts off with the leadership and having the purpose that you have to give and if you connect it back to your Student Government. Cabinet’s purpose is to connect to the students, and I was even a chair for a leadership division. I oversaw some of the cabinets, so I understand what the directors are feeling when you don't have a direct strategy of where they need to go. And we don't have flash of events, but each cabinet needs to have its own event that's specific to it, not just a housing fair that has housing. Thank you.
Foley: Access, 30 seconds.
Doan: My opponent in the past few years has had the chance to make the changes she plans to make in her — if she was elected to be Student Body vice president. Me, what I will bring, is bring a fresh perspective to cabinet to make sure it's run efficiently. Thank you.
Question Six
Foley: Next question is a general question. What do you think is the biggest problem minority students face on campus, and what would your administration do to address that problem and promote cultural diversity throughout the university? Swamp Party, you have two minutes.
Smart: Just recently, the Gainesville Sun just released that a 2000 study: 910 African-American students made up 14 percent of the freshman class. And in 2013, it dropped to 395, making up 6 — 6.2 percent of the class. That is a 50 percent drop in our admission rates, and the Hispanic population is decreasing. (EDITOR’S NOTE: This statistic is misleading because the story failed to report the way UF gathered its enrollment data changed in Fall 2010.)
What the Swamp Party wants to do is work with administrators, and we have a plan called the Gator Diversity Campaign. It is not the job of one individual to give input on what this multi-faceted campaign is. One individual cannot be the voice for every single religious community, every single ethnic background, and it cannot be the voice of every single sexual orientation and gender identity community. The job is not for one person, it’s on the entire campus, and this administration wants to work with the different leaders and administration to prove this.
We need to more geared as students of the campus, we need to be more aware and cooperative of all the multi-faceted communities on this campus. Another thing is LGBTQ+. The LGBTQ+ cabinet is — there is a cabinet for LGBTQ+ affairs and the directors do not fully understand its purpose. There’s no events to address the issues this community faces. Another issue as well is registered documents. It’s difficult for a student to change their name or their gender identity. They need legal documentation to change their name, and it’s hard for them to press forward on this issue. Another thing, (inaudible) cultural diversity is making sure that — as vice president I oversee a whole division that is the diversity division. (inaudible) What I want these directors to do is reach out to these different communities, reach out to multicultural diversity affairs, so that each student’s voice is heard. Thank you.
Foley: Access, you have one minute.
Padron-Rasines: Every year diversity has been Swamp Party’s platform, and still minority students feel that Student Government is out of touch. The Access Party’s addressing that this year by increasing gender-neutral bathrooms on this campus and advocating for a chief diversity officer. According to SERU Survey results from 2013, only 60 percent of Asian-Americans feel comfortable on this campus and only 50 percent of black students feel comfortable. At a time when the Asian-American population is stagnant and the black student population is decreasing, we need to find a better way to make a diverse campus so that as students, we expose ourselves to different cultures, opinions and lifestyles. All students matter. We all contribute to this university, and a chief diversity officer will assist and monitor all units of the university in their efforts to approve and retain faculty and will also better represent these underrepresented communities and will provide affirmative and supportive environments for work and life at the University of Florida. And we —
Foley: Alright. Alright, time’s up.
Padron-Rasines: Thank you.
Foley: Swamp, you have 30 seconds.
Michaels: This topic requires a ground-level approach. It requires every student at the University of Florida to work towards contributing to a change in the culture here at UF. To create (inaudible) to work with students, to work with student organizations for a grassroots campaign to ensure that we can accomplish this goal. The first day I speak with Dr. Fuchs as Student Body President, we will touch on this issue. We will work on creating the Gator Diversity Campaign to ensure that every Gator is included and that we accomplish this goal. Thank you.
Question Seven
Foley: General question number four: Graduate and professional students believe that they do not receive enough benefits from SG. Do you agree? How would you address this? Access, you’re up. Two minutes.
Padron-Rasines: So currently, for a really long time, Student Government has never addressed the needs of graduate students. And this year, Access Party is changing that. We know that graduate students are just as important to the life of this campus, and that is why when we were forming our platform, we worked with Graduate Assistants United to make sure that their concerns were heard and our platform addressed their needs. That is why in our platform, we have the initiative to reduce graduate student fees because we understand. We know that graduate school — that a graduate education is expensive, and many graduate students have families and have work life, and they’re not always able to afford the fees. That is why it is our mission to make sure that we not only include graduate students in our platform, and as your student body president I will make sure to overly be representative of each single student, but it’s also making sure that because graduate students have addressed these concerns before, that we address them. And that starts with making sure that we cut down their activity and service fees. Thank you.
Foley: Swamp, you have one minute.
Michaels: Graduate students are an integral piece of this university. I’ve learned this through having four years by working with graduate students on a number of things, through working with individuals in the Graduate Students Council as well as Graduate Assistants United. And in doing so, our platform is about launching a campaign. We’re lobbying with a plan to launch Gators for Grads. Tia and myself will actually graduate this spring semester, and with this further understanding, we’re going to continue our successful lobbying efforts just like we have been these past couple years to ensure that the money comes from somewhere, to ensure that the state provides us money, to ensure that there is money available not only to decrease graduate assistant fees, but increase their stipends to provide more competitive research opportunities by creating a research fund program. Graduate students are integral to this university, and it’s important that we have a plan in order to address the concerns that they have. Swamp Party has a plan. Thank you.
Foley: Access, you have 30 seconds.
Carre: As Joey Michaels mentioned, they’ve been working — Swamp Party has been working with administration for four years and has yet to accomplish anything tangible. With that being said, we need to actually work with the administration, and we need to not only say we’re working with administration, but we need to stop all the promises. We will accomplish this, and we will make sure graduates and all the students at the University of Florida have a voice in this. Thank you.
Question Eight
Foley: Next question is directed toward presidential candidates. Important national and local issues facing college students include sexual assault, hazing, gun violence and substance abuse. How can Student Government represent the voice of students on these issues? What do you think should be done by SG to address them? Mr. Michaels?
Michaels: All of these issues are extremely important. The first one which I’d like to touch on is guns on campus is concealed carry. Numerous University of Florida, or rather, numerous Florida presidents actually (inaudible) have come out saying that they do not support concealed carry on campus. More than that, when incidents have occurred where guns have been involved, specifically, for example, at the Florida State University shooting, the chief of that department said that if there were guns present, that it would have been much more difficult to apprehend that individual.
Florida ranks second in the number of schools with shootings since the Sandy Hook incident, so it’s important we’re doing everything we can to ensure that Gators feel safe at the University of Florida by preventing concealed carry on here at UF. With that, it’s also important to address the sexual assault incidents that happened this past year. In doing so, it’s important to understand that when addressing sexual assault, there’s a number of different perspectives that need to be taken into consideration. Eighty-five to 90 percent of victims here at UF or rather, in general, know they’re safe. The 10 percent are males.
With that, it’s important to understand that this isn’t a cut-and-dry issue in that, unlike popular belief, it’s not always the stranger in the dark. Therefore, we could make students more aware of the opportunity and the great resources we have at the University of Florida. Chris Loschiavo, for instance, is the associate dean who actually even advises to the White House, an individual we’ve worked with and who we’re going to continue to work with to ensure this is no longer an issue. By providing them with information, students with information, about the resources we offer, they’ll become more knowledgeable about how to respond to these issues, and we will continue to increase safety measures, both with transportation and general security measures to address these issues. Thank you.
Foley: Thank you. Ms. Padron-Rasines?
Padron-Rasines: As Student Body president, I represent 50,000+ students at this university. That is a student body with varying ideas and opinions. That is why when it comes to policy issues, such as guns, I want to engage in a conversation with different stakeholders on campus. That means UPD, the Gainesville Police Department, and administrators where our main priority will be student safety. But it also means that I am going to work with students so that policy issues are reflective of what the student body wants. That way, when I sit on the Board of Trustees and utilize the External Affairs Agency, which is in part a representative of the University of Florida on a local, state and federal level, I’m reflecting the opinion of the student body and not myself or the administration. Also, when it comes to issues such as sexual assault, we have to make sure that we change the conversation where it does not blame the victim, but rather addresses the culture and objectification of rape. And as your Student Body president, I will lead in this conversation. We need a team to educate —
Foley: I’m sorry, it’s time. Time’s up.
Padron-Rasines: Thank you.
Foley: Mr. Michaels, you have the last 30 seconds.
Michaels: What’s a great platform is that we have a plan where we’re going to accomplish those things, and we have the experience to do so. This past year, we’ve addressed these issues. We created and launched TapShield, we created the Walk Safe Program. We’re working on increasing lighting on- and off-campus to address these issues. We recruited Uber to provide students with a safe means of reliable transportation, and we’re going to continue expanding that service with Swamp Party to ensure every Gator can get from point A to point B in a safe manner that actually will be provided, subsequent provided as subsidized cost. Thank you.
Question Nine
Foley: And now we’ll move on to questions that you, the audience have sent it in. We’ve selected two questions the audience sent in using the UFDecides hashtag, and any candidate is able to answer. May I have a drumroll, please. Come on, I’m dying out here, give me a drumroll please. Question number one: What can be done to make the UF campus more safe, accommodating of and welcoming to sexual and gender minorities? Access is up first. Two minutes.
Padron-Rasines: As a campus, we need to make sure that every student feels safe and comfortable. For many students, their gender identity or presentation defies the clear-cut gender binary. They don’t feel comfortable in women or men bathrooms because they don’t fit this binary, and that is why this is on our platform. We want to increase gender-neutral bathrooms, and this issue is as easy as taking single occupancy or family bathrooms and designating them gender-neutral, all gender, because we understand that there are students on this campus who feel uncomfortable when they walk into bathrooms, and it’s a concern that they brought up to us, and Access Party is here to address that issue. Thank you.
Foley: Swamp Party, you have one minute.
Smart: What needs to be taken into account is regis we understand that these students have — do matter too. What we need to do is work with the registrar to change these documents because right now it is very difficult for students to change their name. It is a hard process. They need legal documentation, from what I’m aware, to get this change now. They also need proof of their transition if they want to be identified as they choose, and that is not something that every student has easy access to. Not all students will have the surgery that they need. They don’t need that if they don’t choose to. It’s not fair to let other students in that way by making them more uncomfortable, so what the Swamp Party wants to do is create a gender-education initiative, and we can do that through the cabinet of affairs, of LGBTQ+ Affairs cabinet to start having these conversations, and get this point across. Another thing is, gender-neutral single-stall bathrooms. That needs to be on our campus as well. And also we’ve increased —
Foley: Time’s up.
Smart: Thank you.
Foley: Access, you have 30 seconds.
Padron-Rasines: As your student body president, I also want to engage in conversations in LGBTQ affairs to come up with ways that we can increase programming and educational events that teaches the Student Body about gender and sexual minorities; and also helping Student Government bring examples of such communities. I want to utilize Accent to bring more speakers from sexual — and gender-minorities, so students see themselves represented on this campus. Thank you.
Question 10
Foley: I had an envelope. No envelope? Where's the envelope? How will candidates work to represent the students unaffiliated with large organizations? Swamp, you're up.
Michaels: This is an important issue. It's an issue that addresses how we can encourage every student to have a voice here at the University of Florida. We talk about our experiences (inaudible). We have worked with the legislative process and the student senate to ensure that students feel as though they have the right legislation to work with their senators to ensure that they can get their voices heard in the student senate. We've supported student organizations big and small through increases in their budget to ensure that there's — that they are getting (inaudible) programming and allowing everybody here at the University of Florida to be represented.
Me, personally, I grew up with individuals in a number of student organizations that have allowed for a product such as pieces of legislation and putting on additional programs with them to ensure that their presence at the university is here and is important. We're going to continue to do just that, and we're going to continue to prove that hard work is what makes the difference at UF. As long as you're qualified and as long as you can prove that you deserve to be in the position that you are, it is something that you deserve.
Thank you.
Foley: Access, you have one minute.
Carre: Student Government is out of touch when it comes to this issue. As Access Party, we not only don't want to just advocate for the increases of budgets and right legislation for organizations. We know what student organizations need. I sat on the allocations committee that has funded numerous small organizations, and I've seen by going to their events and actually being present in the student organizations and in the UF community what these organizations need and the support that they deserve. There's so many different diverse student organizations on this campus that deserve the attention, and it's not just the large big nine that is so-called referred to. We understand, we are a part of it, and we are in touch with the student body, and we're going to make sure that's going to continue to happen on our platform. Thank you.
Foley: Swamp, 30 seconds.
Hadar Arazi: Our administration worked very hard to (inaudible) to represent student organizations within Student Government, specifically working all sub-organizations (inaudible) power and control their budgets. As a member of the allegations committee, I'vehad the opportunity to work with many smaller organizations to ensure that they are funded through Student Government. As student body treasurer it was my responsibility to serve as a liaison between student organizations and Student Government, making sure that their voices are heard, and they're finding ways to feel connected with the Student Government.
Swamp Closing Statement
Michaels: First, I’d like to thank you all once again for coming tonight. Making an informed decision is important, and I hope each of you has walked out of this room with a better understanding of not only what we will be able to accomplish but what we plan to do as your student body representatives.
Our platform is attainable. We couldn’t have created it without your opinions. With 10 years of collective experience, Tia, Hadar and myself will work and have continued to work tirelessly to understand and meet the needs of our diverse student body. Moving forward, we will continue to hear your ideas. We want your voices to be represented. We want all students to feel confident that their Student Government is working for them, and it starts with the platform we’ve established together.
Together, we have a platform with a plan. Together, we will live better. Together, we will save more, increasing the value of our education with programs to prevent tuition increases and expand Bright Futures money. Together, we will study smarter with extended library hours not only in Marston, but in Library West. And finally, we will thrive together by working together, giving student organizations more say in how their money is spent and ensuring that students from all walks of life know exactly how we work for you, with you, together.
This past year, the Swamp Party has brought all kinds of change to this campus that has affected us all, day in and day out. From bringing you newer security to $10 million dollar amount to construct Newell Hall, we have lived better. We have saved more, we have studied smarter and we have thrived together. And we won’t stop there. A new way to make your tuition payments for enhanced education, a new oversight of a budget for more student involvement, a new website for increased transparency. You have asked for more. And we’ve listened.
It’s easy to stand before you today and promise a lot of things, a list of things that we hope to accomplish. But that’s not what we’re doing today. Swamp Party isn’t here to tell you about the things we want to accomplish, we’re here to tell you about the things we will accomplish. With Tia’s three years of experience in the actual cabinet, Hadar’s three years of experience working with student organizations, leading student organizations, and my four years of experience representing you, and including what we’ve currently have been doing here, we’re confident that our ticket can connect Student Government with the Gators from all walks of life.
Collectively, we have the experience we need to deliver the results you deserve. Our combined years of diverse experiences have given us the best perspectives to lead the student body. We’ve connected with students, and we have a well-rounded, experienced and motivated ticket guaranteed ready to give students at the University of Florida the results they deserve, and we have a plan to do it. Thank you all for your support and go Gators.
Access Closing Statement
Padron-Rasines: I want to thank everyone for coming here tonight. I hope you’re leaving this debate with more knowledge about your Student Government. I stand here before you today promising that with the Access Party, you will see a change the way your Student Government runs.
You see, tonight, all we’ve heard from the Swamp Party was results, right? And that they’re going to give you the experience. Well, they’ve been experienced for the past three years, and what results have they given you? Because every year in elections, all I see are students who are disappointed. That every time there’s an election cycle, you have to seem to teach the Student Government. And has that ever been solved with your Student Government with experience? No.
I understand why you feel dissatisfied. Up until now, Swamp Party has taken your vote and your voice for granted. Student Government is not meant to serve one portion of campus, or only officials of Student Government. It’s meant to serve every single one of us. We currently have a one-party system that controls Senate, the Supreme Court, agencies — every single branch of your Student Government. A party with an observed platform that over-promises and under-delivers. A party that only talks to you two weeks out of the year. A party that has the nerve to tell you what you need and what you deserve. But today, I say differently.
You finally have an option, and that option is the Access Party. The Access Party brings to you candidates who not only have experience inside, but outside of Student Government. Our executive ticket and slate has been and is on the frontlines of student organizations. We have been in your meetings, planned events and attended, created and allocated budgets, sat with you at your assemblies. We understand what it’s like to be the everyday Gator. We are not out of touch.
The other party has the experience of how Student Government has always been. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. With them, you will see the same cycle. With the Access Party, you will finally see change. You will see a Student Government that is connected, accessible and truly representative.
For the past three years, Swamp Party has shown us they’re out of touch. On February 24th and 25th, let’s show them they’re out of time. Vote with the party that understands your needs, that is finally going to revitalize Student Government so that it works for you. A party that is transparent, a party that sees that Student Government isn’t working and is choosing to finally do something about it. Vote for the party that is here for you. Vote for the party that sees you not as a vote, but as a voice. Vote for the Access Party. Thank you.
Swamp Party presidential candidate Joseph Michaels, an economics and political science senior, presents his opening statement at the Student Government Executive Debate Tuesday night in the University Auditorium.
