As a member at large on the Replacement and Agenda Committee, I want to take this opportunity to clear an unjust blemish on the respected reputation of the committee.
On Good Friday and Easter Sunday the Replacement and Agenda Committee interviewed a total of 33 candidates for positions ranging from replacement seats to committee chairs in the Student Senate.
All of the candidates interviewed were highly qualified, and it was no easy task to come up with just 17 nominations to fill the open seats.
Throughout voting, 13 of the 17 open seats were decided by unanimous votes of 6-0 and only four of 17 had split decisions. Not once during deliberation did any member of the committee argue against the nomination of any candidate. This is not to say that there was no debate; each candidate was thoroughly considered based on their experience and the ideas they expressed to the committee.
I believe that the Replacement and Agenda Committee succeeded in its mission of nominating qualified senators to serve on each committee. The committee and I held each candidate to the standards of integrity, open-mindedness, goal orientation and good character, and each person interviewed had these character traits whether chosen or not.
As a result, I have the utmost faith that the chosen candidates will do the best job in their representation of the student body of the University of Florida.
