At a time of grave financial crisis, record layoffs and severe budget cuts, UF and Student Government have no business allowing the installation of expensive hand scanners in the recreational facilities. Students do not want their money wasted on such technology.
As someone who collected signatures for the petition, I am terribly confused by David Knowles' assertion that, "The one thing we've been hearing from students for years is that they don't want to have to bring their Gator 1 cards when they come to work out."
Only one of the nearly 200 people I spoke to actually expressed interest in such technology. The rest of them thought the idea was ridiculous. The problem could be solved by taking a closer look at Gator 1 cards, asking forgetful students for another form of identification or merely asking the students for their UF ID numbers and addresses.
I expect the UF population to overwhelmingly oppose such superfluous spending. However, knowing the school's history, I also suspect that, like the student-run coffee shop and socially responsible investing, our duly cast votes will be subverted.
