UF President Bernie Machen's proposed changes to the festivities surrounding the UF-Georgia football game in Jacksonville - including a ban on the sale of liquor shots - are getting some heat from Student Government, including Student Body President Jordan Johnson.
Johnson said he thinks Machen's ideals are sound but thinks the proposed changes would actually make the experience more dangerous for students.
In addition to banning shots, Machen and Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin asked Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton in a June letter to halve the number of temporary alcohol vendors, limit occupancy at The Jacksonville Landing - a popular strip of shops and restaurants in downtown Jacksonville - and crack down on alcohol laws, all on the city's dime.
The requests came before a meeting that discussed UF and Jacksonville's contract, which ends after the 2010 game.
By attempting to limit the amount of alcohol at the Landing, Johnson said, it encourages students to drink in less safe places.
He said he'd rather see students drink at the Landing, which is surrounded by safe zones instead of in hotel rooms and tailgate parties.
Booze is also more expensive, and lines are longer, at the Landing, which provide disincentives for overconsumption, he said.
He said he doesn't think Machen should be trying to regulate the drinking habits of drinking-age students.
"People here at the University of Florida can think on their own without arbitrary restrictions being bestowed on them," he said.
"I've already told Machen this. He didn't take it very well," he said.
However, he said if it's going to be harder to drink at the Landing, UF should give students something else to do.
As a result, he said talks are underway to bring the band Maroon 5 to Jacksonville to play a show outside the Landing on the Friday night before the game. He said Jacksonville has been asked to pick up the tab.
"You can't just tell students they can't come here and drink," he said. "Let's give them something to do."
Other members of Student Government are fighting the proposed changes in their own way. Student Sen. Alan Yanuck is circulating a student petition and will help author a Senate resolution, which will likely be voted on Tuesday, opposing Machen's proposals.
"On the whole, we feel that Bernie Machen, as the president of the university, should be focused more on our academic performance and the budget cuts than he should on our personal lives," Yanuck said.
He also questioned if more safety precautions are needed since safety zones have been implemented and a student hasn't died during the festivities since 2005.
"Nothing's gone seriously wrong in four or five years and why do we need more regulation?" he asked.
