Amidst all the turmoil of the recent UF student government election, one important fact seems to have been forgotten: The critical repairs that the Reitz Union needs aren’t going away simply because the referendum vote didn’t pass. The reality is $42.5 million dollars of problems still remain in our student union.
Renew Your Reitz was initiated specifically to educate the student body on the deficiencies in our current union, to explain the possible benefits of tomorrow’s union and to locate all possible funding sources to help repair and renovate the Reitz. Although our one-week awareness campaign and referendum were narrowly defeated, our mission has only just begun. That we received 45 percent of the vote shows how contagious our message really is.
While most new student union buildings in our state have been funded solely by student fees, Renew Your Reitz is committed to finding other resources to help minimize any student fee. With our recent success exploring Capital Improvement Trust Fund and administration and alumni contributions, we believe the referendum’s estimate of the student fee was inaccurate and any fee would be lower.
Moving forward, we will continue to educate every student and organization about the problems in our union. It is our hope that, much like students from other schools in Florida and across the country, UF students will band together to help renew our union.
