The Students Party's mission is simple: We want to help you take back your Student Government and your university. For too long, the average student has not had a voice in Student Government, and if elected, the Students Party promises to be that voice.
The Unite Party, which is currently in control of Student Government, has proven itself to be corrupt, self-serving, repressive and incompetent. Unfortunately, less than 20 percent of the Student Body participates in SG elections, and as a result, Unite controlled has 99 percent of SG since Spring 2009. And what has this gotten us? A corrupt, bloated and inefficient body that wastes money, pads resumes and consistently acts against the interests of the average student.
Here are just a few examples:
While the recent recession has many students struggling to make ends meet, the Student Body president (a member of the Unite Party) voted to increase our tuition by 15 percent. Additionally, every year Unite has been in power, Bright Futures and other financial aid has been severely cut. And what did SG do to fight on your behalf? Nothing.
While our cost of attendance is skyrocketing, the $17.7 million SG budget (of which every student pays about $400 per year) is riddled with waste. Just last week, Unite voted to give a $71,000 bailout to Gator Growl and additionally decided to pay $13,000 for a SG agency website (instead of having students design the site for a fraction of the cost).
Alarmingly, all of this is occurring while top SG/Unite Party officials are taking multi-thousand dollar salaries, in addition to multi-thousand dollar meal cards and more than $100 every month in cellphone plans.
Enough is enough.
We need a Student Government that advocates on behalf of students, not one that blindly sides with the administration almost every chance it gets. We need a Student Government that uses its budget to improve this university, not one that takes tens of thousands in salaries and other perks. We need a Student Government that appoints students based on merit, not one that trades positions in exchange for votes for the ruling party. And most importantly, we need a Student Government that represents all students, not one with a ruling party that only represents itself.
If elected, the Students Party will be your voice and your advocate. In the Senate, we will fight for the entire Student Body, not just the select few. You have the right to a fair and honest Student Government that is not plagued with abuses of power. We promise to end the corruption and make SG accountable to you.
To the members of the Students Party, being a student senator is not just a resume line that requires once-a-week attendance. If elected, we will tirelessly fight against unreasonable tuition increases, eliminate wasteful spending, increase transparency and respond to the needs of the average student. We promise to never stop working to improve this university.
Our candidates are passionate, dedicated and intelligent. They all have an ideal blend of experience, and new and exciting ideas that will bring common-sense solutions to SG.
Bottom line: If you want a fair and honest government that is responsive to your needs, get off the sidelines, join the fight to take back your university and vote for the Students Party today and tomorrow.
