As Senate president, I want to address the deliberate lies of Students Party Sen. Carly Wilson that appeared in yesterday's letter to the editor. The actions displayed in Tuesday night's meeting were a disgrace to the Senate process and, more important, to the students of UF.
Following the Fall 2011 elections, I charged the election code revision committee to address any problems that may have occurred. The Students Party was given representation on the committee and, in fact, Sen. Wilson selected who would represent that party.
Not once during the month and a half that the committee was reviewing the codes did any member of the Students Party submit suggestions. During the first reading of the changes at the Jan. 10 Senate meeting, Students Party members did raise some concerns about the election codes, but they offered no amendments. It was announced that the election code committee would meet again for more revisions before the second, and final, reading of the election code reform bill. All senators and nonsenators were encouraged to submit amendments and suggestions for the committee to review. Again, nothing was received from anyone in the Students Party.
Several Unite senators, however, took the initiative to make additional amendments to address the concerns that were raised by Students Party members at the previous meeting. These amendments were passed unanimously by members of both parties at the Jan. 17 Senate meeting.
Sen. Wilson's desperate attempt to blatantly lie about the election code revision process is nothing more than a publicity stunt and a prime example of partisan politics at its finest. If Sen. Wilson spent half as much time drafting meaningful legislation as she does making up lies about the Unite Party, UF and its students would be far better off.
Andy Mason
UF Senate president
