Tuesday night, the Unite Party trampled on the students of this university once again by failing to recognize the most qualified applicants for several committee seats.
It instead appointed members of its own party who will simply vote and act as told by their party leadership, not in the interest of the students.
Unite repeatedly voted not to open the floor to nominations so that those who were the most qualified couldn’t be considered.
These actions, while disgusting, are not what disturbed me the most about the meeting.
Sen. Katie Waldman’s appointment to the position of allocations chairwoman is an affront to the students of UF.
I do not question her qualifications, passion or work ethic. I question her ethical and moral fiber.
It is now common knowledge that Waldman was implicated by former Senate President Pro Tempore Jason Tiemeier as being involved with the disposal of newspapers during the most recent Student Government election.
When asked about her involvement, Waldman’s response was obviously not only rehearsed, but coached.
If Waldman really did tell Tiemeier not to commit a highly unethical act, then why didn’t she step forward at the time?
If she is telling the truth, then her hands are clean and she would have had nothing to fear by stepping forward when said events occurred.
However, Waldman did not step forward, and her silence speaks volumes about her and her involvement.
Unite Party spokeswoman Sen. Christina Bonarrigo stated it is not a citizen’s duty to stop a criminal action, and Waldman did “all that she was required to do” regarding this situation.
Is the minimum enough for not only a member of the Rules and Ethics Committee, but a student representative and leader?
Is the minimum a high enough standard for the leadership of this campus?
I say that it is not, and if Waldman plans to only do all she is required to do as the chairwoman of the Allocations Committee, she should resign now.
Max Stein
Assistant Minority Leader
Students Party
