As each Tuesday night comes and goes, quorum is barely established, with 46 senators and empty seats scattered throughout Room 282 of the Reitz Union where the Student Senate meets.
The only observers who come to watch week in and week out are the Alligator and Gainesville Sun reporters and the occasional club representative, who announces at the beginning of the meeting about an upcoming event then leave.
Senate is where the roughly $16.7 million that we contribute to SG from our tuition is spent. Speaking of tuition, consider this: SG stands between UF students, our money and the Board of Trustees on tuition changes. Within the chambers, everything from new bike racks to positions on state and federal policies are voted on each week.
Even with all of this power and responsibility, Senate is rarely in the public eye and goes predominantly unchecked.
This contributes to student apathy, which perpetuates a government that lacks accountability and allows SG to be controlled by narrow interests.
Senate and all committee meetings are open to the public. If you are genuinely interested but cannot make it to Senate at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays in Reitz room 282, I encourage you to email your senators with ideas for legislation, opinions about how they should vote on certain bills or just to introduce yourself.
You can find the Senate roster with email addresses, the agenda and voting records on the UF Student Government website.
It is up to the Student Body to keep its senators accountable.
I challenge all UF students to visit at least one Senate meeting. After all, they were elected to represent you.
Jenna Goldman
Vice President, Students Party
