I am appalled at the racism that exists in the UF Student Senate. I am a graduate student who represents a constituency that is comprised of all races and groups, and these actions are appalling to me on a personal level because I am an international student.
The actions taken by the Student Senate, which I will mention later, are both concerning and saddening. The Student Senate represents all of The Gator Nation, which is comprised of every possible race and ethnicity imaginable. Student Government must, by its mandate, fight for the best interests of all its students and not a select few.
The actions of which I am speaking of include the following: (1) Failing to pass condolences to the parents of Trayvon Martin last week and (2) failing to add to the agenda to send condolences to Omair Usmani.
Why are the above mentioned actions appalling and saddening, you ask?
The tragedy of the Trayvon Martin shooting has revealed the deep, underlying racial tensions that exist in the U.S. Even if you believe George Zimmerman is innocent, the inaction of the Sanford Police by not doing the usual drug-testing and witness-searching common in standard legal procedure demonstrates the deep, psychological racial problem that exists in the criminal justice system.
The reactions of the American people and the amount of coverage in the media also show the deep, psychological racial tensions that exist in the American conscious.
The reasons given for failing to pass this bill were that the bill mentioned the race of both George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin and not convicting any side. If you don’t believe that racism exists, just ask a friend who belongs to a minority group. You will likely hear stories that would appall you.
By recognizing the impact of race on this issue, Student Government would show the willingness that we are ready to fight these racial tensions and make this university and community a place where every person feels safe and welcome. As for the second signal of racism, you might remember the story in the Alligator that ran this week mentioning a student was hit by a semitrailer and hospitalized at Shands. Omair Usmani, a student and member of The Gator Nation, is now fighting for his life. This student was thrown under the rug by the Senate.
This Senate, which passes resolutions about birthdays, deaths, etc., somehow failed to pass a condolence for a student of South Asian descent.
This resolution failed to pass due to a technicality, which could have easily been fixed by the amendment process.
I am saddened, and I hope for the sake of the students that we, as a Senate, can recognize our faults and address them.
Uzair Malik
Graduate Student Senator
