What could you buy with $13.94? You could buy a couple of meals at Chipotle for one thing, or you could buy a ticket to the Jacksonville State University game and still have money left over for a soda.
You could also buy one credit’s worth of Student Government fees.
They’re sort of like the taxes you pay to keep the gyms open and the buses running, among other things.
But chances are you’re not at UF for one credit’s worth of courses. You’re here for at least 120, unless you’re double majoring or going to grad school, in which case you’ll be buying even more.
Some quick arithmetic reveals that, like it or not, you will fork over a grand total of at least $1,672 to Student Government during your time here.
That’s a lot of burritos.
Or maybe a fancy, new scooter.
Either way, the money is definitely going to come out of your pocket.
But there’s a silver lining: You get to choose how it’s spent.
The only catch: You’ve got to vote.
Yes, I know, nobody likes the fliers and the banners and the T-shirts and “Have you heard about the (blank) party yet?” but all of that is for a reason. The people in the T-shirts want to tell you about what your money is being spent on, and they also want to get your input on how you’d like it to be put to better use.
Don’t believe me?
Go tell one of them something you’d like to see done; it’ll be on their Facebook page and/or website within the hour.
They’re dying to talk to you because they really care about Student Government for one reason or another, and they want you to care, too.
All you have to do is take a few minutes out of your day and listen to them. And then vote.
Vote like crazy.
Because voting matters. Because our generation has the lowest voter turnout of any demographic in the U.S., and we need practice. Because people on the other side of the world protest by the thousands when they’re not given the chance to vote. And because, more than anything, it just makes sense.
They’re spending your money, after all. You ought to tell them how they can spend it.
