While campus remained largely quiet over the summer, UF's Student Government was active with budget bills, Senate vacancy rules and procedural changes.
This fall, summer legislation will begin taking effect. It will see further debate and give way to new conversations. Meanwhile, Senate members are readying themselves for another election season in October.
A look back at the summer
The 2024-2025 budget, drafted by budget committee chair Damian Rodriguez (Vision-Off Campus), passed 62-7 to ensure continued funding for SG, Student Government Productions and other student organizations.
The legislation, one of the summer’s most attention-grabbing, passed without Change Caucus amendments. The caucus originally sought to reallocate money away from Accent and SGP — branches that bring speakers and performers to campus — and toward student organizations. Sen. Aaron Rubaii’s (Vision-Off Campus) “Stop the Stall” bill, which sought to reduce public comment time in the Senate, brought Vision and Change Caucus members into a contentious debate in June.
Change resoundingly opposed all three volumes of the legislation, which removed senators’ ability to speak during public comment at the start of Senate meetings. It also reduced general public comment from five minutes per person to three.
The Senate also passed the Procedure for Unexpected Replacements for Student Senators, or PURSS. Both caucuses supported the legislation, which amended the process for filling vacant seats when senators unexpectedly resign.
Previously, resigning senators would name a replacement for the Senate Selection Committee and the Replacement and Agenda Committee to vote on. However, a Vision-proposed bill sought to remove that procedure and instead leave the decision up to the Vision-majority selection committee.
The bill failed on the Senate floor, and PURSS resulted from caucus negotiations. Resigning senators may still name their replacement. But, if the replacement candidate fails to receive a majority vote, then the Replacement and Agenda Committee will suggest a new candidate for the Senate to vote for.
Aside from legislation influencing the Senate’s internal practice, resolutions aimed at benefiting the student body also passed.
The GOGGLE resolution voiced Senate support for a safety goggle collection and distribution program to aid students who can’t afford expensive laboratory equipment. Another resolution advocated for sleeping pods on campus to provide students with a place to nap.
Senators maintain mixed reactions
Vision Caucus Majority Leader Julia Seifer (Vision-Off Campus) lauded the benefits the new legislation will bring to students. The Senate also passed a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal school year.
“We’re on track now to be ahead of the game and do a good job of making sure that everyone gets their money when they’re supposed to,” Seifer said.
Funding will go to projects like improving the Reitz Union’s game room and Flavet Field and supporting the newly created Gender and Sexuality Protection Agency (GASP), she added.
Change Caucus Minority Leader Anamika Naidu (Change-Beaty Towers) and former Sen. Annika Singh (Change-CLAS) said they were frustrated and disappointed with the summer’s legislation.
Singh expressed distress over the PURSS Act’s proposal.
“It was a no-nuance strike of the entire contents of the compromise,” Singh said. “It effectively makes the Senate chamber more exclusive when it’s harder to replace people.”
Naidu also criticized Stop the Stall, emphasizing that without access to public comment, senators are unable to show documents and can bring up fewer topics during debate.
“This whole concept of ‘Stop the Stall’ really is not that effective,” she said. “Every meeting that we’ve had [since the bill’s passage] has still gone equally as long as it did before.”
Looking ahead to the fall
Despite the PURSS Act’s passage, Naidu fears replacement procedures will come up again. Naidu is staunchly against repealing PURSS, though it may enter the conversation, she said.
Change senators have limited power as the minority, Naidu added. However, she and Singh said they hope students will pay greater attention to Senate affairs now that fall classes have started.
UF statutes prohibit parties from campaigning outside of the election season, which begins four weeks prior to the first election day and ends immediately after polls close.
Fall student government elections will be Oct. 8 and 9. Neither Change nor Vision Party's social media accounts can operate outside of the election season, or they risk being disqualified as a party.
Those restrictions prevent senators from accessing and communicating with UF students, Naidu said. She also said Vision supports those restrictions, which have been in place for years, because it has a stronger, more Senate-intuned voter base among fraternities and sororities and, thus, does not need to campaign as heavily.
“I wish people understood that, if they are confused about the election, if they are confused about what actually goes on in the Senate, they need to know that is happening on purpose,” Naidu said.
Seifer’s fall plans for Vision Caucus focused more heavily on legislation.
“I reached out to my senators and asked them what they’re particularly passionate about and what they plan on working on,” Seifer said. “The things that came to mind the most are sustainability, mental health, physical health.”
She highlighted a number of initiatives, including one to add a menstrual product dispenser to the Health and Human Performance building’s ground floor, installing a headshot booth at Heavener Hall, and undisclosed plans to assist students suffering from food insecurity.
“People should come to Senate meetings to let us know specifically what they’re looking for,” Seifer said.
Student Senate meetings occur on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. inside the Reitz Union’s Senate Chamber and are open to the public.
Contact Avery Parker at aparker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @AveryParke98398.
Avery Parker is a third-year English and History major covering university affairs for The Alligator. Outside of reporting, Avery spends his time doting on his cats, reading, and listening to music by the Manwolves.
