Impact will not be the only political party with senator candidates running for Student Government this Fall.
A group of students who are unsatisfied with the way the Student Body is being represented came together to create a new political party called, “Inspire,” said Ben Lima, the party’s president.
Inspire was founded on three pillars — accountability, which means holding student leaders to the highest possible standards; transparency, which means telling students what their fees are being spent on clearly and how officials are working on their behalf; and inclusivity, which involves ensuring input from all students is taken into consideration, Lima said.
Lima, a UF political science sophomore, said no specific occurrence prompted the creation of Inspire. Instead, it was born out of what students were feeling.
“It was formed organically from a general sense among students that we should rekindle Student Government democracy,” the 19-year-old said.
Inspire plans to go on a “listening tour” in the future, Lima said, to meet with students around campus to hear their demands.
Lima said the party’s leadership is a diverse coalition, including members from the former Access Party and the current Impact Party.
Impact was reregistered Thursday and Benjamin Auyang is its new president, said Impact Majority Party Leader Dakota Stanford (Impact, District C-04).
Auyang denied to comment until campaign season begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to avoid seeming as if he or his party is campaigning early.
Lima said Inspire will focus on advancing their values, instead of fighting against Impact.
“It’s not about running against anyone,” he said. “It’s about running for what we believe in.”
@taveljimena
