Senators approved $1,971 in aid for student organizations in the last Student Senate meeting of the summer Tuesday.
The money will go to Shakespeare in the Park, Gator Freethought, Word Up!, the Student Safety Research Colloquium and UF's Performing Arts.
The majority of the money went to Shakespeare in the Park, which will feature a performance of the bard/s classic, "Much Ado About Nothing." The $635 will go to set-building materials, costumes and advertisements for the play, set for performances in March of 2010.
Shakespeare in the Park President Joseph Sweeney attended the meeting and performed a brief monologue to encourage senators to vote in favor of the allocation. Sweeney said he hopes to donate about $3,000 of revenue from the play to A Spring of Hope, a charity that helps build wells in Africa.
The Student Safety Research Colloquium received $256 to help continue its research on health and safety issues in Gainesville. Upcoming research includes compiling statistics regarding the midtown bar area, the effects of hookah smoking and drinking behavioral strategies and consequences.
"I/m sure you remember the people giving you pizza outside the bars and asking you about your blood alcohol level," Sen. Thomas Hilton said. "That was these guys."
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) has been a theme in several of the past meetings. With the passing of last week/s bill allowing senators to access applications online and the question of FERPA limitations, Sen. Alan Yanuck said he is compiling an e-mail to send to General Council to help explain FERPA to all senators.
"We/ve had a lot of questions about what FERPA is and how exactly does it ruin our lives," Yanuck said, laughing.
Supreme Court Justice Michael Patrone responded to Yanuck/s comments to explain the importance of FERPA.
"When you go to law school and take constitutional law, the right of privacy is one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans," Patrone said. "The courts have recognized that, so don/t say FERPA is ruining people/s lives. It/s actually protecting them."
Several incoming senators and Senate meeting attendees expressed fond farewells and luck for those senators staying next semester. Former Sen. Scott Cutshall gave a goodbye speech and urged senators to remember why they were elected.
"Students don/t care about whether or not they can see an applicant/s resume," he said. "They care about getting home safely from bars at night and getting a good degree."
Father John Gillespie spoke at the meeting, which was held at the St. Augustine Catholic Church. Gillespie thanked senators for the attendance and said he has been following the UF Student Senate since he was a graduate student in 1968.
Senate President Audrey Goldman thanked each senator for his or her work during the summer session and briefly outlined her plans for the fall semester, which will include more community service projects, she said. The fall Senate Chambers commence on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. in its usual place, Reitz Union Room 282.
