For those who missed out, last week I wrote a column detailing our Student Government representatives’ lack of visibility. In an attempt to highlight the disparities in SG presence during election time as compared to that of the rest of the year, I mentioned that Swamp Party has a recurring pattern of abandoning their social media platforms after elections. Thankfully, Blake Murphy, SG director of external affairs, wrote a letter to the editor informing me of an election code that prohibits political parties from making posts outside of election cycles. Murphy also brought attention to another YouTube account, one of three unverified ones, that releases “SG TV” episodes. He went on to mention that SG hosts dozens of events because visibility and transparency are their priorities.
In short: Let’s get distracted by an election code and be proud of the level of visibility SG currently has.
Let’s pretend that the few hundred views “SG TV” episodes average is something to be proud of, and let’s pretend that Lunch on the Lawn doesn’t need to be announced more than two days in advance. Lastly, let’s hold up the facade that our SG is impeccable and has little room to improve.
Or we could be real. On the Alligator website, it says that more than 400 Facebook users recommended my column. The fact that there is a large portion of the Student Body that is dissatisfied with SG is irrefutable. There is hope for us, however. Murphy said SG would love to hear any ideas we have, so here are some of mine.
First, get the YouTube ambiguity figured out. Three unverified accounts posting SG material shows a level of incompetence that is appalling for a soon-to-be top-10 public institution. It complicates the challenge of keeping up with SG, and it does not coincide with the supposed SG priorities of visibility and transparency.
After that’s fixed, SG should require senators to hold an office hour at least once a week. Murphy mentioned that senators are required to table as per constituency. What he left out, and what former District D Swamp Party Senator Melanie Garcia told me she was required to do as per the Chapter 324 Senator Accountability Act, was that senators must table one hour per semester. That’s absolutely ridiculous. I spend more time in line at Chipotle. Senators should have office hours that, along with their pictures, should be posted on the SG website and in corresponding districts, dorms and colleges. That way, students will be able to recognize their representatives, and they will know when and where they can be reached. Have your senators hosted a Town Hall forum? Are you like me and have never heard of such thing in your area or college? Don’t worry — take your concerns to office hours!
Another facet SG can improve upon is networking. I try my best to keep up with what goes on throughout campus, but I had never heard of a senator-led Town Hall forum or an “SG TV” episode, and I know I’m not alone. SG should expand its effort, to announce these opportunities or provide alternative methods for student-representative communication. Whether it’s installing a solar-powered slideshow screen with SG announcements or making a permanent suggestion box on Turlington Plaza — in addition to the one on the website that nobody knows about — SG has plenty of options to connect better with students.
Finally, SG should announce Lunch on the Lawn events weeks in advance, and they should update the abandoned “News” section on their website. Election codes may explain inactivity on Swamp social media pages, but they don’t excuse any of these incompetencies.
In his letter, Murphy wrote that I attempted to make the “case” that SG is not visible. I beg to differ. The case is closed, and the jury has deliberated; SG has ample room for improvement. Hopefully now they know where they can start.
Christopher Wilde is a UF biochemistry freshman. His column appears on Wednesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/11/2015 under the headline “Improvement in UF SG: a how-to guide"]
