Two questions that appeared on the ballot in last week's Student Government election received popular responses from students, but the measures needed to turn the questions into action are uncertain.
In response to the two referendum questions, 84 percent of about 10,000 students voted against requiring hand scans to gain entrance to UF gyms. Ninety-five percent voted in favor of a policy to make the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day a travel-safety holiday.
Two scanners for the Student Recreation and Fitness Center have already been purchased at $2,200 each, but David Bowles, director of UF Recreational Sports, said installation plans have been put on hold.
"We are considering our options," Bowles said. "We don't have any plans right now of going against that referendum."
Bowles said he still believes the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to requiring hand scans, and he will soon get an estimate for the turnstile-design gates, an expected expense of $35,000 to $55,000.
"I'm a little taken aback by this thought that I don't communicate with students," Bowles said. "That bothers me more than the students that don't want hand scanners."
Bowles said he spoke and worked with SG officials last year, and they worked in tandem to create an option for students to hit the gym without a Gator 1 Card.
More than 600 students are employed with Rec Sports, and many have supported the hand scanners, Bowles said.
Employees frequently hear complaints from students who have forgotten their Gator 1 Cards, and they encounter visitors who have sneaked in, he said.
"I have always listened to student input," he said. "Students were involved right from the beginning."
Bowles also addressed members of Student Senate on July 22, where one of 70 senators spoke out against hand scan plans, according to SG records.
Bowles said the students responsible for the referendum never shared their opinions with him.
"It seems a little obvious to me that they would come talk to the director of Recreational Sports before they move in that direction, but I guess they didn't think it was necessary," Bowles said.
Skeet Surrency, UF student and author of the question, said there was no time to get in touch with Bowles given the short time frame in which to assemble the petition.
Surrency said knowing students' concerns would have enabled Rec Sports to make a decision in line with student demand.
"Here's the thing: He never approached students," Surrency said. "He never tried to poll us and see what we wanted."
Bowles said UF has one of the largest recreational sports departments in the nation, and he cannot take a campus poll on every issue.
On the other referendum issue, UF spokesman Steven Orlando said the overwhelmingly favorable travel-day referendum results were taken into consideration by UF administration, but tacking on an extra holiday before Thanksgiving is unlikely.
"I don't want to hold out false hope for anybody," Orlando said. "It's pretty unlikely at this point that that would actually occur."
Orlando said making the Wednesday a travel day might encourage absenteeism because there would be only two days of classes prior to the holiday, he said.
An extra holiday could also pose problems in meeting state requirements, he said. UF must hold about 220 days of class a year, and 81 days are usually fit in during fall semester, he said.
Orlando said most students who attend UF are from Florida, which cuts down on travel time during the holidays.
UF student Frank Bracco, co-author of this question, said he thought the in-state argument was weak because Florida is one of the largest states in the country.
"You're talking God knows how many hours to get to Miami," he said. "We've got people all over the place."
