If there’s one lesson I learned this week, it’s that hard work can make anything possible.
Despite being the minority party with a quarter of the seats in the Student Senate, the Students Party was able to accomplish a key part of its Spring platform this week. The legislation passed at Tuesday’s Senate meeting will increase the availability of power outlets in the Marston Science Library in an innovative way that costs just 5 cents per student.
I am so proud of my colleague, Students Party Sen. John Bryan, who spearheaded this project. After significant planning, John reached out across the aisle to Sen. Ryan Barows and secured a unanimous vote for this new initiative.
Students will now be able to check out portable outlets they can plug their laptops into without the hassle of finding a wall outlet. Fifteen of the portable chargers will be available by finals week, which will greatly help students as they use their laptops to prepare for exams.
This initiative began when everyday students told members of the Students Party that they were frustrated about the lack of charging space in Marston. By working across the aisle and refusing to take no for an answer, Bryan and other leaders found a commonsense, low-cost solution to improve student life on campus.
While this is only one small part of what can be achieved by UF students working together, it shows that even when the odds are against you, great things can be accomplished with dedication and hard work.
I hope this story inspires you to get involved with improving our campus, especially through Student Government and other opportunities for leadership. The Student Senate meets every at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays in Reitz Union, Room 282. If you want to make an impact on this campus — even if you never thought about getting involved in student politics — I hope you come out and join these and other efforts to move our campus forward. I look forward to meeting you there!
