Former Senate President pro tempore Jason Tiemeier’s apology, while well overdue, leaves much to be desired.
During the days leading up to the election, Tiemeier denied the accusation that he threw away newspapers containing a Students Party endorsement, claiming he was asleep at the time of the incident. Tiemeier mentioned Sen. Katie Waldman’s presence in his apology, identifying her to the Student Body as the previously “unidentified woman” accompanying him.
Waldman, ironically the vice chairman of the rules and ethics committee in the Senate, evidently did nothing to stop Tiemeier from disposing of the newspapers and neglected to mention her involvement in this scandal.
In his apology, Tiemeier calls for students to have faith in the integrity of UF Student Government, a call that we feel falls flat. He asks for the students to support the newly elected Senate president and president pro tempore, but after this incident, how can anyone take him, or his party members, at their word?
How can any of them be trusted when we now know that high-ranking members of the Unite Party were there while he was throwing away newspapers and did nothing to expose the truth?
If Waldman knew the entire election cycle, did President-elect Tj Villamil know the truth when he created a YouTube video saying the Alligator was falsifying stories?
Did Unite Campaign Manager Brock Hankins know the truth when he said that neither Tiemeier nor anyone in the Unite Party was involved in the newspaper disposal?
It is impossible for students to tell where the lies stop and the truth begins. As long as these individuals continue to be in charge, students will need to keep a watchful eye on the Student Senate and the rest of Student Government.
The Students Party thanks Jason Tiemeier for apologizing, but we find it difficult to believe he acted independently.
We encourage all individuals involved to come clean. The Student Body deserves nothing less than an honest and transparent Student Government.
Carly Wilson, Max Stein
Senate minority leader and assistant minority leader
