On March 4, the Alligator Editorial Board commented on what they called the Unite Party’s “naughty audio.” However, the editorial and the administration’s silence on this issue reveal the true problem in Student Government: apathy.
The Alligator couldn’t have said it better: “The vast remainder of the Student Body is always going to not care and not vote.”
If that is how the Alligator addresses systemic coercion and corruption within SG, it’s no wonder students don’t head out to the polls. SG can be changed if students take the initiative and cast their ballots. With less than 20 percent of students voting, the Alligator should be encouraging people to vote. Taking the defeatist stance that nothing will change is just plain wrong.
These tapes deserve action. They show collusion between the Unite Party and the supposedly “non-partisan” supervisor of elections, who is (no surprise) appointed by Unite Party members. On top of that, they show an elaborate system of coercion that goes as far as bribing voters and denying food to pledges — what has come to be called “hazing for votes.”
The story has been covered by the Gainesville Sun and the Alligator, whose story was featured on the Huffington Post, but UF officials have still refused to act.
Administration: It’s time to take a stand. You’ve always asked for evidence of voter coercion, and now you have it. UF students deserve a government that works in their best interests, not one that only clings to power through corruption.
Students: The only way to truly change this is through the power of the pen. Write to university administrators and tell them that enough is enough. But most importantly, you need to prove the administration, the Alligator and SG wrong. This fall, take five minutes, head to the polls and vote.
