The Editorial Board would like to encourage Student Government senators to do the right thing. Just this one time. Please.
We may have spent years berating you and constantly pointing out your faults, but we’re happy to take your side on an issue as hotly debated as the Reitz Union student fee. That is if you actually put the students first and allow a referendum question to appear on the spring ballot.
We here at the Alligator are in complete support of having students vote on whether they support the $20 flat fee and $3 per credit hour.
We understand some of you want a big, fancy new student union. (However, $56 million is a good chunk of change.) We also understand that even with the new fee, our tuition would still be substantially lower than most colleges.
And don’t worry, graduate students. We haven’t forgotten about your problems with the fee either.
We know all of this, but we still believe that the students (you know, the ones who voted for you to represent them) who will be paying for this fee should have a say, because isn’t that the point of democracy?
However, don’t just put the question on the ballot and then toss the results to the side (handscanners at Southwest Recreation Center, anyone?)
Listen to the opinions of UF students or, at the very least, pretend to take their opinions into consideration.
And students: It the senators are so kind as to give you the power to vote on the fee, please don’t disappoint us by not showing up to the polls come Feb. 23 and Feb. 24.
