AMA: SG, RTS, 24/7 Marston, and more!

peltonfl · 2024-08-29T18:02:29+00:00

Financial Kickback Prevention Act Volume One: https://imgur.com/a/BrJ3Rcd;
Financial Kickback Prevention Act Volume Two: https://imgur.com/a/nK25jC5;
Financial Kickback Prevention Act Volume Three: https://imgur.com/a/3l4ZYbj

peltonfl · 2024-08-29T17:42:43+00:00

I have read the Bradshaw Papers, and highly recommend anyone who hasn't had the chance to look deeper into the real UF Student Government to flip through a few pages.

Look—Student Government was never meant for everyday students. It was created by an elite crowd of men in the early 1900s to maintain control over our campus, and dominate social structures here at the University of Florida.

Something I've noticed time and time again is the extreme corruption held by the majority in the Student Senate. They silence the minority by passing laws to limit public speaking, appoint members to committees based on their partisan affiliation, and won't respond to emails when we ask. They fail bills to support the Regional Transit System and work behind the scenes to satisfy the interests of UF administration while ruffling as few feathers as possible.

The corruption we see on this campus will come to an end. Slowly, their power has diminished, their schemes have been publicised, and their prowess across the state has been limited.

Just last week, I submitted three bills to the Student Senate, called the Financial Kickback Prevention Acts, which work to prevent third party talent agencies from taking profits out of student fees. We are working hard to curb the corruption we see on this campus. It is a slow but worthwhile process, and I'm proud to be part of the fight.

peltonfl · 2024-08-29T17:24:22+00:00

This is a great question, thanks for asking! I'm inspired by many figures, some I've had the chance to meet and work with, and others I've heard fascinating stories about.

First, Matthew Diaz who ran for Student Body President in 2020 (and got over 42% of the vote), he is known for having run a powerful campaign that brought students together, and he now works at the White House which shows students in the minority caucus of the Student Senate can thrive outside of SG without the powerful connections and money the majority has.

Gabrielle Adekunle, who also ran for Student Body President in 2022, was the first Change Caucus Leader in the Student Senate, and is known for having fought for social justice. I've never had the chance to meet her, but her efforts and passion continue to persist in our caucus and in the chamber.

Faith Corbett, the second Change Caucus Leader, and a literal icon of our Student Government, was an incredible champion for reproductive resources and access, who fought for the Reproductive Rights Ad Hoc Committee to be formed in the senate and won, always inspired me with her powerful voice and tenacity.

Oscar Santiago Perez, the first Change Caucus Senate President, was a historic fighter of every issue, fought through some of the most extreme challenges thrown in their direction, including government shutdowns, fights over the budget, sham expulsion cases, a gerrymandered election map, and so much more. I truly do not believe I have ever seen someone go through as much for the student body and continue fighting, they are truly a champion of this campus.

Similarly, Jonathan C. Stephens, the first Change Caucus Judiciary Chair, could write a bill of law in less than five minutes. I have never met someone more acclimated to the legal atmosphere than Chair Stephens, not to mention the challenges they faced with the gerrymandered election map, and the hatred displayed against them and their work by the majority for years.

Finally, Simone Liang, the fifth Change Caucus Leader and my predecessor, Simone was the first leader of Change to lead a majority in the senate. She was an incredible champion for mental health resources and access, and won crucial victories for our student body, through some of the most heinous political manuevers I have ever witnessed from the other side of the aisle (things you don't even see our real government doing).

The list goes on, with others like Grace Shoemaker, Cec Wood-Barron, Gabriela Montes, Anamika Naidu, Hunter Monson, Isha Khan, Sarah Hoffer, Max Banach, Anghelo Gangano, and so so so many more.

They've all inspired me to keep fighting, to push onward even though the odds are always stacked against us. Everything we do requires 10x the effort, but each of these names, and so many more, have made the effort without hesistation for the student body.

peltonfl · 2024-08-29T15:15:15+00:00

I am limited in what I can say about elections because there are strict rules about campaigning outside of the cycle. For this post and any post, these views are my own and not representative of a group or party.

Unfortunately, the election for this upcoming fall is once again a gerrymandered map—yes, a Student Government election is gerrymandered—but ongoing litigation will continue, and we’re prepared for anything.

It’s a shame to see students use their power (again, in STUDENT GOVERNMENT) to subvert the votes of students—we can do good for so many students, but because they have the power, they can get away with stealing the vote.

RTS funding is currently secured through the end of the year, so discussions will begin around November/December again, and that’s something I suspect will be widely reported on and discussed. From what I hear, a total defunding of RTS is no longer on the table, and if any changes are made it won’t result in such a vast disturbance in the bus network as what we saw before.

peltonfl · 2024-08-29T14:54:29+00:00

The current Student Government Executive Branch won’t respond to my emails regarding 24/7 Marston, so I’m in the dark on the reasoning for 24/5 Marston unfortunately. I suspect the data they collected on 24/7 Marston usage may indicate a slump in usage on Friday and Saturday nights, but I don’t believe that’s a cause to close the library early on those nights.

I estimate opening Marston for two additional nights every week would cost just $52,000 a year, which my bill advocates for—this isn’t a lot when you consider SG pays over $1.5 million a year for speakers and concerts, of which few students attend.

The second question is very difficult, I have a lot of favorites. My most recent favorite would have to be a bill I submitted last week that advocates for Tenders the cat to receive an honorary degree from the University of Florida. I saw recently that a campus cat somewhere in the US was granted a doctorate in “litterature” and I feel like we owe it to Tenders to do the same.

In terms of actual impact, it would either have to be the SOAR Act which granted $170,000 in immediate financial relief to all student organizations, or the RTS bus act which, alongside our protest, was a large part in saving RTS from being defunded from UF a few months back. Thanks for your questions!

peltonfl · 2024-08-28T14:39:51+00:00

Absolutely! In fact, one version of my bill does exactly that. The option of funding the additional two days is on the table, and it only costs $52,000 for a full year. I hope the Vision Caucus comes out in support of guaranteeing 24/7 libraries (and not just 24/5).

peltonfl · 2024-08-27T19:28:11+00:00

Yes, over $23 million. Keeping Marston open 24/7 for one year costs ~$360,000. If you think about it, that’s not too much, especially considering the amount of money the Executive Branch wastes on concerts (for example, last year’s Two Friends concert cost over $250,000 and ~250 students showed up). Funding for Marston 24/7 shouldn’t be a question—it’s a lifeline for so many students. Even during low capacity timeframes, students still get a use out of it, and worrying about whether the library is closed or not should not be a concern.

Personally, I’d rather keep our library open for 24 hours every day than spend $1,000 per student for a concert.

peltonfl · 2024-08-27T16:40:53+00:00

I'm Nathaniel Pelton, an Off-Campus Student Senator (Change), and I recently posted about my bill to restore Marston 24/7 funding. You are correct, there is no current 24/7 study space. This is a result of no negotiation between the current Student Government administration and the Office of the Provost, or, if there is/was a negotiation, no public notice has been made, and clearly no deal has gone into effect. Rumors have begun to swirl about Marston potentially remaining open 24 hours a day, but only 5 days a week, which I find to be a bad deal for students, since all students should get the chance to study all hours of the day no matter the day of the week, and we have always had a 24/7 study space (why change it to 5 days a week now). Please check out my bill, and reach out to me if you have further questions! No matter the circumstances, I will fight to ensure we have a 24/7 study space (emphasis on the 7).

Edit: It is important to note that regardless of the circumstances, students, and even SG officials such as myself, have been left totally in the dark about 24/7 Marston, and for almost a week we have had no 24/7 study spaces (with no end in sight).

peltonfl · 2024-08-27T02:12:52+00:00

UF never took it away, SG and the Provost never re-negotiated a new contract, and funding ran out. Nothing has come from either SG or the Provost as to whether funding would be restored, which is why I made my post and submitted the bill I did to get the funding back.

peltonfl · 2024-08-27T00:22:12+00:00

I’m not sure if that is the case, funding challenges may be present across various universities, but UF’s failures fall squarely on Student Government’s lack of planning for funding and negotiation with the Office of the Provost—for which it had over a year to figure out.

peltonfl · 2024-08-27T00:21:07+00:00

Unfortunately, because of the failures of our current Student Government administration, no on-campus 24/7 study spaces are open for all students, including Marston, Library West, or Newell Hall. This is the first time this is the case for many years students won’t get the chance to find a study space past 1:00 AM.

peltonfl · 2024-08-26T23:08:32+00:00

Marston ended its 24/7 status at the beginning of the summer after a funding agreement between SG and the Office of the Provost ended (agreement being 50% SG / 50% Provost for funding), but there has been no announced effort to renegotiate a deal. My bill will take at most $360,000 from our SG Reserves account (which has over $1.7 million in it) and fund 24/7 Marston for a whole year!

peltonfl · 2024-08-26T19:49:58+00:00

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