EDITOR: Engulfed in an abyss of naivete, I arrived on campus this semester full of ambition. After all, I had served in Student Government for four years in high school, and had been President of every other organization that I had belonged to. So, I began the process that every UF Student Government official must endure - Fall Rush. I found a fraternity with substantial political clout, accepted my bid, and began learning all of the right moves. It was fortunate that our house had a senate seat open for the election in the Florida Blue Key power group that we belonged to, because I was immediately promised this position. How they were going to pull off this election puzzled me, but I was too caught up in the glory to ask questions.
Now, I look like your typical white anglo-saxon male from an upper-class family. (I wear Tommy and Nautica, I was on the golf team, all three of my sisters were cheerleaders.) But lurking deep within the darkness of my soul, lies a big, mean Sephardic Jew. Big white-boy fraternities usually don't like that, and they don't mind telling you, so I just left at my own discretion. (I assumed it would be cleaner that way.)
Well, after throwing off all my racist, sexist, classist, BlueKeymia baggage, I decided to run as an Independent candidate for senate. That was when I learned how less than 10 % of the student body wins every election every year. Never in my life had I seen such a mockery of democracy.
The Supervisor of Elections, as virtuous as he may be, knows less about the Student Body Constitution than the amoeba living on an administrator's dentures. Almost every election code was violated - a substantial number of votes were not counted, polling places were closed on the second day when independents were gaining too much support, ballot boxes were switched, improperly secured, and stored by members of the Focus party. I observed a host of other offenses too numerous too list.
After the election results were released, like any other concerned candidate, I was waiting in the Orange and Brew to hear the news. During this time, my friends and I were chatting with the Student Body President about past elections and he said something very interesting.
He said that the student body is not intelligent enough to have voting rights, and evern if fifty percent of the students showed up to vote his part would still win. Amazing. How someone so pathetic, so incompetent, and grossly egocentric could have this position is beyond any reasoning that my little brain can endure without exploding into itty-bitty morsels of goo.
Back to the issue at hand. I voted for myself, but ended up electing No One. If you voted independent, then you elected No One too. Thank God that No One got into office! No one is there to listen to out complaints or make legitimate legislation; No One hears us and No One stands up for our rights. Being involved with SG first hand through the election, my later involvement with the Independent Student Coalition, and my position on the Internal Solicitations Cabinet has shown me many, many points of corruption. But, hopefully the Task Force will do some good, like suggest another position or two; you know - the usual. Fortunately, they are completely disregarding the mountains of evidence presented to them about unconstitutional and illegal acts committed by SG.
Ray Long