Due to UF’s decision to settle a lawsuit with the UF chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, UF Student Government (SG) drastically changed the process through which student organizations are funded. While changes to this funding process could have incorporated significant feedback from stakeholder student organizations, senators elected with the Impact Party within SG decided to instead institute a funding process which jeopardizes student organizations’ annual events and longstanding practices.

Events are funded by the Activity and Service Fee, for which each student typically pays upwards of $500 each year. This mismanagement of event requests is unprecedented and a direct result of this new funding process.

With weeks’ notice, this new funding process has caused many student organizations to alter their plans for the fall semester as they now scramble to secure funding for important events in time. Deadlines to receive funding from SG have come and gone with many student organizations effectively remaining unaware of changes. At times student organizations have received incorrect information from SG leadership regarding basic information such as the semesters for which requests could be applied. During the Senate’s deliberations, Budget and Appropriations Chair Cooper Brown repeatedly responded to Inspire senators’ concerns by stating that he believed student organizations would receive enough funding, yet many student organizations have received calls from the Allocations Chair Sam Girschick informing them that the funds available for event requests this fall had exhausted before many event requests were considered (and before many student organizations were even aware that they could submit event requests!).

The sub-organizations of the Big 9, often representing the minority communities of students at UF, are bearing some of the worst effects of these changes to the funding process. Sub-organizations of the Big 9 (Hispanic Student Association, Asian American Student Union, Black Student Union, Pride Student Union, Jewish Student Union, Islam on Campus, Women’s Student Association, Inter-Residence Hall Association, and Volunteers for International Student Affairs) are now funded independently of their umbrella organizations. This change has created many more opportunities for failure by SG as these sub-organizations have received far less attention from SG now that they are applying for their own respective funding separate from larger umbrella organizations.

The Asian American Student Union’s annual welcome assembly’ event request was denied by SG, leading sub-organizations to band together to fund the event through their own respective organizational budgets and donations from students and the wider community. This event is the critical initial point of contact for many Asian American students with the student organizations they will find community in at UF. Likewise, the Black Student Union’s welcome assembly has been endangered by denial of events funding from SG, and BSU’s other events throughout the fall semester are at risk of considerable alteration. The Pride Student Union has also indicated that changes in the funding process have put some of its events this fall semester at risk, and PSU was informed it will no longer enjoy free access to Ustler Hall, where PSU has held regular meetings and events for years, due to changes to the funding process.

You can help support the Black Student Assembly here and the Asian American Student Assembly here.

Through no fault of their own, many more student organizations have unfortunately shared experiences like these because senators elected with the Impact Party steamrolled changes to the funding process for student organizations without regard for stakeholders’ wishes. 

Many student organizations that had received thousands of dollars of funding in years past have received little to no funding this semester. Some organizations had their operational budgets slashed and were told to submit event requests, only to later find out that money for event requests had run out. Significant events such as GatorLAN, SwampCon, Florida Players productions, and more are all at risk due to this new funding system.

In response, Inspire Senators Zachariah Chou and Zachary Amrose have written legislation that would transfer $800,000 from the Student Government reserves account to fund student organizations’ event requests for the upcoming fall and spring semesters. Because these funds would be transferred from a reserves account which otherwise is not allocated to any purpose, making these funds available to student organizations would not cost students any additional money and would not come at the expense of other programs. This reserves transfer is sponsored by a diverse group of over 100 student organizations seeking relief from the mismanagement which has endangered their plans for the upcoming year.

Transfers in the past year have included $405,023.20 for general Reitz Union renovations as well as $160,000 to support Library West's 24/7 operating hours. Other notable transfers include the infamous $2,000,000 dollar transfer for new railings for the Reitz Union as well as $10,000 to fund ADA requests after SG ran out of money in the relevant line.

While this reserves transfer will not resolve the SG’s systemic disregard for student voices and disproportionately harmful impacts of SG mismanagement on marginalized communities, this reserves transfer will ensure that many important events are funded this year if it is passed. There is legal precedent for reserves transfers to be used in the case of poor budgeting on SG’s behalf and the authors are confident this is the best, if not only, immediate solution.

Please sign this petition to express your support for this reserves transfer to fund event requests for this year, and share this petition with your friends and colleagues. By signing and sharing this petition, you are making your voice heard by the members of SG elected with the Impact Party who have thus far effectively ignored student voices. Millions of dollars are sitting untouched in SG’s reserves and there is no better use for such funds than ensuring that events important to student organizations, especially those representing marginalized communities, are funded. 

Please also consider making your voice literally heard by senators by speaking during public comment for up to five minutes during the Senate meeting on Tuesday, August 27th, at 7:30 PM in the Chamber at the Reitz Union Ground Level. Arrive several minutes early to sign up for public comment.