KnightNews.com Endorses Daniel and Kevin for SGA
Editorials, UCF SGA — By Staff on February 18, 2010 at 2:02 pmTimes are changing at the University of Central Florida.
For the first time we can remember, the Central Florida Future has decided not to endorse a candidate for UCF’s Student Government Association presidential election. And for the first time, KnightNews.com will be the only media source for students — who aren’t able to research the candidates and issues on their own time — to rely on to endorse a candidate it thinks would be best for the student body, after thoroughly looking at both sides.
We wish we didn’t have to endorse, either. We wish students could have all the information at their fingertips to decide exactly which candidate is best for them. We wish we didn’t have to ask tough questions, or dig up major changes to tailgating policies that affect your lives. We wish we could make funny music videos about El Corral all day long and just make you laugh — but we can’t.
We owe it to you, our visitors, and all UCF students, to endorse a candidate in this presidential race. In fact, one of the biggest reasons we have to endorse a ticket this year, is because we hope we won’t have to next time around.
KnightNews.com fully endorses Daniel Seeff and Kevin Wolkenfeld for your next SGA President and Vice President, because if they win, they promise to “totally transform” how SGA works by making it “totally transparent.” They promise to stream live video of important SGA meetings, and keep archives online so you can see what happened. They also promise to post all the financial documents online.
We think that’s exactly what SGA needs. We believe if that starts happening, students can finally have the option of doing their own research — and students can always watch what their leaders are doing and hold them accountable if they break a promise.
The Seeff/Wolkenfeld campaign announced by video that SGA met over Winter Break, when students had already left town, to decide how almost all of the $14 million student activity and service fee budget would be spent — over a catered buffet lunch, bought with student money, in an empty student union.
Seeff/Wolkenfeld Campaign Video:
Truth be told, this happens every year. The small group of SGA’s most powerful members attend, including SGA Presidential candidate Mike Kilbride. They work long hours over break to smash out this huge budget, after talking to other powerful insiders in CAB, OSI and other agencies. Kilbride, and most others in SGA, probably don’t see anything wrong with this meeting — and that’s part of the problem.
The small group of SGA’s top leaders and insiders running the show now — many of whom endorsed Kilbride before even hearing what the other side had to say — seems so comfortable with the status quo, so comfortable making decisions for you, that they appear to just assume to know what’s best for you without bothering to ask or include you.
Why do we feel this way? Because we put in a public records request for surveys, questionnaires, e-mails and anything else SGA’s leadership has done to determine student opinion before talking to administrators about tailgating policies changes — and SGA hasn’t been able to produce anything proving they sought student opinion.
UCF, that’s what Daniel Seeff and Kevin Wolkenfeld are promising to do for you, by sharing everything they know, when they know it, and asking your opinion. And, even if you disagree with them, at least you’ll be able to watch their every move on video, and hold them accountable if they don’t represent the student.
As far as Mike Kilbride, and the SGA insiders he touts as his endorsing team, good luck getting information out of the SGA they control.
KnightNews.com has been trying to get financial documents showing how SGA allocated the reported nearly $14 million over winter break, but when we stopped into the Activity and Service Fee office Wednesday to try and pick them up, we were told our request was sent to UCF’s team of lawyers to see if we are entitled to it — and to see how much of a cost they will charge us to get it for you.
The office told us we shouldn’t expect a decision for another week — after the elections are over.
If KnightNews.com can’t get the public information about where your money is going before this election, how can a regular student be expected to get the information needed to make an informed decision?
If they stick to their guns, and these records aren’t released soon, the election will be over before we know
the following:
- How much of that reported $14 million pie might those leaders endorsing Kilbride possibly have been allocated for their organizations while you were home for break?
- How much money is allocated to the executive branch next year, versus the student senate which has the ability spend it directly on student organizations?
- Whether anything was said on audio recordings while these winter meetings carried out that could influence how you vote.
Whether you’re Greek or Progressive, Republican or Democrat, freshman or doctoral students — you only have one candidate who promises to put this secrecy to an end.
And, if you don’t like the job they do next year, at least you’ll be in the position to know everything they do, so you can run and do a better job — without a group of insiders telling you you’re not ready, you’re not good enough, you don’t know enough, and you can’t get the job done.
If Mike Kilbride wins, we’re sure things will run just as smoothly as they do now — he is, after all, one of the few with access to the knowledge and information to keep things the way they are. But if he wins, don’t be surprised if your tailgating time gets cut by another two hours next year, and you don’t hear about it until you read about it in the Orlando Sentinel, Central Florida Future or KnightNews.com.
Daniel and Kevin have promised to transform SGA and open it up so every student will know everything that’s going on, and that total transformation of SGA is why KnightNews.com fully endorses them as your next student body president and vice president.
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73 Comments
5 months expierience and you think you can run SGA? Really? You sir are a twat.
no matter what this biased and misleading news source says i’m still voting for Kilbride/Lochrane.
stein you really need to get the hell over loosing last year and stay posted up at el corral.
NORML AND COLLEGE DEMOCRATS DO NOT SUPPORT SEEF/WOLDENFELD NO MATTER WHAT THEIR LYING CAMPAIGNERS SAY!
if you seriously like this kid, i dont know what is wrong with you. i could show a child a picture of him and he or she would probably hate him too. the ability to recognize douchiness is innate. and kilbride is a DOUCHE!
As a former member of SGA I can tell you that Michael Kilbride and Taylor Lochrane think they are entitled to a position in which they have 0 experience. Not one person knows who they are. How many student organizations have they looked out for. NONE. How many allocations have they received for student organizations. None. If you are in an organization and Lochrane and/or Kilbride ever visited you in the past four years before election hype, about funding for your organization please reply because I believe the answer there is not one. Real good political move picking a PHD Graduate Engineering Student to be your puppet for those extra votes Kilbride. If you are a student here at UCF please let students that are not corrupt and selfish represent you in front of the Board of Trustees and at Tallahassee and choose Daniel Seef and Kevin Wolkenfeld. These two individuals have helped run student organizations and have visited to help with allocations. They are seriously in it for the regular student while Kilbride/Lochrane want the paycheck and resume builder. I am ashamed of what SGA has become with all of cabinet and some of senate supporting these unworthy candidates continuing to close the door on regular students like you and I. IM VOTING FOR DANIEL AND KEVIN!!!
Mike Kilbride is a huge douche. End of story.
I would vote for ANYONE, including someone with every outspoken intention of running SGA into the ground, before I voted for Mike Kilbride.
FUN FACT: Following the victory of Peterson and Andrick, the first words out of Mike’s mouth were “great, now I get to pick what position I want”
Actually under the Hollinger/Berkowitz administration there were in excess of 40 goals and every single one was accomplished or on its way to being completed.
Kilbride/Lochrane = Endorsed by Will Lusk = Bribery
Kilbride/Lochrane = ?
Kilbride’s platform has 32 things on it. No one can ever accomplish 32 things in 1 year. Fail.
Daniel/Kevin 2010
D/K ALL THE WAY
D/K ALL THE WAY
D/K ALL THE WAY
I am going to vote for DANIEL AND KEVIN!!!!!
I am a part of this! Go Daniel and Kevin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All of you need to grow up and get a life. SGA is politics on a smaller scale. If you like a candidate you vote for them. Get over yourselves and grow a pair. Every person on this site is probably to lazy to even go out and vote themselves, much like the rest of America. Do your research. Each candidate has good platforms. Stop your bitching and grow up. We are UCF. All you haters and complainers can leave. I don’t want a bunch of whiny babies complaining about SGA. how many of you actually took the time to research and apply for SGA?
Grow up! And make up your own mind on who to vote for.
What are you dumb? That person in the comment was obviously joking. You have no sense of humor or personality, much like Kilbride.
“iheard” were you actually at the debate. At no point in time did they collect a piece of paper from Kilbride. Your just like Knightnews…get your facts straight before you write something.
I heard Kilbride submitted the fairy question.
everyone with kilbride was mocking KnightNews’s endorsement but why are there like 15 people all arguing with it. if its no big deal, and KnightNews is a joke, then why are you on here complaining for 100 posts???? CFF didnt endorse kilbride, and neither did KN…maybe KILBRIDE IS THE PROBLEM!
The only reason I know who he is, is because Taylor is hanging out with Kilbride campaigning in the office and meeting with people.
That little annex office was there before Kilbride was and didnt need a remodeling. I think they are talking about all the other nonsense he did.
ALSO – WHY DID KILBRIDE TAKE THE DUAL SCREENS FOR THE COMPUTER THAT WAS PURCHASED FOR THE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS AND PUT THEM IN HIS OFFICE? WAS THAT NECESSARY?
How about letting Peterson take the IMAC from the Comm Unit? Such bullshit.
Knight News is Supporting the less qualified ticket that has the most potential to damage SGA….shocker!
Despite not knowing Daniel and Kevin, I am planning on voting for them. Why you may ask? Because I know first hand how loyal Kilbride is to his organizations. Last year, despite it earning a lot of money, during the months leading up to Knight-Thon he would not return important email about the event…for a month and a half. Students should want someone that they know will be there for their best interests in SGA, and not take a break when they are needed.
HAH, “you wish you didn’t have to” I started laughing when I read that. Everyone knows that they are best friends with the editors and that Chase Peckham was out there trying to get signatures for them as well. Admit it, you are just trying to get your friends elected. There is no shame in that but when you put so many “we wish we didn’t have to”s it is really unbelievable and childish.
“Cabinet
FEBRUARY 19, 2010 AT 10:00 AM
Screw Kilbride I seriously hate him and his fake ass. He was terrible to work for up until the middle of January, when he realized he needed to be nice to his staff to get our support.
Everything these guys are saying is true. Its like working in a secretive boot camp. I never liked KnightNews, but I love the initiative here to make SGA totally open – I feel guilty collecting an SGA paycheck because I work for a bunch of elitist people that dont share anything with the average student.
NOT BUYING IT KILBRIDE. Have no idea who Lochrane is, he seems ok.”
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If you were a cabinet member, you would know who Taylor is that’s BS.
“remodeled office
FEBRUARY 19, 2010 AT 12:14 PM
The money spent on remodeling the sga office was turning a completely empty, wasted office into a meeting room that could be utilized by not just SGA, but also by registered student organizations who could reserve rooms to hold their own meetings. As an executive member of an organization, I know how hard it can be to reserve spaces in the Union with almost 400 other organizations here at UCF. This new remodeled space in SGA was a great way to help increase the amount of available rooms for us to use and I am extremely grateful that it was done by the Peterson/Andrick Administration.”
I think it’s been a great addition, I’ve the remodeled room with my RSO many times.