UCF SGA Presidential Election in Doubt
News, UCF SGA — By Andrew Stein on February 27, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Read Original Story Which Prompted This Additional Response Here
Dear KnightNews and KnightNews Readers,
First and foremost, I would like to thank KnightNews for their coverage of the SGA elections, and wish them the best in their fight for “Freedom of Press.” This is a cause worth supporting; it is a central tenet of American ideology and should be fought for at the University of Central Florida – a public university with fifty thousand young Americans.
The purpose of this letter is to clarify a few points and positions that were espoused in the recent KnightNews article. It is my opinion that the article and subsequent comments appeal solely to the theatrics of sensationalized journalism. Ultimately, the tone of the article does not accurately or effectively represent my central thesis, which I will posit in just a moment. By way of clarification, I became intrigued by the operations and activities of SGA after attempting to break into their ranks and falling short time and time again (with the sole goal of being able to fish on campus).
(Editor’s note: We planned to do a whole separate article on Schumacher’s “central thesis,” regarding his allegations of wasteful salaries, but we first had to write about the violation he submitted and use those quotes related to that issue. We deemed the violation he filed more newsworthy and urgent at the time. We still have his quotes about his other “central thesis” from the interview, and will use them when we can ask SGA its side of the story this week before writing about it. Sorry for any confusion, we have not edited his letter in anyway, and we appreciate his dialogue and support on Our Fight for Free Speech).
Without a doubt, I have a vested interest in writing this letter. That being said, it is my belief that each and every student at this university shares this very same interest. Most would agree that we are all affected by the outcomes of SGA elections. Ultimately, I believe that as a student body, we need to be aware of the SGA electoral processes and recognize the detrimental consequences this system could reap upon our university. Once there is an awareness of this threat, we can quash it by creating more efficient and ethical electoral procedures. At the core of this issue, is that the SGA oversees a $14 million budget and promulgates policies, which will eventually affect every student at UCF. I welcome the opportunity to be an active part of this process, and would support the SGA creating a “blue ribbon” panel to study the current policies and make suggestions to reaching the aforementioned goal. An expected part of this process is discussion and debate.
In my three years at UCF, I have seen how elections can be swayed by false promises, appealing signs and infinite slices of pizza. Having campaigned for multiple candidates, not once have I been asked about an issue, rather the most common question asked by prospective voters is, “Do you have any pizza left?” It is this fact that propels my advocation for change. SGA is proud to have nearly 10% of the student body vote in a presidential election. While this is an admirable statistic, it is also problematic. I would surmise that 90% of those students voted because of a slice of pizza, a t-shirt, or to put an end the pressure and harassment to vote. Additionally, the current election process favors those with the deepest pocketbooks and largest pledge classes, not those best suited for being responsible of a $14 million budget.
After conversing with friends and fellow students about the recently concluded election, I decided to take a public stand against our current system. My election law violation complaint was filed not only to draw attention to this flawed system but to also question if current practices are even legal. It is my belief that the use of the WiFi was unethical and should be studied in greater depth. However, my complaint was filed to shed light on a troublesome process at our school. Campaigns at every level have regulations surrounding spending, bribery, and ethical practices. UCF should be no different, and there are simple solutions to our problems. One of the biggest issues surrounding campaign finance could be settled by following the $1,000 campaign spending limit, which is enforced at The George Washington University, one of the most expensive universities in the country.
Another major problem rests within the commission that oversees SGA elections. Nine students are paid roughly $10 an hour for any duration up to six weeks. They are funded by student ASF monies and are appointed by SGA members. They are responsible for “regulating” elections and “tabulating” the online results of the three-day contest. Moreover, almost all violation rulings rendered by the commission are appealed to the unpaid SGA Judicial board, essentially making the commission’s opinion worthless. I believe this commission promotes cronyism and is in need of major reform.
With these facts in mind, we can properly frame our discussion on reform. It is imperative that we work together as a student body to fix a broken system. This issue is time sensitive and should be afforded the resources necessary to make change. I trust the new leaders of SGA to reform the system before the next election cycle. I also trust our SGA leaders to clean up the waste in ASF funding to students who occupy unneeded positions. Simultaneously, I implore students and their organizations to demand a better system where students are made aware of the real issues within SGA.
In response to charges that I was attempting a Machiavellian coup seeking to overthrow SGA, I would counter with the words of a great man, General Colin Powell. He is a man who is revered for many things, and it is this quote that motivates my efforts: “Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.”
I never had intentions of conducting a hostile takeover of SGA and I believe that Mr. Kilbride has the potential to be a great president who will carry our university in the right direction. To those of you who disagree with my goals or methods in seeking change, I say fair enough. What I would ask is that your disagreement does not devolve into grandstanding and diverting attention from an important issue. Instead of roadblocking, why not offer your own solution and we can have an honest and open discussion?
At the core of this sensationalized KnightNews story is the fact that our current system is broken, and more seriously, it fosters an injurious affront to our uniquely American notion of democracy. We are a campus of fifty thousand young Americans who are now or one day will be voters, taxpayers, soldiers and perhaps elected officials. Let us begin the process of change and work for a clear, concise, ethical and open electoral process. Go Knights! And may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Respectfully,
S. Kyle Schumacher
Proud UCF Knight
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40 Comments
Doubt schu and jb corey thought of this scheme in their rooms before the election happened. Things need to get done and these guys are trying to straighten sga out. They obviously did more research and follow the rules more than other candidates. Presidents should be law abiding as well as any other student. Rules are rules, punishable when enforced, hopefully for the better. No doubt some administration is corrupt and controlling the hearing date.
I’ve had it with people attacking Knight News.
What fanciful and fabricated stories are you talking about? Here’s what I’ve seen from Knight News in the last couple weeks:
1. They exposed the tailgate controversy, and contradiction between UCF, SGA and the Orlando Sentinel.
2. They forced SGA to release a copy of the A&SF Budget. Now, the Future is going every Friday, and between both news sources, we found out about the carpet they’re trying to use our money to buy in the Union.
3. They endorsed a candidate, and called it an editorial. BIG FUCKING DEAL. The Future did this every year until this year. What happened when the Future didn’t endorse Logan and Logan lost? He cut their funding to zero. I’m sure the Future was advised not to endorse, since the election was shaping up to be so close. And in the end it was.
4. Coverage of Zeta’s philanthropy event.
5. They investigated UCF’s attempts to brush a mold infestation under the rug.
6. They showed us pictures of a man with machine guns in a UCF area.
7. They broke the news of this election violation, even though UCF apparently didn’t want us to know about it. They interviewed Kyle and quoted him. It was fair.
What has Knight News “fabricated?” If you are upset with them writing editorial opinions, get over it. They have that right. They covered Kilbride’s campaign with a fair, unbiased reporter. Same with Seeff’s.
I’m happy there is a media source that actually gives a damn and will stand up and fight for our First Amendment rights. I am happy Kyle is standing up to fight for our rights. I wish more people would see things for what they are.
I agree that pizza and t-shirts mask the real issues and cause us to lose sight of the goals that we are trying to reach through the elections process but without them no one would vote. The average student honestly doesn’t care all that much about SGA and its activities (unless they are reading one of the fanciful and fabricated stories that KnightNews writes), and therefore doesn’t care who wins. There is already plenty of confusion over the elections statutes, so adding more rules about spending limits and boundaries would only make it worse. I do feel things should be simplified however.
Sidenote: If kyle cares so much about this subject and is spending countless hours researching and writing statements why can’t he manage to show up to the hearing? He should have used his convincing arguments to persuade his boss to let him take an early lunch; people do it all the time!
I’ve been waiting for some comments before I threw my 2 cents in on the topic.
I have been a heavy campaigner for the last 3 SGA presidential elections and I would say it’s about an 75/25 mark on students who vote at the booths on campus. 75% of the students vote for 2 reasons: 1) Free gifts (i.e. pizza, shirts, water, stickers) and 2) to get it over with and not be bothered anymore. The other 25% actually listen to platform points before voting.
Jess, you are very ignorant to believe that students at these stations who are soliticing votes aren’t doing so with pizza and sitting there telling them who to vote for at the computer while they are logging onto MyUCF. Yes, a student has the ability to vote for anyone they want, but you are not going to win this debate on the “freebies” issue.
I am not directly involved in SGA, but I now have a mission for the next year before I graduate and I encourage all who is frustrated with the way these ridiculous elections are run to join Schu and I. I really want to end the “pizza for votes” tradition we’ve had over the years and it needs to end NOW while we still have leaders on this campus with the passion to change this crap. If you want to join this escapade, please email me at rgarrett371@gmail.com. It’s gonna be a tough run and before we can go to Senate/SGA with the issue we need solutions to replace the current trend.
Lastly, if you would like to refute my opinions/comments, please have the balls to either A)contact me personally or B)leave your full name so that you have credibility.
I have a lot more opinions on this whole issue, but Schu said it better than I could.
Classic antics! As a senator and someone who hangs around the SGA office a lot, Kyle has begged for election reform since last elections. Maybe it was just been drown out by his views on palm trees, fishing on campus, and sprinkers that go off in the rain. Have to admit, he gets more done in SGA without being in SGA than most get done who are in SGA.
If Kyle was really so concerned about this, why has he never done anything about it before? For all his talk, he’s never done anything to make any changes.
I know for a fact that the Kilbride ticket spent 3 times the amount of money the Seeff ticket did. I know this because I work for one of the stores they got their food from. We donated 99% of it. I know they got their tshirts for pennies, just like their palm cards and signs. We cut them a amazing deal because they were nice guys, which is what i imagined happened with the rest of their stuff.
Actually…”you’re” an idiot. Read my statement again because you clearly misunderstood it.
I wasn’t talking about the total amount of UCF students, and neither was he. Schu is suggesting that 90% of the over 9,000 students who voted in this election only did so because they got something out of it, food or otherwise…there just wasn’t that much food (or campaigners) to go around for this to be so. Clearly, many students voted of their own accord.
And PS, the assertion that “this election system” favors the person that has the most money is a joke. EVERY ELECTION, from junior class president at Oviedo High School to president of the United States, favors the candidate with the most money…obviously. That is a systemic issue within our society and has no solution, because it really isn’t a problem – just the nature of elections.
He makes a few valid points and raises a few interesting questions. Reconsidering the processes any traditional institution, which he is encouraging, is generally a good idea. However, I question his motives…and additionally, there are so many glaring factual omissions within his commentary that it comprimises his entire argument.
Your an idiot.
“10% of the student body vote in a presidential election. While this is an admirable statistic, it is also problematic. I would surmise that 90% of those students”
90% of the 10%.
I think he makes plenty of valid points…
WOW there’s a whole hell of a lot wrong with this letter.
Pizza, food, and handouts are NOT in exchange for votes – that is called bribery. They are for all students, and their purpose is to draw attention to the voting station, NOT to use as a reward. If a candidate is seen only handing out pizza as a “gift” to students who voted for them, that is absolutely a violation of statutes and should be reported. Additionally, any student can vote for any candidate on any laptop out there, even if it’s at a biased station.
You “surmising” that 90% of students only voted because they got a slice of pizza doesn’t make sense given the election results. First of all, there wasn’t that much pizza and free food to account for all of those votes. Second, wouldn’t that mean that the person who had the most stuff would have won? Were you, like, asleep last week? The Kilbride-Lochrane campaign was outnumbered and outspent at least 2-1 by their competition – and that is an extremely conservative estimate. Seeff-Wolkenfeld had more food, more volunteers, more handbills, more shirts, more voting stations, more publicity, more everything. And yet…remind me again who won?
Additionally, remember LAST year’s election? Similar situation – those flashy candidates with a ton of free food, overzealous campaigners, expensive signs and empty promises? Yeah, they lost too.
In my experience as a campaigner I completely disagree that students only ask about pizza – I’ve campaigned for three years now and many, many times I’ve been asked to describe my candidate’s platform, or answer questions about the election or SGA in general. Though it’s true that the vast majority will just keep walking, when students ask questions of the campaigners, they do ask for relevant information.
Another thing: the neutral voting stations set up for votes also used the wi-fi. Was that unethical, too?
And PS: GWU is a private school with less than half of our students…so how is that comparison valid or relevant?
Schumacher, your letter was EXCELLENTLY written. I see you becoming a very successful lawyer in the future. Congrats on your intelligence.
What excellent writing, a bit lofty and verbose but overall phenomenal. Hats off to Schumacher.
Sga is one big wasteful scam.
What a shame!!!
Keep spending our money!
Question, the people i voted for, Daniel & Kevin (i know cause i got a shirt for voting – thanks!) were using wireless internet cards and car batteries to keep their station going behing VAB LOL. When I asked them about it they said they had a bunch of stations like that set up all around campus. So does this include them? The Kyle kid should call them lol.
Bullshit. You could have scheduled it at 7pm at night when he was off work — just like you do senate meetings. We all know the administration is controlling this….
The Hearing must to be with in 2 school days of the violation, this rule changed like a month ago, so that’s probably why there was confusion over the date. It was not just planned “because he has to be at his internship”
George,
It seems to us like the problem with the records is with UCF’s General Counsel’s office and administration. We are working on an update about why we may sue UCF for records. Our update will include a similar fight another student newspaper had with their administration. The university in that case backed down, and they had to pay the newspaper’s legal fees.
Look for that update tonight or tomorrow.
Stein,
You also might want to follow up with this
KnightNews.com made a public records request for a copy of the violation submitted by Schumacher on Friday morning by sending an e-mail to Popluder and UCF’s General Counsel, but the e-mail was not returned until we asked a second time on Saturday.
“Sorry but I do not have a copy of the violation electronically,” Popluder wrote.
It doesn’t matter if she has it electronically or not, she still has to provide it to you.
Gotta enjoy Schu’s Shenanigans… I’m pretty sure he was firm supporter of the Kilbride campaign. Having lived with him, to answer the questions involving his experience, its more than yours.
Kid is a genius and UCF is lucky to have a student that truly stands up for what he believes… He has already improved the quality of this campus and will leave it a better place before he graduates.
I think Kyle should skip all this SGA bullshit and file an emergency injunction in the real court (like Beta did) and have this election thrown out… have him named president… have a re-vote… basically any of the options you just listed.
We have rules written for a reason. Shcumacher is just clearly highliting the irony of our student GOVERNMENT association not even following our OWN rules. About “rocking the boat”, some of the greatest people in history were seen as just “rocking the boat”.
For everyone whining, go amend the rules and there would be no need to rock the boat, morons. Schumacher is the only thing making SGA the slightest bit interesting.
“You’re making a mockery of UCF SGA”
politics alone is a fucking mockey.
While I’d love to see a hostile takeover of SGA by two people worse than Daniel and Kevin, the violation will never get through the Judicial branch of SGA.
And, even if there was some “Miracle of God” and there was a major violation against both tickets, it would probably result in a “special election”, where all the current candidates (including the write-ins) would go for another election OR it would possibly result in a “new election,” where the write-in candidates would probably be the only candidates because the other candidates would have to be “disqualified” from the race. It all depends on what ends up being the ruling.
But its doubtful that anything will come from this.
All of you are making an absolute mockery of SGA. What once was a superb organization has been losing its credibility because of narcissistic people like Kyle Schumacher and this JB Corey guy. If these two people were to become STUDENT BODY President and VP the school would crumble. These kids are a joke, they are fraternity brothers who think they are owed something without working for it. I think they should both find a large cliff and hold hands and jump off while kissing each other. I seriously think they schemed this whole plan up before the elections started together in their bedroom. And whoever wrote that these two would have won if they ran are just as delusional as these two are. Way to go making greek life look better everyday Schumacher. Someone should impeach this guy from every leaderhship position that he has before this gets any worse. Also, you can see Schumacher starring in the movie “American Psycho”.
To make this sound even fishier… Check Kyle Schumacher’s FB profile.
He supported Kilbride and Lochrane!!! This is starting to look like a soap opera.
I agree. This is complete bs.
So basically UCF will release our names when they want to, but not on information they don’t want you to see?
Don’t these assholes sell our names to companies too? I guess it’s ok when they can make money, but not when we want to see how the money is being spent.
“KnightNews.com asked how UCF is allowed to publish names and e-mail addresses of RSO leaders on this OSI Web site without those students signing a FERPA waiver, but Christa Coffey, an OSI advisor, has not responded to that question sent by e-mail at about 3:45 p.m. Friday afternoon.
In an earlier e-mail, however, Coffey said that the names of students published on the OSI Web site are “not necessarily” the same names on the budget request form.”
This shouldn’t be. Good luck trying to get some information from that lady…
Does anyone know the experience these guys have?
This election did not have a favored ticket.. just more of a “i hate these guys less then i hate the other ones”…
lolzcat!!!!!!!!!!!
Isn’t this the same Kyle Schmacher who used some stuff that “belongs” to UCF to get elected at Homecoming King? Should he be taken off his throne? Seriously, find other things to do than rock this boat.
interesting about FERPA… but then again, everything is sloppily done around a school, papers are waived, people know people, its all a shit hole and everyone is trying to make a f*ckin dollar; what people will try for money these days..
SCHU would have won if he ran! he’s got a good head on his shoulders and could do some real good for ucf! no more wasted money on palm trees
If Kyle and J.B. ran they would have won anyway so this would be the best thing for the school. It wont happen but it would be great if it did.
I hope this actually pulls thro.. these two should of ran in the first place.
Oprah’s Alien Baby!
Brad Pitt’s secret gay lover!
Lose 40 pounds in 40 hours!
SGA election in doubt!
I’ve said it before… This is exactly why nobody takes you guys seriously! This is getting pathetic.
Stein… you won’t let go will you…
For using power cords…. really… sounds like he’s gonna be a lawyer in the future. Even a “great” politician.
YOU ARE A FUCKING BROHATER, Do you understand if you didn’t campaign on campus there would be about 6 votes all together…its SGA let it go brohaters
But those using the wifi to vote are students who pay the fee to use. So does it
still count then?
Good, hold them responsible for their actions.
and that is the same wireless network that Schu used to get himself elected as a senator… what a joke…