Students and SGA Senators had plenty to say about the proposed Board of Trustees amendment which would change the role of SGA from a democratically-elected governing authority to what students fear could become a puppet for the Board of Trustees.

Meanwhile, SGA President and Board Trustee Chris Clemente refused to participate in an on-camera interview the day before the amendment was to be voted on, insisting that our reporter discuss his personal opinion on the proposal instead.

Among the matters Knight News had intended to discuss with Clemente was an email obtained via public records request. The correspondence was between Kerry Welch, Associate Vice President of Student Development and Enrollment Services and Youndy Cook, Deputy General Counsel. In the email, Welch tells Cook the amendment “looks good, my only concern is being sure Chris is on board prior to the vote. Will we work on that?”

This email seems to indicate that there may have been an effort within UCF’s administration to sway Clemente’s opinion in their favor.

Click HERE to see the full amendment on pgs. 170-176

The proposed amendment includes language that would change the Senate’s role in dictating how the $18.6 million Activity and Service Fee budget will be spent, making the Board of Trustees the ultimate deciding authority with the budget instead of the Senate.

Clemente publicly commented on “the elephant in the room” for the first time during last week’s Senate meeting, although he claimed he did not know how he would vote.

“As always, I will have the best interest in mind for this university and its student body,” Clemente stated before encouraging Senators who had questions or concerns about the amendment to reach out to him.

Jimmy Briggs, a former Senator, took an opportunity to speak to the Senate during an open forum at the meeting. Briggs primarily focused on the potential impact the amendment would have on the Senate’s duty to delegate the Activity and Service Fee budget.

At best, Briggs stated, senators could “become nothing more than a filter to do pencil-pushing busywork with the Activity and Service Fee Office.”

“The worst case scenario–albeit unlikely– is that the ASF funds are diverted to separate initiatives entirely, and students no longer receive the funding which they require,” Briggs said.
In an interview after his remarks, Briggs stated the amendment “has the potential to really reduce the amount of autonomy the Student Government Association has and the decision-making power it currently holds.”
Current Senator Jacob Milich stated the amendment would make the Senate’s job “meaningless” and would “take away that power from the Senate and put it in UCF’s hands.” Milich indicated several students within SGA are against the amendment and they plan to make their voices heard at the meeting in which the amendment is voted on.
Milich went on to say  “there needs to be recourse” if Clemente voted for the amendment, calling it a “vote against SGA and against the students.”

UCF student and former SGA Election Supervisor Nicklas Bajema directed some of his remarks toward high-ranking student officials.

“As a leader, you are tasked with balancing the roles of a Trustee and a delegate,” Bajema stated. “You act not only as a proxy to the voices of the students and their constituency, but in times are forced to act in the best interest.”
Bajema went on to allude to the Senate’s ability to recall elected officials, including potentially the President.
“Be willing to scrap the very foundations of this institution if they are found decrepit and dilapidated.” Bajema went on to say, “In UCF Statutes, there is an ability to recall an elected official, but how can we do so if data has been withheld, or in the future, will be withheld?”
The second part of Bajema’s question refers to several lawsuits Knight News has filed against the University, alleging public records were withheld and government meetings were held behind closed doors–a possible violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law.
The University’s defense against the lawsuits have included the notion that SGA is not a real government as described in Florida Statute 1004.26, but a “simulated learning laboratory.” This amendment could serve to solidify the Board’s defense in UCF statutes.
The amendment will be voted on Thursday, July 28 at the Live Oak Event Center near 63 South. Public comment begins around 1 p.m.

 

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