Reitz Rambler

Voting starts with a glitch

2005-09-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

As the red and blue swamp the campus today, clogging the main campus arteries with outstretched arms of platforms, stickers and promises galore, voting begins in the most contested Fall election I have seen in my four years here. Paper ballots and felt-tipped markers have been replaced with gatorlink logins and checkboxes clicked by mouse. Write-in ballots need not be requested because the option is on every voter ballots leading me to believe that we may very well see an increase in the number write-ins.

Despite this increased attention and competition, there still were some glitches. By 8:25AM 12 students had shown up, 2 had left and 10 remained waiting to vote at the 3rd floor Reitz Union polling location. Chris Cupoli could be seen scrambling to get the computers to work, hoping that a wave of his blackberry would fix all problems. However, the problem was contained to the Reitz Union and the Law School, with all other locations seemingly working as planned.

Initial reactions:

Pros: Saves money over paper ballots, ballots can't run out, voters can vote at any polling location eliminating confusion, write-ins are easier and you are sure of who you voted for and that your vote was processed.
Cons: Can't access the website from home and others can see who I am voting for over my shoulder.

Summary: Research the positions and experience of the candidates running for your district and make an informed decision. Take the new voting system for a spin and discuss its merits in the comments section of this post.

Wednesday Update

2005-09-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

University of Florida specialty plate stays at #3 in 2004 rankings, Florida State University falls to number 6.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, approve the sale of wine and hard liquor by a mail ballot, however, you still can't buy liquor in Gainesville on Sunday. Sounds like it is time for a mail out ballot.
Gator football ranked #10 in both AP and USA Today polls.

Rush KYX

2005-08-29T00:35:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, IFC Rush is this week. More information on that process can be found at www.greekgator.com . For those of you not looking for the traditional fraternity experience, check out KYX, a relatively new but growing Christian fraternity on campus. Information from their press release follows:

Kappa Upsilon Chi, a national fraternity for Christian men is announcing the dates and times for fall recruitment 2005. Recruitment week will begin on Tuesday September 6, 2005 and run through Monday September 12, 2005.
The process begins on Tuesday evening with an informal rush night at the Christian Study Center (formerly known as The Ox) located behind the Baptist Collegiate Ministries off of University Ave. from 8:00PM until 10:00PM. If you are unable to attend another informal rush night will be held on Wednesday September 7, 2005 at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries from 7:00PM-9:00PM. It is required to attend one of these events to continue with the recruitment process.
After informal recruitment is closed, invitations will be extended for those who rush to attend Formal Recruitment on Friday evening. From there, an interview will be scheduled for Sunday and bids will be extended on Sunday evening.
Kappa Upsilon Chi is seeking Christian men who are looking to grow in their relationship with their Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Kappa Upsilon Chi was founded in 1993 on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas to combine the best of Christianity with collegiate tradition. Since, the fraternity has grown to ten campuses, including the University of Florida and Florida State University.
The Theta chapter, located on the campus of the University of Florida was established in 2004 by six men with a vision for a Christian fraternity on campus.
“It seems as if the movie ‘Animal House’ has forever left its mark on college campuses nationwide by creating the mental image that perhaps everyone thinks of when they hear the work “fraternity”: drinking, girls, and wild antics,” Gary Bernau, chapter president, said. “This fraternity, however, is out to change that. After our first rush we have already started raising eyebrows and turning heads. We are different.”

Welcome back.

2005-08-24T14:11:00.000-05:00

Today at Subway: I'll have a coke. Is Pepsi ok? That's right .... it is a new year complete with a whole new freshman class and a new soft drink provider. The Gainesville Sun campus edition silently premiered in fancy new boxes while the Alligator was on the offensive handing out papers containing a scathing page 23 comparison. The Sun's coverage of campus was dismal at best (section A breakdown: only 6 non-wire stories out of 16) and it is my hope future editions will have more campus content written by students. The Alligator was huge, containing many stories from the summer -- I only wish the paper was that large every day! Finally today was a day of seeing a million people you havent seen in a few months and remembering just how many people go to UF. It was hot, it was busy - but it was Gainesville. Welcome back.

The Way I See It # 22

2005-08-05T22:54:00.000-05:00

From a Starbucks cup ...

Everywhere, unthinking mobs of "independent thinkers" wield tired cliches like cudgels, pummeling those who dare question "enlightened" dogma. If "violence never solved anything," cops wouldn't have guns and slaves may never have been freed. If it's better that 10 guilty men go free to spare one innocent, why not free 100 or 1,000,000? Cliches begin arguments, they don't settle them. -- Jonah Goldberg (Editor-at-large of National Review Online)

Wait a minute ... A STARBUCKS CUP SAID THAT? It's hard for me to tell if they are just trying to get their customers so riled up that they will come back to buy more shade-grown, fair-trade organic coffee or if they are actually serious. Anyway, exams are over and moving season begins. In a few short weeks a new group of UF students will decend on Gainesville, each of them shaping campus into the college experience they expect ... but until then it is time to relax. Have fun and see you all in the fall.

Florida, 3 states in 1.

2005-08-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

Here are two courses I've had my eye out for ever since I started my career at UF several years ago:

Florida to 1845 (AMH 3421) - Exploration and settlement, colonial history of Spanish and British Florida, U.S. territorial days to statehood.

Florida Since 1845 (AMH 3423) - Statehood and secession, Civil War, Reconstruction, reform and reaction, Progressive Era, boom and bust, diversification and growth of Florida since World War II.

You would think that both would be offered on a frequent basis since this is, well, the University of Florida. However, much to my dismay, this Fall is the first time I have seen either of them offered (Florida to 1845 will be taught on Tuesdays and Thurdays this fall). Unfortunately I don't have room in my schedule for it plus, before you get your hopes up, the class if full. It would be a good one to monitor during drop/add though.

Florida as far as I am concerned is really three seperate states: South Alabama (SA), South Georgia (SG) and Southern New York / Northern Cuba (SNYNC). SA & SG are enough alike to be a cohesive state, however SNYNC is nothing like the rest of the state. SNYNC has the majority of the states population (with the exclusion of Jacksonville in SG) and SA/SG have the majority of the states ... trees. SNYNC has capital, SA/SG has the capitol. The list goes on and on. But what is the point of all this discussion? The state has a very diverse population, with much of it being very new to the state. It is extremely important that the state's K-12 and Higher Education systems be educating their students in local history so that they have a sense of understanding and a belonging to the state instead of just a particular region. So that means incorporating Florida curriculum at each level, and in our world, I propose required Florida History classes as part of the General Education Requirements at UF. Those are my thoughts, now feel free to comment away with yours.

Hopefully Florida Since 1845 will be taught in the Spring.

It's like...thefacebook.

2005-07-30T13:17:00.000-05:00

So CNN finally carried the story, even if its about a year late. Check out this video about thefacebook.com. You can see Mark Zuckerberg, the like ... creater of thefacebook. Although what he made is cool, he seems to have a problem avoiding the use of "like" when he speaks. He may go to Harvard, but he doesn't speak like it. RR forgives him though due to his significant contribution to society.

Kappa Alpha Order at UF Suspended.

2005-07-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

The National Headquarters of Kappa Alpha Order suspended the charter of the UF chapter last night at 6 pm. Representatives from the local alumni and volunteers from the Headquarters met with the House Director, Chapter President, and members of the chapter who were in town to inform them. This decision came after the Headquarters investigated allegations of hazing that occurred in the spring semester. The suspension is for two years with the ability to return to campus in fall 2007.

The University will still need to conduct a hearing by the Greek Judicial Board into the allegations of hazing. The alumni will represent the organization since there are no undergraduate members of the organization at this point.

Thus, effective immediately, there is no longer an active chapter of Kappa Alpha Order at the University of Florida.

The above message was sent anonymously by a reader of this blog. For commentary on this issue, please see 1710's and GDI's coverage. To submit an anonymous tip, please e-mail reitzrambler@gmail.com.

Gatorlink!

2005-07-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

For those of you who like to stand up in senate and announce to the world that you like to share your password with anyone who wants it you might want to consider the following:

Your GatorLink account is for your use only. You must not let anyone else use your account. You are responsible for all activities that originate from your computer account.
You are responsible for the security of your password. You should choose passwords that cannot be easily guessed. Passwords should not be written down, stored in a file, or shared with others.
You are responsible for understanding, following, and keeping up to date with Gatorlink service policies.
You have a right to use GatorLink services without being harassed by other users. Report all incidents to abuse@ufl.edu.
The minimum action for violation of these policies may be an oral or written warning from a GatorLink Management staff member. Additional actions can include reporting the activity to the user's instructor or department, or to the Office of Student Affairs, or the appropriate law-enforcement agency.
Any infraction could result in the loss of access to computer services and facilities.

When you registered your gatorlink account you agreed to all of this and more (Read the Policies for use of Gatorlink). Last night some senators used the fact that they knew their brother's gatorlink info or that half the room knew their gatorlink info to con unrestricted, or universal online voting. So not only are you stupid, but you are also violating University Policies. Glad to know we have senators who are educated on the issues they are voting on.

Liveblogging from Senate

2005-07-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight's Senate meeting tackles the online voting issue, so why not implement some live-blogging tonight. So here goes:

Public Debate

7:10 PM: Sharpless says low turnout to the senate meeting means that students don't care. I think that means it's summer.

7:12 PM: Bovell says she is in support of secure at this point in time and encourages senators to vote for what their constituents would want. Sounds good to me.

7:13 PM: Henriques thanks averyone ahead of time for taking the time to consider this bill and hopes that senators will consider each of her amendments seperately and in the best interests of the students. She doesn't think the committees recommendation best represents what the student body wants. She urged senators to represent their constituents.7:16

7:16 PM: Atkins supports onsite online voting. He is on a vacation from senate for preview. He urges senators to remember their platforms from Spring and think about what their constitutents would want if they were in here, and of course, go gators!

7:17 PM: Hernandez said last night his dog bear ate his sandals. It hurts because he is a surfer. The legislation offered tonight deserves your attention and respect and to consider what is best for the students both from the students have voiced concerns and the facts in the case as well.

7:20 PM: Semmel thought tonight was a senate meeting not Lutin's Bar Mitzva. He congratulates the committee. He says in his time he has similiar committees in the past but this is the first time a bill on this matter has reached the floor. He supports it, that is why he is a sponsor. He talked about absentee ballot and how that is similar to unsecure voting because it doesn't allow you to have a secret ballot. He has never seen research that shows that the increased turnout from unsecure online voting outweighs the security concerns.

7:23 PM: Patrone sat through 7 hours of meetings on sunday and enjoyed the debate. He is a sponsor. He thinks it means a lot that all 3 party leaders are sponsors of the bill (Impact, Gator and Access). He thinks we need to approach apathy not just the method of voting. Good point.

7:25 PM: Nelson said that when you make your own decision that is democracy. He is a good speaker, he should run for Student Body President. He was on the committee. He thinks secure site is a leap in the right direction. He provided us with some theatrics about market street, gatorlink passwords and underage drinking. He is concerned that fraud could have cost John Boyles his seat because it was won by 4 votes.

7:29 PM: Redden is a concerned freshman. Tonight we have an opportunity to make history. He thinks that we need to have secure site elections to preserve the integrity of the vote. He didn't write this, he has been at UF 4 weeks and has never experienced an election. He spoke some about increasing the access to vote in American History.

7:36 PM: Wilicki urges senators to vote for the bill to get our foot in the door on this issue. We should go in the right direction and compare unsecured to secured next year. Right now we need to pass this to make the committees time worthwile.

7:37 PM: Moritz urged senators to pass something tonight. He hasn't done any public speaking in a while.

7:40 PM: Cullin pulled out her voting id card (it has a huge R on it) and said that is all that she needs to vote for president. Passwords control her money and her schedule. She can be sent to war by a president she voted for just with a slip of paper (voter registration), why should uf sg elections be harder to vote for than the US president. She says at the end of the day we need to get more people to the polls and unsecure voting does just that. She says village communities was decided by 2 votes ... out of 4. She made a good argument for unsecure site voting.

7:45 PM: Armstead said he likes unsecure.

Presidents Report

Goldberg said his report was going to be short. He went to a retreat for the Board of Trustees and an FSA meeting. Last week applications for the student representative on the CPA board ... this is good it was a part of the original riders of the paying for the student tickets. Joe is going to be looking into the whole 2.6% credit card usage fee on ISIS and will be meeting with the administration later this week.

Gainesville Sun committee chair Belle talked about how they are going to be advertising the Gainesvilel Sun Readership program. Traditional advertising methods plus a possible commerical at growl.

Goldberg is taking no position on the bill but will when it reaches his desk. He thanks the committee for their work on this issue. He also said he had an opportunity to meet Marlett and that he wanted to get it on the record that he is a nice guy.

Vice-Presidents Report

Senators should come 15 minutes early to next week's meeting for website pictures. Acceleration will be doing the new website. FSA was successful. She encourages a healthy debate. A meeting about the website will be held soon.

Treasurers Report

She will have more information next week.

Senate Presidents Report

She is in support of online voting that is why she established the committee. She is leaving unsecure vs. secure up to you. She encourages senators to vote for the students who are not in the room but we would like to participate. This meeting will not be our latest meeting tonight, we have been here until 2PM before. She reminds us that tonight is not the final vote and that there is a second reading next week. If it is changed in the sencond reading there will have to be a third reading and therefore it will not be ready for the Fall elections

Chan from the Parking and Transportation Committee talked about bus shelters.

Pro-Temp Report

John just smiled and said a lot of word about replacement seats but really said wouldn't I make a great senate president in a few months?" There are some open seats the applications are due by 5PM Friday, interviews will be on Sunday. He thanks everybody.

Budget Chair's Report

Be nice tonight and don't curse! She told a story about a 5 minute scooter ride from home to school. A bug flew into her shirt and was flying around on her ride over but she couldn't take off her shirt so she just untucked it and luckily it flew out. Then she talked about FCA's request for money for meeting space due the lack of space to meet because of the University Corners construction. They requested to meet in touchdown terrrace for 29 weeks. It was a lot of money so it was tabled and they were asked to come back with some more options. She talked about the A&S Fee hearings and that it is very difficult because of the minimum wage increase and its effect on the Reitz Union and Rec Sports and also rising utility costs. Next meeting will be this Saturday at 9PM, Room 284. Thanks to those who weren't on the committee that actually coming to the meeting. Thanks to the committe for rocking. She is very proud of the committee for holding in there with no experience. There will be a normal budget meeting this Sunday at 6PM. FCA will probably be back now. She supports the online voting in case she runs for Treasurer next year. Basketball tournament this weekend, budget's color is pink. They won last year.

Allocation Chair's Report

He was wearing a tuxedo. He choose to wear it because it doesn't require a belt and he is always made fun of for not wearing a belt. Allocations did not meet because there were no requests. The Alcohol committee was discussed but I wasn't listening. He talked about boss tweed in Chicago messing with voters and he supports secure site because he doesn't want Tweed to come to UF.

Judiciary Committee

They tabled a bill about the VISA/Fee Increase so that it could be rewritten to address policy. 700 codes changes passed and is on the floor. Online voting passed and is on the floor. He thanks everyone for their hard work. Keep discussion respectable. Don't call out specific people and instead attack arguments. Thursday 5pm bills are due meeting at sunday at 5. He asked us to throw out Ms. Cullin's good points because he didn't like them.

Rules & Ethics

Excused absences were voted on. They passed as a block. Sunsplash 2005 report will be next week. Jamie challenged Jackie to come up with a wager. Jamie encouraged senators to say whatever they wanted to say tonight -- especially what is in their heart.

I & C

V........a reported that the basketball will be on Saturday at 3 on court 4 of southwest rec. Send her your wagers!

2nd Readings

They were very fast. No questions and call that previous question. Hurry, hurry Swamp is closing soon.

700 Codes First Readings

Our new supervisor of election presented the changes. He suggested post-qualifying that allows a party to replace holes in their slate with independents if a member of their slate steps down. He also moved the deadline for a party to register to before slating. Also a claification about excuses for meeting the mandatory candidates meeting. No discussion, passed.

Online Voting First Reading

Hernandez: 3 months of dilligent hard work by the voting members committees. Blah blah blah our committee picked secure site because it is great and has no negatives. Can he survive this political hand grenade he was thrown? This is his first test as a candidate for Student Body President.

Kerr: Although we realize unsecure voting would increase turnout we can't suffer integrity.

Adelle: Same thing. We will increase turnout because you can vote at any polling location.

Sundeep (Moonshallow): He knows his brothers gatorlink info who doesn't vote. I bet he voted in the Spring election though! Someone sitting near me informed me he never attended a committee meeting. He is for this bill.

Nelson didn't want to take up any more time since he spoke before.

Oloshula: We didn't go into this willy nilly. We approached this unbiased and explored every option. Even if secure isn't where you want to go it is a step in the right direction.

Hernandez: Kevin Bacon can't be here because of an exam but he is for it and represents all of Impact (right). Hernandez used a progress pun. Hernandez wants us to vote for secure site in memory of his sandals he lost to bear.

Question Time

Someone asked how secure site would actually operate at the polling place. He used hand gestures alot in explaining. Someone asked why someone couldn't access the ballot from a non secure site and vote. He said Accellerated data works will take care of everything, wink.

Prokes, add me as a sponsor I want to run again.

Patrone: If this bill is passed does that mean we have to use secure site? Hernandez: Nah dawg, the supervisor could still run a paper ballot if they wanted too.

Semmel offered a friendly amendment on the bill to correct some numbering. Some say this is a plan to limit the number of amendments that can be added later. The Judiciary chair objected so it must be presented formally.

Belle: Was the scenario presented by Rawal a crime? Hernandez: I'm not a supreme court justice and I'm not going to answer your question. Shouldn't you be running for something or at least making a movie about it or something?

Now Boyles is writing out the steps of voting in a secure site on the whiteboard. Boyles handwritting is ok, but he is going to need to work on it if he wants to be SBP. Diane getting John to scribe as Hernandez dictates is just too hilarious. Diane is making John look under Jared, and Jared under Diane. Tricky, tricky, tricky. Vote Diane for SBP in Spring 06. Right.

Is the system to be used for secure site be usable for unsecure. Hernandez: Sure, we just chuck a few bucks at acellerated, wink again, and they will make it work for us.

How many polling locations will be used? Hernandez: Shrugs, hell if I know - it is up to the Supervisor. I won't answer about the advantages of secure over paper because it is debateable. Sundeep: Debateable? Whatever! I could vote anywhere compared to my one current polling location!

When would this go in to place? Fall if you pass it now.

Amendment 1

Susan: Lets make unsecure online voting an actual option.

Questions

Belle does this mean that we have to use unsecure? Susan: Nope just makes it an option for the Supervisor of election.

Pro-Con

Some dude: I can vote on my cell phone. Get 50 feet away from me if your a candidate or a campaigner.

Belle, PRO: WTF are these people saying that ISIS isn't secure. Let students take voting into their own responsiblity. He also brought up IP restrictions.

Stone, CON: My hair and glasses are cool. The integrity is lost when you vote at home. Right, because my room isn't secure ... it only has 3 locks on it.

Lutin, CON: Half the people in the room know my password. Are you stupid?

Belle, PRO: The way people are voting is changing. Last alachua county election 1/3 of people voted absentee or by early voting.

Susan, 1-minute sumation: Did you guys check your e-mails before the meeting? 60 senators sent out emails over the past 2 days in support of this amendment. The online blog has had good conversation on this. Wi-fi on campus will not be allowed for online voting so you must use a landline on campus. Because of IP limiting you couldn't line people up at one computer at a frat house or organizational meeting.

THE VOTE: A motion for a hand vote was made, Diane didn't accept it. A voice vote denied the amendment.

Amendment 2

Susan wants to amendment the 700 codes to have ufsg rules supercede florida laws.

Patrone, CON. Hernandez, CON. I am a lawyer and a future candidate I need to get in as much face time as possible.

Susan, PRO. You can't take our A&S fee away from us (someone suggested that the administration could). Smack, read your Florida Statutes.

Vote: Voice-vote, no.

Amendment 3

Susan: Supervisor of election must get senate's approval about the type of voting they wanted to employ.

Diane asks John a question. John is the man. Apparently no one around here knows what is going on. Friendlies are flying all over the place, people are leaving the room, the Judiciary chair says one thing Boyles says nope your wrong I'm right.

This meeting is a waste of time. Everyone walked in at the same time suggesting a caucus meeting prior. The arguments are just stupid, the supervisor of election should report to the SBP not the Senate? Because why?

Sundeep: Joe doesn't appoint the supervisor, the executive committee does so we already have checks and balances.

Bacon: How are you supposed to get an election together in a month? How about staying the summer? Or utilizing Sandy and the rest of the SG staff that do alot of the work.

Some replacement senators are PROing it.

Final summation, Susan: This is simply an additional advise-and-consent check for SG.

The VOTE: Susan moves for a roll call vote. R&E member comes to take the roll call vote... defeated 19-41.

Amendment 4

Semmel puts in an amendment saying the alligator is crap. Not really, but his amendment really didn't change anything.

Back to that Secure Site Thing

Chamoff offers a friendly. Whatever.

CON: A gator graduate senator says: THIS BILL IS CRAP. It's not really online voting, its electronic voting. Why not just allow you to vote any ballot at any polling location. My party told me to walk voters to the polling location. She isn't voting for the bill because it isn't what her constituents want. GO HER FOR SPEAKING HER MIND.

PRO: Belle I think we need to create a way where students can vote for me in local elections on cell phones everywhere. Ok, so maybe not but he was rambling about something equally without content.

PRO: Stone thank you committee.

PRO: Pace this bill is great and contains no curse words. It allows you to vote at any polling location. Minor fact: this bill doesn't stipulate that the number of polling location to increase.

PRO: Susan: you didn't accept my amendments but I will still vote for this because it is a step in the right direction.

CON: Same graduate senator says she isn't voting for it because it isn't a big enough step.

PRO: Kerr electronic polling location is like a touch screen voting machine. Hernandez: It would be expensive. Oloshula: We axed your constitutents what they wanted at a fourm. Semmel: I am great and so is this bill.

Call previous question ... ayes have it.

THE VOTE: 1 nay, the rest ayes. They ayes have it. That's it for now, more commentary later.

Vote Naked!

2005-07-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so maybe I'm not creative enough to come up with that tagline but I did read it in a facebook ad being run today. It refers to a webpage where students can let their senators know that they want the real-deal internet voting, not the vote in a computer lab on campus and we will pretend that is what you meant when you said we want it online. Today's Alligator might as well be dubbed the special online voting edition if it didn't include the new and improved, updated wireless in the dorms story. But back to the voting. A David Cohen exclusive takes a break from exploring SG behind the scenes to bring you a look at the issue faced by senators tonight. The opinions page agrees with my desire to see online voting, well, you know, actually ... ONLINE. Senate President Diane Kassim speaks out, calling for online voting in a move to trump Jared Hernandez's effort and capture the issue for herself. You can be sure you will be hearing about it come spring when she is running against him for Student Body President. Finally, letters from Adam Roberts and Rosemarie Clouston complete the page, reminding senators that more than 1,000 students actually signed a petition to get online voting on the ballot. If all that coverage wasn't enough for you, feel free to check out the results of the Alligator's online poll seeking to answer the question: When you heard about “online voting,” did you think that meant Internet-based ballots? If you still confused about all of this Student Government election stuff, read up on the definitions of the different types of voting at the SG Voting Options Forum. If you have strong feelings, stop by the senate meeting tonight at 7PM in room 282 of the Reitz Union. Anyone can sign up for a minute of public debate at the beginning of the meeting to let your senators know your opinion before they vote on the bill. My personal opinion? Secure site is better than paper ballots (saves money, makes finding your polling place less confusing). "Unsecure" or universal online voting is better than secure site (saves even more moeny, allows you to vote naked from your dorm room if you want -- preferably when your roomate isn't there, unless you are cool with all that nudity). Student Government is modeled after the American system of a representative democracy ... this effort is to increase participation in elections by making it easier. More participants = a better job of representation. Cheaper is always good. If you trust your class schedule, financial aid and football tickets to an online system, I think you can trust your vote for SG president too. And about all that halo stuff ... I'm pretty sure there are not campaigners attacking me with flyers and stickers all the way up to my apartment, let alone my room. So to make a long story short, lets change the language of the bill being presented tonight to accomodate real ONLINE VOTING. It's time to walk the talk.

1:00 PM Update.

NAGAS has joined the blogworld and provided us with quite a lengthy discussion of the online voting issue, including a suggestion for a $500 election. The alleygator discusses Sen. Henriques' amendment. The Alligator poll currently suggests that 83% of students thought online voting meant internet ballots.

Friday Already!

2005-07-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

Wow how time flies, is it really Friday already? For all of you who want to get your paws on a print copy of the Alligator, you can get one today after some difficulties with the Gainesville Sun's printing operation on Thursday.

GoaL presents the Wildlife Issues (WIS2040) version of the online-voting debate. The Gainesville sun also chimes in on the subject, stating that the duck population has remained stable.

Also, Bob Graham visited UF yesterday to talk about his proposed Graham Center (in the Political Science Department) Three areas will be focused on at the start: Public Leadership, The Americas and Intelligence. It will start most likely with a focus on undergraduates and will build up to a graduate level program. This year Graham will be at the Kennedy School of Government picking up as many ideas as he can and then expect Graham (former governor, senator) to be teaching in a classroom near you. The Gainesville Sun has an article with more details, although they seem to think that no students or members of the community attended when in actuality the two groups probably compromised half of the crowd.

Online Voting Blog

2005-07-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

The Online Voting Committee Blog. Get more information about the different proposals and the latest news. Now this is what I call an improvement in accessibility of information! Hats off to SG.

Housing Lies.

2005-07-21T12:36:00.000-05:00

In today's alligator, Sharon Blansett of UF's Division of Housing was quoted as saying wireless internet was coming to the common areas of the graduate villages, Hume, Graham, Broward and the Tolbert-Riker park and Murphree courtyards because, "We want students to have Internet capabilities outside of just their rooms." She also said that she "was unsure of the new technology's total cost, she said all expenses incurred likely will be covered through the housing department's own funds." FALSE! In fact, every single one of those areas, except for the graduate village commons, were payed for by Student Senate Bill 2004-1119. The bill provided for wireless at Lake Wauburg, outside the New Engineering building and:

Broward Commons ($2,750)
Murphree Courtyard ($2,250)
Graham Gallery ($2,750)
Tolbert / Riker Park ($2,250)
Hume Commons ($2,750)

This was also previously reporting in an alligator story by Bridget Carey in December of 2004. Shame on you Sharon Blansett for trying to claim something initiated and paid for by student government as something Housing came up with and was willing to pay for. They were allocated money in December of 2004 to complete this project and they are just now getting around to it. The good thing about waiting all that time? Hoping that you can claim it as your own and no one will notice.

Wednesday Update.

2005-07-20T12:03:00.000-05:00

John G. Roberts was nominated for the Supreme Court last night by George W. Bush. [CNN]

Apparently you need a middle initial in your name to be someone important. Look for trendy members of the prestigious new campus leadership organization, Florida Orange Lock (Flock), to be sporting these pins in the fall. Rumor has it, they created the new organization to promote the initial pins after it became widely known that the golden gator pins are available commercially at extremely reasonable prices. To counter the future possibility of the dishonorable simply buying pins and sporting them, Flock will provide a list of members who have been awarded pins and are authorized to wear them on their website, www.uflock.com, along with downloadable documentation detailing the reason that members particular pin was awarded (with references, of course, to check the validity of their stories). This should solve the problem of there appearing to be too many important people on campus. Applicants with middle initials i or j must legally change their middle names because the pins are all lowercase and the little dot at the top of those letters is difficult to make. Applicants with less than 400 facebook friends need not apply.

Greek on a Leash [GoaL] proposes an Anti-Gerrymandering Act for any senator who wants it to sponsor it. Come on, who doesn't want to put their name on something -- just make sure you do some research first so you can present it and field questions.

The alcohol issue is still getting play ... Bar owners say they don't see harm in their drink specials [Gainesville Sun] The bar owners make good points ... how can you complain about single drinks when liquor stores are selling handles of high proof spirits (for the cost of a few drink specials at the bars)?

For fun: Check out this new concept for windows, folding windows ... watch the video to see them in action or read more about them. [Gizmodo]

Nominee Tonight.

2005-07-19T12:30:00.000-05:00

President Bush to announce Supreme Court nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor at 9PM EST tonight. Today's press briefing has been cancelled. This should be the beginning of an interesting roller coaster ride.

Hide it in your agenda.

2005-07-19T11:46:00.000-05:00

Click to enlarge.

Welcome to what?

2005-07-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

On a recent trip I was disappointed to discover that the ensusiasm of the employees at the Archer Rd. Moe's was not what I was used to. Guests were greeted with a barely audible "Welcome to ....." instead of the usual "WELCOME TO MOE'S!" Also, the sour (yes, it is ok that it is extra) was not evenly distributed on my Moo, but hey, it isn't a perfect world. Despite all of that, it was still my third trip this week so I guess they are surviving. I have been obsessed ever since I was clued in that you could get your chips refilled for free! That same day I was also told by a frugal friend that you you could get an extra piece of bread nor no extra charge at Panera. Awesome!

Slandering Smathers

2005-07-18T14:57:00.000-05:00

So what happens to people after they run for Student Senate ... they run for the United States Senate of course. This passage is about George Smathers, the namesake of Library West, in a chapter on Malapropisms and Metaphorical Bloopers...

A few years ago, George Smathers was running against Claude Pepper in a Senate race. In a speech in rural Florida, Smathers did a euphemistic hatchet job on Pepper. It's now recognized as a classic of the genre: "Are you aware that Claude Pepper is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that," Smathers went on, "but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law," Smathers said mournfully, "it is an established fact that Mr. Pepper, before his marriage, practiced celibacy." -Page 174 of Too Funny to be President by Morris K. Udall.

Smathers won, probably because he was a seasoned campus campaigner. If you ever have some free time and want to see the campaign materials Smathers used when running for Student Senate or any of the other exciting races from the beginning of the last century, check out the special collections on the 2nd floor of Library East. For those of you new to the archives, you will need to ring the doorbell to get in, place your bookbag in a cabinet on the back wall and only take notes in pencil (no pens!) ... don't worry, the friendly librarian will take care of you (you don't retrieve materials, you tell them what you want and they bring it to you).

Wayne Brady to headline Gator Growl

2005-07-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Hats off to the entire Gator Growl team for bringing Wayne Brady to Gainesville this year to headline Gator Growl. This should be a show that students and alumni alike can enjoy. With all of the controversy recently surrounding PTI's partial ticket subsidy veto it is great that Growl will finally be getting some extremely positive press. Be sure to get your ticket soon to take advantage of the reduced prices compliments of SG...

The first 15,000 students to purchase tickets will receive a special discounted price of $5.00. General public admission tickets are $18.00 each. Students can purchase the discounted tickets at the University Box Office located in the lobby of the Constans Theatre adjacent to the J. Wayne Reitz Union.

Those wishing to purchase general public admission tickets can do so at any Ticketmaster location, Ticketmaster.com, via phone at 904/353-3309 and at the University Box Office. Student-priced tickets cannot be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Thanks to Chris Chase, Director of Public Relations for Gator Growl, for the press release. Anyone interested in sending a press release, tips or just plain good ole gossip is welcome to send email to ReitzRambler@gmail.com.

Although it came out a few days ago, you may want to pour over the recently completed UF Staff Survey. Also, check out this 25 billion dollar instant city in South Korea for 100,000 people that is being designed all at once by a New York firm and built over the next 10 years.

More on ISIS Debts

2005-07-16T23:17:00.000-05:00

Alright, so maybe there is some merit to all of this ISIS/Credit Card stuff ... check out this story from the St. Pete Times.

Student Government, act now.

2005-07-15T16:59:00.000-05:00

The University, always looking for a way to increase its revenue, has decided to tack on a new service charge for paying your university debts by credit card on ISIS. That means the next time (starting July 26) you go to pay your tuition, infirmary or other debts you will get hit with a 2.6% fee. This is simply unacceptable. The argument that credit cards are "very expensive" to the University is unfounded -- the convience of having an online system means that you don't have to pay salaried employees to sit around and accept checks -- and I would bet a lot that the credit card fee charged to the University is much smaller than going back to check-only based operation. Student Government frequently writes resolutions opposing block tuition and tuition increases ... well here is something that is happening now and impacts the pocketbook of all gators.

Payment by cash, check, debit and EFT will have no fee associated with them. Come on, cash? Processing cash is expensive and if anything should have a fee associated with it, that should. I have been able to pay by credit card the entire time I have gone to UF and NOTHING in the way the credit card system or U.S. financial market has changed since then.

To add insult to injury, they also have decided to stop accepting VISA cards for ISIS payments because VISA doesn't allow this type of predatory raping of its customers.

To complain please contact University Financial Services at 352-392-0181 or email ufshelp@admin.ufl.edu.

Facebook Announcements

2005-07-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

Let's face it, if you are reading this blog you probably are a facebook addict too. Right under the search bar on the left is where facebook makes its money -- ads. Now I've seen ads for sg campaigns, accent speakers and pool parties at lexington crossing in that space (and why not, it is a great deal at $19 /day), but a recent ad caught my eye. It was advertising the ad space itself and looked a little something like this:

Facebook Announcements
Things you could do with Announcements on the Facebook:
1. Search for a new roommate.
2. Tell everyone what you think about global warming.
3. Break up with you bf/gf in spectacular fashion.

Maybe it is just me but that last one seems a little harsh. The real question becomes, will anyone actually do it because of the ad above and should thefacebook feel just the slightest bit guilty for putting that idea in people's heads or should they be applauded for coming up with a creative way to advertise their space.

New Blog

2005-07-12T17:21:00.000-05:00

New blog joins the block, Gatorman: At the Corner of University and 13th.

Local Campaigns

2005-07-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

Recently, the Gainesville City Commission decided to bump down the limit on campaign donations from $500 to $250 per individual for City Commission races. However, they did not change the limits associated with the local political parties. Overall a good move, however, contributions to and from the DEC and REC should face similar fates. Student Government should consider contracting with VR Systems for election management (they provide technical services for 59 of Florida's 67 counties) so that we can also have the sweet searchable online financial reports that the Alachua County SOE has.

Greek on a Leash continues to amaze with a detailed post on the gerrymandering of our local Florida's House districts ... apparently our friends in Tallahassee managed to marginalize the university by drawing a district straight through it. Sounds like something that our SG lobby program should look in to fixing.

In completely unrelated news, UF in Beijing opens, described to be similar to UF's Paris Research Center that many students study abroad at. UF pulls a Twister and sends researchers out in to the path of Hurricane Dennis to set up towers to collect meteorological data and Tropical Storm Emily looks like she is on her way. NASA's space shuttle Discovery is set to blast off this afternoon, weather permitting, two years and a few months after shuttle operations were halted when Columbia was lost on re-entry.