Power Hungry SG Leaders on Jupiter Campus Don’t Want Change

During SG’s constitutional convention in November, SG leaders and students met to rewrite their ruling document. But there was one thing Jupiter students were adamantly opposed to –senators being elected by college.

Students that attend the Honors College at Jupiter also live on-campus and rule SG. And they want to keep the old system – anyone can run, anyone can be elected.

They decried that there were no off-campus students currently involved in Jupiter’s SG. And said the Honors College, which makes up just under 20 percent of Jupiter’s student population, would be shafted if those provisions were to be put in place.
Other students suggested electing senators by college, and if no off-campus students ran for the positions, then in-house elections could be held to fill those spots with HC students. They quickly rejected the idea, and stated firmly they would be opposed to any such action.

Some of those students repeated their opposition two weeks ago during the second part of SG’s constitutional convention.
Jupiter Governor Ed Fulton says he doesn’t know why off-campus students aren’t actively involved, but says it could be because many of them are older, have children and/or outside jobs.

But the Treasure Coast campus and the Broward Campuses are in the same predicament. Neither of those campus groupings has any on-campus housing so all of the students involved in SG are off-campus. Furthermore, the average age of those student populations are older, have children and/or outside jobs.

Even the Boca campus, which has on-campus housing, has an abundance of off-campus students serving in SG.
When asked if they exclude off-campus students, Fulton said “We like to think not.” He says non-traditional students are interested in different things such as help with paying for books, free scantrons and they would even like childcare.

While the answer or reason may not be clear, it is evident that the Honors College and off-campus students are disconnected.

Last year at one Jupiter senate meeting that I attended, three candidates were running for an open seat in the senate. One senator asked each of them the same question “What are you going to do for the off-campus students.” The response was surprising.

By the tone of their voices it made it sound like off-campus students were some unusual life-form that needed to be further studied.

Fulton says there is a clear divide between off-campus students and the Honors College. “It’s like a separate school.” And says he never comes into contact with off-campus students in an academic setting.

He also admits that the Honors College “has that stigma about being elitist.”

Jupiter’s SG should take a hard look at their shortcomings rather than justify the current system that is clearly broken and promotes an atmosphere of exclusiveness.

SG’s Website Brings New Meaning to the Word Useless

If students want to find out what’s going on with Student Government, there is one place they shouldn’t visit – SG’s website.

From looking at their site, students would never know that they are rewriting their constitution, or putting together a $64,000 event called the Keys to Success Seminar.

But what you will find out on the home page is “SGA News: Elections Are Here!” Yeah, from July of 2006.

Under the latest news section on the UWC link there is no news. Under Boca and Broward’s link - no news.

Under Jupiter’s link, however, it says “Student Government has been working diligently to successfully complete presidential elections while maintaining forward progress on the individual campuses.” Presidential elections were completed more than five months ago.

While in Treasure Coast they’re hosting a University Wide Council meeting on March 24, 2006. Oh, and there’s a book voucher treasure hunt taking place on April 5, again in 2006.

If someone takes the time to wade through all of the links, they eventually may come to a link for Student Government’s Program Board – the Boca SG's event planning arm. Follow that link and students can find a whole host of upcoming events taking place. That’s assuming the average student knows to look under campus agencies to get there. Unfortunately, the average student doesn’t know what the hell a campus agency is.

And congratulations to Chris Mack, who according the SG’s website, is the Boca senate’s parliamentarian. Last time I attended a senate meeting he was the senate pro tempore.

Someone might think that with a $6.5 million budget, SG could at least update their website on monthly basis. A weekly basis may be a stretch.

To find out nothing about Student Government, click here

Top SG Quotes of 2006

After a year of never-ending SG controversy, it was difficult picking just ten quotes. But here are my picks of 2006. Some were bold, some outrageous and some just down right funny.

1. “If you are in fact going to give up your gift card, can I have it?"

Jenna Sereni, former Boca senator, asks former senator Rodolfo Rivera after he objected to spending students’ money on $25 Barnes and Noble gift cards as Christmas gifts for each senator.

2. “No, I did not."

Kirk Murray, former student body president, when asked if he had received a $1,000 Kaplan Scholarship – a program he was in charge of. However, when presented with a document that says he did, he changed his response to, “I’ve not attended yet.”

3. “I was up half the night throwing up, crying and shaking…"

Dan Wilson, former student body president, during an SG meeting after he was impeached for, among other things, missing meetings and failing to submit reports. He later said his quote was taken out of context, and that he was only distraught because he’d just found out his mother had been hospitalized.

4. “Nothing would make me happier than to have a court case, just so I could smack my little gavel on the desk in the senate workroom."

Peter Torres, former SG chief justice, after he threw out several court cases because they had “no merit.” When asked who gave him the authority to act alone, he replied, “A rabbit told me.” SG leaders later suspended him for his actions.

5. “We can no longer allow Student Government to continue to operate in the selfish, immature and potentially unethical manner that it has over the past several months."

Frank T. Brogan, FAU president, in a letter addressed to former Student Body President Kirk Murray after SG leaders demanded Owl Radio’s staff return their keys, which was perceived as a veiled attempt to shut the radio station down.

6. “No SG member is above the law."

Michael Hallenstein, former Boca senator, after he co-authored an impeachment bill against former Student Body President Dan Wilson for, among other things, missing meetings and delaying SG's election process.

7. “I haven’t seen a grown man cry like that in my entire life, even in the movies."

Rocky Joarder, former Boca senator, after witnessing former Student Body President Dan Wilson cry in his office when Wilson found out he was being impeached.

8. “Three or four colleagues called me to ask if I was really sure I wanted to take the position here."

Charles Brown, vice president of student affairs, during a Boca senate meeting in which he chastised the senate and said the events of the past few years had been a “real red-eye for FAU.”

9. “What bothers me most about Student Government is this image of arrogance, this image of money hoarding, mismanaged funds, secretive. I just want to be seen as an open and honest and respectful guy that led the students and cared about the students."

Austin Shaw, student body president, on SG’s current image, which has taken a hit after a string of scandals this past year - everything from a student body president being impeached, to another resigning from office after being under police investigation for alleged grand theft.

10. “He [Kirk Murray] wasn’t fully aware of his mistakes at the time."

Ian Depagnier, Jupiter senate speaker, implying that former Student Body President Kirk Murray wasn’t fully responsible for any mistakes that occurred in SG’s gift card program in which $2,500 is still unaccounted for, and Murray - according to police reports - was seen trying to return books for cash at FAU’s bookstore.