DISCOURSE
- State group wrongly denies meeting access Editorial
- Laws against feeding homeless violate rights Editorial
- Students undervalue natural campus environment Jamie Williams
- Letters to the Editor
State group wrongly denies meeting access
Editorial
"The best way to ensure that government truly represents the people it serves is to keep the government open and accessible to those people," or so states the 2007 Florida State Attorney General's Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual. The Florida Student Association must not have received that memo.
The FSA turned a Spinnaker reporter away from a meeting Feb. 23 involving the Board of Directors of the FSA - a meeting hosted by the University of North Florida in the University Center as part of a monthly FSA conference. The reporter had attended the earlier general meeting, and at this time was informed by both SG and FSA officials of the individual council meetings to be held in the afternoon. But when the reporter accepted the invitations and arrived at the directors meeting, the FSA director said it "was not open
to reporters."
After clarifying in a news story Feb. 28 that the Spinnaker did not attend the meeting because it was not open to reporters, several readers questioned the rationale and the ability for FSA to close its meetings. When the reporter attempted to contact the board chair and executive director of FSA through phone and e-mail to investigate the reasons behind the closed meeting, to no avail.
Student Government at UNF paid the FSA approximately $20,000 in dues in 2005, according to Student Affairs. That is $20,000 of Activity and Service Fee money UNF students pay to fund an organization that won't even allow the university's newspaper access to its board meetings.
It's nice to see the thousands of dollars students pay to this organization don't even allow students to attend a meeting to learn what that organization is doing. How can student media sufficiently keep students informed when they are barred access from meetings that will decide the future actions of FSA - an organization that is supposed to be representing students on both the state and national level?
Any public collegial bodies within the state must abide by Sunshine laws, which require meetings to be open to the public. By barring the writer from its meeting, the FSA Board of Directors not only violated Sunshine law but did a huge disservice to the students it is supposed
to serve.
It's the FSA's job to advocate for students and ensure they "have a voice in state decision making." How can the FSA act as the voice of Florida students when those same students are denied the ability to attend their meetings?
Students are paying the FSA to provide them a service but it doesn't seem to include the right to attend meetings where the FSA is deciding whether to support legislative bills and goals that could affect hundreds of thousands of students and their education.
Laws against feeding homeless violate rights
Editorial
Since when is doing a good deed unto another person such a sin? Obviously, someone can find someway to make it
just that.
When Michael J. Herkov, an associate psychology professor at the University of North Florida, fed homeless people at a local church with his ministry in August,he was charged with violating a city ordinance. Eventually the charges were dropped, but Herkov's ongoing testament to good will and perseverance of human nature did not. He said he felt to carry on his virtuous actions, he must take action himself.
In a means to challenge the charges, Herkov filed a lawsuit Feb. 16 against the city of Jacksonville claiming religious freedom. Instead of requesting a hefty financial ruling, though, Herkov simply wants to carry out an essential principle of his Christian faith - a faith he values, honors, and personally cherishes.
The ordinance Herkov violated is intended to shield the homeless from spoiled food and to call for sanitation and toilet facilities wherever food is dispersed, according to City Assistant General Counsel Ernest Mueller. Herkov wants U.S. District Judge Henry Adams to instruct the city from implementing the ordinance and
ultimately find it unconstitutional,
as he says it desecrated his First Amendment right to perform his chosen religion. As an American citizen, Herkov should have these rights.
When a man of better fortune and opportunity tries to do his part and help those who don't have what he does, is it wrong? In a world full of have and have-nots, how wrong is it when a group of haves, with no other motive than to nurture the hunger pains of other humans, tend to the have-nots? Aren't all men
created equal?
This is a case of valid religious interest pitted against a city's valid concern in wellbeing and cleanliness, not a moral issue. But that's what it should be.
Morally, Herkov and the members of the Christian Homeless Ministry did what they did with the utmost of good intentions. It didn't matter if the people they fed were religious or not. Their pasts, their present conditions, their resumes of sins did not matter either. The pain of hunger is far too intense for one to have to endure if he or she doesn't have to. Herkov
recognized this.
It's not hard to see exactly what Herkov was trying to morally and ethically do with good intentions. When you get down to the heart of it all, it's simply doing well unto others without expecting anything in return. And it's a quality few people in this world
have anymore.
But Michael J. Herkov and his fellow colleagues at the Christian Homeless Ministry have it. And it should be valued. It should be honored. It should be cherished.
It's a shame the city of Jacksonville doesn't agree.
Students undervalue natural campus environment
Staff Opinion
It seems the University of North Florida just wants to look good. As one of only a handful of the nation's universities to not only have a nature reserve on campus, but to be entirely located on one, we aren't doing much to truly preserve our beautiful campus.
For years, UNF students have voiced that parking remains a top problem at campus. And why wouldn't it be? As a largely commuter campus, the majority of students who attend UNF, along with our faculty and staff, arrive by personal vehicles. The increased flow of cars driving the streets of our campus creates a problem. No, not just because of trying to find a parking spot, but rather what it does to our environment.
Gasoline-powered automobiles release pollutants that include the evaporation of volatile organic compounds and tailpipe emissions such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). How do we combat this problem where both students and animals can be
happier?
For starters, building more dormitories would be a plus. This would cut down on the number of cars driving the streets every day. Let's try to make UNF a more comfortable place to be, where students don't just come and go for classes, but also want to call their homes. There just are not enough dormitories to accommodate even one quarter of the students who attend here. Plus, students who live on campus are more likely to get involved with clubs, sports and campus issues than those who do not.
Also, let's build parking garages on sites that are just ground level parking lots. This will accumulate more vehicles than the present volume and we will end up hurting the earth very little. The number of students circling campus looking for a spot to park in would decrease, and so would the extra emissions released when the cars are running. Perhaps even a conveniently located lot to be used strictly for those who carpool would be extra incentive.
The university's land is enjoyed by a variety of plant and animal species as well, and it's time we treat their well-beings equal to ours. The toxic emissions released from our automobiles are a health hazard
to them.
Think about it, their lungs are much smaller than the average human's; they can only handle so much. Cutting down on the flow of traffic would improve their
well-being.
If the university makes some much-needed adjustments, then it can say it is truly doing its part to help the environment and combat global warming. And in doing so, it can make both animals and students happier.
For now, though, the trash sits, the cars pile up, and toxic gasses loom in the smog trapped among the trees. And the animals sit and wait, and wonder when their needs will be considered.
Remember, this is their Earth, too.
Contact Jamie Williams at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Leters to the Editor
Election scandals, violations disadvantages for candidates
Dear Editor,
It is unfortunate to see Student Government elections must continue to be scandal-plagued and wracked with controversy. The case presented by former Senator Matt Breidenstein simply shows how convoluted and flawed election law is.
As a former Senator and a candidate in the fall election, I know from first-hand experience how much confusion there was amongst senators and candidates during the violations hearings.
The prescribed times for warning and notification of campaign violations and meetings is a serious issue and needs to be rectified before the next election. It is ridiculous that candidates can be allowed only two hours notification to prepare a defense for violations - this needs to be changed. Also, I believe the ambiguities surrounding the voting of the SG Senate president in the elections hearings need to be properly clarified. Although the Senate president is a member of the Elections, Selections Appropriations Committee, he is an ex-officio, or non-voting, member. Therefore, the Senate president should not be allowed to vote at elections commission meetings, even though he/she may be technically allowed to do so. The Title VI provisions under Statute 601.5 D that allow this should be amended to prevent this from becoming an issue in the future.
The reputation of SG, and that of the University of North Florida is tarnished by elections scandals such as those which seem to occur every elections cycle. If we want students to respect SG and their senators, then we should all work to provide elections to run as cleanly and smoothly as possible.
James L. Hill - Junior, Spanish
Father questions Spinnaker's intentions in reporting senator's accusations
Dear Editor,
I believe you did my son Matthew Breidenstein an injustice when you failed to mention the
following facts:
When Matt ran for the office of SGA president last year, he was very careful to stay within the spending limits which had been agreed upon by all parties. The opposing candidate exceeded
that amount.
Matt made an appeal and the judicial ruled that his opponent did not have to include sales tax as a campaign expense. Matt lost the appeal.
Matt then runs for the Senate, stays within the rules that were established by the above failed appeal (as did 15 other candidates), and then is charged with a "major campaign violation."
Matt received I think somewhere close to 850 votes during his presidential bid and somewhere in the 600 vote range during his senate race.
He was disqualified over what I believe to be a total of 66 cents in sales tax and the SGA considers this a "major campaign violation."
I fail to see why you would not report this fact, in light that a significant proportion of the student body voted for Matt to be seated as a senator and represent their best interests.
Shame on you.
It does not speak well of your investigative skills and attention to detail. Remember that he lost his presidential bid because the present leadership of the SGA decided that sales tax was not applicable when they exceeded their
spending limits.
I believe you knew of the above facts, but chose not to report the above to the UNF student body. In addition, did you not think that it was highly unusual that two of the justices that were to hear Matt's appeal had to recluse themselves?
Why did you not report that it was "strongly suggested" by the university that they remove themselves from Matt's case?
Matt intends to continue to shed light on the sophomoric antics including the blatant acts of corruption that is exhibited by the leadership of the SGA even if it means taking his case outside of the authority of both the SGA and the University of North Florida.
Matt has documentation of numerous Sunshine violations (which I believed he shared with you), and has been denied access to SGA records in violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
You may want to research the sanctions that were imposed by the courts when the leadership of the SGA at the University of Central Florida decided that they too were above the law.
Mark J. Breidenstein - Father of former Sen. Matt Breidenstein