Two Tickets Vie for Presidential Role this Tuesday and Wednesday

Justin Hall and his running mate LaNard Taylor will join Gregory "Butters" Morgan and his vice-presidential nominee Thomas King in the SG Run-off election on Tuesday, March 4, and Wednesday, March 5.

SG encourages you to research each ticket's platform, which are listed in the post below. More information can also be found on The Oracle's Web site.

Make your voice heard, and vote in this week's run-off election!

Do you know what the candidates in the SG 08 election stand for? Find out now!

The elections are getting closer, and Student Government encourages all of you to vote! We want to make sure you feel educated about your decision, so here is a list of all the tickets running and links to their web sites. Take a moment to review each ticket's platform to see who you think will be the best decision for SG in 2008!

Nathan Davison and Cordell Chavis
www.votedc08.com

Justin Hall and LaNard Taylor
www.anewu08.com
http://usf.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10093869739

Ryan Iacovacci and Sriram Madhusoodanan
www.votecommunity.com


Greg "Butters" Morgan and Thomas King
www.ButtersKing08.com

Nicole Randazzo and Ruth Damys

www.VoteRD.com

ERC Encourages You to Make Your Voice Heard, and Here's How!

Student Government general elections are approaching quickly and every vote counts. The Election Rules Commission would like to encourage getting involved with this year’s election season.

Voting will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, February 26-27^TH. Campaigning starts February 4 and will go until the polls close at 7pm on the last day of voting, which is Wednesday, February 27.

During the campaigning process expect to see candidates out campaigning for your vote, and also expect to see the ERC out supervising all the day-to-day events of campaigning.

If you believe a candidate is breaking the student code of conduct, you can file a grievance against them. Information for this can be found on the student government website under elections information. You can also find contact information for the supervisor of elections and the deputies here.

During the two days of elections there will be eight official polling stations in computer labs throughout campus. There will also be many mobile polling stations along paths and outside of buildings asking you to vote. Students may also vote in the comfort of their homes by going to https://accord.fastmail.usf.edu/vote/.

We here at ERC look forward to running a smooth election and being able to assist anyone who has question. Please feel free to contact anyone on the ERC staff.

Matthew DallaRosa

Deputy Supervisor of Elections

Election Rules Commission

(813) 974-2057

https://accord.fastmail.usf.edu/vote/

The Economic Outlook for Florida's Higher Education System is Cloudy

Recession, tuition increases, mortgage crisis, fee increases, property taxes…such issues are dominating the media and daily water cooler conversations throughout the state of Florida.

By all accounts, the economic outlook for not only our state, but our country as well, is shaping up to be quite dour. If that is the case, then how did our Legislature find the time and funds, $113 million to be exact, to award incentives to lure an Oregon research university to our great state?

Ladies and gentlemen, the answer to this puzzling question lies in the Innovation Incentive Fund.

Former Governor Jeb Bush oversaw the creation of this fund in order to attract companies to Florida in an effort to boost the economic profile of the state. Oregon Health and Science University was given $60 million by Governor Charlie Crist and an additional $53 million in incentives by the city of Port St. Lucie.

At a time when universities are begging for tuition increases just to maintain the status quo, summer school sessions across the state are in jeopardy, massive layoffs are being planned daily, university administrators are scrambling to find a way to maintain their operations without sacrificing the quality of education; the state decides to open its pocketbook for an out-of-state research institution while simultaneously decreasing the amount of financial commitment it provides to our own universities?!


Frankly, I am appalled and disappointed that a higher value has been placed on this economic opportunity rather than the education of our citizenry, which would, in and of itself, help improve the fiscal situation we all are facing.

Universities are economic incubators with their students entering the workforce with skills and tools that will help them succeed and contribute to our ever-growing global marketplace, and these skills must remain competitive to be profitable.

We need to increase enrollment in order to compete, not decrease it because of budgetary shortfalls.


Florida’s quality of higher education is falling behind other states, and I guarantee that this move will not help the situation.

The University of South Florida is a tier-1 research institution, and along with USF Health and the medical school, fully capable of carrying out the type of research that this Oregon institution would be conducting.

Yet, this cannot be possible without a financial commitment from our state, which continues to deny the funds necessary for our State University System (SUS) to excel in any area. While universities make commitments to their students, the bodies that govern these institutions are lacking in support.

The responsibility for providing an education should be the goal of our society and it must start from the top-down. The lack of emphasis on higher education and the governments disregard for the state of our institutions is a formula for disaster. Until students are acknowledged by the state, higher education will continue to be merely mediocre.

I, for one, have been taught to succeed in all it is that I do but I am being equipped with an education that does not support me in the global marketplace.

The state should rethink its stance on higher education immediately and pledge its support financially to the education of our students. Until such a day arrives, our great state will remain static when it could be much more than that.

Best,

FA

Faran Abbasi

Student Body Vice President

University of South Florida

fabbasi@sg.usf.edu

Join us in learning about campus safety at Save-a-Bull on Jan. 29!

Are you concerned about campus safety? Do you think USF is prepared to handle a natural disaster or an emergency situation? Do you want to meet people in charge of protecting you and your university?

If so, then be sure to stop by Student Government's Save-a-Bull event.

Who: Student Government, University Police, Hillsborough County Emergency Management, USF EMS, Tampa Fire, USF Security Guards, and more

When: Tuesday, January 29
12 p.m.-3 p.m.

Where: MLK Plaza

What: Learn about safety measures here on campus while enjoying free food and giveaways from the organizations in attendance!

We look forward to meeting you!

Come out and voice your concerns this Wednesday, Jan. 30

Town Hall Meeting:

When: Wednesday, January 30, 11am-2pm

Where: MLK Plaza

What: An interactive conversation between the USF community and Student Government and administrators.

This is an opportunity for students to ask questions about anything concerning the university; security, tuition, budget cuts, Florida Bright Futures scholarships, construction, classes, parking, and other issues that affect our campus.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We want to keep you informed!

I would like to take the time out to welcome you back to the University of South Florida for Spring 2008! My name is Faran Abbasi and I am your Student Body Vice President.

As some of you may be aware, this is the first time in our history that SG has ever undertaken a direct marketing effort, through this blog, to inform students as to what happens on a daily basis with your SG, as well as throughout the University community and the state legislature with student dollars.

Some of you may also be wondering as to why this blog may be of importance to you or why we would even want students to know what we do in our respective positions. The main reason is because you directly contribute to the $10.3 million budget that SG allocates through your Activity and Service Fees, which are fees all students pay.

Don’t you want to know where your money is going?

As a member of the University community, students should be aware of where the money goes and whether the services and events that are provided to you are meeting your needs during your tenure at USF.

The dire economic forecast of the state of Florida means that higher education will continue to remain in the spotlight politically and financially. As elected representatives of the student body, we are here to serve you. Our sole purpose in our positions is to do everything within our powers to enact positive change on the University and improve the overall student experience.

Hopefully, this blog will be an opportunity for students to express their concerns and for SG leaders to help in educating, resolving, and improving on any concerns that are brought to light. If there is nothing wrong with this University then we should not have jobs so I expect to hear any issues that you may have so we can begin to tackle these problems during the remainder of our term as President and Vice President of the Student Body.

I look forward to a busy and fulfilling spring semester and as always please feel free to contact Garin and me for anything you may need.

Best,

Faran Abbasi

Student Body Vice President

University of South Florida

fabbasi@sg.usf.edu