By Timothy Fanning
I’m not sure if failure is the right word to describe our Student Government. Inexperience? No, that’s not it. Ineptitude? Closer. How about short-sighted? How about vindictive? Bingo.
Let’s talk about what Student Body President Daniel “Kaeden” Kelso, Ysatis Jordan, the student body vice president, and their cronies did:
Jordan championed Student Government’s general assembly to approve a budget that benefited no one. Well, that’s not true. Her friends in Student Government got a pretty sweet deal.
I’m talking about over $70,000 in salaries. I’m talking about $3,000 for a banquet and a retreat for Student Government members. I’m talking about $2,000 for a senate “discretionary fund.”
For everyone else?
Goodbye, Campus Movie Fest. See ya around, Stampete spirit committee. Fitness Center budget? Let’s pump aluminum cans. Homecoming? Hope ya like celery sticks and an iPhone DJ. These popular events and organizations lost a combined $38,418. Ouch.
Harborside Activities Board and a handful of other organizations also saw substantial budget cuts before leaders could say, “Wait, let’s talk!”
Sorry, gang. Enrollment is down, Student Government has communication problems, and budget season always stings.
But did you hear what happened to The Crow’s Nest? Strap in, because it’s like something out of a telenovela.
Student Government whacked the campus newspaper’s budget again. No surprise there, because The Crow’s Nest is often on the chopping block, typically because Student Government officials don’t like to be written about.
However, this time, those cuts seem purposeful and personal. First, let’s run the numbers.
The Crow’s Nest saw the most cuts. It’ll lose three paid positions and a healthy reduction in salaries overall. The entire photography budget is gone. The newspaper also loses four weeks’ worth of print copies. The total loss is an expected $12,261, or more than 23 percent. That’s a huge hit for a staff of 12, who work more than 40 hours a week for peanuts.
The adviser, Rob Hooker, a retired Tampa Bay Times editor who is a crucial resource for editors when big or delicate stories hit, was also struck with a substantial reduction in pay. I could go on.
It sounds to me like someone knew where to put the knife.
Enter Jeffrey Waitkevich, deputy chief of staff and close friend of Kelso.
Last spring, Waitkevich was the newspaper’s news editor with an eye on the top editor position.
Waitkevich later switched majors and left the paper. Last fall, he found himself in Kelso’s administration, where he played a key role in budget recommendations for The Crow’s Nest and Campus Recreation, organizations he had previously worked for.
Before Waitkevich left the paper, he rarely visited the newsroom. He was rude with staff members and insubordinate toward his former bosses. He left bitter and angry.
Crow’s Nest staff told me that Student Government officials relied heavily on Waitkevich’s recommendations — foregoing meetings with the newspaper’s editors. But we’ll never know the full picture.
That’s because Waitkevich declined to comment after I asked about his role in the budget recommendations.
I won’t be getting it from Kelso either. He declined to comment. Jordan said she was uncomfortable speaking to me over the phone. I emailed her a list of 13 questions.
I never heard back.
Here’s what is clear: Both the vice president and president do not like student reporters.
Kelso’s lack of transparency has been troubling since the beginning. He’s enacted erroneous policies, where members of Student Government must first go through its communications department before talking to the press. That’s only during business hours, by the way. Kelso ignores phone calls, text messages and emails. He’ll also walk away when addressed in person.
It’s also apparent after Kelso threatened to “freeze” the newspaper’s funding because it did not file the proper paperwork — a requirement that four former editors tell me wasn’t necessary during their tenure — a requirement that no student body president had enforced in recent memory, David Thompson, Kelso’s predecessor, told me.
Student Government, even before my time, has haphazardly treated the budget process. It’s often marked by grudges, secrecy and confusion. Friends and personal gain are often put before common sense. But we have a chance to fix that.
Kelso has before him the opportunity to veto the budget April 9. Let’s hope he does the right thing.
Timothy Fanning was managing editor of The Crow’s Nest in fall 2017.
Header Photo: Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
