By Naya Payne
Hello,
My name is Naya Payne, and I am a senator in Student Government.
I am writing this Letter-to-the-Editor because I am very concerned about the current status of our Student Government, and for its future. A Letter-to-the-Editor has not been sent in to The Crow’s Nest by a Student Government member since David Thompson served as student body president in 2017. This fact alone concerns me.
As a government, we should be having frequent conversations with student reporters, and we should be having constant editorials and reports about what we are doing and how we are having effects on the student body. We have a transparency issue, and I am at the forefront of the fight to get our senate and our government as a whole, to a standard that the USF St. Petersburg student body deserves.
From the articles written in The Crow’s Nest, to posts and arguments on Facebook, to internal struggles within SG itself… we have got a lot to work on as your elected officials and representatives. I am writing this letter to shed some light on a couple of issues, answer some frequently asked questions, and suggest how we move forward.
In this letter, I will not cast blame, I will not name names, and I will not spout falsehoods and conspiracies. I will address issues, and I will present facts. Before I dive in, let’s be clear: I support and fully believe in the right to a free press, and absolutely believe that the public has a right to have their questions answered. I condemn actions that evade being available and being held accountable.
That being said, this budget season has been rough for everyone involved. I am fully aware of the damages done to organizations on campus, but much of it had to be done. As the vice chair of appropriations, I sat in on those hard meetings where tough decisions had to be made; some meetings lasting as long as six hours. There were debates, there were arguments, there was anger, and there was sadness. No one prides themselves or enjoys damaging and hurting these organizations vital to our USF St. Petersburg community, but we had no choice in doing what we had to do. There was a deficit, and it had to be covered.
I am not exonerating myself from responsibility for any of these cuts. We all played our parts, and I vow that as long as I remain in the senate: the way our budget is handled in the future will be much more transparent, engaging, informative, and responsible. That is my promise to you. I cannot speak for the executive branch and how they will conduct themselves in the future, but I will make sure that we are doing our part as the legislative branch, to include you all in the process in which you all are primarily affected.
Budget aside, we are having our own internal struggles and crusades within Student Government. I am not going to lie to you all: it’s bad. From petty quarrels and underminements, to yelling, to crying, to issues of non-compliance, to votes of confidence, to censures, to court cases and trials within our Supreme Court: things are rough. Due to a lot of the childishness and un-professionalism within Student Government, we have experienced the recent resignation of our former ranking justice, Christine Rowe. And honestly: I expect more to come.
To my fellow Student Government members, both current and future: Cut it out. Cut the drama, and let’s get to work. We are not here to have personal battles and to benefit ourselves; we are here to serve. We are here to serve this university and its students to the best of our ability, and that’s what we all swore when we took our Oaths of Office.
We should not hide and lash out when we are criticized by the public, we should not use the power of respective offices to punish and damage those we disagree with, and we should be able to respect and work with one another. That is the bottom line, and I am saying this formally and publicly.
So, where do we go from here? I have a couple of solutions.
Firstly, I am calling on Student Body President Kelso to deliver a State of the Campus Address and answer many of the questions and concerns directed his way. There is time before the end of the term, and I believe that such an event, which we should already be having regularly, must be had.
Secondly, I am calling for a complete revamp and overhaul for how we as Student Government interact and engage with our constituents. I recently tried to pass a bill that would have served as a first-step remedy specifically for the senate, but it was shot down amidst tensions and attacks. I vow to produce and advocate for similar pieces of legislation in the future to address many of these concerns from constituents , and I am committed to the core value of transparency.
Lastly, I promise to carry out and implement senate-specific remedies if I am given the honor of being chosen as the next senate president April 15. In my powers, I will also hold the executive branch accountable and set basic standards for how they engage with the student body. I end this commentary with a request.
Come out to our next General Assembly on Monday, April 15, at 5 p.m. in the University Student Center Ballroom.
Come talk to us, voice your concerns, and show that as constituents, you care about what we do, who is in power, and what is going on. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, and we need to have strong and competent leadership moving forward. I hold fast to the hope and to the belief that we will persevere and our future will be right and just. Onward!
