WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020 ALLIGATOR 3
One year has passed since pregnant woman went missing THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT UPDATES By Sarah Mandile Alligator Staff Writer
Almost a year after she was reported missing, Jasmine Robinson’s disappearance remains a mystery for authorities. Robinson was 23 years old and about 6 or 7 months pregnant when she disappeared from her Archer home. She was last seen by family members Feb. 16, 2019, but her family reported her missing to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Feb. 18, after spending two days searching for her on their own, said Art Forgey, a spokesperson for ACSO. While the sheriff’s office continues to investigate her case, Forgey said no significant updates have been made as of now. The last day Robinson was reportedly
seen, she returned home from work and told her aunt she was headed for bed around 8 p.m. The next morning, she was nowhere to be found. She left behind her toothbrush, money and cloth- Robinson ing. ACSO’s investigation of the case included multiple searches around Alachua County and surrounding counties, Forgey said. The department has also posted several notices on its website, and the community has been “flooded with fliers,” asking for any information about Robinson’s disappearance. The sheriff’s office, in partnership with the Florida Sheriff’s Association Criminal Apprehension Assistance Program and Crime Stoppers, has offered $8,000 in exchange for information regarding the case
since April 2019. There are currently more than 25 cold cases listed on ACSO’s website. The list includes both unsolved murder cases and missing persons. One of the unsolved missing persons cases listed involves Tiffany Sessions, a 20-year-old UF student who disappeared while on an evening run on campus Feb. 9, 1989. Investigators suspect a man named Paul Rowles was involved with Sessions’ disapperance but could not continue with a trial because Rowles died while serving time in prison for the first-degree murder of 21-year-old Santa Fe College student Elizabeth Foster. Forgey said that because the investigation into Robinson’s disappearance is still on-going, he is unable to reveal any potential leads or suspects to the public. Any information about Jasmine Robin-
son and her whereabouts can be shared with Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867.
@sarahmandile smandile@alligator.org
Some current cases of missing people in Alachua County Heather Maccrossen, last seen at 26 years old on Aug. 17, 2007 Danny Randall Jackson, last seen at 12 years old on Aug. 24, 1989 Delores Stanton, last seen at 21 years old on April 13, 1976
Gator party official offers fraternity incentive for voting in SG elections IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT THE INCENTIVE IS By Hope Dean Enterprise Editor
Today is one of the days UF students can vote for which Student Government party they want to be in power, but something could be getting in the way of a fair election. Damon Veras, Gator Party’s campaign coordinator according to his LinkedIn, posted in the Hispanic Student Association GroupMe chat Monday that Tau Kappa Epsilon members would receive an incentive for voting in SG elections. The entire message is as follows: “Regarding SG elections tomorrow, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for our chapter to not reach our goal of getting all of our votes in by noon tomorrow. @Tyler Lucas is literally offering rides to the polls tomorrow
morning, and you’ll have brothers with cars. Please be there for each other. Keep in mind the nice incentive spoke about at chapter that we can all enjoy. Check DTL for a refresher to your memory. Text me or Tyler if you have conflicts; check your schedules/calendars for tomorrow now to make sure you can have your vote in and everything in to Jack by noon tomorrow. Long Live TKE.” He then texted that the message was accidentally sent to the wrong chat. The message did not mention what the incentive is. A reporter called Veras, but after he picked up the line went dead and he did not respond to any other messages or calls. The Alligator also reached out to Gator Party campaign managers Trey Banco and Katie Hernandez, who both said they were too busy to speak. Gator presidential candidate
Trevor Pope and Gator treasurer Jessica Jesurajan did not respond to texts or calls. Gator Vice Presidential candidate Lauredan Official said that he didn’t know about the message because he tries to stay out of these situations. “The only incentive I can think of is to get the best representatives,” he said. He then declined to answer further questions for the sake of his mental health, he said. TKE President Tyler Lucas and other members of the fraternity did not answer requests for comment either. In a previous message in the Hispanic Student Association chat, Veras reminded members that they can get a free drink from the new Starbucks in Norman Hall upon voting, as per an SG promotion. “Here’s a little incentive to feed your caffeine addictions! If you’re anything like me, voting just got
6,503 students voted SG, from pg. 1
every 10 years to update the Student Body Constitution. They proposed 24 revisions. The ballot grouped all of the changes under one amendment at the top of the
On the ballot students voted on 24 amendments to the SG constitution. Here are some key changes being voted on: • Remove any reference to the Student Honor Code. • Remove any reference to the Student Honor Court. Siler said it doesn’t exist anymore. • Add language clarifying that offcampus areas fall under the Fall class of senators. • Amend the anti-discrimination section to follow the university’s NonDiscrimination Policy.
ballot. Students had the ability to select “yes,” “no,” or “abstain” to all of them. There was not an option to vote on the amendments individually. The option to not vote was automatically selected when ballot screens opened. Under the revisions, if more than 50 percent of students vote “yes” for an amendment, it will pass. The constitution currently requires approval from 60 percent of all people who cast their ballot, regardless of whether they voted or abstained from the amendment. In 2016, the UF Supreme Court rolled back an amendment allowing online remote voting because of this rule. Elections revision commission member William Zelin said he suggested revising this section because he doesn’t think it represents the intention of the original writers. “This specific section for requirement for ratification was written extremely poorly,” he said. The number of signatures needed to put an amendment on the ballot will be cut in
way easier,” he wrote. Incentives are not new in SG elections. In 2017, UF’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta received backlash for not allowing its sisters to eat chicken parmesan until they submitted the voting sticker that students receive at the polls after they cast their ballot. “NO STICKER = NO PARM. If you can get your (a**) to theta for some parm, you can vote at norman and bring your sticker too,” a sister wrote in a leaked group chat post. In 2010, a leaked audio recording showed the now-defunct Unite Party members talking about campaign tactics, such as bribing Greek life members with alcohol and withholding food until they voted. Inspire Party President Kristen Jackson, a 21-year-old civil engineering senior, said she saw Veras’ message almost immediately because she has friends in the chat. Part of the message told TKE
half, from 10 percent of the electorate to about 5 percent, if the amendment passes. UF’s current enrollment is about 50,000 students. That drops the number of signatures needed from about 5,000 to about 2,500, Zelin said. The commission added a 3-week deadline for the Senate to hear executive agency appointments to make them timely, Grosse said. If the deadline isn’t met, the appointments are automatically confirmed. It is unclear what happens to the timeline if the Senate rejects them. The proposed revised constitution is available here. “All of the changes in the amendment proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission are impactful to students,” Grosse wrote in an email.
@chasitymaynard0 cmaynard@alligator.org
members to turn something in to a brother by noon, which Jackson believes is the voting sticker. She’s heard rumors of this happening in fraternities and sororities, and believes that Veras was “saying the quiet part out loud.” “There’s a difference between advocating for people to vote and actively keeping track of people who are voting,” Jackson said. “It’s your right to decide who you want to vote for, how do you want to vote, when you want to vote. And by collecting stickers, you are not allowed to have that right.” Chasity Maynard contributed to this report.
@hope_m_dean hdean@alligator.org
What to bring to in order to vote: Your Gator 1 ID card OR a photo ID with your UF ID number
Where to vote on campus: • Southwest Recreation Center – Social Lounge • Springs Complex – Area Office C2022 • Reitz Union – Computer Lab • Norman – Education Library Computer Lab • Murphree Area Conference Room • Marston Science Library • Levin College of Law – Burton Geer Hall Student Commons • Jennings Hall – Library • Health Science Center – BITS Library Computer Lab • Heavener Hall – Room 202 • Broward Hall – Broward Recreation Room
