4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2022
Taking office in 2023 SASSE, from pg. 1
of Trustees Nov. 1, including a controversial vote by Student Body President Lauren Lemasters that has led to an impeachment resolution filed against her in the Student Senate. During the Nov. 1 meeting, Sasse said he wouldn’t engage with partisan politics during his time as UF President. “The loudest folks among us tend to be focused heavily on partisan politics and culture-war issues,” Sasse said. “And yet those issues have almost nothing to do with most of the riddles that we need to navigate in our time.” UF is aiming for Sasse to officially take office as president in early 2023 after he squares away his duties in the Senate, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said. Sasse will likely officially resign his Senate seat in late November or early December, the Nebraska Examiner reported. Sasse’s successor will be appointed by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and will stand for election 2024. The Board of Governors is expected to confirm Sasse at their Thursday meeting at USF. The meeting will include a presentation from UF Board of Trustees chair Mori Hosseini, Sasse’s curriculum vitae and the finalization of the senator’s employment agreement. Sasse’s compensation range, which is expected to be confirmed Thursday, shouldn’t exceed $1.6
million at the recommendation of an outside firm, as said in the Nov. 1 meeting. Compensation includes salary and benefits. Thirteen members on the board were installed during Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration. Hosseini is a well-known DeSantis supporter who often contributes donations to his campaign. For the UF student activists who vocally opposed Sasse’s presidency, next steps aren’t entirely clear. Oscar Santiago Perez, a 20-year-old UF political science and criminology junior, is a Change Caucus senator and a member of the UF Presidential LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee — a group whom Sasse has repeatedly said he’d like to meet with. “We want to approach this with the possibility that we will have to work with Dr. Sasse and ensure that we can maintain a line of communication,” Santiago Perez said. They’d like to see if Sasse can listen to their counsel and implement their recommended initiatives and policy changes, they said. Sasse will have a long road ahead of him to not only gain the trust of UF’s LGBTQ community, but to maintain it in the future, they added. “I think that it's important to maintain pressure on the administration to ensure that the policy initiatives that have occurred over the past few years that benefit our communities aren't paralyzed or that they are rolled back,” Santiago Perez said.
Ian Dinkla, a 21-year-old UF political science senior and administrator on meme account @uf_dormbrewers, said Sasse’s policy positions proved he wasn’t a fit for UF’s campus, and he was surprised by the unanimous vote given opposition from UF faculty and students. Dinkla doesn’t understand why Sasse believes being university president isn’t a political position, he said. “That's absolutely ridiculous,” Dinkla said. “It is such a large entity. Of course it's political.” The UF Young Democratic Socialists of America group was a part of the coalition of progressive groups that formed a united front against Sasse’s presidency, with planned demonstrations throughout October. Allan Frasheri, the group’s vice chair, said they’re in a holding pattern for now. “We haven't had an open discussion yet,” Frasheri said. “But in the past, we have agreed that we will try to continue actions going on into his administration.” The protest at Emerson Hall Nov. 1 had a turnout of around 50 people, a significant decrease from the protest to Sasse’s Q&A forum Oct.10. In the meantime, Frasheri said the group will keep a close eye on Sasse in the months leading up to his presidency. “I'm just keeping my eyes open for literally everything [Sasse] does,” Frasheri said. Vivienne Lewis, a UF 19-yearold psychology sophomore, said while she can respect Sasse’s aim to achieve political celibacy, she doesn’t believe he’s capable of it given his background. “I believe in compromise and
Final verdict isn't certain LEMASTERS, from pg. 1 ‘elected colleagues within Student Government in their ability to be an effective voice’ by blatantly ignoring the request of the student body as directly communicated to her,” Change wrote in the resolution. The caucus cited Sasse’s history of antiLGBTQ statements and calls for Lemasters to vote no on Sasse as evidence she didn’t adequately represent the student body with her vote. The resolution to impeach will now go before the cohort of spring senators, the majority of whom are Gator, per Student Government’s governing documents. If two-thirds of senators vote to impeach, Lemasters will automatically be suspended from office. The remaining body of fall senators would then conduct the impeachment trial, which will determine whether she will be permanently removed from office. Although the final verdict of the vote isn’t certain, Gator has historically voted as a bloc on many issues. However, the recent
trend of condemnations both by the Senate and Student Government executive officials could signal a break from tradition. The student body disagreed with Lemasters’ decision, Green said at a Nov. 1 meeting. She was also disappointed in Lemasters’ choice and affirmed that Gator leadership is listening to student concerns. Badell respects and considers Lemasters a close friend, he said in his Nov. 2 statement. “We have a responsibility as elected student representatives to represent the wants and needs of the student body,” he said. “This vote did the opposite.” But Badell couldn’t support Lemasters in her vote for Sasse, which he felt contradicted the wants of the student body, he said. “I am committed to students first and foremost and can assure them of the continued team efforts throughout our university presidential transition,” Badell told The Alligator. “I remain committed to listen to students and advocate for them as best as I can. Sasse is our next president, and our support of each other will be crucial during the next couple of months.”
Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff
Student protesters outside of Emerson Alumni Hall scream chants in protest of Sen. Ben Sasse and his interview with the UF Board of Trustees Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. I believe there could have been a better candidate without a background in politics,” she said. “We are all aware of where he stands and it’s hard to believe he would create an environment that supports all students.” Many students were indifferent to the prospect of Sasse’s presidency; however, or approached his confirmation with cautious optimism. Miranda Torres-Garcia, an 18-year-old UF biomedical engineering freshman, said although she disagrees with Sasse’s conservative views, she wants to keep an open mind. “Don’t make UF fall in the rankings,” she said. Dinalo Chakma, a 30-yearold UF second-year PhD student, said he found out about Sasse on the day of his confirmation. Chakma was unaware of the
Kantamneni respects Lemasters’ ability to make her own decisions, she wrote in the statement, but nonetheless she disagrees with that decision. “While I held low expectations for the Board of Trustees, Student Body President Lemasters’ vote shocked and disappointed me more than words can express,” she wrote. Though Lemasters hasn’t responded to requests for comment regarding the impeachment resolution, she defended her vote saying she expects Sasse to fulfill his promise to put aside his political affiliations and work with the LGBTQ community on campus. “Dr. Sasse has committed to advancing UF for every Gator, and my decision reflects my belief in that commitment,” Lemasters wrote in a statement to The Alligator. “I truly believe in the audacious goals of Dr. Sasse to take Gator Nation to the next level.” Lemasters is a registered Republican, according to voter records. Change maintained Sasse wouldn’t provide a safe learning environment for LGBTQ students, and Lemasters wasn’t acting in students’ best interest by voting in his favor. “After concerns over Senator Sasse’s extensive history of bigotry and hatred
selection process, he said. But Chakma said his ideal candidate would put an emphasis on research and funding issues. “My primary concern is to be able to focus on my research,” he said. “I’m not able to do that much because of many other issues like funding, and I have to teach a lot.” Yangelis Bastidas, a UF sociology senior, vehemently opposed Sasse’s confirmation, saying his ideologies don’t match those of the university. “It’d be difficult for students to want to come to the university,” Bastidas said, adding she fears diversity initiatives could suffer under Sasse. @vanityhack ccasale@alligator.org @peytonlharris pharris@alligator.org
towards a multitude of minority communities, this vote in the affirmative jeopardizes the safety and care of those who are underrepresented on campus,” Change wrote in the resolution. Between five and 10 constituents reached out to Change senators asking to impeach Lemasters, Corbett said. Change found impeachment to be a more actionable response than condemnation, which they already passed as a chamber in October, she said. “Impeachment [is] an appropriate next step,” Corbett said. “She has broken public trust with the student body.” Gabriela Pieschacon, a 20-year-old UF health education and behavior junior, said she supports Lemasters’ impeachment. She thinks Lemasters’ vote should have included the student body’s perspective, she said. “As the president, it’s extremely important to also consider a lot of those underrepresented people that are often not given a voice,” Pieschacon said. “She could have her vote, but I think her vote shouldn't necessarily have clouded what a lot of the student population feels.” @AlissaGary1 agary@alligator.org
