Sign Up for Rally in Tally 2014

Rally in Tally is an annual event hosted and produced by the Florida Student Association.  Students from Florida's public universities come together to lobby on behalf of the 300,000 students that attend Florida's public universities.  Transportation to and from Tallahassee is covered by Student Government.  Students that choose to attend will be responsible for their own lunch.  Space is limited and is reserved on a first come, first served basis.  Sign up below to reserve your spot!

State University System of Florida Receives New Chancellor

Congratulations to Marshall Criser III, who was selected by a search committee on Tuesday, November 12th to become the new chancellor of the State University System of Florida. Criser's dedication to students and strong leadership skills make him an excellent choice and will be an asset to the 300,000 students that attend public universities in Florida.

Criser, who is currently the AT&T Florida president and vice chairman of the University of Florida Board of Trustees, has said that he will step down from any job that will interfere with his new position. We here at UF are very sad to see Criser go, but are very grateful for the time he served here and the legacy he will be leaving behind on this campus. Criser also currently serves on the Florida Chamber of Commerce board, the Florida Council of 100 and the Enterprise Florida Board.

Criser has deep ties to the University of Florida. As an alumnus and son of former UF president Marshall Criser, we are excited for the great work and representation that Criser will bring to the State University System in his new role as chancellor.

His new job will involve him supervising the professional staff at the Board of Governors and will coordinate efforts among Florida's public universities to represent their best interests to the governor and state lawmakers. Although we are sad to see him go, we know Criser will do phenomenal things in his new role. From everyone here at the University of Florida and the Student Government offices, we wish him the best of luck!

UF Utilizes D.C. Lobbyists

Recently topics in the U.S. Congress have had their roots in higher education. As the Student Body President for the state’s flagship university I believe that one of our duties as a Student Government is to represent our students in Washington, D.C. during this critical time.

In 1992, SG established External Affairs, an agency charged lobbying on behalf of UF students. Since 2012, the External Affairs agency has been aided in lobbying efforts through the help of the professional lobbying firm, Cardenas Partners.

Cardenas helps us reach out to officials allowing us opportunities to defend against loan rate hikes, protect Pell Grants, provide education benefits to our large student veteran community and fight for STEM visas.

This week the Huffington Post even published an article titled, “University of Florida Students’ Lobbying Firm Helps Put Issues In Front Of Congress.” The article describes how and why professional lobbyists are important to us.

Additionally, if you are interested in helping impact the State University System (SUS), there are many jobs in D.C. open for you to consider. One in particular is as a Fellow for the SUS. Responsibilities range from attending hearings and bill markups to arranging and organizing meetings in Congressional offices.

Remember just because Gainesville is a long way away from Washington does not mean that our efforts and opinions do not matter!