Cover Profile: Student Advocates

     Perhaps no student organization is more influential in Tallahassee than the Florida Student Association, a 33-year-old lobbying group made up of the student body presidents and staffs of nine of the 10 State University System schools. This year, FSA celebrates a huge victory for its more than 200,000 constituents—Gov. Bush vetoed half of a proposed 10 percent tuition increase. More importantly, says FSA Chairman Brent Gordon, the tuition increase that passed was "differential," meaning students have a say in how the additional funds will be spent.
     Among the five items on FSA’s agenda for this year is a proposal that would give collegians the legal right to organize and maintain a student government. "Right now, if an officer messes up, in theory, the university president can shut the whole SG down," says Gordon, student body president at the University of Florida. Other issues FSA will tackle include judicial reform, credit-card debt education, and the establishment of a second student member on the Board of Regents with staggered two-year terms.
     "We try to concentrate on what would be good for the whole state of Florida," says John Hosman, FSA vice chair and student body president at the University of West Florida. "One of the best things I think FSA does to help students is our monthly meetings. Whenever you have 10 other SG presidents, it sparks a light bulb—you have so many more ideas from networking."
     The idea exchange has netted Hosman and his staff at UWF at least one successful program. "Big Argos, Lil’ Argos" brought to campus 90 at-risk fifth graders who were matched with UWF students to spend a day learning about college. "To this day, there are mentors and fifth graders who communicate back and forth." The project will be adopted by FSA this year and duplicated at member schools statewide.
     Hosman’s philosophy is power in numbers when it comes to getting legislators to listen. "Anytime you have a big group of people, you can be more persuasive—it holds more clout," Hosman says. "I’m trying to bring in private colleges, and that way, if there’s some type of issue that relates to all schools, we can have close to a million students. How big your voice is depends on how many people you have backing that voice."
     Brett Chambers, FSA secretary-treasurer, agrees that though the nine FSA leaders are elected student advocates, the organization is stronger if students statewide are politically active. "Everything that our government does has a direct effect on students and their future," says Chambers, SG president at the University of South Florida. Chambers adds that FSA’s Council of Vice Presidents is at work on a voter registration drive to encourage more students to get involved, thus boosting FSA’s influence. "Imagine if the governor received 100,000 letters. We as FSA can go to the legislature and say, ‘If you don’t listen to us, it could cost you your job—we can hold the legislature accountable."