The University of North Florida Student Government Senate unanimously passed legislation allowing the Black Student Union and Pride Club to join SG as official commissions at the Jan. 31 student Senate meeting.

The bill allows Black Student Union and Pride Club to join SG as a commission, giving them back a physical space on campus they lost in May 2024 following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-DEI legislation.

The Executive Commissions Statute was originally introduced to the SG Senate on Jan. 13 by Student Body President Micheal Barcal and Student Body Vice President Ashlyn Davidson.

Commissions are defined in the SG Senate Legislation as “an administrative division of the Executive Branch created to allow students that identify with a specific group a protective platform to express and celebrate their culture at the University of North Florida and Jacksonville community.”

The presidents of Pride Club and BSU sat down with Spinnaker to share how they feel about becoming SG Commissions. 

Initial Thoughts 

BSU President Sammie Fowler III said he was surprised when President Barcal first contacted him about the idea. 

“We were grateful that student government actually reached out and was willing to give us a helping hand with everything that’s going on,” said Fowler. He said his first meeting with the Barcal-Davidson administration helped iron out an official plan. 

“We liked the direction of it; we liked what the feeling was; how it sounded,” Fowler said.

Pride Club and President Aster Walters said he was also surprised by the proposal and is happy SG is helping students after the LGBTQ+ Center shut down last year. 

“As a previous senator, I was very shocked by [the proposal],” Walters said.

Hardships Following the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Closure

Since the closure of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Fowler said BSU has had difficulty booking events and keeping students engaged. 

The BSU president explained that many students assumed that when ODI closed, BSU also became an inactive organization, even though it continued on as an on-campus club.

“BSU isn’t dead, it never died,” said Fowler.

Walters expressed a similar sentiment, saying that some students thought Pride Club was a new organization as late as this past fall.

A New Place to Call Home

Walters explained the importance of having a meeting space for students again, where Pride Club can host events and provide students with resources. As for BSU, Fowler said having a space on campus again gives a feeling of support that was lost last year.

Additionally, Fowler added that SG will benefit from working directly with BSU and Pride Club. 

“For Student Government, this proposal is a good way for them to kind of gauge what students want to see from organizations and what students want to see from Student Government specifically,” Fowler said. “I feel like that’s really important.”

For Walters, being the Pride Club president during a time of change is its own source of pride.

“I’m very proud of all of us. I’m very thankful that we’re able to have this opportunity so that we can support our student body,” said Walters.

Fowler said being the president of BSU is a constant learning experience and an honor.

What’s Next for BSU and Pride Club?

Both organizations already have a multitude of events planned for this month. Walters and Fowler encourage students to follow BSU and Pride Club’s respective Instagram accounts, @unfbsu and @unfprideclub, to stay updated. 

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