Sworn in as one of the University of North Florida (UNF) Student Government’s (SG) Associate Justices, Kevin Luhrs’ history with SG is a long and diverse one. 

A recent graduate of UNF with his undergraduate degree in political science and a minor in history, Luhrs has returned to earn a master’s degree in public administration with a specialization in local government policy and administration. 

Luhrs first began as Lend-A-Wing’s assistant director at the beginning of the pandemic. However, as campus began to shut down, including the Student Union where he worked, Luhrs left the position and joined Spinnaker as the Opinions Editor until December 2020. As his time with Spinnaker came to its end, Luhrs decided to join Student Government in search of more interactivity.  

He was elected as a senator in Spring 2021 and served as Vice Chair of the Rules & Oversight Committee and Vice Chair of the Student Union Advisory Board until April 2022. 

After spending some time in the legislature side of SG, Luhrs decided to venture out to the judicial side for his last years to gain as much experience as possible. 

“I really wanted to give back to UNF, which is why I rejoined Student Government,” Luhrs said. “UNF allowed me to get a degree which helped propel me into my current job, and it really helped me to advance my life, so I wanted to give back to Student Government by giving my experience and skills that I developed as a senator.”

The responsibilities of an Associate Justice within SG include hearing and determining the constitutionality of legislation and Senate bills, as well as dealing with parking appeals, election complaints and judicial complaints. 

Luhrs said he plans to stay in his position until the end of his SG career and hopes to take new-found skills into life after college.

“In the Senate, if you want to vote one way, you don’t really have to justify yourself. As an Associate Justice, you have to justify your position, and you have to do research that supports your position,” he explained. “It allows me to take those research skills and those analytical abilities and apply it to my career.”

Luhrs said that as far as after graduate school plans go, he is focusing on getting a feel for what he might be interested in and what industry would fit him best.

“I have a general idea of a few industries I’m very interested in, for example, working in the Federal Government, Intelligence Analysis or something to that effect, really anything that allows me to use problem-solving abilities,” he said.

Luhrs explained that one of the biggest takeaways he has learned from his time in SG is to act with integrity, assume good faith and just treat people well. 

“As I like to say, you don’t have to be a good person, but you have to be a decent person,” Luhrs concluded.

___

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.