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WATCH: This Video May Destroy U. Of Florida’s Powerful Secret Society
UPDATE- 1:04 AM EST 2-15-2016
Accusations of corruption in student government at the University of Florida are being put out in the open by a prominent UF student activist who previously helped to perpetuate a notorious secret society on campus.
Sabrina Philipp, a senior at UF was featured in a video detailing her experiences as a leading member of the “system”, a secret organization that helps Greek affiliated students move up in student government and influences actions taken by it.
The “system” is connected to the Florida Blue Key, a prestigious leadership honorary group that operates as a secret society that helps direct student government from the shadows, according to some students.
The UF student newspapers published a detailed expose into the way Florida Blue Key operates in 2012.
From the Independent Florida Alligator 2012 report:
“For students aspiring to hold public office one day, the path seems simple.
Go to UF. Get involved in Student Government. Get tapped to join Florida Blue Key. Make the right connections.
Even students who have no taste for politics yearn to join the prestigious honor society that boasts alumni like former senator and Gov. Bob Graham and current U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.”
According to Not My System, the group that published Philipp’s video on Facebook, “the system” is made up of three different blocs: a political bloc, social bloc, and third bloc.
“Each is led by a bloc leader that represents the interests of various Greek organizations, communicated to them through their house leaders,” Not My System explains on its FB page. “Through massive Greek mobilization and voter suppression, the System has been able to control Student Government at the University of Florida for decades. This System is damaging to everyone involved except for its elite. Students are not given the opportunity to pursue positions based on their merit, but rather must rest on their laurels.”
Despite attempts to expose the “system” in recent years, many have still denied its very existence.
But Philipp’s video could prove to be an important moment at UF.
This all comes on the eve of student government elections taking place this week in Gainesville, with the next Student Body President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and 50 senators up for election.
The “system” has drawn comparisons to “The Machine” at the University of Alabama and other secret student organizations that sometimes try to influence college politics.
WATCH:
Student Government at the University of Florida is run behind closed doors and we want to open them.
The System is real. Hear it from someone who was at the top of it. #NotMySystem
Posted by Not My System on Sunday, February 14, 2016
Have a tip about the way “the system” works at the University of Florida? Send us an email to [email protected].
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Libertarian VP Candidate Says He Wouldn’t Have Prosecuted Hillary Clinton For Her Emails
During a wide ranging interview on CNBC’s Squawk On The Street, Former Massachusetts Gov. and Libertarian Vice Presidential candidate William Weld said that he would not have indicted Hillary Clinton in the email server scandal that has dominated headlines for months.
When asked by host Carl Quintanilla whether Weld, a former federal prosecutor and Justice Department official under President Reagan would have indicted Clinton.
Weld was blunt in his assessment during the show which aired live during the Friday 10 AM hour.
“No, no, no,” Weld said. “I did not see evidence of criminal intent there. I thought that was a bum rap. I thought Jim Comey of the FBI had it absolutely right. No reasonable prosecutor would bring that case.”
So this should stop Libertarians from posting about this on Facebook, right?
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
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FEEL THE BERN: Sanders Now Leading Clinton In Iowa
In a shock poll out today by Quinnipiac, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders leads former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Iowa.
Sanders leads Clinton by one point- 41% to 40%.
It is the first time that Sanders has been ahead of Clinton in a major polling survey in the Hawkeye state.
“Sen. Bernie Sanders has become the Eugene McCarthy of 2016,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll said in a press release today. “He is the candidate of the Democratic left, against his own party’s bosses and their prized presidential candidate, Secretary Hillary Clinton.
9-10-2015 Quinnipiac Poll:
Sanders- 41%
Clinton- 40%
Biden- 12%
O’Malley- 3%
Webb- 1%
Chafee- 0%The new Iowa survey was conducted between August 27 and September 8 and sampled 832 likely Democratic caucusgoers.
From the press release:
“There is a wide gender gap among Democrats today as Sanders leads Clinton 49 – 28 percent among men, with 16 percent for Biden, while Clinton leads Sanders 49 – 35 percent among women, with 9 percent for Biden.”
Cover Photo Credit: Phil Roeder/Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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