Dan Fitzpatrick Speaks!!!

Iron Fist leader, Dan Fitzpatrick Speaks!

CD: Who are you (name, major, year, etc) and what is your opinion on the make-up,performance, and relationship between Student Government and the Student Body?

DF: I'm Dan Fitzpatrick, the face of the Iron Fist, a 4th year Psychology and Micriobiolgy major here at UF. Prior to my involvement with the Iron Fist, I was (and still am) involved with Student Alliance and was marginally involved with Access. Having been involved with several SG campaigns, I've come to realize that SG caters only to the interests of a select few. In the first place, SG does a poor job of letting students know who to voice their concerns to, and unless you're in with the right people, your opinions are seldom addressed anyways. Real change is needed, but since so few people outside the system know this, it's so hard to fix anything.

CD: What was the Iron Fist all about? While many "SG-insiders" viewed it as a joke, there seemed to have been an almost undeniable level of organization and commitment on behalf of your colleagues and supporters, how would you describe this in your own words?

DF: The Iron Fist had two intentions really. First, we wanted to let SG know that there are lots of people - the members of the Iron Fist, to name a few - who don't think that SG's aim is a bit off. Their promises don't really reflect what the student body wants and needs, or else SG sets the bar much too low. Secondly, we wanted to enlighten the UF student body to the problems of SG. Past parties I've been involved with have tried and have succeeded to plant the seeds of change, but the people of the Iron Fist figured that the best way to grab people's attention was through satire. Unfortunately, like you say, the satire was lost on many people who saw it merely as a joke. This project was more than six months in the making, and many people put in many man hours planning and brainstorming, not to mention the money I had to dish out to fund it all. We were indeed trying to get a point across - that SG needs change - and I think we got the message across enough people who actually listened and who were curious enough to talk to us in person. Overall, I think it was a success.

Read The Rest of This Great Interview @: http://www.MySG.tk