Florida Student Association

Florida Student Association, Inc. (FSA) was formed in 1976 under the "Florida Not For Profit Corporation Act".[9] FSA represents the interests of students of the State University System of Florida.

Florida Student Association, Inc.
AbbreviationFSA or FSAI
PredecessorFlorida Student Lobby[1]
FormationNovember 17, 1976 (1976-11-17)
FounderJose V. Eiriz[2]
TypeNonprofit corporation[3]
59-1673603[4]
Registration no.737328[5]
Legal statusActive[6]
Location
Ally Schneider[8]
Appeals Com-
mittee nominee
--
AffiliationsState University System of Florida
WebsiteOfficial website

A statute enacted by the Government of Florida has created a "student government" at each state university. The statute provides that each student government shall have a "student body president".[10] FSA's board of directors includes the student body president of each state university student government. FSA's board of directors exercises the corporation's powers and manages its affairs.[11]

Governance

FSA coordinates the collective efforts of each of the State University student governments with a goal of providing unified student representation before the Florida Government. FSA holds monthly meetings where student leaders can interact with their peers from other institutions.

Florida Board of Governors

Section 7 of Article IX of the Constitution of the State of Florida provides that the state university system of Florida shall be governed by "a board of governors". Section 7 also provides that "the president of the Florida student association" shall be a member of the board of governors.[12] The FSA president serves as a member of the board of governors without compensation but may be reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses to the extent provided by law.[13]

Financial Aid Appeals Committee

An applicant for state student financial aid may appeal the rejection of his or her application. The appeal will be heard by a committee of four members appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Education. A decision rendered by an appeals committee constitutes "final agency action".[14]

An appeals committee is temporary in nature. There might be no appeals committees in existence at a particular time or there might be several appeals committees, with each committee being assigned to evaluate one or more appeals.

FSA is authorized by law to nominate students to serve as members of appeals committees. Each nominee must be enrolled in a public postsecondary institution in Florida.[15]

Lobbying

FSA is authorized by law to "Adopt, change, amend, and repeal bylaws, not inconsistent with law or its articles of incorporation, for the administration of the affairs of the corporation and the exercise of its corporate powers".[16] FSA has adopted a bylaw which provides, in part, that "the activities of the corporation shall include the carrying on of lobbying efforts and otherwise attempting to influence legislation".[17]

FSA was a driving force in the effort to create the "Florida Prepaid College Program".[18] In 1985, FSA asked key Florida legislators to review the State of Michigan's prepaid tuition plan. After reviewing Michigan's plan, Florida State Senator Ileana Ros-Lehtinen sponsored a bill to establish a similar prepaid tuition plan in Florida.[19] With lobbying efforts by student government presidents and David Corry (FSA Executive Director)[20] and Shari Caprara (FSA Legislative Director),[21] the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate both passed the bill. The bill was then signed into law by Florida Governor Bob Martinez. Since that bill became Florida law, more than 1.6 million prepaid college plans have been purchased and nearly 350,000 students have attended college under a prepaid college plan.[22] Most of the plans were purchased by parents and grandparents when their children/grandchildren were toddlers.

Recently, the Florida Student Association lobbied successfully for the expansion of Florida’s Medical Amnesty laws, which will protect those who call for assistance during an alcohol and drug overdose across the state.

See also

References
  1. "Students aim to lobby". Central Florida Future, Vol. 7, No. 33, page 1. University of Central Florida, August 8, 1975.
  2. FSA was founded by Jose V. Eiriz.
  3. Florida Student Association, Inc. was organized under the "Florida Not For Profit Corporation Act"; Chapter 617 of the Florida Statutes.
  4. The Employer Identification Number (EIN) "59-1673603" was assigned to Florida Student Association, Inc. by the United States Internal Revenue Service.
  5. The number "737328" was assigned to the "Articles of Incorporation of the Florida Student Association, Inc." on the date that the Articles were filed with the Florida Secretary of State.
  6. FSA is classified as an "Active" corporation.
  7. Map showing the location of Building 22 (The University Commons) on the main campus of the University of West Florida.
  8. Schneider is the Chairman of FSA and, in that capacity, she serves as an ex officio member of the Florida Board of Governors.
  9. Section 617.01011 of the Florida Statutes.
  10. Section 1004.26, "University student governments", Florida Statutes.
  11. Section 617.0801, "Duties of board of directors", Florida Statutes.
  12. Section 7 Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine, Article IX, Constitution of the State of Florida.
  13. Section 1001.70(2) of the Florida Statutes.
  14. Rule 6A-20.0371, "Right to Appeal Eligibility Determination", Florida Administrative Code.
  15. Section 1009.42, "Financial aid appeal process", Florida Statutes.
  16. Section 617.0302(5), "Corporate powers", Florida Statutes.
  17. FSA bylaws, Article II, as amended on February 2, 2012.
  18. Section 1009.98, "Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program", Florida Statutes.
  19. "Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, The First Hispanic Woman Elected to Congress" Archived 2017-01-16 at the Wayback Machine. CHLI Spotlight. Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, March 13, 2014.
  20. David Corry became the "Executive Director" of FSA on August 2, 1986. "SG bosses pick new leaders at meeting". Central Florida Future, Vol. 18, No. 54, page 1. University of Central Florida, June 18, 1986.
  21. Shari Caprara became the "Legislative Director" of FSA in August, 1985. Florida Flambeau. Florida State University, August 19, 1985.
  22. "Overview" of prepaid college plans, offered by the Florida Prepaid College Board.


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