Tony Teixeira

By Dori Zinn, Staff Writer

This time last year, senior Tony Teixeira stood on the ground that he was going to be a voice of the students. He promised more visibility to students and to give them what they wanted. Now graduating from SG and FAU, he believes his promises are fulfilled.

“I was at more places, I believe, than any other president prior to me,” Teixeira says. “I definitely stood by my word. But I still wish I could have been all things to all people.”

Despite Teixeira’s belief that he is walking away a man of his word, some of his colleagues don’t think he was “A” material.

House Speaker James Tobin says that while Teixeira didn’t quite do anything wrong, he didn’t do much right.

“I can’t think of one thing that would be considered effective,” he says, but also adds that he wasn’t a selfish president. “Every single [SG] president has used the position to benefit themselves, but I haven’t seen Tony do anything like that.”

If Tobin were writing Teixeira’s report card for SG, it would be average.

“I’d give him a C as an overall grade,” Tobin says. “Compared to previous presidents, he wasn’t at his best.”

Current Boca Governor Matthew Jarrett, who ran against Teixeira’s Reform Party last year, doesn’t think Tony did as good, either.

“I’d give him a B minus,” Jarrett says. “And I’m being lenient. He’s done a fair job.”

However, Rivka Felsher, the director of student government, gave Teixeira an “A.” She thought he was a selfless president who fought for what students believed in. While Felsher admits they butted heads at times, she believes his decisions were in the best interest of the students.

“He didn’t do everything the administration wanted him to do,” she says. “[But] Tony is a good and ethical person.”

Entering into his presidency, Teixeira told the UP last year that if there were budget cuts, he would have no problem cutting unnecessary positions in SG. A year later, Teixeira has proven he stood by his promises.

“I did keep the Director of Lobbying, but I eliminated most members of the Presidential Administrative Cabinet (PAC). The Director of Community Relations is gone, the Chief of Staff of the PAC is gone. I haven’t hired for six to seven positions for the PAC,” he says.

Echoing Felsher’s sentiments is Associate Dean of Student Affairs Terry Mena, who says that he knew Tony when he was chief of staff under Dan Wilson’s term in 2004.

“He hasn’t bragged, he’s reserved,” Mena says. “He doesn’t get caught up in the political aspect of [being] a student leader.”

Still, Jarrett stands by the notion that the president should stay in his office, especially during office hours.

“Students would say he’s never here, the legislative branch would say he’s never here. I think he should have been in the office more.”

But students knew Teixeira’s motives when he entered office. Last year, Teixeira told the UP that 80 percent of his time would be “out and about around campus.”

While he was out, he believes he did what he needed to do.

“I changed the perception of FAU SG,” he says. “I listened to what people wanted. I did a good job representing the students.”

Abe Cohen

By Amanda Leth, Staff Writer

In less than a month FAU’s next student body president, Abe Cohen, will move his belongings to an office just four feet away, with a pleasant view outside.

Although the move is only a few steps away, it’s going to make all the difference, because Cohen is moving from the Student Government vice president’s office to the president’s office.

“It’s going to be hard because [former president Tony Teixeira] had a unique personality, he got attention everywhere he went,” Cohen says. “We really want to maintain that high level of visibility [among the students].”

Although Cohen believes that he has “big shoes to fill,” some members of SG aren’t worried about his ability.

“I can’t predict the future – but I think Cohen is going to do a much better job than Teixeira,” SG Boca House Speaker James Tobin says. “Cohen did a lot of the presidential duties as a vice president.”

But although Tobin says Cohen assumed a lot of Teixeira’s responsibilities, he couldn’t think of any specific examples.

“I believe that [Teixeira] could have done more. He didn’t follow through on a lot of his duties,” Tobin says, “and a lot of the work got thrown off onto Cohen.”

Unlike past presidents who wear suits and ties to work every day, Cohen dresses in jeans while his vice president-elect, Ed Fulton, hangs out in his office in a T-shirt and gym shorts.

“The [SG] image has been confused with people thinking that they’re better than everybody,” Fulton says. “Cohen and I just aren’t like that.”

Some of Cohen’s accomplishments as vice president include voting for a new “gaming-like theater” which will soon be installed into the Student Union, says Director of Student Government Rivka Felsher.

“[Cohen] isn’t going to see these benefits because he’s going to graduate before they’re complete,” says interim Dean of Student Affairs Terry Mena. “He’s making decisions that will benefit future students, and that speaks volumes about his character.”

By using student polls and surveys Cohen and Fulton hope that students will have more control over the issues. Fulton gives the example of a Green Fee, an idea being discussed by environmental groups at FAU, which would charge students $0.50 to $1.00 per credit hour to support environmentally friendly services on campus.

“There’s people that don’t want it, and people that do want it,” Fulton says. “We want everyone to vote, then we can use the votes as a lobbying tool.”

Fulton is also in the process of a “controversial” move. He’s trying to get birth control costs lowered on campus, after prices were hiked last year due to the Federal Reduction Act of 2005, a bill that cut federal funding to student health services.

“A student came into my office and was very upset because she couldn’t afford birth control pills,” Fulton says. “When I presented the bill to the Boca House, they told me I was going to hell.”

The bill has passed in the Broward campuses and is in the process of being passed in Jupiter and Boca, according to Fulton.

“It’s important that we’re approachable,” Cohen says. “We’re making it our responsibility to help students get involved. If they don’t know where to go, they can come to my office.”

Presidential Perks:A parking space in the second row of the Student Union parking lot

A $12,000 paycheck each year

A Blackberry phone provided by FAU