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VOLUME 114 ISSUE 46
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
UF community: Trump removal slim NANCY PELOSI SAID IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES WILL BE SENT SOON By Valentina Botero Alligator Staff Writer
In the year of a divisive upcoming election, Republicans and Democrats at UF can agree on one thing — President Donald Trump will probably not be removed from office before Americans can vote. On Dec. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on two articles of impeachment that charged Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. This makes Trump the third U.S. president to be impeached, but he won’t be removed from office unless the Senate passes the articles, according to The New York Times. Few people at UF expect it to get to that point, even though U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
announced Friday the House will move to send the impeachment articles to Senate this week. Trump won’t be removed from office unless two-thirds of the Senate vote in that direction, said Beth Rosenson, a UF associate political science professor. But with 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats in the Senate, it may be difficult for the Senate to convict Trump — but not impossible, Rosenson said. Not only does the impeachment have the ability to increase polarization on campus, it also doesn’t help the country’s global standing, Rosenson added. “It highlights disunity in this country, and that makes it hard for the United States to act as a leader on the global stage,” Rosenson said. “Disunity and perceived weakness benefits countries like Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and others that want to see (the U.S.) struggling and divided.” Nationwide, Rosenson isn’t
sure the recent controversial U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Suleimani will be enough to sway Republican voters away from voting for Trump in the 2020 elections. Instead, Rosenson said she believes the state of the economy will be a major predictor of how people will vote. She said if the economy stays well, it be would be an advantage for Trump, but there are still nine months until the election. “And if the economy gets worse, that may have an impact on more independent voters who are not part of Trump’s loyal base,” Rosenson said. UF College Democrats President Matthew Barocas, a 20-year-old UF political science and history junior, doesn’t think Trump’s impeachment will have much of an impact on the 2020 election. The country is so “terribly polarized” that he
SEE IMPEACHMENT, PAGE 3
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Emily Felts // Alligator Staff
Sly Sullivan, 22, practices for the Possum Creek Skate Jam Saturday. Read the story and see the gallery on page 6.
Civil rights pioneer, former city mayor Ed Jennings Sr. dies at 82 FLAGS WILL FLY AT HALF-MAST TO HONOR JENNINGS Grethel Aguila Alligator Staff Writer
Former Gainesville mayor, city commissioner and civil rights pioneer Edward Jennings Sr. was considered to be a legacy. Jennings Sr. died Friday evening, according to the Gainesville Sun. He was 82. He was a “core civil rights leader” in Gainesville and Alachua County, Mayor
Lauren Poe said. Poe announced on Twitter Sunday that flags at city buildings will be flown at halfmast until Friday in honor of Jennings. Jennings served the Gainesville community as a public servant for nearly two decades, according to the Gainesville Sun. He was Gainesville’s first community affairs coordinator in 1971, a city commissioner in 1993 and later appointed mayor in 1996. Even after retiring from public service, Jennings remained involved in the community as a volunteer and mentor. He was a bridge-builder and peacemaker
who devoted himself to bettering the community, Poe told The Alligator. Poe said Jennings used to say, “It’s never about the last vote, it’s always about the next vote,” which was his way of saying there’s always more work left to be done. City Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos wrote in an email to The Alligator Sunday that he was saddened to learn about Jennings’ passing and sent his thoughts to his family and friends. “He was a man who fought for equality, and our city is a better place because of his public service to our community,” HayesSantos wrote.
The chief human services administrator for Hillsborough County, Carl Harness, shared the news of Jennings’ passing in a Facebook post on Friday. In the post, Harness described Jennings as a man of integrity and a voice for the voiceless. “We were truly blessed to have the opportunity to love Ed over the years as one of our own family members,” Harness wrote. “And there was no question that Ed Sr. could do some serious cake baking.” @GrethelAguila gaguila@alligator.org
20-year-old dead after West University Avenue crash THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED By Stephany Matat Alligator Staff Writer
A 20-year-old woman died and a 19-year-old man was injured in a single-vehicle crash Thursday evening on West University Avenue, according to a Florida traffic crash report. Authorities responded to the 2600 block of West University Avenue just after 8 p.m. and found a vehicle on the sidewalk compressed against a guardrail, according to the report. The vehicle appeared to have also crashed into a light pole.
UF opens track season in South SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Story description finish with comma, pg# Carolina The Gators were dominant in the triple jump led by Clayton Brown’s performance , pg 11
The accused driver, Adam Mandel, a 19-year-old UF student, appeared to not understand why law enforcement or fire rescue were on the scene, according to the report. He claimed he had parked along the side of the road, and the damage on his vehicle was old. Mandel was sweating profusely, and his pupils appeared to be larger than normal, according to the report. Mandel was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital as a trauma alert. Passenger Kassandra “Kassy” GuzmanRamirez died at the scene of the crash. Traffic homicide investigators are still looking into what caused the fatal crash. A GoFundMe page created by Kathy Savastano Vazquez, Guzman-Ramirez’s aunt, has raised more than $10,000 for Guzman-Ramirez’s funeral expenses. The current goal is
National student loan has ballooned Here’s how UF compares, pg. 3
listed at $15,000. Savastano Vasquez said Guzman-Ramirez was an artist since grade school and painted canvasses of her family. She was not a student in Gainesville and moved from Weston to live with her boyfriend. She also turned 20 years old last month. “She was just full of life, always, no matter what was going on with her. I mean her world could be spinning around, and she was just smiling,” Vasquez said. “She’s a bright ray of sunshine.”
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Volunteers make toys for primates, pg. 9
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