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VOLUME 114 ISSUE 62
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
FEATURE FRIDAY
UF student takes juggling group to new heights HE PERFORMS AND TEACHES OTHER STUDENTS By Tristan Wood Alligator Contributing Writer
Pamphlets passed around by students and strangers are not the only “flyers” you can see on Turlington Plaza. A trio of red and blue marbled balls cycle through the air every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. Slender fingers pluck the eggsized juggling balls back out of the air as they fall toward the ground and send them flying again. Ethan Irvin, a 19-yearold UF mathematics sophomore, spends his afternoons juggling in front of an empty table on Turlington. But instead of standing alone, dozens of students observe his skills in the crowded plaza every day. Some have also come to him for juggling lessons. “It’s not only a cool trick. It’s a good way to
relax at any moment,” he said. “I use it to destress before class.” Irvin used to juggle last year outside of Little Hall and Library West, but he went to Turlington this semester to put his free show on for a larger audience. Liza Adler, a 20year old UF advertising sophomore, said she was fascinated by his performance and couldn’t stop watching. “It’s kind of hypnotic,” she said. “I can’t help but watch him for a bit on my way to class.” Irvin said he taught himself how to juggle during his senior year of high school. He was inspired to learn the skill by a clown named Fritzy the One Man Circus, whom Irvin said he met when he volunteered at Christmas Lane, a month-long Christmas light festival at the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds.
SEE JUGGLING, PAGE 3
Lily Strickland // Alligator Staff
Ethan Irvin, a 19-year-old UF mathematics sophomore, juggles on Turlington Plaza Feb. 12. Irvin said he’s been juggling for more than two years and loves doing it. “It’s a good stress reliever,” he said.
UF Giving Day raises $23 million Police find jars of tongues $12.6 MILLION WAS RAISED LAST YEAR By Payton Titus Alligator Staff Writer
All across campus, Mr. Two-Bits ties were plastered over the red brick exterior of campus buildings. The iconic accessory is easily recognized and hard to miss. The timely campaign featuring the orange and blue striped banners of the late George Edmonson’s tie showcased UF’s second annual Giving Day. In its
second year, more than $23 million was raised for UF colleges, programs and clubs. It doubled last year’s amount from $12.6 million, the first year of the fundraising event. Giving Day is a 24hour fundraising effort is spearheaded by the UF Alumni Association in conjunction with the UF Foundation, which, according to its website, is the “fundraising and gift fund management arm of the University of Florida.” Together, they strive to inform donors with decorations like Mr. TwoBits’ ties, Gator Day at the
Gators host Crimson Tide tonight SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Story description finish comma, pg# at 5:45 in ‘Link towith Pink’ event Florida and Alabama clash in a top-10 bout in UF’s second-to-last conference meet , pg. 11
Florida capitol building in Tallahassee and various oncampus booths and activities. According to Giving Day’s website, the main purpose behind the event — which started at midnight Thursday and ended that same day at 11:59 p.m. — is to increase alumni donations in support of “UF’s far-reaching work and our drive to the Top 5 of public universities.” Despite these efforts, some students didn’t entirely know what the event was. Ethan Lay, a 21-year-old
SEE GIVING DAY, PAGE 4
NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED By Samia Lagmis Alligator Staff Writer
When a Gainesville woman hired an inspector to assess her home for repairs Monday afternoon, she was surprised when police, not the inspector, showed up at her door. “As soon as we told her why we’re there, she immediately remembered that those things were under the house,”
¿Cómo se ‘llama’? Thaddeus.
A traveling llama stopped made a stop in Gainesville, pg. 5
said Gainesville Police spokesperson Jorge Campos. “Those things” were six to eight large plastic jars. Their contents — multiple preserved human tongues. When the inspector was taking a look under the crawlspace of the house near Northwest 16th Avenue on Monday, he stumbled upon the jars, unscrewed the lid off one and peered in, Campos said. Police say the inspector recognized the contents of his discovery as human
remains and called 911 before taking off. The jars belonged to Ronald A. Baughman, the former owner of the house and UF professor emeritus, Campos said. Baughman and his ex-wife divorced in 1992 when he left her, the house and apparently a few tongues behind. Baughman could not be reached for comment. The Alligator attempted to contact him multiple times over the phone. When he answered on Thursday
SEE TONGUES, PAGE 4
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