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VOLUME 114 ISSUE 64
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Law Review elects new EIC
TORY LANEZ
Tory Lanez sings his first song to the audience at the O’Connell Center Monday night, but stops in between songs to smile at the crowd. More than 3,000 people came to see Lanez perform. Read the story on pg. 7.
MAKALA FURSE IS THE FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR TO HOLD THE POSITION By Kaelyn Cassidy Alligator Staff Writer
Makala Furse loves to read, edit and learn from the articles in the Florida Law Review — and she was able to prove her passion and tell 59 of her peers why she should be the next person to lead it. Furse, who was elected on Sunday, will be the first woman of color to serve as the Florida Law Review’s editor-in-chief since the law school was desegregated in 1958. The law review, which is published by the UF Levin College of Law, is a student-edited law journal that publishes articles and other scholarly work about legal issues. It was created in 1948, a decade before the law school was desegregated. Law journals are a way for professors and legal scholars to get their work edited and published, and the Florida Law Review is ranked 25th of student-edited law journals in the country by Washington and Lee University School of Law. Furse is 25 years old and a secondyear law student. She has a master’s degree in social work from the University of California, Los Angeles. She said in that line of work, she had a lot of responsibility and thinks the skills she learned will be directly transferable to her position as editor-in-chief. While she’s excited and knows she’s capable, Furse said she’s also nervous because she’s also the first black woman to hold the title. With so much attention on her, she doesn’t want to let anyone down. “I’m really humbled to be in this position,” she said. “I’m so excited, and I hope that me being in this position will pave the way for more people of color in leadership positions in law schools.” Andrea Faverio is a 23-year-old second-year law student who works at the Florida Law Review with Furse. “If I had to use one word, she’s amazing,” Faverio said. “But she’s so much more than that.” Faverio said Furse was someone who always volunteered to edit extra articles and had a strong hand in coor-
SEE LAW, PAGE 6
Gators travel to Deland for midweek SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Story description nish Hatters with comma, pg# matchup withfithe No. 1 Florida will put its undefeated record on the line against 6-1 Stetson tonight, pg. 11
Lily Strickland // Alligator Staff
Five City Commission candidates talk local issues The forum was hosted by the Alachua County Labor Coalition By Grethel Aguila Alligator Staff Writer
Local topics were at the forefront at a forum with candidates vying for a position on the city commission.
The forum Tuesday evening hosted by the Alachua County Labor Coalition. Five out of eight candidates, discussed issues such as living wage and affordable housing at the forum. Three candidates, Paul Rhodenizer, David Walle and Jennifer
Reid did not show up to the forum. About 40 listened to the candidates at Emmanuel Mennonite Church, located at 1236 NW 34th St. Before the forum, candidates were sent questionnaires about local issues by the Alachua County Labor Coalition, said 33-yearold Jeremiah Tattersall, the coalition’s union liaison. The questionnaire was crafted by
SEE FOURM, PAGE 6
New engineering building still past due for completion THE BUILDING WAS SCHEDULED TO OPEN LAST FALL By Noah Ram Alligator Staff Writer
In Fall 2019, engineering students were supposed to start working in the Herbert Wertheim Laboratory of Engineering Excellence, located between the Reitz Union and Weimer Hall.
But construction wasn’t done. UF spokesperson Steve Orlando said last April that construction would be done in Spring 2020. Yet, two months into the Spring semester, construction on the building isn’t done yet — and won’t be done until March or April, said Helen Goh, the College of Engineering spokesperson. Josh Levi, a 22-year-old UF biomedical engineering graduate student, said he hoped he’d be able to utilize the new building. “When I was an undergrad, I thought I
State loses case in felon voting rights
Two local formerly incarcerated people got their rights, pg. 5
would see the completion of the new lab,” he said. “As a grad student, I thought for sure that I could utilize it, but now we’ll see.” Last Spring, Orlando said the building was, at that time, $20 million over budget, costing about $72.2 million in total. The project was originally projected to cost $53 million. The funding will come from several sources, including $28.4 million from the Public Educa-
SEE ENGINEERING, PAGE 6
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17 versus 1
Gator Party got 17 elections violations. Inspire Party only had one, pg. 4
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