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VOLUME 114 ISSUE 69
MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Student political clubs advocate for Democrats THE FLORIDA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION IS MARCH 17 By Allessandra Inzinna Alligator Staff Writer
Someone stole the head of a $50 Bernie Sanders lifesize cutout. The president of Students for Bernie, William Zelin, said he chased after the thief. The 22-year-old UF political science and statistics senior said this cutout is one of the tools the student group supporting Sanders used to attract students. They had the cutout on display when they informed students about the Democratic candidate. Zelin said he supports Sanders’ version of the Green New Deal and believes student loan debt should not exist. Sanders funds his campaign through grassroots efforts. In fact, the members of the organization have raised more than $1,800 that they’ve donated to Sanders’ campaign.
“It’s continuing to expand more and more as the campaign progresses,” Zelin said. “It’s giving him the staying power other candidates aren’t experiencing.” Zelin leads his 258 members to campaign for Sanders in the presidential election. The group hosted debate watch parties, reached out to voters by phone, talked to UF voters about his campaign and supported other volunteers in Gainesville by canvassing. However, Students for Bernie isn’t the only student organization that campaigned for a specific candidate. Students for Joe Biden planned to register as an official UF student organization the Monday following Spring Break but has not done so because members haven’t found a faculty adviser yet, which has been difficult to find since the coronavirus outbreak, said Bruce Glasserman,
SEE CANDIDATES, PAGE 3
SOUND OF SILENCE
Emily Felts // Alligator Staff
Arianna Sherman, an 18-year-old UF women’s studies freshman, sings a Krishna mantra at the Plaza of the Americas on Friday, despite the quietness of campus due to classes being moved online from the COVID-19 outbreak. Read the latest updates on COVID-19 on page 4.
UF students talk college affordability UF UNDERGRADS AVERAGE MORE THAN $21,000 IN DEBT AFTER GRADUATION Alligator Staff Writer
$21,713 on average. This figure is about $10,000 less than the national average of $32,731, according to Forbes. But despite the cut, students are still concerned about debt and tuition costs — and it’s affecting how they cast their ballots this election season.
The issue of college affordability is personal for Amy Abuqawod. Abuqawod, a 21-year-old UF criminology senior and member of UF Students for Bernie, works two jobs to help pay for school. She was awarded the Pell Grant, which is given to certain college students depending on their financial needs. But she said her student loans still accumulate interest each day. “The price for one class is just so outrageous,” Abuqawod said. “When I’m looking for a presidential candidate, I want someone who is willing to cancel student loans because I think it is not a legitimate form of debt.” UF reported in its 2017-2018 fact book that its undergraduate students owed
2020 Presidential Candidates on College Affordability Each presidential candidate has different plans for college affordability. Bernie Sanders’ plan is to eliminate all student loans and make public college tuition-free. Sanders’ plan also includes increasing Pell Grants to aid with non-tuition costs and tripling funding for work-study programs, according to his website. Joe Biden plans to make two-year community colleges free. He also wants to double the maximum value for Pell Grants to help low-income and middle-class families. Tulsi Gabbard plans to support legislation such as the College for All Act, which eliminates tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities for families
By Payton Titus
Fans speak out after coronavirus SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Story description finish with comma, pg# hits sports world Sports have been put on hold due to the rapid spread of the virus and fans are feeling the effect, pg. 7
who make less than $125,000 a year. It also makes community college tuition-free for everyone. However, President Donald Trump has a very different stance on affording college. He proposed cutting funding from the Department of Education — including $2 billion from the Pell Grant services, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrations. Bill Weld, who is running for the Republican candidacy, emphasized that online education will remove significant costs, according to the financial aid administration association. Tuition and Loans at UF Among UF, Florida State University and University of Central Florida, UF has the most expensive in- and out-of-state tuition, according to the universities’ websites. In-state tuition at UF is $6,380 per year, while FSU’s is $5,656 and UCF’s is $6,368. Eighty-five percent of UF students receive financial aid, and 64 percent of
CWC offering virtual services during coronavirus Read this, how the pandemic is affecting religious ceremonies and how a sign deemed racist went viral, pg. 4
How the LGBTQ+ community feels about elections The last day to vote is March 17, pg. 3
undergraduate students graduated without debt in the 2017-2018 school year, according to UF Student Financial Affairs. But for those with debt, the process of paying it off is a struggle, according to credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. Most students pay off only 3 percent of their debt a year, it reported. Hannah Matthew, a 21-year-old UF computer science senior with conservative values, said she doesn’t believe that college should be free and believes Biden is the stronger Democratic candidate. But she proposes that the government create more scholarships and grants. However, not everyone should be pressured to go to college, she argued. “Instead of pushing everyone from high school, there should be more talk about real careers and job paths that they can take outside of college,” she said. Stephany Matat contributed to this report.
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