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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 40
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
FEATURE FRIDAY
UF reacts to death of telecommunication professor
He was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. By Dana Cassidy Alligator Staff Writer
Stephen Panella was convinced his professor wasn’t coming on the first day of class. The then 21-year-old sat in a Weimer Hall classroom during his first week at the university, waiting for his introduction to media industries and professions class to start. He sat in the first row, surrounded by almost 100 college-aged students, except for a middle-
aged man wearing baggy clothes and a baseball cap sitting toward the front. “I didn’t think much when I saw him,” the now 24-year-old UF telecommunication senior said. “I just thought he was a cool older guy going back to college.” Ten minutes after class started there was no sign of the professor, Panella said. Students were confused until the man sitting in front rose and walked toward the front of the room and introduced himself as William
“Bill” Renkus, the instructor. “My friend and I thought it was the slickest entrance a professor could have ever done,” Panella said. “Will Renk,” as Panella referred to him because of his suave entrance, was the driving factor for Panella and other students to fall in love with telecommunication. Two weeks ago, Renkus, a UF telecommunication professor, died at 62 of cancer, said his older sister Tracy Irani. He was diagnosed
about three years ago. “I was very, very upset,” Irani, the UF family, youth and community sciences department chair, said. “But I was there at the end, and I was very happy I got to say goodbye.” Renkus was caring, intellectual and laidback, Irani said. He knew a lot about the history of film and telecommunications and had an incredible passion for educating students about the subject matter. “I think Bill’s legacy is that he was a great believer in the positive power of communication,” Irani said. “His legacy will be the stu-
SEE OBITUARY, PAGE 4
City commission takes no action on affordable housing proposal ABOUT 70 PEOPLE SPOKE AT THE MEETING. By Dana Cassidy Alligator Staff Writer
Gainesville residents made it clear they don’t want the current affordable housing amendment on the table. Thursday night the Gainesville City Commission held a special meeting where commissioners voted unanimously to take no action on the gnvRISE proposal and scheduled another community workshop for next year. The amendment, which has been delayed for five months already, would have allowed for affordable housing units to be built into neighborhoods
across the city. It was presented to the City Commission to consider if the plan would be reviewed by the state. For more than six hours, about 70 Gainesville residents expressed either their support or concern for the proposal. A large majority of the speakers expressed strong opposition toward the amendment because of a lack of local outreach, disruptive construction in single-family neighborhoods and an influx of property managers buying houses to rent to students. Florida law mandates that any adjustment made to a comprehensive plan must be sent to Tallahassee and given permission to make the changes, said City Commissioner
SEE HOUSING, PAGE 4
Chris Houston / Alligator Staff
Former radio station employee turned homeless seeks refuge from cold Gainesville temperatures Ron Hamer, 64, enjoys chicken noodle soup at St. Francis House in downtown Gainesville, which provides cold night services for the homeless. Hamer dropped out of high school in 11th grade and went to work for a local Birmingham radio station, WZZK. When his mother died in 1996, he lost her house and found himself living on the streets.
Mayor, commissioners to be suspended off building for fundraiser By Kelly Hayes Alligator Contributing Writer
The view rappelling down the side of Celebration Pointe’s tallest building won’t compare to Switzerland, but Mayor Lauren Poe is ready to make another jump years after his first try. In support of affordable housing,
Poe and others will dangle off the side of the 5001 building in the new shopping plaza this Friday. Alachua Habitat for Humanity will host the event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to raise money for the organization’s affordable homeownership program, said Jocelyn Peskin, the group’s resource development director. The program partners with fami-
Kellum’s quest for spiritual enlightenment
The UF volleyball team is playing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament tonight. Middle blocker Taelor Kellum said she wouldn’t have gotten there had it not been for a handful of people, a high-school epiphany and her spirituality., pg. 15
lies to build them low-cost housing, she said. The organization partnered with Over the Edge, which has set up more than 700 similar events internationally. “I’ve been able to go to many homes that (Habitat for Humanity has) built, it’s a life-changing experience for those families,” Poe said.
People who raise $1,000, nicknamed “edgers,” can dangle off the building for five to 15 minutes, Peskin said. The organization’s fundraising goal is $30,000, but so far they only have half, she said. Poe will rappel at 1:30 p.m., and city commissioners Helen Warren and Harvey Ward will go at noon. A
A timeline since Nov. 1 shooting
The latest development is Gainesville Police’s SWAT team dissolved, pg. 9
Latest place to print for free
Student Government opened another printing location, pg. 3
total of 36 people will rappel. First Magnitude Brewing will also be at the event with a beer tasting tent and KISS 105.3 with music and a live broadcast, Peskin said. “The need in Alachua County for affordable housing is so great,” Peskin said. “We work towards permanent solutions to affordable housing every day.”
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