Monday, 7/26/2021 by The Independent Florida Alligator

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VOLUME 115 ISSUE 41

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Caeleb Dressel leads USA to another gold medal

THE 28-TIME ALL-AMERICAN SELECTION LED THE AMERICANS TO A REPEAT PERFORMANCE IN THE 4X100 FREESTYLE RELAY, WHERE THEY LED FROM THE START

By Karina Wilson Sports Writer

Former Gator Caeleb Dressel helped the United States defend the gold medal in the men’s 4x100 meter freestyle relay Sunday. The gold came after fellow Gators Kieran Smith and Natalie Hinds earned bronze in the men’s 400-meter freestyle and in the women’s 4x100 meter freestyle relay, respectively, Saturday. Dressel, a 2018 Florida graduate, claimed gold twice in the 2016 Rio Olympics — once in the men’s 4x100 meter freestyle relay and again in the men’s 4x100 meter medley relay. The seven-time world champion replaced LSU’s Brooks Curry in the final as the first leg. Dressel preceded

Blake Pieroni, Bowe Becker and Zach Apple. The 10-time NCAA Champion dove into the pool and took the lead within the first 15 meters. He finished his opening leg in 47.29 seconds. Pieroni and Becker carried their weight for the stars and stripes as Italy trailed closely behind before Apple anchored the gold for the USA with a time of 3:08.97, enough for a 1.14-second margin of victory. “It feels great, we knew there was a huge target on our back,” Dressel said in an interview after the race. “We’re never going to doubt ourselves, that’s how Team USA works.” Dressel hits the pool again for the men’s 100-meter freestyle prelims Monday before he teams up again for the men’s 4x200 meter freestyle relay, men’s 100-meter butterfly, men’s 50-meter freestyle and the new men’s 4x100 meter mixed medley relay later in the games. @kk_rinaa kwilson@alligator.org

Matthias Schrader // Associated Press

United States men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team of Bowen Beck, Blake Pieroni, and Caeleb Dressel react after winning the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

UF hits highest positivity rate since March, Shands hospitalizations increase by 400% MANY PATIENTS ARE YOUNGER, AND 90% OF THOSE HOSPITALIZED ARE UNVACCINATED By Alexandra Harris Alligator Staff Writer

Unvaccinated people are playing Russian roulette with COVID-19 variants loaded into the chamber, UF Health Shands CEO Ed Jimenez said. UF Health Shands Hospital saw a 400% increase of COVID-19 patients over the past 16 days — 90% of whom Jimenez said are unvaccinated. The number soared from 14 to 70 patients, and

Public masturbation and lack of communication leaves tenants of Gainesville Place worried for their safety

over 10% of the patients are on ventilators, he said. “This is now becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Jimenez said. “The data, at least at the Shands hospital, would lend some confirmatory data to that.” Despite the common belief that the virus is more impactful among the elderly population, Jimenez said on July 19 the recent COVID-19 patients coming into Shands are younger. He is urging the community to get vaccinated amid a spike in cases across Florida — making up one in five of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT SEC media day

Story description finish with comma, Florida head coach Dan Mullen andpg# players spoke at SEC Media Week ahead of the upcoming season. pg. 11

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THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE REPORTS OF CRIME AT THE COMPLEX IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. By Sam Schaffer Alligator Staff Writer

Gainesville Place for two years but isn’t renewing her lease. After witnessing a public masturbator in her stairwell and seeing no action from management, she feels the complex doesn’t care. There have been more than 60 reports of crimes ranging from

Alicia Wagner, a 20-year-old UF history major, has lived at

SEE COVID, PAGE 4

UF Health Jacksonville CEO dies in accident Leon Haley Jr. was 56, pg. 5

SEE FLASHING, PAGE 4

Disability Pride Month

July 26 is the 31st anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act, pg. 3

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Grog Today’s HouseWeather deemed unsafe after inspection A LOCAL BAR WAS ORDERED TO CLOSE AFTER ITS FLOOR WAS DEEMED STRUCTURALLY UNSTABLE By Alexander Lugo Alligator Staff Writer

The city of Gainesville shut down Grog House, a popular bar frequented by students 18 and older, after the floor was determined to be unstable and in danger of collapsing July 21. The shutdown came after the city received a complaint from its myGNV app, an app created by the city where residents can pay bills and see bus routes, city spokesperson Shelby Taylor, said. The complaint referenced the floor’s structural integrity, which was investigated by a code enforcement officer, who determined further inspection was needed before the bar could allow people back in, she said. Grog House is often filled with students dancing on the floor located right above Balls, the bar’s downstairs neighbor. The possibility of the floor caving in puts Balls in danger of being pounded by rubble. Before it opens again, the owners must hire a company to assess the floor’s integrity and implement repairs if needed, Taylor said. The decision comes one month after the collapse of a condominium in Surfside. As of July 14, 97 victims have been recovered from the remains. The Surfside incident did not influence stricter guidelines that led to the closure, Taylor said. “This isn't specifically related to the Surfside building collapse,” Taylor said. “But certainly whenever incidents like that occur, the public is more hyper aware of it.”

Many on social media reacted in unique ways. Gainesville City Commissioner David Arreola sent a tweet about the closure, which prompted memes to pour in. One commenter reminisced about the bar’s swaying floor during their college days 20 years ago. Other comments made fun of the bar underneath. “We don’t want crushed Balls,” one comment read. Another tweeted it would be an “improvement” to the downstairs bar. In the end, it was not happy hour for those hoping to go to Grog anytime soon. @AlexLugo67 alugo@alligator.org

VOLUME 115 ISSUE 41

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Grog, a bar in midtown Gainesville, closed after a city inspection uncovered structural defects in the building. “The city under code enforcement has shut down Grog House 1718 W University Ave.,” Gainesville City Commissioner David Arreola tweeted Wednesday. “The floor is unstable and could collapse into Balls downstairs.”

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MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 ALLIGATOR 3

July amplifies the voices of the disabled community DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH CELEBRATES THE 31ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT By Joelle Wittig Alligator Staff Writer

Growing up, Devin Norko assumed they were just accident-prone when they twisted the same ankle more than 200 times in the span of five years. For many disabled people, receiving an official diagnosis can be difficult. For Norko, a 22-year-old activist in Virginia, their family, friends and doctors told them their pain was nothing to worry about. They were not formally diagnosed until college when they discovered they had hypermobility syndrome, fibromyalgia, autism, ADHD and idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which causes high blood pressure in the brain, as well as chronic fatigue, tinnitus and migraines. July brings the disabled community together to reflect on common experiences and celebrate differences. On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits disability-based discrimination, was passed. “It’s really only been here for 31 years, and that is sometimes really difficult to conceptualize,” Jenna Gonzalez, UF’s Disability Resource Center interim director, said. On that day, the city of Boston celebrated Disability Pride Day, and 25 years later, New York declared July as the official Disability Pride Month, and other major cities in the U.S. have held parades in past years to garner support. Gonzalez said there is still a long way to go for disability rights. Marriage for disabled people often results in the loss of Social Security benefits and health insurance, and ableism still affects the disabled community. Lindsi Baugher, a 19-year-old UF civil engineering sophomore, experienced ableism throughout her life, which is discrimination in favor of able-bodied and neurotypical individuals. Baugher said she was adopted at 9 months

Graphic by Alex Brown

old and came home sick with ear infections. Her mother found out Baugher was deaf, and she got a cochlear implant, an electronic device that produces a modified sense of sound, at age 2. Baugher said classmates would make fun of how she spoke growing up, particularly during presentations. She said she would practice in the mirror or around someone she was comfortable with beforehand. Baugher had her second cochlear implant surgery at UF Health Shands Hospital after starting her first year in college. During the recovery process, she was not able to hear at all for about a month. In the same way that the ability to walk must be relearned if lost, Baugher said she had to reteach her brain how to hear. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Baugher used closed captioning for her online classes. As classes move back in person, she will have interpreters to help her, and she said she went to the Disability Resource Center to receive

these accommodations. “They just hired four full-time interpreters, which I’m really excited about because they’re trying to expand the DRC community,” she said. “I went up there a couple of weeks ago to meet them in person, and they’re really cool and chill.” Gonzalez said living with disabilities while transitioning to college can be difficult. She hopes the DRC can act as a support system and make the process easier for disabled students through academic and housing accomodations. She said there are 4,000 registered students with the DRC, and 60% of these students are registered with mental health diagnoses. “I hope that I can extend the mission of UF into DRC and extend disability advocacy throughout this campus,” she said. When Gonzalez was 13, she said she discovered her own invisible disability, a disability that is not immediately apparent, when a teacher pulled her aside during class. She now

has a passion for disability activism and has worked at the DRC for four years. “When I saw the job post for learning specialist, and I read on there about Cypress Hall, I cried,” she said. She said Cypress Hall, a fully inclusive residence hall where the DRC is located, opened her eyes to what accessibility could mean, and her first day at the DRC felt like home. “If we can infiltrate one person with Disability Pride Month and at least one person seeing the impact and knowing what disability advocacy means to people, then the month did its job in my eyes,” she said. Speaking out against ableism is not confined to UF, either. Creators around the world are working to challenge misconceptions about disabilities this month through books, classes and social media platforms. Andrew Gurza, a 37-year-old disability awareness consultant in Canada, plans to host a virtual class in September to discuss the impacts of ableism. They said they hope to bridge the gap between disabled and nondisabled people in a welcoming environment. “I would rather use my knowledge, my lived experience, to teach somebody, rather than be angry,” they said. “Of course I’m angry too, but I want to mobilize that and do something good with it rather than sitting in my own anger.” Gurza’s advocacy is compiled in their collaborative book and podcast, Disability After Dark, where they shine a light on disabled stories. “When I say awareness, I don’t mean I’m gonna just talk to you about accessibility,” Gurza said. “I mean I’m going to talk about all those things, plus sexuality, plus how does that feel from an emotional level for the disabled person living in that body?” Gurza lives with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and is a full-time power wheelchair user. They said they hope to see more laws and policies in the future created by and for disabled people. They said it is often a process to be proud of their disability. [Read more on alligator.org] jwittig@alligator.org @JoelleWittig

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021

Highest positive COVID-19 rates since March COVID, from pg. 1 “It’s not a surprise that people are younger because the younger folks are the ones who were not vaccinated,” Jimenez said. For people who feel the pandemic ended, Jimenez said it was never over. “Whenever people have said that to me, I say, you don’t live my life,” he said. “Because if you did, you would see people in pretty sick conditions all the time.” UF reached its highest positivity rates since March, with 46 reported positive cases out of 826 tests from July 18 to July 24. Daily case number trends surpassed those seen in July 2020, peaking at a 6% seven-day average positivity rate for the third week of July. The number of people in quarantine or isolation almost quadrupled from the second to third week of July, going from 95 to 374 people. Of the total, 143 are students, 123 are employees, 102 are UF affiliates and six are unknown. The highly infectious Delta variant, which was first identified in the U.S. in March, now accounts for 83% of cases in the U.S., according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Delta variant is spreading 50% faster than the Alpha variant, which was 50% more contagious than the original strain of the virus. People who are fully vaccinated appear to have protection against Delta, according to Yale Medicine. Delta is now the dominant strain worldwide, identified in 100 countries since December.

In Florida, Delta accounts for over 36% Delta variant, UF Health changed its visiof unweighted proportions of variants of tation policies July 21 to protect staff, paconcern and other lineages, according to tients and visitors. All admitted patients are required to receive a COVID-19 test rethe CDC. Young adults are the least likely group gardless of vaccination status. Visitation in UF Health Emergency to get vaccinated. While 80% of people 65 and older have received one or more doses, Rooms will continue to be limited, in addionly 38% of those aged 18-29 have been tion to following specific guidelines for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, Adult vaccinated, according to a May CDC post. A UF Health release in May estimated Hospitals and Outpatient Surgical Centers. While doubling down on upcoming that between 70% and 80% of UF students have received a COVID-19 vaccine. The community vaccination outreach efforts estimate is based on informal polls at the and messaging to build trust in vaccines, testing site, conversations with staff and Jimenez said masking recommendations will come students and “TRUST THE UF SCIENTISTS. YOU TRUST from guidits own vacfrom cination num- US FOR GATORADE, YOU TRUST US TO DO ance AI, YOU TRUST US TO DO MARINE BIOL- scientists and bers. OGY — WHY STOP TRUSTING US NOW?” public health After over officials. two months Ed Jimenez To combat of requests UF Health Shands CEO spikes in casfrom The Alligator, UF has not provided supporting data es among unvaccinated people, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said July 18 for the estimation. Over 60,0000 vaccines have been ad- that he supports local counties reinstating ministered across UF’s vaccination sites, mask mandates. In May, the CDC guideUF Senior Vice President for Health Affairs lines lifted masks recommendations for fully vaccinated people in indoor settings, he David Nelson said. Since July 16, Alachua County reported said, but it also gave local officials flexibilan 11.4% new case positivity rate, which is ity to respond to new outbreaks, according 4.5% higher than the national 6.9% seven- to the Washington Post. With more students on campus and posday average positivity. Meanwhile, Florida reached 15.1% new itive cases spiking, testing increased over case positivity for July 16 to 22, according 215% from 262 tests for the second week of July to 826 tests for the third week. to the Florida Department of Health. As of July 25, the total number of Florida is now the epicenter of the pandemic. Nationally, Florida ranked the positive cases since March 2020 reached worst for the number of weekly cases with 10,386. Of these cases, 7,224 were stuover 73,000 new positive cases, according dents, 1,655 were employees, 1,506 were UF affiliates and one was unknown. to the CDC. The Florida Department of Health is no Due to the rapid rise in cases and the

longer releasing daily COVID-19 updates and county death statistics. “The part that nobody really sees is the amount of work that’s involved to collect and submit this data,” Jimenez said. “I would rather have my people taking care of the COVID patients.” Alachua County reported June 3 a total of 285 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. There have been a total of 26,683 cases and 140,496 people vaccinated, according to the Florida Department of Health. There were 664 new positive cases and 1,220 people vaccinated from July 16 to July 22, according to the Florida Department of Health. New positive cases increased over 400% from the 131 cases reported for the week of July 2, according to Alachua County. “The increases are startling,” the official Alachua County July 16 post stated. UF Health is offering walk-up vaccinations, and Alachua County has upcoming walk-up vaccine clinics at Thomas Coward Auditorium. Vaccinations kicked off nearly eight months ago, and by now, Jimenez said people should trust the scientists about the safety of the mRNA technology used in Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The U.S. has administered over 341 million vaccine doses, according to the CDC. “Trust the UF scientists,” Jimenez said. “You trust us for Gatorade, you trust us to do AI, you trust us to do marine biology — why stop trusting us now?”

“I don’t like going out at night.” FLASHING, from pg. 1 suspicious incidents to burglary and assault at the Gainesville Place apartments at 2800 SW 35th Place in the last two years, according to Gainesville Police Department records. Burglary is the most common crime reported at the complex, and a crime is reported about once every two weeks according to GPD records. Indecent exposure and flashing comprised three reported crimes, although sexual assault crimes often go unreported. Gainesville Place and its parent company, the Collier Company, did not return requests to comment after two phone calls on different days. Wagner’s exposure to public masturbation occured in the 1300 building while she helped her older sister carry luggage from her car to her upstairs apartment for a visit in August. On their second trip up from the car, a man was sprawled out on the stairs waiting for them and masturbating. “I freaked out. I was just like ‘what the f----?’” Wagner said. “I

was really scared.” She said she turned around and calmly went up the other set of stairs, and the man finished and walked off. The police told her there was nothing they could do because there was no proof, Wagner said. She complained to Gainesville Place management about the need for cameras, but they weren’t installed. “There’s people coming here without their parents for the first time, especially young girls, and they’re living by themselves for the first time,” Wagner said. Wagner said she does not feel safe and knows of at least five other people who have had runins with public masturbation at the complex. “They neglect their tenants and their wants and needs, especially their basic safety,” Wagner said. “There’s young girls coming here… and it’s their duty to keep us safe and at least have evidence if anything happens.” Witnesses of public masturbation can feel violated even if they were not touched or seen by the flasher, Matt Pearce, a licensed clinical social worker and psycho-

therapist, said. Many witnesses feel shame. “Whether you were in a bathing suit, whether you were at a party, whatever you were doing, it does not matter. [If] consent was not gained, then it is not your fault,” Pearce said. Anywhere from 30 to 60% of people fantasize about having some form of sex in a public place, he said, and that’s completely normal. It becomes unsafe when nonconsenting parties are forced to be involved. Kink and fetish communities can meet these needs in a consensual way, he said. About a month ago, Gainesville Place management sent Arielle Cortina, a 21-year-old UF history major, a message warning of a man exposing himself in the stairwells. The message went out after a Reddit post about safety at Gainesville Place gained over 60 comments and 450 upvotes last month. Sometimes Cortina goes to the gym at night and runs back to her car after her workout. “I don’t like going out at night, because it gets kind of dark around here,” Cortina said.

Greyson Graham, a 20-yearold UF environmental science major who lives next to the stairwell where the alleged masturbation took place, sees public masturbation as a serial problem around the building. “He’s been here for months,” Graham said. “I got pepper spray because of [him].” Samantha Moron lives at Gainesville Place and is a 21-yearold UF psychology and women’s studies major. On St. Patrick’s Day her first year at the complex, she and one of her roommates were home alone settling in to watch a movie when there was a loud knock on the door at about 11 p.m., she said. Moron looked through the peephole and saw a man running toward the door before slamming into it. She and her roommate locked themselves in Moron’s bathroom and called the police. The man didn’t go away for almost a half-hour, but police did not arrive in time to catch him, she said. She described another incident where she heard another knock late at night in Summer 2019. This time, she saw a man through

@harris_alex_m aharris@alligator.org

the peephole taking tools out of a DoorDash bag. She said the man then began working on the door, presumably trying to get it open. The man left when he heard her run to tell her roommate what was happening, she said. Last November, she and three friends were at the pool near building 1300 at night. A man entered the pool deck and sat down across the pool from them, she said. He went into the pool bathroom and masturbated while staring at her group. Moron was scared to leave because the man was near the exit. They flagged down a group walking to the parking lot to chase the man away. The person who helped them had heard of the man masturbating before. Moron and her friends reported the incident to GPD, but because they did not pick the same picture in a lineup of possible suspects that night, the responding officer was unable to charge anyone with a crime, according to a GPD report. Though Moron spoke to the complex about the incident, she said Gainesville Place told her there wasn’t much they could do and they can’t pick their neighbors. @samschaf_ sschaffer@alligator.org

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 ALLIGATOR 5

Open container ordinance upheld Dr. Leon Haley Jr., CEO of UF Health after spirited debate Jacksonville, dies in a watercraft accident HALEY, 56, WAS ALSO DEAN OF UF’S COLLEGE OF MEDICINE - JACKSONVILLE By Juliana Ferrie Alligator Staff Writer

to excess regardless of where you’re doing it,” Saco said. “It is not a matter of where you drink — it is a matter of how much you’re going to drink and that choice you make.” Saco also said open container laws punish homeless people who don’t have a private place to have a drink. Mayor Lauren Poe agreed the open container laws were created to harass poor people. ”They don’t have a private place that they can go enjoy a beverage,” Poe said. “Wherever they do it, they are breaking the law.” Poe also mentioned that alcohol in private settings can intensify domestic and sexual violence, whereas public settings may discourage violence. “I am equally outraged against the increase in domestic abuse and sexual violence that we’ve especially seen over the last 18 months,” he said. Policing whether someone can have a beer on the sidewalk is not the way to solve problems like gun violence, Poe said. Most public commentators spoke against permanently allowing open containers on the streets with some expressing concerns about underage drinking becoming easier under this ordinance. Poe refuted this idea, however. “This doesn’t lower the drinking age,” he said. “It’s still illegal. In fact, if they’re out in public doing it, it’s much easier for us to intervene.” One commentator took a shot at Poe, suggesting he provide his home address so parents of kids who drunkenly fall off scooters and get injured can go to his house to ask why he voted to keep the open container ordinance as it is. Poe said the commentator crossed a line and prefers leaving his family and their home out of the conversation. One resident, who lives three blocks from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, is concerned about the large crowds of people drinking in her neighborhood that would come with football weekends. “They are now allowing open containers, and I just can’t imagine what that’s gonna be like, because it was bad enough when they weren’t allowed,” Jane Brockmann, a retired UF professor, said. “There’d be so many drunk people.” Brockmann understands why open container laws would be lifted in areas like downtown, but she said she does not understand why they aren’t preserved in neighborhoods like hers. “I think it’s just totally nuts,” she said.

Dr. Leon Haley Jr., the CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of UF College of Medicine - Jacksonville, died in an accident July 24 in South Florida. Haley, 56, was operating a personal watercraft and was ejected from it, Carol Lyn Parrish, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission South Region public information director, wrote in an email. He was found wearing a life jacket and was transported Haley, Jr. to St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, where he was pronounced dead, she wrote. FWC is currently investigating the incident. “All of the members of the FWC want to express our sincere sympathies to Dr. Haley’s family, friends and his colleagues at the University of Florida Health Jacksonville,” Parrish wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them.” Haley served as the CEO of UF Health Jacksonville starting in 2018, when he became the first Black person to hold the position. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University before going on to earn his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Daniel Leveton, the media relations manager at UF Health Jacksonville, wrote in an email. At the University of Michigan, Haley studied to earn his master of health services administration. He became the dean of the UF College of Medicine - Jacksonville in 2017, Leveton wrote. Haley was instrumental in the fight against COVID-19 and was believed to be the first person in Florida to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to Action News Jax. Haley’s death is a tremendous loss for his family, friends, people he led at UF, communities in North Florida and across the country, Dr. David R. Nelson, the president of UF Health and senior vice president for health affairs, wrote in an email statement. While his leadership and friendship will be missed, UF Health will continue his vision, he wrote. “Dr. Haley was such an incredible leader and colleague to all of us at UF Health, but he was also a good friend to so many, an amazing advocate for equality in health care, and most importantly a man of integrity who always wanted to do the right thing,” Nelson wrote. Several people took to social media to pay tribute to Haley. UF President Kent Fuchs was among them, writing on Twitter Haley was a leader others aspire to be. Student Body President Cooper Brown and Treasurer Giovanna Mompremier are authoring a resolution to honor Haley’s life, according to an email.

@alexlugo67 alugo@alligator.org

@juliana_f616 jferrie@alligator.org

Alligator File Photo

Photo of Midtown, a popular bar and restaurant hub in Gainesville located across the street from UF.

RESTRICTIONS ON THE GAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S ABILITY TO ENFORCE OPEN CONTAINER LAWS ON CITY PROPERTY GETS FURTHER APPROVAL FROM MOST CITY COMMISSIONERS By Alexander Lugo Alligator Staff Writer

Gainesville is one step closer to permanently allowing the consumption of alcohol in public. Open container laws were originally lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid large crowds in restaurants and bars. Gainesville’s city commission voted 4-3 July 19 to keep the change in place, but a second vote will be required to make it permanent. Commissioner David Arreola, Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker and Commissioner Gail Johnson opposed the amendment. The commission also approved a review of the city’s rules allowing for hookah bars to be open past 2 a.m. Additionally, the ordinance would explore how the city could potentially begin enforcing noise complaints more often. The vote to maintain the open container laws as they are currently followed an hour-long debate about how they could influence the prevalence of gun violence, which is rising in Gainesville. “Given the fact that we’re not winning this battle with gun violence, I can’t put my stamp of support on something that statistics show will exacerbate violent behaviors,” Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker said. An Epidemiological Reviews study recommended viewing alcohol as a risk factor that can contribute to gun violence. Duncan-Walker cited a shooting that injured two people just 30 minutes before she spoke at the meeting. Another shooting July 18 killed one person and injured four others. Both shootings occurred in Duncan-Walker’s district in East Gainesville. Commissioner Reina Saco said she agreed that while alcohol can exacerbate violence, it does not cause violence. “I think the issue we have is a gun control and gun safety issue, not so much an alcohol issue,” Saco said. She also said the lack of restrictions on where you can drink doesn’t affect the amount of drunkenness in the streets. Gainesville has bars where people can drink then go out into the streets anyway, she said. “If you are going to drink to excess, you are going to drink

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2021

UF welcomes first Ph.D. Retirement community installs first solar panels in plant breeding program, shift toward sustainability first in Florida THE INAUGURATED CLASS WILL CONSIST OF SEVEN STUDENTS WHO WILL HAVE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WORKING IN LABS AND FIELDS WITH THEIR SPECIALIZED PLANT By Isabella Douglas Alligator Staff Writer

Photo by Phong Huynh

Workers carry the first solar panel installed on the rooftops of Oak Hammock at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

OAK HAMMOCK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BECOMES THE FIRST CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY TO SHIFT TOWARD SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IN FLORIDA By Phong Huynh Alligator Staff Writer

A single solar panel lifted onto the rooftops of a retirement community was ready for the sun as a new sustainability project finally saw daylight. Oak Hammock Retirement Community at UF on 5100 SW 25th Blvd. will become the first continuing care retirement community in Florida to shift toward sustainable energy. Its first solar panel was installed in front of residents and project managers on July 20. “Failure can be done alone; success requires a team,” Nelson Logan, a resident and engineer of the project, said. The more than four-year endeavor started with 24 panels installed by Solar Impact, a local solar panel installer. They are the first of 682 bifacial panels, which will capture and generate solar power for the whole community. The Oak Hammock Chief Financial Officer Andrew Davey said the project cost $603,000 and said the power bill per month would be 5% lower. Solar panels have a lifespan of about 25 to 30 years, according to an Oak Hammock press release. The panels will also generate an annual $50,000 in savings. Logan said he was initially unsure whether the project would come to fruition. “It’s gratifying to think that we’re doing a little part in trying to be economic using our resources wisely,” he said. The project was proposed by the late Lee Bidgood, a chemical engineer and resident of the community. Logan said after Bidgood retired, he moved to Oak Hammock and thought the roof

should be used to support solar power. “This is going to be a 30-year warranty kind of project; and most of us will be gone, but others will benefit from it and the planet will benefit from it,” Logan said. Barry Jacobson, the company’s president and founder, said he was approached about the Oak Hammock project 12 years ago. John Paul, one of the engineers and residents, said the support of the Oak Hammock community made the project possible. “At the end of the day everybody kind of collaborated: that’s both the user community together with management,” he said. “That was a big piece of this that there was no pushback from management, because if we could make a business case and it made sense, they were more than willing to listen.” Bill Rossi, one of the engineers and residents, pitched the project to the finance committee of the Oak Hammock Board of Directors in a presentation on Oct. 15, 2019. The board of directors approved the project in February 2020. “A lot of people talk about renewable energy and using some wind, water to generate our electricity rather than coal fired plants,” he said. “We’ve done something about it: the big difference between talking about it and doing something about it.” Rossi said other communities and individuals need to rethink how they impact the environment to be sustainable. “Little habit changes by a lot of people end up being big effects,” he said. “People need to start thinking in terms of economics and saving this planet.” As Logan, Paul and Rossi witnessed the first panel being installed, they smiled and shook hands with each other. ”I feel pride because we have done something good for Oak Hammock,” Rossi said. “It’s a big win for this community, it’s a big win for Oak Hammock and it’s a big win for us.” @phongphont phunyh@alligator.org.

After almost seven years of discussions and proposals, UF will welcome its first class of Ph.D. plant breeding students Fall 2020. The new program is one of six in the country and the only one in Florida. Led by newly established plant breeding graduate program director Patricio Muñoz, the program will bring students hands-on experience in the fields and labs ensuring crops resists diseases, fruits taste good and plants emit a pleasant aroma. “Every product that we create or we develop, it can have a huge impact on the sustainability of the way things are done in agriculture,” Muñoz, an associate professor at UF’s Horticulture Science Department and a blueberry breeder, said. “One of my goals as an educator is to transmit this passion to my students.” Muñoz said the state depends on the products or varieties that have been developed by plant breeders. UF has created two industry hybrids, Yellowstone and Everglades, from the sweet corn breeding program, which is now available commercially. “We already have an excellent group of plant breeders creating a huge impact, not just for the university, the state, the country, but also globally,” Muñoz said. As one of the seven students in the first cohort, Mark Porter, a 22-yearold Pennsylvania State plant sciences graduate, will specialize in genetics of strawberry flavor. “I was confident that I wanted to do the program at University of Florida,” Porter said. “That kind of was an advantage in that sense because I knew right away what I was going to get to work on.” Porter remembers being amazed at the different variations of fruits and vegetables as a kid. He credits his trips to the grocery store and gardening for his love of plants and passion for plant breeding. “I saw, like, a red banana for the first time and I was like, ‘What? I thought bananas were only yellow,’” Porter said. “Like it almost blew my mind.” During his sophomore year at Pennsylvania State, he took a class on plant breeding with professor of plant genetics Majid Foolad, who opened

his eyes to the significance of the field and inspired him to continue down this career path. “He stressed this need for plant breeders and how, you know, as the world changes, the climate changes — we’re going to need to really innovate with our approach to creating new varieties,” Porter said. UF/IFAS employs 27 faculty members across seven research and education centers in Florida. They breed 50 diverse plant species, including blueberries located at UF’s main campus and strawberries in the Gulf Coast. Vance Whitaker, chair of the plant breeding working group and associate professor of horticulture, works with strawberries at the Gulf Coast research and education center. In his department, precision breeding faculty will be hired specifically for the plant breeding program. The program is funded by UF/IFAS and UF/CALS for personnel, recruitment, fellowships and tuition assistance, Whitaker said. “One of the big motivations for creating this unified graduate program was the hope that it would help us attract the very best students to come to UF,” Whitaker said. “Having this cross departmental program gives us greater visibility to compete with other land grant institutions around the U.S. that have strong plant breeding programs.” In the proposal to the Board of Governors, Whitaker said it was easy to justify the need for the plant breeding program. “It’s just an area with a lot of demand right now,” Whitaker said. “Creating better crops that you know yield more and on less land and can be more sustainably produced are you know going to have to be a huge part of the solution to feeding a world that has a burgeoning population.” The program will include in-person and online coursework. Plant breeding working group overall coordinator Eliana Kampf wrote the program will include molecular techniques, quantitative genetics and analysis of breeding trials. It will attract federal and private funding which in turn will be used toward educating new plant breeding graduates. “In the future we plan to recruit additional top-notch students by broadly targeting prospective students in peer institutions,” Kampf wrote. “A proactive recruitment plan to identify and attract top state, national and international students to the University of Florida and align it with its pre-eminence goals is in motion.” @Ad_Scribendum idouglas@alligator.org

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

THEATRE

Acrosstown Repertory Theatre reopens with ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ THE ABRIDGED COMEDY FEATURES ALL OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS IN A FEMALE-LED PERFORMANCE

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare'' has been in production for three years and has been performed at various venues, including Faux Tales, outdoor bars and the University of Florida’s driveway theater project. After performing the same show Bryce Brown for the last three years, the cast decidAvenue Staff Writer ed to revamp the show for its final season. This time, they will be adorning Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, a Shakespearean garments and British Gainesville-based non-profit organizaaccents to stay true to the original text. tion, reopened July 23 after a year and “It's been cool to be able to — not a half of being shut down due to the rewrite it — but put our own twist on COVID-19 pandemic. it and use our own senses of humor to Its first producreally make it our tion to kick off the own,” Baynard season is the “The said “I feel very Complete Works deeply attached to of William Shakethe show and it's speare,” which is gonna be sad to a comedic retelling not do it again.” of all 37 of ShakeThe show was speare’s plays in originally writ97 minutes. The ten for men to fill show will run the roles, but this through Aug. 8 on time, women are Fridays and Saturtaking to the stage. days at 8 p.m. and Actress Emma Sundays at 2 p.m. Grimm, 25, was Monica Cross, grateful for the opthe 33-year-old diPhoto by Houston Harwood portunity this play rector on the board Miranda Campos, 20, the stage director at the Acrosstown Reperprovided to give of the Acrosstown women a voice in tory Theatre, steps outside before a showing of "The Complete Repertory Thea theater indusWorks of WIlliam Shakespeare” on Saturday, July 24, 2021. The atre, said “The try that has long Complete Works show runs from July 22 to August 8 at the theater’s 619 S Main been dominated of William ShakeStreet location. The compilation production transforms 37 historiby men. speare” was the cal plays, tragedies and comedies into a single 90-minute show. “It means evperfect play to lift erything to me the mood of the because as a perGainesville audi“The theaters have been dark for former, in both theater and film, I'm ence. a while. But it slowly felt like coming more often than not working with “As we were planning our re- home,” she said. opening, we really felt like everyone Hutton hopes the show will bring a crews that are mostly men,” she said. right now collectively needed a good sense of normalcy back to the theater “Getting to do it as three women has laugh,” she said. “I'm really hoping community and offer the audience a been a really unique experience because it's a complete rarity.” that this show will be a breath of fresh different experience. Hutton said the familiarity of air.” “It's been a long and difficult year Shakespeare’s material will help welShakespeare’s “electricity” in his and a half for everybody, and so I work is a major reason his stories can hope that everybody will enjoy being come audience members back to the be adapted and remain entertaining together again and laughing togeth- theater. “It's comforting in a way to go to for audiences today, Cross said. er,” she said. “Live theater is not like “The problems that they are deal- watching Netflix. It's not like watching the theater and see a show that you're ing with are very fundamental prob- a movie, even in a movie theater. It re- already familiar with,” Hutton said. lems like family drama, relationship ally relies on the energy, the breath, “There's a little bit in it for everyone. drama, and yet it's taken to these ex- the feeling of everybody in the room.” And I think that's what makes this tremes,” she said. “That sort of energy Baynard expressed her excitement show so fun and something everyone is so exciting, and I think that that's for theater to return to the community. can enjoy.” Acrosstown Repertory Theatre will what brings people back to Shake“Theater is such a powerful thing,” speare continuously.” she said. “For me, anyway, it's a form host its annual gala on Aug. 21, which Cross said “The Complete Works of escape and especially as an audi- will help raise money for the upcomof William Shakespeare” tones down ence member, it takes you out of your ing season. Shakespeare’s drama, humorously daily life for an hour or two. There's @brycebrownnn acknowledging his bizarre storylines that energy exchange. There's somebbrown@alligator.org and self-awareness of the pedestal the thing about being around other living world has put him on. breathing human beings.” “The show really picks fun at Shakespeare as much as it reveres him,” said Rikki Baynard, a UF English literature third-year student performing in the upcoming shows. The play features a three-person cast, which Cross said made it easier to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines. “[We’re] trying to re-engage the community and bring everyone back together in a safe environment,” she said. Jennifer Hutton, a 35-year-old actress in the show, said it felt unusual being back in the theater after such a long hiatus.

Keep up with the Avenue on Twitter. Tweet us @TheFloridaAve.

Burleigh to the pros

Former UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh takes over as interim head coach of the Orlando Pride pg. 11

Alumnus’ debut novel is a nostalgic homage to UF student life

DAN YMAS’ BOOK RECOUNTS THE THRILLS AND TROUBLES OF YOUNG ADULTHOOD IN GAINESVILLE By Brenna Sheets Avenue Staff Writer

Described as “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” meets “The Catcher in the Rye” on Amazon, Dan Ymas’ debut novel is UF’s newest coming-of-age story. “The Nights We Won’t Forget” follows the life of a nameless Hispanic UF junior trying to navigate the world of young adulthood in Gainesville. With honorable mentions of Gainesville staples like Grog House Grill, Leonardo’s Pizza, Tatu Restaurant & Lounge and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Ymas’ book details the adventure, pressure and excitement that comes with being a college student at UF. Self-published on Amazon June 26, “The Nights We Won’t Forget” is 283 pages long and is currently ranked No. 29 on Amazon’s Teen & Young Adult Hispanic & Latino American Fiction eBooks list. Ymas was born in Argentina in 1994. Eight years later, his family moved to Weston, Florida, where he spent his childhood and adolescence aspiring to be an astronomer and professional tennis player. His time at UF, however, would ultimately propel him to become a software engineer by graduation in 2017 and an author by 2021. Ymas reflected on his own experiences as a Hispanic student at UF to build the narrator’s Hispanic identity. “I think the narrator has this tendency to kind of go on tangents as the story unfolds, and I think his culture definitely plays a big role,” Ymas said. “Feeling that there's this dual identity between being American and having grown up in the U.S., but also being Hispanic and kind of trying to keep that part of himself alive as well.” “The Nights We Won’t Forget” is a recount of lessons learned from college, according to Ymas. “I think the book is pretty much a coming-of-age story from this narrative point of view,” he said. “It's a guy going through his junior year of college talking about pretty typical college things — falling for girls and things not working out, drinking and then stopping the drinking.” After graduating from UF with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Ymas moved out west to Seattle to work for a tech company. Having to face a brand new social environment along with the bitter Seattle weather made him nostalgic for his college years in the sunshine state. “My girlfriend was at UF still, so I was in Seattle feeling pretty lonely,” Ymas said. “The winters in Seattle get very bleak, and it’s cloudy all the time.” While in Seattle, Ymas began journaling about his time at UF, filling pages of notebooks with memories of love, heartbreak, partying and maturing. Eventually, he decided to draft his journal entries into one all-encompassing novel. While “The Nights We Won’t Forget” is fictional, Ymas said many characters in the book possess traits of real people he knew in Gainesville. “The characters are based on friends or people I knew, but a lot of the characters are a mix of people,” Ymas said. “There's not a oneto-one mapping.” Samantha Morocz, a 2018 UF alumna, read “The Nights We Won’t Forget” after receiving an advanced copy from Ymas. One of her favorite themes from the book is the coming-of-age storyline. “In college, you’re kind of in the middle of becoming an adult, but you’re still a kid,” Morocz said. “You have to handle that transition more than any other time in your life, and I think I really related to that.” As a Venezuelan American, Morocz said Ymas’ detailing of college life for Hispanic students is told with empathy and understanding. “I think the narrator says something like, ‘When you’re from two different places, you sometimes feel like you’re from neither,’” Morocz said. “I think the narrator captures that feeling of ‘where do I belong?’ very well.” Ymas plans to write more books in the future and eventually develop a career as a writer. “That’s actually been a dream of mine, to do this full-time at some point. But for now, I'm writing in my spare time, and hopefully, we'll have something else next year.” @BrennaMarieShe1 BrennaSheets@gmail.com

8 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021

Gainesville-born hair professional is returning to teach classes THE OWNER OF HEALTHY HAIR TRESSES WILL SHARE HER SKILLS AND PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE TO RESIDENTS By Lucille Lannigan Alligator Staff Writer

Tabreshia Bloodworth is returning to Gainesville to share her knowledge on healthy hair care with the community she grew up in. After moving to Orlando for greater client opportunities, her homecoming will feature a $250 class on Aug. 1. She also plans to launch a website where she’ll post online courses. Bloodworth, 31, owns Healthy Hair Tresses, a small business selling healthy hair products like oils, edge tamers and defrizzers. She also developed her own silk press system, which uses six products to maintain healthy and shiny hair after receiving a silk press, a process that straightens hair with a flat iron. She plans to teach a class at the salon she works at in Gainesville, Hairport Salon and Barber Suites located at 4110 SW 34th St. The salon fosters a nice atmosphere with an open floor to teach up to five people, Bloodworth said. The class will teach students of all ages how to do their hair in a safe way using products and techniques that Bloodworth has created over time. “I know that a lot of people don’t actually do natural hair and are not

Graphic by Ashley Hicks

really focused on healthy hair,” Bloodworth said. “Maybe if I can teach what I know, maybe people would want to do it.” She believes the class could be a great opportunity for people to pick up new skills, like hair product and tool knowledge. Healthy hair has always been important to Bloodworth as she used to wear her hair in wraps to maintain it. After working as a certified nurse’s assistant for five years, she said she decided to follow her true passion and studied hairdressing. At school, she learned skills like cutting hair and how to use chemi-

cals for coloring in a healthy way. After graduating, she gained inspiration from the owners of Si Salon located at 5010 W Newberry Road who specialized in making products to turn naturally curly hair silky straight. She worked with them for two years before working on her own. “I was able to learn how to give the hair a healthy look and what products to use especially for our culture,” Bloodworth said. She decided to move to Orlando in September to open a bigger salon and build a clientele but returns to Gainesville once a month to offer services to clients.

“I figured that I would service my home area first before servicing the Orlando area only because I’m known there,” Bloodworth said. Her clients believe the class will be beneficial as well. Jeriah Owens, a 29-year-old Orlando resident, gets her 8-year-old daughter’s hair done by Bloodworth. She believes Bloodworth is offering a huge opportunity for others to learn how to care for their own hair properly. She said her daughter has a lot of hair that is difficult to straighten. It was often damaged before they started going to Bloodworth. “There was a big comparison

difference when I went to Tabreshia because literally her hair is silky, and I really feel like it’s the product that she use,” Owens said. On top of being extremely knowledgeable about hair care, Owens said Bloodworth’s prices are extremely reasonable and she creates a professional but friendly environment. Owens said Bloodworth’s edge control and hair serum works well and has helped both her and her daughter’s damaged hair grow and become healthy. Michaela Dudley, a 41-year-old Gainesville resident, has been going to Bloodworth for about three years to get hair washes and silk presses. Bloodworth’s process and products have helped her hair grow, she said. Bloodworth also gives instructions on how to maintain the hair at home. “I like the product she use. I like the way she washes my hair. I know it’s gonna be fully clean,” Dudley said. “I don’t let a lot of people do my hair.” She received flyers about Bloodworth’s class and thinks it’s a great idea, but she doesn’t want to see Bloodworth stop doing hair. “I was like ‘Girl, God gave you a talent. You’re supposed to use that talent. And I know you want to teach, but you probably should do both,’” Dudley said. “When people share their talents to help other people grow or make money, I think that’s nice.” @lucillelannigan llannigan@alligator.org

Keeping students committed: UF admissions to focus on retaining admitted students ABOUT 2% OF STUDENTS ORIGINALLY COMMITTED TO UF CHOOSE TO PURSUE DEGREES ELSEWHERE By Eve Thompson Alligator Staff Writer

Anxiously awaiting SAT and ACT scores, painstakingly drafting and editing the perfect essay, finally submitting the completed application — students spend months working hard on college applications, but they are not the final step in the journey to attend a dream school. Soon after applications are sent off, there are decision days — a celebratory acceptance or a heartbreaking rejection. Inevitably, some will commit to one school, or even multiple schools, but go back on their decisions, either because they were accepted off a waitlist or changed their minds. In university admissions, this phenomenon is called melt. UF’s melt rate is 2-3%, according to Tammy Aagard, associate vice president for enrollment management — a number significantly lower than the national average of 10-20%. Aagard also said UF’s melt rate has been similarly low in previous years. While UF’s melt rate is already low, the admissions team wants to decrease it even more, Aagard said. Melt occurs for many different reasons, ranging from financial aid awards to spots at more prestigious universities. Aagard mentioned UF cannot always offer students additional financial aid. However, she said the admissions staff helps families make the best

decision for their budget. “We do information sessions to help them understand their financial aid award, and really be able to make the best decision for them regarding fit and finances and all those things that the families must consider when they are making a decision about college,” Aagard said. Aagard also said the majority of admitted students who turn down UF do so because they were admitted to a different, more prestigious university off a waitlist.

the nation,” Wyatt said. Duke’s location in the Research Triangle, the nickname for North Carolina’s researchuniversity-packed Piedmont region, was another plus, he said. While students like Wyatt decided based on prestige and reputation, others reconsidered because of the pandemic. Students must consider several new factors, including closeness to home, delivery methods, as well as vaccination and mask requirements.

Graphic by Shelby Cotta

Max Wyatt was one of those students. As the valedictorian of his class, he applied to seven different universities, including UF, Duke and Notre Dame. Accepted to all three, he committed to Notre Dame but finally decided to go to Duke instead. “Duke has a top 10 engineering program in

Olivia Giraldo, a 19-year-old UF finance sophomore, applied to four other schools, including UCF and FSU. She was accepted into four of the five but chose UF because she said her tuition was completely paid by the Bright Futures Scholarship program. Giraldo also said the finance program at

UF is one of the best, and she decided on UF over the other universities because of its ranking. “I think that I am really lucky to be at UF. As far as where I want to go in my career, because I’m hoping to do the Master of Science in finance program, which is like an investment banking track, and those tracks are usually really difficult if you’re not at an Ivy League school,” Giraldo said. However, what truly makes or breaks a decision, Aagard said, is the campus. It’s also a tool admissions staff uses to lower the melt rate. “I think probably one of the best things to combat melt, and where we’ve been perhaps the most hindered this year, has been getting students on campus,” Aagard said. “There’s nothing that can replace really physically coming to a place and being able to see yourself there.” Location is key for most students, including Emma Fernandez, an 18-year-old biology freshman at UCLA. Originally from Tampa, she said she wanted to go somewhere new for college. “I wanted to branch out more, and just go completely either by myself or with a couple of friends, just so I can be more forced to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people,” Fernandez said. She was also accepted at UF, but the location was not what she envisioned, she said. When she visited UCLA, she knew it was where she wanted to be. “It definitely did help me because I feel like, when you go to the actual campus, you get more of the vibe and the feeling of what your future would be there,” Fernandez said. @evealanaa ethompson@alligator.org

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King Features Weekly Ser vice

January 27, 2020

by Fifi Rodriguez

See alligator.org for more information

5. GAMES: What is the sum of all numbers on a roulette wheel? 6.

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10 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021

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MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/sports

FOOTBALL

Gators take to podium at SEC Media Week

HEAD COACH DAN MULLEN AND DEFENDERS ZACH CARTER AND VENTRELL MILLER EACH SPOKE IN HOOVER, ALABAMA.

Jesse Richardson Sports Writer

The media floodgates opened July 19 after Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen, defensive lineman Zach Carter and linebacker Ventrell Miller kicked off the first day of SEC Media Week. The packed room of media members had plenty of questions for both the fifth-year coach and the defensive leaders to ponder, including the new mentality of the defense. Mullen first greeted the reporters with a bright smile to display his overall excitement for the new season. “It’s really exciting to be back, to see everybody here and the excitement of media day,” Mullen said. “The excitement of the season coming and being live in person again, not having to look at everybody through computer screens and to do that, I’m really excited to be here and get that kicked off.” It’s clear the coach was ecstatic for the football world to return to some kind of normalcy after UF cleared the way for full capacity at sporting events, including those at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. “That energy in the stadium, those are things that we really missed, and I can’t wait for that opening night in The Swamp to feel that energy and excitement of our fans and everybody coming out to see us play again,” Mullen said.

Defensive focus

Mullen and Carter used their time to highlight a key focus going into the 2021 season: defensive attitude. “Really, with me, the attitude of our defense is what I’m really pleased with,” Mullen said. “The energy, we play a lot of guys defensively, roll guys through to keep them fresh and healthy, and I’m really excited about the mindset, the attitude that the defense as a whole is bringing to the table and the leadership that they have within our program.” The Gators finished in the middle of the SEC pack defensively last season, as they surrendered 30.8 points a game (8th in the conference) and allowed opposing offenses to gain 6.1 yards per play (10th). The Alabama Crimson Tide took advantage of the weak UF defense in the SEC Championship, putting up 52 points and denying Mullen his first conference crown. Carter and Miller made the trip to Hoover, Alabama, to set the premise for the Gators defensive mentality. Carter enters

his fifth year of eligibility and believes his final year with the team will be a recovery for Florida after the SEC Championship loss. “We knew we had some things to work on this year defensively definitely, and I think spring was a great step forward,” Carter said. “Going into camp, we’re looking to bounce back.” The lineman returns to compete with the Gators and feels that there’s still more to accomplish playing under Dan Mullen that he wants to be a part of. “I remember after the SEC Championship game, I probably stayed on the field for about five minutes after watching the confetti come down and all of that,” Carter explained.” At that moment, I knew, I was like, we’ll be back.” Linebacker Ventrell Miller believes the Gators are the team to beat in the SEC East. “We came out and we won the East,” Miller boasted. “I feel like we’re the undisputed champions in the East. Like I said, we’re looking forward to coming out and winning the whole thing. We come out every year ready to go and ready to rock and roll.” Carter closed his session with a promise he made to himself and the rest of the locker room: “I’m going to give everything I’ve got this year and I’m going to try to help my team the best I can, help lead my team in some type of way.” The Florida Gators officially return on Sept. 4 against the Florida Atlantic Owls in Gainesville, as Ben Hill Griffin Stadium welcomes a full house of fans after the 2020 season reduced the stadium capacity to 25%.

12-team playoff “destined to happen?”

The madness of SEC Media Days continued into July 20, and the hot topic of the day was the newly proposed college football playoff expansion. Opinions are scattered across the NCAA about the expansion proposal. Head coaches such as Clemson’s Dabo Swinney criticized the idea, while Oklahoma Sooners leader Lincoln Riley said his team’s emotions are a “bit of a mixed bag.” Mullen took the podium to kick off the first day of SEC Media Week July 19 and was asked about his thoughts on the playoff expansion. The fifth-year coach seems to have a neutral stance. “I’m just here to coach football,” Mullen replied. “I think, when the playoffs started, if you’d have asked me, you created the four-team playoff, I said it’s going to change a lot of things about college football, not immediately, but it will in the long haul. I think eventually it will, and eventually, we will end up getting to an expansion. I would imagine that would come sometime in the future.”

Courtesy of The Associated Press

Florida head coach Dan Mullen speaks to reporters during the NCAA college football Southeastern Conference Media Days Monday, July 19, 2021, in Hoover, Ala. Mullen continued his thoughts and explained that everyone, including the CFP committee, is still trying to figure out the right way to handle things. “I think we’re still learning, it’s interesting to see,” Mullen continued. “Last year we had several opt-outs during the bowl game. Last year was also just a very, very difficult year as a whole mentally and emotionally.” Carter shared his point of view as well. “When I heard about 12 teams, I was kind of like that might have been too many,” Carter said. “Personally I was thinking like eight.” Miller currently has split thoughts, unable to determine which side of the fence he lands on. “I’m not sure. I don’t really have too many thoughts of that, it could be a good thing but also a bad thing,” Miller pondered. “I don’t really know where I stand on it right now.” Mullen closed his opinions about the expansion with a view towards what he believes to be a hopeful tomorrow. “I think college football will continue to evolve, and once the playoff system started, I think that was just the first step of the college football old bowl system that we knew going into the future.” @JesseRich352 jrichardson@alligator.org

SOCCER

She’s back: Becky Burleigh out of retirement and into Orlando FORMER GATORS COACH TO BECOME INTERIM ORLANDO PRIDE MANAGER

By Jesse Richardson Sports Writer

Former Florida Gators soccer coach Becky Burleigh is going to the professional ranks of the National Women’s Soccer League. The retired Burleigh is set to become the interim head coach of the Orlando Pride for the remainder of the season, The Athletic’s Meg

Linehan reported July 23. The Pride and former coach Marc Skinner parted ways July 23, as Skinner took his coaching skills across the pond to lead the Manchester United women’s team. Luckily for Orlando, it didn’t have to look very far to find a legendary local Floridian to be a short-term replacement. Burleigh is known for planting the seeds of Florida Gators soccer and watching the tree grow for 26 years as its one and only head coach. Under her leadership, the

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Gators won the 1998 College Cup after winning the ‘96 and ‘97 SEC Championships. Burleigh totaled a 513-160-46 career record as head coach. Now, Burleigh is elated to take on new challenges of the NWSL. “I’m excited to become a member of the Orlando Pride franchise,” Burleigh said. “My hope is to create a seamless transition plan to build on the growth and strides that Marc and the team have made so far this season. Change, despite being difficult, always brings an

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opportunity for growth. I’m eager to work in partnership with the existing staff and players to make that happen.” Burleigh announced back in January the 2021 season would be her swan song, and the Gators finished the season with a 6-8-3 record and a second-round SEC Tournament exit. Burleigh ruled out coaching at the professional level back when she announced her retirement but said she has always been “fascinated with high-level performance.”

Orlando boasts some of that high-level talent, including U.S. Olympians Alex Morgan and Ali Krieger. Burleigh looks forward to her new challenge in the pros. The Orlando Pride get a fresh start with a new coach, as they currently hold a 4-4-4 record. Orlando takes on the North Carolina Courage July 31 at 6 p.m. in Burleigh’s first game as coach.

For updates on UF athletics, follow us on Twitter at @alligatorSports or online at www.alligator.org/section/sports.

@JesseRich352 jrichardson@alligator.org

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021

Gators take home bronze medals FLORIDA SWIMMERS KIERAN SMITH AND NATALIE HINDS EACH WON THEIR FIRST OLYMPIC MEDALS SATURDAY Ryan Haley Staff Writer

Gator nation added to its resume July 24, as USA swimmers Kieran Smith and Natalie Hinds notched their first Olympic medals in Tokyo. Smith stood on the Olympic podium with a bronze medal in his hand after he touched the wall third in the 400-meter freestyle final. He finished in 3 minutes, 43.94 seconds; 0.13 seconds ahead of Germany’s Henning Muhlleitner and Austria’s Felix Auboeck. The junior started strong and was one of the first three swimmers to touch the wall after 50, 100, 150 and 200 meters, but he began to fall behind as the race wore on. Auboeck and Muhlleitner pushed past Smith, but the rising Florida senior persevered to remain within striking distance as the final 50 meters began. Smith pulled ahead of his opponents quickly in the final leg and kept his nose in front of all but two of his opponents to nab a medal. The Florida swimmer secured his spot in the finals with a sterling performance in his prelims Saturday morning. The Gator took third

place in heat five with a 3:45.25 time, only 0.13 seconds ahead of USA swimmer Jake Mitchell to make the final race. Smith’s Olympic journey isn’t over yet. He will race again in the 200-meter freestyle, which began July 25 with the finals July 26. Former Gator Natalie Hinds swam the

TOKYO OLYMPICS 2021

third leg of the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay and, in her first Olympic event ever, helped secure the bronze medal for the red, white and blue. Hinds, who graduated from Florida in 2016, jumped in the pool with the United States out of position for a medal after Australia, Great Britain and Sweden raced out

to early advantages. The stars and stripes were at least 0.3 seconds behind the leaders halfway through the race. Hinds swiftly corrected the U.S. course with a 53.15-second split, enough to push the States into third position for Simone Manuel’s anchor performance. Despite a 52.96 final 100 meters from Manuel, Canada edged past the USA for the silver medal at the very end behind a time of 52.26 seconds from Penny Oleksiak in the adjacent lane. Hinds, Manuel, Erika Brown and Abbey Weitzeil all assumed the final step of the podium as Australia took the top spot by over three seconds to set a world record. Despite missing out on silver, Hinds still got her hands on her first Olympic medal and added a second bronze to UF’s Saturday haul after Kieran Smith’s performance in the 400-meter freestyle. Hinds was named to the AllSEC First Team in 2013, 2015 and 2016 but stepped away from swimming after she missed out on the 2016 Olympics to focus on her work with Turner Broadcasting. Her competitive fire reignited when she watched the 2018 USA National Championships. The former back-to-back SEC champion in the 100-yard freestyle (2015 & 2016) qualified for her first Olympics at age 27 and is now an Olympic medalist.

Courtesy of The Associated Press

Kieran Smith swims in the fifth heat of the men’s 400-meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 24, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

rhaley@alligator.org @ryan_dhaley