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MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 9
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
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COVID-19 affects older population ASSISTED-LIVING RESIDENTS AND UF HEALTH PATIENTS FACE CHALLENGES BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE THREAT OF COVID-19
By Thomas Weber Alligator Staff Writer
Zachariah Chou // Alligator Staff
People are seen holding “Let My People Vote” signs at the “Free the Vote” rally while walking away from Bo Diddley Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.
Early voters march to the polls, while others rally for Trump this weekend A STRING OF EARLY VOTING EVENTS CALLED THE GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY TO ACTION
Alligator Staff Report More than a week before Election Day, four rallies, marches and car parades encouraged Alachua County voters to get to the polls. Almost 74,500 early voting and mail-in ballots have been cast in the 2020 general election in Alachua County as of Sunday evening. A “Free The Vote” rally Saturday afternoon gathered hundreds of masked community members on the Bo Diddley Community Plaza with little social distancing to celebrate the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people.
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Making a Racket
A car rally supporting President Donald Trump paraded across Gainesville Saturday afternoon. No one showed up to an early voting event on Bo Diddley Plaza, called “Walk The Vote,” Saturday morning. Souls to the Polls events Sunday afternoon had distanced chairs with many wearing masks. People also parked nearby to listen to live music and partake from their cars. Saturday afternoon: March to polls for formerly incarcerated voters and Trump rally
About 70 organizers, first-time voters and formerly incarcerated people marched to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office to vote as part of a “Free the Vote” rally Saturday afternoon. While marchers cast their ballots,
UF freshman Story description Ben finish Shelton with comma, may be pg#the coach’s son, but he has all the tools to forge his own legacy at Florida, pg. 11
a few hundred people rallied on Bo Diddley Plaza for the event, which was set up by the Alachua County chapter of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, an organization of returning citizens with a focus on voting rights activism. In 2018, Amendment 4 gave nearly 1.4 million formerly incarcerated people in the state the right to vote except those convicted of murder or sexual offences from voting. After the Amendment passed, the Florida Senate required felons to pay all fines and fees to have their voting right restored, disenfranchising many felons who believed they got their rights back. The crowd arrived at the doors of the Supervisor of Elections office on North Main Street and shuffled
SEE VOTER MOBILIZATION, PAGE 6
Warren and Patsy Nelms are both 83-year-old residents of Oak Hammock, a Gainesville retirement and assisted-living community. After more than 50 years of living together, they now live separately — Patsy in an independent home and Warren, who has dementia, in assisted care. She parks her golf cart — clad in Gator bumper stickers — outside Oak Hammock’s health pavilion, where a nurse feeds Warren his meals. Patsy walks across the health pavilion’s lawn and stands by the window, waving at Warren as he enjoys his pre-mushed meat and potatoes. During these window visits, his reactions are limited. Life in retirement and long-term care facilities has been drastically uprooted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Windows and plexiglass now separate spouses and families, leaving the population’s most mentally vulnerable to battle the anxiety of a pandemic that has killed thousands of Florida’s seniors. But the effects of the pandemic reach beyond the lives it has taken — loneliness, delirium and mental decline also threaten seniors in isolation. In Florida, people 65 years or older have accounted for 52% of hospitalizations and 82% of deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health’s most recent COVID-19 report. Despite this population being at high risk, long-term care facilities and nursing homes are slowly reopening across the state. Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to allow children to visit long-term care facilities, remove a five-person maximum
Flu season, COVID-19 create dual problems
A deadly flu season may be exacerbated by the pandemic, pg. 4
visitation policy and limit restrictions on outdoor visitation. Florida has had over 775,000 COVID-19 cases — the third highest out of all states — and about 16,500 people have died. About 50,000 cases and 6,000 deaths have occurred in Florida’s long-term care facilities. With restrictions being lifted, seniors in assisted living now have more opportunities to visit loved ones. Patsy and Warren
Oak Hammock’s nurses know to feed Warren by a particular window, so he and Patsy can see each other every day. After spending a few minutes with Warren, she headed back home, puttering through the Oak Hammock streets in her golf cart. “G8R FAN,” the license plate read — Patsy and her husband are both 1959 UF alumni. They married a year before they graduated. Oak Hammock resembles any regular suburban neighborhood: The independent living section is made up of five-story apartment buildings and houses on winding roads. The community feels otherworldly, tucked away in the greenery of moss-riddled oak trees. Patsy and Warren moved to Oak Hammock together in 2013, opting to live in a house surrounded by a lush garden where purple flowers dangle from trees and hummingbirds whiz about. About 15 years ago, Warren began having memory difficulties. When they lived together at Oak Hammock, Patsy said he began falling, and he would sometimes have trouble getting back up. She knew he would have to be moved into assisted living, where nurses could provide him with 24-hour care. About two years ago, he was moved to memory care, a facility that provides specialized care for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Patsy was able to visit him at any time. They would sing together, Warren
SEE DELIRIUM, PAGE 5
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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
A “twindemic”: 2020-21 flu season may be deadly alongside COVID-19, experts warn ALACHUA COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS TO GET A FLU VACCINE
By Alan Halaly Alligator Staff Writer
The uncertain nature of the 2020-21 flu season coupled with the pandemic concerns health experts. In last year’s flu season, which lasted from October to April, somewhere between 24,000 and 62,000 people died of the flu in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With 9,950 Alachua County residents diagnosed with COVID-19 and 74 residents dead as of Oct. 25, experts fear a potential influenza outbreak could exacerbate the devastating effects of the pandemic. Some experts point to the possibility of what some are calling a “twindemic,” where flu cases could rise with the climbing number of COVID-19 cases, or patients could contract both the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously. The subgroups of the population at the highest risk are children under the age of 5 and people over the age of 65, wrote Dr. Nicole Iovine, the chief epidemiologist at UF Health Shands Hospital. She pointed to the deadly potential of
people contracting both the influenza virus and SARS CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at once. “Considering that both viruses can cause severe illness and death on their own, the combination is very, very concerning,” Iovine wrote in an email. Shands employees are promoting influenza vaccines in primary care clinics for adults and children, said Dr. Kathleen Ryan, a UF Health pediatrician. Pediatric practices are also providing the flu vaccine to parents and offering weekend flu vaccination clinics. She also said the Control Flu Program, which offers no-cost influenza vaccines to all public, private and charter schools in Alachua County, is offering FluMist vaccines administered in the form of a nasal spray to all students. While private and charter school students were already vaccinated, all consenting public school students will be vaccinated by early November, she said. Paul Myers, administrator at the county health department, echoed these concerns. He emphasized how important it is for elementary school-aged children to have their parents consent to them being vaccinated. Young children are “flu superspreaders” because they spread the virus for longer periods of time than adults.
There are many unknowns heading into the 2020-21 flu season, but Myers said he is hopeful by the less active season seen in the Southern Hemisphere. Aside from the vaccine, mask-wearing and social distancing can help prevent the spread of the flu. Vaccines are available at the county health department, UF Student Health Care Center, primary care providers, public
schools and some grocery stores and pharmacies. “There are plenty of opportunities,” Myers said. “But no excuse not to get your flu shot this year.” @AlanHalaly ahalaly@alligator.org
Shannon Ahern // Alligator Staff
Four wheels makes a family: Gainesville Roller Rebels focus on inclusion THE GAINESVILLE ROLLER REBELS HAVE YET TO RETURN TO THE RINK — BUT THAT HAS NOT STOPPED THEM FROM BEING A TEAM
By Avery Lotz Alligator Contributing Writer
At least two nights a week, Lily Jane Woodard would slip out of her work clothes and put on pads, a mouth guard, skates with red wheels and a blue helmet detailed with a glittering white star. The 37-year-old OPIE Software saleswoman followed this routine for eight years, never missing one 6:30 to 9 p.m. practice at the Alachua County Fairgrounds. Other evenings, she traveled across the state to compete with her team.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Woodard to take a break from the sport she loves: roller derby. Although COVID-19 has disrupted their seasons since March, teams around the world, including the Gainesville Roller Rebels, have shifted their focus from winning bouts to giving back to the community. With extra funds in its wallet, the team donated to local charities protecting human rights and looked within the roller derby community to find and eradicate inequality. Woodard said the feeling of acceptance she has received from other roller derby teams should be felt by all people, no matter their background, body type or experience. “Anyone who wants to play roller derby, can,” she said. “Even if they don’t want to be a skater, there are
Courtesy to The Alligator
The Roller Rebels leap over pumpkins while balancing on their skates in the Pumpkin Jump social media challenge to keep their skating skills sharp.
so many other ways to be involved.” The Roller Rebels can’t return to the court until COVID-19 cases in Alachua County subside to only 134 new cases over a 14-day period. This number is derived from the national Women’s Flat Track Derby Association’s baseline limit, which is 50 cases for every 100,000 people in a county’s population. The WFTDA, which presides over more than 450 women’s roller derby leagues, developed an internationally recognized seven-tier plan to return to the sport that emphasizes local COVID-19 statistics. The plan received acclaim from Samantha Bee on Sept. 30 on her TBS show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” and earned compliments from the National Parks Association. Out of the 10 teams in Florida, only two have met the baseline requirements, according to the WFTDA COVID-19 map. In the U.S., only 10 teams have reached Tier One. League President Chelsea Tobias, nicknamed Queen Slayer, said she hopes to have outdoor practices at a reduced capacity — only five people — once those metrics are met. To Tobias, COVID-19 halted what would have been a strong season for the Roller Rebels. In the 2019 season, the Roller Rebels had a close-to-perfect record of 7-2, Tobias said. On March 21, the “All Stars” Roller Rebels crew was supposed to travel to Virginia Beach to face the Dominion Derby Girls for its first out-of-state bout of the season, she said. Instead, it was the first of many matches to be canceled due to COVID-19. Cat Clifford, 35, balances her time among the Neurosurgical Specialists of North Florida where she is a registered nurse, her home where
she is a mother of two and the Roller Rebels where she is a hard-hitter nicknamed Bootyvicious. Clifford said the WFTDA’s plan, which was devised by roller-derbyplaying nurses and scientists, mirrors her perspective on COVID-19 as a healthcare professional. “As a healthcare provider, it’s easy for us to separate the health component from all of the other social and economical and political pieces that go into closing things down or getting back to normal,” she said. “It’s hard to justify putting you, your teammates and your community at risk just so you can’t be bored.” On March 23, a letter addressed “Dear Gainesville” was posted to the Gainesville Roller Rebel website announcing the cancelation of bouts and practices until further notice. The piece also provided a link to a t-shirt fundraising campaign to help keep the team afloat. Roller Rebels Treasurer Brittany Evans, 27, nicknamed Gnarly Rae Jepsen, said the merchandise fundraiser was originally started to raise money for away games. Despite the disappointment the team felt from having bouts canceled, Evans said COVID-19 provided an unexpected opportunity. Without having to pay for their practice space, the Roller Rebels had extra funds to give back to the community. In June, the team voted to donate to Computers for Kids, a campaign attempting to close the technology gap accentuated by digital learning, the team’s treasurer said. Then, in August, the Roller Rebels donated $525 to the Alachua County Human Rights Coalition. Later in October, the team plans to vote on another charity to support. Following the summer’s Black Lives Matter movement protests, the international Women’s Flat Track
Derby Association has made a recent effort to create a more diverse and inclusive roller derby community. The Roller Rebels’ first diversity and inclusion meeting was held Oct. 4. “We’re trying to reach out to BIPOC skaters and league members on our team and are really listening to them and seeing what we can do better,” Tobias said. “I think derby, in general, tends to be more inclusive toward LGBTQ+ members, not that it’s perfect in that way, but it is still a very overwhelmingly white sport.” The Roller Rebels encouraged the team to listen to diversity-based webinars and conducted a survey about the inclusivity of the team. “Our league has stepped up,” Woodard said. “They are being active in not just saying that we are inclusive and that we are a safe space but really figuring out how to attract minorities and do surveys and to do what we can to encourage inclusiveness.” Once practice resumes, Tobias plans to expand the team’s “gear library” — where new players can borrow donated gear — so the price of skates, helmets and pads does not deter new members from the sport. Catherine Lippi, a 36-year-old Roller Rebels referee-in-training, is a current UF doctoral candidate studying in the Emerging Pathogens Institute. It’s important to Lippi that the Roller Rebels take this time to focus on how they can open the roller derby family to all. “We’re creating that space where basically the only requirement is a willingness to strap wheels onto your feet,” she said.
@ajlotz8 alotz@alligator.org
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020 ALLIGATOR 5
Loneliness DELIRIUM, from pg. 1
often leading them in songs like “You Are My Sunshine.” But Warren’s physical and mental capabilities continued to decline. This year, he lost his ability to communicate. Before the pandemic, he was moved to the skilled nursing unit, where nurses help him with everyday tasks. Patsy said residents are sent there when they can’t get out of bed on their own. But she said he’ll sometimes smile at her, and he doesn’t give the nurses a hard time. “He’s lasted way longer than they expected him to,” Patsy said. “He’s not unhappy, and he’s not suffering.” During the summer — the height of the pandemic — visitation and social restrictions in the community were more firm. Dining facilities were closed, in-person activities were canceled and residents were encouraged to isolate. Residents in assisted living had the most restrictions, said Katherine Osman, Oak Hammock’s director of community affairs. She said nobody could come inside to visit them, including spouses and other family. “A lot of these people chose Oak Hammock because a spouse needed extra care and they wanted to be under the same roof with them,” Osman said. “And to be separated — it’s tough.” In April, 12 Oak Hammock residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19. As of Friday, there are no active cases among Oak Hammock residents, but two active cases among staff. One Oak Hammock resident died of COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Health’s report on deaths in long-term care facilities. Osman said some independent-living residents still spend most of their time in isolation. The staff developed a strategy to keep tabs on those in independent living. Residents place sticky notes on the outside of their doors if they are doing well; staff checked residents’ doors every morning and called those who didn’t display the signal. She said only a few residents still participate in the daily sticky-note-check-ins — mainly those who live alone and enjoy receiving the call. Normally, Patsy is active in the community: chamber music group, book club, pilates, coeditor of the community’s newsletter, “The Oak Leaf.” Recently, the paper published a compilation of residents’ miniature pandemic memoirs, inspired by a similar piece in The New York Times. “In pandemic’s throes, my garden grows!” read Patsy’s memoir. “Home sweet home! Secret introvert guilt,” wrote one resident. “So many lost. So much missed,” wrote another. DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management began lifting visitation restrictions in early September, allowing entry for family and friends if they wore personal protective equipment. Since then, active cases have declined among the state’s long-term care residents, according to the Florida Department of Health. As of Saturday, there were 859 active cases — down from about 2,000 a month ago. But, cases have remained relatively consistent among long-term care facility staff. A month ago, there were about 3,000 active cases; as of Saturday, there were more than 2,200. With the recently lowered restrictions — Oak Hammock now allows entry for outside visitors — Patsy occasionally invites friends to sit on her porch and share her homemade, frosty peppermint ice cream — a Patsy Nelms staple, which she offers within minutes of entering her home. Dozens of homemade books, calendars and
photo albums are stacked around her house, each containing collages of family events. A book titled “Growing Up” displays her and Warren, decades ago, sitting on a swing set with their two children. Many document vacations at Bird Island — a special place for Patsy. Aside from countless family outings, it’s also the site of a UF archaeological dig she participated in — where she, of course, served peppermint ice cream to all the excavators — and it’s even where she and Warren had their honeymoon. Lately, Patsy has been able to visit with Warren on a bench outside the health pavilion. She sings to him. “He used to always be the one that would lead singing,” she said. She sings him a variation of “Old Folks at Home,” or “Suwannee River,” which they would sing as they drove over the river on their trips to Bird Island. “Not so far above the Suwannee River lies our island home, bright and shining in the blue Gulf waters, to it we love to roam.” “Delirium Prevention Champions”
In hospitals, COVID-19 patients face the threat of delirium: a state of mental confusion and disorientation. It’s a symptom of COVID-19 doctors weren’t ready to combat when the pandemic spread throughout the U.S. in March. Since then, doctors at UF Health have worked to prevent it through “Delirium Prevention Champions,” a program where nurses suit up in PPE to reorient COVID-19 patients by spending time with them. Delirium can manifest in several ways beyond disorientation and confusion, said Dr. Mariam Mufti, a UF assistant professor in geriatric medicine. She said it can cause behavioral responses, including agitation, hallucinations, hitting and spitting. “It’s very difficult to orient someone… when they’re isolated in a room and have some underlying dementia and infection going,” Mufti said. “That was one of many things that we saw.” Dementia can exacerbate the effects of delirium, because when a patient already has limited cognitive function, it becomes harder to reorient them, said Dr. Nila Radhakrishnan, chief of the division of hospital medicine and director of UF Health’s Delirium Champions Program. She said the best way to prevent it involves physically interacting with people, which proved difficult when patients were suffering from a contagious virus. The solution: delirium prevention champions, nurses in head-to-toe PPE who spend time with patients. This involves physical touch, conversations, activities and coordinating video chats with family. One of the delirium prevention champions, nurse Jennifer Melara, said she was anxious about interacting with COVID-19-positive patients at first. “But certainly once we got in the rooms, you could definitely see the need for the patient to have more interaction with people,” she said. Melara and the other nurses visited between 15 and 25 people a day from a few minutes to an hour, she said. “Some patients had limited ability to carry a conversation,” Melara said. “Others could tell you their whole life story.” Aside from conversation, the nurses offered games and art activities for further cognitive stimulation. They offered coloring, painting, virtual music therapy and puzzles, depending on the patient’s preferences. Suzanne Maye, another delirium champion nurse, said she cared for a patient with cognitive levels similar to those of dementia. The patient was often confused and agitated, and she even had to be restrained because she was hitting staff. Maye said she coordinated virtual visitation with the patient’s family, which helped her communicate with the patient to fulfill her needs. They took her off restraints, and at one point, the patient’s family called Maye a part of their family. “That was one of the most heartwarming interactions I’ve had,” she said.
Lauren Witte // Alligator Staff
Patsy Nelms waves to her husband, Warren Nelms, through his window in the assisted living building at Oak Hammock on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. She cannot go inside. Delirium can have a negative impact on a patient’s future cognitive abilities, said Catherine Price, a neuropsychologist and UF assistant professor. She said individuals who have developed delirium have a higher rate of cognitive decline over time as well as a higher mortality rate. “Intervening on delirium is truly vital to a patient’s long-term outcome,” Price said. Valerie Griffith
In the pandemic’s seven months of isolation, Valerie Griffith’s friend has experienced six years’ worth of mental decline. Griffith, 80, has been a resident of Oak Hammock for 16 years; for as long as the community has been open, she’s lived there. She moved there alone after her husband’s ten-year fight with dementia. He lived in a nursing home for the last six years of his life. After living at Oak Hammock for seven years, Griffith received a call from an old friend from college — both of them UF alumni. He subsequently moved there, and after a 45-year break in their relationship, they reunited. He was moved to assisted living after he started forgetting to take his medication. But other than that, Griffith said he was mostly fine; he took care of himself, enjoyed his usual activities and continued meeting her for dinner. But the pandemic separated them. By May, he was moved into memory care, where residents were restricted from having visitors. Five months later, Griffith said he has difficulty bathing and dressing himself, and he has trouble holding a coherent conversation. “It’s the isolation,” she said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s very destructive to people who have any kind of mental problems.” She said his long-term memory persists. He recalls their years in college together — occasionally, he has moments of lucidity. But in just seven months of isolation, she said he’s had a similar level of mental decline as her husband’s six years in a nursing home. Griffith said it’s been a huge loss for her and Oak Hammock. Because of his sociable nature, she said he was loved among the entire community. “We had hoped that he would be at least marginally able to exist,” she said. “But not anymore. He’s not going to ever come back.” But Griffith said she’s doing OK because she can tell he’s happy. He’s told her that he enjoys living in the memory unit; he loves the food, and he likes talking to the nurses. Depending on the conditions of a person’s isolation, a lack of stimulation can have negative effects on a person’s cognition, said UF neuropsychologist Catherine Price. She described the brain as a “sensory input system” that needs cognitive stimulation to remain healthy. She said this comes in a variety of forms, including stimulating all five senses and fostering different types of social interaction. Interaction with lifelong friends and family triggers different neurons and blood flow compared to interaction with strangers. “When you’re with somebody that you
know, there’s a kindling of old memories,” Price said. Regardless of whether a person has dementia or COVID-19-induced delirium, Price said isolation can cause depression, anxiety and loneliness. Griffith said the pandemic has instilled a fear and frustration in her she’s never experienced. “It’s because I’m 80, and now I’m like, ‘OK, I don’t have that many years left,’” she said. “I don’t want to mess it up.” Monica Ondrick, social services liaison at Oak Hammock, said the staff has been working hard to keep assisted-living residents engaged to try to stave off the harmful effects of isolation. “The staff has put a lot of things in place to help try to combat some of the depression and the sadness that has come from people not seeing their families,” she said. Ondrick said assisted-living staff offers daily FaceTime opportunities for residents to video chat with family, and the staff even puts on shows to brighten the residents’ days. On Fridays, staff line dances down the halls of the assisted-living facility, and residents dance and clap along in their doorways. One week, a staff member wore a blow-up dinosaur costume, which Ondrick said brought smiles to the residents’ faces. She said visitation restrictions have lessened, so people in assisted living are able to spend time with visitors outdoors — as long as they’re wearing PPE. Griffith has visited her friend several times since restrictions were lifted. She said she’s allowed to visit him twice a week, but she calls him every day. She said the five- to 10-minute conversations are disjointed. During in-person visits, Griffith is required to wear full PPE, including an N95 mask, and head and body coverings. She said sitting next to him in complete protective gear feels odd, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He also wears a mask. They sit in one of Oak Hammock’s courtyards and talk, separated six feet apart. Because his long-term memory is functional, she said he’ll sometimes talk about his life: the friends, places and memories from the 45-year gap she wasn’t a part of. But other times, he’ll recall memories from their college years. Griffith feels he isn’t getting enough mental stimulation because at the beginning of their talks, he’s usually disoriented. By the end, she said he’s much more aware of his surroundings. “You can’t expect staff to give them the time that you’d give them as an individual,” she said. She said she wishes restrictions would be lifted even more, at least to allow a few close family members to spend more time with people in assisted living. “Is it better that he’s mentally gone, as opposed to being physically gone?” Griffith said. @thomasjohnweber tweber@alligator.org
6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
LGBT-focused Living Learning Community coming to UF THE MARSHA P. JOHNSON LLC APPROVED FOR FALL 2021
By Lianna Hubbard Alligator Staff Writer
LGBTQ students looking to live on campus will soon have access to UF’s first gender-neutral housing in a new Living Learning Community. The Marsha P. Johnson LLC could come by Fall 2021, said former Student Government Senator Ryan Wilder, who was on the task force lobbying for the LLC. Living Learning Communities are groups in UF’s dorms students can join to participate in activities and have access to course offerings and resources related to their LLC theme. “I think it would be a concentrated area, a one stop shop of resources for LGBT students,” Wilder said. “They can go into their college experience and not have to worry about, ‘Oh no, what if my randomly assigned roommate isn’t an ally?’” Some of the 16 LLCs on campus are the Arts LLC in Reid Hall, the Black Cultural LLC in Graham
Hall and the Engineering LLC in East Hall. UF Housing and Resident Education gives LLCs between $500 and $1,000 each academic year for their activities and resources, according to a call for LLC proposal from UF Housing and Residence Education. Wilder hopes 100 students will be a part of the LLC when it begins. This new Marsha P. Johnson LLC will be the first gender neutral housing at UF, Wilder said. “We don’t have the issue of gender neutral housing settled right now,” Wilder said. “Currently floors are still assigned same sex and that might not match your gender identity.” UF Housing and Residence Education approved the LLC Oct. 5 and is now in the stages of designing the programs and learning objectives for the LLC. A six-person taskforce of UF Student Government senators and students, including Wilder, proposed the LLC to UF Housing and Residence Education. The task force and housing hope to have the community in Springs Complex because of the suite structure of the rooms.
The LLC will also have resources like LGBT-trained Counseling and Wellness Center mental health professionals and community-building events like LGBT movie nights for its residents. Wilder said the normal stresses of moving into college life can be compounded for LGBT students who also have to worry about roomates or RAs being homophobic or transphobic, losing accepting support networks from home, coming out and figuring out their own gender and sexual identities. “You go through those things easier when you have resources like resident assistants and counselors who are competent and aware of those things and how to get through them,” he said. Dayanna Peek, an 18-year-old UF international studies freshman, served on the taskforce in August, speaking with UF’s housing department. Peek is also the co-director of social justice for InterResidence Housing Association. “I hope we can create a community for those who don’t have a home and should have a home,” she said.
‘Most consequential election of our lives’ VOTER MOBILIZATION, from pg. 1 out to the blue X’s taped on the sidewalk six feet apart. While about 15 cast their votes, other marchers waited in the parking lot and cheered for each voter. “I feel like Beyoncé,” one voter said after leaving the building. Latamrra Batie, an FRRC assistant, said she has registered 300 formerly incarcerated voters since she began working with the organization in May 2018. This is the first time she will vote
after her incarceration in 2007. “I vote with my heart instead of listening to everybody else because everybody’s got stories,” she said. A parade of cars waving Trump flags passed by the plaza and slowed to a roll. The groups didn’t engage. More than 100 Trump supporters gathered in the Oaks Mall parking lot Saturday afternoon to drive around Gainesville in support for their candidate ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Vehicles included large trucks, vintage cars, and family-packed minivans, mostly
Samantha Harrison // Alligator Staff
Gail Johnson, a city representative and volunteer, is seen giving a welcoming speech at Souls to the Polls, an event held off of North Main Street on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. Attendees can drop off their vote-by-mail ballots and hear from local faith and community leaders, gospel choirs, elected officials and political candidates, all from their vehicles, in an effort to urge local black voters to vote.
Peek came out to her family as gay after being questioned in the car after buzz cutting her hair. Peek’s father questioned her about her sexuality until she was forced to come out, she said. “It was difficult for him to accept me at first, but it seems like he’s come around to it, but I can tell he still misses his girl,” she said. Peek said having the LLC would make it easier for others to find community at UF. Peek’s RA was accepting and she wants
donned with oversized “Trump 2020” or American flags. Drivers held four fingers out of their vehicles, chanting “Four more years.” One man stood in the bed of a silver pickup truck dressed in an Elvis Presley costume holding a Trump flag. Participants paraded down Newberry Road, passing UF’s campus. They later passed the March the Vote event and dispersed. Saturday’s “Walk The Vote” event, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Bo Diddley Plaza, but by 9:30 a.m., not one person showed up to the event. Participants were to gather on Bo Diddley Plaza and walk together to drop their ballots in the ballot box. Sunday afternoon: “Souls to the Polls” event for Black voters
Black voters organized an event near the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office in Gainesville Sunday afternoon. The social-distanced “Souls to the Polls” event took place next to a Suntrust Bank just south of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office. It was organized by the Equal Ground Education Fund, an Orlando-based organization focused on empowering Black voters. The Rev. Karl Anderson, a minister from Upper Room Ministries in Gainesville, hosted the event. Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Kim Barton, wanted to ensure attendees got the information they needed to vote, as well as learn more about the candidates. “Traditionally, in the African American community, you go to a church,” Barton said. “This is why this program is ‘souls’ to the polls. Churches bring their members here and encourage them.” As the countdown continues, Barton thinks about the lessons her parents taught her when they lived in Memphis, Tennessee, a city that holds historical significance within the Civil Rights movement: to honor the activists of the era. Barton’s parents urged her to not take voting for granted. Republican Alachua County Commission candidates Joy Glanzer and Raemi Eagle-Glenn sat under canopies and spoke with voters throughout the event.
to ensure other students will have the same experience, she said. Peek hopes to be an RA at the Marsha P. Johnson LLC when it’s designated. “We just hope the LLC is a space for humans,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about your gender identity or your sexual preferences. It’s just a place for you to exist.” @HubbardLianna lhubbard@alligator.org
Aubrey Bocalan // Alligator Staff
Jasmine Burney-Clark, the 33-year-old founder of the Equal Ground Education Fund, said the event is a celebration and encouragement of Black voting. The COVID-19 pandemic and increased racial tensions following the death of George Floyd really affected Black voters, Burney-Clark said. The event, she said, is meant to promote bringing Black issues to the ballot box. “Take your issues, social and personal, to the ballot box because that’s where accountability will be,” Burney-Clark said. Multiple Black Greek organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. attended the event. Latalyia McKnight is the 33-year-old secretary of March For Our Freedom, an organization in Gainesville. She proudly wore a pink and green pin emblazoned with the letters “AKA.” McKnight said she was excited to vote for Sen. Kamala Harris, a fellow Alpha Kappa Alpha sister, for vice president. As a Black woman, voting is special to McKnight because it was never a guarantee, she said. “It’s not just a vote,” McKnight said. “You are voting for literally our freedom.” Enveloped by the First United Methodist Church on one side and gospel music onstage, church goers made a steady crowd. Leaders from other churches found voting to be an important task. “It encourages everybody to fulfill their civic duty and Christian responsibility,” the Rev. Dr. George Dix Jr. of PASSAGE Family Church said. Representatives from Alachua County political parties gave their own words on the upcoming election with an emphasis on voter turn-out. People should vote ahead and make plans to help relatives get to the polls, Dr. Cynthia Chestnut, 71, said, chair of the Alachua County Democratic Party. “This is the most consequential election of our lives,” she said.
Ariana Aspuru, Edysmar Diaz-Cruz, Lianna Hubbard, Jack Prator, Manuel Rea, Rachel Slay and Steven Walker contributed to this report.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020 ALLIGATOR 7
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020 www.alligator.org/the_avenue
ART & THEATER
‘Devil’s Night Dreams’ burlesque and drag show comes to Hardback Cafe THE HORROR-INSPIRED SHOW WILL TAKE PLACE LIVE AND VIRTUALLY OCT. 30
By Heather Bushman Avenue Staff Writer
Something wicked this way comes, and the spooky spectacle is making its way to the Hardback Cafe just in time for Halloween. “Devil’s Night Dreams,” a horror-inspired burlesque and drag show, is coming to Gainesville. The show will be produced by Purple Nightshade Productions, a threeyear-old Gainesville production company “committed to quality horror-based sexy entertainment across Florida stages,” according to the company’s website. “Devil’s Night Dreams” is the fourth show of Purple Nightshade’s 2020 season, following performances in February, May and August but the first at a Gainesville venue. The production will be held at 920 NW 2nd St. at 9 p.m. on Oct. 30. It will offer both seating for up to 20 people and a livestream option. Tickets are $12 and $15 for each option, respectively. The show will include performances from a cast of drag and burlesque artists, as well as a homemade mask contest with a cash prize of $50. Live show seating will be available on Hardback’s viewing patio. Masks and temperature checks will be required upon entry, and attendees will be able to order drinks without having to enter the venue. “The venue has worked really hard to make sure that everybody is following COVID guidelines and making sure that everyone is as safe as possible,” said Della-Kate
Flower, the show’s producer and head of Purple Nightshade. “Devil’s Night Dreams” is continuing with Purple Nightshade’s horror concept, with a cast of performers who regularly incorporate elements like fake blood or grotesque makeup into their shows and are known for their affinity toward the unconventional and unsettling. Kathryn Giardino, a 28-year-old drag queen and regular performer at Gainesville’s University Club, shines in shows like these. Mangled, misshapen, covered in blood and even feasting on pretend body parts, Giardino, who performs under the drag name J’Adore LaGore, said doubling down on the horror feels like home. “I feel so accepted and so welcomed,” Giardino said of the shows she’s done with Flower and Purple Nightshade. Productions like “Devil’s Night Dreams” take a more alternative approach than other local performances. Giardino said Flower’s support of the weirder side of drag and burlesque has allowed her to test her creative limits. And for Purple Nightshade regulars, the weirder, the better. “They were like, ‘You were great!’” Giardino said. “Like, ‘I was a serial killer, but OK cool, thanks.’” It’s the off-kilter choices that draw a crowd, Giardino said. The grime and gore isn’t for everyone, she said, but those who do enjoy it are among the most engaged and excited audience members. Devorah Ooze, a 21-year-old drag queen and performer in “Devil’s Night Dreams,” has experienced similar enthusiasm from this crowd. She and Giardino are members
of The Boheme Coven, a group of Gainesville performers with a gothic flair. “People come to us and they’re like, ‘Oh yes, we live for that Halloween fantasy.’ But we do this all the time,” Ooze said. The video for “Devil’s Night Dreams” will be produced by Edith Meowt, a 30-year-old Gainesville resident who doubles as a video producer and a burlesque performer. For the show, she will be taking on both roles. “It sounds like a very complicated spiderweb, almost, but it all comes together,” Meowt said. While the platform is creatively rewarding, Flower said producing a virtual show takes twice the energy of performing a live show. When the cheers of a crowd are out of earshot, the energy diminishes, and the shift in the performance atmosphere is palpable. “Art by its very nature is evolutionary and revolutionary,” she said. “We’ve got to be flexible if we’re going to survive.” The art form has persevered largely due to the support within the community, the performers said. Flower, Giardino and Ooze said Gainesville’s performing arts scene represents a tight-knit group, one that has relied on each other for stability in the turbulence of the past few months. “The immediacy of care and comfort from all sides – burlesque, drag, everybody – was incredible to watch, even if we couldn’t touch each other,” Flower said. Amid the changes and the challenges, the spirit of spook remains. With “Devil’s Night Dreams,” Flower and her cast are hoping to deliver an unforgettable night of thrills and chills. “If you’ve been wondering if Halloween is canceled, come to my show because it’s so
Courtesy to The Alligator
Edith Meowt, a 30-year-old Gainesville resident, will be the video producer and a burlesque dancer for the horror-inspired burlesque and drag show at Hardback Cafe. not,” she said. “Devil’s Night Dreams” premiers Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. at the Hardback Cafe. Tickets ($12 for in-person, $15 for virtual) available at www.purplenightshadeproductions.com. @hgrizzl hbushman@alligator.org
COLUMN
For the navigators: Our spookiest Halloween yet WHETHER STAYING IN OR BRAVING THE STREETS, SAFETY SHOULD BE A PRIORITY
By Lonnie Numa
A
Avenue Staff Writer
s we enter the last week of the spooky season, Mercury, the planet of communication, intellect and active listening finds itself cuffed to the moodiest, most controversial sign in the zodiac, Scorpio. And with Mercury currently in retrograde, I’d dust off any skeletons in your closet before they threaten to come dancing out — though it would suit the festivities! Or lack thereof for many of us. When this year began, many of us might’ve looked forward to wed-
dings, graduations or birthdays — but as a self-proclaimed queer goblin witch, I was counting down the days until Halloween. I knew the holiday would fall on a Saturday this year, and I was already rubbing my little gremlin hands together in glee at the thought of an entire weekend of mischief. Though everyone’s favorite virus had different plans in mind. For Carlyn Thrasher, a 22-yearold UF English junior, “party” holidays like Halloween, the Fourth of July and Valentine’s Day hold more significance when they fall on a weekend. “Even if I’m staying home, I don’t want to go all out for a holiday that I have to wake up at 6 a.m. the next day for,” Thrasher said. Last year, Thrasher celebrated Halloween in a typical college fashion for the first time, going to a club
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and partying amongst fellow sweaty strangers. This year, they’re spending the holiday at home with their girlfriend watching scary movies like “Paranorman and “Coraline.” “We had a plan when we first got together to dress like obscure Scooby Doo parents, but that’s fallen to the side with all that’s happening,” they said. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of how disgustingly adorable that sounds — perhaps it’s Scorpio’s pettier inclinations making me a little green with envy. Too bad I already bought my costume, otherwise I’d pass as the Wicked Witch of the West. Though some integral parts of the holiday, like trick-or-treating, have been halted, James Eschrich, a 20-year-old UF English and computer science junior, is looking for aspects of the holiday that can be
preserved, he said. “I’m a little too old to be going door to door asking for candy,” Eschrich said. He maintains the idea that Halloween is an important part of the college experience. Last year, Eschrich navigated the bars of downtown Gainesville for the first time, making for a formative night of his student experience, he said. “It was one of those very fun, classically college nights where you meet new people and do new things,” Eschrich said. “ I never thought of that before as a Halloween memory specifically, but it is.” This year, Eschrich will be helping his younger siblings orchestrate a socially distanced movie night. I applaud his efforts to make this Halloween fun, yet safe for his brother and sister. Way to upstage all of us mediocre older siblings, James — you’re making me look bad here! Needless to say, it’s important
we consider the repercussions of our decisions. Whether you’re planning a night at home or on the town, remember some activities are safer than others. Thrasher empathizes with students who are antsy for a night out. It can feel like we’re running out of time to have the “college experience,” but catching the virus is just not worth it, they said. Social distancing doesn’t equate to social isolation; It’s not that black and white. We should all be trying our best to interpret this new lifestyle in the shades of grey that’ll keep us and our families safe. However, if I recognize anyone outside without a mask, festive or otherwise, I will cast a spell on you. And not in the beguiling, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” sort of way. I’m talking full on “Hocus Pocus,” warts and all. Happy Halloween! @lonaald lnuma@alligator.org
Gators soccer drops game amid multiple absences
UF lost its match against South Carolina 4-2 while down seven players and its head coach Becky Burleigh, pg. 12
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solution on page 10 Release ReleaseDate: Date:Tuesday, Monday, October 20, 26, 2020
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St. Francis House is a homeless shelter located in downtown Gainesville. Our mission is to empower families with children to transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing case management, housing, food, training and educational resources in a secure environment. If interested in volunteering please contact the volunteer coordinator at 352-378- 9079 ext 317 or sfhcoor@stfrancis.cfcoxmail.com St Francis House depends on monetary support from individual donors and community businesses in order to provide meals to the homeless and the hungry. To make a donation by mail, please send checks payable to St. Francis House P.O. Box 12491 Gainesville Fl 32604 or our website at Stfrancishousegnv.org
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020 www.alligator.org/sports
FEATURE
Family Court: Another Shelton joins the Florida tennis program By Ryan Haley Sports Writer
Lisa Shelton has always seen her son as a vivacious child, someone who spent a majority of his time outside. She remembers once, when he was around 5, he was banished to his room to atone for whatever mischief his young mind got himself into. She went to check on him and heard how desperate he was to be free again. “I go up there and he’s like, ‘Can I just take a spank?” she said with a laugh. That mischievous kid grew into a Division I tennis player, and his desire to play propelled him to develop a dynamic serve he now uses as a member of the Florida team. Ben Shelton was in fourth grade when his father, Bryan Shelton, became the head coach of the Florida men’s tennis team. The Sheltons packed up and moved from Atlanta to Gainesville. The Gators entered Ben’s life. The program became something of an extended family to Ben over the past eight years, pushing him, including guidance from volunteer assistant coach Scott Perelman. Ben recalls one night, shortly after his family arrived in Gainesville, when he and his family stayed in the same hotel as Perelman. The fire alarm went off in the middle of the night, forcing the Shelton family into the parking lot when Perelman presented Ben with an opportunity. “‘Benny,’” Ben remembers Perelman telling him, “‘It’s the middle of the night right now, everyone else is asleep. You could go up the elevator just like all these other normal people are going to do tonight when the fire alarm stops going off, or you could take the stairs and get a head start on everybody for today.’” “After the fire alarm stopped going off, I ran up the stairs,” Ben said with a laugh. Despite how much the program means to Ben, it wasn’t always his plan to stay home and play for his dad. For a long time in his childhood, tennis wasn’t even his favorite sport. Far from it, in fact. “Until I was probably 11 or 12, I hated tennis,” Ben said, “I did not want to play it, and I was really big into football and basketball, baseball, soccer, I mean, basically any other sport.” Even before he became a star on the tennis court, Ben was still playing, starting as a quarterback for six years with the Boys & Girls Club both in Atlanta and then Gainesville. Lisa recalled one game against a team of players much larger than Ben where the field was covered in puddles after endless rain. He took one crushing hit after another. Ben got tackled face-first into a puddle with a pile of defenders on top of him at one point. Lisa jumped up concerned, but Ben got
back on his feet without hesitation. “He was really upset, he had just been hit so many times,” Lisa said, “but he would not come out of the game.” However, the older Ben got, the more he found himself gravitating toward the family business. The switch didn’t come from trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, but rather his older sister’s, Emma Shelton, now a junior on South Carolina’s tennis team. “I saw my sister doing really well in tennis and going and playing with my dad every day,” Ben said, “And I just thought like, maybe try it out.” The transition to tennis was made of little indistinct steps like colors changing on a maple tree. The more he played, the more he noticed the tennis talent definitely hadn’t skipped a generation, and the more he honed his skills, the more he grew infatuated with the game. “I saw that I had some gifts in it and that I could possibly go somewhere with my tennis,” Ben said. “And then I just kind of weighed the options and realized that I had one of the best coaches in the country as my dad, and that might be a good idea for a path for me to go.” The decision paid dividends; Ben blossomed into a junior star. He won national tournaments with the United States Tennis Association (UTSA) as well as the FHSAA state championship in singles. Tennis Recruiting Network (TRN) ranked him as high as ninth nationally as a junior, and he even reached the top position in their TennisRPI rankings in March. TRN called Ben a blue chip prospect — a ranking beyond even fivestar prospect. It quickly became clear that Ben had the talent to play for his father’s team. The only question now: Was Florida where Ben wanted to be? “It’s kind of been a dream, you know, for me,” coach Shelton said, “Quietly, over the years, hoping that one day I’d have the opportunity to coach my son here at Florida.” Coach Shelton and the Gators weren’t exactly a lesser option, either. With two SEC Coach of the Year awards (2016, 2019), a 2019 ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year award and a team ranked No. 1 to open spring competition in 2020, there was more than just family that Florida could offer. However, Bryan knew that for it to be a marriage of player and program truly, this had to be Ben’s choice. “I mean, you love your son, right?” coach Shelton said, “and you want what’s best for him and so you have to, in that, keep an open mind, knowing that you want him to come to that realization himself. Not for you to force his hand, because that doesn’t do anyone any good in the long run.” Both Bryan and Ben knew the moment he
Junior Sydney Berlin was one of two Gators to win a singles match at the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, defeating her opponent 6-3, 6-2. Teammate McCartney Kessler also won her match 6-1, 7-5.
Courtesy to The Alligator
Freshman Ben Shelton (left) walks alongside doubles teammate Will Grant after dropping a match, 8-7, against Auburn on Oct. 2 at the Tiger Fall Invitational in Auburn, Alabama. was destined to become a Gator: when Ben returned from touring Stanford. “I liked it,” Ben said, “but it just seemed like there was so much at Florida that it didn’t seem like they had much more, it was pretty similar. “I just thought that being at home with my dad, in-state, would just be a lot easier for us, and I thought I could definitely do better with my tennis here than anywhere else.” On July 22, Ben signed to become the newest member of the Florida men’s tennis team. Originally in the high school Class of 2021, Ben completed his coursework over the summer in order to enroll a year early. As his father noted, Ben’s love of playing has also grown into a love for life and people, making him someone his father sees as an easy person to connect with. “I felt like, even through his junior days and his high school days, he was always somebody that other people were drawn towards,” coach Shelton said. ”And I think he’s going to help us on our team and is going to be an energy, high-energy guy out there on the court or off the court.” Ben is the only freshman on the team this
UConn basketball cancels non-conference game against Florida
CBS Sports basketball writer Matt Norlander tweeted Sunday that the Huskies called the Gators to cancel their Dec. 6 non-conference game at UF. The cancelation came because UConn agreed to play NC State on Dec. 5 at Mohegan Sun.
season, but he may be more suited to handle that challenge than most. He’s been coming to the Florida tennis facility with his father since he was in elementary school. He has a familiarity with everyone involved with the program, including his new teammates. “He’s been around, obviously, ever since I got here,” senior captain Duarte Vale said, “And he’s a great kid, the best type of people, and he’s an extremely hard worker.” While a younger version of himself may not have believed it or even wanted it, Ben now takes the court for the Gators and wears the logo on a little patch over his heart wherever he competes. That is something his father refuses to take for granted. “To see him out there playing and smiling and running around the court, it was a great feeling to have him be a part of this thing,” coach Shelton said. While the Shelton name may already have impacted Florida tennis, Ben wants to create a racket all his own at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
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rhaley@alligator.org @ryan_dhaley
12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
SOCCER
No. 11 South Carolina dominates shorthanded Florida By Bryan Matamoros Sports Writer
An already difficult matchup at No. 11 South Carolina was even tougher for Florida with the absence of coach Becky Burleigh,
who stayed back in Gainesville due to COVID-19 contact tracing. A shorthanded Gators team proved no match for the Gamecocks, who came away with a comfortable 4-2 victory at Stone Stadium in Columbia, South Car-
olina, on Sunday. UF was without seven players for undisclosed reasons: Carina Baltrip-Reyes, Georgia Eaton-Collins, Kouri Peace, Kit Loferski, Deanne Rose, Ashlyn Kane and Ava Kuyken. Although Peace,
Samantha Harrison // Alligator Staff
Redshirt freshman midfielder Nicole Vernis fights for a ball at Florida’s home opener against Georgia this season. Vernis scored her first collegiate goal versus South Carolina Sunday afternoon.
Loferski and Rose have recently missed time with injuries, the exact cause of their absences was not revealed. With Burleigh in quarantine, Alan Kirkup and Vic Campbell took over the coaching duties for Florida. The associate head coaches, along with help from Burleigh through phone calls, were responsible for setting the starting lineup. Their decision to start redshirt freshman Nicole Vernis paid off in the 10th minute, as the midfielder found the back of the net on a low cross from forward Cassidy Lindley to level the game at 1-1. The Gamecocks had opened the scoring just four minutes prior to Vernis’ first collegiate goal off a set piece that was headed home by defender Sutton Jones. South Carolina’s goal in the early stages foreshadowed Florida’s fate in what turned out to be a disappointing performance from the Gators defense. The Gamecocks took advantage of UF’s back line, which was without two of its mainstays in Baltrip-Reyes and Eaton-Collins, scoring each of their four goals from corner kicks. “(We) clearly had an issue defending corners and USC exposed
that,” Burleigh said in a release after the defeat. “We will work on that going forward. (I) felt good about our ability in the run of play, but we aren’t here for moral victories.” Gators defender Tori Grambo also found the back of the net for the first time in her college career with 22 seconds remaining in Sunday’s contest. The UF freshman dribbled the ball near the edge of the box and unleashed a left-footed shot from 19 yards out to cut South Carolina’s lead in half. Her late goal was just a consolation, however, as the Gators dropped their thirdconsecutive game. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, celebrated coach Shelley Smith’s 300th-career win. She is now the 27th coach in NCAA Division I women’s soccer history to reach that milestone. Next up for Florida is a meeting with Tennessee on Friday night. Burleigh’s availability for next week’s game, along with that of the seven players who failed to make the trip to South Carolina, is still unknown. @bryan_2712 bmatamoros@alligator.org