Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 by The Independent Florida Alligator

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Student Senate condemns search committee, Student Body President for Sasse nomination

BOTH PARTIES UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED RESOLUTION

By Alissa Gary Alligator Staff Writer

The UF Student Senate unani mously passed a resolution Oct. 18 condemning the presidential search committee and Student Body Presi dent Lauren Lemasters for nominat ing Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, as the university’s sole presidential fi nalist.

Minority Caucus Leader Faith Corbett (Change-District C) spoke on the resolution during the meeting, calling for Lemasters to vote “no” on Sasse’s confirmation. Lemasters holds one of the 13 votes cast by the Board of Trustees on Sasse’s selec tion.

“Student Body President is a posi tion which is supposed to represent the ideas, actions, wants and needs of the student body,” she said. “But ‘unanimously’ is not how the student body wishes this vote to be known.”

Lemasters is one of 15 members of the presidential search committee, who advised the Board of Trustees in selecting a presidential candidate. She served on subcommittees to de velop candidates’ qualifications, host listening sessions, organize Sasse’s visits to campus and help in the pres idential transition. She also moder ated the Oct. 10 student Q&A forum with Sasse.

The resolution was authored by Corbett, Deputy Minority Party Leader Gabriela Montes (ChangeLiberal Arts and Sciences), Sen. Con nor Panish (Change-Yulee) and Sen. Jonathan Stephens (Change-District D). Among the resolution’s 34 spon sors were senators from both sides of the aisle, including Majority Caucus Leader Blake Cox (Gator-District A). The most updated version of the

legislation as of Sunday, which con tains a full amended list of sponsors, is not yet available on the Student Government website.

Neither Lemasters nor Senate President Olivia Green responded to The Alligator’s request for comment as of Sunday. Cox also declined to comment.

The resolution cited Sasse’s time as president of Midland University, his statement against the U.S. Su preme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision and UF student protests as grounds for the condemnation.

“We hope that in the future, Student Body President Lemasters makes this a more communicative process to ensure that she really does represent the sentiments of the stu dent body,” Corbett said.

For Stephens, who had been a Summer replacement senator prior to winning his seat this Fall, writ ing the resolution was an immedi ate response to Sasse’s nomination. The legislation represents both the Senate’s discontent with the Board of Trustees and with Sasse himself, Stephens said.

“I knew it wasn't acceptable for us to support not only him as a can didate but him as the sole finalist, which I think was very shocking for everyone,” Stephens said.

Sen. Danny Wolcott (ChangeHume), one of the resolution’s spon sors, said it was his duty as a senator to support it after vast student pro tests, he said.

“If 100 people representing the entire school, and not a single person opposes this resolution, I think that sends a strong message to the presi dential search committee and the Board of Trustees that we would like to see another option for the presi dential position,” Wolcott said.

Despite her Gator Party affiliation, Lemasters’ condemnation passed unanimously and with sponsors from the Gator caucus. Through a

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voice vote, no senators objected to the resolution.

Although he disagrees with Gator on some policies, Stephens said he’s happy to see the legislative body holding the executive branch ac countable.

“I think that it's great that we've seen that support,” he said. “I hope that we continue that same behavior and cooperation throughout the rest of the term.”

Pristine Thai, an 18-year-old UF political science and public relations freshman, said she hopes the resolu tion will encourage Lemasters to fur ther justify her decision to nominate Sasse — providing accountability she thinks both the student body and SG deserve.

“I think it's important for Student Government to not be quiet about this,” Thai said. “I think it's impor tant that they speak out, especially when it's clearly a very contentious issue on UF campus.”

Shortly after Sasse’s Oct. 6 nomi nation, Lemasters sent a mass email inviting students to the Oct. 10 Q&A forum with the senator. In the email, she briefly mentioned her approval of Sasse, saying he “set himself apart as a candidate” when they met dur ing the nomination process.

Consistent with Corbett’s state ment, the resolution ends with a call for Lemasters to vote “no” on Sasse’s confirmation Nov. 1.

@AlissaGary1 agary@alligator.org

UF Faculty Senate will consider vote of confidence on Ben Sasse, presidential search process

FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT UNSURE OF IMPACT

By Christian Casale & Mickenzie Hannon Alligator Staff Writers

The UF Faculty Senate will consider a vote of no confidence on both Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, as the sole presidential finalist and the presidential search pro cess that selected him, as decided by the deliberative body Thursday.

The Faculty Senate will hold an emergency meeting Oct. 27 from 3-5 p.m. to debate and possibly adopt a resolution of no confidence in the selection process of the 13th president of the university. A vote of no confi dence would signal that a majority of the Faculty Senate feels that Sasse’s selection was inadequate.

Faculty Senate President Amanda Phalin told The Alligator she isn’t sure what a successful vote of no confidence would mean for the senator’s candidacy. Although Phalin said she has gotten feedback from fac ulty senators about Sasse’s candidacy, she hadn’t heard about senators’ intentions prior to the Oct. 20 meeting.

“I support faculty having their voices heard,” Phalin

said. “And I will do everything I can to facilitate that to the best of my ability.”

Phalin is caught between her emphatic support for Sasse’s candidacy and her advocacy role for the fac ulty’s democratic process. As a Board of Trustees mem ber, Phalin will take part in the final vote on whether Sasse will become the 13th UF president. As the Senate faculty president, she may potentially oversee a harsh rejection of the entire search process and its outcome by the UF faculty’s representative body.

“The process of the 13th Presidential search, con ducted in accordance with the updated Florida State Bill 520, has undermined the trust and confidence of the University of Florida Faculty Senate in the selection of the sole finalist Dr. Ben Sasse,” read the preamble of the emergency meeting’s resolution that will be voted on.

Read the rest online at alligator.org.

@vanityhack ccasale@alligator.org @MickenzieHannon mhannon@alligator.org

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2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 10

Will Ben Sasse fit into UF’s history department?

SOME SAY SASSE’S ACADEMICS DON’T COMPARE

By Malori Malone Alligator Contributing Writer

UF administration claims Ne braska Sen. Ben Sasse is “an academic first,” despite his nine years in politics. Yet, as Sasse states himself in his online biog raphy, he’s simply “an occasional professor.”

Because Sasse dedicated his academic career to studying American history, UF history de partment faculty and students are curious to see how the senator will fit into their college.

Jon Sensbach, UF history de partment chair, said Sasse has yet to show his interest in involving

himself in the college. A teach ing collaboration with the former senator could be an interesting prospect for some students, he said.

The department would wel come Sasse if he were interested in teaching a class about the his tory of Congress from his own ex perience, Sensbach said.

Kenny Tant, a 29-year-old UF history senior, said he’s excited for the possibility of Sasse mov ing UF’s history department into the spotlight through his presi dency. Tant thinks the history department deserves more recog nition, he said.

“I don’t think a lot of people know that there are a lot of na

From Senate to the Swamp: A look at Sen. Ben Sasse’s Congressional history

UF presidential finalist routinely voted conservative during Senate tenure

By Heather Bushman Alligator Staff Writer

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, is set to be at the helm of the Swamp if voted to become UF’s next president. But for now, he’s still sitting atop Capitol Hill.

Sasse, a Republican senator and current sole finalist for UF’s presidency, has spent the past seven years sponsoring and passing legislation in the U.S. Senate. He’s backed laws that have limited abortion access and

Stricklin steady through presidential change

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He was hired by Fuchs and will continue his tenure under new UF president.

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In Congress, Sasse sits on the intelligence, judiciary, budget and finance committees. He has a background in health care through his work as the assistant secretary of planning and evaluation in former President George W. Bush’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Sasse’s congressional tenure will likely end in the coming weeks, as he’s expected to resign ahead of his presumptive appointment as UF’s president. He wasn’t the most active

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022VOLUME 117 ISSUE 10

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Sophia Abolfathi // Alligator Staff A bloody, cardboard figurehead of Gov. Ron DeSantis waves to passing cars Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. His appearance in the city of Alachua was closed to the press. Find this story on pg. 6. SEE

ACADEMICS, PAGE 7 SEE POLITICS, PAGE 7

Sasse’s China rhetoric prompts concern of anti-Asian hate from UF Chinese students

SASSE SAYS HIS STANCES ON CHINA ARE DIRECTED TO LEADERSHIP

By Omar Ateyah Alligator Staff Writer

Allison Naughton knows what the sting of discrimination feels like.

As a Chinese-American student at UF, they’re concerned the likely appointment of Sen. Ben Sasse as the university’s next president will create a culture in which anti-Chinese hostility is normalized due to his past comments on China.

Naughton was a high schooler during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which made them feel like an outsider in their own country.

Naughton, now an 18-yearold UF biology and behavioral cognitive neuroscience psychology freshman, was born in the U.S. to a Chinese mother and Canadian father. Part of their experience, they said, was watching people rush away from them in the grocery store if they were to cough — an experience they characterized as unique for Asian people.

“I think that was kind of a collective experience for a lot of my Asian friends and not so much for my white friends, even if they were hacking and coughing in their mask,” Naughton said.

As Sasse stands as the only finalist in the running to be UF’s next president, his comments about China are concerning for many Chinese community members on campus. Sasse has characterized himself as a staunch opponent of the Chinese government, but he’s also been

criticized for hostile comments on China’s role in the pandemic.

In the spring of 2020, he blasted “the thugs in China” for dishonesty regarding COVID-19.

Sasse’s comment was part of a larger political culture created by the pandemic. In the early days of the pandemic, former President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus.”

The dangers of anti-Asian hate is something Naughton has grappled with personally, mentioning how one of their mother’s friends was killed in New York in an act of anti-Asian hate.

“It was really disgusting to see how racism in America could be

just so cultivated,” they said.

Although Sasse’s Congressional office didn’t respond to requests for comment, he did address his rhetoric on the issue earlier this month during an Oct. 10 UF forum.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said anything that should create fear among Americans of Chinese descent or Chinese people,” he said. “I am an opponent of the Chinese Communist Party.”

In an article for The Atlantic published in January 2020, Sasse characterized the Chinese government as a “unique, longterm, and existential threat.” He argued the U.S. should not shift its attention away from what he termed “the defining national-

security challenge of our age.”

In the article, Sasse cites China’s oppressive treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province and its internal surveillance system in characterizing the threat posed by the governing Communist Party.

Stephan Kory, a UF professor of ancient and medieval Chinese language, literature and culture, said he believes it’s important for a distinction to be made between the government of China and people of Chinese descent.

“As a Chinese professor here at UF, I try to tell my students that constantly,” he said. “The fact that we can not really agree with a lot of the things that the [People’s Republic of China]’s

Here’s what to expect from Ben Sasse’s Nov. 1 UF visit

Board of Trustees expected to vote on Sasse’s nomination

By Anushka Dakshit Alligator Staff Writer

As Sen. Ben Sasse prepares for his re turn to UF campus, a coalition of UF or ganizations is also preparing to commu nicate directly with him for the first time.

The coalition is calling their plan of action “Spook Sasse Out of Our Swamp.”

One part of the plan includes attending President Lauren Lemasters’ office hours on Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. The second part of the plan is a protest during the final interview between the Board of Trustees and Sasse from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. outside of Emerson Alumni Hall.

Since UF has enforced a ban on pro tests inside Emerson Hall, the protest will be peaceful but respecting the guidelines of the university, UF Young Democratic Socialists Association President Aron AliMcClory wrote in a text message.

Sasse is slated to return to campus Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. in Emerson Alumni Hall for an interview with the Board of Trustees.

Unlike the last time Sasse was at Emer son Hall Oct. 10, the meeting will be open for public comment and livestreamed for those unable to attend, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote in an email.

The board is expected to vote on Sasse’s nomination at the Nov. 1 meeting, Roldan wrote. If Sasse is selected, he’ll move on to the Florida Board of Governors to be confirmed as president-elect.

Roldan didn’t answer questions about whether there’ll be heightened security, in accordance with state statute 1004.055.

Organizations including UF Young Democratic Socialists of America, UF Col lege Democrats and Graduate Assistants United will be present at the meeting to deliver public comment.

These groups and Sasse will return to Emerson Hall for the first time since Sasse’s initial introduction to UF and the 300-person protest that followed.

An agenda detailing additional informa tion about the meeting will be published on the UF Board of Trustees website. The coalition decided on a course of action

together Sunday afternoon, Ali-McClory said.

Members of the coalition will be at tending Student Body President Lauren Lemasters’ office hours Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. to present a list of five demands the coalition decided on the weekend before the Oct. 10 protests at Emerson Hall, Ali-McClory said.

The office hours visit won’t be a pro test but rather a time for the coalition to speak to Lemasters about their issues and thoughts as constituents, Ali-McCrory said.

The coalition’s demands include ask ing for Sasse to decline his position on the terms of an “unjust nomination process” and for the presidential search process to be transparent.

The group wants opportunities for stu dents, faculty and staff to provide consid ered input and for the Board of Trustees to release the names of all 12 presidential search finalists.

The coalition also called for the Florida Legislature to repeal Senate Bill 520, a bill

government is doing, but we can still absolutely love the Chinese people.”

Samantha Law, an 18-yearold UF finance freshman whose mother is from Vietnam and whose father is from China, said she has found a sense of community at UF through organizations such as the Chinese American Student Association. Although she didn’t personally experience pandemicrelated discrimination, she and her family exercised caution.

“We definitely tried to be more careful just because we didn’t want to put ourselves in danger if we encountered someone who would maybe act violently against us just based on our race,” she said.

She would like Sasse to make a promise to promote inclusion and equality at UF, which she believes is an imperative in university settings, she said.

“You want that diversity and you want the people there to feel safe,” she said. “As a president, you should be able to ensure that.”

Christine Lin, a 19-year-old UF computer science junior, said she believes Sasse’s conduct toward Chinese and Asian Americans will be much more important than anything he can say on the matter.

“Actions speak louder than words,” she said. “With our concerns, he could very much say, ‘I do support the Chinese or the Asian community.’ In the future, if you put those words into action and actually participate…I think that would be much better than just verbal speeches.”

@OAteyah oateyah@alligator.org

passed in March that exempts public re cords requests from identifying personal information of a public university presi dential applicant.

The coalition’s plan of action is inspired by the UF Student Government’s resolu tion, which passed Oct. 18, condemning Lemasters for her role in the unanimous decision within the UF presidential search committee, Ali-McClory said.

The idea is to ensure Lemasters is on the side of the student body, Ali-McClory said.

“We’re going to definitely pursue those more non-disruptive avenues of asking Sasse about his intentions,” Ali-McClory said.

UF College Democrats is trying to get as many students as possible to show up to the meeting to demonstrate students don’t want Sasse to be the next president, said Lily Kalandjian, the group’s public rela tions director. The goal is to convince the Board of Trustees to not vote in his favor.

“I know we’re going to continue to just make Ben Sasse feel that he is not wel come on this campus and that he’s making this an unsafe space for a lot of students,” Kalandjian said.

@anushkadak adakshit@alligator.org

4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022

Ashleigh Lucas // Alligator Staff U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, addresses faculty during a public forum Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.

Santa Fe College weighs Ben Sasse’s impact on transfer decisions

UF HISTORICALLY ADMITS MORE SFC STUDENTS THAN ANY OTHER STATE COLLEGE

By Claire Grunewald Alligator Staff Writer

The presidential-finalist status of Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, hasn’t only made waves on the UF campus — the implications of his poten tial appointment has also made its way to Santa Fe College.

With more than 10,000 students, SFC is the second biggest college in Gainesville. Many stu dents attend SFC with plans to transfer to UF, as the university admits more students from SFC than from any of the other 28 Florida state community colleges. From Summer 2021 to Spring 2022, 1,732 SFC students applied to UF and 65% were accepted, Julie Crosby, coordi nator of UF at Santa Fe Center, said.

Many of SFC’s transfer programs are also in direct partnership with UF.

Strong ties between the two educational institutions have left SFC staff and students to debate whether the announcement of the UF presidential candidate has any effect on their nearby campus.

SFC President Paul Broadie II was selected to serve as an adviser to the search committee Chair Rahul Patel and the UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini throughout the presidential search process. As an advisor, Broadie of fered consultation and advice to Hosseini and Patel.

Other presidential search advisers included UF President Kent Fuchs, UF Provost Joseph Glover, UF Chief Diversity Officer Marsha Mc

Griff and UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin.

The college has enjoyed a productive re lationship with UF and will continue to do so as university’s administration changes, SFC spokesperson Jay Anderson wrote in an email.

“President Broadie has enjoyed collaborat ing with President Fuchs to the benefit of both institutions and expects that relationship to continue with UF’s next president,” Anderson wrote.

Current SFC students’ reactions have been much more varied than that of the college’s president, ranging from concern to apathy.

SFC Student Body President Conor Ruffin acknowledges there’s a level of separation be tween the two campuses, but he said he be lieves Sasse’s finalist status still impacts the SFC community.

“Go talk to any student on this campus that is a person of color or a member of the LGBTQ [community],” Ruffin said. “They will say that this is not someone they want to represent them. It’s disheartening for students here.”

Ruffin hopes to transfer to UF next spring but has reservations about what type of presi dent Sasse will be, he said.

“I think from any student perspective it’s bad,” Ruffin said. “But it’s a win for anyone on the UF Board of Trustees.”

Mikayla Stesney, a 18-year-old SFC health sciences freshman, plans to transfer to UF but said she’s now worried about Sasse’s possible presidency. Stesney identifies as bisexual and doesn’t align with Sasse’s political views, she said.

“I’m worried about potential policies he may put in place that could make UF an unsafe place for minority groups,” Stesney said.

She would never go to a school that she felt

Ashleigh Lucas // Alligator Staff

A cyclist passes by the new Santa Fe College Blount Hall building in downtown Gainesville on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022.

threatened by, she added.

However, many SFC students are either un aware of or unbothered by the presidential can didate announcement, as they have no involve ment in UF or intent to transfer there.

Nathan Baldwin, a 20-year-old SFC history sophomore, said he plans to stay four years at SFC because of its physical therapy assistant program. He wasn’t aware of the UF’s presiden tial finalist announcement, he said.

“If I were to transfer to UF, keeping up to date with any campus related news or develop ments would be my prerogative,” Baldwin said.

Aside from current students, the general consensus among previous SFC students is that their decision to transfer would’ve not been im pacted by the announcement.

Javier Abadia, a 20-year old UF industrial systems engineering junior, transferred from SFC to UF in Fall 2021. His end goal was always to transfer to UF and was inspired by his sister who also transferred from SFC, he said.

“I don’t think [the presidential finalist an nouncement] would’ve impacted my decision,” Abadia said. “I didn’t even know who the UF president was when I was at Santa Fe.”

Louis Kelleher, a 20-year-old UF advertis ing junior, transferred to UF from SFC in Spring 2022. Kelleher comes from a family of UF alumni and said he always wanted to attend the university.

“People are concerned about his view on things such as gay marriage,” Kelleher said. “But from my perspective it would have no ef fect on whether I would’ve wanted to transfer into UF.”

Andrea Evangelist, SFC director of academic advisement and career exploration centers, said she advises SFC students who are looking to transfer to other schools, especially to UF.

Evangelist meets with a variety of students, some of whom have always wanted to attend UF and others who are unsure of whether UF is the right university for them.

“If UF is a top-ranked school, we’ll get more students that way,” Evangelist said. “If they win a football game, we’ll get students who are interested in sports who will come and say, ‘I want to go to UF’.”

Many students come having always wanted to be a Gator and recent events don’t necessar ily change their minds, Evangelist said.

Some SFC students, such as Ruffin, expect to receive transfer admission notifications at the beginning of November — around the same time Sasse is expected to visit UF for a second time.

@grunewaldclaire cgrunewald@alligator.org

Sasse’s political history alarms UF climate activists, scientists

change add to growing list of concerns

By Fernando Figueroa Alligator Staff Writer

During his first visit to UF, presidential finalist Sen. Ben Sasse said he believes in climate change. But members of the com munity are concerned his political history might not fit with the university’s sustainable future.

Colin Hall, a 22-year-old UF mechanical engineering senior, was at the Oct. 10 protest when the crowd rushed in through the forum’s doors interrupting Sasse’s Q&A session. Nominating someone with cowardly and ignorant views of the climate crisis wouldn’t represent the views of the student body, he said.

“We are facing extreme mass destruction of our planet at an alarming rate, and he thinks that his profits are a priority over the well-being of all marginalized communities,” Hall said in be tween deafening chants.

A look into Sasse’s campaign contributions reveals thou sands of dollars from the fossil fuel industry. During his career, Sasse received more than $286,000 from the oil & gas industry, according to OpenSecrets — a nonprofit campaign transpar ency organization. Since 2013, he’s received $127,123 from Club for Growth, a conservative organization that opposes climate change initiatives such as the Paris Agreement.

Sasse opposed an amendment to the Keystone Pipeline Ap proval Act in 2015, which attempted to include a sentence stating that “climate change is real and not a hoax.” He also condemned “climate alarmists” for not proposing innovative solutions dur ing a Fox News Sunday interview in 2018.

Campbell Al-Khafaji, an 18-year-old UF sustainability studies freshman and political director of Climate Action Gators, said the alarmism comment seemed condescending.

“It’s a way of almost speaking down to us and trying to tell us that he knows better and that he has the authority, which is simply not true,” she said. “This is our [life]. This is our future. I think that we have the opportunity now to show Sasse how angry we are and how committed we are.”

However, Sasse has more recently affirmed his belief in cli mate change.

“I believe strongly in climate change,” Sasse said during the Oct. 10 faculty forum. “I believe strongly in the role of UF to be involved in research and mitigating climate change.”

And yet, he remains skeptical about the federal government’s role in mitigating climate change, Sasse said.

Sasse’s team didn’t respond to The Alligator’s request for comment after calling, emailing and using his Senate website’s contact request form.

Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, a governing board member of the South Florida Water Management District and UF alumna, said anti-regulatory rhetoric is typical among people who support states’ rights. She was appointed by Gov. Ron Desantis in 2019.

As someone who has been on the ground working on water quality issues in the St. Lucie River and in the Indian River La goon, Thurlow-Lippisch said protecting the environment is go ing to require federal, state and local support.

“No disrespect to Mr. Sasse,” Thurlow-Lippisch said. “But you need all hands on deck.”

Earlier this month, Sasse criticized the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. SCOTUS case. The WOTUS rule, which is being argued in the case, defines where the Clean Water Act can be applied and is currently used in regulating water quality and pollution.

“When unelected bureaucrats in Washington try regulat ing puddles, ditches and streams things get crazy,” Sasse said. “These decisions are managed best at the county and state level where conservation and common sense go hand in hand.”

For students and faculty, Sasse’s doubt in regulatory policies such as WOTUS and the Green New Deal is cause for concern.

Al-Khafaji emphasized eliminating dependency on fossil fu els and transitioning to renewable energy requires government regulations. His skepticism is an excuse to prioritize personal profit over ecological and societal health, she said.

“UF nor our global environment can afford to have a leader that devalues the importance of immediate climate action while accepting millions of dollars from those who oppose it,” Camp bell said. “The issue is too urgent, and the risks are too great.”

One project that Sasse may have to oversee in his potential presidency is UF’s new energy plant.

UF’s proposed Central Energy Plant Project — which will burn natural gas to produce steam — will begin construction in 2023. Although UF’s Office of Sustainability expects the plant will reduce the university’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25%, the plant contradicts the university’s commitment to reach car bon neutrality by 2025, Al-Khafaji said.

If Sasse wants to demonstrate commitment to the student body’s climate demands, he’ll have to halt the progress of the natural gas plant, Al-Khafaji said. That seems unlikely based on his political history, she said, and she expects the demands will be dismissed.

Climate scientist Stephen Mulkey, UF sustainability and cli mate change lecturer and former president of Unity College, dis agrees with Sasse’s reliance on technology and innovation to stop the fossil fuel industry — especially in the U.S. — the coun try with highest per capita emissions in the world.

Demands to decarbonize UF will not be met because of the university’s ties to the state, regardless of the presidential nomi nation, Mulkey said. For both Mulkey and Al-Khafaji, the ideal first step from here would be for Sasse to reject the presidency; however, they foresee Sasse accepting the position.

The only way Sasse can prove his commitment to mitigating climate change is to agree with demands like Al-Khafaji’s, he added.

Instead of building the plant, Mulkey proposed installing more solar as an alternative, falling in line with a recent analysis by the Rocky Mountain Institute, which suggests transitioning to renewable energy would save the university over $100 million.

During his presidency of Unity College, Mulkey led a success ful fossil fuel divestment initiative. Initiatives, even at a flagship university, can succeed under considerable pressure from the student body, he said.

“You need to plan to be active and protesting and objecting,” Mulkey said. “You’ve got to be willing to get uncomfortable, to get out there and march and be loud and make the case.”

Student Government Sen. Jonathan C. Stephens, (ChangeDistrict D), anticipates they will have to work together with Sasse during their term to continue the different climate-related projects the university has planned. They noted, however, the work ahead involves not only the president but also the rest of the faculty, including the provost and the budget appropriations committee.

“Obviously, the senate can’t fund every single thing when it comes to climate policy,” Stephens said.

Change can come from small actions as well, they said. A straightforward way to get people thinking sustainably every day is to require a universal recycling label on all publicity mate rial within student government organizations, they said.

“Trying to help change the culture is what’s going to help turn the tide for us to be able to get a difference in climate change,” Stephens said.

@fernfigue ffigueroa@alligator.org

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022 ALLIGATOR 5

Fossil fuel donations, comments on reality of climate

Ben Sasse piques conservative students’ interests, disappoints some

SASSE IS MODERATE COMPARED TO OTHER REPUBLICANS, STUDENTS SAY

By Jiselle Lee Alligator Staff Writer

While UF student and faculty protesters stomped on the floors of Emerson Alumni Hall in opposi tion to Sen. Ben Sasse Oct. 10, other more conservative UF students are interested in getting to know the university presidential finalist a bit better.

Although Sasse has piqued their interest with his political beliefs, he’s not the conservative represen tation they expected.

Sasse was critical of Trump’s ad ministration, and his disagreement with Trump got him in trouble with Nebraska Republican supporters. Sasse also voted to impeach Trump during his second impeachment trial.

Some students like Harrison Feld, a member of the UF Young Ameri cans for Freedom, knew of Sasse from his politics on Capitol Hill. He admittedly wasn’t expecting the presidential search committee to choose someone from Nebraska, Feld said.

But in the end, he just wants someone who’s going to improve the school, Feld said. Maintaining UF’s top five public university status is important to him, the 20-year-old UF political science junior added.

“Obviously, I’m going to like him,” Feld said. “He’s a Republican. He’s not the best Republican, but he’s there.”

Students who are protesting Sasse don’t have to worry about his politics, Feld said, because he doesn’t think Sasse is a “far-right kind of guy.”

“He’s entitled to his own beliefs,” he said. “As long as he’s fair, I don’t

see the problem. I don’t think he’s gonna go on a crusade against the LGBTQ students on campus.”

Abby Streetman, a 22-year-old UF biology senior and Turning Point USA member, said she doesn’t con sider herself Republican or Demo crat.

Streetman was following UF’s presidential search closely because she worked as a university intern last year, she said.

She hoped the search would pro duce a candidate who’s passionate about academics, has experience in academics and would contribute to a pleasant overall environment, she said. Her pick would be someone who will interact with the student body as much as possible and be vo cal about campus issues.

“Overall, I respect [the search committee’s] decision,” Streetman said. “I know that it couldn’t have been easy, and I know that they knew they were going to face back lash because of this decision.”

tive, but to get along in the Repub lican Party these days, you have to express some degree of fealty to Donald Trump. And Senator Sasse was always clearly uncomfortable with that.”

Still, Sasse checks off many boxes that align with conservative policy, Smith said.

Sasse’s 2014 Senate campaign centered on his opposition to Obam acare. He was opposed to gay mar riage and abortion, and he was en dorsed twice by the National Rifle Association.

He was reelected in 2020, win ning the general election in a land slide 67.39% of the vote. Sasse re ceived about 40 percentage points more than the Democratic candidate Chris Janicek, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Sasse’s political experience could help him as a university president, Streetman said.

“Politics goes hand in hand with education nowadays,” she said.

“University presidents have to deal with politics pretty much every day.

That’s a huge part of their job.”

But Streetman has faith Sasse will put politics aside for the sake of the university’s environment, she said.

“I don’t think that he’s going to try and change anything about the way that our community functions at the moment,” she said.

Some conservatives on campus want Sasse to continue to be out spoken on his politics — even if he doesn’t meet some of their expecta tions.

Vince Dao, a 19-year-old conser vative commentator and marketing sophomore, said he thinks Sasse isn’t conservative enough.

“I’ve always seen Ben Sasse as weak — as a neoconservative,” Dao said. “I think he’s weak. I think he’s always been a pushover. From a right-wing perspective, I’m really not a fan of the guy.”

Dao has made commentary vid eos on conservative topics since he was 15 years old. He now has more than 77,100 followers on Instagram and 17,800 subscribers on Youtube.

Dao considers Sasse as an inad equate representation of his con servative beliefs, which is why the 300-person protest of Sasse’s Oct. 10 campus visit came as a surprise to him, he said.

“It just goes to show you that no matter how hard a conservative or right-wing person tries to cave to the left or appease the left, they’re still gonna get the same angry response of hatred and vitriol,” Dao said. “The best thing conservatives can do is just stand firm because that way, at least we’ll get something done.”

Dao doesn’t agree with Sasse’s

views on immigration, trade and foreign policy issues.

“Even though he won over whelmingly,” Smith said, “you could kind of sense that the MAGA loyalists in the Nebraska Republi can camp weren’t super happy with him.”

“I think it’s better than if we had a complete leftist as president,” Dao said. “But I’m not sure I would call it a win. It’s lukewarm at best.”

Kevin Smith, political science department chair of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recalls Sasse’s first days in politics.

“I think he was viewed as a rising star within the Republican Party,” Smith said. “He was young; he was smart. I mean, he’s got a Yale PhD. ”

There were even whispers during his senatorial term of him being a fu ture presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate, Smith said. Clearly, the trajectory of his political career has not followed those early expectations, Smith added.

Sasse was considered a loyal Re publican despite criticizing Trump’s administration, he said.

“That upset quite a few Repub licans in Nebraska,” Smith said.

“He’s a dyed in the wool conserva

Sasse might have sensed the par ty was turning against him and seek ing a representative who expresses a much stronger commitment to the Trump loyalists, Smith said. But that shouldn’t have been a concern for Sasse because he wasn’t far into his term and had years left as a senator, Smith added.

Smith can see the connection between Sasse’s academic past and his return to academia, he said, but there was no indication Sasse would make the break from politics.

However Sasse did, and although some conservative students are con fused by his switch from politics to academia, they agree he’s the man for the job.

@jiselle_lee jlee@alligator.org

Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers keynote speech at closed-door fundraiser

Namari Lock // Alligator Staff Alachua County Republicans kept press, protestors out of Alachua’s Legacy Park

By Heather Bushman Alligator Staff Writer

Gov. Ron DeSantis made his entrance as the man of the hour at Alachua city’s Legacy Park Oct. 20 to the roaring approval of the crowd.

DeSantis, who is running for reelection, delivered the keynote speech at the annual Ronald Reagan Black Tie and Blue Jeans BBQ fundraising event. He began his ad dress with a key platform point: freedom.

“Hello, Alachua County,” he said. “Aren’t you glad to live in a free state?”

DeSantis’ remarks on freedom came at the apex of the sold-out event, where at tendees paid $125 in an entrance fee that also acted as a donation to the county Re publican party. The event was held in the multipurpose center, which has a capacity of 3,900.

Alachua County Republicans kept DeSan tis from press in his first county appearance this year, unless they purchased tickets as attendees. As DeSantis spoke inside, secu rity ushered media into the designated press area: a blue mesh barricade in the middle of a field a quarter of a mile away.

Event organizers enforced the media

blackout ahead of the annual fundraiser. They informed The Alligator and other out lets of a press restriction, which they said was in line with past years.

Though DeSantis responds to the media at scheduled press conferences, The Alliga tor has consistently struggled to reach con servative candidates like him and U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack through individual requests for comment. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, UF’s lone presidential finalist, has also of fered no media availability since his candi dacy announcement.

Raemi Eagle-Glenn, a committee states woman for the local Republican party and the District 1 county commissioner, said the event will not make a record of DeSantis’ remarks available to the public.

Officers from the Alachua Police Depart ment kept reporters and protesters off the premises and prevented them from talking to attendees.

The Alachua County Republicans rented the entire premises this year, not just the building like in the past, officers said. This allowed organizers to decide who entered within a quarter mile of the event building.

The fundraiser ran from 5-9 p.m. the evening of Oct. 20. DeSantis arrived around

8:20 p.m. and left as soon as the event end ed.

At the intersection of 140th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, protesters from Gainesville and UF groups denounced DeSantis’ appearance in Alachua and his conservative policies. Around 40 protesters wielded signs and megaphones as they de cried the governor and his bid for reelection.

Anita Staengl, a 79-year-old retired Ala chua resident, said she attended the protest to voice her opposition to DeSantis. She fears policies like the bans on library books in Sarasota County schools indicate a regres sion to a more restrictive government, she said.

DeSantis faces Democratic candidate for mer Rep. Charlie Crist in the Nov. 8 general election. Staengl fears Florida will look un recognizable after four more years of a De Santis governorship, she said.

“It looks like a fascist state to me,” Staengl said. “The Republicans and follow ers of Trump are more concerned about their party and winning and power and money than they are following the laws of our country.”

As the governor spoke mere miles away, the protesters cursed his name. Chants of

“f--k Ron DeSantis” rang out as protest at tendees shouted to the streets.

DeSantis’ proximity wasn’t lost on Woody Blue, a 70-year-old massage thera pist and Gainesville resident. She wishes he was more available to press and voters, but she said his policy points speak for them selves.

“I don’t care that he’s going down there and speaking and I don’t have to see him,” Blue said. “He makes me sick.”

Jyoti Parmar, a Gainesville and founder of North Central Florida Indivisible, said she opposes DeSantis because his policies will lead to a more disenfranchised voter base. Parmar worries women’s rights will plum met with another DeSantis term, she said.

Past policies have already put Florida on the path to more restrictions, Parmar said. With so much at stake on the general elec tion ballot, Parmar said the presence of pro testers was inevitable.

“Law after law that he has passed has hurt the people and spirit of democracy and everything that the United States is based on,” she said. “Of course we’re out here.”

@hmb_1013 hbushman@alligator.org

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022

senator, ranking 99th and 97th among his colleagues in the 117th Congress in sponsored and cosponsored bills, according to a report from Open Secrets.

Sasse’s ranking of 97th in cosponsored bills was his highest in his tenure across four iterations of Congress. He never surpassed 98th in either sponsored or cosponsored bills aside from this term in that time.

He wasn’t as outspoken as some of his Republican colleagues, but the senator crossed party lines at notable moments despite largely aligning with the Republican vote. Most prominently, Sasse was one of only seven Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.

He participated in several controversial votes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Sasse voted against the American Rescue Plan Act, which distributed $1.9 trillion in aid to federal agencies like the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to disburse among the states.

Florida received $10 billion from the act — a portion of which Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to use toward migrant relocations like the initiative to send Venezuelan immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard last month.

Sasse also voted to bolster homeland security to deport those who immigrated to the U.S. illegally at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he voted to expand resources in deporting those who immigrated illegally and committed a crime.

He’s routinely voted against abortion legislation, even proposing legislation that compels health care providers to exercise full medical attention to “born-alive abortion survivors.” Notably, he voted no on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which attempted to secure the right to seek out an abortion before it failed in the Senate.

The presumptive president also voted against an attempt to block Trump’s emergency declaration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and though he eventually voted to impeach Trump, Sasse voted against measures to convict him of abuse of office and contempt of Congress in 2019.

These votes were highly publicized, but Sasse has come under the most fire for comments and votes against the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups. He

History of voting red Department unsure of Sasse

called U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized samesex marriage “disappointing” and voted for legislation that prohibited the disbursement of federal funding to schools that allowed transgender girls to compete in women’s sports.

In a student forum Oct. 10, Sasse said he would affirm everyone in the UF community when asked whether he would protect LGBTQ students. He didn’t mention his previous comments or votes.

The rhetoric doesn’t match the record, said Katelynn Joyner, a 22-year-old UF political communications graduate student. She fears his past attitudes regarding abortion access and the LGBTQ community will align with how he acts as president, she said.

“When you’re going to be that bigoted and alienating of half of your student population, that’s going to play in,” Joyner said.

If officially appointed, Sasse will be UF’s first politicianturned-president. With a past so openly partisan, Joyner feels Sasse’s appointment compromises the integrity of the

office, she said.

“I don’t think that any higher educational leadership position should be politicized,” she said. “The second you announce that someone is a member of a certain political party, people are going to think of you differently.”

Matthew Turner, a 21-year-old UF economics and music senior, said he was surprised by Sasse’s unanimous appointment as sole finalist — especially in a college environment that proves to be more liberal.

Sasse’s political background worries some students, but others like Turner, president of UF College Republicans, are willing to give the senator a shot. He’ll support Sasse if he proves to be as nonpartisan in this role as he promises, he said.

“It seems like he has qualifications to be a good president,” Turner said. “If he acts that way, then I’ll be in favor.”

@hmb_1013 hbushman@alligator.org

tionally recognized experts in history that work here,” Tant said.

He hopes Sasse could bring opportuni ties to the department if he’s confirmed and becomes involved in the department.

“It would be interesting to see more grants and funds put into the history de partment,” Tant said.

Chronicling Sasse’s academics

UF administration and Sasse’s support ers have pointed to his PhD in history from Yale University as a testament to his aca demic expertise.

Sasse also graduated with his bach elor's degree in government from Harvard University and his master’s in liberal stud ies from St. John's College, according to Forbes Magazine.

At Yale, Sasse’s nearly 500-page his tory dissertation examined the history of secular Democrats and anti-secular Repub licans during the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

Later on, Sasse taught as an assistant professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin full-time in 2005. He then shuf fled between roles at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Depart ment of Health and Human Services before leaving the university in 2010 for another

university’s presidency.

He served as the president of Midland University — a private Lutheran college in Fremont, Nebraska. Sasse was president for five years before starting his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2013.

Steven Noll, a UF history professor, said he worries Sasse’s time as Midland’s president might not translate well to the work cut out for him at UF.

Sasse’s position as a politician doesn’t necessarily make him unqualified to be university president, he said, but Sasse’s brief history at Midland is a fragile qualifi cation for the role.

“Don’t tell us he’s [an] academic, be cause he’s not an academic,” Noll said. “To say he's well qualified because he's been a president of a small, private, church-related school in the middle of Ne braska — it wouldn’t be something that would qualify him to make the final pool.”

Compared to UF’s two previous presi dents, Noll said, Sasse’s teaching posi tion at the University of Texas isn’t on the same level as former President Bernie Ma chen or President Kent Fuchs.

Fuchs’ and Machen’s resume before and after presidencies Machen, who served as UF president for 10 years before Fuchs, was accredited with an extensive resume in higher edu cation. Machen served as a professor and

associate dean at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s School of Dentistry and then as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the Uni versity of Michigan over a span of nine years, according to UF’s website.

He was dean of Michigan’s School of Dentistry for six years. Before coming to UF, he served as president of the Univer sity of Utah for another six years.

Before coming to UF, Fuchs was provost of Cornell University, served in academic leadership positions and was an electrical and computer engineering faculty member at Cornell University, Purdue University and the University of Illinois, according to UF’s website.

After coming to UF, Machen was a UF professor in dentistry who served as a faculty member. During this time, he also published an academic article about dental education and practice. Fuchs also confirmed in a video announcement he’ll become a member of the engineering fac ulty after his successor is appointed.

Serdar Kirli, a faculty member in the UF College of Engineering, said an important component for qualification as president is experience at different levels of academia.

Machen and Fuchs both served an ex tensive amount of time within the academ ic field, he said.

“The president of a university of this size is the top of the ladder,” Kirli said. “When President Fuchs joined UF, he was already near the top of the ladder.”

Sasse’s tenure up in the air

During Sasse's Oct. 10 visit to UF, he addressed faculty concerns about tenure. While president at Midland University, he eliminated tenure tracks for professors, ac cording to The Tampa Bay Times. Howev er, Sasse said the subject of tenure would be different at UF.

“I will be a zealous defender of tenure,” Sasse said. “Tenure is an incredibly impor tant tool inside a large research university like this.”

Sasse may find out the merits of tenure himself, as he might also be up for consid eration if he becomes president.

Until UF confirms Sasse’s appointment as president, his involvement within the history department is only a possibility. However, given the university’s lack of transparency with his candidacy, history department faculty worry if they will get to be involved if the university decides to tenure Sasse.

The official process for determining Sasse’s tenure should be left to the history faculty, Noll said.

Research is a primary tool to determine tenure eligibility for professors, Noll said.

Without access to Sasse’s CV, he said it’s difficult to assess whether Sasse meets sig nificant qualifications.

Though it’s unclear if Sasse will be considered for tenure, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said tenure decisions are ultimately made by the Board of Trustees — not the department.

@malori_malone

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022 ALLIGATOR 7

POLITICS, from pg. 1 ACADEMICS, from pg. 1

Namari Lock // Alligator Staff

Gainesville Pride Festival returns for first time since 2019

Thousands of activists, attendees filled Bo Diddley Plaza

By Veronica Nocera & Heather Bushman Avenue Staff Writers

The first Gainesville Pride Festi val in three years was also the first ever for Manuel Simons and Andrew Brown, his partner of 28 years.

The two new Gainesville resi dents from New York decided to at tend Pride as an introduction to the local LGBTQ community. They’ve been active in the community for years and wanted to continue their tradition of attending events that cel ebrated visibility and authenticity.

Pride is personal for Simons, a professor in the UF College of the Arts, and Brown, who works in fi nance. Without places where he feels comfortable being himself, Si mons said, he doesn’t know where he’d be.

“These events saved my life,” he said.

Thousands of students, parents, children and Gainesville residents gathered in Bo Diddley Plaza Oct. 22 for Gainesville Pride Festival’s grand return. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COV ID-19 pandemic, but attendees came back in full force — adorned in all colors of the rainbow and represent ing all sectors of the LGBTQ com munity.

The center estimates about 6,000 attendees filtered in and out of Bo Diddley throughout the day — the largest turnout Gainesville Pride Fes tival has ever had, Pride Center Pres ident Tamára Perry-Lunardo said.

The event followed vandalism of Pride Community Center of North Central Florida Sept. 24, when the front door and window were found smashed alongside a hateful note. Gainesville police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

But recent events didn’t stop the center from hosting Pride this year. Instead, the festival was an act of resilience meant to show individu als and groups across the state that the LGBTQ community won’t back down, Perry-Lunardo said.

“We’re not going to go away or hide or be quiet just for the conve nience or comfort of a few,” she said.

The vandalism did spark security concerns, Perry-Lunardo said. The streets surrounding Bo Diddley were closed down, Gainesville police offi cers dotted the plaza, and she said members of Veterans for Equality were available to act as a human shield between attendees and insti

gators in the event of any unrest.

This year also saw a break from tradition in its lack of the Pride Pa rade due to extra expenses and safe ty measures, Perry-Lunardo said.

As local drag performers, mem bers of the Gainesville Circus Cen ter, DJs and bands entertained the crowd on the plaza, activists and in terest groups like the Alachua Coun ty Labor Coalition, Moms Demand Action and National Women’s Lib eration lined the walkways around Bo Diddley in tents, distributing pamphlets and chatting with walk ers.

Alex Johnson and Marisa Lu ciano, two representatives from Planned Parenthood, talked with attendees about reproductive health and Planned Parenthood services.

Johnson, a 19-year-old UF women’s studies sophomore, said she felt it was important for the organization to make connections with the LG BTQ community.

“We need more emphasis on bodily autonomy, especially within the queer community,” she said.

Though Planned Parenthood is typically associated with women, Luciano, a 23-year-old UF mar riage and family therapy graduate student, said reproductive health is important for everyone. Attending Pride, she said, helps Planned Par enthood bridge the gaps between different demographics.

“Reproductive rights affect ev erybody across all communities,” Luciano said. “We never want peo ple to be left out.”

Along with activists, reli

gious organizations like the United Methodist Church and Temple ShirShalom were in attendance at the festival. These organizations were at the intersection of religion and LG BTQ rights, promoting an inclusive experience that still placed faith at the forefront.

Tamara Millay, the 55-year old treasurer of Trinity Metropolitan Community Church of Gainesville, said her church was founded as a safe space for people of all identi ties and orientations. In a religious landscape that often discriminates against LGBTQ people, Millay said, Trinity is open to everyone.

“What God says is, ‘Love your neighbor and love God,’” she said. “God made us all and loves us all.”

Vendors like Zera Lefkowitz, 39, supported the LGBTQ community through their businesses. Lefkowitz, a UF graduate and former optome trist, opened her independent book shop, Compass Collective, in April. She sells and promotes books that highlight historically marginalized authors and characters.

“As a woman of color, represen tation is so important,” Lefkowtiz said. “And to see yourselves in sto ries is a key component in cultivat ing a sense of acceptance, empathy [and] belonging.”

Community leaders also engaged with Pride. Supporters of James Ingle, a District 2 City Commission candidate, set up a tent, and Bryan Eastman, the District 4 commis sioner elect, talked with attendees in support of Democratic mayoral

candidate Harvey Ward.

Eastman attended Pride to ex press his support for the LGBTQ community and celebrate Gaines ville’s diversity, he said. Gaines ville’s inclusivity is its strength, he said, and he’s proud of the beacon of acceptance the city has become.

One of Eastman’s first introduc tions to activism came at 12 years old, when his younger sister came out. That experience, he said, solidi fied his commitment to inclusivity.

“I saw how much LGBTQ people can be left out of the conversation,” Eastman said. “It’s really important to make sure everyone feels wel come.”

Gainesville Pride is one way both old and new city residents go about finding their support system.

Kim Gallet, 36, moved from South Florida to Gainesville 11 years ago. Accompanied by her chihuahuas Mo and Stanley, she said events like Pride are one of the reasons she’s found the city to be a progressive, welcoming environment.

Still, Gallet recognizes such in clusivity is often at odds with legis lation being implemented across the state, she said. The Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, has limited the ability of teachers like Gallet to speak about topics of sexual orienta tion and gender identity since it was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSan tis in March.

As an elementary school teacher who identifies as a lesbian, Gallet said she hopes she’s a role model for students who are exploring their own identities.

“I definitely try to be very open in my classroom,” she said. “I feel like the governor has closeted me in a way, but I definitely feel like I can still be myself and let everyone know they’re always welcome to come talk with me.”

Not all attendees personally iden tify within the community. Some, like 35-year-old lifelong Gainesville resident James Shaw, came in sup port of family members. His wife, Jessica, identifies as bisexual, and his 9-year-old daughter, Emma, likes boys and girls.

It’s important to bring younger kids out to events like the Pride Fes tival that promote love and accep tance for all individuals regardless of sexuality, Shaw said.

Annabel Crater, an 18-year-old UF mechanical engineering fresh man, said they were astonished by the overwhelming presence of chil dren and families throughout Bo Diddley. While it wasn’t their first festival — they attended Cape Coral

Pride in 10th grade — Gainesville Pride brought a lot of firsts, they said.

For one, it was their first Pride since moving away from Sanibel, Florida, and starting college — a transition Crater said made them more comfortable identifying as nonbinary and using gender-neutral pronouns. Gainesville Pride also connected Crater with their first full-size nonbinary pride flag, which they wore draped over their shoul ders.

Crater also sported a more sub tle symbol of celebration: a pair of sneakers with the Pride flag colors printed onto the soles. Being sur rounded by visibly queer members of the community, they said, made them more confident expressing their own identity in public.

“I got [these shoes] ages ago, but they sat in my closet for forever,” Crater said. “I didn’t wear them for a long time because I was scared to.”

Meeting young members of the LGBTQ community who are com fortable with their gender, they said, was the most endearing part of the experience.

“There was a little 11-year-old nonbinary person who asked me about where I got my flag, and I be friended them,” Crater said. “And I’m like, ‘You’re 11! That’s so cool.’”

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Soccer struggles continue as season nears end Florida has one final match this season after failing to qualify for SEC Tournament. Read more on pg. 15. Scan to follow the Avenue on Spotify

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LGBTQ

Sophia Abolfathi // Alligator Staff A performer vogues for the crowd at Bo Diddley Plaza for the Gainesville Pride Festival Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Gainesville Pride Festival attendees share smiles and dances while listening to music Saturday, Oct 22, 2022.

Gainesville celebrates rock ‘n’ roll legend Tom Petty despite last year’s controversy

HEARTWOOD HOSTED TOM PETTY WEEKEND OCT. 20-22

By Isabella Marzban Avenue Staff Writer

Under the colored lights and fog emitting from the stage, children ran around the venue and couples danced in the moonlight while the crowd sang along to Mudcrutch’s “Scare Easy,” kicking off a memorable weekend for Tom Petty fans.

Former members of Mudcrutch — the Gainesville-based 1970s band known for launching Tom Petty’s rise to fame — were only one part of a long lineup of musical acts playing Tom Petty Weekend, a three-day festi val at Heartwood Soundstage.

Between Oct. 20 to Oct. 22, more than 3,000 Petty fans gathered to celebrate the life and music of the rock ‘n’ roll legend, who died in October 2017. Tickets ranged from free general admission passes to VIP gold and silver pack ages, which cost up to $125.

Rob Nechanicky, a 49-year-old adminis trator for official fan club Tom Petty Nation, said the festival offered an opportunity for fans from across the country to pay homage to Pet ty’s legacy in his hometown.

“The magic is here in Gainesville,” he said. “Talking to the locals, you can see why Tom Petty was the person he was.”

Performing acts included Mudcrutch’s gui tarist Tom Leadon, The Mudpies featuring Mudcrutch’s bassist Danny Roberts, Jeff Slate, Jake Thistle, Maggie Clifford and more. There were also storytelling sessions with Paul Zollo, the author of “Conversations with Tom Petty,” and some of Petty’s close friends.

General admission holders could enjoy all outdoor festivities, while VIP gold and silver ticket holders had access to indoor perfor mances and the private storytelling sessions.

Tom Petty Weekend followed last year’s controversy surrounding celebrations for Petty in Gainesville. In November 2021, the Gainesville City Commission voted to replace the free Annual Tom Petty Birthday Bash in Depot Park with a for-profit event organized by Petty’s daughter Adria.

Heartwood’s owner and general manager Dave Melosh and producer and volunteer Dan Spiess met with Adria Petty and Keith Eveland, the 58-year-old Tom Petty Nation manager, prior to the event, fan club administrator Brien Norton said. Spiess told The Gainesville Sun the Petty family said they had no plans to pro ceed with their for-profit festival this year.

Norton, 61, also said Heartwood worked to make the event representative of Petty’s music legacy. For example, he said, Spiess and Me losh implemented a new sound system that could reach the front and back of the crowd.

Eveland, who has worked with Petty’s management to set up events across the coun try, was pleased with Heartwood’s Tom Petty Weekend. They wanted to put on an event Petty would be proud of, he said.

The heart of Tom Petty weekend centered around honoring the impact Petty had on the Gainesville music scene and the fans who sup ported his career from its early beginnings.

Rod Guynn, 73, a retired teacher at Bel leview High School and Petty’s first cousin, performed at the festival alongside his brother. Petty was single-minded on pursuing music from the moment he was old enough to choose what he wanted to do, Guynn said.

“We would listen to Johnny Cash, Elvis Pre sley and Ritchie Valens — the famous country and pop music recording artists of the time,” Guynn said. “That was Tom’s favorite thing to do. We had to drag him out…to play softball or play in the creek.”

Petty was already performing in local bands like The Sundowners and The Epics around Gainesville when he was a teenager, Guynn said. During the early ’70s, he said, Mudcrutch was a cover band that would perform Southern rock at Gainesville pubs and UF’s Halloween Ball.

Because Petty’s career started in Gainesville, Guynn said, it’s important that Heartwood gives residents of all generations a place to enjoy and hear his music.

“There’s going to be every kind of expres sion of his music that you can imagine,” he said. “I think it tells how the music speaks to a variety of people, styles and backgrounds.”

Though it has a particular meaning to fam ily members and friends, Petty’s music con tinues to impact people in all corners of the country.

Valentina Sawyer, 58, said she traveled to Gainesville with friends to attend all three days of Tom Petty Weekend.

“It’s like a family, and it’s wonderful,” she said. “We’re so excited — also sad at the same time that we lost our Tom.”

Bob Keppler, 58, has been a fan of Petty since 1980 and flew from Chicago for the fes tival. Keppler attended with his friend Derek Saunders, 64, who traveled all the way from England to see the performances and storytell ings sessions that came with the VIP experi ence.

“It’s a closeness,” Saunders said. “It brings us together from very different parts of the world.”

For some VIP gold ticket holders like at tendee David Wood, Tom Petty Weekend introduced them to the city’s music scene.

Wood, 64, recently moved from South Florida to Gainesville and has been exploring the local music scene, which has included visits to High Dive and Heartwood, he said.

“It’s a thriving scene from what I can see, especially because of the university and the kids,” Wood said. “[There’s] a little of every thing here.”

Wood is happy celebrations have contin ued, he said, even after controversies with the Tom Petty Birthday Bash.

Gainesville’s Petty celebrations aren’t over. The Tom Petty Birthday Bash was rebranded as The Bash Music Festival and will be held in Depot Park Nov. 4-6. The festival will include artists who range from rock ‘n’ roll, Ameri cana, blues, soul and country, according to Bash’s website. There will also be tributes to local legends like Tom Petty, Charles Bradley and Bo Diddley.

@IsabellaMarzban imarzban@alligator.org

mural unveiling highlights need for recycling efforts

munity’s work.”

By Luna Boales Avenue Staff Writer

Standing at 8-by-4 feet, Gainesville City Hall’s newest mural illustrates the sunset at Paynes Prai rie — a vibrant assortment of reds, oranges and yellows. If you look fur ther, you’ll notice a more interesting detail: It was created using 75,000 bottle caps collected from across Gainesville.

The mural is a recent project by #UNLITTER, a UF nonprofit geared toward sustainability and environ mental consciousness. About 30 students, city officials and residents gathered at City Hall Oct. 20 in an ticipation of the mural’s unveiling.

Members also called for a change in the city’s refusal to recycle bottle caps, despite a recent zero-waste or dinance.

Shannon Sawtell, a 21-year-old UF sustainability and marketing se nior and #UNLITTER director, said

while the new ordinance limits busi nesses from using single-use plas tics such as plastic cups or utensils, bottle caps still aren’t recycled in Gainesville, even though they’re re cyclable.

The 75,000 bottle caps used in the mural were collected through donation boxes located at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, across UF campus and #UNLITTER events, Sawtell said.

“If we were able to collect — just through word of mouth and Face book — 75,000 caps in a year and a half, you can imagine how many are sitting in our landfills,” she said.

The unveiling took place during a Gainesville City Commission meet ing with attendees including Mayor Lauren Poe and city commission ers, followed by live music from lo cal singer-songwriter Bruce Watt, a 30-minute cleanup and tabling by local and student-run sustainability organizations.

The bottle-cap mural has been in the works for about three years, Sawtell said, but it wasn’t until about a year ago that the organiza tion started collecting bottle caps to bring the idea to life, just before they received approval from Poe to hang it at City Hall.

Karissa Raskin, assistant director of Gainesville’s department of strate gy, planning and innovation, played a significant role in organizing and coordinating the unveiling.

Sustainability is an important as pect of the community and should be prioritized, Raskin said. The mu ral unveiling, she said, demonstrated how the city can work with UF stu dents and Gainesville residents to improve environmental efforts.

“This is something that was im portant to the mayor,” Raskin said. “This was something that was im portant to city leadership: to have a mechanism for showing that it’s not just the city’s work — it’s the com

The city is committed to its zerowaste goals and are striving to work more with the community, Raskin said.

Chloe Schwab, a 21-year-old UF marine sciences senior and events coordinator for #UNLITTER, said she came up with the idea for the bottle-cap mural a few years ago af ter seeing a small-bottle cap mural of a dolphin on Pinterest.

Not recycling bottle caps is a major issue on campus, she said, a problem worsened by the availability of vending machines and plastic bottles. Many aren’t aware of Gainesville’s recycling poli cies, so they justify their use of plas tic bottles, Schwab said.

“They’re like ‘it’s okay because I’ll recycle it,’ but they don’t real ize that the caps aren’t recyclable,” Schwab said. “You’re actually still really contributing to a lot of singleuse plastic waste.”

#UNLITTER Assistant Director Isabella Marti, a 20-year-old UF edu cation sciences and political science

sophomore, said the main reason the mural is so important is that it encourages people to take action in protecting the environment. Some don’t get involved with environmen tal advocacy, she said, because they think it’s already too late.

“People kind of take a backseat and decide, ‘you know, we can’t do anything about the government,’” Marti said. “‘We’re kind of doomed’ is a very popular idea that people at tach to, but us as individuals do have such an important impact on our lo cal environment.”

If community members care for their local environment, it’ll largely improve, she said.

“You can do such little things that clean out waterways, that protect your local animals and protect your local environment,” Marti said. “It’s really important to emphasize how we can all do something that does actually make an impact.”

@LunaBoales lboales@thealligator.org

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022 ALLIGATOR 9

#UNLITTER bottle-cap

MUSIC ENVIRONMENT 75,000 bottle caps were collected for project

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff Rob Ellis Peck plays with his band during the Tom Petty Festival at Heartwood Soundstage Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.

Gainesville-UF relations uncertain after Sasse appointment

MAYORAL CANDIDATES PLEDGE TO MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION

By Aidan Bush Alligator Staff Writer

Both Gainesville and the UF campus expect to take on new leadership in the coming month, leaving many to question how the two will interact in the future.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, is expected to be voted on as president finalist Nov. 1, while the city looks to final ize its new commissioners and mayors in the upcoming November general election.

If Sasse becomes UF president, his influence wouldn’t be confined to the university’s campus — it would extend into the city, affecting Gainesville residents as well as stu dents.

UF-Gainesville collaborations have been a key feature of the past few years, Mayor Lauren Poe said, and can largely be attributed to one factor: increased communica tion. This communication has allowed for the establish ment of larger collaborative projects.

“We’ve really made a concerted effort to improve the communication and cooperation between the city and the university over the past six years,” Poe said.

The city and university are independent legal bodies with their own charter and constitution; however, both see collaboration on housing development, health care and transportation.

UF students make up 28% of renter households in the city, according to 2020 housing market analysis.

The annual increases in student enrollment could influ ence apartment developments, as projections state over 40% of future Gainesville households are expected to be renter units, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban De velopment researchers found.

Those students living on- and off-campus rely heavily on Gainesville’s Regional Transit Service’s bus transport, which comes as a part of student tuition and connects campus more closely to city routes.

Even UF Health Shands Hospital has an immense im

pact on the surrounding community aside from providing emergency and other hospital services. The hospital works in partnership with the city to provide health and safety checks to residents through its Community Resource Para medic Program.

Poe and UF President Kent Fuchs signed a memoran dum of understanding in 2017 to address problems more collectively. The document marked the beginning of col laboration on construction and development projects in Gainesville.

A recent product of this five-year collaboration under Fuchs’ presidency was the proposed development of an urgent care center in East Gainesville, which was passed by the Gainesville City Commission Oct. 20.

The center will be operated by UF Health and would provide additional health care opportunities to East

Gainesville, which traditionally has less medical service accessibility. The project’s creation was a three-way col laboration between the county, city and university.

Both Poe and Fuchs are expected to leave their offices in early 2023, putting two new officials in charge of con tinuing the relationship the city and university has.

“They’re going to inherit a lot of really positive momen tum,” Poe said.

Sasse’s position as UF’s sole presidential finalist has caused tension within both the city and university com munities. Past statements on topics like gay marriage and abortion, as well as Congressional votes made by the Republican senator, led to a mass protest during his first campus visit as president finalist Oct. 10.

The mayoral runoff election, which will conclude Nov. 8, is between District 2 Commissioner Harvey Ward and former Gainesville Regional Utilities General Manager Ed Bielarski.

Despite the public controversy, Bielarski said he hopes the two can be productive by focusing on shared issues, if elected.

“I think the way the city and university will flourish in the future is by concentrating on our commonalities and strengths rather than our differences,” Bielarski said.

For Ward, who earned the most votes in Gainesville’s primary mayoral election, the potential social and civil conflicts associated with the senator concerned him.

“It is unlikely that Ben Sasse and I will agree on much ideologically,” Ward said.

Despite those disagreements, Ward said he hopes to see partnership and accountability held across the univer sity and city. UF’s influence on the Florida Department of Transportation made it an invaluable ally, he said, and wanted to encourage increased compensation of UF’s low est-paid workers.

Sasse is expected to return to campus Nov. 1 for his interview with the UF Board of Trustees and subsequent vote on his appointment — seven days before the mayoral runoff election Nov. 8.

@aidandisto abush@alligator.org

doom bells’: Graduate students report mixed reactions on Sasse

SOME ARE DISAPPOINTED, OTHERS HOPEFUL

By Siena Duncan Alligator Staff Writer

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, has been under the scrutiny of UF’s stu dent body since he was announced as the sole finalist for UF’s next president Oct. 6. Graduate students are no exception.

Sasse’s past voting record and expressed lack of knowledge on UF graduate students’ issues has raised concerns for some across campus. Others feel confident about his po tential ascension to the presidency.

Paul Wassel, the 26-year-old Graduate Student Council presi dent, said the general reaction he’s seen from the graduate student body has been negative. Students are especially concerned about Sasse’s Senate voting record related to LGBTQ rights, he said.

As UF President, Sasse would regularly interact with the Board of Trustees, which has control over the level of research funding differ ent graduate departments receive. Although the potential change in leadership could alter graduate stu dent life, Wassel said he believes most of the power still lies with the board.

“I wouldn’t ring doom bells as

loud around the graduate student experience,” he said.

As GSC president, Wassel said he has been seeing a steady increase in graduate student visibility at UF, which he hopes to see continue un der the next administration.

“There’s a lot of momentum around graduate students right now,” he said. “I don’t think one presidential selection is going to make a difference in that momen tum.”

Shortly after Sasse was an nounced, students from the De partment of Clinical and Health Psychology published a statement directly opposing the nomination. The students are concerned about Sasse’s qualifications and his ability to fulfill UF’s core values, according to the statement.

But the main point of contention comes from Sasse’s controversial remarks during a 2020 commence ment speech to Fremont High School in Nebraska.

He told students not to major in psychology because they “make a whole bunch of money by just try ing to help other people forget high school.” He also said psychologists “just research hamsters who get lost in mazes.”

78 students from the department signed the statement opposing Sasse. Dakota Leget, a 27-year-old PhD student, was one of them.

“For myself, it just feels like a big slap in the face that someone who has said such disparaging remarks may be appointed,” Leget said.

During the Oct. 10 faculty Q&A forum , Sasse clarified the state ments were meant to be jokes. They didn’t come across well over Zoom, he said.

But 30-year-old Nicole Evan gelista, another PhD student who helped to draft the department’s statement, said she’s still con cerned his attitude toward psychol ogy could affect funding and other benefits toward the department. Acknowledging his remarks were untrue in addition to being humor ous would have been a better way to handle the situation, she said.

“The first word that comes to my mind is accountability,” she said. “Intent does not necessarily mean impact. Taking accountabil ity for the impact that he had would have been something I would have been looking for in a leader.”

However, not all graduate stu dents are looking at Sasse as the wrong choice. Kevin Freile, a 29-year-old Warrington College of Business master’s student, worked with Sasse during a summer intern ship on Capitol Hill. He interacted with Nebraska’s representatives and senators often, Freile said, and Sasse was the most polite senator he met.

“He was very down to earth, which is kind of hard to find up there,” Freile said. “He always struck me as an intelligent, wellspoken and extremely well-man nered person.”

Freile thinks Sasse will make a good president due to his consistent dedication in Congress to education improvements, he said.

Sasse was asked during the Q&A forum about what he was going to do to improve the lives of teaching assistants, the majority of which are graduate students. He wasn’t famil iar with issues they were facing at UF specifically, he said.

In order to better help TAs, Sasse wants to meet with them and have one-on-one conversations about how he can help advance their UF experience, he said. Hous ing, pay and workload are potential problems he’d be willing to discuss, he said.

UF Graduate Assistants United for the past year has been negoti ating the graduate assistant mini mum stipend, the yearly salary they receive for their work at the university. Currently, the union has tentatively agreed to a minimum of $22,753. It still plans to reopen ne gotiations this year to get to a high er wage, GAU Co-President Bryn Taylor said.

GAU condemned Sasse via an Oct. 6 Instagram post. The orga

nization cited Sasse’s voting his tory as being against labor unions. Union members were disturbed by the nomination, according to the post, and GAU leaders attended the protest that eventually pushed its way inside the Q&A forum’s ball room.

On the subject of housing, Sasse didn’t address specifics at the forum. Derek LaMontagne, the 36-year-old president of the Mayor’s Council — a graduate student housing leader ship group — said availability for graduate housing has been an issue the past few years.

LaMontagne is starting a coali tion of student organizations to pro test the alleged demolition of Ma guire Village and University Village South, two graduate housing com plexes that encompass 348 student units, he said.

He’s met with current UF Presi dent Kent Fuchs about the issue, but he said he didn’t get far. The change from Fuchs to Sasse might not affect the issue at all, he said. The target audience for the protests is UF Housing, he said, not the president.

Because he hasn’t gotten any traction with the issue, LaMontagne said he hopes, if anything, Sasse has a positive effect on negotiations.

@SienaDuncan sduncan@alligator.org

10 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022

Mickenzie Hannon // Alligator Staff Gainesville city commissioners vote to eliminate exclusionary zoning despite opposition from some residents and elected officials Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.

‘I wouldn’t ring

Anti-DeSantis protesters decry Alachua County visit

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022 ALLIGATOR 11

Sophia Abolfathi // Alligator Staff Two protestors in Alachua demonstrate against Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Sophia Abolfathi // Alligator Staff A protestor against DeSantis leads others in chants that demand for justice and equal rights Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Sophia Abolfathi // Alligator Staff An anti-DeSantis protestor from the National Women’s Liberation demonstrates against reproductive restriction laws Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.

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Complete the crossword puzz e by looking at the c ues and unscrambling the answers When the puzzle is completeunscramb e the circled etters to solve the BONUS How to play & Hoy y Des gns A R gh s Rese ved 2022 Tr bune Con en Agency LLC Send comments o TCA 160 N Stetson Ch cago I l nois 60601 or DLHoyt@Hoyt nte act veMed a com J U M B L JE U M B L E R TM 1 6 2 5 3 7 4 CLUE: This actor was expelled from high school for riding a motorcycle in the hallwaysBONUS

solution on page 13 13

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1. MYTHOLOGY: What are the Nereids in Greek mythology?

1. MEASUREMENTS: How many inches are in a mile?

2. ASTRONOMY: What does the acronym SETI mean to the scientific community?

2. LITERATURE: Which 19th-century Eng lish novel has the subtitle, "The Parish Boy's Progress"?

3. LANGUAGE: What does the Lat in prefix “sub-” mean in English?

4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only president to serve two noncon secutive terms?

3. ACRONYMS: In printing, what does the acronym DPI stand for?

5. LITERATURE: Which 20th-cen tury movie star penned the autobiogra phy “Me: Stories of My Life”?

4. GEOGRAPHY: Which city lies near the largest natural harbor in the world?

6. HISTORY: What was the first National Monument proclaimed in the United States?

5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How does a bat find its prey?

GEOGRAPHY: Where is the island of Luzon located?

6. HISTORY: Who is the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize?

MOVIES: Which sci-fi movie has the tagline, “Reality is a thing of the past”?

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What was the name of the United States’ first nuclear-powered submarine?

7. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin prefix "super-" mean in English?

GAMES: What are the four rail road properties in Monopoly?

8. LAW: What is double jeopardy?

63,360 inches

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Who founded the American Red Cross?

10. MEDICAL: What vitamin deficiency causes night blindness?

answers below

1. The "Backyard Brawl" is the nickname for the college football rivalry game between which two teams?

1. Tommie Aaron, brother of Hank, hit how many home runs in his seven-sea son Major League Baseball career?

2. Bill Chadwick, the NHL’s first U.S.-born referee and later a broad caster for the New York Rangers, went by what nickname?

2. During a 1988 playoff series, New Jersey Devils head coach Jim Schoenfeld was sus pended for shouting "Have another dough nut!" at what veteran NHL referee?

3. The name for the Albuquerque Isotopes Minor League Baseball club was inspired by a fictional team from what TV comedy series?

3. An ESPN documentary series called "The Captain" explored the life and career of what Baseball Hall of Famer?

4. Jim Covert and Ed Sprinkle, two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020, spent their entire playing careers with what NFL fran chise?

4. How much was Portland State Univer sity graphic design student Carolyn Davidson originally paid for creating the Nike Swoosh logo in 1971?

5. What traditional Japanese martial art is literally translated as “the way of the sword”?

6. Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated what mixed martial arts superstar in a 2017 boxing megafight in Las Vegas?

7. What Croatia-born basketball player won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-98 and was the 1996 NBA Sixth Man of the Year?

Answers

5. What Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker was shot in the buttocks outside of a Denver bar in 2003, and later yelled "They shot me in Denver!" to motivate his teammates for a game against the Broncos?

13. He hit eight of them in his 1962 rookie season.

6. Selhurst Park in London is the home ground of what English Premier League football club?

The Big Whistle.

The Simpsons.

The Chicago Bears.

Kendo.

Conor McGregor.

Toni Kukoc.

7. Name the Basketball Hall of Famer who had his No. 52 jersey retired by the UCLA Bruins and the Los Angeles Lakers.

2020 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/sports

Stricklin to serve as bridge for athletics between Fuchs’ presidency, his successor

UF’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IS UNDER CONTRACT UNTIL 2027

By Kyle Bumpers Sports Writer

As UF looks to install its 13th president, UF athletics will look to a key figure to smooth the transition: Scott Stricklin.

In September 2016, UF President Kent Fuchs, who was less than two years into his term, introduced Stricklin as UF’s newest ath letic director. Former athletic director Jeremy Foley retired that June, ending his 24-year stint that began in 1992.

Fuchs was faced with the tough task of re placing one of the most decorated athletic di rectors in SEC history within his first two years at UF.

Sen. Ben Sasse is currently in line to take over for Fuchs as he’s the sole candidate to be named president of the university. Sasse, or whoever becomes the next president, likely won’t have this same hurdle as Stricklin is set to be in charge for the foreseeable future.

Stricklin’s set to work with the next univer sity president as he’s under contract until 2027.

When Fuchs took the helm in January 2015, he was handed a university with a thriv ing sports program. Under Foley’s guidance, Florida won 27 national championships, the highest number among active athletic directors at the time.

To this day, Foley remains the only athletic director to ever win multiple men’s basketball and football titles during his tenure. From 2009 to 2016, the Gators won 14 national champi onships — the highest total in the nation — across six different sports.

After Foley announced his retirement, a search committee was convened with Fuchs and former Board of Trustees chair Manny Fernandez. Fuchs and his newest hire talked about Foley’s legacy at Stricklin’s introductory press conference.

“Jeremy arguably — and it may not be much of an argument — is the best athletic di rector in the history of the [Southeastern Con

FOOTBALL

ference],” Stricklin said.

The search advisory committee narrowed down its initial list to 22 candidates. Foley and the rest of the committee came in to help Fuchs narrow the list down to six, then two, then the eventual hire, Stricklin, The Alligator reported in 2016.

Since Stricklin officially took over Nov. 1, 2016, he’s led the Gators to nine national championships in his six years in Gainesville.

In Stricklin’s first year at Florida, the Gators were ranked No. 30 among all college sports programs, according to rankings from Next College Student Athlete, an organization that provides guidance for college recruits. The school’s NCSA ranking now sits at No. 3 for the 2021-2022 year.

Despite recent controversy within the wom en’s basketball and soccer programs, Stricklin has placed trust in personnel like Kelly Rae Finley and Samantha Bohon to right the ship. Stricklin has also made new coaching hires in Florida’s two biggest programs: football and men’s basketball.

Outside of his role in helping select UF’s athletic director, Fuchs also had a hand in the University Athletic Association, a not-for-profit organization created to conduct various inter collegiate athletic programs for the university.

During his time as president, Fuchs served as UAA board chairman. The president also serves as the chairman of the UAA Board

under the University Board of Trustees gov ernance structure, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said.

Even though the president and UAA Board are involved with the UAA, the majority of sports decision making lies with the univer sity’s athletic director. But none of these par ties can single-handedly make decisions, Se nior Associate Athletics Director Steve McClain said.

McClain declined to give further comment on the specific relations between the university president and the athletics department but said the UF’s new president’s role will align with the current structure.

There’s also a precedent for UF presidents to sit on the SEC Executive Committee, whose primary responsibility is to approve the con ference’s yearly budget. The board also serves as an advisory council at the disposal of SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Some former members include John J. Tigert, J. Wayne Re itz, Stephen C. O’Connell, Robert Marston and John Lombardi.

Fuchs served on the board from 2019 to 2022. In his final year on the committee, he served as vice president.

Sasse will likely fill Fuchs' role as chairman of the UAA board.

The sole candidate to be the next UF presi dent would be coming to the university with experience as president of Midland University, a member of the National Association of In tercollegiate Athletes, from 2009 to 2014. The move to Florida would give Sasse the responsi bility of overseeing a NCAA Division I athletics program, a step up from his time at Midland.

In the past, Sasse made his name for him self as a sports fan and avid viewer.

When COVID-19 threatened the 2020 col lege football season, Sasse wrote to the Big Ten Conference presidents pushing for the season to not be canceled. It would be safer for the 18- to-20-year olds to play football and risk testing positive for COVID-19 than it would be for them to live their normal lives, Sasse wrote at the time.

“These young men need a season,” Sasse wrote. “Please don’t cancel college football.”

In a 2018 ExcelinEd interview, Sasse said his interviewer, a Gators fan, had her football loyalties misaligned. He referenced the team calling it, “the best team money can buy.”

One major decision Sasse, or whoever be comes UF’s next president, could be involved in is a possible expansion of the SEC. The Uni versity of Oklahoma and University of Texas are both on their way to the SEC, with a date for their arrival currently set for July 1, 2025.

However, there’s speculation the current Big 12 schools could try to join the conference earlier.

University presidents make these decisions, so UF’s incumbent could have their hands full if the situation continues to develop. If Okla homa and Texas want to leave the Big 12 early, or other schools want to join the SEC as well, UF’s president would be involved in some ca pacity.

Stricklin’s fingerprints are seen on each of UF’s athletics programs, and Fuchs provided six years of guidance to the operations. UF’s next president will do the same and work hand in hand with the current athletics director for the foreseeable future, assessing the future of the Florida Gators.

@BumpersKyle kbumpers@alligator.org

Struggling Gators face upcoming test against Bulldogs

wants to establish.

By Topher Adams Sports Writer

Florida raised fan expectations under the guidance of first-year head coach Billy Napier after it prevailed in dramatic fashion over the reigning Pac-12 champion – Utah.

Led by redshirt sophomore quar terback Anthony Richardson, the Gators upset the Utes 29-26 and

leaped to No. 12 in the AP poll. Fol lowing the largest ranking rise for an unranked team since 2016, ex pectations for Napier’s first season in charge changed. Florida was sud denly seen as an outside contender in the Southeastern Conference.

However, the following week, reality set in for the program Napier and his staff inherited.

It’s been a difficult slate for the

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Gators to manage — since its season opening win against Utah, Florida is 3-3: Florida’s three losses have all come against now-ranked SEC foes: Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana State.

Wins against South Florida, East ern Washington and Missouri have the Gators on track for their fifth con secutive bowl game – but they’re far from the elite standard the program

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Napier is confident in the direc tion of the program, he said, and he’s seen plenty of growth from this group this season.

“We’re in year one,” Napier said after the loss to LSU. “We’re working hard on the people, and we’re mak ing progress there.”

Florida will face their biggest game all season after taking a bye week to improve.

The Georgia Bulldogs are the reigning national champions. Since

Follow us for updates

head coach Kirby Smart was hired ahead of the 2016 season, the Bull dogs have gone 73-15 and brought in a top three recruiting class in all but one full season under Smart, accord ing to 247Sports’ Composite Rank ings.

Smart didn’t have the easiest first season. Georgia went 8-5 with a 4-4 SEC record. Despite inconsistency on the field, Smart laid a stable founda tion for the program that’s risen in

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

ATHLETICS

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff UF athletics director Scott Stricklin observes the Florida football team during its game against Eastern Washington Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff UF President Kent Fuchs stands on the sidelines while Florida football hosts Eastern Washington Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 15 Florida travels to Jacksonville Saturday with identical record to 2021

Florida soccer misses out on SEC Tournament for first time

GATORS’ LOSS TO ALABAMA LANDS THEM DEAD LAST

By Jose Tovar Sports Writer

The Florida and Alabama soccer teams entered the final stretch of their Southeastern Conference schedules with contrasting realities.

The Crimson Tide sat comfortably at the top of the SEC standings and looked to secure their first regular season conference title ever. The Gators, on the other hand, required an improbable comeback to keep their SEC tournament hopes alive.

Only one of those happened.

No. 3 Alabama (16-1-1, 9-0 SEC) rolled past Florida (2-13-1, 0-8-1 SEC) 2-0 Oct. 23 to sink the Gators to the bottom of the standings. After chaining losses to Vanderbilt and the Crimson Tide this week, Florida’s been eliminated from contention for the 10-team SEC tournament for the first time in program history.

“We are pleased with the execution, effort and the competitive fire shown by our players so late in the season,” UF head coach Samantha Bohon said. “I’m really proud of our group, and I think they walked away from the field knowing that they represented the University of Florida well tonight.”

The Gators took an offensive stance

to start the first half. Midfielders Oakley Rasmussen and Julianne Leskauskas registered two shots within the first 10 minutes but couldn’t get them past Alabama graduate goalkeeper McKinley Crone.

The Crimson Tide soon found their groove in the midfield by controlling the tempo and sending multiple players to Florida’s side. Until that point, the Gators had displayed solid defense, clearing any attacks.

However, a soaring long shot by

UGA up next

the rankings over the last five years.

UGA brought in the No. 3 class in the country that offseason. The next season won the SEC and Rose Bowl before falling in overtime of the national championship game.

After finally clearing the final hurdle of Smart’s program build with last season’s championship, the Bulldogs are show ing no signs of stopping. Georgia is the No. 1 ranked team in the country with a top 10 scoring offense and defense.

When the Gators travel to Jacksonville to face the Bulldogs, it’ll feel similar to last season’s bout. Each team has identical records to 2021, with Florida floundering for consistency and Georgia looking like a title contender once again.

Any chance of UF springing the upset rests on the shoulders of Richardson. The Eastside High School alum made his first col lege career start against UGA last year. But three first-half turn overs squandered the Gators’ brief hopes of an upset.

Richardson turned the ball over in each of his first six games this season, but had his first clean performance in the loss to LSU. Florida’s signal caller said he’s working to refine his play heading into the home stretch of the season.

“Just playing confident. I feel like that’s the main thing to im prove on,” Richardson said after the LSU loss. “Just being able to communicate better with each other and knowing that we’re all on the same page.”

The Gators' defense will have to find some kind of form to stop redshirt senior quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and the Bull dogs’ offense. Florida is currently the second-worst third-down defense in the nation, allowing offenses to convert on 52.6% of third downs.

UF is also among the worst-ranked teams in the SEC in sever al defensive statistics, including the fourth-worst scoring defense allowing 28.14 points per game and the third-worst total defense allowing 429.3 yards per game.

Against LSU, the Gators surrendered a staggering 528 yards of offense while the Tigers scored touchdowns on their first six possessions of the game. Individual standouts like junior line man Gervon Dexter Sr. and redshirt senior linebacker Ventrell

minutes.

In the second half, Alabama got off to an explosive start. Senior forward Riley Tanner doubled the Tide’s lead in the 48th minute with a low long shot from outside the box. Two minutes later, Rogers almost scored her second goal of the match after hitting the crossbar.

Florida showed signs of life after a shaky start.

Rasmussen and sophomore forward Maddy Pirrello sent long-range shots, but Crone stopped both attempts. Alabama kept sending shots at Goldberg, but the keeper responded with four total saves.

Florida kept looking for a break with counterattacks and long passes but couldn't capitalize on any chances. Although senior forward Tessa Barton had a clear opening inside the box in the 64th minute, the shot went wide.

Alabama midfielder Kat Rogers in the 26th minute broke the deadlock. The graduate student found the ball just outside the box and fueled a powerful high shot to the left side of the goal. UF junior goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg attempted a flying save but fell short.

The Crimson Tide continued their offensive momentum with a pair of set pieces near the 34-minute mark, but Florida defenders cleared both attempts. Each team played aggressive defense with nine combined fouls in the opening 45

The Crimson Tide iced the match by controlling possession and finding spaces in the Florida defense for the rest of the match. Overall, Alabama outshot the Gators 18 to nine. Both teams finished with 15 total fouls.

Florida will conclude its season Thursday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium against Texas A&M. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will stream on SEC Network+.

@Jose___Tovar jtovar@alligator.org

Miller have earned praise, but the unit as a whole is struggling to keep opposing offenses at bay.

While new defensive coordinator Patrick Toney has drawn criticism for the unit’s performance, last season’s defense under Todd Grantham also collapsed down the stretch against the likes of South Carolina and FCS school Samford.

Georgia’s offense features one of the nation’s best playmak ers in sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, who’s been able to break open defenses as a receiver or a rusher. The Bulldogs’

running back room lacks a true superstar, but senior Kenny McIntosh leads a talented group capable of exposing Florida’s lackluster tackling.

The Gators will travel to TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville Sat urday to face Georgia at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on CBS.

@Topher_Adams tadams@alligator.org

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022 ALLIGATOR 15 SOCCER

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Sophomore defender Madison Young during Florida's match with Arkansas Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

FOOTBALL, from pg. 14

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff Running back Montrell Johnson Jr. is lifted up in celebration by offensive lineman Austin Barber after a Florida touchdown against LSU Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.

A taste of school spirit.

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16 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022