Monday, Nov. 1, 2021

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

VOLUME 116 ISSUE 11

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

UF blocks professors from testifying against the state THREE POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSORS’ REQUESTS TO OFFER EXPERT TESTIMONY FOR A VOTING RIGHTS CASE WERE DENIED

By Elena Barrera Alligator Staff Writer

Three UF political science professors requested to lend their expertise by testifying in a lawsuit against the state of Florida. However, UF turned them down, telling them their participation as expert witnesses is adverse to the university’s interests.

Universities across the country, including UF, have generally allowed professors to offer expert testimony in lawsuits, according to a New York Times report.

The lawsuit challenges a new state law backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that the plaintiffs argue discriminates against voters of color and violates the Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs, a coalition of voting rights organizations, claim the law in question limits the ability to vote through a drop box or through mail.

Theys requested professor testimonies as expert witnesses as they pursue litigation against Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, according to an NPR report.

UF faculty members are required to “report any outside activities and interests,” where disclosures would be directed for review to the Conflicts of Interest Program in the Office of the Provost, according to the university website. As reported by NPR, when they submitted their reports, professors Dan Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin each received responses prohibiting them from testifying in court.

“The University of Florida has a long track record of supporting free speech and our faculty’s academic freedom, and we will continue to do so,” read a statement released by UF Saturday.

However, the professors’ attorney,

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Turnover troubles Story description finish with comma, pg#

Paul Donnelly, wrote to NPR that this decision is unacceptable and chills the exercise of free thought and speech.

“Faculty do not forfeit their First Amendment rights as citizens by accepting an offer of employment with UF,” he wrote to NPR. Donnelly argues testifying does not interfere with any of their job duties and is not a conflict of interest, according to NPR. The report read that some in positions of power at UF have close ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed Secretary Lee to her position. The chair of UF’s Board of Trustees, Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, is a major Republican donor and adviser to DeSantis, according to NPR. “It is important to note that the university did not deny the First Amendment rights or academic freedom of professors Dan Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin,” UF’s statement read. “Rather, the university denied requests of these full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution.”

Academic freedom experts said they have not heard of professor speech and testimony restrictions like this, according to a New York Times report.

The professors were not immediately available for comment but have been active on social media since the news broke.

“We must support academic freedom no matter what the consequences are,” Austin tweeted.

McDonald publicized his commitment to fight for his rights through a tweet of a Tom Petty GIF coupled with the lyrics from the classic song Gator fans proudly sing every home football game.

“Well I won’t back down — No I won’t back down,” the GIF read in McDonald’s tweet.

Florida football has outgained all eight of its opponents so far in 2021. So how in the world are the Gators 4-4? Read more on pg. 12.

@elenabarrerraaa ebarrera@alligator.org

Lauren Witte // Alligator Staff

Eric Hernandez, Torche bassist, plays during the set at Bo Diddley Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. FEST 19 was rescheduled to this year because of COVID-19. Read more on pg. 7.

Former UF resident assistant found guilty of sexual battery, kidnapping IAN MILASKI WILL APPEAR BACK IN COURT FOR SENTENCING DEC. 13

By Isabella Douglas Alligator Staff Writer

A former UF resident assistant was found guilty of attempted sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary Wednesday after about two years of a postponed trial. He’ll be sentenced Dec. 13.

Ian Milaski, a 23-year-old Cape Coral resident, appeared in court Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 to address attempted rape allegations made against him in August 2019. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Ron Kozlowski, Milaski’s lawyer in 2019, wrote that his client needed to clear his name to attend law school. He added, “No law school will ever accept a fugitive.”

His lawyer told Judge Mark Moseley that Milaski was a “highachieving” student who could not afford to pay the $125,000 bond.

Moseley released Milaski without having to pay a bond.

Moseley was removed from the case after it received national

attention, following his decision to release Milaski from jail with no bond. Moseley was later replaced

by Judge William Davis.

On Oct. 20, Davis granted Milaski’s lawyer’s request to limit what the jury could hear about law enforcement opinions on the case and the victim’s mental health following the battery, according to court records. This included the victim’s medical absence from college and police officers’ opinion on her credibility.

The lawyer argued that the evidence, if presented, would bring sympathy and prejudice against Milaski.

Regardless of redacted evidence, court records show the jury found Milaski guilty of all charges Oct. 27. Milaski was then sent back to the Alachua County Jail to await sentencing.

During court proceedings, Milaski’s attorney said the incident was a “misunderstanding among platonic friends fueled by alcohol.”

Before the sexual battery, Milaski was enrolled at UF as a 21-year-old economics senior.

On Aug. 25, 2019, a female student told police a drunk Milaski

UF players defend Coach Kelly Rae Finley

Finley was appointed following Cam Newbauer’s resignation, pg. 4

UF Health mandates vaccines for employees Workers must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, pg. 5

called her before 2 a.m. asking for help, a University Police Department arrest report read.

Milaski attempted to “make out” with her after she arrived at his room with water in Weaver Hall, and he later attempted to touch her genital area and grabbed her. After she left his room, he went to her room and repeatedly asked her to sleep with him.

He was arrested Aug. 28, 2019, on charges of battery and false imprisonment.

The case was rescheduled four times from January 2020 to August 2021.

On Oct. 26, a photo of a text message from Milaski was released to the court. It read, “I apologize for last night…”

At the time, the victim took to Facebook to detail what happened.

“I will continue to fight this and I will continue to fight him until the very end!” she wrote, according to News-Press. “I have a long way to go but I’m determined to make sure that the responsible individual is held accountable for his actions.” @Ad_Scribendum idouglas@alligator.org

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2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Students, state leaders Weather discuss unease, climate Today’s action at Campus Climate Corps conference THE ONLINE EVENT FEATURED STATE LEADERS LIKE REP. ANNA ESKAMANI AND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE NIKKI FRIED

By Alexandra Harris Alligator Staff Writer

To climate leaders both on UF’s campus and across the state, climate change is what’s scaring them most this Halloween.

The online UF climate conference convened on Sunday as students became part of the process to make a difference both locally and globally.

To introduce students and other attendees to the worldwide United Nation Conferences of Parties, about 50 attendees tuned in Sunday to the Campus Climate Corps Conference hosted by UF master’s student and U.N. Climate Conference delegate Rock Aboujaoude, Jr. The event hosted statewide leaders like Rep. Anna Eskamani and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried.

Aboujaoude set the tone for the event with a stark reminder.

“We’re inheriting a planet that is facing destruction,” Aboujaoude said. “It is going to take all of us working together in order to make this journey successful.”

Nikki Fried, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture who is running for governor in 2022, discussed her Florida Energy and Climate Plan, which will be considered in the 2022 legislative session.

“The University of Florida is my second home,” Fried said. “It means so much to me to know that there is such a dedicated group of young leaders here in Florida who are working to proactively take steps to protect our planet.”

The bill takes steps to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the state, she said, establishing goals for greenhouse gas reduction: 50% by 2030, 90% by 2050 and 100% by 2055.

“These may seem like ambitious goals,” Fried said. “But the cost of not taking action is much higher.”

The bill includes new methods for floating solar panels, which can be installed in retention pond systems and generate jobs in energy efficiency.

“Keep up the fight,” Fried said.

“Keep working to break down the barriers to change. And never give up. Our planet and our future are worth it.”

Another speaker was Donald Zepeda, an activist with Extinction Rebellion, which he said is a global environmental group using nonviolent action to inspire climate policy.

He encouraged students to speak out through civil disobedience.

“We don’t need to be everyone’s friends, we just need to get the ball moving,” Zepeda said. “We don’t have the time to elect better politicians. All politicians, however, respond to sustained public pressure.”

UF political science professor and sustainability studies program director Leslie Paul Thiele discussed the political and social dimensions of the climate crisis.

People often think of politics as a

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VOLUME 116 ISSUE 11

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dirty word, Thiele said. But to stand by and do nothing is no longer an option. People who are not part of the political elite have to be active participants in holding politicians accountable, he said.

“It’s illegitimate to be a bystander,” Thiele said. “Saving civilization is not going to be a spectator sport.”

It is in the power of the people, he said, to vote politicians out of office who aren’t committed to climate solutions.

“It’s changing politicians, not lightbulbs, and changing laws, not lightbulbs, that is the more important, depressing task that we face,” Thiele said.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, who represents the Orlando area in the Florida House, discussed her Florida legislation to require 100% renewable electric power generation by 2040.

The bill is still making its way through subcommittees.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021 ALLIGATOR 3

UF researchers try ending misconceptions about ‘spooky’ animals Wildlife ecology professors and students work to measure disease, invasive animals and possible new species

By Max Taylor Alligator Staff Writer

While biology may not sound like a creepy affair, some UF researchers are closely studying bizarre diseases that rot amphibians’ skin, along with a new species of worm-like creatures and lizards that eat other animals and their eggs.

Arik Hartmann, a graduate student who conducts research under Ana Longo in UF’s biology department, works with frogs, salamanders and other amphibians.

Hartmann currently studies disease outbreaks in amphibians. He measures outbreaks of sickness, like the fungal infection Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes animals’ skin to rot and fall off.

“It looks really, really gross,” Hartmann said. “I’ve encountered animals whose faces are rotting off, or their limbs are hemorrhaged, and I’m like ‘They’re not long for the

world.’”

Some people don’t realize amphibians’ importance, Hartmann said. They’re what’s known as an indicator species, which means they play an important role in allowing ecologists to measure the health of an ecosystem.

“Even if someone doesn’t care about the frogs or the salamanders in the system … amphibians are waving the flag around like, ‘We’re not doing okay. This whole system is not doing okay,’” Hartmann said. “And that has ripple effects throughout every sort of level of organization and ecology.”

Sarah McGrath-Blaser, a 30-yearold graduate student working in the same lab as Hartmann, also studies disease in amphibians.

While on a trip to the Bornean rainforest in 2017, McGrath-Blaser collected two samples of a possible new species of caecilian, a legless, worm-like class of amphibians na-

Kiara Cline // Alligator Staff

Two three-lined salamanders are seen at UF’s Longo Lab on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Arik Hartmann, UF graduate student, said these salamanders are used to study amphibian pathogens such as Bsal.

tive to most tropical climates.

Even after five years, McGrathBlaser continues to gather data.

“Not that much genetic data exists for them,” McGrath-Blaser said.

“We’re doing all the work to try to dig up as much of the information as we can to do the comparison so that we can say for sure whether they’re a new species or not.”

Jaguars are also misconceived as scary animals. A jaguar’s jaws can crush through the back of its prey’s skull at a force of around 1,000 per square inch, according to Field and Stream. Proportionally, it’s the strongest bite of any big cat, stronger than both the lion and the tiger.

To Matt Hallett, a 39-year-old professor in UF’s wildlife ecology and conservation department, a powerful jaguar is just another day at work. Both of Hallett’s graduate degrees involved specifically jaguar research. He travels to Guyana, a country in northern South America, in the spring and summer and teaches at UF in the fall.

Hallett studies animals in the rainforests of Guyana, which is 36% rainforest, and hosts animals like tapirs, piranhas and, of course, jaguars.

“Jaguars are that thing that [goes] bump in the night for a lot of people in Guyana,” Hallett said.

“They start to hear noises outside — a dog barking or cows coming close or pigs squealing. And it could be because there’s a very large, very able predator that’s outside and is helping themselves to some of your livestock.”

A large part of his research involved human-jaguar relationships.

Farmers often lose livestock to jaguars hunting on the forest’s periphery, but sometimes people blame jaguars for livestock deaths that have nothing to do with them, like drought or disease.

“Our groups try to understand the human side of how people perceive these things, and how they react,” Hallett said. “We’re just right

Kiara Cline // Alligator Staff

Sarah McGrath-Blaser (left) holds a Florida softshell turtle shell while Arik Hartmann (right) points to it, showing how the vertebrae is fused with the shell, at UF’s Longo Lab on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. “Turtles can’t leave their shells because they are part of the skeleton,” Hartmann said. now scratching the surface to try to talk to people about how to sort of address the misconceptions, but in a positive way.”

Invasive species can also prove to be ‘scary’ when they are introduced to non-native environments, sometimes having devastating impacts.

Keara Clancy, a 24-year-old wildlife ecology and conservation graduate student, studies tegus, a lizard species invading the Everglades that can grow up to 4 feet.

Clancy currently analyzes and collects data on the tegus’ possible impact on the Everglades. The tegu has a tendency to eat other animals and their eggs, which can be a problem for endangered species like the gopher tortoise, Clancy said.

Clancy is also involved with the Natural Resources Diversity Initiative, a UF student organization that works to involve underprivileged groups in science. Clancy sometimes goes to Gainesville community centers to teach kids about animals, bringing live alligators and

snakes to help generate interest in science.

“Obviously, [the animals] can be dangerous,” Clancy said. “But under a professional handling of them, [the children] learn that you can interact with them and learn a lot about them, and they’re actually pretty cool. They’re basically reallife dinosaurs.”

Clancy tries to teach people reptiles are important, with a prominent environmental impact. She wants to emphasize their influence on ecological systems, even though some people are afraid of them, Clancy said.

“People have this instinctual fear of reptiles and because of it we kill them, we hurt them, we banish them from our properties,” Clancy said. “But these are animals that play such an important role in our ecosystem. If we learn to start coexisting with them, I think that we would be a lot better off.” @MTaylor_Journ mtaylor@alligator.org

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Briggs, teammates defend Kelly Rae Finley in first team media since Newbauer scandal ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH KELLY RAE FINLEY WAS APPOINTED INTERIM HEAD COACH AFTER FORMER COACH CAM NEWBAUER’S RESIGNATION

By Zachary Huber Sports Writer

The Florida Gators women’s basketball team held its first media availability since abuse allegations were levied against former head coach Cam Newbauer. Interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley and several players took turns addressing the program at the podium.

The Alligator published a story on Sept. 27 featuring multiple former

Florida players under Newbauer who came forward and alleged that he made racist remarks, threw basketballs at players during practices and verbally abused the players, assistant coaches and trainers.

One of the first questions Finley received was about what she knew about Newbauer’s behavior and the role she played in it. She deflected it, attempting to shift focus toward the Gators first game against Flagler College on Nov. 5.

“Our administration has addressed the previous allegations, and our focus is on the upcoming season,” Finley said.

Cydnee Kinslow, a former player on last season’s team, accused Finley of doing damage control

Grethel Aguila // Alligator Staff

Kiki Smith (left) and Lavender Briggs (right), pictured during a game against Mizzou game Jan. 28, spoke to the media for the first time before the 2021-22 season and defended their interim coach Kelly Rae Finley.

for Newbauer, who coached at Florida from 2017-2021. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin and the athletic department haven’t addressed the allegations from former players that Finley swept Newbauer’s behavior under the rug. They’ve only commented on Newbauer’s behavior.

The reporter followed up and asked if Finley felt like she felt these women down.

“No,” guard Kiki Smith interjected on her coach’s behalf.

Finley continued and added she wouldn’t be here if that were the case.

It wasn’t the last time the question was brought up. Later in the press conference, guard Lavender Briggs jumped in to defend Finley. She accused Kinslow of placing false allegations against her current head coach.

“As far as Cydnee goes, she doesn’t speak for me,” Briggs said.

“She doesn’t speak for the team. So, I mean, what she said doesn’t really matter.

In The Alligator’s story, Kinslow said a teammate of hers attempted suicide. This week, Zach Goodall of SI’s AllGators published a more detailed story about Kinslow’s experiences where she added she tried to end her own life and provided more details on her teammate’s attempt.

She said she broke down a bathroom door and pulled her out of the shower to prevent the effort.

“We as a university and myself take mental health very seriously,” Finley said about her former players’

Grethel Aguila // Alligator Staff

Florida now-interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley and Lavender Briggs photographed on the bench of a Gators women’s basketball game against Kentucky on Feb. 15. suicide attempts. “I think that as a country, it’s something that we need to be invested in.”

Briggs said she already noticed a different environment during practices under Finley.

“There’s a lot more energy, there’s a lot more smiles and there’s a lot more people happy to actually be playing with each other and to be stepping on the court playing under the coaches we’re playing under,” she said.

The Gators take the court for the first time under Finley on Nov. 5, when they take on Flagler College in an exhibition game in the O’Connell Center at 6 p.m.

Kinslow told The Alligator she wishes nothing but the best for

her former teammates and Briggs.

However, she reiterated she spoke about her own experiences at Florida.

“What I went through was 100% what I went through,” she said in response to Briggs. “I wouldn’t put that on anybody else, and I would never wish that upon anybody.”

Kinslow said she was disappointed Briggs dismissed her experience by virtue of not having a similar one.

“That’s very much so a classic, ‘Oh, it didn’t happen to me, so it didn’t happen to anybody else,’” she added. @zacharyahuber zhuber@alligator.org

Petitioners solicit signatures, personal information on campus STUDENTS WHO’VE SIGNED SAY CANVASSERS TOLD THEM THEY’D BE SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICANS

By Serra Sowers Alligator Contributing Writer

UF students who stroll through Turlington, Plaza of the Americas or the Reitz Union may be haggled by strangers with bright blue papers who beg for their signatures, addresses and phone numbers.

Since September, canvassers who claim to support Seminole Native American tribes have been spotted around campus collecting signatures for a cause many students know nothing about.

The petition claims to support the Seminole Compact, a proposed legislation that would keep casino betting profits a monopoly asset to Native American tribes, like the Seminoles. Supported by prominent Republican politicians and Gov. Ron DeSantis, the legislation was initially approved by the Florida Legislature in May 2021.

The compact promises to create 2,200 jobs for Floridians and guarantees $2.5 billion in the first five years, according to its website.

However, under the compact, sports-betting companies like DraftKings and FanDuel would gain access to gambling profits. This could shift the funding the Seminole Tribe receives from gambling profits, which could go to private interests instead.

Standing near The Hub on Stadium Road, canvasser Irving Williams asks students for

a moment of their time. He said he works for L&R Political Consultants, a for-profit organization based in Palm Harbor.

People begging for signatures have been spotted in downtown Orlando as well as the University of Central Florida, said Donya Sedaghat, an 18-year-old UCF health sciences sophomore who saw canvassers near the student union.

The Seminole Tribe has a group of lobbyists in Tallahassee, but their relation to this petition is unclear. The list includes Agustin G. Corbella, Angela P. Dempsey, Hayden R. Dempsey, Fred O. Dickinson and Will McKinley.

Just a few feet apart, some canvassers, mostly men, ask for signatures and personal information from passersby more than once, even if students have already signed.

The confusion for those signing the petition comes from the discrepancy in the language listed on the paper and what is verbalized by canvassers.

“We, the residents of Florida, support the new Compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida,” the petition states. “The Seminole Compact has been approved by both the state and federal government and is now law. This partnership will guarantee billions in new revenue and create thousands of jobs for the people of Florida for the next 30 years.”

Another canvasser, Josh Thomas, said he is working for the Seminole Tribe. He said he believes through loopholes, money will go from the Seminoles to schools and other areas of government.

“The Seminoles are getting ripped off,” Thomas said.

Thomas also noted there has been widespread support from people signing and said he has convinced plenty of students and people in other public places, like local farmers markets, to sign.

“This petition is to keep the original Seminole Compact that was recently struck,” Thomas said. “Now the government is using commercials and talking about infrastructure, schools, raising the percentage that the Seminoles are going to pay.”

Thomas didn’t provide information on canvassers salaries, employers or number of signatures collected in Gainesville.

General canvassers collect personal information –– such as full names, addresses and dates of birth –– to verify the identity of a real person signing the paper petitions at the state level, said Frank LoMonte, director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information.

Under state law and the First Amendment, outdoor areas are considered public and free for individuals to sign petitions or pass out pamphlets. The UF campus is government property, so the same laws apply if people aren’t interfering with the purpose of the public space.

Students should be aware of what they’re signing and only sign if they’re passionate about the cause as it could have legal consequences, LoMonte said. In Florida, a petition for a bill or legislation needs almost 900,000 signatures to get on a ballot at the state level.

He said he would have reservations in

signing something like this because it’s unclear where the petitions and signatures are going.

“Read what you are signing,” LoMonte said. “Make sure you are comfortable giving away your personal information, because it could be used for identity theft.”

Some students are cautious of petitioners because of their persistence to gain signatures.

Nef Dzubin, a 23-year-old UF philosophy junior, said they are uncomfortable that canvassers are taking advantage of student sympathy.

Dzubin, who is a Central American indigenous student not part of the Seminole tribe, said they are an advocate for indigenous rights.

Instead, giving tribes access to education and resources might be more beneficial for the advancement of indigenous people, Dzubin said. Creating jobs, like the petition claims, sometimes means taking away land.

“I have only had one encounter with them, but it seems suspicious,” Dzubin said.

“There was not much information on the pamphlet and the people were just rushing for signatures.”

Earlier in the semester, similar petitions floated around campus, such as one asking for support in protecting Florida sea turtles.

It’s still unknown what interest groups are behind these petitions and where these signatures are going.

Serra Sowers is a contributing writer for The Alligator.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021 ALLIGATOR 5

UF Health mandates vaccines for employees THE MANDATE IS IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN’S EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING VACCINATION FOR FEDERAL WORKERS

By J.P. Oprison Alligator Staff Writer

UF Health announced Wednesday all its employees must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 or have an approved accommodation on file.

The mandate comes amid President Biden’s executive order requiring certain federal workers to be fully vaccinated for COV-

ID-19, unless exempt for medical or religious reasons. By complying, UF and UF Health collectively receive over $1.6 billion in federal contracts or contract-like agreements, including Medicare/ Medicaid funding, UF spokesperson Steve Orlando wrote in an email.

Fully vaccinated status is achieved two weeks after receiving the last required vaccine dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thus, staff must complete their vaccination by Nov. 24.

As federal contractors, UF and UF Health are subject to the federally mandated vaccine order,

Orlando wrote.

“UF and UF Health have not mandated vaccines,” Orlando wrote. “UF and UF Health are responding to the federally mandated vaccine order.”

The state plans to challenge the mandate. Christina Pushaw, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, pointed to a Florida law prohibiting government entities or educational institutions from requiring vaccine passports, or documents that show someone was vaccinated.

Johnny Dickerson, a Shands endoscopy technician, has no issue with the mandate, saying staff should respect the rule to help as

many people as they can. Everyone in the endoscopy department is vaccinated, but those not yet fully vaccinated should do their part to keep others safe, he said.

“We can’t help the sick if we’re sick,” Dickerson said.

Some staff can’t get vaccinated for religious beliefs or health issues, and Dickerson said they have a right to feel that way. But UF Health allows approved religious or medical exemptions, according to its email, and Dickerson said everyone should do the best they can for the greater good.

“If we can all stick together, we can get past this,” Dickerson said. “Hopefully everybody will

Houston Harwood // Alligator Staff

UF Health Shands Hospital is seen on June 29, 2021. take heed to the rules and just do the best they can to keep everybody safe.” @joprison joprison@alligator.org

As vaccine hesitancy continues, UF Health experts engage with skeptics, give the facts One expert finds one-on-one conversations help people understand the truth behind vaccines

By J.P. Oprison Alligator Staff Writer

As of last week, 95% of Shands COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated. Despite high hospitalization numbers and experts reassuring people that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, some are still skeptical about getting the shot.

Tony Domenech, a retired Gainesville resident and former city commissioner, said he doesn’t care whether people are vaccinated or not. However, he doesn’t support UF Health’s recent vaccine mandate, or any other mandates like it, because they lead people to pressure others to get vaccinated and strain relationships. He also has personal distrust in the government.

“There’s a lot of times [government officials] don’t tell me the truth, so I question the things that they’ve been telling us,” Domenech said.

Despite some skepticism, Domenech got the vaccine in summer because he was high-risk for severe infection. But he still doesn’t trust it, and said it isn’t really a vaccine because it doesn’t prevent COVID-19.

Krissy Copley, a former patient advocate, said her father developed tremors a little

while after getting the virus, despite having completed his vaccination shots six months prior.

“So how did he get the COVID?” Copley said. “It doesn’t make sense if they’re all taking precaution.”

But millions have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history, Kartik Cherabuddi, associate professor of infectious diseases and UF Health epidemiologist, wrote in an email.

“Health care workers have had close follow-up and scrutiny and have not demonstrated any long-term side effects from the vaccine,” Cherabuddi wrote.

Although he testifies for the effectiveness of the vaccine, Cherabuddi wrote the vaccines don’t completely prevent a positive COVID test. However, vaccines prevent severe complications that could lead to death, as well as limit infection and spread, he added.

“Risk reduction and prevention strategies in medicine target more severe complications and the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at preventing those,” he wrote.

Cherabuddi said the spread of misinfor-

NOTICE

APPLICATION FOR BICYCLE / PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY BOARD The Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization for the

Gainesville Urbanized Area invites interested persons to apply for its Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board. The Bicycle/ Pedestrian Advisory Board provides advice to the Gainesville City Commission, Alachua County Commission and Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization for the Gainesville Urbanized Area on bicycle and pedestrian related matters.

The Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization for the Gainesville Urbanized Area, composed of the Mayor and six City of Gainesville Commissioners and the five Alachua County Commissioners, is responsible for the continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning program for the Gainesville Metropolitan Area.

Applications and additional information may be obtained by

writing or calling: North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, 2009 NW 67th Place Gainesville, Florida 32653; telephone 352.955.2200; or from the following website at www.ncfrpc. org/mtpo. Applications must be received no later than Monday, November 29, 2021.

mation leads people to question the vaccine. The best way to combat myths and change minds has been through having individual conversations with patients, Cherabuddi said. UF Health has group sessions to ensure staff is well informed.

Early on in the pandemic, broad forms of communication informed people, Cherabuddi said. But over time, people narrowed their sources of information. Social media has led to echo chambers where beliefs, regardless of facts, are reinforced by repetition and safe from refutation. When people consume information from these closed spaces, changing their minds through broad communication becomes harder.

Disinformation is intentionally used to deceive others for personal gain, he said.

Just 12 people, dubbed the “Disinformation Dozen,” promote 65% of vaccine disinformation on social media, according to an NPR report. Most people who consume this information seek to inform their friends and family without intending to deceive them, distinguishing this type of lie as different from misinformation, Cherabuddi said.

“Because the disinformation campaigns are made so well, it’s hard to distinguish between accurate information and misinfor-

mation,” Cherabuddi said.

Platforms like Facebook have helped spread doubt about vaccines, he said.

“The noise of it all plays with your mind,” Cherabuddi said.

UF Health has seen very few severe reactions, no one has died from vaccination and most people have mild symptoms for a day or two, Cherabuddi said. According to The Wall Street Journal, COVID-19 was over five times more common among hospitalized patients who were unvaccinated and had prior infection, compared with those who were fully vaccinated and weren’t previously infected. Only a handful of people with medical conditions have been advised not to get vaccinated.

Claims that booster shots have adverse reactions are also false, he said “Everyone else has successfully taken the vaccination, even though they have allergies to other medicines or vaccines,” Cherabuddi said.

Cherabuddi said people should talk with their doctors about their concerns.

“If you’re honest with them and engage them, they’re willing to listen in and take action as well,” Cherabuddi said. @joprison joprison@alligator.org

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Virtual reality transports seniors down memory lane at Gainesville retirement community THE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM HELPS FEND OFF ISOLATION AND DEPRESSION

By Alexandra Harris Alligator Staff Writer

Kay Koons, 89, is in a blue raft rushing down whitewater rapids in her blue Hawaiian shirt.

Moments later, she’s in a hot air balloon floating over Portugal. She’s quiet, glancing up and down at the surrounding entourage of multicolored balloons. Her occasional giggles blend with chirping birds. It’s calming, she jokes, as long as you don’t hit an electric wire.

Thanks to technology, Koons doesn’t have to move an inch.

Virtual reality technology is captivating residents at the Oak Hammock Retirement Community at UF, located at 5100 SW 25th Blvd. By way of virtual reality goggles, residents can skydive and travel back in time to scenes from their weddings.

The experience expands the horizons of all residents — the bed-bound feel motion once more, the restless dementia wanderers are calmed, and the lonely feel connections.

Oak Hammock partnered with Rendever, a virtual reality platform, to offer a 360 immersive experience that transports residents anywhere they want to go. The residents can connect with others, stroll down memory lane or check items off their bucket lists.

The community is now equipped with six headsets and two streaming tablets. Other residents can participate by watching the television screen to view what the user is seeing.

For Koons, her favorite part of the technology is reliving experiences that mean a lot to her.

The technology can function like Google Earth; it allows users to type in destinations across the world.

After she put on a headset, Koons was back at a brick home in Maryland. She no-

ticed a short chimney and winding sidewalk. The garden bushes are different now, but Koons knows those bricks — she lived within them for 50 years.

“That’s it,” Koons said. “Makes you feel like you’re right there.”

Even though she moved to Oak Hammock in 2004, she doesn’t miss her old home too much.

“You’ve got to be happy where you are,” Koons said.

Chrissy Smoak, Oak Hammock’s life enrichment manager, said the program is one of the most rewarding experiences she has participated in.

“I’ve worked here for so long,” Smoak said. “They’re almost like grandparents.”

She said after learning one of her residents recently lost her husband, she strapped her into the headset and took her on a trip to the church the resident got married in. In an instant, her past came flooding back.

“It just brings you goosebumps,” Smoak said. “To see people have tears over memories, you just can’t help but be touched by it.”

Because the COVID-19 pandemic limited visitation, she said the staff got creative to find ways to keep residents connected.

The technology has been successful even in the memory care unit and for some residents who experience sundowning, or increased confusion at dusk for Alzheimer’s patients, Smoak said.

Sometimes they have off days and down moods, she said. But with the goggles on, they’re made calm, which helps with behavioral aspects.

“It’s really an amazing thing to see how it turns people’s day around,” she said.

Smoak said one of the nonverbal residents perked up after watching farm animals through the goggles.

“Did you see that goat?” the resident repeated, according to Smoak.

For the geriatric population, it’s an amazing thing for people to remember and

see where they got married or a home they grew up in or the college that they went to, Smoak said. Some residents in their 90’s have told Smoak seeing the Aurora Borealis has always been on their bucket list, and they could check it off of their bucket list just by doing it this way.

Oak Hammock is looking forward to implementing personal profiles for residents’ families later on. Families can upload videos and pictures of a resident’s personal

life, files of great grandchildren and birthday parties or marriages the resident may be unable to attend.

After a few introductory sessions, Koons is just getting started. She said she’s writing up her own destination bucket list.

“Amazing. It’s amazing,” Koons said. “I just can’t believe what they can do.” @harris_alex_m aharris@alligator.org

Alan Halaly // Alligator Staff

Kay Koons, 89, Oak Hammock resident, uses a Rendever virtual reality headset to take a hot-air balloon ride while at the Oak Hammock Health Pavilion on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021.

Tricks, treats, vaccine shots: Duval Heights community excites neighborhood with fall festival More than 100 community members came together to celebrate fall and family

By Jiselle Lee Alligator Staff Writer

The rain didn’t stop children in costumes from circling around the outdoor venue like cars on a racetrack Thursday evening.

The covered area outside the Duval Early Learning Academy building was lined with tables while volunteers served food, managed carnival games and handed out toys and candy as prizes. Even Gainesville Police Department officers joined in on the fun, grooving in the middle of the dance floor.

More than 100 community members came together to enjoy Duval Heights community’s Youth Night and Community Fall Festival, held at Duval Early Learning Academy at 2106 NE Eighth Ave. Duval Heights is a historically Black neighborhood located in East Gainesville. With the rise of gun violence among youth throughout Gainesville during the COVID-19 pandemic, residents of Duval Heights have felt the need

for a lighthearted family event.

The Rev. Gerard Duncan, an organizer of the festival, said he knew the community would show up for an event like this because it’s been so long.

“We just really have a very strong passion for our community,” Duncan said. “We thought about everything that the Duval community has experienced over the pandemic. And we thought, ‘What could we do as community leaders to bring the community together?’”

Besides providing games and food, the festival set up a corner of the event where people could get their COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots.

“Vaccines are important,” Duncan said. “As a community leader who’s really been a part of leading the vaccine charge away from vaccine hesitancy, I wanted to make sure that I included it as a part of this event, as well. We want to promote it.”

Samantha Maurice, a 24-yearold UF College of Medicine stu-

dent, works as a volunteer at the college’s mobile outreach clinic.

She said volunteers came to the festival to meet community members where they are.

“Instead of trying to get them to come to us, we just decided to come to them,” Maurice said.

Maurice said the clinic expected to give out 40 to 50 booster shots to people who had both of their vaccine shots at least six months prior to the festival.

Pam Smith, a 77-year-old Gainesville resident and event volunteer, was painted green and dressed as a witch while greeting guests at the front of the event venue.

“I keep a witch’s costume around,” Smith said. “I just want to make it interesting to the kids.”

For Smith, Halloween is a time of creativity and fun. Her daughter was also born on Halloween, so it is a special time for her family.

“Gainesville used to have huge Halloween parties for young people,” she said. “I associate it with maybe being able for some people

to be able to get a little wild but not dangerous.”

Nasseeka Denis, 28, is the high school director of Aces in Motion, an afterschool program and volunteer organization based at Duval Early Learning Academy.

The organization tabled at the festival and put out sign-up sheets for families who wanted to enroll their children alongside the 65 middle school and high school students in their program.

“We’re all about community,” Denis said. “We try to find ways to get involved in the community in any capacity, whether it’s coming by, saying hi, tabeling or whatever. We just want to be a part of what’s going on.”

Denis said by volunteering for events like these, the students are learning about giving back to their communities.

“We definitely want our students to know you always want to give back to where you come from,” she said. “And if you want to see change, be that change.”

Tamarra Jenkins, a 38-year-

old Gainesville resident, said she was on her way to her son’s football practice when she drove past the festival and remembered she promised to let her children go to the event.

Jenkins said that positive events for the community are long overdue. As a community organizer, she is helping to plan more events like this one to promote youth safety.

“With the gun violence and everything, we’ve already been preparing for scheduled events that would allow for the youth to have more faith and family around,” she said.

Her 8-year-old daughter, Makayla, said she enjoys meeting new people at events like these.

“It’s really important to gather and to create this unity where they know that they don’t have to be pitted against each other,” Jenkins said. “That’s what they need. With COVID having everyone just so disconnected, I think that’s where a lot of things got lost in translation.” @jiselle_lee jlee@alligator.org

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

MUSIC

FEST rises from the dead Halloween weekend

The punk-focused festival turned 19 after a year-long hiatus

By Chloe Greenberg Avenue Staff Writer

In a blur of concert flyer-covered streets, forearms bearing collections of multicolored wristbands and inescapable medleys of live music pouring out of downtown Gainesville venues, Jenna Bassi awaited her very first FEST. The 27-year-old traveled from her home in New York to follow her favorite band, Crime In Stereo, in their latest slew of shows across the northeast. She capped off her mini-tour in Florida, where the band was set to play Sunday.

Bassi has always wanted to come to FEST, where some of her most cherished music has been showcased over the years. But as a teacher, the festival’s timing never allowed her to — until this year. She and friend Eleni Doulos finally made it to their sought-after Gainesville stages.

“I’m just excited to spend the weekend with my best friend,” Bassi said.

Bassi’s FEST anticipation is just an example of what Gainesville’s quintessential punk-powered music and entertainment festival means to people. The 19-year-old event invites thousands of punk fans to the streets of downtown Gainesville each year for live music, independent professional wrestling and live comedy.

With the countless hurdles to live music following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the community-oriented and volunteer-driven event had to diverge slightly from its typical path this year. But masks and extra safety precautions only worked to fuel the weekend, with both artists and attendees willing to do whatever it takes to experience live music again — whether it be from behind the mic or within the crowd.

FEST owner Tony Weinbender mentioned the fear felt by the music industry in the past year, as it often felt there was no end in sight for the halt placed on live shows.

This year’s FEST offered an opportunity for fans and bands to dive back into not only live music, but the community FEST fosters.

Weinbender said the event owes its success to its own volunteer network.

“The bands really love the fact that they have all these eager, excited college students all the way up to retirees that volunteer for FEST every year,” he said. “We always say we’re leading by example with the positivity that FEST is.”

That positivity and stake in the community is what largely keeps the volunteer pool so strong year after year.

Longtime volunteer-turnedFEST employee Avery Bender capped off her 16th year with the

event this weekend. After coming back each year for 10 FESTs in a row, they were promoted to venue overhead manager, in charge of six stages across downtown and training volunteers.

“Everyone that does it truly believes in making it,” she said. “You want it to succeed.”

The community ties FEST fosters run deep. Gainesville-born band Hot Water Music returned to FEST this year, eager to return to a hometown stage. Drummer George Rebelo said the past year was the longest he had gone without playing live music in his career of 27 years.

The band played their 2001 album, “A Flight and a Crash,” from start to finish during the weekend, marking their first time playing some of those songs live ever.

Revisiting the 20-year-old album wasn’t only a way to give back to fans — it also served as a realization of the group’s artistic and professional growth, Rebelo said.

And just as the band has grown, he said he’s seen FEST evolve, too.

From its earliest iterations and formative years, FEST has grown into an annual hub for a like-minded musical community — usually dressed in all black, Rebelo added.

With two weekend shows on downtown’s Bo Diddley Community Plaza, one being an all-fan-requests set, Hot Water Music dove

Chloe Greenberg // Alligator Staff

Gully Boys Bassist Natalie Klemond (left) and Lead Vocalist Kathy Callahan (right) play their first FEST show at Loosey’s on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021.

Keep up with the Avenue on Twitter.

Tweet us @TheFloridaAve.

Lauren Witte // Alligator Staff

Attendees chant and sing during Strike Anywhere’s set at Bo Diddley Plaza on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. back into a crowd of familiar fans in the same place they got their bearings, following what seemed like an end of live music.

“I feel like I have purpose in life again,” Rebelo said.

Also revisiting Gainesville stages this weekend was Los Angelesbased band Spanish Love Songs, playing their fourth FEST. The emo punk-adjacent band played two shows this weekend, one at Bo Diddley Plaza stage and another more intimate acoustic set at Loosey’s.

The variety of venues and scope of the festival is something lead vocalist and guitarist Dylan Slocum thinks makes FEST so distinctive.

Shifting from performing on one stage and becoming a fan at another stage makes it feel less like a festival and more like a collection of unmissable shows, he said.

With only six shows under their belt this year, FEST served as one of Spanish Love Songs’ first big live shows back. To the band, Slocum said this meant not only being able to jump back into the essence of their whole career, but also to connect with a community where they feel most at home.

“I think a big part of our band is kind of killing our collective loneliness,” he said. “So being able to do that with a crowd of people is just the most important thing to us.”

Brittany Luna of ska punk band Catbite cited the pandemic as not only a gap in live music but also a shift in the way artists view their careers. With no one to perform for and an uncertain road ahead, much of the music industry turned to support rather than competition.

“It feels like people are wanting to boost their friends or wanting to boost music that they like,” she said. “It gives you a whole new reach to different people.”

Heading into their second FEST,

Catbite was most excited to connect with social media friends and old music communities they hadn’t seen, coming together in the face of returned live music.

For returning artists and volunteers, FEST is a longtime tradition. But each year remains a new opportunity for those first making their way in.

Minneapolis-based band Gully Boys played their first FEST this year. The three piece formed in 2016 with lead vocalist and guitarist Kathy Callahan, bassist Natalie Klemond and drummer Nadi McGill. Only five years old, the group christened their first Florida show with a Saturday night set at Loosey’s.

Apart from playing a festival they’ve always wanted to, the band was most excited to be fans this weekend, too.

“That’s one of my favorite feelings and one of the things I miss most about being able to go to shows and see live music — just stumbling upon a band that takes your breath away,” McGill said.

The grunge pop-inspired trio marked their sound as melodic and emotion-oriented more than anything else. And after releasing their EP “Favorite Son,” earlier this year, getting back into performing live left them playing every show like it’s their last.

“We’re a little bit more grateful and mindful of what we have and what can be taken away,” Callahan said.

Whether at FEST as a fan, artist, volunteer or any combination of the bunch, attendees showed out in the thousands once again — with masks and no less passion for punk. @chloe_greenberg cgreenberg@alligator.org

A plethora of podiums

Florida women’s golf opened the season No. 17, but four straight podium finishes through the fall and remarkable depth have raised the expectations, pg. 11

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

Pathways to opportunity and involvement at UF

A

t a school with more than 60,000 students, it seems paradoxical that engaging with campus can be difficult.

When presented with so many opportunities, students may feel overwhelmed by choice, paralyzing their ability to make a decision about campus engagement, civic consciousness or even just grocery shopping.

But with the proper resources, students can navigate these pathways to involvement while becoming more confident in decision making.

Student organizations

UF offers plenty of student organizations built around identity, issue advocacy, sports, culture, professional pursuits, political affiliation and more.

UF Student Activities and Involvement provides the GatorConnect Portal to filter student organizations by specific focuses. Student organizations centered around social and cultural communities include Hispanic Student Association, Asian American Student Union, Black Student Union, Pride Student Union, Jewish Student Union, Islam on Campus and more.

UF Student Government presents opportunities to get involved with a SG party or agencies such as Chomp The Vote, Students Taking Action Against Racism and Gators Going Green.

Engaging with Gainesville

Students’ often temporary stay in Gainesville can leave impacts on the city that outlive their individual presence.

Gainesville For All is at the forefront of addressing

Alachua County’s racial and economic inequities by bringing together residents and local organizations striving toward bettering the community.

UF’s Strategic Development Plan has teamed up with students to form Engage Florida, a student-led group working directly with community partners on issues of homelessness, education, economic opportunity and community capacity.

Students have the opportunity to preserve Gainesville’s environmental resources through tree plantings and other green-centered events with UF’s Imagining Climate Change initiative.

Voting

UF offers a free service, UF TurboVote, available to all Gators from freshmen to alumni. It eases registering to vote, checking or updating information, requesting to vote by mail and sends a notification before any election you are eligible to vote in.

With information on voting guides, conversations and more, you can make decisions on how to vote and who to support.

Bob Graham Center for Public Service

The Bob Graham Center is UF’s center of civic engagement, housing various opportunities for students interested in bringing their unique skills to the world of public service through internships, student organizations, research, academics and more.

The center is nonpartisan and works to remove barriers to civic engagement. This extends to organizations such as the Bob Graham Center Student Fellows, Florida Political

Review and Freshman Leadership Council; internships in Gainesville, Tallahassee and the U.S. Capitol; and research through Civic Scholars and Askew Scholars.

The best paths to engage with the Graham Center are to join their newsletter, explore their website or stop by the second story of Pugh Hall to speak with an advisor at the center.

Andrew Shodell opinions@alligator.org

Brown Center for Leadership and Service

The Brown Center for Leadership and Service provides the structure and resources for UF students to assume roles of leadership and service on campus.

The BCLS spearheads and funds projects on campus, from leadership development — Projects for Peace, LeadUF and Changemakers’ Dialogue — to service opportunities like Campus Beautification and Florida Alternative Breaks.

To become involved with the BCLS, students can browse the website, schedule a meeting after taking the service quiz, or visit them on the second level of the Reitz Union.

Research

UF’s Center for Undergraduate Research is the hub of campus research. UF offers entry-level research opportunities such as the Emerging Scholars Program and the Graham Center’s Civic Scholars program. Both opportunities pay students who participate.

If you are not sure where to begin, you can speak to students involved with UF research through the Center for Undergraduate Research Board of Students or attend one of their workshops or advising in Newell Hall.

Andrew Shodell is a UF English and political science junior.

EL CAIMÁN

“Celebrando nuestra música”: Gainesville’s first Spanish radio station prepares for debut TU FIESTA RADIO WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH A MOBILE APP AND WEBSITE, 24/7 STARTING NOV. 1

By Isabella Barnet Caimán Reporter

Cady Casellas’ hit Latin segment “Chisme Con Cady” was discontinued from GHQ, UF’s student-run radio, during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a void in Gainesville’s radio scene. However, one Cuban native and Alachua County resident will introduce the first full-fledged Spanish station based in Gainesville starting Monday.

Elio Piedra’s idea, alongside his partner Charlie Delatorre, comes at a time where Gainesville’s radio scene is limited to English-based content, despite having more than 73,000 Hispanic listeners in Alachua County’s audio and television market population.

Piedra goes by many titles. He’s an entrepreneur, entertainer, musician, and now a radio junkie pioneering Fiesta Media, his very own production company. Tu Fiesta Radio’s soft opening will launch Monday through the radio’s own phonebased application and website Nov. 1.

Piedra is no stranger to the

Gainesville Hispanic scene — his iconic drum and percussion set paired with his lively, booming voice can be found at Spanish restaurants and even at UF events. He’s not your average musician, boasting years of experience with the National Conservatory of Music in Cuba and with countless symphonies across decades of his life.

Originally from Pinar del Rio, his musical talents unraveled at the early age of 9. The musician and DJ immigrated to Gainesville in 2011 at 20 years old to join his now-wife, Yarelis Serrano, who was then a student in the area.

With the help of friends and community partners throughout the years, they’ve created a powerhouse of Hispanic representation through Piedra’s company that provides diversity to Alachua County’s radio scene and the entire entertainment industry.

“There are so many American radio music stations of all genres,” Piedra said. ”But what we can do for our community that can positively impact not only the question of music but also as another platform that serves as support, as a means of communication and entertainment and brings good Latin music that is nowhere to be found.”

The Spanish station will host specialty segments featuring guest

stars and classic Spanish hits ranging from reggaeton, bachata and salsa.

Gainesville Spanish speakers will get to enjoy Tu Fiesta Radio from the comfort of their homes or anywhere on the go through the mobile app.

Audiences can request songs directly through the app and connect the station to automatically play through vehicle radios and smart devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

Although formatted differently than broadcast radio stations, Piedra’s digital radio station will function like traditional stations with 24/7 music and hit segments throughout high-traffic hours.

Unlike traditional broadcast stations with limited frequency ranges, listeners can tune into Tu Fiesta Radio beyond Alachua County limits and throughout the nation with any cellular connection or through the station’s website.

Piedra celebrates 10 years since he first emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba to pursue his musical dreams and reunite with his childhood sweetheart. Although he’s made a name for himself in Alachua County through his flamboyant performances and heavy involvement with the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, he doesn’t forget the struggles he underwent as an immigrant who didn’t know English and brought very little from his homeland.

“When you have a dream, you must hold on to it with tooth and nail and not let anyone steal that dream from you,” Piedra said. “You have to be hungry to do good without wanting to harm the community.”

After the crises brought forth by COVID-19, Piedra said he felt a need to incentivize and motivate his community through music, motivating the creation of Tu Fiesta Radio.

Former GHQ radio host Cady Casellas, 23, could always be found at UF’s Weimer Hall Fridays during Chisme con Cady’s 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot. After pitching the idea in Spring 2017, the telecommunication alumnus dominated Gainesville’s radio scene with the only Latin radio show at the time until its cancellation in Spring 2020.

“Chisme Con Cady” followed a traditional specialty program format with Top 40 Latin songs, guest stars and “chisme,” or gossip, surrounding Spanish artists. Although the Cuban Jewish alumna featured more modern taste with more Spanish trap, Casellas bridged the gap between older and younger Hispanics through a blend of classic and reggaeton Spanish hits.

“From the beginning, I said I am creating this, but this is not ending with me,” Casellas said. “I wanted to train someone or appoint someone. But they wanted to keep the

pop format, which I can understand from their perspective … but there is such a need for a Latin station in Gainesville.”

Hispanic locals and UF students have asked about the segment’s return, but her Friday evening slot remains unoccupied despite potential replacements introduced by Casellas.

As radio stars who share similar Cuban pride, both are passionate about using their platform to educate viewers on the current political Cuban crisis demonstrated through the hashtag #SOSCuba.

“They’re creating a Latin station, and that made me so happy because I feel like I started this thing and then there was a gap in between, but there was such a need for it that it was brought back [by Tu Fiesta Radio],” Casellas said.

“Chisme Con Cady’s” top 3 in Latin music still lives on at 4:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. through Casellas’ onair, pop music radio slot from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on PlayFM. Monday marks Tu Fiesta Radio’s soft opening, but there will be an event to celebrate Gainesville’s inaugural Spanish radio station in person Nov. 5 at Tioga Town Center, where reggaeton hits will be paired with raffles and giveaways all night long. ibarnet@alligator.org

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator.

The Alligator encourages comments from readers. Letters to the editor should not exceed 600 words (about one letter-sized page). They must be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, classification and phone number. Names will be withheld if the writer shows just cause. We reserve the right to edit for length, grammar, style and libel. Send letters to opinions@alligator.org, bring them to 2700 SW 13th St., or send them to P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, FL 32604-2257.

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Release Date: Monday, November 1, 2021 Release Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021

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By Daniel Sweren-Becker and Daniel Nussbaum ©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC By Susan Gelfand ©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Help Wanted

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/sports

WOMEN'S GOLF

Florida women’s golf shows potential in fall season THE GATORS PLACED NO LOWER THAN THIRD IN EACH OF THEIR FOUR TOURNAMENTS

By Carson Cashion Sports Writer

After missing the national championship last spring, no one knew what to expect from the Florida women’s golf team this fall.

In head coach Emily Glaser’s 10th year on the job, expectations were tempered for the program, and the Gators earned just the No. 17 spot in the preseason collegiate rankings.

After the fall season for the Gators wrapped up on Oct. 27, it became clear the strength of the team lies in its depth. Not only that, but the top-end talent of the team might be just enough to make some noise come this postseason.

The top-to-bottom nature of Florida’s lineup gives the team a cushion that can survive a rough

tournament from any one Gator.

In Florida’s 20 individual performances in four tournaments, 15 ended within the top 25. Depth breeds consistency, and the Gators boasted both this fall. Their strong individual play led to top-three placements in all four meets, including a secondplace finish in the final meet of the calendar year.

When Florida suffers from a rough round from one of its golfers, the pressure on the rest of the team is not as heavy, as the golfers can rest assured that the team has their back.

Junior Jackie Lucena finished with a 9-over 225 at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, but the rest of the lineup carried the weight; every other individual finished in the top 25 of the individual leaderboard. At the next meet, Lucena more than made up for her absence with a second-place overall finish, tied for the highest finish of any Gator this fall.

Lucena, who transferred from

UC-Davis this offseason, has been a surprise standout for the Gators this year. Besides the rough outing in the Music City, the California native has finished in the top 25 in three of the four tournaments and in the top 10 twice. Lucena has even begun to receive national attention for her play; she is the No. 41 collegiate female golfer in the nation, according to GolfWeek.

Another golfer who broke onto the scene this fall is sophomore Maisie Filler. After showing signs of excellence last spring at the NCAA Regional, she has taken the next step forward and become a mainstay at the top of Florida’s leaderboards. She capped off a fall that consisted of three top15 finishes by mirroring her team’s second-place finish on the individual leaderboard in the final tournament.

The Palm Beach Gardens native has shown she can anchor a lineup for the Gators, now ranked as the No. 22 golfer in the nation.

That progress could provide

Courtesy of the UAA

Florida women's golf coach Emily Glaser and Maisie Filler stand together on the course at Mark Bostick Golf Course on February 23, 2021. alligatorSports has a podcast!

The alligatorSports Podcast releases episodes every Wednesday and can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your other preferred streaming platform.

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Courtesy of the UAA

Florida golfer Annabell Fuller was listed on the preseason watch list for the ANNIKA Award and one of Golf Channel’s top 25 collegiate female golfers before the season started.

Florida with the elite talent teams need to make serious pushes for national championships.

Starting her senior year with the Gators, Clara Manzalini also saw a solid fall campaign that included two top-15 performances. At the Mason Rudolph Championship, the Italian secured a share of seventh place with a 5-under 211.

As the team enters the spring and begins postseason play, the veteran experience of Manzalini should only boost the team's ability to handle the heftier pressure. Because the team failed to make the national championship last year and COVID-19 canceled the event in 2020, Manzalini is the only active member of the lineup who has been to the biggest tournament of the year.

Junior Marina Escobar also contributed to the Gators, but she usually remained on the fringe of the top-25 on individual leaderboards. In four tournaments, the Spanish native finished 27th, 32nd, 23rd and 15th. While she has been consistent and avoided forgettable performances, Escobar usually finished in the lower half of Florida’s lineups. An individual who can consistently finish in the top 25 and remain in the bottom half of the lineup is the strongest testament to the Gators’ balance.

After being named to the preseason ANNIKA Award watch list and slotting 23rd on Golf Channel’s preseason rankings, junior Annabell Fuller has not produced the elite play preseason rankings seemed to expect from her. She was unable to produce a top-10 finish across any of the four tournaments and only found the top 25 twice.

The fact that the presumptive star has not excelled but the Gators still shined as a team is incredibly promising. If the English native can raise her level of play to the tier she was expected to compete in, the Gators become an even more formidable team for anyone to play as the postseason draws closer by the day As the team enters a brief offseason before the spring season gets rolling, the expectations around the program have skyrocketed, and the Gators have risen to No. 6 in the country. With a lineup that features individuals that can place in the top 10 at every corner, the Gators appear primed for both a successful spring season and postseason.

The team resumes play at the FAU Paradise Invitational Feb. 7, 2022.

Follow us for updates

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

@carsoncashion ccashion@alligator.org

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

FOOTBALL

Interceptions doom Florida football team finding ways to lose GATORS WRECKED BY NO. 1 GEORGIA IN SECOND GAME AGAINST TOP TEAM, FOURTH LOSS TO BULLDOGS IN FIVE YEARS

By Ryan Haley Sports Writer

Florida running back Malik Davis took the ball with the game clock winding down, the fourth quarter seconds from expiration.

The redshirt senior plunged forward behind his offensive line and picked up three yards, and with 20 seconds left to play, the Gators finally eked ahead of the Bulldogs — 355 yards of offense to 354.

Head coach Dan Mullen met his opposing foe, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, at midfield for a quick handshake as the clock ran down. As the fourth-year Florida coach ignored his school’s band and retreated to the locker room, the scoreboard illuminating the Duval County skies told the true story of the latest Florida-Georgia game.

No. 1 Georgia left Jacksonville with a 34-7 demolition of the Gators on its resume, and UF tumbled to 4-4 on the year despite its statistical prowess after a disastrous close to the first half.

For a four-loss team, the Gators exist in a realm all their own on the box score. Mullen’s team has outgained all eight of its opponents this year. Florida has won the yardage battle 3,867-2,709 across every game, an average of 144.75 more yards per game.

Even in conference play, where the orange and blue have won just two of six games, UF tallied 441.3 yards per contest to oppo-

nents’ 345.5 yards.

Teams have outgained undefeated No. 4 Oklahoma three times this season. No. 2 Cincinnati, another undefeated team, lost the yardage battle twice. In the Southeastern Conference, Florida’s the only team who hasn’t surrendered more yards than it gained in a game.

So how has arguably the most statistically proficient team in the conference lost three of its past four games to sit .500?

Florida has been crippled by turnovers in 2021, with no stretch more evident than the final two minutes of Saturday’s first half, an 135-second rollercoaster which surely flattered the ghost of Walt Disney.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson, who got the nod for his first career start against a defense averaging less than 7 points allowed per game, fumbled once and threw a pair of interceptions on three straight possessions to close the second quarter. All three giveaways generated touchdowns for the Bulldogs, the final score coming on a pick-six from linebacker Nakobe Dean.

In a span of two minutes and 15 seconds, Georgia’s lead ballooned to 24 points. Florida’s chances of winning fell from 21.5% to 0.8% in a matter of 12 plays, according to ESPN’s live calculation.

Georgia only outscored Florida 13-7 in the other 58 minutes of the game.

Richardson and Emory Jones, Florida’s two quarterbacks this season, combined for 15 passing touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions through eight games. No other team in the SEC has thrown more than 11.

Jones threw multiple picks in three of his

seven starts against a single start without one, and Richardson threw four in his past two games.

In Florida’s seven-point loss to Kentucky, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a short-field drive gifted by a Jones interception gave the Wildcats 14 of their 20 points. In a seven-point loss to Louisiana State, three interceptions in the first three quarters directly created 21 of LSU’s 49 points, including a pick-six on Jones’ errant final pass in the third quarter.

Florida’s defense has snatched six interceptions of its own and nine total turnovers on the year (11th in the SEC in both cat-

egories), but Mullen’s offense has gifted opponents 16 for a -7 differential. No. 1 Georgia forced three more turnovers than its opponents this season, and No. 3 Alabama walked away with a differential of +7.

Now, for the first time under Mullen, the Gators can’t win more than four games in their conference schedule. Florida lost seven of its last nine games against Power 5 teams. But the yardage streak survived another week. @ryan_dhaley rhaley@alligator

Samantha Harrison // Alligator Staff

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson drops back to pass during his first start against No. 1 Georgia during a 34-7 loss on Oct. 30.