November 6, 2023 by The Independent Florida Alligator

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023

VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 12 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

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Sasse shares his vision for UF’s future at presidential inauguration

UF inaugurated the former U.S. senator as its 13th president By Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writer

After nine months on the job, UF President Ben Sasse was officially inaugurated as the university’s 13th president. Hundreds gathered in the hallowed halls of University Auditorium Nov. 2 to celebrate the former U.S. senator’s official transition to president. In his inaugural address, Sasse emphasized the importance of civil discourse, service and UF’s need to advance itself into the digital revolution. “Too much of higher education wants to resist change, too many institutions are complacent,” Sasse said. “This place has somehow been relatively insulated against complacency and self-satisfaction and that’s darn attractive.” Sasse shared his hopes for the university to become the nation’s model for higher education.

“I truly believe that there is no single institution in the nation better positioned to simultaneously question the old with humility and embrace the new with an entrepreneurial zest about partnering more and faster,” he said. He also wants to accelerate the support and hiring processes for research teams in the university, he said. In a press gaggle directly after the ceremony, Sasse addressed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent order to Florida universities to disband chapters of pro-Palestinian student groups and the university’s secretive $4.7 million contract with the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Sasse avoided directly answering a question about whether McKinsey’s report would be made public but did say the firm would continue to be a part of the univer-

SEE SASSE, PAGE 4

Newest Alachua County sheriff speaks out on staffing shortages THE DESANTIS APPOINTEE ENTERS FIFTH WEEK IN OFFICE AMID SERIOUS STAFF SHORTAGES

By Sophia Bailly Alligator Staff Writer

Law enforcement recruitment is the top priority for Alachua County’s newest sheriff. Emery Gainey has spent his first month as sheriff combatting staff shortages and advocating for increased funding from the state and county. Gainey, who began his

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position Oct. 2 under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointment, is looking to fill 248 employee vacancies, including telecommunications, human resources, corrections and deputy sheriff roles. The hundreds of vacancies follow a nationwide trend of law enforcement staffing deficits. Gainey said employees are having to work longer hours due to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office being down 26% of its full staff, as of Oct. 30. “I am hampered quite a bit with the lowness of staff because I’ve got men and women literally

Gabriella Aulisio// Alligator Staff

Ben Sasse delivers his inauguration speech at the University Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.

going from call to call and not doing proactive patrols,” Gainey said. At the state level, a law that took effect last year has sought to recruit and retain qualified law enforcement personnel through bonuses, academy scholarships and family benefits. A July 26 news release from the governor’s office said more than 2,265 bonuses had been issued across the state through the recruitment bonus program. At that time, 668 law enforcement recruits relocated to

SEE SHERIFF, PAGE 4

Springs

Activists fear irreversible damage, pg. 3

Homeless vendors sell newspapers to Gainesville drivers HOMELESS VOICE, OWNED BY THE COSAC FOUNDATION, ADDS GAINESVILLE TO ITS STATEWIDE CIRCULATION

By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer

Gregory Hanna wandered back and forth on the narrow median strip dividing Southwest Archer Road. Dressed in a neon T-shirt and matching bucket hat, he clutched a folded piece of paper as traffic roared by on

either side of the intersection. The 66-year-old Lake City resident has spent the last 13 years selling newspapers for Homeless Voice, a 16-page paper discussing homeless issues. The paper is owned by the COSAC Foundation, a non-profit homeless aid organization, and sold in the streets by clients of COSAC’s shelters. Every day, COSAC shelter residents are driven to one of several major Florida cities — including Tallahassee, Orlando and Tampa. From

SEE HOMELESS, PAGE 5

El Caimán

Tax Collector’s office introduces translation device, pg. 7

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Today’s Weather UF celebrates Malachowsky Hall’s grand opening

VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 12

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The building will serve as UF’s new hub for data science and technology By Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writer

Rain or shine, UF’s new hub for data science and technology, Malachowsky Hall, is open. University leaders, including UF President Ben Sasse and Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini, gathered outside the $150 million building Nov. 3 under an overcast sky and drizzling rain with its namesake, UF alumnus and Software Company NVIDIA cofounder Chris Malachowsky, for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The sleek, seven-story structure takes up 263,440 square feet in the center of campus, just across the street from the Reitz Student Union. It will act as a multidisciplinary space for medicine, pharmacy and engineering, and will support UF’s work to integrate AI across the curriculum, according to a press release. Malachowsky praised UF’s execution of the building but lamented the unfortunate weather conditions. “University of Florida underpromised and overdelivered,” he said at the ceremony. “Except today, they promised sun.” In 2020, Malachowsky and NVIDIA donated $50 million to upgrade UF’s touted AI supercomputer HiPerGator. At the ceremony, Sasse described Malachowsky Hall as a “visual depiction” of HiPerGator. “UF is giving students and faculty more tools and

opportunities to move the needle than we’ve seen in a generation,” Sasse wrote in a press release. “In a space designed to fuel breakthroughs and boost multidisciplinary collaboration, this building is a critical component of UF’s push to build one of the most forward-thinking and comprehensive research and teaching institutions of our time.” Construction on Malachowsky Hall began in December 2020. The project was funded by $110 million in state appropriations and $40 million in private and college funds, some of which came from NVIDIA and Malachowsky himself. Antonio Hendricks, a 23-yearold UF electrical and computer engineering doctoral student, said Malachwosky’s opening is an exciting new step for the university’s AI initiative. Hendricks earned his bachelor’s at Florida Polytechnic University, the youngest school in Florida’s state university system. Established in 2012, the university’s architecture and infrastructure were state of the art. “It’s really exciting to have that here on UF’s campus,” Hendricks said. “When I first came to UF, I was like, ‘Oh wow, everything here is very old.” Malachowsky is the first academic building on UF’s main campus to not have brick and is instead wrapped in silicon paneling. Sensors on Malachowsky’s roof detect sunlight and shade the perimeter

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windows accordingly. Aspen Boler, a 20-year-old UF engineering junior, spends a lot of time on campus in between classes and believes the new hall will provide new opportunities for studying AI. “As someone wanting to further explore AI for my own education and interest, I’m excited to see what the Malachowsky Hall will offer that UF hasn’t in the past,” Boler said. “I look forward to exploring the building's utilities and applying them to my own personal projects and school work.” Chelsea Nguyen, a 20-year-old UF computer science junior, does most of her studying at Marston Science Library, or what she calls the “CISE Dungeon.” The spacious windows of Malachowsky will help her while studying because she “can’t see what time of day it is in the Marston basement,” she said. Nguyen, who is a member of Women in Computer Science and Engineering, said Malachowsky can serve as a hub for engineeringcentric organizations to meet, making it easier for students to get involved in student life. @garrettshanley gshanley@alligator.org

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Malachowsky Hall stands on Museum Road on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.

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AI initiative incentivises creation of UF AI courses ALMOST 100 CLASSES INVOLVING AI WILL BE TAUGHT DURING SPRING

By Megan Howard Alligator Staff Writer

At least 99 courses incorporating AI will be taught at UF during the Spring semester. The UF registrar has over 200 courses in its database denoted as AI courses, said David Reed, the associate provost for strategic initiatives and inaugural director for the Artificial Intelligence Academic Initiative Center (AI2). In 2020, UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky donated $50 million to help UF expand AI research and courses across all fields. Now, under UF President Ben Sasse’s strategic plan, UF plans to expand research and education on AI. In December, courses with less

than 50% material in AI will be denoted as Enable-AI. These courses are made to help students understand and use AI, but the AI content is lighter than other AI courses, Reed said. Students can also now filter the course search on ONE.UF to show courses that have been attributed as AI courses by the registrar. AI2 promotes the development of AI courses across all disciplines. Some courses labeled as AI next semester are Advertising Strategy, Econometrics and Business Finance. Additionally, there are courses not labeled as AI in the course search but utilize AI in the course content. In the Spring, five courses have AI in the title, but they do not have the AI attribute. Classes like AI in Biology and Geographic Artificial Intelligence do not have the AI label. These classes do not have the label because the labeling process is

ongoing. Courses taught for the first time or only for one semester use rotating course numbers, which can’t be flagged. Matt Gitzendanner works in UF IT and manages the plant evolutionary genetics lab for the biology department. For the past three years, he has taught AI in Biology, which teaches students how to use AI to analyze data sets. The class starts off learning about data tables and how AI can help make predictions from the data. The class then looks into the different machine-learning methods. “It’s applicable to any field. You don’t need any biology knowledge for any of the stuff I cover in the course,” he said. Biology researchers often look for patterns in their data, and AI can make their data organization quicker and more efficient. “AI does a really good job of find-

ing patterns and data. Anything that has a pattern is what it keys in on best,” Gitzendanner said. Gitzendanner created the course with former UF museum faculty member, Brian Stucky, after Malachowsky made a donation to UF for the construction of Malachowsky Hall and the creation of the HiPerGator supercomputer. The donation persuaded the president and provost to implement AI education across every discipline, Gitzendanner said. “I was like, ‘Well I’m in biology and I’m learning AI. I should teach about it,’” he said. Gitzendanner sees the growth of AI into fields outside of technology and computers as a positive. “I think having the ability to use AI and understand the technology and how you can use it to do whatever it is you want to do will give you a leg up in whatever industry you’re in,” he said.

Seth Raber, a 19-year-old UF computer science junior, hasn’t taken any classes on how to use AI, but he has discussed the ethics, development and popularity of AI in his classes, he said. Raber believes the development of AI and UF’s AI initiative is positive progress. “Computers came out of nowhere and nobody thought computers were going to be cool,” he said. “AI will just be another tool we’ll eventually use, even if it might change the [scope] of how we learn.” AI will enhance the job market, not take jobs away, Raber said. “AI nowadays takes information and produces something based on that information,” he said. “If we didn’t have that information to begin with, it wouldn’t be able to create anything. So I believe people who are still making new content, like art online or new code, will still have jobs for it.” @meganmhxward mhoward@alligator.org

Activists and officials fear irreversible damage to Alachua County’s Springs GROUNDWATER PUMPING, LACK OF STATE REGULATION PUTS SPRINGS AT RISK, ACTIVISTS SAY

By Kylie Williams Alligator Staff Writer

Worthington Springs was the first to go. Floridians and tourists flocked to the town starting in the late 1800s to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. Yet by the mid-twentieth century, Worthington Spring had stopped flowing due to human activity. People stopped visiting, and the spring was abandoned. Dozens of springs are nestled in or near Alachua County, serving as a valued resource and a recreational draw. However, Florida’s springs have been a battleground for decades. Activists, local and state government officials, corporations and citizens often disagree on the

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extent to which the springs should be protected. Robert Knight, the executive director of the Florida Springs Institute, has been monitoring spring health for over two decades. During that time, he said, he’s witnessed the quantity and quality of spring systems decline. “They’re not going to be healthy for the next generations,” Knight said. After Worthington Springs stopped flowing, Knight said, the damage continued down the Santa Fe River. First it was Hornsby Spring. Then it was Santa Fe Spring, then River Rise. Then July 15, the clear waters of Gilchrist Blue Spring suddenly turned brown with sediment. Park rangers ushered swimmers from the water, and the park closed until July 17. A sinkhole had opened up beneath Gilchrist Blue, Knight said, leading to a rush of sediment in the water. While the Florida Springs Institute

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doesn’t know for certain what led to the sinkhole, Knight believes it was a combination of erosion and excessive groundwater pumping. Over time, he added, human impacts like these can lead to the full collapse of a spring ecosystem. “The springs die,” Knight said. “As close to dead as you can get in the environment.” Knight spoke to the High Springs City Commission Oct. 12, voicing his concerns that human activity would continue to lead to spring degradation. He argued people come to the High Springs area for nature-based tourism, which is put at risk by groundwater pumping and housing developments. Commissioner Katherine Weitz was the only commissioner to vote against a proposed Bridlewood housing development in October 2022, which she said would build 2,000 units on 700 acres in High Springs. Bridlewood

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would double the population of High Springs, Weitz said, and possibly put the town’s tourism and natural environment in jeopardy. “People come here to go to the springs,” she said. “If we’re not protecting that, we’re not protecting our own small economy here.” BlueTriton Brands, a commercial water bottler formerly known as Nestlé Waters North America, owns a facility in High Springs down the road from the popular Ginnie Springs. Under the state-facilitated consumptive use permit, the company Seven Springs Water Co. is allowed to pump 984,000 gallons of water per day from the spring, which is then bottled and sold by BlueTriton. Read the rest online at alligator.org. @KylieWilliams99 kyliewilliams@alligator.org

4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Inauguration reaction SASSE, from pg. 1 sity’s strategic planning process over the coming year. In response to the State University System memo ordering universities to disband chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, Sasse said he is a First Amendment defender and will protect free speech on campus. “All student organizations at the University of Florida that were in place before [the SUS’ memo] are still in place now,” Sasse said. Inauguration special guests included Scott Angle, UF’s interim provost; Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System; Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees; Bernie Machen, the 11th former UF president; Kent Fuchs, the 12th former UF president; Jason Kelly, the CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, a Boston-centered synthetic bioworks company; Gerard Duncan, a senior pastor at Prayers by Faith Family Ministries and Kevin Thorpe, a pastor at Faith Ministry Baptist Church. Sasse described his appoint-

ment to the presidency as “glorious serendipity.” He wasn’t seeking out a university presidency, he said, but was persuaded by Hosseini and Board of Trustees Chair Rahul Patel, who led the presidential search committee. Hosseini said UF’s 13th president had to be “outside the box” to accelerate the speed of change. “We found that and we stole him from the United States Senate,” Hosseini said. Amid growing skepticism of higher education, Hosseini said UF remains influential among students and the country. “We change lives, we educate the next generation of leaders, innovators and explorers,” he said. “We make this state and this nation a better place. Florida is wellpositioned to lead, that’s why we chose President Sasse.” Sasse’s inauguration in-person audience mainly consisted of UF alumni, faculty, and Florida higher education officials and politicians. However, some UF students opted to watch the livestream. Oscar Santiago Perez, a

Staffing shortages SHERIFF, from pg. 1

Florida, according to the news release. Although the bill demonstrates the state's commitment to law enforcement amid staffing concerns, Gainey said funding is critical at the local level, too. Gainey has worked with the county commission to secure more funding, met with police departments throughout the county and communicated with other county sheriff’s departments. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office is reconnecting with previous employees to rehire staff who can follow an expedited training process and “hit the ground running,” Gainey said. Gainey, who served as the Marion County Sheriff from 2016 to 2017 under former Gov. Rick Scott’s appointment, said Florida's leadership prioritizes law enforcement, setting agencies up for more success. “We've had some great governors who recognized the need to have strong law enforcement in this state,” Gainey said. Despite Gainey’s history of donating to Republican candidate’s campaigns, including Florida Sen. Keith Perry and Florida Rep. Chuck Clemons, the sheriff said political affiliation plays no role in his position. His hiring was based on previous leadership experience as Alachua County’s Chief Deputy, Marion County’s sheriff and Chief of Staff for Attorney General Ashley Moody, he added. “My entire law enforcement career [has been] about what's fair and has been equal to all citizens of the county,” Gainey said. “When you dial 911 we don’t ask if you’re Republican or Democrat. We simply send help.” Under his leadership, Gainey said he strives to connect with all community members. He aims to make the office’s Public Information Bureau more accessible to residents and have more in-person interactions with citizens. Art Forgey, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said the department is taking new routes to bridge the gap between law enforcement agencies and the community for hiring purposes. The sheriff’s office attends virtual career fairs, visits police academies and connects with military services. “We realized that maybe some of the traditional ways that we used to try to get employees in the door don't

Gabriella Aulisio// Alligator Staff

Ben Sasse stands at the inauguration ceremony in the University Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. 21-year-old UF political science senior, watched the inauguration via livestream in disdain. Sasse spoke about the importance of committing to “radical transparency” during his inaugu-

ral address, which Santiago Perez disagreed with. “I’ve not seen any sort of radical transparency in these nine months,” they said. “If this radical transparency were in place,

work anymore,” Forgey said. Along with the state’s one-time $5,000 bonus to new law enforcement recruits, Forgey said. Alachua County also offers an additional $5,000 bonus for certified law enforcement officers, telecommunicators and detention officers. Forgey said the reasons for the ongoing law enforcement vacancies across the nation, state and county are difficult to determine. But two possible explanations involve generational perspectives and negative perceptions of law

I’d expect the administration to be ahead of the curve and inform us about the processes that are occurring.” @garrettshanley gshanley@alligator.org

enforcement in the media, he added. “It's a tough time for all of us trying to get people in the door and get them into public safety jobs,” Forgey said. Hiring requires extensive background checks and polygraph tests. The sheriff’s office is working longer evenings and through the weekends in an effort to streamline the hiring process, Forgey said. Thomas Ackerman oversees the police academy at the Institute of Public Safety at Santa Fe College. Recruitment numbers into the program dropped by more than half during the COVID-19 pandemic, but enrollment has since returned to previous numbers, he said. Local law enforcement agencies are increasingly sponsoring students they are interested in hiring after graduation, which is when an agency pays a student’s police academy tuition. “It is so competitive to get the better recruits on board that the agencies are picking them up earlier rather than waiting until they have finished the academy, when other agencies have a crack at them,” Ackerman said. Howie Garcia, a 20-year-old police academy student from California, began the Institute of Public Safety’s program July 3 and will graduate Nov. 21. His dad was a marine and his mom was a deputy sheriff in California, so law enforcement was always a clear career path, he said. Negative public perceptions toward law enforcement are difficult to ignore, but he said he knows his classmates in the police academy are committed to service. “Our instructors definitely hit on the knowledge that we need to be a good cop,” Garcia said. “Of course, there's a few people that make the whole community look really bad, but there's a lot more that are amazing.” The severe shortage of qualified officers is worse than most people realize, he said. Staffing concerns are not discussed in-depth in his classes. Training is also physically and mentally demanding, which can turn potential students away from the program, Garcia said. He hopes to become a U.S. Marshal for a Special Operations Team. “I think a lot of people who mean well are maybe a little bit intimidated by it,” he said. “You definitely need that drive to go through this kind of stuff.” @sophia_bailly sbailly@alligator.org

Courtesy to The Alligator

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023 ALLIGATOR 5

Gainesville homeless newspaper HOMELESS, from pg. 1

7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the vendors stand at major intersections offering newspapers to drivers in exchange for donations. About 75% of profits go to the vendors, while the remaining 25% is put back into the shelter and paper. Gainesville was the most recent addition to Homeless Voice’s roster. COSAC began sending vendors to the city about five months ago when they were left with no choice but to do so, said Homeless Voice publisher and COSAC board member Sean Cononie. “Duval County and Columbia County made it illegal, and Gainesville had a more liberal policy, so we decided to go to Gainesville,” he said. Moving from Duval County to Gainesville took a chunk out of Homeless Voice’s profits, Cononie said. The paper was doing well in Duval, but is only making one-third as much revenue in Gainesville, he said. Homeless Voice newspaper

Homeless Voice, the only street newspaper in Florida today, was founded with the goal of funding COSAC shelters in 1999. Andrew Fraieli, the paper’s editorin-chief for the last five years, edits about seven articles for each quarterly printed paper. His writers are a mix of journalists interested in covering homeless issues and homeless individuals who want to share their experiences, he said. Mary Stewart, a West Palm Beach resident, wrote five articles for the October print. Stewart has gone in and out of homelessness and writes on issues like lack of mental healthcare and cold-weather protection for the unhoused. Stewart has written for the paper for about two years. She writes often and well, despite transportation and technology barriers, Fraieli said. “I think she's writing on her phone from what she's sending me,” Fraieli said. “The main issue is that she's had her phone stolen. And with that goes her passwords and logins for her banking information, so it becomes difficult to even pay her.” Fraieli also writes his own articles for the paper — mostly longterm projects that he writes over the

course of a few months, like an April 2022 investigative piece on homeless hate crime laws in Florida that won a Green Eyeshade Award in 2023. Since he moved from Florida to Denver a year and a half ago, many of Fraieli’s writers have been journalists he’s met in Colorado who write about Florida homelessness based on research rather than experience. Mckenna Harford, a reporter for Colorado Community Media, wrote a piece for Homeless Voice’s October edition. The 28-year-old Denver resident accepted Fraieli’s offer to write freelance for the paper because of her lifelong interest in housing issues, she said. Harford was forced to find a new job and move out of her community when the newspaper she wrote for changed ownership and no longer offered subsidized housing, she said. The experience made her realize people are much closer to being unhoused than they know, she said. Though the details of affordable housing issues are different in Florida and Colorado, the causes are similar, and she’s found it interesting to compare the two states while researching for Homeless Voice, she said. “I hope that the more people talking about it, regardless of what state they’re from, the more likely that we’ll have better solutions and have more eyes and hopefully funds,” she said. Homelessness in Gainesville

Gainesville residents are familiar with homeless issues. In 2021, Gainesville’s homeless count of 189 per 100,000 residents was almost double that of the state average of 96, according to the Florida Department of Health. The city rate has outpaced the statewide one for over a decade. COSAC sometimes takes people from Gainesville to live in its Lake City shelter, Cononie said. As Gainesville is home to a university with almost a 35,000 undergraduate student population, concerns about safety due to a large homeless population have long been raised by students and families. “I live off-campus and just on that walk I usually see one or two homeless people, so it’s definitely something that is visible,” said Annika Thiim, a 20-year-old UF psychology junior. “I haven’t had any encounters that have made me fearful, but defi-

nitely I do take precautions.” As an out-of-state student from California, Thiim noticed a more prevalent homeless population in Florida than her hometown immediately after arriving, she said. She wonders if the cluster of new apartments being built close to campus has contributed to people being displaced, she said. Though homeless advocacy groups like GRACE Marketplace — where Thiim volunteers with her a capella group — are willing to go out of their way to help unhoused individuals, Thiim feels the city has room for improvement in its management of affordable housing issues, she said. Fraieli hopes by vending in college towns like Gainesville, he can encourage people to actually listen to homeless people, rather than listen to public opinions about them. Most of the time, these people aren’t causing any problems, he said. “If you’re seeing these people sleeping on the side of the street and feel scared or unsafe around them, just imagine how they feel,” Fraieli said. “They have to sleep out in the open, where it’s very easy for a crime to be committed against them and for there to be absolutely zero repercussions.” Hanna lives in COSAC’s Lake City shelter and is spending every day vending in Gainesville right now, he said. The newspapers he sells educate people on homelessness, he said. “We can live, but it’s not easy, and we have to pay for it,” he said. “People are mean sometimes … but I’ve been doing it for 13 years, so I’m used to it.” COSAC Foundation

Both praise and controversy have followed the COSAC Foundation since its founding in May 1997. Sean Cononie opened the shelter almost overnight after he was injured at age 19 and left with “a lot of money” from the incident, he said. COSAC ran a 22-room hotel in Hollywood for 13 years that housed more than 200 homeless men and women per night. In 2015, the city of Hollywood paid Cononie almost $5 million to close the shelter, with the caveat that Cononie could not return to live in Hollywood for 30 years. “They wanted to redevelop a federal highway, and we didn’t fit the criteria,” Cononie said. “They were denying EMS to enter the building,

Ashley Hicks // Alligator Staff

Thaddeus Bastian stands near UF Small Animal Hospital distributing The Homeless Voice, a newspaper about homelessness issues on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. they wanted us gone so bad.” COSAC moved to Polk County, where it ran a shelter for three years before Polk County decided it didn’t want a homeless shelter in its city, Cononie said. Now, COSAC is based in Lake City, where it operates a veteran’s motel and a transitional housing center. The foundation also has a drive-thru food bank in Polk County, a medical outreach team in South Florida and small shelters in Broward County, Cononie said. In 2021, COSAC took in $725,989 in total revenue — 39.2% of which came from contributions and grants that represent a lump sum of Homeless Voice sales and other donations. The paper is the opposite of a traditional newspaper in its operations, Cononie said. “Newspapers make money on advertisements,” he said. “We make money on circulation.” Homeless Voice sales are low currently, Cononie said. Duval and Lake County won’t let COSAC vend at all, and Gainesville’s municipality codes — while the most liberal in the area — still make it difficult to sell papers, he said. The foundation earns about $200 per day from Gainesville vendors, Cononie said.

The COSAC foundation saw a drop in newspaper revenue of over 42% in 2021. Expenses outpaced revenue by over $300,000, leaving COSAC with a drop in net assets of 58% compared to the previous year. COSAC has long faced criticism for requiring a program fee from residents who stay at its shelters to help cover costs, but Cononie argues everybody charges a fee. No one questions that the Salvation Army has charged a fee for 70 years, he said. The only people raising concerns are politicians and people who want to go from place to place sleeping in free beds, he said. “If you just gave anybody a bed, no one would work, so we would have to have 20,000 beds,” he said. “Anybody with common sense would understand that.” COSAC Foundation has faced no problems with city government in Lake City thus far, said Cononie. He has no plans to add more locations to the Homeless Voice circulation but hopes to spread the organization’s medical outreach throughout the state. @zoeythomas39 zthomas@alligator.org

Gainesville police officer arrested after breaking into his girlfriend’s home and strangling her were thrown over her balcony and a He stole several Apple products and damaged the apartment ings variety of her Apple items were missing, By Jordan Ramos Alligator Staff Writer

A Gainesville Police Department officer was arrested Oct. 28 after allegedly breaking into his girlfriend's home and strangling her following a night out. Christopher Bivins, a 29-year-old GPD officer and Gainesville resident, was charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, battery by strangulation, grand theft of $750 or more but less than $5,000 and criminal mischief, according to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. Bivins' girlfriend and her friends went

to Simons, a nightclub, on Oct. 27 when she received a text from Bivins. He said he was at the club and had paid for a private area for her friends and her, according to the police report. The two left the club around 1:45 a.m. and got into an argument on the way to their cars. The two then went in separate directions to go home, according to the police report. While driving home, Bivins' girlfriend received several calls from the front gate of her apartment complex saying that her boyfriend was trying to enter the property. When she arrived, she noticed Bivins' black truck parked across the street at a

Tires Plus, according to the police report. Walking upstairs, Bivins' girlfriend noticed her door was kicked in, the apartment was in disarray and Bivins was standing in the living room. After confronting him, Bivins grabbed her by the neck and forced her to the floor. Unable to yell, Bivins girlfriend felt him kneel on her before he released his grip and stepped back toward the kitchen counter, according to the police report. The woman was able to retrieve her car key and fled to her mother’s home in Trenton, Florida, according to the report. After returning to her home around 10:15 a.m. she noticed many of her belong-

according to the police report. Sheriff’s deputies located Bivins on 2400 SW 24th St. near Metro Diner and Crunch Fitness. During questioning, Bivins said he remembers being heavily intoxicated and parking at the Tires Plus, but he didn’t recall going into his girlfriend's apartment, according to the police report. Bivins is being held at the Alachua County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to court records. GPD declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. @JordanR68971799 jramos@alligator.org

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

CHARITY One sandwich at a time: Student-led nonprofit A Reason To Give supports Gainesville homeless population STUDENTS MAKE, DISTRIBUTE 150 TO 400 BAGGED LUNCHES A WEEK TO HOMELESS PEOPLE By Alexandra Burns Avenue Staff Writer

Under the glaring Florida sun on a small fraternity house basketball court, a group of dedicated students has turned their love for service into a recipe for change. Gathering every Sunday morning, the UF student-run nonprofit A Reason To Give has worked to serve the Gainesville homeless community for over seven years, making more than 150 bagged lunches a week and collaborating with a variety of Gainesville organizations and homeless shelters. The organization began in 2015 as a small service-based club in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house backyard. Since its founding, the club has gained a strong base of consistent members and created a mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding the homeless population in Gainesville. Gainesville’s homeless population is on the rise, with 641 homeless people in Alachua County. Out of this total, 450 homeless people are living on the streets and 191 are staying in shelters, according to the North Central Flordia Alliance for the Homeless and Hungry January 2023 survey. Klea Gjoka, a 21-year-old UF biology senior and vice president of the group’s outreach,

said the bagged lunches play a key role in supporting homeless people in Gainesville. “We work to break the stigma by being able to provide those bagged lunches every week and connect with the community,” she said. “I think one thing that I love about us is that the byproduct of this is that we actually get to connect with the entire community of Gainesville.” To keep up with the growing homeless population, the organization runs a sandwichmaking event every Sunday at 11 a.m. until it runs out of bread. Plastic picnic tables are placed throughout Sigma Phi Epsilon’s basketball court, and three to five students gather at each table to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and organize popcorn and Oreos into Ziploc bags. Raquel Shor, a 21-year-old UF nutritional science senior and co-president of the organization, said making the sandwiches is not only a service opportunity but a social activity. “I absolutely love it because you stand around, you talk to your neighbors, you make some sandwiches and you put them in the bags,” Shor said. “It’s really low stress. We play big booty remixes. It’s like a little club. It’s really fun, and we’re all goofing off and having a great time while we do it.” After bagging the lunches, members from the club’s executive board travel to downtown Gainesville to distribute them, giving about two lunches per person. The club also provides a portion of the lunches to Street Medicine, a group of medi-

cal students who perform check-ups on homeless people. Any remaining lunches are sent to GRACE Marketplace, a local Gainesville homeless shelter. Distributing the lunches every Sunday and witnessing how thankful people are when they receive them has become a rewarding experience, Shor said. “We wear these bright orange shirts, and when we go downtown, everybody knows that it’s us,” she said. “There’ll be crowds of people coming up to us and being like, ‘Oh, the orange shirts are back!’ It kind of becomes a part of their week, and it’s really rewarding to know that they’re waiting on us really excited.” Christian Rodriguez, a 20-year-old UF APK junior and vice president of the group, said the club also works with various Gainesville nonprofits and businesses, often pairing with two different organizations to volunteer with every Sunday. The club has participated in fundraisers with businesses such as Blaze Pizza, Chipotle and Yoga Pod as well as partnered with organizations like Helping Hands Clinic and other sororities and fraternities. The organization is planning to host A Reason To Ball, a basketball fundraising event scheduled for the spring semester during March Madness. “It’s everything we want to do,” Gjoka said. “We want to include other people, and so having people from other organizations sign up their team and stuff like that, it’s just fun.” Participating in fundraising events and

volunteering with the organization is also an opportunity to destress from overwhelming classes and a busy schedule, Gjorka said. “We like to think of it as our social hour because we’re so busy with school and stuff,” she said. “I’m always having fun. This isn’t doesn’t seem like work or ‘Oh, we have to go.’” Madison McGuire, a 21-year-old UF psychology senior and vice president of the organization’s programming, said the weekly meetings helped improve her mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was our freshman year, and we were staying in Springs, and being cooped up in my dorm was horrible,” she said. “But coming here, I always look forward to every Sunday, just getting to bond over the sandwiches and meet new people.” Whether it’s the camaraderie of spreading peanut butter on sandwiches with friends or traveling to different parts of Gainesville to distribute meals, the organization offers students a chance to meet new people and form new bonds while making a difference in Gainesville. “We’re all friends, here and outside,” Gjorka said. “It’s fun seeing the people that we provide lunches to, when they recognize us and see our big, bold orange shirts and go, ‘We didn’t know if you guys were coming today.’ It makes it feel like what we’re doing makes a difference.” @alexaburnsuf aburns@alligator.org

FASHION

The early 2000s are back in closets Low-slung jeans, glittery tank tops and more have taken over the fashion scene By Bea Lunardini Avenue Staff Writer

The early 2000s are some of the most controversial years in fashion. Regardless of negative opinions, though, the fashion staples of the era are some of the biggest trends for fashion today. Sasha Culvert is a 22-year-old employee at Flashbacks Recycled Fashion, a vintage consignment store in Gainesville. Over the course of her two years on the job, she’s seen the rise in popularity of signature pieces from the time. “The amount of early 2000s clothes we get offered has increased like crazy since the start of this year,” Culvert said. “There’s always been a market, albeit a pretty small one, for things like low-rise jeans and Juicy sweatsuits, but now those types of clothes make up the vast majority of what I sell in a day.” The return of the early 2000s is

not unprecedented, according to Desirae Allen, a 45-year-old professor at the Fashion Institute of South Florida. Allen teaches a class called Fashion Trends, the most recent module of which focused on concepts and silhouettes pioneered between 2000 and 2005. “Fashion operates on a 20-year trend cycle,” Allen said. “Some amount of the fashion from the 80s came back in the 2000s, the 90s in the 2010s, and so on.” Using the trend cycle as a reference has proven reliable since the start of the 20th century, and the styles gracing magazine covers, fashion week runways and daily wear are no exception. “Sometimes there’s a big difference between what we see on the runway or the cover of Vogue and what people are actually wearing,” Allen said, “but that hasn’t really been the case with the resurgence of the early 2000s now.”

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Part of the prevalence of early 2000s clothing, a style nicknamed Y2K after the computer scare of the year 2000, is its constant appearance on social media. Dennis Freck, a 19-year-old Gainesville resident known as @ latelateden on TikTok, has accumulated over 15 thousand followers who look to him for guidance on emulating their early 2000s fashion icons. “It all started when I dressed up as Soulja Boy for Halloween two years ago,” Freck said. “I realized that I liked the way that early 2000s clothes looked on me and it felt like the most authentic way I could express myself through my clothes.” Freck began a closet overhaul two weeks after his initial foray into the style, and he has worn 2000s staples since then. He also sought to encourage others to embrace the early 2000s, deciding the best way to do so would be to make videos about his outfits.

“It’s so fun to wake up in the morning and put on an outfit that I like, and I know other people are going to like too,” Freck said. “It’s the best feeling in the world when people leave comments saying that they’re going to try a similar outfit or wear an item of clothing they were initially too intimidated to wear.” Although Freck was nervous to wear a style he hadn’t seen frequently before, pieces from the early 2000s have become must-haves for those looking to emulate runway styles. For those who can’t afford clothes straight off the runway, though, vintage sellers like Freck provide the easiest path to a fashionable Y2K outfit. “It’s important for me to be able to come to markets and offer people the clothes that I’ve put so much care into compiling,” Freck said. Freck’s booth at the Florida Vintage Market is one of over 30 offering clothes from the last six decades. Buying clothes from their original era won’t get you the most up-to-date, trendy outfit, though, Allen said. “Only some traces of the overall fashion from the previous cycle appear in the current one,” she said.

“That’s why the 2000s aren’t a carbon copy of the 80s, and what people consider to be Y2K fashion now isn’t exactly what people were wearing then.” Styles are constantly updated to fit the preferences of the consumer, a detail that Allen points to denim shorts to explain. ‘Jorts,’ a combination of jeans and shorts, are one of the unmissable hallmarks of trendy clothes. “Jorts are so popular right now because they’re longer, which means more comfortable, and they pay tribute to the bermuda shorts of the early 2000s,” Allen said. “The length stayed the same, they just switched out the fabric from the brightly colored plaid of Y2K to denim.” References to the early 2000s exist in most of the biggest trends, whether they’re overt like jeans worn under dresses or subtle like the length of the most popular shorts. If the 20year trend cycle proves true, Y2K will be on the runways and Gainesville streets alike for the next several years. @bealunardini blunardi@alligator.org

Cross Country

Allison Wilson’s road back to competition. Read more on pg. 11. Scan to follow the Avenue on Spotify

El Caimán

LUNES, 6 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2023 www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman

La oficina del recaudador de impuestos presenta un dispositivo de traducción para una comunicación más clara EL DISPOSITIVO ES ACCESIBLE EN TODOS LOS SERVICIOS DE OFICINA. Por Nicole Beltrán Escritora de El Caimán

El procesó de pago de impuestos puede ser difícil, pero para clientes con acceso limitado al lenguaje, los obstáculos crecen. La instalación de dispositivos de traducción en la Oficina de Recaudación de Impuestos del Condado de Alachua [Alachua County Tax Collector 's Office] podría ser la solución al problema. Pocketalk fue instalado en las tres oficinas de recaudación en Alachua en Septiembre. El dispositivo es parecido a un celular y requiere que la persona le hable en su idioma, para que el dispositivo lo traduzca. El recaudador de impuestos en Alachua John Power dijo que ha observado un problema de lenguaje y se preguntaba cómo crear un ambiente más favorable para todos sus clientes. "Atendemos a clientes de todo el mundo", dijo Power. "Se hablan varios idiomas, por lo que a menudo tenemos dificultades para comunicar el proceso". Power dijo que la decisión de instalar oficialmente el servicio fue recibiendo comentarios positivos de la Oficina del Recaudador de Impuestos de Hillsborough, que comenzó a utilizar los dispositivos en julio. La agente senior de servicio al cliente Mariah Beard de la Oficina de Recaudación de Impuestos del Condado de Alachua utiliza con frecuencia los dispositivos para ayudar a los ciudadanos con las pruebas de licencia de conducir y otros servicios como traspasos de títulos y pagos de impuestos a la propiedad. "Creo que ha tenido un gran impacto en nuestra organización al poder ayudar a nuestros clientes y brindarles a los que no hablan inglés un mejor servicio al cliente", dijo Beard. Beard dijo que realizó exámenes de licencia de conducir y recordó lo confusas que podrían ser las pruebas para un cliente al que se le hacían pruebas simultáneamente de manejo y dominio del idioma. Adriana Menéndez, gerente de servicios sociales del Proyecto de Salud de Mujeres Rurales y voluntaria de Gainesville Immigrant Neighborhood Inclusion, dijo que cree que la implementación de dispositivos de traducción es un paso influyente

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

El Recaudador de Impuestos del Condado de Alachua se encuentra en University Avenue el domingo 5 de noviembre de 2023. The Alachua County Tax Collector stands on University Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. para romper esas barreras. Menéndez y sus colegas de Gainesville Immigrant Neighborhood Inclusion abogan por el acceso al idioma en el condado de Alachua, especialmente en las escuelas y otros recursos del condado. Los dispositivos Pocketalk también se están utilizando en la Biblioteca West y la Biblioteca de Artes y Arquitectura de UF, escribió Lisa Campbell, bibliotecaria de instrucción y extensión de UF, en un correo electrónico. Los dispositivos han podido establecer un entorno más amigable, dijo Power. "Es divertido ver cómo reaccionan los clientes", dijo. "Sonríen porque ahora sienten que pueden comunicarse con claridad". Ha visto un impacto positivo tanto en los clientes como en los empleados desde la llegada de los dispositivos “Una vez que se elimina la barrera del idioma, todo lo demás

es mucho más fácil”, dijo. "Creo que ha demostrado ser una herramienta útil para nuestros empleados y alivia la presión sobre ellos y por supuesto sobre el cliente". Yodelix Meléndez, estudiante de segundo año de biología marina de UF de 18 años creció en Gainesville observando el trabajo de su familia a través de transacciones financieras. Meléndez dijo que cuando sus padres se mudaron de Puerto Rico a Estados Unidos, no sabían nada de inglés. “Me imagino que fue difícil pagar sus impuestos debido a esto”, dijo. Power dijo que está emocionado de continuar usando los dispositivos y crear un proceso más simple para todos los residentes que utilizan los servicios de los recaudadores de impuestos. @nicolebeltg nbeltran@alligator.org

Tax Collector’s office introduces translation device for clearer communication DEVICE IS ACCESSIBLE IN ALL OFFICE SERVICES By Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writer

Navigating taxes — it’s notoriously tricky. But for customers faced with limited language access, the challenges only heighten. The installment of translation devices among Alachua County Tax Collector’s offices, however, could be a step toward easing the problem. Pocketalk was installed into Alachua County’s three tax collector locations in September. The two-way translation device, resembling a cell phone, requires the user to speak into the device, which then translates speech verbally. Alachua County Tax Collector John Power said he’s observed an ongoing problem of language barriers, and he’s questioned how to

create a customer-friendly environment for all. “We serve customers from all over the world,” Power said. “There's various languages that are spoken, so we would often struggle to communicate the process.” Power said the decision to officially install the service was receiving positive feedback from the Hillsborough Tax Collector Office, which began using the devices in July. Senior customer service agent Mariah Beard at the Alachua County Tax Collector Office frequently uses the devices to assist citizens with driver’s license tests and other services like title transitions and property tax payments. “I think that it's made a huge impact in our organization by being able to help our customers and give customers who don't speak English better customer service,” Beard said. Beard said she administered driver’s license exams and recalled how confusing the tests could be for a customer who was tested simultaneously on driving and language proficiency.

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Rat Race

Social service manager at the Rural Women’s Health Project and volunteer at the Gainesville Immigrant Neighborhood Inclusion Adriana Menendez said she believes the implementation of translation devices is an influential step toward breaking those barriers. Menendez and her colleagues at the Gainesville Immigrant Neighborhood Inclusion advocate for language access among Alachua County, especially in schools and other county resources. Pocketalk devices are also being used at UF’s Library West and Fine Arts and Architecture Library, Lisa Campbell, UF instruction and outreach librarian, wrote in an email. The devices have been able to establish a friendlier environment, Power said. “It’s fun to see how the customers react,” he said. “They smile because now they feel they can communicate clearly.” He’s seen a positive impact on both customers and employees since the arrival of the

Imposter syndrome affects us all. Read more on pg. 8.

devices. “Once you remove that language barrier, it makes everything else much easier,” he said. “I believe it's proven to be a useful tool for our employees and eases the pressure on them and absolutely on the customer.” Yodelix Melendez, an 18-year-old UF marine biology sophomore, grew up in Gainesville observing her family work through financial transactions. Melendez said when her parents moved from Puerto Rico to the U.S., they didn’t know any English. “I can imagine that it was difficult to do their taxes because of this,” she said. Power said he is excited to continue using the devices and create a simpler process for all residents using the tax collectors’ services.

Síganos para actualizaciones

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@nicolebeltg nbeltran@alligator.org

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

My body, my power Running the rat race Column

t 5 years old, humans develop a sense of self-image and consciousness. In part, I believe a lot of that self-awareness has to do with what’s brought to your attention. For me, that was the size of my body. My parents didn’t put me in soccer or volleyball. Calorie counting and dieting methods, I learned, were key to a healthy body. And so I grew to hate the wide hips that marked my womanhood. The chub turned to cellulite, and every ounce of weight gain was noted. At family reunions you’d wait to hear if it looked like you were bigger or smaller, with the latter being ideal. Physical strength was a gendered concept in a traditional household, even a societal one. I never thought I could pursue bodybuilding or weightlifting because muscles, I was taught, belong to men. In schools, teachers always ask if some strong boys could help lift something heavy. I always raised my hand at first. But never getting picked sent a message. In high school, I found myself feeling guilty running in the late hours of the night because I ate “too much” food that day. One night I felt tired of convincing myself I could get a runner’s high. Drenched in sweat, I sat on a bench in my tiny, empty apartment gym. I don’t know what dawned upon me to touch a dumbbell after years of thinking they were just for men, but it was the best decision of my life. In a mental struggle, lifting weights felt better than running. I could feel the physical push of my workout. My angst had an outlet and the gym became stress relieving rather than stress inducing. For once, I wasn’t thinking about my weight. I was thinking about my strength. My mindset shifted from thinking working out would fix my flaws to realizing they were never flaws at all. I would flex my biceps in every mirror possible, marveling at a newfound body positivity. My family noticed my muscles get more defined and said, “Just don’t overdo it, you don’t want to look like a guy.” Because what, a woman can’t look strong? Society has grown profoundly in gender equality, but older generations’ framework still echoes on their children. Why is strength equated to masculinity? The idea that muscles and weight lifting are for men is dead. Womanhood came with enough struggles; female empowerment needs to be

taken for its worth more literally. To realize you are just as capable of something like weightlifting may seem like a minor discovery but Noor Sukar opinions@alligator.org paves a big road for women. For me, it was independence. A sense of being able to learn the hobby without a guy’s help. I started up my bodybuilding journey on my own and felt more in charge of my health than ever before. It wasn’t something that naturally came to guys or anyone for that matter. The playing field was level all along, society just set me up to doubt it. I watched female influencers like Leana Deeb and Analis Cruz for tutorials. They were badass women, and their millions of followers thought so too. It seemed women had to wait for it to trend to try it out, and I’m guilty of that as well. I built muscle rapidly, and my frame filled in in ways I never knew could be aesthetic. I broke out of this idea of what I was supposed to be and there was great power in abandoning it. My body was meant to look this way, I thought, and no one could tell me otherwise. It wasn’t until I got to UF that I realized I wasn’t alone in my discovery. Women weightlifting existed alright, and we look good as hell. In 2012, 3,332 females were registered USA Weightlifting members. In 2016, it was 8,600. It’s ironic I’ve lost more fat in my two years of weightlifting than in a lifetime of dieting and cardio. The feminization of weightlifting, some call it. I say it never had a gender to begin with. I grew up around girls with eating disorders and female family members with stomach rings. We glorified the slim woman to a point of unhealthy frailness. Now, “muscle mommy” has 129 trillion results on Google. But healthy looks different to everyone. On me it looks like a Dorito for a back, boulders for shoulders and tree trunks for legs. I don’t look like a guy, but guys do look at me when I lift heavier than they do. Women have been framed into boxes for decades, it’s about time we filled in our frames ourselves.

hese days it feels like I’m hardly doing enough. School, work, extracurriculars, internships, even juggling friends, family and romantic interests — no matter how much I add to my plate, I can’t shake the feeling of needing to do more. I know I’m not alone in my sentiments, which, on one hand, is comforting, but also extremely frustrating. We’re stuck in a Mia Orris rat race and told it’s the pursuit of happiness. opinions@alligator.org The phrase comes from how rats act in a maze: racing against each other to reach a destination without a clear purpose. It’s a competitive, exhausting and arguably a pointless way of life. A seemingly never-ending chase for success, a cycle of working long hours, attempting to attain financial stability while still upholding societal expectations. All of this without gaining much satisfaction or fulfillment. In the context of college, the rat race can be seen in terms of academic competition, career pressures and, of course, the climb to success. As students, we find ourselves running this race where the goal of top grades or securing an internship, let alone a job, comes above all else. This isn’t to say that they shouldn’t be a top priority — they definitely should — but do mental health, personal development and happiness need to be sacrificed for the finish line? The emphasis placed on success creates an environment where it can only be defined by academic performance, pushing students to compete against each other. Moreover, the pressure to enter a career that promises financial stability can take focus away from lower-paying personal passions. Education becomes entangled in economic security rather than a journey of selfdiscovery. Being busy is now a status symbol. The more someone has on their plate, the more we praise them. This shouldn’t be the case. The cycle of busyness only adds to the stress and intensifies the rat race, taking away from how important balance, well-being and mental health are. Imposter syndrome only perpetuates these concepts. The constant feeling of not being good enough or deserving of success despite achieving incredibly impressive feats forces us to keep going in these circles. It often leads to burnout and a sense of inadequacy when it should be reinforcing pride in all the hard work paying off. The weight of imposter syndrome not only amplifies the already intense pressures but also skews our perception of personal accomplishments. Instead of celebrating achievements, we constantly doubt our abilities and attribute the success to luck or other external factors. The irony lies in the contrast between the narrative of the pursuit of happiness and the experience of the rat race. In reality, it’s not even the individual’s fault, but a societal structure that fails to promote a holistic view of success — a view that encompasses not just career achievements, but well-being, happiness and fulfillment. Breaking out of this cycle is as simple as a shift in perspective. An acknowledgment that success is not a one-size-fits-all concept and contentment and mental health should not be compromised during the chase for success. We must reassess what truly matters and understand that maintaining a healthy work-life balance is necessary in order to escape the cycle. Find contentment in the journey, instead of only fixating on the destination. It’s crucial to understand imposter syndrome isn’t an accurate reflection of our capabilities or the reality of our accomplishments. It’s so important to remind ourselves of the effort we’ve invested and to give ourselves credit for what we’ve achieved. It’s not just an individual struggle, and when we talk openly about these feelings, we make it a normal conversation. Sharing these concerns helps everyone realize they’re not alone. This support allows us to feel better about our achievements and accept a more positive view of ourselves. Recognizing how the rat race and imposter syndrome affect us is the first step toward breaking the cycle and feeling more confident. We need to acknowledge our accomplishments, trust in our abilities and believe in ourselves. Doing so helps us detach from self-doubt and guides us toward a more content and self-assured headspace. It’s time to gain an ego! When everyone is applauding you — take that bow.

Noor Sukar is a UF journalism sophomore.

Mia Orris is a UF psychology junior.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023 www.alligator.org/section/sports

CROSS COUNTRY

Transfer Allison Wilson shares her journey overcoming injury WILSON SPEAKS ON PHYSICAL, MENTAL HEALTH AS AN ATHLETE By Hailey Hurst Sports Writer

Florida transfer and redshirt senior Allison Wilson gave it her all in the world of cross country since her days as an Alabama distance runner. The Texas native recorded a career-best time in the 5,000and 10,000-meter run at the 2021 Outdoor SEC Championships. Behind the scenes, though, she dealt with physical and mental health strains that put pressure on her to keep up in the sport she loved. Wilson came face-to-face with her injuries and the decision to put a pause on her running career during the 2021 season. Her passion for running never faded. After a two-year break, she returned to competing at the SEC level for the Florida Gators cross country team’s 2023 season. Wilson found her love for running by accident at 13. Her

Isabella Morales// Alligator Staff

Redshirt senior Allison Wilson points to the sky after she finished first for the Florida Gators in the Mountain Dew Invitational at Mark Bostick Golf Course on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.

parents placed her in multiple sports to see what she gravitated toward most growing up. During her eighth-grade basketball tryouts, she had to consistently run to make the team, she said. At first, she felt it was a punishment, but eventually grew a love for running and dropped playing basketball. “It was the first time in my life I felt that I really clicked with something,” she said. “I felt equally passionate about something.” Her first experience with competition began in high school. She was blessed with a great coach to guide her through all four years and the college recruitment process, she said. Wilson went on to compete as a distance runner at Alabama in 2019. She had an amazing experience having an entire team of girls who were equally dedicated to training as she was, she added. Just a few months later, her running career began to take a different turn. In February 2020, she announced her decision to not compete in the Spring 2020 cross-country season due to an injury. Wilson put a lot of work into running and became frustrated, she said. She gave her body a break for a few months and then competed at the 2021 SEC outdoors but felt unhappy and unlike herself, she said. “I felt like I was declining mentally,” she said. “The love I had for the sport from the beginning, when I was in eighth grade, I didn't have that passion anymore.” Allison suffered two sacrum stress fractures that held her back physically and mentally. After a long period of painful runs, speaking with her coach and praying with her family, she medically retired in August 2021, she said. Wilson felt she properly healed during that break. She took a year off from running, and made it her objective to discover her identity outside the sport, she said. She found something that gave her equal fulfillment to running: assistant coaching for a local high school distance track team alongside head coach Jerome Franks. Franks has been head coach at Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for five years. Having Wilson as a coach was a game-changer for the program, Franks said. “She is a well-rounded, hard-working person,” he said. “She brings the best out of anyone she's around.” She worked with the distance athletes full time, building confidence within them and helping them understand the bigger picture of running distance, Franks said.

Despite what she endured during that period, she sat with each athlete to share positive feedback and helped them strategize to obtain personal records. Wilson was invited to participate in a workout at the Alabama track and field facility in January. While there, she turned down the opportunity from a coach asking if she’d be interested in transferring to compete at the SEC level again, she said. She wanted to see where she could go on her own but began to give it a lot of thought. When she brought the idea of competing again to Frank, he said he was supportive and on board with the decision. “Watching you run with these kids, the smile you have and the motivation, I can see you want to get back to it,” he told Wilson. “And you can do it.” Wilson turned to her faith in Christianity two years ago when she decided to medically retire. Her faith also became a driving factor in her comeback to the sport, she said. She gives credit to God who directed her decision to begin the transfer process to run again. Wilson gained immediate attention from multiple schools she never reached out to before. After visiting UF, she ultimately fell in love with the program and decided to commit. The Florida Gators cross country team announced her transfer from Alabama May 29. UF cross country coach Will Palmer coached Wilson during his time at Alabama from 2019 to 2021. He said Wilson is very mature and well-grounded. “I think her journey through injury really demonstrated how resilient she is,” Palmer said. “How much she truly loves this sport.” Although Wilson is a relatively older collegiate runner, she has helped lead the UF women’s team as it competes at the high NCAA level. “She’s got a lot she can still learn,” Palmer said. “Seeing her gain experience from race to race will be very exciting.” Wilson made her Florida debut Sept. 15 at the Mountain Dew Invitational finishing first in the 5K with a time of 16:38.7. She led the women's team to a first-place finish. “Coming from everything that has happened, I have a lot of goals set for myself,” Wilson said. “I'm excited to see what I can do and what can happen.” The recently-named SEC Cross Country Champions will host the 2023 NCAA South Regional Nov. 10. @haileyjhurst hhurst@alligator.org

FOOTBALL

Hogs run wild, create questions for rest of Florida’s season THE GATORS HAVE LOST LAST TWO GAMES, FACE TOP-20 OPPONENTS IN LAST THREE GAMES By Jackson Reyes Sports Writer

The Gators positioned themselves in an ideal spot heading into their bye week Oct. 21. Florida’s record was 5-2, and 3-1 in the SEC. UF carried the momentum of a comeback victory on the road against South Carolina and a top-25 victory over rival Tennessee earlier in the season. However, the Gators have now dropped their last two games and face a gauntlet the rest

of the way in search of clinching bowl eligibility. While one loss is more excusable as it came against the No. 1 team in the country — the Georgia Bulldogs Oct. 28 — the other spells questions for Florida the rest of the way out. The Florida Gators (5-4, 3-3 SEC) fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-6, 1-5 SEC) 39-36 in overtime Nov. 4 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Razorbacks suffered several close losses to quality opponents this season, but Florida was still expected to handle business against a team that was winless in the conference heading into the matchup. The heartbreaking overtime loss raises questions about what needs to be done to try and right the ship and build on something UF head coach Billy Napier has failed to do — stay

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consistent. Napier is 11-11 through 22 games with a 6-8 record in SEC play. He’s only beaten two teams ranked in the AP Top 25: then-No. 11 Tennessee earlier this year and No. 10 Utah in the season opener last year. The Gators’ rivals have also overtaken them both over time and this season. Georgia has turned into a juggernaut that’s dominated the last three outings against UF en route to backto-back national championships. Despite two straight losses, Napier’s focus is still on his team and leading the players in the locker room and not on the outside noise, he said. “It's not my job to preach patience,” Napier said. “It's my job to coach the team.” He understands the criticism when the team

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loses, he added. Napier is still committed to staying focused and working on turning the team around. “Look, when you lose games, there's going to be criticism,” Napier said. “It comes with the territory. We knew this was going to be a challenge, and we're right in the middle of it.” Florida State won last season’s matchup and is undefeated this season and ranked No. 4 in the nation. Florida’s other rivals like Tennessee and LSU are slowly building back into strong programs. The Gators are just 1-5 against these four rivals, with two tough tests yet this year. UF’s loss against Arkansas doesn’t put Napier on the hot seat, but it does fuel the frustration of Florida failing to win games it's supposed to.

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

SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 12

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Gators collapse FOOTBALL, from pg. 11

The Gators were undefeated at home prior to the game and favored in the matchup. Clinching a bowl game with three games to go would’ve added to the momentum that Napier is creating on the recruiting trail with the No. 3 class in the nation, according to 247Sports. However, that didn’t happen as the Razorbacks ran all over Florida. Heading into the bye week, UF ranked 18th nationally in yards allowed per game. After Georgia and Arkansas gashed the defense, Florida dropped to 34th in the country. Florida’s defense got to the backfield time and time again in the game as the unit combined for six tackles for loss and five sacks. Despite the big defensive plays, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Raheim Sanders torched UF on the ground. Jefferson, who previously had a season-high of 48 rushing yards, constantly found space and ran it for 92 yards on 17 attempts and had one rushing touchdown. His stellar play using his legs helped the Razorbacks’ overtime drive. Jefferson kept the ball on 1stand-20 and bullied his way through UF defenders for a first down before he eventually threw the game-winning touchdown. Sanders spent most of this season hurt, and the UF game was his first

game back since Ole Miss Oct. 7. The talented tailback took no time to get reacclimated and gashed UF for a season-high 103 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per rush. The Razorback pair is a talented duo, but their performance is an outlier in what’s been a lackluster season offensively for Arkansas. Razorbacks offensive coordinator Dan Enos was fired heading into the team’s bye week last week, and wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton took over as the interim play caller. While the change added a spark, UF’s defense struggled to contain Arkansas. The Razorbacks ran it for 226 rushing yards — the most they’ve had this season by nearly 50 yards. Arkansas also amassed 481 total yards of offense — also the most it managed this season, by 55 yards. Florida’s defense made some plays to hold Arkansas to four field goals, but the unit still couldn’t handle an offense that’s struggled all season. The Gators special teams unit also continued to be an issue. The team ran 10 men onto the field for one of the field goal blocks. A botched snap led to a missed extra point, and the most crucial error came down to a miscommunication in substituting. Redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz found redshirt freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham on a pass to get to the 21-yard line late in the game. He got the team quickly lined up to snap it, but as he tried to do so, the field goal unit began to run

Ashley Hicks // Alligator Staff

Redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz is embraced by his teammates in the Gators’ 39-36 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. onto the field. Mertz’ managed to spike it but the confusing sequence led to an illegal substitution penalty against UF which pushed the eventual gamewinning field goal attempt back five yards. Sophomore kicker Trey Smack would then miss the kick wide-right which sent the game to overtime. Napier said it was a situation he hadn’t seen before and explained the miscommunication had to do with a player thinking he heard a coach say to get on the field. “A player felt like he heard that specific word, that scenario,” Napier said. “We have a player that's in charge of that. And he did it. Ultimately, the players around him fol-

lowed him.” There was definite confusion around the situation, he said. “That's one that I haven't been around before,” Napier said. “I think that player, he's doing the absolute best that — he's doing what he thought he was supposed to do. We'll get to the bottom of it.” The Gators will still have a chance to clinch bowl eligibility with three games left in the season. The 2024 recruiting class ranks toward the top in the country and could still get even better. Napier is slowly making progress in restoring UF back to where the program wants to be with wins against teams like Tennessee. But consistency is something Florida needs to

build on if the team ever wants to get in contention for SEC Championships and the College Football Playoff. Upsets happen every week in college football, but what separates the good teams and great teams is winning the games you're supposed to more often than not. A win against a top 15 ranked LSU, Missouri or FSU would be massive for UF, but it would only emphasize the “what-if’ of not handling business against a team like Arkansas. The Gators head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for their next game against the LSU Tigers Nov. 11. @JacksnReyes jacksonreyes@alligator.org