Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) drives with the basketball in a game against the Jacksonville Dolphins in Gainesville, Florida, on November 8, 2024. Read more in Sportson pg. 11.
Florida students at low risk for seasonal depression — but still get “winter blues”
Holiday stress and scarce light can cause less extreme symptoms of seasonal affective disorder
By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer
With temperatures dipping into the 20s and freeze-watches issued in Florida this winter, some are feeling the effect of gray skies on their mental health.
“Everything just seems kind
of dead,” said Mia Cacciola, an 18-year-old UF psychology freshman. “It’s universal — no one wants to do anything anymore.”
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that reoccurs in a pattern about four months out of the year — often during the winter. It affects about
5% of adults in the United States, according to the American Psychological Association.
Fewer sunlight hours during the winter cause lower serotonin and vitamin D and higher melatonin levels for people with SAD. This causes fatigue, difficulty con-
SEE SAD, PAGE 4
SEPARATE PROCESSES EXIST FOR STUDENT AND FACULTY CASES, INCLUDING TODD GOLDEN INVESTIGATION
By Sophia Bailly, Kylie Williams & Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writers
After Florida’s men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden was accused of sexual harassment and stalking by an unreleased number of women, the university investigative process is still unfolding.
Golden’s case was classified as a Title IX investigation, and the university received a formal Title IX complaint Sept. 27.
Title IX encompasses gender discrimination, sexual assault and harassment, stalking and domestic violence, among other protections. A complaint can be filed by a student or faculty member, including at UF’s athletic programs. Title IX proceedings consist of several sections and can be complex or prolonged depending on the case.
What is Title IX?
Public upset over a lack of athletic, extracurricular and enrollment opportunities for women pursuing higher education peaked in the 1970s. The federal government officially established Title IX in 1972 to prevent federally funded institutions from discriminating against students and employees based on sex.
Title IX’s reach has since expanded. The Office of Civil Rights, which oversees Title IX enforcement, issued its first official guidance on sexual harassment in 2011.
Howard Kallem, who worked in
OCR’s office for more than 20 years, was involved in the decision to include sexual harassment under the umbrella of sexual discrimination.
“Sexual harassment, broadly, is an unwelcome conflict of sexual nature that interferes with a student’s or an employee's ability to participate in their education or to do their jobs,” Kallem said.
Since Title IX’s conception, universities across the country are required to have at least one designated Title IX coordinator. Kallem served as the Title IX coordinator at the University of North Carolina for one year and Duke University for five years.
Title IX’s applications to universities are not entirely uniform, Kallem said. Larger institutions often have more than one employee with Title IX responsibilities, while at smaller universities, the Title IX coordinator might be balancing multiple university roles.
UF outsources its head Title IX consultant, who works remotely from New York, from the company Grand River Solutions. A representative from Grand River Solutions declined to provide comment to The Alligator.
Complainants have the option to file their case with the university and follow local procedures or directly through OCR. If the results of a university decision are not to the complainant’s satisfaction, they can file a follow-up case with OCR.
What does an investigation look like?
While Title IX complaints can be filed against anyone, there are sepa-
FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR UPDATES
Today’s Weather
The state of UF faculty during the presidential search
INTERIM POSITIONS
STILL AWAIT LONG-TERM REPLACEMENTS
By Delia Rose Sauer Alligator Staff Writer
Despite UF’s rising national prestige, over 600 faculty and staff positions at UF remain vacant or temporarily filled with an interim position.
As UF prioritizes its presidential search, the timelines to permanently fill hundreds of other university positions remain in limbo. Many faculty members holding temporary positions hope for a more permanent solution.
Yong Jae Ko is the interim chair of the Department of Sports Management. He has taught at UF since 2006 and served as the department’s interim chair from Summer 2021 to 2022. The university hired a permanent chair, who later resigned. This past July, Jae Ko picked up the torch again.
“I consider this interim position as a service,” Ko said. “When it is necessary, we step up and maintain what we’ve been doing.”
His main responsibility is maintaining stability within the department. While he assists with hiring new faculty and handling budgetary decisions, he said his main focus is creating a positive work environment, climate and culture.
Ko applied to be the department’s permanent chair this semester. He said he plans to make the department more reputable, both nationally and globally.
“I love my people,” he said. “I have a dream to take this department to the next level.”
Ko is waiting to hear back about his application status.
Open positions
The number of jobs available on the career portal is constantly changing. Some faculty positions have more hiring opportunities, such as non-tenure track faculty with 169 jobs open, multitrack faculty with 93 jobs open and tenure track faculty with 82 positions open.
There are 11 open seats for chairs and 19 open seats for directors, which have all been open for months.
The geography department is among those with a chair vacancy. The role is only open for UF faculty and has been open since Nov. 14. It closes Dec. 10.
The chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department is another position that has remained open since Oct. 4 and will close once the position is filled. The listing for the medical director at the Department of Ophthalmology was first published in March 2023 and remains open.
Other chair positions that will close when filled include the chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, the chair of the pediatrics department based in Jacksonville open since Feb. 26 and the chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research at the College of Pharmacy open since July 17.
Several other administrative positions have applications closing in December and January. Some include the director positions at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the environmental horticulture department and the veterinary hospital.
Turnover rates
Despite the vacancies, UF’s faculty turnover rate has returned to pre-pandemic numbers, according to data from UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan. The turnover rate is the percentage of faculty members who have left UF.
In 2019, the faculty turnover rate was 8.9%. During 2020 through 2021, the turnover rate stayed under 7.5%.
But in 2023, there was an increase to a turnover rate of 9.3%.
The passing of SB 266, which eliminated state-funded DEI programs, led many faculty members to leave the university.
In 2024, the turnover rate is 8.9%.
Of those who left, 68% of faculty resigned, 9% retired and 6% were not renewed.
Interim positions
Among UF’s 16 colleges, five have interim deans.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences interim dean Mary Watt has held her position since July of this year. The college has also had three interim associate deans since August.
The College of Arts, the College of Engineering and the Levin College of Law also have interim deans.
The Honors Program has also had an interim director, Melissa Johnson, since August 2022. She replaced the previous dean who was fired from the position.
The College of Nursing has an interim executive associate dean and an interim associate dean of academic affairs of undergraduate education. The School of Architecture also has an interim director.
The College of Medicine has more than 10 active interim positions including a dean role. The college also has an interim director of communications and an interim director of human resources.
Andrew Dubin is the interim chair for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
It’s a small specialty, Dubin said, but he is determined to grow the department’s footprint at Shands Hospital during his time as interim chair. The department offers consulting
Have an event planned?
Add it to the alligator’s online calendar: alligator.org/calendar
services that offer assistance to neurosurgeons, pediatric burn units and vascular surgeons.
Dubin started the position in September. He began working at UF in 2019 as the program director for physical medicine and rehabilitation, or PM&R, residency training program. By 2020, the division was a department.
“I agreed to be the interim chair because I really felt it was important that our residents had a sense of continuity,” Dubin said.
He wanted them to know that he’d be an advocate for the residents and work hard to expand the department, he added.
The previous chairman stepped down to pursue other opportunities, and Dubin, who was the department’s vice chair of education, assumed the position.
His work as interim chair is all about optimizing teamwork, he said.
“We have to look at the department globally and appreciate that there might be small little areas within the department that bring tremendous value to the university,” Dubin said.
His work has focused on expanding the department’s consulting services. He has made the department more collaborative by working with chairs across the College of Medicine and Shands to tell them what PM&R can provide.
Expanding the department also includes recruitment. According to Dubin, there was “a fair amount of turnover” when PM&R was transitioning to a department. He still hopes to stabilize the department to have faculty that stay for five to 10 years.
“Anytime there’s change in leadership, there tends to be that change of staff,” he said. “I think it gives the opportunity for new ideas and new thoughts.”
He said he believes working in an interim position is based on how the person in the seat thinks about their temporary role.
“I think there is a tendency for ‘Let’s just keep the status quo,’” Dubin said. “I would like to see growth and development. I want to champion that.”
It’s a goal he hopes is considered as the presidential search continues.
Dubin is treating the interim role as his audition for the permanent position, one that he’d be willing to take if offered. He wants to stay involved with the department, help search for the next chair and continue to be involved in teaching residents.
“I have a lot to offer,” he said. “I have no particular intentions of retiring.”
@_delia_rose_ drosesauer@alligator.org
Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications Inc., of Gainesville, Florida
Got something going on? Want to see it on this page? Send an email with “What’s Happening” in the subject line to engagement@alligator.org. To request publication in the next day’s newspaper, please submit entries before 5 p.m. Please model your submissions after the above events and keep them to 150 words or fewer. Improperly formatted “What’s Happening” submissions may not appear in the paper. Press releases will not appear in the paper.
The Independent Florida Alligator is a student newspaper serving the University of Florida, published by a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) educational organization, Campus Communications Inc., P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, Florida, 32604-2257. The Alligator is published Monday mornings, except during holidays and exam periods. The Alligator is a member of the Newspaper Association of America, National Newspaper Association, Florida Press Association and Southern University Newspapers.
The Alligator strives to be accurate and clear in its news reports and editorials. If you find an error, please call our newsroom at 352-376-4458 or email editor@alligator.org
Henry A. Moore // Alligator Staff
The University of Florida is still seeking to fill hundreds of vacant positions.
UF’s Title IX process
TITLE IX, from pg. 1
rate processes when investigating a student versus a faculty member. Gainesville criminal defense lawyer Dean Galigani, who has defended dozens of students accused of Title IX violations, said the majority of cases he’s dealt with involve accusations of sexual harassment or battery.
In a student case, the first step is for the Title IX investigator to speak to the complainant, Galigani said. The complainant tells their side of the story and provides any physical evidence they might have, which usually includes witness testimony, text messages or emails.
Then, the Title IX investigator speaks with the accused, who can also provide evidence and witnesses. However, most cases have a notable lack of physical evidence, Galigani said.
“The majority of them are one person’s word against another,” he said.
After all evidence has been gathered, the Title IX investigator compiles a report to send to the UF Office of Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution, which decides whether or not to proceed with charges against the accused student. Galigani has never had a case where UF chose not to proceed with a student conduct violation, he said.
The case then proceeds to a hearing, where a Student Conduct Committee decides whether the student is guilty of a conduct violation. All of Galigani’s cases have resulted in the accused being found not guilty, he said.
One of the biggest faults with UF’s Title IX process is that it’s slow, Galigani said. From start to finish, a student case normally takes between
six months and a year to be resolved. Investigations are required to have time limits set at the beginning of the process, though they often run much longer, Galigani said.
“I’ve had them take months and months longer than they say they’re going to,” he added.
If faculty are accused of Title IX violations, they do not face suspension or termination while the investigation is ongoing, Kallem, the former OCR employee, said.
In a faculty case, the Title IX process is the same up until the investigation’s completion. Once an investigation has ended, Title IX cases involving a faculty member go to the individual’s respective department or college and UF human resources. The department head and UFHR then decide whether disciplinary action against a faculty member should be taken.
Advocating for complainants
Elizabeth Tang, a senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, said understanding Title IX regulations can sometimes be difficult and students may not be aware of what protection and stability they have access to, especially with statute changes.
Tang’s work has focused on opposing Donald Trump’s Title IX regulation and pushing for the best version of the statute under the Biden administration, which was issued in August. Federal courts issued a preliminary injunction on Biden’s 204 Title IX regulations, which means states can either incorporate Biden’s plans into their Title IX processes, or they can stick with Trump’s 2020 regulations.
Biden’s revised statute did not reach Florida schools, and they currently still operate under Trump’s
2020 regulation.
The Trump administration’s Title IX rules looked to narrow down the definition of sexual harassment to not interfere with free speech or academic freedom, according to the Department of Education; Biden’s administration revised the statute in 2022 and aimed to broaden sexual harassment’s implications.
“I think they really set us back,” she said. “They drastically narrowed schools’ responsibility to address sexual harassment.”
Tang stressed listening to students and treating every case with the same importance, values she believes were clouded by Trump’s policies. Despite universities being given the discretion to create non-Title IX policies to address sexual harassment, not all schools have taken that approach.
“That's where it's so important for the federal government to set what the floor is because a lot of schools are just going to do the minimum of what the floor requires,” she said. Tang emphasized students be aware of supportive measures, which are non-punitive services helping students or employees who have experienced harassment.
An example would be a student feeling distressed from a classroom where they may have experienced harassment and being excused from that environment to learn in another classroom, Tang said.
The services aim to help the individual continue their studies or work, while also protecting the safety of all parties and deterring misconduct.
Rachel Newman, a 20-year-old advocate with the nonprofit Advocates for Youth, has found meaning in her work with the student- and survivor-led project Know Your IX. Newman, who attended New College of Florida as a freshman, went through a Title IX case she recalls as “emotionally, physically and aca-
Weathering the cold
SAD, from pg. 1
centrating and oversleeping, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH.
“Winter blues” vs SAD SAD doesn’t occur often among Floridians, with people from Alaska or New England more likely to develop the disorder, according to NIMH. But many Floridians still suffer from a less extreme version: the “winter blues” or “holiday blues.”
Although not a diagnosable disorder, winter blues present as a less extreme version of SAD that can result from winter patterns both related and unrelated to light changes, like stress from family holiday visits or final exams.
For Cacciola, traveling back and forth between UF and her home in New York for Thanksgiving and Christmas break while studying for upcoming final exams has proved anxiety-inducing. Shorter windows of sunlight have made things worse.
“Sunlight makes me more productive … it just makes me feel better,” she said. “I still
have finals, and I’m pushing myself to go out and study, but, I don’t know, I’m just feeling kind of ‘eh.’”
Robert Averbuch, a UF psychiatrist, has treated a handful of SAD cases, although he doesn’t see it nearly as much as psychologists up north, he said. However, winter blues related to holiday and family stress are still common — especially among students, he said.
“There’s a lot of transitions,” he said. “Seeing families gather and folks getting together that don't always agree on everything, that creates tension, and the stress of preparing for the holidays. So it's kind of a mix of the social part of it, the weather part of it, the time.”
As for the line between “winter blues” and SAD, Averbuch recommended that people whose symptoms last longer than two weeks or leave them unable to function in their jobs, school or relationships should seek further help.
Treatments for SAD include light therapy, where people spend time sitting close to specially designed light sources each day, in ad-
demically taxing.”
Her experience led her to realize how ambiguous case development could be; she didn’t feel help was easily accessible to her, and she put the weight on her shoulders to find guidance. “When I saw how nonaccessible it was, I wanted to get involved in activism that would help support survivors in terms of education [and] how to navigate that,” she said.
Some of Newman’s work consists of breaking down the investigative process, making students aware of their rights and offering a safe, comfortable platform for people to turn to. She believes people must take time to learn about their rights, especially with new federal regulations trickling in.
“With the threats of abolishing the Department of Education, there might even be more of a feeling of, ‘Well, if we aren't super compliant, nobody's going to come after us any-
dition to traditional therapy and medication, he said.
John D’Alessio, a 23-year-old UF mechanical engineering senior and Florida native, said he tends to be happier when it’s warmer outside. He keeps himself from letting negative emotions get him down through prayer and exercise, he said.
Despite his distaste for the cold, he still enjoys winter for its traditions, he said.
“I enjoy Christmas time. It’s probably my favorite time of year,” he said.
Summertime SADness
Although less common, some people, especially in warmer climates such as Florida, experience summer-pattern SAD.
While those with winter-pattern SAD experience high melatonin levels that can cause oversleeping, summer-pattern SAD may lead to lower melatonin levels, which worsens sleep quality and causes depression symptoms.
Summer SAD sufferers were more likely to report anxiety and decreased appetite, while winter SAD presented as lethargy and overeating, in a 2023 study from Norman Rosenthal, the psychiatry professor who first identified the SAD diagnosis in 1984.
Rosenthal recently spoke about his concerns that rising temperatures due to climate
way,’” she said.
While universities are not permitted to punish respondents during an ongoing investigation, institutions are expected to implement supportive measures for both parties. Discourse surrounding the fairness of investigations for both the respondents and complainants remains prevalent. If, Kallem — the former OCR employee — added, that one of the two parties involved is expected to change housing locations, who is responsible for relocating? “These grievance procedures for sexual harassment have morphed into these quasi-courtroom processes with investigations that can take a long time,” Kallem said.
change will increase the number of people suffering from summer SAD. Florida’s 2024 summer was among the top 10 warmest on record.
Megan Jenkins, a 20-year-old UF English and political science junior, said she feels happier in colder weather and cherishes winter days above all others.
“This, today, is my ideal,” she said, holding a coffee outside Turlington Hall on a 58-degree Sunday. “Whenever I get to the Swamp, starting in August… I normally hate it so much.”
However, Rosenthal’s love for the cold doesn’t extend to a love for shorter days.
Florida’s daylight savings time ends the first week of November and doesn’t return until March. The shortest day of the year happens on the winter solstice in late November, with about a two-and-a-half-hour difference from the June solstice.
“Once it’s dark, I want to be in my bed,” Jenkins said. “I want to be watching a holiday movie. I want to be chilling out. But I can’t do that. I have to sit in Marston most nights until, like, midnight… it definitely messes with me a bit.”
@zoeythomas39 zthomas@alligator.org
Madison McClelland // Alligator Staff
How do Title IX investigations work?
Gainesville to see major grocery shift as Aldi replaces Winn-Dixie
AN ALDI WILL REPLACE GAINESVILLE’S 16TH AVENUE WINN-DIXIE. RESIDENTS STRUGGLE TO COMBAT THE CHANGE
By Kairi Lowery Alligator Staff Writer
Aldi, one of America’s fastest-growing grocery retailers, markets itself as an ally for customers.
But, after a Gainesville Winn-Dixie announced its closing to be transformed into an Aldi, some residents see the store as an enemy.
Winn-Dixie, located at 300 SW 16th Ave., will close Dec. 8. It was previously a Pick ‘N Save before it was acquired by Winn-Dixie in 1997. Now, 25 years later, it’s being converted again due to Aldi’s plan to acquire 800 new stores by 2028.
Aldi’s plan, which was announced in March, will expand the grocery store’s reach nationwide and will be accomplished through an acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, a supermarket company that owned both WinnDixie and Harveys Supermarkets.
After gaining Southeastern Grocers, Aldi officials decided which stores to convert to an Aldi format and which to remain open as a Winn-Dixie or Harveys Supermarket. In the southeast United States, including Florida, Aldi hopes to open 400 of these 800 stores.
One of these chosen conversions includes one of Gainesville’s three Winn-Dixie stores, a staple that many residents are sad to see go. With the change, residents will swap out their traditional Gainesville grocery staple of over 25 years for quarter-rented grocery carts, lower prices and warehouse-style shopping.
Patti Webb, a 75-year-old Micanopy resident, was unaware of Winn-Dixie’s closing and only shops there because her city is a food desert, she said.
Webb said she was unaware of the store’s closing and originally went to shop for two cans of cat food. Instead, she emerged with 200, a result of the high sales to clear the shelves, she said.
Other than cat food and a few select items, the store was pretty much vacant, she said.
While customers couldn’t purchase deli or seafood, as the departments had already permanently closed, other store sections and aisles were laid bare as a result of these sales.
When the new, converted Aldi opens in six to eight months, Webb is unsure if she will return due to Aldi’s long checkout lines, she said.
“My time is valuable,” she said. “I think the last time I was in Aldi, I got up there and left my groceries.”
But Gainesville residents are upset for more than just wait times, some calling for a complete reversal of the decision entirely.
A change.org petition created on Oct. 19 called on Aldi to reverse the decision to close the Winn-Dixie, listen to the local communities’ wishes and hire back employees who were either forced to quit or fired due to the closing.
With almost 300 signatures, residents shared their personal experiences, memories and pleas.
But the petition won’t do much, Winn-Dixie employee Watson Chery said.
“It’s not gonna redo anything,” he said. “It’s a little too late for it.”
In the days leading up to the store’s closing, Chery said customers speak of losing access to their main source of groceries, as many walk
from local low-income neighborhoods.
“They said they’re gonna figure it out,” he said. “It’s really hard for them.”
When the Aldi opens, Chery will work as an employee there, an option given to all current Winn-Dixie employees as long as they apply, he said.
Because some employees depend on their Winn-Dixie paychecks for necessities, the store has offered “as many hours as possible” to account for the upcoming closure, he said.
In his new position at the converted Aldi, he said he hopes to continue to see regular customers.
“A lot of people really aren’t happy with the Aldi decision, a lot of people don’t even like Aldis,” he said. “Hopefully, if they see familiar faces they’ll be more welcomed.”
While many are opposed to the grocery
store’s change, some residents support the conversion and believe that with time, the rest of the community will, too.
“I understand people get emotionally attached, but they’re going to love Aldis,” Paige Anderson, a 61-year-old Winn-Dixie regular, said. “I think it’s gonna be great for the community down here, honestly.”
Stephen Onley, a 58-year-old Gainesville resident, already frequents Aldi along with the 16th Avenue Winn-Dixie and believes that if Aldi provides the good prices they promise, locals will warm up to the new store.
Aldi’s new location is expected to open in 2025, making it Gainesville’s third location, while only two Winn-Dixie stores will remain.
@kairiloweryy klowery@alligator.org
Life after the UF multicultural center closed
MINORITY STUDENTS WITHOUT SUPPORT SPARK CONCERNS OVER FINDING COMMUNITY
By Vera Lucia Pappaterra Alligator Staff Writer
Justin Fernandez sat alone on the second floor of the Reitz Union after his freshman orientation in 2022.
He overheard other first-year students sharing plans for their first Fall semester at UF. Feeling intimidated and isolated, Fernandez said he wondered how he’d find his place at UF.
That changed when a preview staffer locked eyes with him.
“Do I know you?” Fernandez asked her. He didn’t.
“I’ll get to know you,” the preview staffer said.
The preview staffer helped Fernandez connect with the Office of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Engagement at the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement at the Reitz Union.
The space was a safe haven, he said. Without it, he wouldn’t be the campus leader he is today: president of Sparks Magazine, culture chair for the Filipino Student Association and former programming head for the 2024 Asian American Student Assembly.
His story, like that of many of the minority students at UF, began at the Center for Inclusivity and Multicultural Engagement, a department dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment within the UF student
body. It housed the Office of Hispanic Latinx Student Engagement, the Office of Black Student Engagement, the Office of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Student Engagement and the Office of LGBTQ+ Student Engagement.
But when students returned this Fall, they found the space abruptly shut down. Within it, other cultural organizations were eliminated, too.
The future of the CIME had been in jeopardy since March when UF eliminated all state-funded DEI programs to comply with Senate Bill 266, which prohibits public colleges and universities from using state or federal funds for DEI programs.
CIME provided three key resources, Fernandez said: support for cultural and identity student organizations, early arrival programs (which supported the transition of incoming students from underrepresented backgrounds) and physical spaces for students to spend their time. The area also served as a hub for events, meetings and community building.
The organizations weren’t warned about CIME’s closure, Fernandez, a 20-year-old psychology sophomore, said. He found out his safe haven had closed when he came back to UF this Fall.
“I’m worried for the future of student organizations, especially for first years,” Fernandez said. “Who’s going to take the mantle of president, vice president, treasurer? How are we going to foster interest if we have a limited range of people to choose from?”
Without the early arrival programs and CIME’s support, organi-
zations are competing for the same pool of students, he said.
“Defunding hits organizations in many ways,” he said. “It’s not just indirectly affecting our groups but also the systems that help propel them.”
Although student organizations are funded by UF Student Government, the resources offered within the CIME offices support them.
A secondary concern is that without the CIME and the decreasing number of new members for these organizations, there will be fewer students participating in them, said Fernandez.
“With fewer freshmen and fewer people available, I worry that unity will bend and snap as time goes on,” he said. “It will pressure us to compete for members, and I don’t want to see that happen.”
Peruvian American Student Society President Adriano Sinfón, a 21-year-old advertising senior, participated in Adelante, one of the early-arrival programs, as a freshman. He later served as a peer mentor and coordinator. For the 2024 cohort, he was set to coordinate again, but all identity-based multicultural programs halted early summer.
“We were left in the dark for months,” Sinfón said.
By summer’s end, the Hispanic Student Association adopted Adelante and organized its own program.
Despite the challenges, student leaders are working to preserve their communities.
“Losing these resources has opened our eyes to realize we need our community more than ever,”
Sinfón said.
The loss of CIME has left a void in UF’s cultural landscape. As students navigate this new reality, they hold onto the connections they’ve built.
“I just had to find another space to call home,” Sinfón said. “But there are countless students that don’t have that luxury.”
Without programs like Adelante or APIDSE’s own early-arrival program, FiND, incoming freshmen miss crucial opportunities to connect with their cultural communities, said Ahmad Alarachi, a 20-year-old political science junior and co-advocacy chair of the Asian American Student Union.
“I wouldn’t have gone on this path of meeting people and finding a community to help me adjust during my freshman year if it weren’t for FiND,” Alarachi said.
Some organizations are seeking alternative spaces, but the road ahead is uncertain.
“It’s going to take everybody, all hands on deck, to help our communities and continue the work past generations did,” Alarachi said.
The spaces that previously inhabited the Reitz second floor were symbols of community and culture, said Luci Urdaneta, a 20-year-old anthropology junior, vice president of programming for the Hispanic Student Association.
“What’s more disheartening is that, to this day, UF has not released a statement on CIME being closed,” Urdaneta said. “It seems like it didn’t matter to UF. And it makes me feel like, as a Latino student here, I don’t matter.”
UF has not released a statement on the closure of the CIME or its subdivisions.
For many, the fight is about ensuring future students feel seen and supported.
“Having all that representation and even our history, which can’t be found online, having all that physical media torn away makes it really hard to make people feel like they belong here,” Urdaneta said.
Students involved in these identity-based organizations have expressed concern about further cuts that could impact future generations.
“A lot of us are fearful that the closing of CIME and APIDSE is just the first step,” Kori Verge, a 19-yearold political science sophomore and the Filipino Student Association Vice President of External Affairs, said. “Not being able to confidently say that these organizations or spaces will exist for years to come really does suck.”
Although the physical spaces were meaningful, what made them unique was the people in them, said Verge.
“At the end of the day, it’s the people who make up the space, not the actual room,” he said. “I hope we can work towards bringing back these spaces.”
For Fernandez, after that day in the Reitz Union, the impact of these closures extends beyond his experiences at Preview and the current community. As they continue to advocate for change, he remains hopeful that unity will prevail.
“When I think of these incoming first years, how are they even going to know that these organizations exist? The space was taken from them.” Fernandez said.
@veralupap. vpappaterra@alligator.org
Kairi Lowery // Alligator Staff
Winn Dixie store on 300 SW 16th Ave announces its closure.
Goodbye column
Thoughts on The Alligator’s furniture
In our modest four-room office, there is a smooth wooden table where Gainesville Sun publishers from the golden days once sat. It is long and official-looking. It seats eight, but normally there’s 12 chairs tucked in close, shoulder to shoulder, familiar with sweaters and sports bras and T-shirts leaned against their backs rather than suit jackets. Its surface has been graced by fraying cardboard pizza boxes and old pens running out of ink and iconic alligator stuffed animals and the bottoms of overheating laptops, their fans running on overdrive. It has heard many rounds of laughter at the dry humor of student journalists. It has taken beatings when they slap the table in triumph or in frustration. It has also seen many tears.
This table, this office and this paper is where I have found home over the years. I have spent four semesters dedicated to it — not a ton in comparison to others, who sometimes linger much longer. But it brought me in and refused to let go with a pressure that was at times suffocating, but more often fiercely comforting. The Alligator is many things: a diligent very-close-to-professional newspaper, a training ground, a braintrust of fresh and thriving ideas in a “dying” industry, a target of vitriol and admiration, a family. I have seen its facets as if I were staring into a precious crystal, carefully honed and carved to help the people within it shine. Because that’s what lies between the newsprint pages, woven in the words, floating just beneath a byline. The people.
I am constantly fascinated by the people here. There’s something about those who have chosen journalism as their path in life. They’re good at asking questions. Editors meetings this semester often ran long because we were trading stories about how we had grown up, how we saw the world and how we were relearning to understand it as journalists. We came from very different places, different Florida cities, different upbringings, different religions. But we were united in one purpose: Tell the truth. Tell people’s stories. Do it fast and well and do the very best we
could. Unsurprisingly, I have many thank yous to dole out to the people I sat at that table with.
To the editors I was so lucky to work with this semester: you have my unending well of gratitude. We were lucky enough to inherit a semester fresh off plenty of national exposure thanks to those who came before us, but that comes with its own burdens.
Thank you to Sophia Bailly, our fearless university editor, who brought a bright smile and a can-do attitude to one of the paper’s most difficult jobs (and who put her stuffed cat in the microwave for us). To Bailey Diem, our metro editor, always with a sense of calm and little quips to catch us off-guard. To Kylie Williams, our enterprise editor, with her watchdog attitude and her “freak behind the eyes.” To Alex Burns, our Avenue editor, whose fashion sense I am always admiring and who leaped into action to do some writing herself. To Megan Howard, our opinions editor, who dealt with editing this column and who was unafraid to be the paper’s Uber driver when we desperately, desperately needed it. To Madilyn Gemme, our multimedia editor, always reminding us to relax and watch some SNL skits on stressful Sundays. To Nicole Bel-
tran, our senior news director and Caiman editor, who was the brightest light in the newsroom even when she was rushing to translate a story last minute. To Max Tucker and Jack Meyer, our sports editors this semester: holy sh*t, guys. The two of you are unstoppable.
Thank you to Aurora Martinez, my very first editor at this paper. I don’t know where I would be without your gentle-but-firm guidance. I try to emulate you every day. And to Christian Casale and Peyton Harris and Claire Grunewald, some of my fellow reporters on that Fall 2022 university desk — thank you for bearing with me as I came out of my shell. I hope we stay friends for a very long time.
Thank you to the small but mighty group of reporters who worked with me as their metro editor in Fall 2023. Kat Tran, Zoey Thomas, Jordan Ramos, I appreciate your efforts to represent at Alligator functions and our own little socials. It is by far the semester I look back on the most fondly and proudly. Metro nation lives in my heart.
Alissa Gary and Ella Thompson were also among their ranks, but they deserve a paragraph of their own, because they were my sisters-in-arms this semester as managing editors. Together, we were “big three dog-
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator.
32604-2257.Columns
ging” our way through the Fall. Alissa, I am so proud of how far we have come together from our first few days starting at the paper to now. I needed your impressive memory, your careful guidance, your neverending eagerness to get better. And Ella — I needed your news judgment, your down-to-earth attitude and your affinity for never losing sight of the faces in a story. The paper is in safe hands with you.
And to Aidan Bush, editor before me: I am so glad I met you. I am so glad you managed to spend time in positions I would later take on, because it gave me an excuse to listen to your wisdom in the form of stories, told expertly and hilariously. You have been the definition of patient and kind, and I am incredibly lucky to have you as my closest confidante. Spending three semesters working alongside you at this paper has been the highlight of the past two years. I missed you this go-around. I would very much like to tell these people’s stories someday too. They are so strong. Funny. Vibrant. Based on the anecdotes that make my jaw drop on a weekly basis, I don’t think it would be a boring read. How could you hear about someone getting screamed at by a communications staffer and not read on? If it isn’t clear already, I hold a lot of love for this place. Leaving is bittersweet, knowing I’ve reached a goal I had set for myself by the end of my first semester at the paper and knowing that life will go on when I’m not here. This place taught me who I wanted to become. I know it will continue to do so for others — I just won’t be here to see it.
To those who will walk in the office doors next semester, next year, next election cycle, on and on and on: love this place, and it will love you back. It will give you a sense of purpose. It will give you people who you will form lifelong bonds with, whether you like it or not.
Pull out a chair. Take a seat at the table and make a paper. I’ll miss you.
Siena Duncan was the Fall 2024 Editor-in-Chief.
Siena Duncan @SienaDuncan sduncan@alligator.org
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2024
www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue
HOLIDAYS
The ultimate Gainesville holiday bucket list
FIVE FESTIVE ACTIVITIES TO DO THIS SEASON
By Sabrina Castro Avenue Staff Writers
As December tiptoes onto the calendar and Florida’s chilly weather dips below 70 degrees, Gainesville transforms into a hub of holiday magic. Whether you’re a sucker for sparkling lights or quirky traditions, there’s plenty to make your season merry and bright. Ready to dive into the festivities? Here are five must-do activities to sprinkle some holiday cheer into your life.
Winter Wonderland
Where: North Central Florida YMCA
When: Friday to Sunday, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. until Dec. 29
Cost: $15 admission
Step into Gainesville’s very own Winter Wonderland, a dazzling dreamland illuminated by 100,000 twinkling Christmas lights. Wander glowing paths, craft your own ornaments and decorate cookies to your heart’s content. Meet fairy tale characters, feast on festive foods and don’t leave without a photo with the big guy himself: Santa.
It’s festive fun at its finest and the perfect way to kickstart your holiday spirit.
Abiding Savior Lutheran Christmas Tree Lot
Where: 9700 W. Newberry Road
When: Ongoing through December
Say goodbye to fake trees and hello to the sweet smell of fresh pine. This year marks the launch of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church and School’s first-ever Christmas Tree Lot. Celebrate the season by picking out a fresh, high-quality Christmas tree to bring warmth and beauty into your home.
This isn’t just about finding the perfect tree — it’s about building community and
Keep up with the Avenue on Twitter. Tweet us
@TheFloridaAve.
supporting a meaningful cause. Proceeds from tree sales go directly to the church’s youth programs, missions and outreach efforts. By purchasing a tree, you’re spreading holiday joy and contributing to a greater purpose.
In addition to trees, the lot offers wreaths, garlands and festive centerpieces for sale. For those looking for extra holiday charm, beautifully crafted reindeer decorations will also be available. Make sure to visit the lot to shop these unique items and join in this new Gainesville tradition.
Vintage holidays guided tours of the Historic Haile Homestead
Where: 8500 SW Archer Road
When: Weekends, Dec. 7 to Dec. 29
Cost: $5, and children under 12 have free
Caimán
entry
Step back in time and experience the magic of a vintage holiday season with guided tours of the Historic Haile Homestead, where you can enjoy festive decorations and discover the fascinating “Talking Walls.”
This festive experience is partially funded by Visit Gainesville, making it the perfect activity for history buffs and holiday enthusiasts alike. Marvel at the estate’s enchanting decorations and get lost in this charming glimpse into Christmases of yore.
Holiday Markets at Celebration Pointe
Where: Celebration Pointe
When: Dec. 4, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Deck the halls with unique finds at Celebra-
Estudiantes de otros países hablan de sus experiencias en un nuevo hogar. Read more on pg. 8.
tion Pointe’s Holiday Markets. Stroll through the beautifully decorated Promenade, aglow with sparkling Christmas lights, and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
Browse a variety of local vendors offering unique seasonal crafts, handmade gifts and seasonal baked goods. Enjoy live music performances that create the perfect holiday ambiance and capture the magic of the season with photo opportunities amid the stunning holiday decorations. It’s the ideal opportunity to discover unique gifts, indulge in festive treats and create unforgettable memories with loved ones. Make sure to include Celebration Pointe in your holiday traditions this year.
Operation Santa Delivery
Where: Santa Fe College North Fields
When: Dec. 7, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Forget reindeer — Santa’s arriving in style this year by helicopter. Hosted by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Operation Santa Delivery promises a morning of family-friendly fun, from free Santa photos to food trucks and games.
A Gainesville holiday tradition continues with the annual Operation Santa Delivery. Families can enjoy games and activities hosted by more than 30 community organizations, as well as opportunities for free photos with Santa.
LifeSouth will also hold a blood drive during the event, providing a chance to give back and help save lives during the holiday season. With fun for kids and opportunities to make a meaningful impact, Operation Santa Delivery is a must-attend event to kick off your holidays. Make the most of the season with these festive Gainesville favorites. Whether you’re crafting, shopping or soaking up the lights, there’s no shortage of holiday magic to discover.
@sabs_wurld scastro@alligator.org
Jea Nace // Alligator Staff
Christmastime is here!
El Caimán
LUNES, 2 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2024
www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman
Navegando una vida nueva: Estudiantes exploran un ambiente diferente de sus países de niñez
TRES ESTUDIANTES COMPARTEN SUS HISTORIAS
Por Avery Parker Escritor de El Caimán
En la Universidad de Florida hay una población latina de 21.20%. El año escolar pasado, Florida le dio la bienvenida a 45,000 estudiantes internacionales. Muchas de estas personas son de países latinoamericanos, y han llegado aquí para estudiar.
Con este cambio en sus vidas y lejos de sus familias, llegaron a un lugar dónde el español no es la lengua principal y el ambiente es muy distinto. Sin embargo, todavía crean oportunidades para celebrar y participar en las culturas de sus países a través de compartiendo en la cultura de UF y de Gainesville.
Natalia Rojas, una estudiante de 20 años de segundo año estudiando informática, salió de Costa Rica para conseguir mejores oportunidades de educación que no estaban disponibles en su país.
“Hay oportunidades muy buenas donde puedes estudiar la carrera en la Universidad de Costa Rica”, dijo. “Sin embargo, Costa Rica es un país muy pequeño”.
Por eso, no hay tantas compañías tecnológicas o oportunidades de empleo, ella dijo.
Para Rojas, muchos aspectos de Gainesville le han gustado después de llegar a la ciudad.
“Yo no me esperaba encontrar tanta comunidad latina y yo no me esperaba que una universidad tan grande se sienta tan pequeña”, dijo.
Pero Rojas explicó que extraña mucho a Costa Rica a pesar de que le guste Gainesville.
“Extraño mucho a mi familia y a mis amigos que conozco de toda la vida”, dijo.
Especialmente, dijo, porque las zonas de horarios en los dos lugares son diferentes y entonces es más difícil coordinar tiempos para hablar.
“Llegan a la casa a las ocho, nueve de la noche entonces son como las once para mí”, algo que dijo resulta en tiempo limitado para hablar con su familia.
Rojas dijo que también es difícil visitar a su familia porque los boletos de viaje son caros.
Explicó Rojas que, en adición, es difícil encontrar comida costarricense, incluso con ingredientes de calidad que le recuerdan de casa.
“Las comidas típicas de gallo pinto, el chifrijo, son muy difíciles de encontrar”, dijo ella.
Por esas razones, Rojas dijo que, en tiempo, quiere volver a Costa Rica.
“Hay muchas más oportunidades laborales en los Estados Unidos, entonces, definitivamente quisiera aprovechar esas oportunidades laborales”, dijo. “Sin embargo, es como que estoy pensando mucho más adelante como que ya cuando yo quiera empezar una familia me gustaría volver a Costa Rica”.
Angela Anzalone, una estudiante de 19 años de último año estudiando psicología, llegó a los Estados Unidos cuando tenía catorce años después de emigrar de Barquisimeto, Venezuela, a Tampa para evitar las condiciones socioeconómicas del país.
“Toda la familia de mi papá está en los Estados Unidos, entonces mis padres decidieron movernos para que yo terminara high school acá y estudiara en la universidad en los Estados Unidos”, dijo Anzalone.
Para ella, vivir en Tampa no le ofreció muchas oportunidades para conectarse con una comunidad latina.
“A pesar de que hay muchos latinos, me pareció muy diferente [que Venezuela]", dijo. “La gente era más distante, menos en comunidad”.
Después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, eligió estudiar en UF porque no quería irse de Florida y porque UF es la mejor opción del estado, dijo Anzalone.
Inmediatamente noto que Gainesville era un cambio completo en comparación a Tampa.
“Cuando me fui a Gainesville, me pareció mucho mejor. Me parece que la gente estaba unida, siento que encontré mi comunidad latina”, dijo Anzalone.
Pensando en las diferencias entre Gainesville y Venezuela, Anzalone dijo que, aunque extraña a las montañas y la playa, puede agradecer la naturaleza de Gainesville especialmente los lagos y senderos.
Además, dijo que le gusta Gainesville porque “todo está cerca, no tengo que usar el carro tanto, puedo caminar y es [una ciudad] pequeña”.
Para Anzalone, una diferencia desagradable entre Gainesville y Venezuela es la dinámica social.
“Siento que las personas [en Venezuela] son muy allegadas”, dijo, explicando que “es la cultura de siempre estar juntos [y] visitar las casas”. Pero, “siento que en Gainesville tengo que poner más esfuerzo para estar con otros”.
Una cosa que Anzalone piensa que mejoraría la comunidad venezolana en Gainesville sería más desarrollo profesional.
“[A los venezolanos] les falta ese apoyo de cosas como ‘networking'”, dijo. Algo que considera importante porque el sistema profesional de los EE. UU. puede ser difícil de navegar.
Julio Andrés Leonardi, un estudiante de 10
años de segundo año estudiando informática, llegó a los EE. UU. en 2023 para empezar su educación universitaria después de irse de Venezuela.
Explicó que salió de Venezuela por razones extensas, pero que vino a UF porque sabía que tenía “una población grande de latinos”, algo que creyó le ayudaría “sentirse un poco más en casa”.
Andrés Leonardi dijo que, desde que llegó, le ha gustado Gainesville.
“Me gusta el sentido de comunidad que existe en UF”, dijo. “Me gusta que, por ejemplo, en University Avenue está este restaurante llamado La Maracucha que sirve comida venezolana. Así son cosas que me recuerdan a mí casa”.
Sin embargo, dijo que son cosas que extraña de Venezuela, incluso la comida.
“Lo que extraño, por supuesto, es mi familia”, dijo. “Extraño parte de la comida. En Gainesville existen restaurantes venezolanos pero hay cosas que faltan por supuesto”. Algo más que dijo que extraña es la edad legal para beber alcohol, que es 18 años en Venezuela pero 21 en EE. UU.
Notó también que, diferente a Valencia, Venezuela, Gainesville no tiene montañas. Pensando en su futuro, Andrés Leonardi dijo que “estaría dispuesto a reubicarme de nuevo, pero prefiero quedarme aquí [en Florida]”.
Con una cultura latina influyente, estos estudiantes continuarán acudiendo a cosas como la comida, la comunidad y el ambiente estadonudiense para sentirse más cómodos en un nuevo lugar.
@AveryParke98398 aparker@alligator.org
Navigating a new life: Students explore an environment different than the countries they grew up in
THREE STUDENTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES
By Avery Parker Alligator Staff Writer
The University of Florida has a 21.2% Latine population. Many of these people are from Latin American countries and have come here to study and find more opportunities.
Far from their families, they arrived in a place where Spanish is not the primary language, and the social atmosphere is different. However, they’ve still created opportunities to celebrate and participate in their countries’ cultures through experiences with UF and Gainesville.
Natalia Rojas, a 20-year-old UF computer science sophomore, left Costa Rica to pursue better educational opportunities than were available in her country.
“There are very good opportunities where you can study
the major at the University of Costa Rica,” she said. “However, Costa Rica is a very small country.”
Rojas said she has enjoyed Gainesville since arriving and found a larger Latine community than she expected.
Despite growing fond of Gainesville, she thinks about Costa Rica consistently??a lot.
“I really miss my family and my friends that I’ve known my whole life,” she said.
Because the time zones in Florida and Costa Rica are different, it’s more difficult to coordinate times to talk with her family, Rojas said. She also said it’s difficult to visit her family because of the high traveling costs.
Rojas explained that it’s been difficult to find Costa Rican food, even quality ingredients, reminding her of home.
”The traditional foods like gallo pinto, chifrijo, are very difficult to find,” she said.
Mantente al día con El Caimán en Twitter. Envíanos un tweet @ElCaimanGNV.
For those reasons, Rojas said she eventually wants to return to Costa Rica.
“There are many more work opportunities in the United States, thus, I definitely would like to take advantage of those work opportunities,” she said. “However, I’m thinking a lot about later in life when I want to start a family, and I’d like to return to Costa Rica.”
Angela Anzalone, a 19-year-old UF psychology senior, arrived in the United States when she was 14 after emigrating from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, to Tampa to escape the country’s socioeconomic conditions.
“All of my dad’s family is in the United States, so my parents decided to move us here for me to finish high school and go to college in the United States,” Anzalone said.
For her, living in Tampa didn’t offer many opportunities to connect with a Latine community.
After graduating high school, Anzalone decided to study at UF
because she didn’t want to leave Florida and because UF is the best school in the state, she said.
Immediately, she noticed Gainesville was an improvement in comparison to Tampa.
“When I came to Gainesville, it seemed much better to me,”
Anzalone said. “It felt like the people were united. I feel like I found my Hispanic community.”
Thinking about the differences between Gainesville and Venezuela, Anzalone said although she missed the mountains and the beach, she appreciates Gainesville’s nature, especially the lakes and trails.
Moreover, she said she likes that in Gainesville, “everything is close, I don’t have to use the car that much, I’m able to walk and it’s a small city.”
An unpleasant difference between Gainesville and Venezuela for Anzalone is the social dynamic.
“I feel that the people [in Venezuela] are very close,” she
said, explaining that “it’s the culture of always being together – visiting each other’s houses. I feel that in Gainesville I have to put forth more effort.”
One thing that Anzalone thinks would improve the Venezuelan community in Gainesville would be more professional development.
“[For Venezuelans] there’s a lack of support in things like networking,” she said.
It’s something she considers important because the professional system in the U.S. can be difficult to navigate, she said.
Julio Andrés Leonardi, a 19-yearold UF computer science sophomore, came to the U.S. in 2023 to begin his college education after leaving Venezuela.
Read the rest online at alligator.org.
@AveryParke98398 aparker@alligator.org
Síganos para actualizaciones Para obtener actualizaciones de El Caimán, síganos en línea en www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman.
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
How to Place a Classified Ad:
5 Real Estate
10 For Sale
American Log Homes DEVELOPER LIQUIDATION SALE! Log Home kits selling for Balance Owed. Up to 50% off. Design plans can be modified! No time limit on delivery. Call 1-888-230-9599, M-F 9am–5pm ET 12-2-2-10
CASH PAID FOR HIGH-END MEN'S SPORT WATCHES. Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. These brands only! Call for a quote: 1-888-280-1115 12-2-2-13
We Buy Vintage Guitar's! Looking for 19201980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. These brands only! Call for a quote: 1-866-307-5421 12-2-2-13
CASH FOR YOUR COLLECTIONS
Lladro, Swarovski, Lalique, Disney, Boehm, Armani, Herend, Royal Copenhagen & All Other Similar Porcelain & Crystal No Collection Too Large Bob 843-385-5097 12-2-1-13
The University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida is seeking a Business Process Consultant, with duties and responsibility to include—but not be limited to: serving as a member of the Finance Implementation Team of the Finance & Accounting Division, at the UF Controller’s Office, with duties comprised of creating process change by analyzing and evaluating enterprisewide information to define and scope key processes, dissect problems, and suggest solutions to streamline operations and improve efficiencies. Position is also responsible for reviewing existing processes, integrating changes, and communicating revised processes to impacted teams. In doing so, the role involves 50% fiscal process review and documentation, focusing on enhancing operational efficiencies and alignment between financial processes and technology solutions, and 40% financial decision support, which includes assessing and analyzing data to support evidence-based strategies for transformative change in financial business processes. The role integrates advances in technology and business process improvements, with 10% additional duties as assigned.
Telecommuting / working from home is permitted.
Position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration and at least 2 years of demonstrated experience in a cloud-based Enterprise Workday Resource Planning (ERP) Financial Management Module (FIN) implementation environment in a Higher Education setting, which includes: Expertise in analysis of business processes & reporting for highly complex FIN processes; A successful completion of ledger closing and financial statement issuance post-ERP; and Expertise in integration of existing complex systems to meet rigorous internal controls design and GAAP requirements, with evidence of business enhancement.
student for Yard Work, 6-12 hours per week. $16 per hour. Digging, LandClearing, Raking, Mowing, other chores. SW Gainesville. Reply to MH575@Cox.net 122-24-4-14
To express your interest in this position, please send your CV and cover letter to: CFO-HR@ mail.ufl.edu. For more information about the position please visit us on-line at https://explore.jobs. ufl.edu/ and reference job opening ID: 533908. UF is a member of the State University System of Florida and an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 12-2-1-14 5049
15 Services
● Affordable RV Camping Near Campus! ● Convenient location just minutes from UF. Safe, quiet, perfect for game day weekends. Water, electric, and Wi-Fi. Reserve your spot today! 352-372-1026 katesfishcamp.com Book Early – Limited Spots! 12-2-24-8-15
BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 888-460-2264 12-2-41-15
Don't Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again! Our home warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. We stand by our service and if we can't fix it, we'll replace it! Pick the plan that fits your budget! Call: 1-888-521-2793 12-2-45-15
WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION: A small amount of water can lead to major damage and mold growth in your home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your family and your home's value! Call 24/7: 1-866-7824060. Have zip code of service location ready when you call 12-2-48-15
PROTECT YOUR HOME from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for a quote or inspection today 1-877-644-9799. Have zip code of property ready when calling 12-2-48-15
1. ANATOMY: Where is the glabella located in the human body?
DRUG PROBLEM?
WE CAN HELP! 24 HOURS 7 DAYS CALL NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS 352-376-8008 www.uncoastna.org pr@uncoastna.org
Need CPR Training? (352) 727-4733 www.GatorCPR.com CNA Prep Classes from GatorCNA.com 12-2-24-15-16
Alachua County Health Dept. Call 334-7960 for app’t (optional $20 fee) ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. FREE information kit. Call 844-958-2473. 12-2-71-16
HIV ANTIBODY TESTING
Be in Community at the Rural Pride Summit!
We are convening a day-long in-person Rural Pride Summit in Gainesville on December 6, 2024. The summit aims to bring many local community members and leaders together with national and state groups to build and strengthen relationships, raise the profile of the issues that matter to rural communities, and learn from and support each other. We invite all those interested in participating in the summit to register. Registration is free.
Panel discussion topics: - Healthcare and Well-being - Housing and Home - Building/Maintaining Connections in our Movement
Registration and more information: bit.ly/priderural 12-2-24-1-20
2. LITERATURE: In children's books, what is the name of the Big Red Dog?
1. MEASUREMENTS: How many inches are in a mile?
3. GEOGRAPHY: In which country would you find the 98-foot-tall Christ the Redeemer figure?
4. GAMES: What number is represented by the phrase "two little ducks" in bingo?
2. ASTRONOMY: What does the acronym SETI mean to the scientific community?
5. SCIENCE: What percentage of air is nitrogen gas?
3. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin prefix “sub-” mean in English?
6. MUSIC: When did Rock the Vote, an organization that encourages young people to vote, come into being?
7. TELEVISION: Which 1970s comedy show features the theme song "Come On Get Happy"?
4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms?
8. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which month of the year has the least number of letters?
9. U.S. STATES: Which state is first alphabetically?
5. LITERATURE: Which 20th-century movie star penned the autobiography “Me: Stories of My Life”?
6. HISTORY: What was the first National Monument proclaimed in the United States?
7. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the island of Luzon located?
8. MOVIES: Which sci-fi movie has the tagline, “Reality is a thing of the past”?
of
1. Tommie
1. Name the socially conscious international street soccer tournament that was first played in Graz, Austria, in 2003.
2. What nonprofit organization, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history, inducts members into its Shrine of the Eternals?
9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What was the name of the United States’ first nuclear-powered submarine?
3. In 1991, the New York Rangers traded Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk to the Edmonton Oilers for what NHL player?
10. GAMES: What are the four railroad properties in Monopoly?
4. Scotty Cameron is famous in the golf industry for designing and crafting high-end pieces of what equipment?
Answers
5. Offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk, who died in 2004 after crashing his car in a high-speed police chase, played for what NFL team from 1990-98?
1. 63,360 inches
6. Name the Basketball Hall of Famer who ranks No. 2 on the NBA's career list for blocks with 3,289.
2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
3. Below or insufficient
7. What women's softball league has the Coastal Bend Tidal Wave, the Hub City Adelitas, the Texas Monarchs and the Texas Smoke among its teams?
Submit your ad today! www.alligator.org/classifieds
Sudoku solution
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2024
www.alligator.org/section/sports
Walter Clayton Jr.’s fatherhood fuels performance on the basketball court for Gators
THE SENIOR GUARD’S FAMILY RECENTLY RELOCATED TO GAINESVILLE SO THEY COULD LIVE TOGETHER
By Max Tucker Sports Writer
UF basketball senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. has a vision for his professional career — one that doesn’t involve flexing cars or jewelry.
His vision stems from the birth of his daughter, Leilani Leigh Clayton, who was born on Dec. 11, 2023, in Lakeland, Florida. Just two days later, Clayton Jr. said in an Instagram post that she was ‘his new why.’
Following her birth, Clayton Jr.’s girlfriend, Tatiyana Burney, made extensive efforts to travel from their hometown in Lake Wales, Florida, to Gainesville so the family could spend as much time together as possible at the beginning of the basketball season.
Clayton Jr. met Burney when he was in middle school and has been by her side ever since, though they weren’t nearly as close geographically when he started his collegiate basketball career at Iona University in upstate New York.
Before Clayton Jr. transferred south for his final season with the Gators, Burney and her daughter packed their bags and moved in with Clayton Jr. to allow the family to spend more time together.
With the relentless practice and game schedules that Division I athletes balance alongside school work, Clayton Jr. said he sometimes struggles with time management. This is one of the many reasons why Clayton Jr.’s mother, Cherie Quarg, is grateful for Burney’s willingness to move in with her son.
“After I met her, I realized that she lets him kind of be him,” Quarg said. “She knows he's
WOMEN'S TENNIS
busy with his sports and that he always has kind of put that first. She never was with the high school drama... She [kind of] blended right in with our little family.”
Growing up, Clayton Jr.’s main interests revolved around either playing sports or video games, Quarg said. She described him as someone who always got along with his peers and was even a class clown, but not the type that got in trouble.
Clayton Jr.’s aspirations of playing in the NBA have been evident from a young age, Quarg said. However, she knew there were distractions for young athletes in his position. Making the path even more difficult is the 1.2% of NCAA men’s basketball players that end up in the NBA, according to collegevine. com.
“I didn't want anything, whether it's a girl, whether it's a baby, whether it's anything, I didn't want everything that he worked so hard for to kind of crumble,” Quarg said.
Clayton Jr. was named a 2024 Preseason First Team All-SEC nominee and is currently leading the Gators with 17.4 points per game this season en route to UF’s first 8-0 start since the 2009-10 campaign.
Off the court, Quarg is well aware there are still areas Clayton Jr. can improve, though she has caught word from Burney that his ability to balance basketball with family time has improved over roughly the last month, she said.
“As a mom, it just kind of lights you up inside,” Quarg said. “Because that's what you want to hear from your son, is that they're going to do everything that they can to make sure that their kid [is] taken care of.”
In Clayton Jr.’s time away from the basketball court, he enjoys bowling with his girlfriend and daughter, as well as gathering with extended family members to enjoy their presence and good food, Quarg said.
It was a busy offseason for Clayton Jr. leading up to his senior season with the Gators. He went through the NBA Draft process in April
but ultimately decided to hold off on his professional dream and return to UF.
Moreover, his growth and maturity have been extensively evident through the eyes of his teammates and coaches since arriving at Florida.
“Walter is a very unique guy, he’s a great player, he’s a really, really awesome person too,” UF head coach Todd Golden said. “Very mature for his age. And I think the thing I love the most about Walter is his level of self-confidence because he believes in himself about
as much as you can without being arrogant.”
With his hot start to the 2024-25 season, Clayton Jr. has already drawn attention from NBA scouts. The senior guard is currently projected to be selected in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, according to nbadraft.net.
An opportunity to play in the NBA could give Clayton Jr. the chance to create generational wealth for himself and his entire family. But it’s his nearly one-year-old daughter who remains at the forefront of his inspiration to achieve this goal.
“She is depending on me to provide for her,” Clayton Jr. said. “I'm still kind of figuring out the whole father thing. Just, you know how to be there for her every day, being there as much as I possibly can. So it’s just a lot of extra motivation.”
The sacrifices Clayton Jr.’s family made last season helped immensely regarding his ability to manage his time on and off the court, he said.
However, the then-junior guard took matters into his own hands regarding being present for Leilani’s birth on Dec. 11 of last year. It took less than 72 hours for Clayton Jr. to get a sense of the aforementioned balancing act of fatherhood.
“We had a game in Lakeland right after [the birth], Clayton Jr. said. “So I was kind of already there. [It allowed me] to come back up here and play basketball.”
It’s safe to say that Clayton Jr. has a bit more on his plate than the average 21-yearold college student. The Lake Wales native understands the importance of continuing to improve as a father.
“I definitely think [Leilani’s birth] helped maturity-wise,” Clayton Jr. said. “I probably still got some more maturing to do, so me and Leilani [are] kind of growing together right now.”
@Max_Tuckr1 mtucker@alligator.org
The burden of professional aspirations: A freshman’s path to UF women’s tennis
FLORIDA’S TALIA NEILSON-GATENBY COMMITTED TO TENNIS AT AGE 7 AND NEVER TURNED BACK
By Noah White Sports Writer
The street lamps of Ashby-dela-Zouch flicker throughout the night, and under their gaze rests a small town in northern England. South Street runs through the center of it, weaving through townhouses and shops. A fence separates it from the Ashby Castle Lawn Tennis Club, lightly illumi-
nated by the lemon drops that float amid the foggy night sky.
Against that fence leans a little girl, clutching her mother's palm, unknowingly amidst one of her last moments of normalcy.
“I was literally walking past the courts... and wanted to have a go,”
Talia Neilson-Gatenby said. “Then it went from there.”
The Florida women’s tennis freshman hails from the European tennis scene, where girls enter the grasp of the sport at a young age and aren’t released for decades.
Neilson-Gatenby was seven years old when the grated fence branded her flushed cheek in the autumn air. While she couldn’t have predicted how that moment would
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.
change her future, she quickly vaulted herself into competition.
Soon after picking up a racket, Neilson-Gatenby found herself playing once a week, and then once a day as she became entranced by her new pastime. Within months, regional clubs were scouting her, and before she turned 8, the English native had committed to one — her first official step towards a professional tennis career.
Neilson-Gatenby cites her first tennis coach as a primary figure in jump-starting her interest in pursuing the sport.
“[He] was a big factor,” she said. “He made my whole appearance... who I am.”
Tennis prospects face a chal-
Follow our newsletter Love alligatorSports? Stay up to date on our content by following our newsletter. Scan the QR Code to sign up.
lenging situation. Once scouts identify their talent, clubs rapidly begin training them, putting the rest of their youth on the back burner. For Neilson-Gatenby, that meant her schedule became hard to manage.
She danced between three clubs throughout her youth, ultimately spending most of her time training at Loughborough National Tennis Academy. During her stint in each location, she completed rigorous practice regimens, as most prospects do, making her ability to live the typical life of an 8- to 18-yearold challenging.
“[I was doing] tennis in the morning, fitness and more tennis around the school day,” she said.
“It was tough to fit in normal life around that… It was pretty hectic.”
Routines like these are surprisingly normal for international tennis prospects. According to the National Health Institute, professional tennis players usually begin playing around 5 years old, with many competing at the junior level by 16. With pressure mounting to succeed quickly, players cut other parts of their lives to commit more time to tennis. Sometimes, that comes in the form of academics. While it’s worth noting that Neilson-Gatenby was a strong student before she arrived at UF, her
SEE TENNIS, PAGE 12
Follow us for updates
For updates on UF athletics, follow us on Twitter at @alligatorSports or online at www.alligator.org/section/sports.
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) goes to shoot the basketball in a game against the Jacksonville Dolphins in Gainesville, Florida, on November 8, 2024.
From Europe to UF
school life was anything but conventional. Early on in her training, she reverted to a home-school/virtual setting, shifting away from the average academic experience youth receive.
“It was affected. It was tough to keep up,” the 19-year-old said. “I think [I] did miss a lot... It was tough to maintain.”
Part of the challenges she faced in maintaining normalcy was constant travel. After joining the Loughborough NTA, NeilsonGatenby was constantly on the move. As part of her preparations to compete in the junior championship field, she visited Spain, Croatia and Germany, among other European countries, for tournaments.
The pinnacle of her travels came in her debut in the Junior Wimbledon Championship in 2022. Facing Slovakian junior Nina Vargova, Neilson-Gatenby stepped to the line for a final serve to win her first-round matchup in straight sets. As always, she looked over at her parents in the stands.
While Neilson-Gatenby’s childhood, like other pro tennis prospects, differed from most other kids her age, one piece remained the same: her family. She shared that many other players she trained with had parents who forced them into the game and guided their training, but that wasn’t the case for her.
“It was more of an off-court relationship. It never got forced,” Neilson-Gatenby said. “It was never a coaching parent thing. So I think for me, my parents, that was really important that we kept that separate... I had more of a voice.”
Amidst the long hours and grueling work that shaped the professional tennis stars that many see today, Neilson-Gatenby had a strong foundation — a product of her parents. She noted how different her relationship with them is from the dynamic of other players and their families, which she thinks helped forge her into the player she is.
While the extensive training shaped her playing style, her calmness and maturity remain a testament to her parents. Their unparalleled support but lack of tennis knowledge, she said, allowed them to instill life skills like determination and temper management in their daughter.
“They're such good role models for me off the court — going on to the court that really helped me be really relaxed,” … Neilson-Gatenby said. “No pressure, no expectations, just going into it to have fun.”
Her parents’ teachings have been on display this fall. In Neilson-Gatenby’s largest collegiate tournament to date, the ITA AllAmerican Championship on Sept. 21-26, the freshman leveled Ohio State senior Shelly Bereznyak 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round. She rarely allowed the senior to score con-
secutive points and never appeared rattled by the stage.
Neilson-Gatenby credits her seamless jump into Fall college play to the decade of preparation she went through, but her teammates see something more profound. The freshman’s commitment to practicing and willingness to sacrifice the other pieces of her life are telling in their minds, they said.
“She’s so dedicated on the court,” said Nikola Daubnerova, Neilson-Gatenby's roommate and fellow UF freshman. “Her mental side is a big advantage she has against her other opponents.”
Daubnerova knows this better than anyone else. In 2022, the pair faced off in the European Championship at the JB1 Klosters in Switzerland. While Daubnerova and her partner took the doubles contest, one thing stuck in her mind.
“I could not return her serve,” Daubnerova said, raving about Neilson-Gatenby’s steady nature.
Teammates and competition aren’t the only ones who recognize her skill. According to UF associate head coach Jeremy Bayon, players who begin training to become professionals at a young age often show the dedication necessary to adjust to the tempo and environment of collegiate tennis. In his opinion, Neilson-Gatenby’s characteristics are just another example of the international tennis system at work.
“She’s a fierce competitor... Extremely tough mentally,” Bayon said. “She has the tools and ambition to become a professional player.”
Neilson-Gatenby doesn’t hesitate to say
she wants to become a professional tennis player. After all, she spent her entire childhood building up to that goal. But her extensive training and experience on the dais of junior tennis are about to benefit UF along the way.
The 19-year-old is just working on staying in the moment, though. Until now, Neilson-Gatenby has spent her life sprinting around from tournament to tournament and practice to practice. At Florida, she’s taking every second in.
Neilson-Gatenby likes to take long walks with Daubnerova, watch Gators football and play games. The freshman has served her time training and is gaining some sanity. She also likes to write in her journal every day, which she says helps her be joyful for her opportunities, no matter the route it takes to get to them.
The Great Britain native will most likely next see the court for the Florida Invitational on Jan. 11-12. She says she feels prepared but recognizes that Spring college tennis differs from anything she’s faced.
“I think college has a lot more grit to it,” Neilson-Gatenby said. “It's not always about who the best tennis player actually is, and it's more about who wants it the most.”
That might play to her advantage. After years of training, the early-morning flights to tournaments and the days spent on the court rather than on the playground, it’s hard to argue “who wants it the most.” That would be Talia Neilson-Gatenby.
@noahwhite1782 nwhite@alligator.org
Open until 9 pm every Thursday!
+
Thursday, December 5, 6 – 9 pm
Shop the Harn Store for unique wares from talented local artists, featuring nature photography by John Moran who will be joining us to showcase his work. Indulge in delicious bites, sip on champagne cocktails, and listen to holiday music as you browse.
Thursday, December 12, 6 – 9 pm
Get cozy and chill as we celebrate the Winter Solstice. This relaxing Equinox party is the perfect way to destress as the semester draws to a close. We’ll have hot cocoa and sweet treats.
