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VOLUME 117 ISSUE 2
MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Famed Black artist Al Black brings iconic Florida Highwaymen group’s art to Gainesville Black is one of the original Highwaymen By Averi Kremposky Alligator Staff Writer
Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff
Al Black signs his name as the finishing touch on the Highwaymen mural Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2022.
UF, embattled former Honors Program director at odds over nature of termination
Honors students feel left in the dark By Christian Casale Alligator Staff Writer
Two weeks have passed since Mark Law announced his termination as UF Honors Program director. Although the provost has taken responsibility for the firing, students and faculty still have questions as to why. Law and UF administration are publicly at odds about the nature of his termination. Honors students say they were confused about the nature of Law’s firing, and some faculty who already distrusted the administration rallied to Law’s cause. The former director maintains his termination was without forewarning and the decision to relieve him was made by the UF Board of Trustees. Meanwhile, UF Provost Joe Glover claims sole responsibility for the termination, which he said was because of Law’s performance. UF engineering professor Mark Law sent an email to the Honors Program community
Aug. 15 announcing he was fired. His termination came as a shock, he wrote, adding that he hadn’t had a negative performance evaluation and alleged he was fired by the UF Board of Trustees. Law didn’t only lose his prestigious title — his salary more than halved. Law made another $244,000 a year on top of his salary as a professor, according to a Fall 2021 Board of Governors UF salary report. In a statement the same day as Law’s announcement, UF confirmed Law had been let go from his position and would be replaced in the interim by his deputy, professor Melissa Johnson. In contrast to Law’s statement, UF Provost Joe Glover released a statement taking sole responsibility for Law’s termination Aug. 16. He said the termination was due to Law’s inadequate vision for the program — an opinion he acknowledges administration also held.
SEE MARK LAW, PAGE 5
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT
Bats move to new house
The Gators won three matches in two days to begin their season. Read more on pg. 11.
Explaining election coverage
Florida volleyball sweeps opening weekend Story description finish with comma, pg#
Ominous storm clouds and dense humidity joined forces Tuesday morning, almost as if they were pressuring Al Black to paint his latest mural quicker. The setbacks lacked any chance of hindering the renowned artist: At 80 years old, he had already completed half of his mural in three hours. “Anybody else, it would’ve taken them three days to paint what I have painted this morning,” Black said. Black is known for being one of the founding members of the Florida Highwaymen, a group of 26 African American artists who became famous for selling landscape-clad canvases out of car trunks in the early 1950s when segregation laws prevented the group from selling in galleries. In 2004, the collective was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. Black finished his new 8-by-34 foot mural, located on the corner of Northeast Sixth Avenue and
North Main Street, Wednesday afternoon — a full day before he was expected to wrap up the project. Throughout the day, a handful of people shuffled through to watch Black’s painting unfold. The idea for Black’s mural was commissioned by 352walls/ Gainesville Urban Art Initiative, a local project that has aimed to increase the city’s public art ventures since 2015. Raquel Vallejo, the project coordinator at 352walls, kickstarted the historic mural project after her fascination with the Highwaymen led her to present the opportunity to Black in person. The newest mural, which used acrylic paint and unconventional coloring to depict a serene lake site, is a reimagined piece that Black once painted on the walls of Florida State Prison while he was serving a 12-year sentence for fraud. Though Vallejo chose the art, Black was the one who realized his original design left too much open space for the size of his rec-
SEE MURAL, PAGE 3
Biden student loan relief plan could clear up to $20,000 of some UF students’ debt THE AMOUNT VARIES DEPENDING ON PELL GRANT STATUS
By Heather Bushman Alligator Staff Writer
UF alumni bogged down by student loans can take a breath, as some Gators may see much of their debt forgiven. President Joe Biden announced relief provisions for those with student loan debt from the U.S. Department of Education Wednesday. The loan forgiveness plan will reduce or erase the debt of up to 43 million Americans, including select UF graduates, unless the U.S. Supreme Court decides to block it. Borrowers can apply for the program in early October through the Education Department. The constitutionality of Biden’s plan rests on the guidelines of the 2003 Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, a policy measure granting the secretary of education the ability to alter financial aid program regulations in national emergencies. As the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency, the relief program assumed the
Though it's been five years in the making, the UF bats are ready to make the change, pg. 4
The Alligator Editorial Board further explains our policies and procedures when it comes to political reporting in an election year, pg. 8
state of financial crisis for students and alumni nationwide matched the severity of post-9/11 times. Though no official opposition exists yet, the Supreme Court still has time to challenge the plan’s constitutionality before borrowers can apply in October. A flipped U.S. House, which could switch to a Republican majority after November’s general election, may also raise the potential for legal action against the provisions. Borrowers who received aid through a Pell Grant — a program awarding college funding to students with exceptional financial need — and make less than $125,000 annually can receive up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness. Those who didn’t receive the Pell Grant but make less than $125,000 annually can receive up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness. Biden also announced an extension to the loan payment freeze until the end of the year. Originally implemented at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the freeze pauses required student loan payments nationwide. Biden’s plan relieves some UF alumni — 15%, according to the U.S. Department of Education — who took out federal student loans.
SEE STUDENT LOANS, PAGE 5
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