Monday, Aug. 29, 2022

mural Wednesday,

The constitutionality of Biden’s plan rests on the guidelines of the 2003 Higher Educa tion Relief Opportunities for Students Act, a policy measure granting the secretary of edu cation 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 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 No vember’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 re ceive 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 CO VID-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 Edu cation — who took out federal student loans.

SEE MURAL, PAGE 3 SEE MARK LAW, PAGE 5 SEE STUDENT LOANS, PAGE 5 Black

Biden student loan relief plan could clear up to $20,000 of some UF students’ debt embattled former Honors Program at odds over nature of termination Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff Al Black signs his name as the finishing touch on the Highwaymen Aug. 23, 2022. is one of

director

We Inform. You Decide. www.alligator.org Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Story description finish with comma, pg# Bats move to new house Though it's been five years in the making, the UF bats are ready to make the change, pg. 4 Explaining election coverage The Alligator Editorial Board further explains our policies and procedures when it comes to political reporting in an election year, pg. 8 Florida volleyball sweeps opening weekend The Gators won three matches in two days to begin their season. Read more on pg. 11. MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022VOLUME 117 ISSUE 2 FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR UPDATES @FloridaAlligator @TheAlligator_ @TheAlligator @thefloridaalligator

By Averi Kremposky Alligator Staff Writer

Famed Black artist Al Black brings iconic Florida Highwaymen group’s art to Gainesville

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 pro visions for those with student loan debt from the U.S. Department of Education Wednes day. 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 ear ly October through the Education Department.

Two weeks have passed since Mark Law announced his termination as UF Honors Pro gram director. Although the provost has taken responsibility for the firing, students and fac ulty still have questions as to why. Law and UF administration are publicly at odds about the nature of his termination. Hon ors 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 ter mination 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 termi nation, which he said was because of Law’s performance.UFengineering professor Mark Law sent an email to the Honors Program community Aug. 15 announcing he was fired. His termi nation came as a shock, he wrote, adding that he hadn’t had a negative performance evalua tion and alleged he was fired by the UF Board of Trustees.Lawdidn’t only lose his prestigious title — his salary more than halved. Law made an other $244,000 a year on top of his salary as a professor, according to a Fall 2021 Board of Governors UF salary report.

By Heather Bushman Alligator Staff Writer

UF,

In a statement the same day as Law’s an nouncement, UF confirmed Law had been let go from his position and would be replaced in the interim by his deputy, professor Melissa Johnson.Incontrast 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 in adequate vision for the program — an opinion he acknowledges administration also held.

the original Highwaymen Honors students feel left in the dark

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“Anybodyhours. else, it would’ve taken them three days to paint what I have painted this morn ing,” 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 land scape-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 proj ect. Throughout the day, a hand ful 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 fascina tion 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 Thoughfraud. Vallejo chose the art, Black was the one who realized his original design left too much open space for the size of his rec

THE AMOUNT VARIES DEPENDING ON PELL GRANT STATUS

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With an overall response rate of 2.4% across Florida public universities, UF student response rate was 4.2% or 2,722 students of 64,846, according to the results of the survey. Critics of the survey claimed it was an attempt to gauge how politics played out in the classroom, including questions such as “My professors are generally more (conservative, liberal, other, or don’t know).”

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VOLUME 117 ISSUE 2‘A political weapon’: UF community left divided on how to navigate Florida’s new ‘Stop WOKE’ Act 352-376-4458NEWSROOM: 352-376-4482DISPLAY ADVERTISING Advertising Office Manager Intern Coordinator Sales Representatives

The material includes anything that “espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels [students] to believe” a list of concepts, including a person being thought of as inherently racist or sexist, as well as asserting that some people are privileged or oppressed solely based on their identity.Thelaw comes after nationwide controversy over critical race theory, a discipline often found in higher education that seeks to explain the way in which prejudice and racism are systemic within the legal field, according to the Legal Defense Fund.

In a statement from UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan, she said UF will follow the new state law. “We are confident the university will adhere to the law while providing students the opportunity for exposure to a full spectrum of ideas, opinions and beliefs.”

“Just judging from the title, I immediately knew that it was just another item in the culture war for DeSantis to put forward as meat for his base,” he said, “My reaction was disbelief because he is just putting forward something that's not going to help anybody. It's going to hurt education.” Ali-McClory added he has heard from classmates about professors increasing their level of cautiousness when approaching topics like critical race theory, and UF administration’s track record with academic freedom will only get worse, citing UF’s past refusal to allow professors to testify against the state. “The Republican Party of Florida wants to destroy education.

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UF students, faculty reflect on the change it could bring

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If they have an uneducated voter base, it's easier for them to get people to buy into their lies and their misinformation,” he said. “With the passage of this law, I think you're going to see more crackdown on intellectual diversity, which is funny because that's exactly what DeSantis claims he doesn't want.” Jackson Rowell, public relations vice president of UF Young Americans for Freedom, wrote in a statement that HB 7 is crucial to upholding democracy. He said critical race theory was “detrimental to the fabric of our republic.”Roberto Zaldaña-Argüello, a 22-year-old UF computer engineering junior, said the bill promotes free speech and diversity of thought.“Ifyou're in an echo chamber your entire life and you're brought up to believe that one side of the political aisle is reprehensible, it's absolutely destructive,” ZaldañaArgüello said. Jerry Edwards, a 31-yearold staff attorney for the Florida American Civil Liberties Union, said he believes professors need to be careful when addressing certainBecausetopics.of the student-driven complaint process, he said it would be fairly easy for students with bad intentions to take a professor out of context and get them in Whiletrouble.thelegislation is unique in terms of its application to university students, Edwards believes there’s been a nationwide effort within legislation on the topic of critical race theory. College students have more free speech protection than that of K-12 students because of the expectation of broader and more mature discussions, he said. The Florida ACLU filed a suit against the State of Florida over the law in August. On Thursday, a federal judge blocked portions of the law concerning limitations on private employers’ use of diversity and sensitivity training. Less than a month after HB 7 was signed into law, UF also sent out a survey entitled “Intellectual Freedom and Diversity of Viewpoints” on behalf of the Florida Board of Governors. It asked students and faculty a series of questions regarding intellectual freedom in universities.

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By Peyton Harris Alligator Staff Writer Jeffrey Adler, a UF history professor, is somewhat of an expert in uncomfortable conversations — conversations that could be outlawed under a new state law. “My classes deal with the history of the criminal justice system and race in American history,” Adler said. “It’s difficult to discuss that without raising topics that are likely to make everyone in the room in some way uncomfortable.”HouseBill7, dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act” by Gov. Ron DeSantis, went into effect July 1, 2022. The law is an expansion of Florida Statute Section 760.10, now including language that prohibits certain material from being taught at universities in the Florida College System.

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- Cynthia Roldan, UF spokesperson Since its adoption, students and faculty have expressed concerns over the law. Aron Ali-McClory, UF Young Democratic Socialists Chair and political science sophomore, said the law was a ploy by DeSantis.

“I don't have very much faith given how poorly written the law is and how non-transparent the process is,” Adler said. “The problem is that the law, and not necessarily the university, is basically priming people to find violations, and the violations are not defined.”

UF administration has not been transparent with faculty on how complaints will be handled and what constitutes a violation, Adler said. He now worries the law will become a “political weapon.” Under the law, violation complaints are student-driven, Adler said, meaning students are the ones filing complaints against instructors. To file a complaint, a student must enter their UFID, basis of complaint, witnesses and desired outcome, according to the Chief Diversity Officer website. In the case of a substantiated claim, the website states the Board of Governors will be informed and potentially take disciplinary measures such as termination of a faculty member. If substantiated violations are found against UF, it could lose performance funding for the next fiscal year. In Adler’s three decades of teaching, no student, to his knowledge, has likened course material to indoctrination.

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 ALLIGATOR 3 UF CAMPUS PARKING BY CVS ON 13TH ST! Go to Parkonthefly.com & Reserve While Supplies Last! Affordable hourly, monthly & yearly rates! Download the FREE TapRide App to Get a Ride! University of Florida SNAP Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol or call 352-392-SNAP (7627) Daily Deals! $3 Domestic Drafts $999 Boneless Wings BleuBird Wings 5156 SW 34th (352)672-6364St Be a part of something BIG GIVE B lood. Over 1,000 people gathered to form one of the largest human blood drop formations in the country. LifeSouth’s North Florida district needs just as many donors per week to meet the need of our community hospitals. Be a part of something big and give blood today. For more information, call 888.795.2707 or visit www.lifesouth.org. Photo by Photography 35 Connecting our donors to our patients Are you the owner of a confident, female voice… who happens to speak a foreign language? Would you like to get paid for reading short educational scripts about carbon for a worldwide project? Earn $25/hr and $10 bonus for each script completed. Voices needed for: Arabic, Bengali, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu. Please mark@icbe.comcontact: By Alissa Gary Alligator Staff Writer UF Homecoming and Gator Growl announced Friday headlining artist, Flo Rida, and opener, Olivia O’Brien, will perform at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Oct. 7. The concert is part of Gator Growl, UF’s 90-year running Home coming pep rally. This is the second consecutive year Gator Growl will take to the O’Connell Center, with former locations including Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Flavet Field. The 2021 performers included the band Neon Trees and rapper Gunna. Flo Rida, whose real name is Tra mar Lacel Dillard, has more than 22 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His 2008 single “Low” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks. He’s also known for his 2012 songs “Whistle” and “Wild Ones” featuring Sia, and his 2015 song “My House.”

The group was not only revolutionary in the art it created but inspiring in how it sold and marketed its work to overcome racial barriers. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016 and highlights the Highwaymen’s story with a collection of 18 of their Blackpaintings.wasaccompanied in the painting process by Fabian Sanchez, a 47-year-old local Gainesville artist. Sanchez, whose usual style of art is graphic design, said he enjoyed working in Black’s traditional landscape style, which forced him to slow down and just paint.

“We have worked hard to secure our talent, and we are excited to put together a show for our students and alumni,” Gator Growl Executive Pro ducer Jared Weingard wrote in a text message.Jordan Drew, a 19-year-old UF agricultural operations management sophomore, wrote in a text message she believes SG’s choices for this year’s performances reach and sat isfy students’ standards. “I’m not too familiar with the opening act, but I’m definitely excit ed to see ‘Apple Bottom Jeans’ live,” sheGatorwrote.Growl tickets go on sale Sept. 1. agary@alligator.org@AlissaGary1 C. reation. The addition of sporadic lily pads throughout the lake was a spontaneous choice made by Black on Tuesday. Vallejo said she was excited to have an Al Black painting for the city but also thrilled the community could watch the ar tistic process unfold in person. “It’s a performance. It’s not only visual; it’s a whole complex sensory thing because you get to feel the essence of the artist and see how it is that they do it.” - Raquel Vallejo, 352walls The mural, which was originally paint ed at 602 N. Main St., consists of panels that allow the painting to be transportable. Vallejo said this allows for the proper pres ervation and frequent transport to be set up at various locations around Gainesville. “A mural by him at this point in time when there are two other original High waymen — it’s a gift,” Vallejo said. “The opportunity showed up, and I took it.” Of the 26 Highwaymen artists, nine are considered to be the original founders of the group. Besides Black, the only original members alive are Roy McLendon and Sam Newton.TheFlorida Highwaymen are known for their particular landscape scenes created with oil paints, a medium complicated to work with and even harder to transport.

While Sanchez was present to help paint where it was dangerous for Black to reach, he said it felt like Black was the one helping him. “It doesn’t matter how old I get; I’m still going to be learning,” Sanchez said. “There’s always someone that has more knowledge and skill that can share with you.”Originally the Highwaymen’s relent lessly persuasive salesman, Black taught himself what he knows about art from fixing wet paintings that were damaged from travel. Now, in his late career, Black is keen on passing these skills to the next generation of artists — including artists of Highwaymen lineage known as the “legacy generation,” Vallejo said. Michael Hill, a UF history senior, greet ed Black with an eager handshake Tuesday morning. He was introduced to the Florida Highwaymen in 2007 when his mother found an original by Alfred Hair, one of the movement’s original founders, in a dump ster in Vero Beach, Florida. Since then, Hill developed a knack for Florida history and plans to start collecting his own Highwaymen paintings after grad uation. He said Black’s latest mural is an invaluable addition to the city, especially because of the legendary artist behind the painting.“Inregards to the time from the Civil War up until basically the 21st century, Gainesville was a spot for a lot of promi nent Black leaders,” Hill said. “With the Highwaymen all being Black artists, I think honestly their art would fit very well in this community.”

Rae

// Alligator Staff Al

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2022.

O’Connell Center stage Oct. 7

Gainesville artist helps out Riiska Black surveys his work on the Highwaymen mural

akremposky@alligator.org@averijkremposky MURAL, from pg. 1

Flo Rida, Olivia O’Brien to perform at UF’s Gator Growl 2022 The artists will take the Stephen

Gator Growl’s opener, Olivia O’Brien, is best known as the vocal ist on Gnash’s 2016 song “I Hate U, I Love U,” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. She has more than seven million monthly listeners on Spotify.

After five years of waiting, UF bats finally start moving into their new home

To receive the grant, communities eligible submitted an application by Nov. 1, 2021. They could request a minimum of $200,000 and a maximum of $3 million. After communities receive the money, its spending must meet one of three objectives.

TEN COMMUNITIES WILL GET $22 MILLION

A multi-million dollar high-speed internet project will be implemented in 10 Florida cit ies; one of which is a small Alachua County town of less than 1,000 people. The town of Micanopy received nearly $3 million to bolster broadband internet access, which is affordable high-speed internet, Aug. 22. The funding is part of the Com munity Development Block Grant program, which is overseen by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022

Micanopy receives $3 million to improve internet connection for low- to moderate-income residents

The program is funded by the U.S. De partment of Housing and Urban Develop ment, which distributed $5 billion nation wide for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. It’s designed to help local governments fix the negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic, including the need to improve broadband infrastruc ture in affected communities. Megan Beckham, a 32-year-old Gainesville resident, used to live in Micanopy and said everyone she knew had internet problems. “If you work from home and your job re lies on you having internet access, it can be kind of a sketchy area for that,” she said.

“People don’t always get that they have to want to move,” Johnson said. “They have little brains of their own and little wings of their own. They decide where they want to go.”It would be ideal to tear House 1 down and rebuild, Carlson said, but they can’t do that until the bats move to House 3. However, Carlson said he estimates more than 1,000 bats have moved into House 3 as of Thursday afternoon. It makes up a small fraction of the colony, he said. Convincing bats that moving is in their best interest isn’t a simple task. “We’re making progress,” Carlson said. If the group of bats in House 1 doesn’t move out before it collapses, there’s a pos sibility they could make new homes in other UF structures, Johnson said. She also said that Brazilian free-tailed bats — the species that makes up the majority of the colony — can fit into spaces an inch wide. This means that they could crawl into attics, gutters and other small spaces across campus, she said. “We don’t want the bats to move into another building on campus where they wouldn’t be very welcome,” Johnson said. Verity Mathis, Florida Museum mammals collections manager, is the museum repre sentative consulted by the UF team working on the issue. She said that her concern is the bats moving into someplace that could be problematic, like the football stadium. “That is everybody’s biggest fear,” Mathis said. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.” Originally, she said, the bat colony lived in the UF Percy Beard Track and Field Sta dium in the 1980s. Building House 1 in 1991 was an attempt at pest control, which took three years. At the time, there was a com bined effort of repelling the bats from the sta dium and physically taking them to House 1. Now, the bats are studied by professors and graduate students. Their guano is used to fertilize the Field and Fork gardens surround ing the bat houses. And every night, around 15 minutes past dusk, nearly half a million bats fly out for the night to hunt, a spectacle that students and Gainesville residents have come to watch for years. Some of those bat researchers are Johnson and UF graduate assistant Caitlin Campbell, who Carlson said he’ll meet with in the com ing weeks to discuss the best way to make the bats as comfortable as possible. Recently, Carlson and his construction team added a landing board and a long piece of plywood inside a corner of House 3 to pro vide more space for the bats to crawl inside.

Ginny Mance, Micanopy mayor, said low- to moderate-income residents will re ceive hookups that will connect the fiberoptic cables, either underground or from a pole to a router inside each house. Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been a sup porter of broadband expansion. He signed House Bill 1239 into law to expand broad band to underserved communities in 2021. In addition, DeSantis awarded $22 million to 15 Florida communities in April — Otter Creek, Astatula and Fellsmere received the money to create high speed internet options.

Sara Owen, Micanopy town administra tor and clerk, said the pandemic made inter net problems more apparent. Working from home became a challenge because of the connectivity issues, she said. The town applied for the grant, Owen said, to specifically address high-speed inter net issues, and the money will be incredibly helpful.There are several options for high-speed internet, but Owen said there’s a good chance they will receive aid for fiber-optic internet which sends data through a fiberopticThiscable.method transmits data faster than traditional copper cables, and fiber is more resistant to damage from the environment.

sduncan@alligator.org@SienaDuncan

Convincing bats to move isn’t an easy task TOTAL By Alexa Herrera Alligator Staff Writer

Namari Lock // Alligator Staff Micanopy was among 10 communities awarded funds from the Community Development Block Grant.

By Siena Duncan Alligator Staff Writer Chris Carlson, UF associate director of fa cility support services, pointed excitedly at dark mounds of guano — bat poop — on the ground below one of UF’s bat houses at Field and Fork Farm and Gardens. “This is breaking news.” - Chris Carlson, UF associate director of facility support services This particular house, House 3, had been empty since it was built in 2017. There are two other houses that are currently occupied by a colony of bats estimated to have num bers peaking around half a million. UF’s bat colony is the largest in the world that lives in bat houses, according to the Florida Museum website. The houses are de signed to hold around 750,000 bats. That wasn’t a problem until this summer, when Anna Prizzia, Hitchcock Field and Fork program director and Alachua County com missioner, discovered that House 1, built in 1991, was falling apart. At first, staff attempt ed to repair it, Carlson said. But the urine and guano from the bats kept eating away at the older sections of wood, Carlson said. Two sections of House 1’s bottom have fallen in, and a newly added support beam props up one of the walls.

No one can be sure of what caused the bats to move in Thursday, he said, but he and Bradley Files, UF pest management coordina tor, have discussed putting in more landing boards in the rest of the house. Carlson said they have also considered roughening the wood inside the house to make it easier for bats to grip. Another technique they have tried has been adding guano inside and below the house during the past few years it’s been empty, but both Carlson and Johnson said experts don’t agree on whether that actually works.Carlson said they’ve improved the house’s ventilation to create ideal temperatures in side, and they’ve removed some obstacles like long beams to protect the bats from pred ators. It makes landing for the bats easier too. Carlson also said they might try a tactic called an exclusion, where they would block off parts of the house over time each night when the bats fly out. Eventually, the bats wouldn’t be able to come back and they’d be forced to look for homes elsewhere. How ever, they can’t be sure this will work un til they’re certain the bats are moving into House 3, Carlson said. The time and resources it has taken to aid the bats with their move paid off on Thurs day, Carlson said. He also said that once the bats settle in, they can start making plans to rebuild House 1 so the colony can grow even more.“They’re an iconic part of the campus here,” he said. “It feels good to know they’re going to stay.”

Shelly Johnson, UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences state specialized agent in natural resources, said a hurricane or tor nado could knock it down soon. In the midst of hurricane season, which ranges from June 1 to Nov. 30, House 1’s state presents a real danger.Butthe bats don’t know that. So, a UF team of conservationists, biolo gists and construction workers have taken on the task of convincing part of the colony to move into a house it’s ignored up until now, JohnsonRehomingsaid. them isn’t as easy as just pick ing them up and moving them to House 3, Johnson said. Aside from the fact there could be hundreds of thousands of bats inside House 1, she said they also have the freedom to make their homes wherever they want.

The internet problems also affected busi nesses because many take credit cards as a form of payment, she said. When they lose connection with their systems, Beckham said they have to take cash only.

“This $22 million in awards will help 10 communities meet their infrastructure needs and provide long-term services for their resi dents for years to come,” DeSantis said in a pressOtherrelease.Florida communities slated to re ceive money are Glen St. Mary, Springfield, Collier County, Fort White, Hillsborough County, Groveland, Lee County, Broward County and Miami-Dade County. Broadband issues are not unique to Mi canopy. In Gainesville, City Commissioners Adrian Hayes-Santos and David Arreola have advocated for increased internet access. In June, the City Commission voted 2-5 to dismiss a proposal to use almost $10 mil lion from the American Rescue Plan Act with Hayes-Santos and Arreola dissenting. When Hayes-Santos first ran for City Commission, one of his top priorities was expanding internet accessibility. Bryan East man, Read the rest online at aherrera@alligator.org@alexakherreraalligator.org.

The town or county’s program must be ben eficial to low- or moderate-income residents, prevent or eliminate unhealthy and unsafe conditions or address urgent community needs that pose a threat to people’s welfare.

At the State of the University Address Fri day, UF Board of Trustees Chair Morteza “Mori” Hosseini said Law was released from his position because the board’s ambitions for the program were greater than what they saw from Law’s “Unfortunately,vision. we found his plans lacklus ter across the board — from admissions and recruitment to academic and student life pro gramming,” Hosseini said. “The plans were not up to the standards we had hoped to see — and what students deserve.”

UF Faculty Senate Chair Amanda Phalin, who sits on the Board of Trustees, released a statement on Twitter Aug. 20 confirming Glov er’s“Iclaim.was part of the discussion during the Board of Trustees meeting in June, and I can confirm that the board lost confidence in Dr. Mark Law,” Phalin wrote. “The responsibility for the decision to remove him from the posi tion of Honors director belongs to the provost.” Phalin reiterated to The Alligator Sunday she didn’t witness anything not based purely on performance go into the decision to relieve Law of his position.

“It just shows that maybe in the future, there will be more action toward student loans,” Pitts said. “In a couple years, if the Democrats take more control of the House and the Senate, maybe there will be more student loan However,relief.”some graduates feel the re lief only provides short-term mitigation of a larger issue. Mackenzie Mathieu-Busher, a 34-year-old acupuncturist and Gainesville resident, said the provisions won’t help her make significant progress on her $90,000 stu dent loan debt.

Clemons’ campaign focuses on education funding, antifracking and private sector legislation, according to Clem ons’ website.

Four days later, Glover sent an email to the students and families of the Honors College further denying the claim that Law was fired by the Board of Trustees. Glover was unavail able for further comment to The Alligator as of Sunday.“Ifeel strongly compelled, therefore, to set the record straight,” Glover wrote in the email. “The Board of Trustees did not fire Dr. Mark Law.”Itwasn’t Glover who made the ultimate de cision to fire him, and his termination wouldn’t have taken place without the loss of confidence by the Board of Trustees, Law said Sunday in an interview with The Alligator. In both of Glover’s public statements, the provost men tioned the opinion of the board, Law said. Law said he wasn’t given any indication as to what administration wanted from the pro gram or what promises members felt he wasn’t delivering on.

After a tight race, Brandon Scott Peters won the Demo cratic nomination over opponent Olysha Magruder for Flor ida’s 22nd State House District. Peters beat Magruder by around 4 percentage points, collecting around 52% of the total vote overall. He won by 550 votes, showing significant advantage in Gilchrist and Levy counties with around 67% and 74% of the votes respectively. Magruder, on the other hand, won around 53% of Alachua County’s votes. “The voters had an opportunity to judge everyone on their relative merits,” Peters said. “It was a close race.” Results for the race were filed by noon Friday, as re quired by Florida statute.

The general election will take place Nov. 8, where Pe ters will face Republican candidate Rep. Chuck Clemons. Clemons currently holds office in Florida’s 21st State House District, and has served since 2016. Due to redrawn district lines, if reelected, he will occupy the 22nd District seat.

She won’t have to start payments until after she graduates, but her debt is growing now. One of Hartnett’s loans is unsubsidized, meaning it collects interest while she is still a student. Subsidized loans, conversely, do not collect interest while the borrower is still a student.Hartnett’s circumstances aren’t isolated, she said. She knows a lot of people who are in the same position. The federal plan also includes cuts to minimum student loan payments, or the least amount of money a borrower can pay monthly without incurring interest.

The decrease puts complete payment within reach, Hartnett said.

abush@alligator.org@aidandisto

Brandon Peters narrowly secures Democratic nomination for State House race, will face Chuck Clemons Opponent Olysha Magruder lost by about 4%

“He loved what he did, he loved all the stu dents and I never heard a bad thing about him fromWilliamanyone.”Eberhardt, a 22-year-old political science senior and vice president of the Honors Ensemble, said he felt Law’s departure came out of “I'mnowhere.sureeveryone feels that there was no indication to any of us that anything was wrong,” Eberhardt said. “I cannot think of a single person who had anything negative to say about Dr. EberhardtLaw.”has no confidence in the adminis tration, citing earlier UF controversies and the lack of a “concrete reason” for Law’s termina tion.Law will remain a tenured professor at UF in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.“Icontinue to stand by my leadership of the Honors Program,” Law said. “I wish Dr. John son and the Honors team the best and will of fer any support in the transition period that is asked of me. We all at UF have a goal of student success.” Mickenzie Hannon contributed to this ccasale@alligator.org@vanityhackreport.

“I won’t say no to any free money, but $10,000 off of 90,000 isn’t that big of an im pact,” she Mathieu-Bushersaid. graduated from Universi ty of Massachusetts Amherst with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, accumulating debt through a combination of subsidized and un subsidized federal loans she took out to pay for her schooling. She took up acupuncture because her previous work with nonprofits wasn’t sustainable to meet the cost of living. Biden’s plan only alleviates some of the symptoms of the main problem rather than solving it, Mathieu-Busher said. The admin istration, she said, should work toward for giving all debt and creating an easier path to obtaining grant funding. “Let’s be done with this,” Mathieu-Bush er said. “It’s just ridiculous.” hbushman@alligator.org@hmb_1013 LOANS,of Trustees lost confidence Complete payment within reach for some

from pg. 1 Board

Potential borrowers are also more at ease following Biden’s announcement.

Griffin Pitts, an 18-year-old UF computer science freshman, plans to take out a loan to pay for housing and other costs of living. Though he receives tuition money through the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Pro gram, Pitts has to pay his way to live in Gainesville.Wednesday’s news left him feeling opti mistic about taking out a loan, Pitts said.

“The [University of Florida Board of Trust ees] lost confidence in Dr. Mark Law’s leader ship as director of UF’s Honors Program, but the decision to remove him from that position was mine and I stand by it,” Glover said. “We look forward to moving the program in a new direction and taking it to the next level befitting a top-five public university.”

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 ALLIGATOR 5

The average debt among that group is more than $15,000, slightly lower than that of stu dents from other universities across the state. At Florida State University, 26% of stu dents received a federal loan, and the average debt of graduates is $18,750. Around 26% of students at the University of Central Florida also take out a federal loan, and alumni grad uate with an average debt of about $18,600. Cynthia Roldan Hernandez, a UF spokes person, wrote in an email that several pro grams at UF make graduating debt-free a possibility for most undergraduate students.

MARK LAW, from pg. 1 STUDENT

Peters' campaign received more than $110,000 in dona tions, according to a Transparency USA report. Donors for Peters include Kayser Enneking, Democratic candidate who ran against Rep. Chuck Clemons in 2020, and Ken Russell, Democratic candidate who ran against Annette Taddeo in Florida’s 27th Congressional District Tuesday. "With a 1,200 vote cushion from the rural counties, we were able to absorb the 700 vote deficit we faced in Alachua County,” Peters said in a release Wednesday. Magruder, 44, conceded Wednesday morning and pledged to support Peters in the general election. She said both candidates felt united against their Republican oppo nent.“I am understandably disappointed that we didn’t win the primary, but I am proud of the campaign that we ran,” Magruder said. “I am 100% behind [Peters] for the general elections to defeat Chuck Clemons.”

Peters, who has previously served as a trial lawyer for decades, said his campaign is critical of Clemons’ decisions on Someinfrastructure.ofthemost pressing legislative bills Peters looks to challenge are SB 100 and SB 7068 — toll road expansion bills that Clemons historically supported. The bills allowed for toll creation on existing high-traffic urban roads and the creation of additional turnpikes across the state respective ly. Clemons voted against later amendments to SB 7068, one of which would define license tax parameters. “We’ll be making the case for why we believe that my approach is more inclusive, more fair and ultimately better for the residents of District 22,” Peters said.

“That’s a huge, huge relief,” she said. “As anyone who has significant student loans knows, you can be paying for years and nev er touch the interest.”

The university awarded more than $71 million in aid to undergraduates for the 2021-22 academic year. Programs like the Excellence Grant and other avenues of in stitutional aid allow 70% of undergraduates to complete a four-year degree without debt, Roldan“Thewrote.University of Florida has a long standing commitment to providing students with an excellent education that is afford able,” she wrote. Most of this aid is only applicable to undergraduate students — not graduate students like Rachel Hartnett, who had to take out loans once she began her doctoral program at UF. Hartnett, a 34-year-old UF English doctoral student, graduate assistant and co-president of Graduate Assistants Unit ed, said her student loan debt totals about $32,000.The new provisions could completely clear graduates who fall within those num bers. Some UF Pell Grant recipients who sit under the $125,000 salary cap, like Hartnett, could see some, if not all, of their debt for given.“I am eligible for the whole $20,000, which is huge,” she said. “It’s almost twothirds of what I actually owe.”

By Aidan Bush Alligator Staff Writer

She did acknowledge a lack of a clear an swer from UF administration on the nature of his termination, which could add further mis trust between administration and a faculty with already waning morale. Phalin pointed out the “information vac uum” under these conditions could lead to a range of speculation by the public. “I encouraged the administration to com municate with the public very quickly about the situation,” Phalin said. “It was their po sition that they just don't talk publicly about personnel matters, and so they didn't want to respond.”Speculation on political motives for Law’s firing have gained popularity on forums like Reddit. Multiple social media users have point ed to his alleged stances on mandating masks and gender-neutral bathrooms as possible rea sons behind the termination. Law’s firing came as a shock to many in the Honors community, including 20-year-old UF communication sciences and disorders honors junior Kylie Fernandez. Fernandez felt the uni versity didn’t provide a good reason for their leadership shake-up, she said. “He's a really cool guy,” Fernandez said.

As the general election draws closer, Peters said he plans to continue being visible to district residents on the cam paign“Wetrail.are filled with gratitude for the wonderful support we received from our dear friends, both old and new,” Pe ters said in a release.

Under the new program, borrowers will only have to pay a minimum of 5% of their monthly discretionary income — or their net income after income tax deductions — toward their student loans. This deduction slashes the minimum of most debt plans in half, according to the White House’s fact sheet on student loans.

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 Students’ first week back on campus Joey Bada$$, Playground Music Festival and Florida Volleyball kick off the semester Alessandra Ayala // Alligator Staff Robbie Kingsley, lead singer of The Hails, performs their hit song “Younger” for Gainesville fans at Playground Music Festival at Heartwood Soundstage Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Lorenzo Vasquez // Alligator Staff Joey Bada$$ performs at the Stephen O’Connell Center Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff Members of the Florida volleyball team celebrate after scoring a point against Virginia Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Alessandra Ayala // Alligator Staff Students wait for Joey Bada$$ to come on stage at the Stephen O’Connell Center Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.

SwampHeartwood.atRecords bands The Fo rum, Madwoman and Driptones also performed at Playground. Kayleigh Thomas, the 21-year-old Swamp Records co-president, said tickets began to sell fast when the lineup dropped in August.

imarzban@alligator.orgeanwar@alligator.org@ErinaAnwar_@IsabellaMarzban

Dave Melosh, the 42-year-old co-founder and general manager of Heartwood Soundstage, said the festival contracted bands through flipturn and their man agement team. The total cost of the event was estimated to be around $40,000 to $50,000, Me losh said. Bars and food kiosks were set up around the venue, of fering people a refreshing drink to beat the 90-degree heat. Playground was the first festi val experience for Maggie Tran, a 19-year-old UF music sophomore. Initially, Tran said, she thought she wouldn’t have fun at the festi val because she’s 4 feet, 11 inches tall — worried she wouldn’t be able to see the performances. But she did. Tran was especially ex cited to see flipturn perform at the end of the night.

As the last note played and the crowd began to simmer, a quick moment of silence turned into a stampede as the audience moved from the “see” stage to the “saw” stage, chatting excitedly about the act to Morecome.than 1,000 people from across the state flocked to a small Gainesville venue in the sticky summer heat Saturday, headbang ing and jumping up and down to local indie acts. Thirteen bands played back-to-back sets at the Playground Music and Arts Fes tival. The festival was hosted by Heartwood Soundstage as a kickoff to indie rock band flipturn’s debut album, “Shadowglow,” which dropped Aug. 19. The nearly 11-hour festival was organized as a collaboration between Heartwood, flipturn, the band’s touring company Atlas and UF music label Swamp Records. Flipturn manager Sam Heekin, 26, said he partnered with Swamp Records in order to help pro mote the local music scene in Gainesville.Flipturn headlined the festival, performing last in the lineup with a two-hour set from 9 to 11 p.m. Since the band’s creation in 2015, it has gained a loyal fanbase that has allowed them to play larger venues and launch a cross-U.S. tour.Bassist Madeline Jarman said the band has grown considerably since its early days. “We started out just having like 20 of our friends that we basically forced to buy a ticket to come to our show,” Jarman said. “Seeing the fan base blossom in other cit ies like Atlanta and throughout Florida has been really neat.”

Alessandra Ayala // Alligator Staff Xander Boggs, guitarist and keyboard player for The Driptones, plays for the growing crowd at Playground Music Festival at Heartwood Soundstage Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022.

The band wanted to do some thing special in Gainesville fol lowing the release of its debut album, flipturn’s publicist Madi FlorenceFlorence,said.24, has been close with the band members since col lege. Holding a show the week

“I think events like this are that uniting factor of Gainesville,” Thomas said.

By Erina Anwar & Isabella Marzban Avenue Staff Writers

“I’ve listened to their music,” Tran said. “They have no skips.”

MUSIC

SATURDAYHEARTWOOD

ening up, getting better.”

Isis Aguilar drove two hours from New Port Richey to see flip turn for the fourth or fifth time since she was introduced to the band at a house show two years ago.Aguilar, 24, said she recent ly listened to flipturn’s album, “Shadowglow,” and plans to sup port the band on any future music endeavors. “I’m very proud of them. When I followed them, it was in the house show,” Aguilar said. “This was also like a year ago, and now they have a whole festival.”

One performance attendees were looking forward to was Driveaway, a local indie band that draws influence from hip-hop, R&B and Bassistpop.Tanner Ropp, 23, said one of the most exciting parts of playing Playground was connect ing with other musicians. “It’s really cool seeing all these bands in the same place because we’ve crossed paths with a lot of them throughout our journey here in Florida,” Ropp said. “So, it’s been really fun to all come togeth er because everybody’s met each other at some point.”

Keep up with the Avenue on Twitter. Tweet @TheFloridaAve.us MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue Napier navigates new recruits Reporter Michael Hull discusses the importance of having patience as a Gators football fan. Read more on pg. 11. Scan to follow the Avenue on Spotify THIRTEEN INDIE BANDS PLAYED

Orlando-based rock band The Forum has performed with flip turn in the past. The band be gan in Gainesville in 2016 while members Michael Higgins, Nick Wheeler, Jake Farrell and Ethan Klohr were UF students. Hig gins, Farrell and Wheeler met each other through Craigslist ads, which served as inspiration for the band’s name. The Forum performed a 40-minute set that had the crowd dancing and jumping along to the beat.“Heartwood has its own builtin community,” Higgins, 27, said. “The crowd was very receptive, and I’m glad that many people were here as early as they were.” Farrell, 25, said the band ex periments with different concepts to create its own sound. Though Higgins writes most of the lyrics, all of the members come together to produce the music. “We’re entertainers,” he said. “That’s not the same thing as be ing a musician. When you are in a band, you are like 50% musician and 50% entertainer.”

More than a thousand fans jam out at Playground Music and Arts Festival

Ropp’s passion for music be gan in first grade when his par ents signed him and his brother and current bandmate, Trenton Ropp, 25, up for piano lessons. From that point forward, both brothers started learning how to play guitar, playing local churches and looking for members to form a band. The Ropp brothers’ love for music led to an interest in live performance, resulting in the creation of the band Driveaway alongside guitarist Kyle Boswell Tapley, 26. Shortly following the band’s formation, Driveaway has had the opportunity to perform at Gainesville staples like High Dive, and they’ve become recurring per formers

Alessandra Ayala // Alligator Staff Dillon Basse, lead singer of Flipturn, headlines alongside his band at Playground Music Festival at Heartwood Soundstage Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022..

Bruce Floyd, the social media director for the Florida Gators, said he came out to hear “qual ity live music.” Floyd, 50, is a flipturn fan who said he follows other acts on social media. “A lot of them originated in Gainesville, and it’s been nice to see them sort of blossom and ex pand,” Floyd said. “This is a fan tastic opportunity to see a lot of these bands who have come back and have spent all this time tight

school started has been a tradi tion the group wished to bring back with Playground, she said. “It’s an excuse to get all the friends together,” Florence said. “A lot of us graduated during CO VID, and it was like a very nongoodbye to everybody.”

These inevitable interactions actu ally help form relationships that can make freshmen feel more connected on campus. I’ve made friends just by smiling at other girls on my floor, walking into rooms with open doors during welcome week and sitting on the couch in the kitchen. An Unusual Bond Over the past few months, I’ve realized that many of my dorm’s less desirable qualities have managed to strengthen some of my friendships. Stories of sickness and mold growth spread from floor to floor quicker than one would think — often making floormates grow closer. Dubbed the “Jennings Flu,” some sort of cold-flu-allergy hybrid inevitably spread throughout my dorm during this year’s summer B term. As I took my routine trips to the floor’s bathroom, I often ran into my next-door neighbor. What start ed off as some brief greetings soon evolved into stronger inter actions. We chatted about our symptoms, updated each other on our visits to the UF Infirmary and checked up on each other in the hallways as our illnesses subsided.

• Refrain from expressing political opinions in public forums like social media platforms

EL CAIMÁN SU OPONENTE OLYSHA MAGRUDER PERDIÓ POR CERCA DE 4% Por Aidan Bush Escritor de El Caimán Traducido por Ana Trias Escritora de El Caimán Después de una carrera reñida, Brandon Scott Peters ganó la nomi nación demócrata contra su oponente Olysha Magruder para el Distrito 22 de la Cámara de Representantes del Estado de Florida. Peters venció a Magruder por al rededor de 4 puntos porcentuales, recolectando alrededor del 52% de los votos. Peters ganó por 550 votos, mostrando una ventaja significativa en los condados de Gilchrist y Levy con alrededor del 67% y el 74% de los votos, respectivamente. Magrud er, por otro lado, ganó alrededor del 53% de los votos del condado de Ala chua.“Los votantes tuvieron la oportun idad de juzgar a todos por sus respec tivos méritos”, dijo Peters. “Fue una carrera reñida”. Los resultados de la carrera se pre sentaron el viernes al mediodía, como lo exige el estatuto de Florida. Las elecciones generales se ll evarán a cabo el 8 de noviembre, donde Peters se enfrentará al candi dato republicano, el representante Chuck Clemons. Desde el 2016, Clem ons ocupa un cargo en el Distrito 21 de la Cámara de Representantes del estado de la Florida. Debido a las líneas distritales rediseñadas, si es reelegido, ocupará el asiento del Dis trito 22. Lea el resto en línea alligator.org/section/elcaiman.en@aidandistoabush@alligator.orgatrias@alligator.org

For much of our staff, this is the first election they’ve ever covered. It’s a daunting task to dive headfirst into political reporting, but many of our Fall 2022 staff members eagerly made the jump. We may stumble along the way, but that’s part of what makes The Alligator the newsroom it is. We’re not a media conglomerate that prioritizes profit over the community we cover: We’re a group of students trying to learn to be the best journalists we can be. Everything our newsroom creates is thoughtful, intentional and goes through rigorous rounds of factchecking and editing. Students work alongside students — some in senior roles and others just starting out — all the while acknowledging that every member of the staff is learning and growing as they go. We value the trust we’ve built with our community over the course of our 115-year legacy. We speak out against misinformation because it has no place in our community. It’s especially important as distrust grows toward the Electionsmedia.have become contentious in a time of “alternative facts” and “fake news.” And as we look forward to November, we’ll continue to do our part in reporting the truth. Thank you for taking a look behind the scenes of the news in an age where many don’t take the time to read it. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator. Halaly Halima

The existence of these not-so-great dorm characteristics, in themselves, give students something to bond over. As the re cent “Jennings Flu” made its way throughout our dorm, peo ple began interacting with each other in all types of ways, in cluding through dry-erase boards they placed on their doors.

Attah hattah@alligator.org@HalimaAttah

Editorial

Luckily, it’s virtually impossible to be completely lonely in a traditional dorm. Whether you’re brushing your teeth, utilizing resources in the common area or burning microwav able macaroni and cheese, be assured that you will almost always have company. For students grappling with home sickness, this can be comforting. If you’re getting settled into a traditional dorm this week, I encourage you to step into your shower shoes with a little less frustration. Living in a communal space is essential to the freshman year experience; you should give it a try!

• Consider how the perceived bias of articles, photos and graphics may be seen by members of the public

And although there are times when The Alligator has missed the mark on those values, we always look to improve our coverage by listening to feedback from the community we are committed to serving. This remains especially true during election cycles when our readership depends on us to cover campaigns fairly. But how does The Alligator cover elections, and how do we ensure our reporters remain a reliable source of news?

Brandon Peters asegura la nominación demócrata en la carrera por la Cámara de Representantes, se enfrentará a Chuck Clemons

Characterized by their communal spaces and large fresh man populations, these types of residential halls have long at tracted negative attention due to their promotion of a practice that makes many uncomfortable: sharing. People typically prefer to possess their own things, and whether stemming from their negative experiences with younger siblings or humans’ innate desires to demonstrate ownership, these preferences often drive undergraduate stu dents to opt for more private housing options.

As a freshman here at UF myself, I can attest to the valid ity of Whilethis.I currently reside in a traditional dorm, I original ly planned on living in a suite — particularly that of Infin ity Hall. My interest in living there had no real foundation, though. Like many freshmen, I was so vehemently opposed to sharing a bathroom with strangers that I decided to rule traditional dorms out of my housing plan completely. Due to certain residential halls being unavailable, I had to choose a traditional dorm during my housing selection ap pointment — something that I once considered to be the end of the world. But three months later, I’m here to tell you that traditional dorms aren’t just habitable, but great. Really great. Despite their unpopularity, communal residential halls of fer benefits that complete the freshman experience here at UF.

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

Editorial guidance to staff on political reporting

ENGAGEMENTMANAGING EDITOR Halima Attah OPINIONS EDITOR MakiyaEDITORSeminera -INCHIEF

Columns of about 450 words about original topics and editorial cartoons are also welcome. Questions? Call 352-376-4458.

Freshmen need traditional dorms Column

How does The Alligator handle election coverage?

The Alligator staff has long held ourselves to a consistent set of standards: remaining ethical, unbiased, truthful and independent. We’re a student-run newsroom that cycles through a new staff every semester and fosters the development of new skills — a place to mess up before messing up as a full-time journalist.

On them, students would prompt each other to answer lighthearted questions that were updated daily. It was the small gestures like these that made me appreciate my new found friendships a lot. Reducing the Sting of Homesickness The transition from high school to college is typically not an easy one. Moving into a new environment can leave freshmen feeling homesick from being separated from family members and friends that are familiar to them.

IsabellaDIGITALDouglas MANAGING EDITOR Alan

• Treat sources on both sides of the political aisle fairly and respectfully • Verify claims made by political officials through a stringent fact-checking process

With a population of over 60,000 students — and a mere handful of exclusive living options — UF can only grant non traditional dorm access to so many. For undergraduate fresh men students in particular, this often means being forced to settle for communal housing options.

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

• Don’t accept financial compensation, gifts or food at candidate watch parties

It wouldn’t be outlandish to say that many are opposed to living in traditional dorms.

A Stronger Social Fabric Most first-year students assume that making friends will be a challenge on campus. Through living in a traditional dorm, I’ve found that this fear of mine was dissolved. It’s basically science: the more that the distance between two people lessens, the more they will end up interacting.

Suites and apartment style residence halls have gained significant popularity from UF students in recent years, with individuals living in Beaty Towers and Infinity Hall — two nontraditional housing options at UF — praising them for their private bathrooms and related amenities. But not everyone can get what they want.

Think about it — if you live in close proximity to 50 other students, sharing areas like the bathroom and the kitchen, it becomes necessary to interact with them in order to avoid awkwardness.

Halima Attah is the Opinion Editor at The Alligator.

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10 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022

By Ethan Eibe Sports Writer With a revamped squad of new faces, the Gators volleyball team played its open ing games like the players had years of chemistry between them. For the 25th time in program history, Florida started its season 3-0. The Gators began their season with a bang, bringing three opponents to Gainesville for a round-robin invitational. No. 15 Florida hosted — and defeated — the North Florida Ospreys, East Tennessee State Buccaneers and Virginia Cavaliers over the Florida’sweekend.outside hitters gave the few thousand O’Dome fans plenty to cheer about. Sophomore Merritt Beason and se nior Marina Markova accumulated 13.7 and 11 kills per game respectively. Bea son’s 17 kills against East Tennessee State Saturday night set a new career high for the newly named team captain. Markova, who transfered from Syracuse for her se nior season, wasted no time making an exceptional first impression. Together, they could prove to be a near unstoppable force on Florida’s front line. “[Marina] is so energetic and I love it. I feed off of her,” Beason said. “If one of us might be a little bit off, the other one can pick up that slack. Working that out every day in practice and learning how we play as a team together, it's a great oppor tunity. We're so excited for this season; we’re so excited to continue growing and keepFloridaprogressing.”headcoach Mary Wise, who is in her 32nd year leading the Gators, of fered the pair her praise. “That was a lot of swings for those two to have only two hitting errors. You just do not see that in your pins,” Wise said. “You may see those numbers in your mid dles over multiple matches, but not two players in the same match.” Beason and Markova are set to take on the roles of outside hitters T’ara Ceasar and Thayer Hall, two players who provid ed a considerable portion of Florida’s of fensive thump the last few seasons. Ceasar ranked third nationally in kills per set in 2021. Hall started all 31 matches during her senior season, and with 1,298 kills at UF she slots in at 10th in the program’s history.With both former stars having depart ed, it will now fall to Beason and Markova to make the most of their opportunity.

"I think what you're seeing here is the Gators aren't going away on the recruiting trail,” Napier said. Five-star cornerback Cormani McClain — the highest rated recruit at his position and in the state — is set for an official visit to Gainesville Sept. 3. His attendance when Florida hosts the Utah Utes to open its season will be a welcome sight to Gator fans. The Lakeland High School product is currently be ing predicted to choose Florida by 247Sports, and he would be the big splash commitment Napier has been telling everyone to wait for.

On top of McClain, five-star defensive end Keon Keeley recently decommitted from Notre Dame. An initial target for the Gators, Keeley is the top-ranked defensive end in the class and a Tampa native. 247Sports’ Tom Loy predicts Keeley will commit to Alabama. Patience is a virtue, a virtue Napier is quickly teaching Florida fans. As four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers once told Green Bay Packer fans: “R-E-L-A-X. Relax. We’re going to be okay.”TheFlorida football program has the right general in charge. They’re going to be okay. Just relax.

Column SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 12

The Gators dropped the opening sets to both North Florida and East Tennessee, but rebounded both times to win the fi nal three sets. By the time Virginia graced the O’Dome court Saturday night, UF ap peared to have worked out the kinks from its first two matches. The Gators owned the Cavaliers from start to finish, combin ing an extra aggressive offense with timely blocking.Wisewas pleased with her squad’s ef fort and chemistry. “First and second contact were very good, very clean and allowed our hitters to do what they do best in terms of making good hitting decisions,” Wise said. She attributes the team’s chemistry to her players understanding their roles and supporting one another, even though she can only put six of them on the court at one time. Wise believes the players who didn’t see action Friday or Saturday -– and will only see limited play all season — still play a pivotal role in the improvement process.“The chemistry comes from those play ers that are working so hard to help us win and haven't even stepped on the floor,” Wise said. A substantial amount of Florida’s suc cess through its first three matches can be attributed to doing the little things right. If

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff Freshman setter Alexis Stucky serves against Virginia Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Stucky averaged 33 assists per match over Florida’s opening matches.

ess than seven months into his tenure as head coach of the Florida Gators, Billy Na pier penned an open letter to Gator nation. Despite calling for patience in his opening press conference back in December 2021, Florida fans seemed to have forgotten that no tion. The headlines started to roll in from national outlets. Message boards were set ablaze when Flor ida didn’t immediately shoot to the top of the recruiting boards under the former LouisianaLafayette coach. “One thing we have learned in the past six months is that Gators are resilient and passion ate. In all kinds of weather,” Napier said in his June letter. “I can assure you that no one has higher expectations for what we want to ac complish than me.” Florida fans wanted to immediately com pete with the Georgias and the Alabamas of the world, but that’s not how a rebuild works. In order to build the program back up, you have to tear some things down. It’s like remod eling a house: Sometimes, you have to tear the foundations down to the studs in order to create something better. If the foundation of a house isn’t set properly, the rest can crumble. Guess what? The process of a remodel doesn’t always look pretty. In fact, a lot of times it looks downright terrifying — dust ev erywhere, sheets all over the place — it doesn’t look like it can ever be livable. However, you have to trust the architect. He has the blue print.Napier had to backtrack to just get Florida into a semi-competitive state after the last guy left the program with next to nothing. To be fair, it wasn’t recruiting season when Dan Mul len got fired. Napier attacked the 2022 class first, working the transfer portal and push ing hard on National Signing Day to bring the class to a respectable 17th overall position on 247Sports.Considering the Gators were at one time outside the top-70, that should’ve been seen as a massive win. The coach then turned his attention to 2023, which is where he began to lose some fan support. Recruits who seemed to be leaning toward UF decided to go elsewhere. Five-star cornerback AJ Harris canceled his official visit to Florida and committed to Georgia. Four-star offensive lineman Roderick Kearney commit ted to Florida State a half hour after leaving his visit to Gainesville. As the summer rolled on, Florida held just five commits in the class of 2023, causing Na pier to pen the aforementioned letter. Florida fans wanted results now. Hope seemed bleak in the eyes of many. However, it’s always darkest before the dawn. Over the last few months, 15 highly-touted prospects have announced their plans to join Billy’s army in Gainesville. The 2023 recruit ing class has skyrocketed into the top-10 on 247Sports as we roll into mid-August, and there is still more to beNapierdone. and his staff grabbed four four-star defenders in a twoday span a couple weekends ago, including three along the defensive line, a position of dire need. Eigh teen of the 20 commits in the 2023 class are four stars, only trailing Notre Dame — who has 19 — for the most in the country. "The old adage — plan your work and work your plan," Napier said during his Aug. 15 media availability. "We're going to plan our work, work our plan. We're going to be dili gent. Be Floridaconsistent."fansseem to be coming around on the whole “trust the process” idea. Napier isn’t just pulling lower-level recruits, he’s battling head-to-head with the big dogs of college football, and he’s winning. He plucked four-star Kelby Collins from Nick Saban’s backyard in Gardendale, Alabama. He’s not only succeeding outside of state borders, but he’s also focusing on the talent in the Sunshine State.Napier said player proximity was one of the reasons why the Florida gig is one of the elite in college football. While the last regime routinely lost homegrown talent to the likes of Kirby Smart, Ryan Day and Saban, Napier has made the state a priority. Fifteen of the 20 recruits in the 2023 class are from Florida, including Orlando native wide receiver Aidan Mizell, who used live alligators to announce his commitment to UF July 29. Florida isn’t close to done with this class ei ther. Just ask Napier himself.

three

Florida volleyball off to a roaring start with perfect weekend

L

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/sports Follow us for updates For updates on UF athletics, follow us on Twitter at @alligatorSports or online www.alligator.org/section/sports.at Follow our newsletter Love alligatorSports? Stay up to date on our content by following our newsletter. Scan the QR Code to sign up. 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. VOLLEYBALL UF HOSTED NORTH FLORIDA, EAST TENNESSEE STATE AND VIRGINIA FOR THE GATORS INVITATIONAL

BillyNapierteachingFloridafansavaluablelessoninpatience Michael Hull mhull@alligator.org@Michael_Hull33

Junior libero Elli McKissock after a point against Virginia Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. McKissock racked up 39 digs through Florida’s opening three matches.

The match, which will begin at 7 p.m. and broadcast on the SEC Network, will be UF’s first true test of the young season.

Former setter Marlie Monserez — who departed to the University of California, Los Angeles to play beach volleyball as a graduate student — was an AVCA Second Team All-American a season ago. She was also named Southeastern Conference Setter of the Week five times in 2021, and 11 times throughout her UF career. Florida will now turn its attention to hosting the No. 14 Stanford Cardinal at the Stephen C. O’Connell center Tuesday. “We're going to prepare for Stanford just like we did for these three matches, and we're going to just treat it like another game,” Beason said. “Coming off this week end, we've learned a ton. We know exactly what we need to work on these next few days in practice.”

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2022 an opposing team started breaking through, the defense tightened up. Junior libero Elli McKissock totaled 39 digs and directly transferred defensive success into points from the back row. Sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Essix blocked 13 balls to lead the Gators. A pleasant surprise for the Gators was the emergence of freshman setter Alexis Stucky, who enabled the offense to run smoothly while averaging 33 assists per match. Florida didn’t lose a single set she played in. “It is pretty special to have a freshman setter who can control the ball as well as she does,” Wise said. “There are parts of her games that by decision aren't a high pri ority that will evolve over time, but we've asked her to set killable balls and she did that.” Stucky fills big shoes for Florida.

eeibe@alligator.org@EthanEie VOLLEYBALL, from pg. 11 New season, new look Gators

Rae Riiska Staff

// Alligator