Monday Jan. 24, 2021

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MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

VOLUME 116 ISSUE 20 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

COVID-19 positive students locked out of dorms, left frustrated

UF sparingly provides isolation dorms, as opposed to initial pandemic response

By Fernando Figueroa Alligator Staff Writer

When Juan Esquivel, a 19-yearold freshman, tested positive for COVID-19 Jan. 12, he wasn’t offered a quarantine option. UF told him he didn’t have an alternative to leaving campus.

Esquivel said he distinctly remembers the disrespectful tone of the UF housing and residency employee’s voice.

“I let her know that I'm going to try to find a place to stay, and I get told that trying is not enough,” Esquivel said. “I need to get out of there by 5 p.m. or there'll be serious consequences.”

As cases rise and a UF study forecasted a January peak in the state’s reported cases, students have expressed their disenchantment with the current on-campus policy regarding COVID-19 positive students.

UF will no longer provide isolation dorms for students who live on campus for a “proper quarantine or isolation length,” according to UF Health’s Screen Test & Protect. No further information on how long these periods last is available.

Isolation dorms are only available in extenuating circumstances, wrote Sara Tanner, director of the Division of Student Affairs. A limited number are provided to students on the basis of availability, she wrote.

“When needing to isolate, students may communicate a variety of extenuating circumstances, including distance

from home, financial difficulties and medical concerns at home,” Tanner wrote.

Tanner and UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan did not respond to questions regarding a recent Tweet by @AprilMRubin detailing an experience at an isolation dorm this semester and whether it is an accurate representation of current policy in time for publication.

They also did not respond to The Alligator in time for publication regarding isolation statistics and policies.

Scrambling to find a place to stay after UF kicked him out, Esquivel said his 21-year-old friend had to check him into a hotel because he couldn’t find one that allowed people under 21 to check-in.

He had a scheduled flight the next day to Tennessee to stay with family, he said. He slept for a single night at a hotel and caught his flight the next morning.

Because he was COVID positive, he used two masks and washed his hands constantly, he said. No one around him tested positive after interacting with him, so he doubted that he would infect strangers. And he didn’t have a choice.

“By my second day in Tennessee, the time recommended to avoid contact would’ve ended,” he wrote in a text.

Instead of catching up on work the day he was kicked out, he had to deal with the situation that had sprung upon him.

“It is a very huge inconvenience that can become a major block in

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Gator basketball's twin Story description finish withplayers comma, pg#

The sisters came in strong their freshmen year. Find the story on pg. 12.

SEE COVID DORMS, PAGE 4

Esha Nair // Alligator Staff

Jackson Jensen, 10, rides the carousel at the second weekend of the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire on Sunday, Jan. 23. The three-weekend event was hosted at a new location this year at 9409 SW Archer Rd.

English teacher received regional award for dedication to special education CASSIDY KLEIN TEACHES STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES

By Emma Behrmann Alligator Staff Writer

The outline of Cassidy Klein’s smile crinkled her mask as she spoke of her English students at the A. Quinn Jones Center.

Behind her, a small letterboard

COVID-19 financial aid

UF students doubt aid will continue this semester, pg. 6

Santa Fe Gallery reopening

The gallery hosts its first show since the pandemic, pg. 8

read, “It’s not where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts” — a mantra her classroom embodies.

Klein, a 25-year-old high school English teacher, received the 2022 Division for Emotional & Behavioral Health teacher of the year award. The DEBH is an international community of educators that dedicates itself to the success of students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders. Klein traveled to

Orlando Monday to receive her plaque.

Klein won out of the seven states that make up region 8: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi.

For the last four years, Klein has built long-lasting relationships with her students at the center.

Handwritten posters hang on

SEE TEACHER, PAGE 4

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2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

Today’sUF Weather Judge prevents from enforcing its conflict-of-interest policy JUDGE MARK WALKER ISSUED A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION FRIDAY MORNING

By Elena Barrera Alligator Staff Writer

A

federal judge prohibited UF from enforcing its conflictof-interest policy, which the university had used to bar professors from testifying in court, Friday morning.

District Judge Mark Walker, a double Gator, granted six UF professors requests for a preliminary injunction, an order to end UF’s policy. In November, the professors filed a lawsuit against UF for barring them from providing expert testimony in court cases against the state.

Professors must gain approval from the university to engage in outside activities, like giving expert testimony in court, according to the policy. The conflict-of-interest policy allows UF to bar professor testimony and other outside activities that conflict with their university duties.

After receiving criticism from the United States Congress, university accreditors and the general public, UF President Kent Fuchs appointed a task force to review the policy. The

task force presented Fuchs with recommendations to improve the policy, and he accepted all of them Nov. 23. In his order, Walker wrote that the policy chilled professors’ speech.

Walker cited Board of Trustee Chairman Morteza “Mori” Hosseini's statements made during a Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 3 as a reason for ruling in favor of the professors’ motion.

During the meeting, Hosseini demanded an end to faculty members taking advantage of their positions and advocating personal political viewpoints.

Hosseini credited UF’s accomplishments within the last five years to state leaders. He said these leaders were fed up with the waste of state money on the professors misusing their positions.

“Chairman Hosseini’s remarks made plain that UF was beholden to the Florida Legislature and that it would not permit its faculty to continue offending lawmakers in Tallahassee,” Walker wrote.

The second part of the professors’ motion challenged the university’s amicus brief policy, which oversees written expert statements in a court case; however, Walker denied this. The school’s conflict-of-commitment policy, which prohibits faculty from devoting too much time to

VOLUME 116 ISSUE 20

ISSN 0889-2423

Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications Inc., of Gainesville, Florida

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outside activities, will remain in place according to the order.

Walker’s decision to block UF from enforcing its conflictof-interest policy is a major step towards protecting professors’ contributions to democracy, David O’Neil, the professors’ lawyer, wrote in a statement.

“The decision sends a clear message to public universities across the country – and to politicians who would try to interfere with them – that they too must honor the constitutional principles that make the college campus a vital engine of a free society,” O’Neil wrote.

UF is reviewing the judge’s order to determine its next steps, Hessy Fernandez, a UF spokesperson, wrote in an email.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 ALLIGATOR 3

THERE'S NEVER BEEN A MORE IMPORTANT TIME TO QUIT! Smoking can cause a higher risk of getting lung and chest infections, and using e-cigarettes can increase your odds of developing respiratory disease by 95%.

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

UF offered conflicting guidance COVID DORMS, from pg. 1 somebody’s semester if it lines up wrong with something,” he said.

Alternatives to this policy should include housing for students who come back positive or financial help to those that need to stay in a hotel, Esquivel said. This would grant students some time to figure out where they can go.

“Arranging to leave Gainesville in five hours is probably not something a lot of people can afford … or do,” he said.

Other students, like Sam Curry, found a way to leave Gainesville before UF could tell them their dorm key fob would be disabled.

Curry, a 19-year-old public health freshman, first lost her sense of taste and smell on Jan. 14.

UF did not have tests available until Jan 18., Curry said. Her mom had to drive up from Deerfield Beach to bring her an at-home rapid test, which came back positive.

She immediately packed her bags and left her Lakeside Complex dorm the same day without notifying UF. Curry received an email last week from the College of Public Health and Health Professions informing that students who take COVID-19 tests off-campus should call and let them know if it comes back positive.

After getting settled at her home in Deerfield Beach, Curry called UF’s DOH COVID Operations on Jan. 17 informing the representative of her positive status.

During the call, the representative told her it was her responsibility to tell students they were exposed, she said.

“I asked them if I needed to provide names for contact tracing, and they told me that due to the volume of cases, the school is not doing contact tracing,” Curry said.

“And that is on the people who are positive to tell everybody.”

A spokesperson for UF DOH COVID Operations refused to make a statement about this aspect of their policy and did not provide their name.

Matthew Cupelli, a 19-year-old media production management and technology freshman, came back positive for COVID-19 Wednesday and received an email the same day that outlined isolation requirements.

The email read that students must monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If the student stays symptom-free through day six, one can schedule a test and be released on or after the eighth isolation day or when the lab result comes back negative.

However, UF did not require a negative test for his campus clearance, Cupelli said. After

Alligator File Photo

Beaty Towers is seen in a file photo from 2017. calling UF for guidance on getting back to campus, he immediately received a cleared status.

Cupelli and his girlfriend, 18-year-old freshman Jamie Beach, tested twice. Their first test, which they both took Jan. 14, was an Abbott at-home test that was being distributed at the Graham Area Help Desk. Cupelli tested positive, but Beach did not.

To receive the tests, the couple had to show their UF ID. Once home, the couple downloaded

an app called Navica and got on a video call with a representative who guided them throughout the test-taking process.

After Cupelli’s test came back positive and Beach’s negative, they decided to test at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. This time, both tests came back positive.

Soon after their second test, Beach and Cupelli received emails Jan. 19 saying they needed to leave campus immediately, but they had already left. The email also stated

that UF is not required to and does not provide alternative housing, Beach said.

“I also find it interesting … the school does send out regular emails telling you where to get tested, reminding you to get vaccinated and wear masks,” Beach said, “But the school doesn't tell you what to do after that.” @fernfigue ffigueroa@alligator.org

Klein dedicated four years to the center TEACHER, from pg. 1

Ashleigh Lucas // Alligator Staff

English teacher Cassidy Klein from the A. Quinn Jones Center being interviewed on Thursday, Jan. 20. Klein was named the 2022 Division for Emotional and Behavioral Health Teacher of the Year. the walls, desks with the chairs attached fill the room and a single bean bag chair rests in the back corner. A typical high school classroom scene, except only four students sat in Klein’s sixth period and only one in her seventh. These students weren’t always there year-round.

The center serves students who need to make up credits, were kicked out of their previous school due to behavioral issues or have been in and out of the juvenile

justice system. Students grades six through 12 must stay for a minimum of 45 days. Nearly 60% of the center’s students require Exceptional Student Education, a curriculum for students with disabilities and conditions that affect their ability to learn in a conventional classroom.

Many students have an emotional and behavioral disorder diagnosis, Klein said.

Some days include crying, stomping or being cussed out, but you can’t take it

personally, Klein said. Instead, you focus on what the students need.

Klein adapts the district curriculum to better accommodate her students.

“I put a big emphasis on writing your story,” Klein said. “So we do a lot of very personal writing about past, present, future.”

She assigns an essay at the end of each year — a legacy story. Students write about their hopes for the future and the obstacles that shaped them.

Aunesti Debose, an 18-year-old at the A. Quinn Jones Center, is the only student in Klein’s seventh period on Thursday.

Out of all the chairs in the room, she sat on Klein’s black bean bag chair.

“She actually wants to help us become somebody in life,” Debose said. “When I come to her class, she’s always happy.

She’s the same person every day. You can tell she actually wants to help you.”

Klein graduated from the dual certification master’s program at UF and earned a degree in general education and ESE K-12. One of her professors and special education graduate program coordinator Ashley MacSuga-Gage nominated Klein for the award.

“She, right off the bat, asked and wanted to work with our students who truly struggle the most and who tend to get the least resources,” MacSuga-Gage said.

Because Klein chose to work with

students with emotional and behavioral disorders and thrives in that environment, MacSuga-Gage felt she embodied the criteria for this award.

“She doesn’t boast about what she does, but she certainly deserves it because she is more than qualified and she really goes above and beyond,” MacSuga-Gage said. “She’s just honestly a rockstar.”

Other teachers at the center recognize her effort too.

Klein gave up her planning period to start a new reading program for students, runs the school’s journal and stays in touch with students who have left the program years later, Jane Wilson, A. Quinn Jones art teacher said.

But Klein doesn’t see these acts as going out of her way — providing a wellrounded education is what she loves.

Running into a student who now succeeds at a traditional school or watching a student walk dressed in cap and gown fills her with joy, Klein said.

She learns from her students as they learn from her. She admires their resilience and determination to graduate high school despite past traumas.

“They’ve kind of taught me that no matter what you went through in your past, there’s always more,” Klein said.

She repeated the quote on the letterboard behind her, “It’s not where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts.” @emmabehrmann ebehrmann@alligator.org

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

We chose UF to be our school for a reason — have they given us enough to choose it again?

I

didn’t choose The Alligator Opinions Editor position for the money. It’s professors allow for one to two absences before your grade begins to suffer.

So we’re going to campus to pack into lecture halls full of masked people — if shocking, I know. they feel like it that day — for hours at a time, several times a week. If we want I took this job because I think the Opinions section is underrated. The to graduate, we have no choice in doing this. submissions on this page are a measure of what people in our community And then when we — almost inevitably — contract COVID-19, we’re not alcare about, what they believe in, what makes them tick. lowed on campus. While doing the right thing and staying in quarantine, we’re Right now, our community cares about COVID-19. Students and faculty are potentially missing class without the ability to attend virtually or catch up on sick, scared of getting sick or sick of the situation in general. And there’s no end work. We could miss entire lesson plans, assignments — even exams. in sight.

Sara Lindsay Another frustrating aspect of this is that the infrastructure for online classes Despite widespread symptoms of pandemic burnout, UF continues to imple@slindsay_ already exists — we’re just not utilizing it. But if your professor won’t accomment a laissez-faire leadership style when it comes to the virus. UF leaders exslindsay@alligator.org modate you, what are you supposed to do? Is UF expecting students to choose pect masks but won’t mandate them, online class alternatives are rarely offered between keeping others safe and maintaining their GPA? and simple social distancing protocols in classrooms seem to be a thing of the With these policies (or lack thereof), UF is indirectly pushing students to attend classes past.

To mitigate the danger students face every day by going to school, UF representatives knowing they have COVID-19, if not avoiding testing altogether.

I worked hard to get here, and I know you did, too. We deserve to feel safe on our own roll up their sleeves and continue to do what they do best — send out vague, insulting campus. We deserve more than patronizing emails and policies that force us to endanger emails. each other. Students pay thousands of dollars and go into massive debt for their education, And on Jan. 14, they outdid themselves.

Vice President for Student Life Dr. D’Andra Mull sent out an email with the intention and we chose UF for a reason. But the bond between UF and its students means nothing of helping students “navigate COVID-19” with “healthy behaviors.” The intention? Lovely. if the college’s leadership can’t prioritize our safety over profit — over “Top Five” status.

We chose UF to be our school. Let’s hope we’re not made to regret it.

The application? Not so much.

First, Mull recommends the obvious: staying home and self-quarantining if you’re sick.

If you have COVID-19, you should report your positive test to DOH COVID Operations “for further guidance” (I said it was vague).

Sara Lindsay is the Spring 2022 Opinions Editor for The Alligator and a senior The email goes on to say professors don’t have to use this information to provide accomjournalism major. She is currently a Pulitzer Fellow at the CJC and spends her free time modations for missed classes. If they want to provide “additional attendance options,” they at the park with her dog Sequoia. Sara can be reached at Lindsay slindsay@alligator.org. can, but only if they want to. Unsurprisingly, this isn’t very comforting considering many Follow her on Twitter @slindsay_.

Column

Are we REALLY all in this together?

I

am a retired member of the UF faculty — College of Business. Although these are my own views, I write this based on my experience as co-chair of the COVID Task Force of the United Faculty of Florida - UF Chapter and UF Graduate Assistants United.

The task force was formed in Spring 2020 to provide a focal point for concerns over the then-new (and not well understood) coronavirus. We hoped to be equal partners with the college’s administration and government leaders. Through surveys and interviews, we learned a great deal about how faculty members personally experienced these challenging times.

The administration had to devise an appropriate campus

management strategy, which led to students studying remotely. Faculty and graduate assistants quickly pivoted to online instruction, and staff stepped up to support the new workload (not easy). At that time, for better or worse, we were “all in this together.” Later, not so much.

As Fall 2020 progressed, there was increasing divergence on many issues between faculty/GA requests and demands and the response of the UF administration. UF announced Spring 2021 plans to return to on-campus learning, offering as many (or more) in-person class sections as were originally scheduled — even though there was no vaccine available at the time.

Faculty and GAs raised grave concerns about the spread

of virus on campus. Their requests for accommodation or exemption from teaching in-person were often denied, and considerations of effective teaching requirements were regularly ignored.

Faculty and GAs rightfully felt ignored and disenfranchised.

A foundational concept of a “univerSteven Kirn sity” is that of a community of scholopinions@alligator.org ars (and students) sharing governance with an administration. Many faculty feel that this shared governance covenant has been violated in favor of an increasingly expansive administrative structure, apparently beholden to corporate and political interests.

Faculty are also disappointed about what they see as unfulfilled expectations after joining UF. This is a common theme among both new faculty and long-term members. They have expressed a sense of isolation, obviously exacerbated by necessary COVID-19 protocols (or sometimes a lack thereof).

Several experienced faculty members say they are actively looking for positions at other institutions — ones that are seen as more participative and open. UF cannot afford to lose droves of valuable faculty members. They provide quality and substance to a school that wouldn’t be successful without them — “Top Five” status or not.

People are, simply put, tired. This has been an extraordinary time, and faculty/GAs have been asked to make extraordinary shifts in instructional design and plans, including reversals — even against their own advice and concern. While faculty/GAs have tried to do what is needed for both students and their own professional commitment, exhaustion takes a toll.

Finally, faculty were profoundly offended by the remarks by the UF Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He publicly berated faculty members as selfish and disloyal, mixing issues of faculty freedom of speech and COVID-19 policy compliance. This further compounded a sense of exclusion from faculty’s role in policy and governance, leading to an added sense of being disrespected.

UF’s reputation is under threat. There is a serious breakdown of trust and faith in the school’s academic governing process, the very concept of collegiality and respect for the role of faculty.

It will take years to repair the damage.

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

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

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

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

Four Gator athletic teams will receive new or revamped facilities The University of Florida’s $93 million athletic facilities master plan is expected to be finished in the next few months

By Lily Kino Alligator Staff Writer

Four teams, four shiny new facilities.

Phase three of the UF athletic facilities master plan is expected to be completed this Spring, fostering a fresh start for four Gator sports teams.

The final stage of the nearly eight-year plan includes the creation of the James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center and a soccer team facility. There will also be upgrades to the lacrosse facility and tennis complex.

Women’s soccer and lacrosse

About 8% of the plan’s $93 million budget will go towards an upgrade for the women’s soccer and lacrosse teams’ shared facility.

The soccer team will upgrade in April from a portable trailer to their own wing of the lacrosse facility, Donald R. Dizney Stadium, Howard wrote. The $7.4 million will add 13,800 square feet to the building and renovate 2,000 square feet of existing space.

The lacrosse facility developments will include a reception area, lounge, storage, team film room and coaches’ offices.

The soccer facility will be an addition to the current lacrosse building. It will provide the soccer team with coaches’ offices, a locker room, a training area, equipment storage, a lounge, a film room and other program spaces.

The women’s soccer team currently shares the Lemerand Athletic Center on Gale Lemerand Drive with three other UF teams.

They’ve used the center as a locker room, meeting hub and rehabilitation facility for many years, Cameron Hall, defensive midfielder on the women’s soccer team said.

For practice and games, the team traveled to the Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Hull Road, 1.4 miles away from the Lemerand Athletic Center.

“It was kind of inconvenient because that’s all on-campus,” Hall said, “And our fields are out by the baseball stadium.”

Because of the commute, the Gator’s soccer team uses the women’s lacrosse team facility — a space created over ten years ago — during practice.

“It does get kind of hectic in there, especially right now, because we both have morning practices,” Hall said. “They are in season, and we are not in season, so technically they have the upper hand because they need it. But it’s not like we don’t need it, so it is a little bit of a mess.

We make do with what we can, and we try to get out of their way.”

The women’s soccer team does have a space of their own out by their facility, however. It’s a portable trailer that doubles as a locker room.

“Imagine an empty room … that has one bathroom and a bunch of chairs around it. It has cubbies that we put our cleats in,” Hall said.

While her team was able to still make memories in their locker room on wheels, Hall said she is most excited about having an actual space that feels like theirs.

Football

The other 91% of the budget will go towards the football Gators team.

“I think we are all going to be grateful for what we have and understand that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’” Kyle Engel, a Gators quarterback said.

The Gators football team is looking forward to a new beginning in the 2022 season, welcoming Billy Napier — the former Louisiana coach — into The Swamp and making use of their upcoming state-of-the-art football training center.

“It’s kind of ironic how everything is going to be new: new coaching staff, new facility. I think it’s going to help the new staff bring their own culture into this program,” Engel said.

The $85 million dollar Heavener Football Training Center will feature a

podcast

streaming now!

Courtesy of University Athletics Association

Florida Gators Athletic Department ambassador Steve Spurrier autographs the final steel beam at the James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center at the facility’s topping-out ceremony on Tuesday, June 8. locker room, weight room, rehabilitation center, sports medicine area, nutrition house, meeting areas and coaches’ offices, Chip Howard, Executive Associate Athletics Director for Internal Affairs, wrote in an email.

“The facility will serve as the new daily home of the Florida football program,”

Howard wrote.

There will also be the addition of a dining hall in this complex, along with indoor and outdoor amenities for all 500 Gator student-athletes. @lily_kino lkino@alligator.org

El Caimán

LUNES, 24 DE ENERO DE 2022 www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman

La maestra de inglés A. Quinn Jones recibió un premio regional por su dedicación a la educación especial CASSIDY KLEIN, MAESTRA DE INGLÉS DEL CENTRO A. QUINN JONES RECIBIÓ UN PREMIO REGIONAL POR SU COMPROMISO CON LA EDUCACIÓN SOBRE LA SALUD EMOCIONAL Y CONDUCTUAL

Por Emma Behrman Escritora del personal del Caimán

Traducido por Marian Hernandez Escritora del Personal del Caimán

El contorno de la sonrisa de Cassidy Klein arrugó su mascarilla mientras hablaba de sus

Ashleigh Lucas // Personal del Caimán

Maestra de inglés Cassidy Klein es vista dentro del A. Quinn Jones Center el jueves 20 de enero. Klein fue nombrada Maestra del Año 2022 por la División de Salud Emocional y del Comportamiento.

estudiantes de inglés en el Centro A. Quinn Jones. Detrás de ella, un pequeño cartel decía "Lo que cuenta no es de dónde vienes, sino hacia dónde vas", un mantra que encarna su salón de clases.

Klein, una maestra de inglés de secundaria de 25 años, recibió el premio al maestro del año 2022 de la División de Salud Emocional y Conductual. El DEBH es una comunidad internacional de educadores que se dedica al éxito de los estudiantes con o en riesgo de trastornos emocionales y del comportamiento. Klein viajó a Orlando el lunes para recibir su placa. Klein ganó, de los siete estados que conforman la región 8: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Carolina del Norte, Carolina del Sur, Tennessee y Mississippi.

Durante los últimos cuatro años, Klein ha construido relaciones duraderas con sus alumnos en el centro.

Carteles escritos a mano cuelgan de las paredes, escritorios con las sillas adjuntas llenan la habitación y una sola silla puff descansa en la esquina trasera. Una escena típica del salón de clases de la escuela secundaria, excepto que solo cuatro estudiantes se sentaron en el sexto período de Klein y solo uno en el séptimo. Estos estudiantes no siempre estuvieron allí durante todo el año.

El centro atiende a estudiantes que necesitan recuperar créditos, fueron expulsados de ​​ su escuela anterior debido a problemas de comportamiento o han estado dentro y fuera del sistema de justicia juvenil. Los estudiantes de sexto a duodécimo grado deben quedarse por un mínimo de 45 días. Casi el 60% de los estudiantes del centro requieren Educación para Estudiantes Excepcionales, un plan de estudios para estudiantes con discapacidades y condiciones que afectan su capacidad de

aprender en un salón de clases convencional.

Muchos estudiantes tienen un diagnóstico de trastorno emocional y conductual, Klein dijo.

Algunos días incluyen llantos, pisoteos o ser maldecido, pero no puedes tomarlo a pecho, Klein dijo. Al contrario, te enfocas en lo que los estudiantes necesitan.

Klein adapta el plan de estudios del distrito para acomodar a sus estudiantes.

“Puse un gran énfasis en que escriban su historia”, Klein dijo. “Así que hacemos bastantes escritos muy personales sobre el pasado, el presente y el futuro”.

Ella asigna un ensayo al final de cada año: una historia heredada. Los estudiantes escriben sobre sus esperanzas para el futuro y los obstáculos que les dieron forma a estas esperanzas.

Aunesti Debose, una joven de 18 años del Centro A. Quinn Jones,es la única estudiante en el séptimo período de Klein el jueves. De todas las sillas de la habitación, se sentó en la bolsa puff negra de Klein.

“Ella realmente quiere ayudarnos a convertirnos en alguien en la vida”, dijo Debose.

“Cuando yo llego a su clase, ella siempre está feliz. Ella es la misma persona todos los días.

Puedes darte cuenta de que ella realmente te quiere ayudar”.

Klein se graduó del programa de maestría de doble certificación en la UF y obtuvo un título en educación general y ESE K-12. Una de sus profesoras y coordinadora del programa de posgrado en educación especial, Ashley MacSuga-Gage, nominó a Klein para el premio.

“Ella, desde el principio, pidió y quería trabajar con nuestros estudiantes que realmente enfrentan mayores dificultades y que tienden a obtener la menor cantidad de recursos”,

MacSuga-Gage dijo.

Debido a que Klein eligió trabajar con estudiantes con trastornos emocionales y conductuales y ella prospera en ese entorno, MacSuga-Gage sintió que encarnaba los criterios para este premio.

“Ella no se jacta de lo que hace, pero ciertamente se lo merece porque está más que calificada y realmente va más allá”, MacSuga-Gage dijo. "Ella es honestamente una estrella".

Otros profesores del centro también reconocen su esfuerzo.

Klein renunció a su período de planificación para comenzar un nuevo programa de lectura para los estudiantes, dirige el diario de la escuela y se mantiene en contacto con los estudiantes que salen del programa años después, dijo Jane Wilson, maestra de arte de A. Quinn Jones.

Pero Klein no considera que estos actos sean demasiado peso para ella: brindar una educación integral es lo que a ella le encanta.

Encontrarse con un estudiante que ahora tiene éxito en una escuela tradicional o ver a un estudiante caminar vestido con toga y birrete la llena de alegría, Kelin dijo.

Ella aprende al compás de sus estudiantes.

Ella admira su resiliencia y determinación para graduarse de la escuela secundaria a pesar de los traumas que ellos han pasado.

“Me han enseñado que no importa lo que hayas vivido en tu pasado, siempre hay más”, Klein dijo.

Repitió la cita en el cartel detrás de ella, “No se trata de donde vienes, sino adónde vas” @emmabehrmann ebehrmann@alligator.org

Juez previene que UF refuerce su póliza de conflicto de interés EL JUEZ MARK WALKER EMITIÓ UNA ORDEN JUDICIAL PRELIMINAR EL VIERNES POR LA MAÑANA PARA EVITAR QUE LA UF PROHIBIERA A SEIS PROFESORES EL TESTIMONIO DE EXPERTOS

Por Elena Barrera Escritora del Personal del Caimán

Traducido por Marian Hernandez Escritora del Personal del Caimán

Un juez federal prohibió que UF refuerce su póliza de conflicto de interés, la cual la universidad ha usado para prohibir que los profesores testifiquen en corte este viernes por la mañana

Los profesores de UF que demandan a la universidad por la libertad académica y los derechos de la primera enmienda pidieron que el juez de distrito, Mark Walker, quien fue un “double Gator”, un estudiante de la universidad en dos ocasiones, emitiera una orden judicial preliminar, una orden que detuviera la póliza de UF Los profesores deben recibir aprobación de la universidad para comprometerse en actividades fuera de ella, como dar testimonio experto en la corte, de acuerdo con la póliza.

La póliza de conflicto de intereses deja que UF prohíba que sus profesores sirvan como testigos y se comprometan en otras actividades que estén en conflicto con sus deberes en la Universidad.

En noviembre, seis profesores demandaron a la Universidad por prohibirles dar testimonio de testigo experto en un caso contra el estado.

Mantente al día con El Caimán en Twitter.

Envíanos un tweet @alligatorElCaiman.

Luego de recibir críticas por parte del congreso de los Estados Unidos, acreditadores universitarios y el público en general, el presidente de UF, Kent Fuchs, nombró un grupo de trabajo para revisar la política El grupo de trabajo presentó a Fuchs recomendaciones para mejorar la política, y él las aceptó todas el 2 de noviembre. En su orden, Walker escribió que la política enfrió el discurso de los profesores.

Walker citó las declaraciones del presidente de la Junta de Síndicos, Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, hechas durante una reunión de la Junta de Síndicos el 3 de diciembre como una razón para establecerse a favor de la moción de los profesores.

Durante la reunión, Hosseini exigió que se acabe con el hecho de que los miembros de la facultad se aprovechen de sus cargos y aboguen por puntos de vista políticos personales.

Gator hoop's predictions

Bracketology expert weighs in on Gators, pg.11

Hosseini atribuyó los logros de UF en los últimos cinco años a los líderes estatales. Dijo que estos líderes estaban hartos del despilfarro de dinero estatal gastado al los profesores comprometerse en el mal uso de sus posiciones.

“Los comentarios del presidente Hosseini dejaron en claro que UF estaba en deuda con la Legislatura de Florida y que no permitiría que su facultad siguiera ofendiendo a los legisladores en Tallahassee”, escribió Walker.

La segunda parte de la moción de los profesores impugnó la política de los informes amicus curiae de la universidad, que supervisan las declaraciones escritas de expertos en un caso judicial; sin embargo, Walker lo negó. La política de conflicto de compromiso de la escuela, que prohíbe a los profesores dedicar demasiado tiempo a actividades externas, permanecerá vigente de acu-

erdo con la orden.

La decisión de Walker de impedir que UF haga cumplir su política de conflicto de intereses es un paso importante para proteger las contribuciones de los profesores a la democracia, escribió David O'Neil, el abogado de los profesores, en un comunicado.

“La decisión envía un mensaje claro a las universidades públicas de todo el país, y a los políticos que intentarán interferir con ellas, de que también deben honrar los principios constitucionales que hacen del campus universitario un motor vital de una sociedad libre”, O'Neil escribió.

UF está revisando la orden del juez para determinar sus próximos pasos, escribió Hessy Fernández, portavoz de UF, en un correo electrónico.

Síganos para actualizaciones

Para obtener actualizaciones de El Caimán, síganos en línea en www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman.

@elenabarreraaa ebarrera@alligator.org

8 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

Santa Fe Art Gallery reopens after nearly two years

Students were drawn to the exhibit by the promise of extra credit points but left with much more

By Lily Kino Alligator Staff Writer

The Santa Fe Art Gallery made its grand re-opening Friday night after nearly two years of being closed, attracting more than just inspired young artists.

About 100 people gathered Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the opening night of the show.

The exhibit, No Day Without a Line: New Plein Air and Life Drawings, features works

by Steven Edgar Bradbury.

Bradbury is a Florida-based artist who works with graphite and pastels to create a variety of art, including landscapes, figure drawings and anatomy drawings, said Kyle Novak, SF Art Gallery’s manager.

Lily Kino // Alligator Staff

Gainesville artist Steven Bradbury’s drawings of anatomy are seen at the Santa Fe Art Gallery opening on Friday, Jan. 21.

The gallery closed in March 2020 and wasn’t able to host in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Novak said. It was used as a lifepainting and drawing studio because it was the largest space where social distancing could be accommodated.

“We’re really excited just to have the art gallery be an art gallery again,” Novak said.

Sage Morrow, a studio art sophomore at SFC, said she came to the gallery mainly because her art class required it. But, after hearing the show featured Bradbury, an artist that came in to demo for one of her classes, she knew she couldn’t miss it.

“He showed us how we were supposed to draw the anatomy.

We got to watch him go through the process of drawing a nude model,” Morrow said.

Novak encourages everyone to stop by the gallery to physically see art — an activity that many people have been deprived of since March 2020.

“It’s important now more than ever kind of as we’ve all had a bit of a restrictive experience these last few years,” Novak said. “I think that even before that, but even now more so, we’ve kind of experienced imagery … through our phones — through a screen — and I do think that it is really important to get out and see art in person. There’s just something different about it.”

AJ Williams, a SFC digital art technology student, said she

Lily Kino // Alligator Staff

Attendees browse Gainesville artist Steven Bradbury’s art at the Santa Fe Art Gallery opening on Friday, Jan. 21. also came because of the class requirement. Yet, when she got there, she was glad she had come.

“I love the skeleton drawings,” Williams said. “And the horse over there — it just looks so detailed.”

Other SFC art professors gave their students the chance to get extra credit by coming to Bradbury’s show.

“They don’t need to do anything for me, like write anything. They just need to come here and see the environment,” said Mario Mutis, art studio professor at SFC. “It’s a place for students to look at what they see in class in a more real-life context and to apply a lot of the

things they learn here and just to socialize.”

Art is not something Mutis wants students to associate with grades and pressure. He even encourages UF students to take leisure art classes at the Reitz Union.

“You can take classes for fun.

There’s not that stress of needing to be there,” Mutis said. “If there’s a day you can’t make it, you can’t make it.”

The SF Art Gallery’s Bradbury exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday until March 4. @lily_kino lkino@alligator.org

UF hasn’t offered any federal emergency relief this semester IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE THE HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND FOR A FOURTH SEMESTER

By Lucille Lannigan Alligator Staff Writer

For four semesters, UF offered federal COVID-19 aid to help students financially amid the pandemic.

Yet, that option hasn’t come to fruition for Spring, leaving some students stressed about finances.

Hunter Becker, a 23-year-old UF economics master’s student was laid off from his Chipotle job when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit.

The aid he received from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds for the last few semesters lessened the blow. The grant made it possible for him to comfortably continue paying his rent without taking out more student loans.

Cynthia Roldan, a UF spokesperson, could not answer if a new grant would be available for students in 2022 as of Friday.

As a new HEERF grant and other forms of federal emergency aid are not yet available to UF students for the Spring semester, Becker worries that they’ll never come.

“This semester, I’m no longer a TA, and my jobs have really kind of dwindled down so I had to take out a little bit more in loans,” he said. “If I would have gotten the aid that I got in the last two semesters, I just wouldn’t have really had to worry about rent.”

While he is fortunate to be able to live even without the aid, he believes it will have an impact on lower-income students.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education announced more resources for universities and students. This announcement included an additional $198 million in American Rescue Plan funds for institutions with the greatest need.

The federal HEERF III aid was established March 11 and funded by the ARP, which allocated $44.6 million for student funds to UF on June 8, according to the UF Student Financial Aid site.

An estimated 60,407 students were potentially eligible to receive Emergency

Financial Aid Grants. This federal emergency financial aid grant helped students cover expenses related to emergency situations like unexpected travel or technology requirements.

The HEERF III funds helped students cover expenses related to emergency situations like unexpected travel or technology requirements. The funds were originally available to undergraduate, graduate, professional, online, non-degree and withdrawn students that submitted a FAFSA. Students had to complete a Federal Emergency Aid Certification Form.

Later, funds were made available through an online Federal Emergency Aid Application to UF enrolled students who hadn’t submitted a FAFSA, international students and DACA students.

As of Dec. 31, about $36,531,165 was disbursed as HEERF III funding to 28,501 students, according to the UF Financial Aid site. This was more than double the amount provided by the HEERF II aid.

However, a new federal grant has not been funded for Spring, causing some students to worry as they continue to face impacts from the pandemic.

Tanvir Chowdhury, a 26-year-old information systems and operations management master’s student, wrote in an email that the grants he received in the Spring and Fall of 2021 were a huge relief to his living expenses as well as additional expenses he has as a master’s student.

“The federal emergency grants in both semesters really alleviated the stress of paying my rent for a long time, and I could fully focus on my courses and professional development,” Chowdhury wrote.

Chowdhury wrote that he would be disappointed if no further emergency relief aid is offered this semester.

“This omicron variant has impacted many students at UF, and even faculty,” he wrote. “Many students have had to miss classes, live far from home, and had to fend for themselves while ill.”

His family, he wrote, has also struggled with fewer work hours. The extra money would help to cover the cost of living expenses. @lucillelannigan llannigan@alligator.org

How to Place a Classified Ad: Online: w/ major credit card at www.alligator.org/classifieds

In Person: Cash, Check, MC, Discover, AMEX or Visa @The Alligator Office: 2700 SW 13th St. M-F, 8am - 4pm

By E-mail: classified@alligator.org Call 352-373-FIND for information.

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By Mail: P.O. Box 14257 G-ville 32604 Credit cards or checks only.

BUY IT. SELL IT. FIND IT. 373-FIND MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

Corrections and Cancellations: Cancellations: Call 373-FIND M-F, 8am - 4pm. No refunds or credits can be given. Alligator errors: Check your ad the FIRST day it runs. Call 373-FIND with any corrections before noon. THE ALLIGATOR IS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRST DAY THE AD RUNS INCORRECTLY. Corrected ads will be extended one day. No refunds or credits can be given after placing the ad. Corrections called in after the first day will not be further compensated.

Customer error or changes: Changes must be made BEFORE NOON for the next day’s paper. There will be a $2.00 charge for minor changes.

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St. Francis House is a homeless shelter located in downtown Gainesville.

Our mission is to empower families with children to transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing case management, housing, food, training and educational resources in a secure environment.

If interested in volunteering please contact the volunteer coordinator at 352-378- 9079 ext 317 or sfhcoor@stfrancis.cfcoxmail.com St Francis House depends on monetary support from individual donors and community businesses in order to provide meals to the homeless and the hungry.

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Complete the crossword puzzle by looking at the clues and unscrambling the answers. When the puzzle is complete, unscramble the circled letters to solve the BONUS. 2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

& Hoyt Designs. All Rights Reserved.

ANSWERS: 1A-Racing 5A-Vista 6A-Ideal 7A-United 1D-Review 2D-Cushion 3D-Nearest 4D-Nailed B-Isaac Newton

Send comments to TCA - 160 N. Stetson, Chicago, Illinois 60601 or DLHoyt@HoytInteractiveMedia.com

solution on page 10

©2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

answer on page 10 Release January 24, 2022 Release Date: Date: Monday, Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Los Puzzle Los Angeles Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited Edited by

by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

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By David Poole By JerryTribune Edelstein (c)2022 Content Agency, LLC (c)2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

01/18/2022 01/19/22 01/24/22

01/19/22 01/24/22

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MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/sports

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Kowacie Reeves stays humble through three starts THE FRESHMAN ACCEPTS AND EXCELS IN HIS NEW ROLE

By Jesse Richardson Sports Writer

Spending most of your season on the bench can be emotionally draining for athletes.

Freshman Kowacie Reeves averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game this season. He spent more than two months witnessing season-changing moments from the bench, like UF’s. 71-55 domination over bitter rival Florida State or Tyree Appleby’s 30-foot heave against Ohio State.

The season went on and Reeves’ time on the court trickled in, earning 24 minutes during the Gators’ 87-62 victory over Stony Brook Dec. 22.

The Macon, Georgia, native maintained his patience while Florida slipped to 9-5. His teammates said he’d get his chance and told him to keep his hustle, Reeves said.

“They just always believed and never gave up,” Reeves said. “They never doubted me.

They always said, ‘Just keep your head down and work. Eventually, everything will fall into place.’”

Reeves impacted the Gators offense from the moment his sneakers stepped foot on the hardwood Jan. 12.

The freshman’s release is now smooth as butter, and he’s used it to shoot 45.8% from beyond the arc in five starts.

Reeves kept his humility as the Gators entered a home tilt against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Gators are on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, but Reeves feels that Florida is on the come up.

“I think we’re slowly but surely getting back to our same physicality, edge and competitiveness like we were in the beginning of the season,” Reeves said. “I think it's just good for us off the court as well. We’ll worry less about all the other outside stuff. We just focus on winning, staying together and trying to come up with wins.”

Head coach Mike White only speaks highly of Reeves regarding his attitude on and off the floor.

“Kowacie has got a high level of maturity beyond his years,” White said. “He's been the same exact kid every day since he's been on campus.”

White had similar praise in a press conference Jan. 18, but also refers to Reeves having to earn more time on the court.

“He’s got a ways to go,” White said. “His future is really bright. If he continues to work and remains with his level of humility, which will be shocking if he doesn’t because he’s about as consistent, despite being the youngest.”

The team found a way to stick together Jan. 19 when Florida remarkably built a 14-0 run to climb back and topple Mississippi State 80-72. The Gators then downed Vanderbilt 61-42 Saturday to stack three-consecutive SEC wins.

Challenges continue to pile up for Florida, but Reeves and the team know to take it week by week.

“I try not to look too far in the future. I try to just focus on the present. If you just do what you’re supposed to do, everything should take care of itself,” Reeves said. “You got to take it one game at a time, as a team, and just be prepared to compete.”

Florida takes on the Ole Miss Rebels inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Jan. 24.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will broadcast on SEC Network+. @JesseRich352 jrichardson@alligator.org

Samantha Harrison // Alligator Staff

Freshman Kowacie Reeves rises for a layup before Florida’s Nov. 14 game against Florida State. Reeves has averaged 9.5 points per game since his first start of the season on Jan. 12.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Q&A: Gators men’s hoops through the lens of Bracketology expert JOE COOK-SHUGART SITS DOWN WITH ALLIGATORSPORTS TO DISCUSS FLORIDA’S TOURNAMENT CHANCES

By Jackson Castellano Sports Writer

The suffix -ology is generally reserved for disciplines that tackle the most complex and integral problems in our society.

Virology, psychology and bracketology — essential -ologies that help us make sense of our baffling world.

Bracketology, which is the process of using analytics and machine learning to predict NCAA tournament seeding and results, entered the public lexicon as a result of increased public scrutiny and confusion around the NCAA basketball tournaments’ selection process.

These predictions are usually generated on a frequent basis, starting as early as December.

The Gator men’s basketball team has generally avoided the dreaded NCAA bubble — UF has qualified for 18 of the last 22 tournaments, earning a seed higher than seven only twice.

But Florida’s current odds teeter

on a knife’s edge. BartTorvik, one of the leading databases dedicated towards predicting tournament seeding gives the Gators them a 57% chance of making the tournament fewer than two months from Selection Sunday.

Joe Cook-Shugart of 1-3-1Sports, the eighth-most accurate Bracketology expert according to popular database Bracketmatrix, gives an indepth look at his approach:

alligatorSports: What is Bracketology at its core?

Cook-Shugart: It’s really a growing area of interest and it’s still certainly being refined. Data science and machine learning are kind of the buzzwords people use. Where machine learning comes in is, from a statistical standpoint, you set up an algorithm that you want the machine to execute, and then the machine learns.

It learns from data that you feed it, and iterates over that data and makes predictions about what's going to happen based on what happened in the past, essentially.

alligatorSports: What data goes into the projections, and how are these points weighted?

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Cook-Shugart: Based on my model, five features that really stand out as really driving how a team will be seeded: One, it's unsurprising, it's the reason that [the NCAA selection committee] made it, the committee really leans into the NET Ranking. [The committee] got to put in mostly team performance but then have some elements of how a team should have performed based on advanced analytics, like your Kenpom, that feeds into the NET. Second, is actually the amount of points the team is receiving in the AP Poll. That is essentially the best way to sort of fledge or quantify an eye test because that’s where you get the opinions of AP voters.

Those are your top two, then quadrant one wins. The committee talks about it every time they interview the tournament selection committee chair. He says, ‘Well, they had a lot of quad one wins and a lot of quality wins.’

Number four is quadrant four losses. Unfortunately for Florida, because when you're on the bubble, that's about the worst thing that you can have. Essentially you need more good wins than bad losses. The last thing is strength of schedule.

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Strength of schedule as a whole is more indicative of how a team's going to be seeded than any quad two or quad three wins or losses.

alligatorSports: Florida currently ranks 39 in NET with one quadrant four loss to Texas Southern and one quadrant one win over Ohio State. alligatorSports: Where does Florida stand in these data points?

Cook-Shugart: ​​​​Florida will have a lot of opportunities to play their way in or out of the tournament. The SEC is strong, at least the tournament caliber teams, but the bottom of the SEC is not great. You need to kind of avoid losing to the, you know, like the Ole Miss-Georgia-Missouri contingent, and you'll be fine there.

[Florida is] literally my last team in, but I wouldn’t want Florida fans being mad at me if they ended up being the first or second team out if Selection Sunday was today. They’re right there.

alligatorSports: What does Florida have to do to cement themselves as a tournament team?

Cook-Shugart: They kind of control their own destiny because the SEC is pretty strong at the top and in the middle.

I think 19 wins in this conference.

You know, like that's not hard and fast. Eighteen might do it, it might take 20, but about 19 wins just based on the remaining schedule that they have and the strength of the SEC. And, regular season wins are more important than conference tourney wins.

Regular season performance tends to be weighed a little bit heavier [than the conference tournament].

You have to take care of bad teams.

After that, other games are just opportunities to sneak a couple more good wins in. I think a good finish would be 21 wins.

I think anything less than 18 wins is kind of a disaster. Florida fans should be mad at the team and not the committee if they leave them out with 17 wins or something. I’d say best case would be [the nine seed], worst case is out of the tournament and my best guess is they’ll be one of the last four in, right where they’re at right now.

Follow us for updates

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

@jaxacastellano jcastellano@alligator.org

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

FEATURE

‘If you have heart you can do it’: Twin Gator basketball stars rise at UF TATYANA AND TALIYAH WYCHE’S FAMILY GIFTED THE SISTERS THEIR DRIVE ON AND OFF THE COURT

By Brenda Bogle Sports Writer

A flurry of Gators women’s basketball players lined up for their final preparations just 30 minutes before facing Ole Miss, a familiar SEC foe. The UF team donned royal blue warmup shirts as the clock ticked down to tip-off Jan. 6.

Single file, each player dashed to the basket before outstretching their hands to guide in a smooth layup.

At first, Florida’s pregame routine looked

Courtesy of University Athletics Association

Tatyana Wyche protects the ball from a swarm of Ole Miss players looking to snatch it out of her hands.

unremarkable to the sparse crowd of college basketball fanatics at the O’Connell Center.

It’s when 18-year-old freshmen forwards Tatyana and Taliyah Wyche sprinted and elevated to rattle the rim that passing fans took a collective gasp.

The Wyche twins always enjoyed tremendous athletic gifts — it’s hard to bluff your way into four consecutive high school state titles. But while most twins take on the world in pairs, this dynamic duo battles with a third presence by their side: their stepmother.

When the twins were eight-years-old, Joanna Wyche worked at the same elementary school as their father, Bennet Wyche, while they attended the neighboring school. One day, Bennet introduced her to the twins as his friend. The three strangers took a liking to one another instantly.

“They would come to my classroom and try on my shoes,” Joanna said. “Eight-year-old girls just walking around the classroom with my six-inch heels. It was just super cute.”

In that moment, they clicked into an instant closeness, she said. When she married the twins’ father, the term stepmom didn’t define the kind of relationship the trio fostered.

“I don’t look at them as my stepdaughters and they don’t look to me as their stepmom,” Joanna said. “Those are my daughters.”

As a team, Joanna and Bennet helped their daughters the best way they knew how. While she helped the twins get ahead in the classroom, Bennet instilled his daughters with pride on the basketball court.

“She really helped us academically,” Taliyah said. “She was a middle school teacher, and we were in third grade doing middle school work.”

The twins’ father played basketball recreationally but utilized his playing experience

to help them follow their dreams on the hardwood.

“If we didn’t do the little things like box out or play defense, my dad would always say it’s about heart,” Taliyah said. “If you have heart you can do it.”

Heart played a major role in the Wyche sisters’ dominance at the high school level.

American Heritage High School Head Coach Greg Farias fell in love with the twins as soon as he saw them taking a tour of the school in Plantation, Florida. Taliyah stood at a towering 6’1 and Tatyana measured in at 6’2. He saw the raw potential hidden underneath the surface.

Farias witnessed the untapped athletic ability of Tatyana and Taliyah firsthand. They were rim-running machines, but their tremendous success did not stop them from working on the fundamentals.

“They started developing inside moves that were amazing,” Farias said. “Their junior year they both developed a mid-range shot.”

Under the guidance of Farias, the twins grew into unrivaled conquerors of the painted area around the South Florida circuit. Tatyana averaged 15 points and 17 rebounds per game, and Taliyah compiled almost identical numbers with 15 points and 11.3 rebounds.

Coaching the Wyche sisters was a pleasure for Farias, not because of their stellar performance on the court, but their character off it.

“I was hard on them, but at the same time I always loved them and that never changed,” Farias said. “They were loyal and they love me to death.”

When the twins decided where to continue their basketball and academic careers, UF was the obvious choice.

Current interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley attracted the twins to the school. Finley rou-

tinely called the twins for life updates and emotional check-ins, developing a bond that made the choice to stay instate an easy one.

“She was always so honest,” Tatyana said.

“We had conversations that went further than basketball.”

Tatyana and Tailyah signed on to pursue their basketball careers and criminology degrees at UF November 2020.

Junior and fellow forward Faith Dut embraced the South Florida sisters. The lanky, transition-minded Canadian has been an excellent model for Taliyah and Tatyana on-and-off the court.

Following their arrival at UF, Dut made sure the girls were keeping up with their conditioning. The junior went out of her way to be there for the freshmen in their transition into Division I basketball.

The Wyche sisters continue to mature as Florida looks poised to make a legitimate run in the SEC tournament this March. After dropping the first two games of conference play against Georgia and Ole Miss, the Gators have generated momentum with a four-game winning streak.

But the twins are not looking ahead that far just yet. They are taking each contest one at a time, focusing on the task ahead and putting heart in everything they do.

“I always want to focus on what’s next,” Taliyah said. “After we take care of that, then we can move on to the next thing.”

As her daughters blossom on the basketball court, Joanna looks forward to seeing her girls graduate and accomplish their goals on the court and in the classroom. @bogle_brenda bbogle@alligator.org

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