Monday, Feb. 26, 2024

VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 24

Spring Student Government elections: A voter’s guide

EXECUTIVE TICKET AND 50 SENATE SEATS TO BE ELECTED FEB. 27 AND 28

By Annie Wang Alligator Staff Writer

On Feb. 27 and 28, UF students will vote for 50 Student Senate seats and the positions of student body president, vice president and treasurer in the Spring 2024 Student Government elections.

Polls will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Broward Hall basement, the Corry Village commons, the Health Science Center Library, Heavener Hall, the Keys Complex, the Norman Hall Educational Library, the Reitz Union Computer Printing Lab and the Southwest Recreation Center.

To cast their votes, students are required to present a valid photo ID and must either know their UF ID number or bring their Gator 1 card. Students who requested an absentee ballot before Feb. 14 can either mail it in, bring it to the SG office in the Reitz Union or visit a nearby polling location and vote in person. Absentee ballots must be received by 8:30 p.m. Feb. 28.

The Spring 2023 election brought out 12,472 student voters, which is about 20.5% of stu-

dents enrolled in Fall 2022. Voter turnout sank to about 4.6% in Spring 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has steadily climbed in the years since.

The two competing parties are Vision Party and Change Party. Vision Party has a slate of three executive ticket candidates and 48 Senate candidates. Change Party has a slate of three executive ticket candidates and 45 Senate candidates. There are no independent or third party candidates on the ballot, though students have the option to write in additional candidates while voting.

Vision Party’s executive ticket features Senate President John Brinkman as the candidate for student body president, UF Black Student Union President Laura Thomas as the candidate for vice president and Senate President Pro-Tempore Saketh Damera as the candidate for treasurer.

Change Party’s executive ticket includes Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator Simone Liang as the candidate for student body president, Graduate Student Senator Antonio Hendricks as the candidate for vice president and Graduate Student Senator Anghelo Gangano as the candidate for treasurer.

Student Government elections are held in

SEE SG PREVIEW, PAGE 4

Florida ban barring residents from changing license gender marker gives ‘added injury to insult’ for Gainesville residents

Local transgender residents, officials concerned about effects of ban, similar legislation

By Bailey Diem Alligator Staff Writer

Morgan Averette had the gender marker on her driver’s license changed almost three years ago. Now, with a new Florida ban in place, the 32-year-old Gainesville resident is worried for other transgender locals who might not have the same opportunity.

As of Jan. 26, Florida residents are no longer able to change the gender marker on their state-issued driver’s licenses.

“I think the biggest consequence is that, for folks who haven’t changed their state identification, it will be a lot harder to [do] so,” Av-

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Men's Tennis

Story

erette said. “I feel for them because I know how [much] easier my life is with having my legal name changed and the appropriate gender markers on government, personal and business documents and identification.”

The process was both time-consuming and costly for Averette even before the ban.

“The process of changing my name legally and, subsequently, my gender marker was a long and expensive process, which is a barrier for a lot of people,” she said. “This ban feels like added injury to insult.”

Robert Kynoch, the deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and

Freshman Adhithya Ganesan begins career 9-0. Read more on pg. 11.

The

Motor Vehicles, sent out a memo to county tax collectors announcing the ban. It revokes IR-08 Gender Requirements, a section of the state’s driver’s license issuance requirements that previously allowed drivers to be issued a “new license in the event that a licensee wished to alter the gender marker on his or her license,” according to the memo.

The change comes as a part of the department’s review of its practices and policies. According to the memo, IR-08 Gender Requirements is “not supported by statutory authority.”

Gainesville homeless population struggles with encampment sweeps, lack of options

UNSHELTERED HOMELESS PEOPLE, CITY OFFICIALS DISCUSS SOLUTIONS

By Diego Perdomo Alligator Staff Writer

Residents of a homeless encampment on Southeast Fourth Place were given about five hours Feb. 20 to vacate a sidewalk they had occupied since December.

“They had about 20 cops out here, the fire department, and they just started putting notes, knocking on tents telling us we had to get out and pack our stuff up,” said Mary Phillips, a 54-year-old resident of the encampment.

Phillips, who regularly cooked for

other inhabitants of the encampment in a shared outdoor kitchen, was told by a police officer to go to GRACE Marketplace, a nonprofit with a shelter that is currently at capacity.

The attention around homelessness in Gainesville has heightened after recent sweeps on homeless encampments and city commission decisions to allocate 30 beds to GRACE Marketplace in the next 90 days, move $700,000 to homeless support services and prepare for the sale of the vacant Gainesville Fire Rescue station.

House Bill 1365 aims to prevent city and county governments from allowing people to sleep in public. As the bill moves through the Florida

Evelyn Miguel // Alligator Staff Students practicing for a production of the Three Musketeers at Buchholz High School on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Read more in TheAvenueon pg. 7.

Today’s Weather

Newberry Education First initiative divides Newberry community

THE INITIATIVE WOULD CHANGE NEWBERRY PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO CHARTER SCHOOLS

By Megan Howard Alligator Staff Writer

Passionate residents of Newberry refer to the community as having a special charm. Joel Searby, a leader of the Newberry Education First initiative, credits Newberry’s special qualities to the diverse, tight-knit population.

“It’s a community of people who know each other, who interact together daily, who play sports together, who coach our kids together, who represent a really diverse group of people,” he said.

Newberry Education First initiative wants to convert the three Newberry schools into public charters under the guidance of community leaders. The initiative wants to ensure “excellent education, increased teacher pay and the same great sports and activities we all love,” according to its website.

In April, teachers and parents will receive a ballot to vote on changing the schools to charters. Newberry Elementary needs 23 teachers and 165 families to vote yes, Oakview Middle needs 27 teachers and 235 families to vote yes and Newberry High needs 19 teachers and 189 families to vote yes for the initiative to pass.

A parent to two children in Newberry schools, Searby and other parents were concerned about pressure on teachers, large class sizes, portable classrooms, mandates from the school board and divisive politics.

“We’re seeing our students of all backgrounds struggle, and we wanted to step up as parents and try to do something about that,” Searby said. He said students and teachers struggle with the large class sizes at

Newberry schools.

“The challenges that are happening in the classrooms of just oversized classes make it really hard for teachers to teach and students to learn,” he said.

Searby also said operational issues, such as long wait times for air conditioning maintenance and light bulb changes, negatively impact Newberry schools.

The Education First for Newberry team worked on the initiative for months before debuting the platform.

“There is an extensive amount of research that has to go into something like this and we wanted to make sure that we understood the process and that honestly we supported it,” Searby said. “We didn’t want to jump into it without really understanding it.”

As part of its research and planning process, the initiatives board met with national and state experts on charter school conversions. It also worked with city officials, such as Newberry mayor and high school teacher Jordan Marlowe, to bring the idea to fruition.

Marlowe helped the initiative figure out what questions Newberry community members would have for the change, he said. Each time he gave more questions to the board, it returned with answers.

“They’ve answered everything from school lunches to accrued sick leave, curriculum, discipline, transportation,” he said. “They understand the process. They understand the monumental task that they’re undertaking. They’re willing to do the work.”

Marlowe understands the initial concern from parents at the idea of exiting the Alachua County Public School system.

“I absolutely understand the anxiety and the fear of parents right now when you first hear this idea,”

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he said. “I think that the best way to calm that anxiety is to listen to the plan, which is why I think it’s important that these parents did the work that they did ahead of time, so that they could answer the questions,”

Marlowe said the Newberry City Commission always stands in strong support of community desires, and it’s excited to have options to optimize student education.

“If this is something the community wants to do, then I know that the commission will stand 100% behind our residents — behind our parents — to provide the best education that we can,” he said.

He said Newberry’s special community of dedicated parents “is a sight to behold.”

“To have a group of parents come forth and say, ‘I not only know those things, but I have an idea. I have something that may work better. Will you help us figure out the details? Will you help us fine-tune this plan?’” Marlowe said. “That to me is amazing.”

Rob Baker, a parent to two children at Oakview Middle, is against the initiative. He worries about the secrecy within the proposal drafted, how charters would solve overcrowding and the initiative’s decision to bring Oakview Middle and Newberry High into the charter conversion.

“They could have had community meetings to solicit community input, but they chose not to do that,” he said. “I have heard from individuals involved in the movement that was done to minimize opposition to the movement.”

Baker understands overcrowding is an issue at Newberry Elementary as his children were affected by the population size. However, he said the initiative doesn’t do anything to fix the problem.

“By their own admission, even after they charter the elementary school, it is going to remain overcrowded” Baker said. “Right now, they do not have a clear plan forward to build additional facilities at the elementary school, which means that the problem that they’re trying to solve not only will persist, but there’s not a plan to fix it.”

He believes Newberry needs an additional elementary school to combat the overcrowding.

Baker said there is no evidence the middle school needs to be brought into the charter program and parents are scared to lose the existing magnet program.

If Newberry schools change to charters, he is likely to pull out his kids, he said.

@meganmhxward mhoward@alligator.org

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The men behind the megaphones

UF MALE CHEERLEADERS DISCUSS FIGHTING STEREOTYPES, TOSSING GIRLS AND MAKING MEMORIES

By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer

To the untrained ear, the orders Sawyer Bailey barked to his team during its 8 a.m. Tuesday practice sounded more like Disney Channel song lyrics than athletic advice.

“Spirit until it’s your turn to pop,” the UF interim spirit squad director called to the bleary-eyed, Nike-clad cheerleaders lining the turf of the indoor football practice facility. “Give me some bump ‘n goes.”

The athletes spent most of the two-hour practice preparing for next month’s cheer tryout, during which they’ll do their best to recruit talented newcomers — and show up themselves to re-earn their spots on the team.

But tryouts will be less competitive for some than others.

Women must do a no-handed backflip just to audition. Men, meanwhile, only need a handstand and a roundoff — a cartwheel where both feet land on the ground at the same time.

Women who attend the pre-tryout prep clinics must shell out a $75 entry fee. Male students from local high schools only pay $25, and male UF students won’t have to pay at all.

Free clinics and limited tumbling requirements are some of the team’s biggest recruiting tools for male athletes, who try out in lower numbers than females, Bailey said.

The team currently has 13 men and 24 women, divided into a combination of male-female stunt pairs and all-girl groups.

Fighting stereotypes with spirit

The assumed connection between cheerleading and femininity has long contributed to society’s perception of male cheerleaders as gay. The stereotype leads men to distance themselves from the female-dominated sport, said 20-yearold UF computer science junior

Waleed Aref.

“They’re constantly short on guys,” Aref said. “It’s definitely the gay stigma, if I’m being brutally honest.”

Aref, who is nearing the end of his first year on the team, never had to formally try out at all to earn his spot, he said. The former UF club powerlifter wasn’t interested in megaphones or toss-toe-touches until a buddy on the team convinced him to stunt with the athletes in a casual July gym meetup.

Two weeks after Aref’s first session with the cheerleaders, thenhead coach Cortnee Gilchrist invited him into her office to offer him a spot on the team.

Before that summer, Aref never realized UF had male cheerleaders because he “was only looking at the girls,” he said. He joined thinking it couldn’t be more difficult than powerlifting.

“Kind of just switching out the barbell for a lady,” he said.

But Aref quickly realized pure muscle wouldn’t get him far, he said. Instead, he’s spent every prac-

tice dialing in on technique and learning to trust his partner.

After seven months of twiceweekly practices and subsequent weight room sessions, Aref knows all the basic stunts. His favorite is the “full up,” in which he tosses his partner and catches her as she spins back down.

When people see him walking around campus at 6 feet 2 inches tall, wearing UF Nike merch and holding a water gallon, they often ask what sport he plays, he said.

Cheerleading isn’t usually the first trait he shares after meeting someone, but he’s determined to make male cheerleading into a “cool thing,” he said.

As far as the stigma, most men on the team treat the stereotype about their sexualities as a big inside joke, he said.

Read the rest online at alligator.org.

@zoeythomas39 zthomas@alligator.org

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Florida Gators cheerleader Waleed Aref tosses Amrynne Hill during the team’s practice on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

Elections Feb. 27-28

the Spring and Fall semesters of each year. The student body officers of the executive branch and senators by college and year are elected in the Spring, and senators by residence halls and living areas are elected in the Fall. Elected officials serve for a one-year term.

Students will also be voting on three constitutional amendments.

The Proposal to Eliminate the Defunct Honor Court will ask students if they believe references to the discontinued Student Honor Court and Student Honor Code should be removed.

The Ratification Amendment to the Student Body Constitution will ask students if they believe a three-fifths approval vote should be necessary to count toward an amendment’s ratification.

The Website Publication Constitutional Amendment will ask students if they believe there should be a requirement for constitutional amendments to be posted on the Student Government website one week before and on both days of the election.

Vision Party

Vision holds the majority in the Senate with 58 seats. Its primary platform points include establishing a student campus construction committee, addressing the needs of graduate and professional students, ensuring student wellness, securing funding for student organization events and creating a more welcoming and inclusive campus.

“We will work endlessly to carry out our platform and will understand and take input from the student body throughout our terms,” Brinkman said during the SG debate Feb. 12.

To provide more transparency on the construction projects around campus, Vision plans to create a committee of students who will receive consistent updates from the Office of Construction Facilities and Auxiliary Operations. It also has three main platform points to support graduate students: expanding the Baby

Gator program for students who have children, increasing the travel grant for the Graduate Student Council and advocating for affordable graduate student housing through the student campus construction committee.

“It's of the utmost importance to us that graduates have a voice and will be maintained as an important group of people when it comes to deciding on our student government administration's policy,” Brinkman said.

One of Vision’s top priorities is the health and safety of the student body. To ensure student safety, it plans to provide a physical navigation system for Blue Lights, collaborate with the UF Police Department to ensure rapid responses to Blue Light activations and expand Nightlife Navigators.

For student health, Vision proposed excused mental health days and the re-establishment of the Food for Fines program, which allows students to pay TAPS parking fines through donations to the Field and Fork Pantry.

Aliza Khalil, a 19-year-old UF international studies and history sophomore, said she has been thinking about voting for Vision after hearing about its plans to reinstate Food for Fines.

“I really liked that point, so I think I'm leaning towards them,” she said.

Vision is looking to implement a funding injection into the SAI’s Signature Events Program, which organizes campus events that are acknowledged for the significant impact they’ve made on UF student engagement. This will provide organizations with the funding they need to put on bigger events and performances.

“Student organizations deserve to use every last dollar they're allocated,” Damera said during the SG debate Feb. 12. “Addressing persistent issues within the current funding model, we're committed to securing funding for organizations and their keystone events.”

Vision also plans to establish a school-wide diversity week, create a program of SG Pledges to stand against hate and draw a map of the various types of restrooms on campus.

“In the face of the consistent attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion from the state level, our administration is committed to championing initiatives that promote and maintain diversity, equity and inclusivity on campus,” Thomas said during the debate.

Vision candidates declined to provide comment to The Alligator after multiple texts, Instagram direct messages and emails.

Change Party

Change’s campaign is focused on protecting DEI funding, promoting student health and wellness, increasing voter accessibility, addressing student organization funding issues and providing students with transparency on SG affairs.

“We will find a way, a solution, to anything, because we don't want to sit on our hands,” Liang said. “Students deserve a lot more.”

To protect DEI funding, Change is looking to allocate about $200,000 per year to the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement. This would ensure that all the offices CIME oversees, including the Office of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Student Engagement, the Office of Black Student Government, the Office of Hispanic-Latinx Student Engagement and the Office of LGBTQ+ Student Engagement, get the funding they need to operate.

“I think it’s really important [to implement this funding] as the state continues its attacks on DEI and any sort of cultural programming,” Liang said.

To support student health and wellness, Change is looking to establish a ‘Mental Health Day’ once a semester, which would allow students to take a day off and enjoy mental health tabling events.

Change is also planning to provide free menstrual products in the Southwest Recreation Center and the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.

Regarding voter accessibility, Change said it will institute online voting and establish the Marston Science Library as a permanent voting location.

“We're looking to make Student Government more accessible to students so they don't have to put in so much effort just to vote,” Liang said. “We want to allow them to exercise

their chance to speak on what they want to see.”

Change would also work to reform student organization funding. As it currently stands, the funding for student organizations is on a first come, first serve basis. This results in many identical spam submissions, with organizations fighting to be prioritized.

Change would amend the system so only the president or treasurer of each student organization has access to the funding form. The form would also require a UF ID and for the student to be registered with SAI or SG as the president or the treasurer of their respective student organization.

“That would decrease the spamming [of form submissions],” Gangano said.

To provide the student body with full transparency, Change’s executive candidates said they will work with UF Information Technology to increase engagement with the student body.

“Our mission of this executive team is largely to provide transparency to the student body from the Student Government,” Hendricks said. “The best way for the Student Government to serve its constituency, the student body, is to engage in active, open, honest and transparent communication.”

Paige Minkin, a 20-year-old UF environmental science sophomore, said she will vote for Change in the upcoming election because its platform points are more closely aligned with her beliefs and address the issues that directly affect her.

“Change has [initiatives] so broad throughout campus that no matter what you're studying, no matter where you live on campus, everything benefits everybody rather than just select students on campus,” she said.

Change holds 23 seats in Senate. It needs to win 42 seats to gain a majority.

For any questions regarding the upcoming election, students can contact Supervisor of Elections Ethan Halle or visit the SG office on the third floor of the Reitz Union.

UF spearheads nationwide effort to combat retail theft

THE NATION’S LARGEST STORES DEPEND ON UF RESEARCH TO HELP STOP RETAIL CRIME

By Daniel Bednar Alligator Staff Writer

On the outskirts of UF’s campus, ‘Justin’s General Store,’ a code name for the SaferPlaces Lab, blurs the lines between a real store and a shoplifting simulation straight out of a sci-fi movie.

From Target to Topgolf, 85 of the nation’s largest retail stores rely on technology developed by the Gainesville-based Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) to deter shoplifting. The SaferPlaces Lab, a simulated storefront located at the UF Innovation Hub, is at the forefront of this nationwide initiative to protect retail shoppers financially and physically.

“We deal with active shooters, armed robberies, burglaries, theft, fraud,” said Read Hayes, a UF research criminologist and director of the LPRC. “There's nothing like it out there that we're aware of for crime prevention research.”

Retail theft can have far-reaching consequences, he said. The United States Chamber of Commerce estimates organized retail crime, a highly coordinated form of shoplifting, resulted in over $125 billion

in economic losses in 2023 alone. Stores react to these losses by raising prices, closing locations or reducing in-store product selections, which ultimately harms shoppers.

“You're having to choose from bad to really bad options,” Hayes said. “‘Do I lock this up, so my customers can't get to it? Do I not carry it anymore? Do I just close my store?’”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement collected data in 2021, the most recent year of publicly available statistics, that showed a gradual decline in theft rates across Alachua County. How much of that comes from merchandise is unknown, as the sheriff's office is “not able to separate retail theft cases out from regular theft cases,” said ACSO Spokesperson Arthur Forgey.

However, nationwide survey data reveals an escalation beyond property theft in recent years. Eighty-eight percent of retailers reported heightened levels of aggression and violence among shoplifters, compared to data from 2022.

Hayes’ research team, affiliated with the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, develops technology to make committing crime harder, riskier and less rewarding. The process starts by interviewing self-admitted criminal offenders to understand their perspectives and choices.

Then, the gadgets are installed

and tested in the SaferPlaces Lab, a mock store stocked with every possible item type. While the equipment packed into this small space can feel overwhelming at first, its effectiveness is undeniable, Hayes said.

“You'll see just a whole different array of protective technologies and tactics and things going on here,” Hayes said.

He estimates they’ve developed over 400 new devices. One type of lockbox requires customers to wait a few seconds before dispensing items, while listening to a loud clicking sound. Another box requires shoppers to use two hands while grabbing items, preventing shoplifters from sweeping goods into a large bag.

“It's maddening for anybody to have to wait, but the shoplifter wants a bunch of stuff fast,” Hayes said. “They don't want clicking and waiting.”

To make it easier for legitimate shoppers to get their items, Hayes is experimenting with a new type of box that allows customers to input their phone number and receive a code through text message to unlock it.

“Nobody loves doing that, but shoplifters hate doing that,” Hayes said. “They don't want you to have their phone number and their face at the same time. It's an attempt to maintain highly desirable but high

theft items in store.”

Even self-checkout isn’t a reliable option for shoplifters. Artificial intelligence can recognize when a customer doesn’t scan something or falsely scans a less-expensive item than the one they have. Not only does it stop the transaction, but a video of the incident appears on the screen to catch thieves in the act.

No item is safe from this technology. Artificial intelligence, 360-degree camera sensors and magnet detectors protect everything from liquor bottles to sunglasses or laundry detergent, Hayes said.

“Every week that goes by, new technologies are being installed, new things are being plugged together,” he said. “I think we're hopefully just getting started, even though we've been around for a couple decades.”

The research team isn’t just focused on shoplifting, either. They’re developing new initiatives to stop any threat that might occur in a store, including active shooter situations.

In one active shooter scenario, shoppers inside the store manage to escape because of AI-powered green beacons installed throughout the store, meant to guide victims to safety. Red flashing lights indicate the general position of the shooter.

This technology will be demonstrated at the LPRC’s Integrate summit Feb. 29, where simulation exer-

cises are used to better prepare local first responders for active shooter situations and test lifesaving measures, like the color-coded beacons, developed by UF researchers.

“The way we look at the world is, we're here to safeguard vulnerable people,” Hayes said. “How do we leverage research to safeguard vulnerable people in places and spaces?”

UF Innovate | Accelerate, the organization responsible for providing business support to companies like the LPRC, runs the 100,000 square foot Innovation Hub just a few blocks from the UF campus.

“We're the fuel for companies like LPRC to dream big and bring their visions to life,” said Jennifer Harrell, assistant director of UF Innovate | Accelerate. “Our program offers top-notch office and lab spaces, along with structured business entrepreneurship support.”

Businesses like the LPRC also power the local economy, positioning Gainesville as a hot spot for innovative technology companies, Harrell said.

“Working with early-stage companies like LPRC has collectively attracted over 11.3 billion dollars of capital into our community and created more than 8,500 highly attractive, high-paying jobs,” Harrell said.

Encampment sweeps

HOMELESS, from pg. 1

Legislature, members of Gainesville’s homeless population, the city government and residents met Feb. 22 at a general policy meeting to discuss the city’s approach to these issues.

“They can pass a law that says you can't have people sleeping in parks, but that's at odds with the Supreme Court,” said Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward. “We will continue to do our best work to try to make life better for folks who feel like they have to sleep outside and for those impacted by that otherwise.”

Because of the concentration of opportunities and services in Gainesville in relation to North Central Florida, Ward said the city understands its role in supporting homeless populations, but it does not have the capacity to support the influx of people from other counties.

Gainesville’s network of support systems, as Porche Jeffery describes, is limited.

Jeffery, a 39-year-old homeless person, said a lack of all-day access to showers and restrooms from the St. Francis House contributes to behavior that people criticize homeless people for.

“If there were someplace besides GRACE, where you can put your tent and everybody would be cool with it, then that would be fine,” Jeffrey said.

While Gainesville has a variety of local resources to service homeless people, a majority of them only allow certain affected populations. St. Francis House services families and women, the nonprofit Family Promise of Gainesville only services families and Peaceful Paths focuses on domestic violence survivors. GRACE Marketplace is the only shelter in Gainesville that services single adults.

Of the 1,006 homeless people that live in Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Putnam counties, 725 live in Gainesville, according to Continuum of Care data and a point-in-time study shared by Roberto Sutton, assistant chief of Gainesville Fire Rescue.

While the count of sheltered homelessness in Gainesville only increased by one person, unsheltered homelessness increased from 318 to 417.

New ban

DMV, from pg. 1

“Expanding the Department's authority to issue replacement licenses dependent on one's internal sense of gender or sex identification is violative of the law,” wrote department spokesperson Molly Best in an email.

To Gray Williams, the new ban barring residents from changing their gender on their license is another reason to leave Florida.

The 24-year-old Gainesville resident identifies as nonbinary and first learned about the ban Feb. 1 through a “queer news feed” on Instagram. The ban “stuck out” to them because they were visiting Chicago with their partner at the time, they said.

“We want to move there because of how fearful we are of worsening policies for queer people in Florida,” they said. “Seeing that post kind [of] sealed the deal for me.”

While not directly related to the memo, House Bill 1639, “Gender and Biological Sex,” aims to accomplish similar goals. The bill defines “sex,” requires that all state licenses and identification indicate a per-

Southeast Fourth Place encampment

Angie Stokes, a 47-year-old who moved into the encampment in December, saw the camp grow gradually as the weather got colder. She said she had heard for weeks the city was planning to vacate the encampment.

“Not that this is a permanent situation, but you need some kind of calmness in your life to get yourself together,” Stokes said. “If you have stuff like that going on, worrying about if you're going to get kicked out with no place to go is not comforting.”

Citing a city ordinance and the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the obstruction of public right of way, the Gainesville Police Department, alongside Gainesville Public Works, Gainesville Fire Rescue and the Community Resource Paramedicine Program, gathered to remove property from a sidewalk in front of the vacant Gainesville Fire and Rescue station.

“What we responded to was not because they were homeless, we were responding to the fact that the city has to be responsive to all neighbors' needs,” said Joe Dixon, chief of Gainesville Fire Rescue.

Volunteers, consisting of neighbors and people associated with groups like the Civic Media Center and Florida Prisoner Solidarity, came to provide food and water to encampment residents and support them with moving property — like tents and belongings — to a grass patch across the street.

“Most of the time people are in their neighborhoods and they don't have to see this every day,” said Dillon Boatner, a Gainesville resident. “I drive by here every day. I see these are my neighbors.”

While the notice warned all property not moved before 2 p.m. would be moved by public works, city authorities gave the homeless residents and volunteers extra time to move property.

After speaking with homeless residents and other spectators for two hours, authorities pushed out non-residents and public works relocated property into trucks.

The encampment, as described by City Manager Cynthia Curry, has 12 current residents among seven occupied tents as

son’s sex — rather than their gender — and provides requirements for health insurance regarding genderaffirming care.

Florida Rep. Dean Black, R-15, is one of two representatives to sponsor the bill. The bill is also sponsored by two subcommittees Black isn’t part of. They call HB 1639 the “Clarity and Compassion Act,” Black said.

“It provides clarity because, as it pertains to Florida driver’s licenses, it clarifies what has been the practice from time immemorial but [was] only made subjective in the past few years,” he said. “It clarifies that the sex on your driver’s license means your biological sex.”

The bill focuses on a person’s biological sex and is meant to ensure that a person’s identification is authentic, Black said.

“As for the driver’s license identification, that’s about biology. It’s not about ideology,” he said. “It is a method of identification. It needs to contain immutable truth.”

While the memo is not directly related to the bill, HB 1639 will work to solidify the ideas of the memo into law, Black said.

“We’re going to make sure that the law reflects what we actually intend by putting it in statute,” he

of Feb. 22.

In the same meeting, Jon DeCarmine, executive director of GRACE Marketplace, noted six of the 12 residents of the encampment had left permanent supportive housing programs.

City’s response to homelessness meeting

At a meeting Feb. 22 to update the public on the city’s response to homelessness, city commissioners decided to immediately set up 10 beds in GRACE marketplace and work toward building another shelter with 20 beds in the next 90 days.

Cynthia Curry said city officials had engaged with members of the homeless encampment days prior and a similar sweep was occurring on private property near the Walmart on Waldo Road during the meeting.

“What we see on the streets is not generally representative of the homeless population, it is the most vulnerable component of it,” John DeCarmine said. “Five or 10 percent of the entire population. That makes 100 percent of people’s perception of what homelessness is.”

About 20 residents spoke during public comment, sharing a multitude of experiences regarding ongoing homelessness support efforts, perception of the encampment, criticism of city actions and comments on the behavior of officials who interacted with the volunteers.

In a City of Gainesville Instagram post, the phrase “restoring accessibility to a sidewalk,” along with a selection of pictures that omitted the confrontation between city staff and people supporting the encampment, was a source of contention for a few of the public commenters.

Toward the end of the meeting, Commissioner at Large Reina Saco discussed how certain solutions advocated for by commenters are not viable. Solutions regarding repurposing local spaces, like the vacant fire station and Haisley Lynch Park, were rejected due to concerns about liability and donation conditions, respectively.

Eric Davis, director of housing at St. Francis Center, said at the Feb. 22 meeting he believes more needs to be done to address the causes of homelessness, rather than treating current conditions.

“Anyone that's been here for the last 10 years has watched homelessness explode exponentially,” Davis said. “What I would like to see and begin to have honest conversations about is why people are homeless in the first place. We have a reactive instead of a responsive system, and that is a big part of our problem.”

@diegoperdomoaq dperdomo@alligator.org

said.

For Samara Powers, a 52-yearold Gainesville resident, the ban and HB 1639 emphasize a false connection between a person’s gender identity and sex.

“All of this is based on the mistaken belief that sex traits and gender identity are the same and that only male [or] female presentation, as the popular culture understands it, is ‘normal,’” they said.

While Powers identifies as nonbinary, they “carry a lot of safety privilege” because they pass as cisgender, they said. Still, they hold themselves to be an activist and urge people to not be complacent even if the ban and similar legislation do not directly affect them, Powers said.

“[There is] a silent majority of people who are still enjoying safety and security and don’t really think this issue is about them or that it doesn’t concern them,” Powers said. “From my perspective, it’s like not being worried about the climate crisis because your house is 1,000 feet from the shoreline, instead of just ten feet.”

Gainesville City Commissioner Casey Willits worries the ban will send people away from the city.

“I hope that no transgender

people in Gainesville feel like they aren’t welcome in Gainesville,” he said. “I am afraid that some people won’t feel comfortable living in Gainesville or living in the state of Florida, and they’ll look elsewhere. It’s not fair to make someone feel so uncomfortable that they feel like they need to move.”

One of Willits’ biggest concerns about the ban is how interactions between law enforcement and transgender residents will change. It may create “dangerous situations” if someone does not seem to physically match the gender marker that appears on their license or decides to drive without a license, he said.

“I’m afraid that the confusion will cause officers to do everything that’s within their discretion, and I think that could be interrupting and getting into the lives of people where state law doesn’t demand that we get into their lives,” he said. “That’s unnecessary, that doesn’t enhance our safety in the city and does not contribute to a good quality standard of life in the city of Gainesville.”

Willits vowed to clarify this issue with local law enforcement to avoid situations like this, he said. If it’s still not clear after private conversations with the city manager, Willits

said he’ll discuss it with the larger city commission.

“If I feel like we’re not prepared for this potential change, I will bring it to the entire commission to have a conversation and potentially vote on something to direct the city manager to direct our police forces,” Willits said.

As an openly LGBTQ+ local elected official, Willits said he’s felt acceptance in Gainesville. He strives to continue to maintain this feeling for other residents despite the ban and similar legislation, he said.

“You’re welcome in the city of Gainesville,” he said. “I will work to make sure you feel welcome, and I will urge the city commission to go along on that journey to make as welcoming of a place as possible.”

Willits encouraged local elected officials to oppose this legislation.

“I urge the Alachua County legislative delegation to stand against these bills,” he said. “We need them to search their conscience and decide whether they want to be a part of this, in essence, legislative lynch mob that is demonizing trans people and other LGBTQ+ people.”

@BaileyDiem bdiem@alligator.org

Diego Perdomo // Alligator Staff

A man walks through the homeless encampment Southeast Fourth Place on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.

CULTURE

UF public relations team celebrates hidden identities with Gainesville’s first Multicultural Day festival

THE UF BATEMAN TEAM WORKS TO FOSTER MULTICULTURALISM, UNITY WITH ‘EMBRACE THE HYPHEN’

By Henry DeAngelis & Alexandra Burns Avenue Staff Writers

Surrounded by vibrant creations and performances of artists from cultures throughout the world, over 100 people gathered in downtown Gainesville for a celebration of unity and diversity to commemorate the city’s first Multicultural Day.

How Bazar became a hotspot for art and culture Feb. 24 as people joined to honor a combination of various cultures, backgrounds and identities at the Culturs Festival.

Organized by the UF Public Relations Student Society of America’s Bateman team, the festival was just one event in the team’s ‘Embrace the Hyphen’ campaign, a studentled initiative to support multiculturalism.

To work toward a more inclusive space for immigrants and multicultural individuals, the UF Bateman team created the Culturs festival to represent the magazine and proclaim Feb. 24 as Multicultural Day in Gainesville.

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, a UF public relations graduate himself, presented the team with an official proclamation in honor of the new Gainesville celebration.

“We are such a diversity of cultures here in Gainesville,” he said. “It’s important to celebrate that every opportunity we get.”

The female-run Bateman team is a public relations group of five UF seniors who compete against more than 75 teams across the country to create a campaign for a national client. UF’s team was tasked with representing Culturs Magazine, a global multicultural lifestyle network focusing on in-between cultures, according to its website.

Olivia Maroney, a 22-year-old UF public relations and criminology senior and member of the UF Bateman team, said the festival was intended to represent and showcase hidden identities.

“We’re trying to inspire everyone to celebrate the hidden diversity everybody has,” Maroney said. “We’re representing students in the hyphen… cross-cultural kids, refugees, military brats, immigrants and thirdculture kids.”

Although Maroney comes from Portuguese, Italian and Irish descent, people often assume she represents one specific nationality, she said.

“We’re trying to represent … an identity to me that is hidden and people don’t see, and we want people to move on from assumptions,” she said. “The campaign can apply to all of us. We all have hyphenated identities.”

When creating the campaign, the Bateman team conducted a survey and found 84% of Gainesville residents feel they need a community that embraces different cul-

tures and makes them feel welcome, the team said in an Instagram post.

Immigrants also make up 11% of Gainesville’s total population, according to census data, and accounted for 24.4% of the city’s population growth from 2014 to 2019.

Raj Selvaraj, a 20-year-old UF political science sophomore and ambassador for the campaign, was grateful as an Indian-Peruvian-American to be a part of an event that welcomes all identities, he said.

“It’s very rare to see an event that celebrates both of your cultures,” he said.

Read the rest online at alligator.org/ section/the_avenue.

@HaDeangelis hdeangelis@alligator.org

@alexaburnsuf aburns@alligator.org

Gainesville art scene pushes for more outreach to underserved communities

COMMUNITY SHARES

WAYS PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED

By Nicole Beltran Avenue Staff Writer

Bella Rootz, a 34-year-old Gainesville artist, moved from Pennsylvania to Village Green at 12 years old with a clear goal: She was going to be an artist.

“Art to me is so sacred — it’s therapy, it’s a way to bring community together,” Rootz said.

Rootz said growing up in Village Green, a neighborhood in East Gainesville and an impoverished environment, pushed her toward that goal, helping her break a stigma of scarcity and fear. She believes Gainesville has flourished with artistic opportunities, but these opportunities don’t always reach communities beyond the uni-

versity bubble.

“A lot of things here are centered around the universities and the college students, but there is a lot of hidden talent within people who didn’t make it to college,” she said.

Arts and culture are present in Gainesville through museums, exhibits and music venues scattered around the city. Further developments like a cultural arts center in East Gainesville could continue catering to the expansion, providing people with a place to turn to for support.

Community members are concerned more outreach needs to be done to fully immerse underserved communities into art outlets. There are opportunities for people to seek support through the arts, but the accessibility can vary.

Gainesville’s Cultural Affairs Division Manager Carol Velasques-

rytelling, quilting,” she said.

She said the city wants to create more interactive spaces to serve as accessible creative outlets where people of all skill levels can participate.

Velasques-Richardson also said the city has tried to listen to residents through a series of workshops to assess what the community wants to see more of.

“They told us they want to see ceramics, they want to see art, and so we are just trying to build those programs,” she said.

Richardson said recent renovations of Oakview Community Center, at 10 NW Eighth Ave., through the city’s Wild Spaces and Public Places program can help use the space

to showcase free art and implement interaction programs for both adults and children.

“We’re wanting to put programs in here whether it’s art, music, sto-

Beyond city resources, Gainesville’s art scene is also pursuing outreach through entrepreneurship, partnerships and exposure. Read the rest online at alligator.org/ section/the_avenue.

@nicolebeltg nbeltran@alligator.org

Adriel Bolocon // Alligator Staff Mayor Harvey Ward declares Feb. 24 the first annual Multicultural Day on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.

Armand Raichandani // Alligator Staff Bella Rootz pictured at the Hector Gallery on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.

Buchholz High School presents production of ‘The Three Musketeers’

THE COMEDIC, ACTION-PACKED SHOW OPENS FEB. 29

By Bonny Matejowsky Avenue Staff Writer

The ringing clangs of swashbuckling sword fights resounded loudly in Buchholz High School’s auditorium at a midweek evening rehearsal. In front of a white-columned set piece, two pajama-clad teens duel with careful choreography, jousting silver swords and dodging calculated swings.

Normally, the idea of teenagers swinging weapons at each other would be a cause for concern. But as members of Troupe 1452 wait in the wings to practice their next scene, it’s a familiar and unalarming sight.

The theater troupe has been rehearsing since January for its Spring production of “The Three Musketeers” by French playwright Alexandre Dumas, set to run eight performances Feb. 29 to March 9.

The story follows young D’Artagnan, played by 16-year-old sophomore Gustavo Meucci, as he heads into Paris with dreams of becoming a musketeer. Co-director and Buchholz junior Allison Barton aimed to add a comedic tone to the historic tale without forfeiting the thrill of

action-packed battle sequences.

“Giving a bunch of your peers swords is kind of terrifying,” said 16-year-old Barton.

Directing alongside 16-year-old Patrick Bethel, the two have tackled almost every aspect of the show from start to finish — judging auditions, setting up scenes, creating flyers and ensuring actors are up to date on their lines.

The fight choreography was left to Ted Lewis, a Buchholz theater instructor of 23 years, and his former student, Sienna Curcio.

Lewis is one of the founding members of Thieves Guilde, a medieval re-enactment group well-known for their premiere showcase at the annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire.

Though he’s no longer a part of the group,

he said his combat skills remain in good shape.

“You have to be careful and convincingly fast at the same time,” Lewis said.

He was trained by the Society of American Fight Directors and is the only high school teacher in Florida who is allowed to teach fight choreography as part of the curriculum, Lewis said.

While he handles the combat, he said he takes pride in seeing his students handle a production by themselves.

“Nothing makes a theater teacher prouder,” Lewis said, “when you can step back and say, ‘Take it,’ and then they do it.”

Barton and Bethel are enjoying their heightened responsibilities, even if it means long rehearsal times and lots of on-the-spot decisionmaking.

“For the most part [Lewis] just lets us put our creativity out on what we do,” Bethel said. “And if it’s not perfect … he’ll let us know.”

The show will run evening performances at 7 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. After a brief two-day hiatus, “The Three Musketeers” will resume at Buchholz High School auditorium — 5510 NW 27th Ave. — March 6 to March 9 at 7 p.m.

@bonnymatejowsky bmatejowsky@alligator.org

The 2024 leap year reveals local traditions, celebrations and superstitions HOLIDAYS

THE 2024 LEAP YEAR REVEALS

LOCAL TRADITIONS, CELEBRATIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS

By Molly Seghi Avenue Staff Writer

Jazzlyn Harrell eagerly punched her number into the keypad in her elementary school lunch line over 20 years ago. More satisfying than the lunch she was served, she savored the ‘Happy birthday’ message that lit up on the screen. Unlike her classmates, she would

have to wait another four years to see it again.

Harrell, now a 31-year-old Alachua County elementary school counselor, is a ‘leapling,’ a person born Feb. 29. For her, the date brings memories of both small delights and mild frustrations.

“I didn’t understand why my birthday was not always on the calendar,” Harrell said. “It used to bother me as a kid and it stuck with me.”

While she said explaining her birthday to her students can sometimes be complicated, their reaction is worth the effort.

“I explain to them [my] birthday only came seven times,” she said.

“And they [say], ‘What? So that means you’re seven years old?’”

But the confusion of Harrell’s students is incomparable to the gripes of submitting online forms, Jessica Hooley, a 43-year-old real estate director, said. She finds drop-down boxes for birthdays are perpetually unpredictable.

“Sometimes on online formats, [Facebook] won’t even let you enter your birthday because it just gets confused,” Hooley said.

Naibi Mariñas, a UF associate instructional professor of astronomy, said the leap year is a mathematical tool implemented in 1582 to fix the calendar.

Earth’s orbit around the sun

and the lunar cycle, she said, are not mathematically perfect and are out of sync with each other. So, the additional day is applied every four years to stop seasons from drifting and create a uniform system.

“Leap years happen only if you have a lunisolar calendar,” Mariñas said. “We’re mixing the cycles of the moon with the cycles of the sun now.”

But far more eye-catching to Mariñas is the leap year calendar’s protection of religious holidays, she said.

“Leap years depend on the calendar you adopt, so it’s mostly a cultural thing,” Mariñas said. “It’s interesting… to see how beliefs

and society affect things like the calendar.”

Similar to how different cultures follow different calendars, leap year traditions and superstitions vary across different countries.

While many modern newspapers may be published daily or weekly, La Bougie du Sapeur, The Sapper’s Candle, makes newsstands every leap year. The French satirical paper will publish its 12th edition since 1980 Feb. 29.

Read the rest online at alligator.org/ section/the_avenue.

@molly_seghi mseghi@alligator.org

Evelyn Miguel // Alligator Staff Students practicing for a production of the Three Musketeers at Buchholz High School on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.

The fight for representation: Why change is needed now more than ever

There’s always more work to be done. This underlying belief has guided Change Party to serve the student body for eight semesters. This thought empowers us to author 200 bills when we are the minority in the Senate chamber. This is our conviction as we strive to put the power back into the hands of all students this election.

Even when we started as a caucus of eight, Change Party has revolutionized what Student Government can and should do for the UF student body.

Through our advocacy and all-nighters, we understood what students needed. We secured the return of 24/7 Marston Library. This past Summer, we established the first-ever arts pantry to relieve financial obstacles for arts students and provide free art supplies.

Since the last Fall election, we have delivered $170,000 to student organizations. We fought tooth and nail for cultural celebrations that are pivotal to the experience of so many diverse groups on campus. After months of budget meetings, Change raised enough funding to create an oncampus thrift store so students can access affordable and sustainable clothing.

But progress is always opposed by those who benefit from maintaining the status quo. After rebranding from Gator Party, Vision Party gerrymandered the Fall 2023 election map. By combining Districts A through E into a single off-campus district, Vision diluted minority voting power and left thousands of students and an entire zip code unrepresented in the Senate.

With its majority this past semester, Vision failed graduate student rent relief bills, stifled free speech in the Senate chamber and killed bills that would have established a diversity, equity and inclusion standing committee with student organization representation on them.

When the state legislature continues its onslaught of attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, labor unions, academic freedom and DEI, complacency in our Student Government means jeopardizing the rights of students. Students make it great to be a Florida Gator, and they deserve to feel safe and empowered on campus — not despite, but because of their diverse and vibrant identities.

It’s a good thing Change Party likes a challenge.

This semester, we’re fighting to allocate $200,000 annually to the Center for

www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Vision Party: Continuing down the path of success

Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement to protect funding for cultural programs and staff. We’ve already been working with faculty and administration and will be implementing a ‘mental health day’ per semester in which students have no classes and are able to take a breather. Change also plans on providing free menstrual health products in all dorms and academic buildings to fight period poverty. After authoring a bill establishing an annual Student Performers Festival, we aim to expand dance and music rehearsal spaces in the Reitz Union and beyond.

We want to bring so many novel resources and experiences to the student body — but we can’t do it without your help. The current majority party wants you to remain uninvolved and uninformed about Student Government because it’s how it gets away with putting in no work while filling resume lines. It’s how it gets away with stripping away representation and inclusion on campus, tearing a page right out of the Florida legislature’s playbook.

It’s time we put the power back into the hands of all students. Change is more than just a political party — we are a movement of advocates, graduate assistants, engineers, club tennis players and student organization leaders who fight tirelessly to improve the campus experience for all gators.

The election season may be wrapping up, but the work is just beginning. It starts at the polls with your vote.

Be a part of the movement that launches UF’s campus Forward, Together. Vote Change Party at your nearest voting location Feb. 27 and 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Connor Panish is a UF Mathematics Junior and Change Party President. Simone Liang is a UF Political Science Junior, Presidential Candidate and Change Party Director of Policy. Nathaniel Pelton is a UF Political Science Sophomore and Senate Minority Leader.

Oscar Santiago Perez is a UF Political Science Senior and Senate President Emeritus.

From its creation this past Fall, Vision Party has made it its mission to ensure the voices of every student are heard. The very foundation of Vision is based on individuals from all backgrounds coming together to tackle the ineffective governance of other parties.

The idea was simple: eliminate the bickering and gridlock from Student Government and work to realize student needs. Vision affiliates have translated this idea into action after Vision Party’s inaugural campaign won them a majority in the Student Senate.

Newly elected Visionaries have since worked tirelessly to produce legislation and meet with student organizations in order to uplift student voices and needs. As your input informs our platform, we have reflected your exact ideas in the changes we push for, ensuring that we keep ourselves and our learning environment productive and safe.

In this upcoming election, the stakes are higher than ever. The student body does not feel safe; principles of diversity, equity and inclusion are under attack and the student organization funding model is an ongoing cause for concern.

We have experienced the effects of recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion in Florida, and resolved to use our Senate majority to fight for all students impacted, not just in the classroom but at the core of their identities.

We passed legislation calling for the creation of a summit where student leaders can meet directly with Senate and Executive Branch leadership. We directly uplifted first-generation students by passing legislation urging the university to expand networking opportunities, mentorship and first-generation specialized advising programs.

We tirelessly pushed for increased safety measures and more support for student healthcare through improved mental health resources within the Counseling and Wellness Center and the UPD Correspondent Program, increased reproductive health education and availability, and the spread of Narcan across campus.

We advocated for sustainability efforts such as compost bins inside UF’s dining halls, alongside an increased accommodation of students with dietary restrictions in our dining facilities.

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

We have furthered your Senators’ dedication to Alachua County as a whole by implementing community service requirements within Senate.

Under the direction of Senate President John Brinkman and President Pro-Tempore Saketh Damera, we are proud to say that these achievements makeup only a small fraction of the Vision caucus’s accomplishments, having just one semester under its belt. While Senate will continue to further these initiatives, our executive ticket is excited to get to work.

Your future Student Body President, John Brinkman, is dedicated to ensuring a safer campus, and will actively work to do so by implementing monitored rescue stations across campus in case of emergency, enhancing AED services and Blue Light Emergency Phones and promoting accessibility alongside safety with the construction committee task force.

Vision Vice President Candidate Laura Thomas will use her experience as Black Student Union president to continue advocating for student success, amplifying student voices and supporting DEI initiatives, specifically through creating new cabinets in the Executive Branch.

Vision’s Student Body Treasurer Candidate Saketh Damera is passionate about uplifting student organizations in terms of funding and accomplishments. Recognizing the inefficiencies and failures of the current funding models for student organizations, Saketh will restructure the funding system, make comprehensive guides on how to navigate Docutraq, and increase funding for Signature Events by $150,000 to ensure vital student events secure funding.

We asked the student body what it wanted to see from its Student Government, and we listened. Because of you, our platform is the most comprehensive in recent history. Vision Party kept its promises in the Fall, and we will do it again with your vote Feb. 27 and 28!

Matthew Reich is a UF political science junior and the Vision Party campaign manager.

©2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

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3. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin prefix “sub-” mean in English?

3. FOOD & DRINK: Which vegetable is commonly used to make pickles?

4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms?

4. MUSIC: What is pop singer Taylor Swift's favorite number?

5. LITERATURE: Which 20th-century movie star penned the autobiography “Me: Stories of My Life”?

5. MEDICAL: What is a common name for lachrymation?

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Answers

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2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

3. Below or insufficient

10. GEOGRAPHY: The volcano Mount Vesuvius overlooks which modern-day Italian city?

4. Grover Cleveland

5. Katharine Hepburn

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6. Devils Tower, 1906

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1. On a 1963 episode of the TV sitcom "Mister Ed," Ed (the horse) hit an inside-the-park home run off of what Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher?

2. Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy spent his entire playing career from 1982-94 with what NBA team?

3. NASCAR drivers Dick Trickle, Dave Marcis, Alan Kulwicki, Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard and Danica Patrick were all born in what U.S. state?

4. What sports and fitness society was created in the Soviet Union in 1923?

5. Name the two defensive linemen for the Dallas Cowboys who were named co-MVPs of Super Bowl XII.

6. What publication, promoted as "The

MEN'S TENNIS

Adhithya Ganesan first stepped on campus in January; the freshman is already cracking jokes and succeeding on the court

Winning his first five singles matches and first four doubles matches, Ganesan has firmly established himself on Florida’s team

By Chandler Hawkes Sports Writer

In the Gators men’s tennis duel against the University of North Florida Jan. 19, the match to clinch the doubles point was tied at 6-6. The score in the tiebreaker was 5-4 in favor of Florida freshman Adhithya Ganesan and sophomore Tanapatt Nirundorn.

It was only the duo’s second time playing together, and Nirundorn hadn’t made a return in the last four games.

He was feeling the nerves and Ganesan noticed it. So, the freshman walked up to Nirundorn before it was his turn to return and said, “Bro, if you really think about it, it ain’t that deep.”

Ganesan had him on the verge of tears right before the biggest point in the match. Nirundorn burst out laughing and hit a return winner on the next point, helping them clinch the crucial doubles point for the Gators.

It’s rare to see a freshman composed and cracking jokes with the match on the line. Though, Ganesan has blossomed into a reliable performer.

“He’s opened up a lot,” head coach Adam Steinberg said. “I think he really enjoys playing for Florida. He’s a pretty quiet guy, but since he’s been here in early January, we’ve seen for sure different sides of Adhithya.”

Leading into the 2024 Spring season for the Florida Gators men’s tennis team, Steinberg had just six players on his roster. In order to fill the roster, Steinberg signed four freshmen at the start of the season.

Ganesan is one of those four freshmen. He had proven to be one of the

top players in his class. According to Tennis Recruiting Network, he ranked No. 17 as a recruit in the class of 2023, and he was titled the No. 1 ranked player in Maryland.

Ganesan first picked up a tennis racket when he was just 4 years old, but he didn’t know until he was 12 that tennis could be a foreseeable future.

“When I improved my ranking in the 12s and 14s, I was one of the better players in my age group at the time and kind of just kept that same level and kept progressing throughout the years,” Ganesan said.

Throughout his junior tennis career, Ganesan achieved a career-high International Tennis Federation Junior ranking of No. 24 in the world. He has won 10 ITF Juniors titles and most recently made his Grand Slam main draw debut in the 2023 U.S.

Open Tennis Championships.

Ganesan attributes his confidence and success to his junior tennis career and how it developed him as a tennis player.

“The last, I’d say, year and a half, I've traveled to probably over 15 countries playing internationally,” Ganesan said. “A lot of it, I traveled by myself, so I was able to just gain a lot of experience playing different players, in different conditions and just learning new things.”

Ganesan was initially committed to Cornell University until midOctober 2023. He decommitted from Cornell after trips to play in the U.S. Open and Asia for six weeks. After a strong fall season, Ganesan said he felt he needed a different tennis program to settle into.

And that program was UF.

“The tennis program is a lot better here,” he said. “The weather is nicer, it’s closer to a lot of the tournaments and the conference is a lot better. I

had a pretty good last summer and September and October, so I was going to focus more on trying to become a professional tennis player.”

Steinberg had been following Ganesan as a recruit since his time at Michigan, and when Ganesan decommitted from Cornell, Steinberg didn’t hesitate to recruit the talented freshman.

“I knew of him when I was at the University of Michigan, tried to recruit him then a little bit, so I had seen him play,” Steinberg said. “We got in the mix pretty quickly there in the fall and felt like, you know, he was a guy that really could make a great impact on our program. He is a class act, a great guy and a very good student. He covered all the bases for us and we went hard to get him and we’re happy he's here.”

Ganesan started the spring season playing line three for the Gators. After being on campus for less than two months, he has played his way into the top spot in the singles lineup.

A huge part of that jump was his early success in the season, winning his first five singles matches.

“This is my first semester, so playing college tennis is different than playing juniors when you're playing for yourself,” Ganesan said. “Playing with a group of guys, for a team, being able to win gave me a lot of confidence.”

While watching Ganesan compete, his teammates and fans may be cheering, but nobody is saying his name. Instead, cheers of “Come on, Billy” and “Let's go, Billy” ring out.

“Billy” is a nickname that Ganesan coined for himself when he met former Gator and national champion Ben Shelton.

“The first time I met him, he asked me what my name was, and I said Billy as a joke,” Ganesan said.

“Then everyone, as a joke that week, was calling me Billy, and then it just kind of stuck. Now everyone calls me Billy.”

“Billy” also plays doubles for the Gators with sophomore Tanapatt Nirundorn. The duo is 6-1 on the season and is currently ranked No. 41 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles rankings.

Nirundorn attributes their chemistry to their playstyles and different personalities on the court.

“Billy is a little more on the quiet side when you first meet him, but his personality shows once you get used to him and get closer with him,” Nirundorn said.

They work as a team because they know each other's games so well, it's as if they are connected on the court, he added.

College tennis is all about intensi-

ty, momentum and energy. Matches, players, fans and coaches are energized after each point.

However, Ganesan said he’s more content and composed on the court but needs to improve his energy because it helps his team and his partner.

With the start of the demanding SEC season ahead, Ganesan and the Gators will have to play six top-25 teams. With the Gators' next match March 1 against No. 12 Texas A&M, Florida will have had much-needed rest before their season picks back up for conference play.

“I gotta make sure to stay healthy and just keep improving, and hopefully we keep winning more matches,” Ganesan said.

@HawkesChandler chawkes@alligator.org

Florida softball’s new pitching staff finds early success SOFTBALL

THE GATORS HAVE RECORDED A 0.48 ERA IN THEIR FIRST 17 GAMES

By Hailey Hurst Sports Writer

During the 2023 season, the Gators softball pitching staff struggled. The staff had a 3.69

ERA, and the team faltered in SEC play, in part due to the pitching. The Gators ranked secondto-last in the category, ahead of Kentucky.

In June, the team decided to move on from former pitching coach Mike Bosch, who had been with the team since 2018.

To replace Bosch, Florida went with Chelsey Dobbins. Dobbins had been with the University of North Carolina for the past eight years.

This season under Dobbins, the staff has

found success, recording a 0.48 ERA in the team’s first 17 games.

“Their success is all due in part to them, their hard work and their expectations of themselves,” Dobbins said.

Florida’s pitchers are all new, including three freshmen and a transfer graduate student. Dobbins said she came into an ideal situation of a completely new staff that isn’t familiar with the history of a former coach.

Despite UF’s rich history, Dobbins said she doesn’t feel any pressure and holds high expectations for the four girls.

“Walton has a standard of excellence that I have a lot of appreciation for,” she said. “It's nice to emulate that with the pitching staff and have the same expectations for them.”

Amongst the new pitching staff are fresh-

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Florida freshman Adhithya Ganesan (left) rips a backhand with sophomore Tanapatt Nirundorn (right) in the Gators’ 7-0 win against The Citadel on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.

New pitching staff

men Ava Brown, Keagan Rothrock, Olivia Miller and graduate transfer Mackenzie Wooten.

The hardest part for Dobbins has been teaching the freshmen how to pitch rather than throw because they are new to college-level expectations, she said. They found success throwing in travel softball, but each pitch matters when they consistently face strong teams.

“What I love is that they don’t know any different,” she said. “They know they’ve been great and want to come in and do the same thing.”

Dobbins said she’s fortunate to work with a group of girls who hold positive attitudes and are willing to do whatever it takes to help the team.

“They’re good kids who want to win,” Dobbins said. “If you tell them to jump, they’ll ask how high.”

Wooten stepped in as the older role model for the freshman since she holds college softball experience, Dobbins said.

“I've been playing college softball for five years now, but I still see myself getting better, which is super exciting,” Wooten said.

Although she is older than most of the team, Wooten said it adds less pressure knowing they’re all new to the Florida program and are constantly learning.

Wooten is currently in UF’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy program and trying to be cautious about balancing school and sports, she said. Softball has become her fun relief away from school.

Wooten made her first appearance against Illinois State in the USF-Rawlings

Invitational Feb. 10. With one out and a runner on first, she subbed in to close out the 12-1 win.

Head coach Tim Walton and Dobbins work together to make it the best scenario for the pitchers regardless of the personnel they will succeed with, Dobbins said.

“We don't expect them to be perfect, but we expect them to put us in situations in every game to win,” she said.

Wooten and the three freshmen have executed, helping lead the team to a strong 15-2 start to the season.

Rothrock, a right-handed pitcher, has recorded 65 strikeouts with a 0.83 ERA in eight games. She was named the SEC Freshman of the Week Feb. 19 after delivering 17 strikeouts in two complete-game victories at the Bubly Invitational.

“It’s pretty cool honestly,” she said. “I didn’t even know until one of the girls came in the bathroom and was like ‘Congrats,’ and I was like, ‘for what?’”

Rothrock said the biggest difference for her has been having to adjust to a big hitter in every at-bat, rather than the first four in the lineup.

Since the staff is new together, she said they’ve become close building off each other, and Wooten helped guide them through the learning curve.

“I think the pressure part is we are freshmen, and this is a whole new stage for us,” she said. “But then at the same time, it's not pressure because we are freshmen, and we've never done this before.”

Brown, who played with Rothrock growing up in Texas, said with so many new faces to the program, they’ve been able to create their own legacy.

“Being able to not have an expectation as a pitching staff and create a completely new environment [and] a new standard that we have for ourselves — I feel like

it’s given us a lot more freedom,” she said.

Brown has recorded 19 strikeouts with a 0.22 ERA in six games. Not allowing age or grade to affect her is something they’ve focused on as a team, Brown said.

“We've been able to get rid of that gap and work together to show we need everybody,” she said. “It doesn't matter how old you are, it's what you bring to the table.”

Brown recorded her first home run as a Gator against South Florida in the USFRawlings Invitational. In the Gators’ doubleheader Feb. 22, Brown got her barrel to the inside part of the plate for her second

home run of the season.

“It's so fun because everybody gets so excited for you, and then it makes it feel so worthwhile,” she said.

Building a relationship with the girls has become an important aspect for Brown. She said she knows she can let loose and be herself in a playful atmosphere as well as a serious one.

She said the goal is to win the Women’s College World Series, something Florida and head coach Tim Walton has done twice.

Left-handed pitcher Miller has the same goal.

In Game 1 of a doubleheader against Bethune Cookman in the Rawlings Invitational Feb. 11, Miller became the first freshman in program history to throw a perfect game.

Then, she did it again. On Feb. 24, in the T-Mobile Invitational, Miller threw another perfect game against Lafayette College.

“My glove was shaking,” she said. “You have to just go on the mound and do your thing, and I didn't even realize it. It was so weird.”

Additionally, Miller said the non-conference games have helped her get rid of the jitters and nerves, so she feels ready to go when SEC play begins.

“I don't care if it's in the dugout, a great teammate or on the field with strikeouts,” Miller said, “I just want to help out the team.”

The Florida pitchers will continue to play Feb. 29 as they head on the road to face the California State Fullerton Titans at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

@haileyjhurst hhurst@alligator.org

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Florida right-handed pitcher Ava Brown subbed in the fifth inning during the Gators’ 8-0 win over UIC, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.