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VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 25 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

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UF eliminates diversity: What’s known and what remains unclear

The university fired 13 full-time diversity, equity and inclusion faculty March 1

By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer

Faculty and students at UF have wondered what will happen to the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs since Gov. Ron DeSantis banned state DEI funding to Florida universities in May 2023.

Nine months later, they have their answer.

The university announced it has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors in a memo published March 1. The university also fired 13 full-time DEI positions and ended 15 administrative appointments for faculty, according to UF Spokesperson Cynthia Roldan.

Employees fired will receive 12 weeks of severance pay, during which they are “allowed and encouraged” to apply for different UF positions. The university will “fasttrack” the interview process for these employees and answer their applications within the 12-week window, which ends April 19.

UF’s response to a state-ordered spending audit, released to The Alligator Jan. 18, 2023, revealed the university projected spending $5 million, less than 1% of its annual budget, on DEI spending for the 20222023 school year.

The $5 million in funds previously allocated to DEI initiatives will be reallocated into a faculty recruitment fund managed by UF provost, according to the memo.

Student-run clubs not receiving state funding will not be affected.

“As we educate students by thoughtfully engaging a wide range of ideas and views, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of the Gator Nation,” the memo read.

The order, contextualized

DeSantis issued a memo in December 2022 requesting Florida universities report all spending allocated to DEI and critical race theory. Flor-

ida then passed a bill banning state spending on DEI in May 2023 that took effect in July.

In November, the Florida Board of Governors adopted a loose interpretation of “DEI” and “social activism” through Regulation 9.016. The Board approved the regulation at its meeting Jan. 24.

Now, universities across the state are seeing the full effect of the law. The University of North Florida closed its LGBTQ+ and women’s centers last month. Florida International University eliminated its DEI division shortly afterward.

While remaining universities, including Florida State University and the University of Central Florida, have yet to share how the law will affect their programs, the memo represents UF’s first clarification of how its own campus will be affected.

Unclear: College DEI administration’s employment statuses

The largest share of the university’s $5 million in DEI spending went to college administration, including salaries for diversity-focused positions such as the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion, who was salaried at $141,080 for the 2022-2023 school year.

Most deans identified in the January 2023 report have since changed their job titles to exclude the words “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion.” For example, the former associate dean for diversity, inclusion and global affairs at the College of Nursing is now the associate dean for community engagement and global affairs.

Others, like former Associate Dean for DEI in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Bianca Evans-Donaldson, have dropped superlatives from their title altogether. EvansDonaldson’s title is now simply associate dean.

It’s unclear whether their altered position titles have saved these employees’ jobs under the memo.

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Women's Basketball Story description finish with comma, pg#

Aaliyah Matharu emerges as leader for UF. Read more on pg. 11.

After reaching out to all college administrators with current or former diversity-related positions through phone and email, The Alligator was unable to confirm any of their current employment statuses.

Jean-Marie Stacciarini, former associate dean for DEI and current associate dean for community engagement and global affairs in the College of Nursing, shared on a phone call March 1 she could not confirm whether or not she was still employed with UF. Michael Bowie, former associate dean for DEI and current assistant dean in the College of Veterinary Medicine, said faculty are still figuring everything out and that people’s lives are being affected by the memo.

Bowie had no comment on his own employment status.

Donna Parker, former associate dean for diversity and health equity and current associate dean for healthcare excellence, community and belonging in the College of Medicine, is on extended medical leave, reported her office on a phone call March 1.

The remaining administrators, including diversity-related deans in the colleges for law, pharmacy and education, could not be reached as of March 3.

Unclear: Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement

The memo did not disclose the future of the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, which runs offices for Black, Latino, Asian American, Desi, Pacific Islander and LGBTQ+ student engagement on the second floor of the Reitz Student Union.

The CIME has three administrative faculty and five student engagement officers according to its website. It received $400,000 in the 2022-2023 operating budget, 85% of which was state-funded.

Diversity resources like the CIME make the UF campus a safer place for underrepresented students in a way

SEE DEI, PAGE 4

Teen Court

Program offers second chance to troubled youth, pg. 4

El Caimàn: Immigration

Alachua County legal experts advise migrants, pg. 7

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Jonathan Pearson, Hailey Pham and Mags Penza play cards while Fernando Guillen studies at Marston Science Library on Sunday, March 3, 2024.

Cleanup of Gainesville hazardous waste site continues to stall REMEDIATION ON THE 140-ACRE SITE HAS SPANNED THREE DECADES

By Kylie Williams Alligator Staff Writer

When Robert Pearce bought his home in Gainesville’s Stephen Foster neighborhood, he didn’t know he was moving next door to a hazardous waste site. The 71-year-old resident began investigating what he’d heard about nearby contamination after moving into his home in 2008.

“I started to get unhappy, and then I got involved,” he said.

Pearce had moved into a home only a couple of miles away from the Cabot Koppers Superfund site at 200 NW 23rd Ave., an area the Environmental Protection Agency designated as containing large amounts of toxic waste.

Since the 1990s, the companies responsible for the cleanup have been working to remove contaminants from the site and the surrounding Stephen Foster neighborhood. The hazardous chemicals from the site have raised concerns for Pearce and other residents, who worry about potential risks to human and environmental health.

SEE KOPPERS, PAGE 5

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2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024

Weather Florida’sToday’s cell-grown meat ban leaves UF researchers divided BILL BANNING LAB-GROWN MEAT MOVES THROUGH FLORIDA LEGISLATURE

By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer

For the past few months, Razieh Farzad’s email inbox has been full.

Since Florida legislators first proposed banning cultivated meat in November, the UF assistant professor and seafood safety extension specialist has found her research on cellular aquaculture under a new level of public interest.

“So many people email me that it was not easy not to keep track of the bills,” she said.

Called “cultivated meat” by researchers and “lab-grown meat” by critics, the alternative protein is developed directly from animal cells. Scientists collect tissue samples from live animals without killing them. Then, they allow the cells to multiply and mature in a lab before processing them into a food product.

Global meat consumption is expected to increase 13% over the next eight years, according to a United Nations report. Researchers suggest cell cultivation could help meet this demand while requiring less water, land use and gas emissions than traditional meat.

But those opposed question whether cultivated meat can deliver on its promised sustainability. Pushback comes largely from conventional meat giants like the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, which claimed cultivated meat would promote “corporate and consolidated control of the food supply system” in a 2022 statement.

Legislation in states including Arizona, Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia has emerged against cultivated meat in the last two months.

Now, a bill that would make the creation or sale of cultivated meat a second-degree misdemeanor is making its way through the Florida legislature. The bill passed in the Florida Senate Feb. 29 as part of a larger package also regulating electric vehicle charg-

VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 25

NEWSROOM:

ing stations and pest control. Its companion is scheduled for a second reading in the House of Representatives.

UF scientist reactions vary from ‘not worried’ to ‘concerned’

The legislation still allows research in the cultivated meat field. Farzad, UF’s only expert in cellular agriculture according to the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences website, feels confident her academic freedom and the university’s support will protect her from the bills, she said.

“It’s not relevant to me — I’m not manufacturing anything for commercialization yet,” she said.

“I’m not worried. I’m just doing research.”

Farzad and the three students she leads in her lab don’t cultivate meat for human consumption, but for an exclusively underwater clientele: fish.

Farzad received $199,661 through the Florida Sea Grant program earlier this year to research lab-grown fishmeal as an alternative protein to feed sea creatures in Florida fisheries and fish farms.

Traditional fishmeal is made from ground-up forage fish like anchovy and herring. Sourcing these ingredients from the ocean is costly and unsustainable — a problem that will only increase along with world population in the decades ahead, Farzad said.

Farzad hopes her research will provide fish the same proteins at a lower cost, she said.

“My passion is helping to feed the future,” she said. “One of the ways to help with that is production of seafood through aquaculture.”

Though Farzad remains confident her research will be safe from Tallahassee, Florida Sea Grant Program Director Sherry Larkin isn’t so sure.

The UF food resource and economics professor, who worked with Farzad on an informational flyer, thinks the technology holds great promise for food self-sufficiency, she said in an email.

“My concerns with this bill is that it doesn’t appear to define ‘meat,’ and sometimes refers to the more generic ‘protein,’” she said. “Also, the focus seems to be

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on food for human consumption, which is just one use of this technology.”

Confusion coast to coast

About 2,700 miles from Farzad’s lab, the cofounders of the San Francisco-based cultivated salmon start-up Wildtype share Larkin’s concerns. Aryé Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck have both visited Florida to testify against the proposed ban.

Multiple states introducing near-identical legislation at the same time was no accident, Kolbeck said. He blames a well-coordinated effort by “large vested interests” in the conventional meat industry to kill the technology before it gets off the ground, he said.

A hearing Kolbeck attended two weeks ago demonstrates his point, he said.

“The chair of the hearing heard two or three of us stand up and talk about why this bill would be a bad idea,” he said. “The chairman of this committee said, ‘Hey, we heard really compelling reasons from these speakers why this is a bad idea to ban in Florida.

Can someone from the conventional meat industry please stand up and explain why you want this banned?’”

The resulting silence went on long enough to become awkward, Kolbeck said.

Shutting down cellular agriculture to appease conventional meat lobbyists sends a devastating message to Florida researchers, including those at UF, about the future of biomedical research in the state, Elfenbein said.

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024

‘Teen Court’ fosters youth engagement in Alachua County PROGRAM OFFERS SECOND CHANCE TO YOUNG TEENS IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW

By Daniel Bednar Alligator Staff Writer

The bedrock of America’s criminal justice system is the right to be tried by a jury of one’s peers.

Teen Court, an alternative sentencing program offered by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, ensures that even a 13-year-old can face judgment from a jury of their peers in the form of a teenage jury panel.

Every Tuesday evening, about a dozen teens gather in Courtroom 1A at the Alachua County Courthouse to decide the fate of young offenders accused of small crimes. The jury’s goal is to guide its peers toward rehabilitation and positive choices.

“We're literally diverting youth away from the juvenile justice system,” said Olivia Hollier, the Teen Court program coordinator. “There's a big need for this, for kids to be able to stumble and not ruin their lives.”

Most students in the program are facing petty theft, drug possession or battery charges arising from school fights. Teen Court focuses exclusively on determining the most effective punishment to rehabilitate struggling adolescents, so guilt is never an issue.

“When you see that your peers are like, ‘Hey, that's not cool. You shouldn't have done that,’ that hits a little bit harder than an adult being like, ‘Don't do that again,’” Hollier said.

Possible sentences include community service, essays on the importance of good behavior, future service on the Teen Court jury, counseling and open-court apologies to their parents.

“All of our sanctions are centered

around bettering the youth, bettering their understanding and taking personal responsibility,” Hollier said.

“It's proven statewide, especially in our circuit, it works. It definitely has a positive effect on our youth and not reoffending.”

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Teen Court offered high school students the opportunity to act as a prosecutor or defense attorney under the guidance of experienced lawyers.

Prosecutors argue for stern punishments on behalf of the State, while defense attorneys advocate for their teenage clients. The program is attempting to bring back the studentattorney experience after it stopped during the pandemic, Hollier said.

The sentencing decision is ultimately made by each week’s guest judge, who takes into account the jury’s recommendation and sometimes makes slight changes. Any upstanding member of the community can volunteer as a guest judge.

“We've had commissioners, doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, deans, principals, sheriffs. All walks of life,” Hollier said. “Sometimes we hear super crazy stories from these people about dumb stuff they did when they were a kid, but that doesn't make it so that your life is over.”

On Feb. 27, Alachua County Judge Susan Miller-Jones presided over three battery cases. Before court, she could be seen asking jurors about their career plans and giving advice on pursuing a college degree. During court, she told defendants to stay out of trouble.

“I feel like that says a lot about our program because even judges in the judicial system support it. It definitely sets some heavier reality into how important this opportunity is,” Hollier said.

In one case Miller-Jones reviewed, a middle-school student was

Roles eliminated DEI, from pg. 1

smaller, student-funded clubs can’t always replicate, said 19-year-old UF applied kinesiology sophomore Carolina Villarini. She often visits the Latino center in the CIME to eat lunch and talk with friends.

Villarini’s sex controversies class discussed UF’s DEI department in class Feb. 28. Her professor and class were shocked when the office was defunded just days later, she said.

“It just adds onto, ‘Why is this state moving backwards and backwards, and we can’t just move forward and accept people and make people feel safe?’” she said.

Unclear: Graduate student diversity initiatives

UF graduate diversity initiatives, as identified in the report, include the Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives and SF2UF, a Santa Fe College to UF bridge program prioritizing outreach to underrepresented SF transfer students.

Since The Alligator last reported on graduate DEI initiatives Jan. 29, OGDI has shut down its Instagram and Facebook pages. Its website was already out of commission at the time of The Alligator’s last report.

Representatives from SF2UF were unavailable for comment.

Changing regulations around DEI don’t pose much of a concern to Everett Schwieg, a 23-year-old UF biomedical engineering Master’s student. He doesn’t think graduate students are

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff

The Alachua County Criminal Courthouse on Main St. on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2024. facing criminal charges for a brutal school fight. On the witness stand, he admitted to assaulting a fellow classmate and showed little signs of remorse. Each juror asked at least one question before the student was dismissed for jury deliberations.

At times, deliberations get loud — and heated. The teen jurors argue over the most minute details of a sentence: ‘Should the offender receive 75 community service hours or 100? Should he write a 500-word essay or an 800-word one?’ Sometimes, a gentle reminder of courtroom decorum from the judge helps to resolve differences. Other times, it might take a bathroom break and a breath of fresh air. Regardless, all of them must reach a unanimous verdict.

“This is the kind of thing that I

as interested or affected by campus happenings as undergraduates, he said.

Aside from the regulation banning UF international graduate student recruitment, no initiatives for or against diversity have played a role in his graduate student experience, Schwieg said. He attributes his noninterest to the fact he doesn’t fall into any minority groups as well as his graduate student status, he said.

“The university’s just following the state government’s policy,” he said. “I think it’s more of a higher-up thing. I don’t really blame UF for following the rules, because it’s a public university.”

Office of the Chief Diversity Officer closed, DEI-related academic courses still available

The memo also closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, which employed three fulltime faculty members.

CDO Marsha McGriff, a member of the president’s cabinet, was hired in 2021 and was salaried at $300,000 in Fall 2022. Other office employees were Farrah Harvey and Wilma Rogers.

McGriff, Harvey and Rogers were unavailable for comment. The former Chief Diversity Office website, which was active as of March 2, now redirects to the university’s home page.

Aside from salaries to college DEI administration and Chief Diversity Office operations, the biggest portion of UF’s $5 million in diversity funding went to academic classes, the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement and graduate school initiatives.

All but one of the 10 UF courses identified on the audit are still available to students for

think the average citizen doesn't get the opportunity to see, but it was great to see that today,” Judge Miller-Jones said of the deliberation process. “It's amazing to hear them weigh what we should give for community service and why.”

After the sentence is read aloud, Miller-Jones makes it a point to ask each teen about their life goals and provide advice on how best to achieve them. In between, she delivers a not-so-subtle message about the importance of good choices.

Miller-Jones added one thing to the middle-school student’s final punishment: spending an afternoon listening to cases in an adult criminal courtroom. The goal is to provide a preview of the potential consequences of bad behavior, she said.

Before dismissing the case, there

the Fall 2024 semester. Language in the USA is not on the university’s course list for the Fall, nor is it being offered currently.

Students react: “Moving backwards and backwards”

Both of Florida’s United States senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, responded to The Alligator’s post on X to celebrate the university’s announcement, with Scott complimenting UF President Ben Sasse for doing “all the right things” at UF and encouraging other universities to follow his lead. DeSantis also responded to The Alligator via X celebrating the news.

“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” he wrote. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”

Neither the memo nor the Florida statute it complies with were credited to Sasse. Rather, Provost Scott Angle, general council Amy Hass and Vice President for Human Resources Melissa Curry issued the memo.

Sasse has been active on X since the memo announcement, but none of his eight posts between March 1 and 2 concerned DEI. Instead, he raved about Gator alumnus Wyatt Langford’s first major league home run and got in an argument under a college baseball podcast’s post.

But many students in Gainesville are less celebratory than their representatives in Tallahassee.

Amelia Chambers, a 22-year-old UF neuroscience senior, said she has a particular interest in diversity initiatives because of her health disparities minor. But even among her friends

was just one thing left to do — an open-court apology to his guardian.

While the student didn’t show remorse on the witness stand, it was a different story when he was ordered by the judge to face his aunt, look her in the eyes and apologize. The emotional exchange even prompted a court clerk to hand out tissues and caused jurors to smile.

“It's good to see them take responsibility and to see that they really acknowledge the effect that it's created on their family,” Miller-Jones said. “There is a different path, and at the end of that path, there can be something great.”

Oryn Yehoshua, a 19-year-old UF statistics and economics freshman, was involved with the Miami-Dade County Teen Court as a student attorney in high school. Yehoshua estimates she’s served as a prosecutor or defense lawyer in over 100 cases, which exposed her to diverse backgrounds.

“I kind of started sympathizing with them. A lot of them come from impoverished backgrounds,” Yehoshua said. “You have to take into account that these are just teenagers who did the wrong thing, and you have to see how they react to that.”

For Yehoshua, the experience was rewarding and transformative. She encourages anyone with a desire to help local youth to get involved with a Teen Court program.

Fifty-four Florida counties currently have a program, which can be found on the Florida Association of Teen Court’s website.

“I love it so much. You get a second chance, and you get to see how these people can grow from their mistakes. That's the most important thing at the end of the day,” Yehoshua said. @Danielbednar5 dbednar@alligator.org

outside the health disparities field, the memo has raised concerns, she said.

“I also think probably most of that money is going to STEM research, which I think we already have enough of at this university,” she said.

Rebecca Rollins, a 20-year-old UF biology sophomore, thinks there’s “no way” Sasse’s appointment to the presidency last year isn’t somehow connected to anti-DEI regulations, she said.

“How do you come to the school and, in your first calendar year, take away an entire department?” she said. “There’s been in the air homophobia, transphobia, just across the board, especially since Sasse came here.”

Maxwell Fletcher, a 19-year-old UF civil engineering sophomore who’s been following the de-funding bill throughout its legislative journey, is slower to blame the university. But he still thinks the ban creates a bad look for Florida and UF nationwide, he said.

“It certainly does not point to education and higher education of Florida in a great light, especially if we are trying to improve rankings,” he said. “Even if it is a state policy, there are ways to fight it, and I unfortunately don’t believe that the University of Florida did the best job they could with that.”

UF students have waited months to find out how DEI restrictions will affect their university.

Based on the past days’ confusion, they’ll have to wait a while longer to understand them in full. @zoeythomas39 zthomas@alligator.org

MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 ALLIGATOR 5

Waste site cleanup KOPPERS, from pg. 1

The future of the site is also in question, as remedial efforts are extending years longer than originally planned.

The superfund site contains two properties: a charcoal and pine tar plant previously owned by Cabot Carbon, and a wood treatment facility operated by Koppers Inc. Activity at the site began in the early 1900s and lasted almost a century, with Koppers being the last to end operation in 2010.

During the facilities’ operation, harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead seeped into the air and soil. Neither company practiced proper wastewater management, and contaminated sludge was released into unlined ponds, which leached into the nearby Hogtown and Springstead Creeks.

Pollutants drained into the sediment of the creeks, killing off nearly all ecological life and posing a risk for any residents coming into contact with the water. When Pearce moved into his home, which sits next to Springstead Creek, he noticed the water’s neglect.

Once Pearce learned about the site, he began to push for proper stormwater management and complete remediation. He went door to door to speak to residents, and put together presentations for the Gainesville City Commission and the EPA. “You kind of have to be the squeaky wheel to get things done,” he said.

Cabot completed its remedial efforts in 2020, and the cleanup at the Koppers site was intended to be finished at a similar time. Yet the remediation at Koppers is still ongoing due to a disagreement between Beazer East — the company formerly known as Koppers — and the Florida Department of Transportation. For years, the two entities have been in a deadlock about how to relocate a drainage ditch that empties into Springstead Creek.

Discussions surrounding the relocation are still in progress, Beazer East President Michael Slenska said. Beazer East is hoping to finalize the relocation plans this year, he said, and finish the construction of it by 2025.

However, there is still no estimated end date for the total completion of the site’s cleanup. Remediation cost over $50 million, and Slenska said Beazer East has no current plans to develop or sell the site once cleanup is complete.

“For the past 30 years… we have been operating a groundwater treatment system at that location,” Slenska said. “So our expenditures go back many decades.”

From 2009 to 2014, Cabot Carbon and Beazer East tested and removed contaminated soil from homes in the Stephen Foster neighborhood. Heather Hushelpeck, a resident of the

Stephen Foster neighborhood, has a home that borders the Koppers site.

Hushelpeck, 50, had the top two feet of soil on her property removed and replaced. At least 100 other homes underwent similar remediation after high levels of arsenic and other contaminants were found in the soil.

She was less worried about her soil and more concerned with chemicals leaching into the city’s groundwater. The Cabot Koppers site sits above the Floridan aquifer, which supplies water to thousands of Gainesville residents.

“Any issues that they had with leaking into the aquifer system… that affects all of Gainesville,” Hushelpeck said. “If it affects us, it affects everybody.”

Testing from the early 2000s showed contamination from the site had leaked into the Floridan aquifer, Gainesville Regional Utilities engineer Rick Hutton said. GRU’s wellfield, which draws water from the aquifer to supply to the city, is less than four miles from the Cabot Koppers site. Hutton said the aquifer’s contamination raised concerns that the city’s water could be tainted.

GRU has been monitoring the wellfield in case of contamination, Hutton said, but thus far the city’s water hasn’t been tainted. Even after remedial efforts are complete, the aquifer will still have to be watched for potential pollution, he said.

“With these big contamination sites, you have to monitor them forever,” Hutton said. “Just to make sure that something unexpected isn’t happening.”

Gina Hawkins, a 64-year-old former resident of Stephen Fosters, can still recall walking down Second Street in the 1980s and seeing a cloud of dust rolling off the Koppers site.

The dust was a common sight for residents while Cabot and Koppers were active, Hawkins said.

The dust contained chemicals such as chromium, copper and arsenic. Exposure to these chemicals can lead to health problems such as liver failure and lung cancer, according to the National Library of Medicine.

After a 2011 study, the Alachua County Health Department found a very low increased cancer risk from dust in Stephen Foster homes. Even if the risk is minimal, Hawkins believes all residents should be aware of what’s in their backyard.

Hawkins worked for the nonprofit organization Clean Water Action Project throughout the late 1900s and early 2000s to educate citizens and advocate for the site’s cleanup.

“That was the point of our whole campaign was to make people aware of what was going on and what they were being exposed to,” Hawkins said. “So they could make choices too.”

It can be difficult to measure the impacts of the Cabot Koppers site on human health, physiological sciences UF Professor Leah Stuchal said. The sample of people affected by the Superfund site is small, she said, making it hard to draw conclusions.

Stuchal, who conducted a risk assessment for the Cabot

Koppers site, said some of the most dangerous impacts may take decades to show up. It takes years of exposure to increase the risk of cancer, she said, which is a concern for experts.

Even after remediation, it’s unlikely the Cabot Koppers site will ever be safe enough to be developed into a residential area, Stuchal said. The site’s cleanup is zoned for commercial industrial use, which doesn’t account for people with compromised immune systems, she added.

“If you’re going to fix it to residential standards, now you’ve got people of all kinds of different health status,” she said.

“And that’s definitely going to need higher protection levels.”

In the decades since remediation began, some residents of Stephen Fosters have expressed a desire for the city to develop the Cabot Koppers site into a park or event center.

While proposals have been made, Gainesville won’t pursue development until Beazer East completes its remediation, City Commissioner Bryan Eastman said. The site’s zoning would have to be changed, and negotiations between the city and the site’s owners would have to be pursued, he said.

In the future, Eastman hopes the site can be developed into a recreational place or protected for conservation. As the Hawthorne Trail bumps up against the Cabot Koppers site, Eastman said he’d like to see the trail extended through the site in the future.

“It’s something that needs to get cleaned up and should be better utilized by the community,” he said. @kyliewilliams99 kyliewilliams@alligator.org

Understanding UF Student Senate’s Green New Deal RESOLUTION ASKS UF TO COMMIT TO CLIMATE ACTION

By Sara-James Ranta Alligator Staff Writer

The UF Student Senate made national headlines for passing the first public university Green New Deal by unanimous vote Feb. 21.

The resolution is written in five volumes and tackles a list of demands to address climate change.

The resolutions underscore the belief that UF's high-ranking status, being a “leader in climate science,” should incite action in getting UF to join other universities that have adopted green new deals.

For the GND to go into effect, its authors and supporters must gain support within the Office of Sustainability.

Then, it requires approval from Vice President of Business Affairs Curtis Reynolds before being heard by the UF Board of Trustees.

It is unclear whether the GND has been added to the upcoming board meetings March 7 and 8.

Volume one: Adoption of Climate Action Plan 2.0

UF climate action started in 2006 when thenPresident Bernie Machen became one of the first presidents to join the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.

Following Machen’s actions, a group of staff and faculty, called the Energy and Climate

Change Task Force, published the first edition of the Climate Action Plan in 2009. The CAP focused on infrastructure energy efficiency, expanding greenhouse gas emission monitoring and reduction campaigns, and creating a foundation for “long term, institutional change.”

UF met the requirements of CAP 1.0 in reducing emissions by 18% in 2020, according to the UF Office of Sustainability.

Climate Action Plan 2.0, which is still under consideration by administration, continues UF’s goal in CAP 1.0 to be carbon neutral for all tracked campus greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2025.

Although UF CAP’s progress was to be reviewed annually, as well as revised and updated every three years, the updated drafting didn’t start until 2021. CAP 2.0 hasn’t yet been adopted by the university, pending administrative approval.

“While the updated Climate Action Plan awaits review, our office continues to diligently work behind the scenes to ensure progress is ongoing,” wrote Matt Williams, director of the Office of Sustainability.

UF declined to comment on the time gap between the first and second editions of the CAP. Volume one of the GND calls for the UF administration to adopt the latest Climate Action Plan in the wake of climate actions being “stalled by the inauguration of [UF President] Ben Sasse,” who has a divisive political history in regard to climate change.

UF hasn’t published the rate of its carbon emissions since 2019. According to the AASHE stars database — which measures college sus-

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff

The Cabot/Koppers Superfund Site fenced off from public access due to lingering contamination off NW 23rd Ave in Gainesville on Sunday, March 3, 2024.

tainability performance –– UF has not self-reported its data since 2020.

Volume two: Transparency and disclosure

Volume two calls on UF to publish information on its carbon emissions and an audit of its investments into carbon-producing industries, like fossil fuels. It also asks for an audit of contributions made on behalf of UF to the fossil fuel industry.

UF’s endowment fund is managed by the UF Investment Corporation, which is owned

by UF and does not receive state support. The corporation publishes university audits, but it lacks the specific details being demanded in the GND. The biggest concern for GND authors Meagan Lamey and Cameron Driggers is the lack of investment transparency.

“It was one of the biggest hurdles we came across,” said Driggers, a 19-year-old UF business administration junior. “We, above all else, deserve to know how that money is being spent.”

The UF Foundation, an independent fundraising group, oversees UFICO. It publishes an annual overview of its values, but it also lacks details about sustainability practices. As of 2023, the endowment is valued at $2.3 billion.

Because the UF Foundation is a private corporation acting on behalf of a public corporation, public records about its finances could’ve been accessed under 501 jurisdiction.

Lamey and Driggers didn’t request public records pertaining to carbon emissions or financial records, saying it wasn’t neces-

sary for the bill.

College endowments are not highly taxed and face little federal regulation. There is a long history of colleges keeping their endowments private, the Associated Press reported.

Because public universities are state funded, they must share endowment audits, like the one published by UFICO, according to Florida statutes.

Volume three: Call for divestment of endowment funds in fossil fuels

Volume three calls for UF to sell its investments in fossil fuel-related industries. It also looks to improve UF’s environmental, social and governance ratings.

ESG ratings assess a company’s sustainability and ethical performance. As of May 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis banned ESG initiatives at the state and local level, calling it a “woke scam.”

By adopting ESG initiatives, UF can risk losing funding from the state, which Lamey declined to comment on.

Volumes four and five: Call for a clean research pledge and just transition

Volume four demands UF not accept funding or contribution from a fossil fuel industry for climate research.

UF maintains ties with fossil fuel industries, including Exxon Mobil. UF’s office of student financial aid offers a short-term loan through Exxon, and a UF Foundation page asks alumni to donate to funds run by the oil company.

Read the rest online at alligator.org. @sarajamesranta sranta@alligator.org

MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

The uncertain future of the University Multicultural Mentorship Program

D

iversity, equity and incluProponents of the laws and sion programs are on the new rules argued that DEI prochopping block at UF and grams eat money used for reevery other state institusearch. UF is one such eminent tion of higher learning. Just reresearch institution, but Alligator cently, the administration shut reporting indicated only 0.14% of down the Office of the Chief Diour budget goes toward diversity versity Officer, amongst other DEI Ronin Lupien initiatives. positions. In response to The Al- opinions@alligator.org Five million dollars is hardly ligator breaking this story, Gov. a drop in the bucket compared to Ron DeSantis quote reposted its coverage to over a billion dollars in research expendifurther classify DEI as “toxic.” tures. Although student organizations have The Student Government response was certain carve-outs in the law, we and all swift: members of the Change Party Cau- other public’s sit on uneven ground. cus condemned the move, followed later by One program I fear will be on the way the new officers-elect from the Vision Party out is the University Multicultural MentorCaucus. ship Program, or UMMP. The program is Flashing back to January, the Florida part of the CIME, a wider office that will Board of Governors adopted rules to curb likely also be shuttered soon. spending on DEI initiatives at state univerUMMP was formed in 1986 as the Unisities. A similar enactment of the Florida versity Minority Mentor Program in the ColBoard of Education affected public colleges. lege of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Its manWith these prohibitions, UF has now lost date was to “address the issue of retention some top positions and may soon lose the of African American students,” according to Center for Inclusion and Multicultural En- the UMMP website. gagement. About half of our student body Read the rest online at does not self-identify as white, according alligator.org/section/opinions. to the Fall 2022 enrollment data. Many others come from intersectional backgrounds, Ronin Lupien is a with many LGBTQ+ students among those UF biomedical engineering senior. groups.

Column

Federal funding saves lives in Gainesville

O

ver the course of the ARPA funds made it pospast few weeks, it besible for the city and Alachua came obvious to anyone County to partner with UF paying attention that Health and build the UF Health the national crisis in chronic urgent care center on Hawhomelessness was manifesting thorne Road — the first health itself in a couple of new tent care facility “out East” in anycamps, including one downHarvey Ward one’s memory.

Mayor of Gainesville town on SE Fourth Place — litWe’re also participating in erally on the street itself. the “One Nation One Project” As mayor, I knew my colleagues on program to support healthy alternatives the Gainesville City Commission and I to gun violence with resources from had to act, but I also knew we were fis- this Biden administration funding, and cally restrained, in the middle of an un- ARPA funds allowed us to purchase a usually challenging budget year.

“Brasstrax” system at the Gainesville PoBecause of the flexibility of federal lice Department to enable law enforcefunds from the American Rescue Plan ment to track shell casings back to the Act, Gainesville was able to respond in a weapons — and users — responsible for matter of days and partner with GRACE gun deaths.

Marketplace to create additional shelter As we approach President Joe Biden’s beds and the wraparound services that fourth State of the Union address, sevcome with them. While there continues eral mayors — from Phoenix to Cleveto be work to do on Fourth Place, many land to Providence to Baton Rouge to of those campers are now safely shel- Gainesville and points in between — are tered at GRACE. highlighting the unprecedented support You can see ARPA funds at work sav- our neighbors have enjoyed from this ing and changing lives across our com- administration through ARPA, the Biparmunity. Our city commission has been tisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL) and other able to put those resources to work in programs. a variety of Gainesville nonprofits that Read the rest online at directly benefit our neighbors every alligator.org/section/opinions. day, from homeless services to domestic abuse services, from early learning orHarvey Ward is the ganizations to mental health counseling mayor of Gainesville. and everything in between.

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.

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El Caimán

LUNES, 4 DE MARZO DE 2024 www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman

Expertos legales en Alachua County educan a los migrantes sobre los funcionamientos de la sistema de inmigracion FIRMAS DE ABOGADOS, ORGANIZACIONES SIN FINES DE LUCRO OFRECEN ASESORAMIENTO LEGAL A INMIGRANTES QUE LO NECESITAN

Por Laura Quintana Escritora del Caimàn

Traducido por Eluney Gonzalez Escritora del Caimàn

Muchas dificultades vienen con los procesos legales para inmigrantes, más aún si su primer idioma no es inglés. Esto afecta aún más a los migrantes Latinos e Hispanos, quienes conforman una taza de 12% de la

Mantente al día con El Caimán en Twitter.

Envíanos un tweet @ElCaimanGNV.

población total en Gainesville de acuerdo con el U.S. Census Bureau 2023.

Veronica Robleto es la directora de 43 años de la Coalición de Derechos Humanos [Human Rights Coalition] de Alachua County, una organización sin fines de lucro que, entre otros servicios, ofrece asesoramiento legal a inmigrantes.

“Yo puedo proporcionar una orientación sobre qué deben esperar”, dijo Robleto. “Cuáles son sus derechos dentro del sistema legal penal, el sistema legal civil y el sistema legal de inmigración”.

Ella dijo que es importante recibir representación de un abogado o asesor legal debido a lo complejos que

suelen ser los procesos.

Robleto refirió al término ‘fraude notarial’, que se utiliza para personas que fingen ser representantes legales por fines de lucro.

“Es muy peligroso”, dijo Robleto. “Porque aunque puedan completar exitosamente una solicitud, es arriesgado porque pueden arruinar su caso”.

Lea el resto en línea en alligator.org/section/elcaiman. @LauraCQuintana1 lquintana@alligator.org @Eluney_G egonzalez@alligator.org

Síganos para actualizaciones

The Avenue: Girl Scout Cookies

Scouts navigate rising prices, new selling methods. Read more on pg. 8.

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

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MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

FOOD

Gainesville’s Girl Scout cookie season remains price-stable in climate of rising costs LOCAL GIRL SCOUTS SELL TENS OF THOUSANDS OF COOKIE BOXES BY MIDSEASON

By Bonny Matejowsky Avenue Staff Writer

On a rainy Saturday morning, Girl Scout Troop 2370 stood anxiously under the red awning of Winn-Dixie on Main Street. Though the day was gray and gloomy, 8-year-old Kate Sarnoski couldn’t help but smile a toothy grin while greeting grocery shoppers with a question difficult to resist: “Would you like to buy Girl Scout cookies?” she asks.

A rainbow display of cookie boxes is sprawled across their fold-out table — a siren call for any passerby with a sweet tooth.

As any local who’s entered a Publix or Walmart during the past three weekends can already tell you, it’s Girl Scout cookie season.

The annual tradition of selling cookies has been a staple in American society for a century, and though it’s seen some changes in the past decades, such as new flavors and methods of selling, it continues to be a popular and profitable endeavor.

Although some Girl Scout councils across the nation have caught

media attention for upping cookie prices from $5 to $7 this year, the costs in Gainesville remain the same as last year’s. The specialty cookies — Girl Scout S’mores and Toffeetastic — are $6.

Kate’s mother, Ana Sarnoski, supervised the cookie booth at WinnDixie March 2. A former Girl Scout herself, she remembers selling boxes for only $2.50.

When it comes to the price, she has not encountered anyone upset about the cost of today’s specialty boxes.

“When I did it we had to go doorto-door with our order form,” Sarnoski said. “Now everything is mostly digital which makes it pretty easy.”

Melisa Redon is the director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts of Gateway Council. She said Gateway Council encompasses 35 counties in North Florida, including Gainesville. Last year, scouts in this district sold 1.5 million boxes of cookies, Redon said.

“It’s pretty impressive,” Redon said. “As someone who loves a Girl Scout cookie, I just had no idea how much work, effort and concentration goes into cookies in the window of time in which they are sold.”

According to Girl Scouts of the United States of America, prices reflect the current cost of cookies and

Melanie Peña // Alligator Staff

the cost of providing Girl Scout programming and experiences.

In 2014, Girl Scouts launched the platform Digital Cookie, which allows scouts to create websites for customers to purchase cookies online. Some Scout parents also take to social media to advertise and sell their cookies.

Heather McMahan is a district product manager who helps handle leader training, online portal support, warehouse delivery and cookie pickup. She accompanied her 12-year-old daughter Hayleigh while

her troop sold cookies March 2.

So far, Troop 2370 has sold around 13,000 boxes of cookies since the season began in February, McMahan said. Though about 4,000 of those boxes came from booth purchases, she said the majority of sales are a result of the scouts selling on their own.

“It’s just the girls hustling, going door-to-door asking their families, their mom’s co-workers [and] dad’s co-workers,” she said. “It’s a lot. I was shocked.”

McMahan said she doesn’t fore-

see the price of cookies increasing for at least another year. The $5 cost of each box makes adding up the day’s profit simple for the young scouts.

“The girls can count by five so easily,” McMahan said. “I don’t want it to go up.”

Girl Scouts of the USA maintain net proceeds made from cookie sales stay local with the originating council and troop. These provide access to activities within the troops, including STEM projects, field trips and campouts.

Raising funds isn’t the only benefit of selling Girl Scout cookies, parents said. Scouts who sell cookies are also learning life skills such as goal setting, money management, people skills and business ethics.

“I think it really helps them with their people skills and their math skills,” McMahan said. “We’ve worked really hard with them on doing their sales pitch and accepting rejection.”

For 8-year-old Kate, getting badges to put on her Brownie vest and going on trips are her favorite parts about being a Girl Scout. But when it comes to her favorite part of cookie season, she has a simple answer: “Eating them,” she said. @bonnymatejowsky bmatejowsky@alligator.org

FILM

UF Center for Jewish Studies unveils annual film festival TWELVE FILMS WILL BE SHOWCASED AT THE GAINESVILLE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

By Molly Seghi Avenue Staff Writer

The UF Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies, at the Hippodrome State Theatre and Oak Hammock, will present its 13th annual Gainesville Jewish Film Festival throughout March. It will feature 12 film screenings about the Jewish experience and culture around the world.

The festival has been spearheaded by Jack Kugelmass, the former director of the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies, for the last 13 years. He curates its selection of films from those shown at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

“I wanted to bring [those films] to the campus community,” Kugelmass said.

Kugelmass selects films that have been released in the last three years, focusing on the most current releases. Some years he selects

films with a common theme, he said, while other years are more varied.

“The strong point of the festival is to speak to the diversity of the Jewish experience over space and time,” Kugelmass said. “It is not just religious types and it is not just secular types.”

All the films are followed by discussions with the audience. Each film will be facilitated by a UF faculty member whose specialty is aligned with the theme of the film, most of whom are professors from the Bud Shorstein Center.

Norman W. Goda, a UF professor and director at the Bud Shorstein Center, is moderating the discussion of the festival’s first film.

He said he anticipates the audience to respond impressively to the caliber of the selection of films.

“It is one of the best Jewish film festivals in the country because it chooses provocative films from all over the world, intended to bring discussion aside from just entertaining,” Goda said. “Filmmakers have said this.”

Roy Holler, an assistant UF professor of Israel studies, is a film specialist who designs and teaches Israeli film classes. He will be lead-

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ing the discussion for the documentary, “1341 Frames of Love and War,” March 26.

“The conversations at the end of the screenings are always fascinating,” Holler said. “We always have knowledgeable people in the audience who are able… to give another perspective.”

Holler looks forward to coming to the film festival every year with his family. He appreciates both the diversity of the film selection and the audience it attracts, he said.

“There’s always an exciting selection that brings a plethora of Jewish identities, Jewish cultures, Jewish languages and ethnicities,” Holler said. “[The festival] sees a microcosm of the Jewish community in Gainesville, students who are interested in Jewish Studies and film lovers.”

One film, “The Partisan with A Leica Camera,” uncovers the story of Mundek Lukawiecki and his wife Hannah Bern, who were commanders of a Polish partisan group during the Holocaust. It is the 2023 Best Documentary under 60 Minutes award nominee at the Israeli Film Academy.

Ruth Walk, Israeli cinematographer and the

film’s director, said she was inspired by a still picture of Lukawiecki taken on his camera. She unveiled the story with the couple’s 65-yearold son Simon, who only discovered his parents’ past when researching it for the film.

“It’s important to us in the present to know those heroes,” Walk said. “This feeling of heritage is very important — especially for us.”

Walk collaborated with Yael Perlov, Israeli award-winning film producer and editor, on this project and many others during the past 20 years. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, Perlov felt it was an important story to tell.

“I believe this film can make a big difference because it’s a very special character… and an original story,” Perlov said. “It’s important to understand what it means to be the second generation [to Holocaust survivors].”

All the film screenings are free and open to the public. Nine will be presented at Hippodrome State Theatre and three at Oak Hammock. Seatings are limited and on a first come, first served basis. @molly_seghi mseghi@alligator.org

Football

Spring practice set to begin. Read more on pg. 11.

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MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 www.alligator.org/section/sports

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Aliyah Matharu: All bark and all bite for the Gators THE SENIOR FLOOR GENERAL MADE PLENTY OF NOISE IN HER FIRST SEASON AS A GATOR

By Jack Meyer Sports Writer

In the Florida Gators women’s basketball team’s “Unlaced” documentary series, senior guard Aliyah Matharu has a mindset that she feels sets her apart from the rest of the pack: she sees herself as a dog, and anyone standing in her way is dog food.

“My mindset, day in and day out, is to give 110 [percent],” Matharu said. “Every day, I’m going to go hard as best as I can, no matter the result. I’m locked in on myself, my team and what I can do to make us better.”

After initially starting her collegiate career with a pair of stints at Mississippi State and Texas, Matharu transferred to UF in 2022. Although she had to wait a year to take the court for the Gators due to NCAA transfer rules, Matharu could already tell she found her home. “[Florida] felt like a really good place to be,” Matharu said. “They wanted to do something different, and I wanted to experience something different.”

Upon hitting the hardwood for the first time this season, Matharu immediately made her presence felt. In the 2023-24 regular season, she led the Gators with 18.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game.

Matharu’s impact on Florida off the court has been just as crucial as her impact on the court. Her vocal style of play and confident attitude have been on full display throughout the season as she continues to prove herself as a leader for this Gators squad.

“We all love each other, but at the end

of the day, we all have one goal in mind: we all want to win,” Matharu said. “Sometimes, we butt heads, but it’s just the competitiveness in us because we want the best for the team.”

She also credits her relationship with Gators head coach Kelly Rae Finley as a factor in her success with the team. Matharu highlighted how Finley communicates differently with each player, and for her, Finley pushes her even more than her peers.

“She coaches me a little bit harder than others, but it’s only because she knows that I can handle it, and she wants more from me,” Matharu said. “I would say that our relationship is like… a mentor and a kid.

She over-explains things, which is good for me. Sometimes, you need someone to sit down and talk to you and tell you more than just, ‘This is how you do that.’”

The respect between Florida’s floor general and head coach is certainly mutual — Finley praised Matharu for how far she’s come in the last four months.

“She’s been really diligent and determined to continue improving her game,” Finley said. “Myself, as a coach, I’m really proud of her. I think our team is proud of her. She’s growing a lot.”

Matharu’s teammates have also noted her efforts to shape the culture in the Gators locker room this past season. Senior guard Zippy Broughton said Matharu has gelled extremely well with Florida’s backcourt tandem this year.

“We play off of each other really well,” Broughton said. “We complement each other with our energy. We complement each other with how we play. If there’s something she’s lacking, I pick it up and vice versa.”

In Florida’s conference play schedule

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff

Senior guard Aliyah Matharu dribbles the ball on the Gators’ home court in Florida’s 77-74 loss against the Auburn Tigers, on Sunday, March 3, 2024. this season, Matharu has combined with fellow senior guard Leilani Correa to form one of the most dangerous one-two punches in the SEC. The Gators backcourt duo has a combined 39.0 points per game since the start of 2024.

Matharu has also remained extremely active on both ends of the floor in SEC play.

In addition to her role commandeering the Gators’ offense, she tallied 3.1 steals per game as a perimeter defensive workhorse.

She endured her fair share of struggles from the field, shooting below 35% in five of Florida’s 16 conference matchups. But the senior never allowed these rough patches to bring her down. She always found a

way to keep a level head and push forward.

“I know that I’m going to miss shots, and I know that I’m not going to get every rebound, but at the end of the day, I don’t focus on what I can’t do and what I can’t control,” Matharu said. “I try to stay within myself. I never try to get too high or too low.”

As of now, the Florida floor general plans to return to Gainesville for one final season with the Gators. But whatever the road may bring for Matharu and her squad, she will do whatever it takes to emerge in glory. @jackmeyerUF jmeyer@alligator.org

FOOTBALL

Gators football set to prepare for intimidating 2024 schedule FLORIDA WILL HOLD ITS FIRST SPRING PRACTICE MARCH 7

By Bennett Solomon Sports Writer

When the Florida football team walked off of the field Nov. 25 after its final game against Florida State, a feeling in the air loomed over The Swamp: Billy Napier may be running out of time.

After finishing his second year 5-7 and losing their past five

games, Napier and the Gators failed to qualify for a Bowl game for the first time since 2017.

And as the offseason began, there were multiple areas the program had to address with a daunting 2024 conference schedule looming in year three of the Napier Era. UF will play nine teams in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” college football top 25, including three top 10 teams.

Florida begins its preparation on the field for the 2024 season

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March 7 in its first spring practice. Headlined by multiple new coaches and a solid 2024 recruiting class, Florida will begin bracing itself for an eight-game conference schedule at the Gators’ practice facility.

Dozens of new faces will take the field. The offseason was illuminated by a coaching carousel among the Gators organization.

The program lost key coaches in certain areas but added well-respected veterans to the staff.

Most recently, Napier is pro-

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moting tight ends coach Russ Callaway to co-offensive coordinator. The move may not come as a surprise, as Napier said Feb. 7 Callaway would “acquire more responsibility.”

“Ultimately, Russ is a heck of a young coach,” Napier said. “Has the leadership components, has the respect of the players. Russ is a guy we’re certainly excited about.”

However, Napier said he doesn’t plan on changing who calls the plays on offense.

“Ultimately, we’ll keep the same system,” he said.

Florida’s director of scouting Joe Hamilton, who had spent the last five seasons with Napier at UF and Louisiana, is departing to join Texas A&M’s staff. Hamilton played a major role in the program’s recruiting success.

Additionally, former Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos is set to join the staff as an analyst.

Enos has years of experience with

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

SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 12

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 Gatorade National Player Spring practice earning of the Year and MaxPreps Nation-

FOOTBALL, from pg. 11 programs including Alabama, Miami and Maryland. The former Razorbacks offensive coordinator was fired in October 2023.

Napier boosted his strength staff Dec. 30 when he announced Craig Fitzgerald would be the team’s director of football performance. However, Fitzgerald’s stint with Florida was short-lived, and he departed to join Boston College’s staff for a similar position under new head coach Bill O’Brien. Fitzgerald and O’Brien worked together at Penn State and in the NFL. So, Napier promoted Tyler Miles to be UF’s new head strength coach. Miles joined the staff in 2023 after stints with Duke and Miami.

Ron Roberts, Gerald Chatman and Will Harris will coach the Gators' defense for the first time after joining the staff in the offseason. Roberts will be the co-defensive coordinator, Chatman the defensive line coach and Harris the secondary coach.

Players wise, Florida’s 2024 recruiting class is highlighted by two five-stars in quarterback DJ Lagway and offensive lineman LJ McCray.

Lagway won numerous awards in his final high school season,

al Player of the Year.

McCray, from Daytona Beach, Florida, is ranked as the No. 2 defensive lineman and the 10thranked player in the country, per On3 Sports. McCray also earned the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year, given to the top high school lineman in the class of 2024.

UF took advantage of the transfer portal during the offseason, adding 11 transfers to the roster. Asa Turner, Jameer Grimsley and Joey Slackman highlight the transfer portal class.

Turner is a safety from the University of Washington and started in the Pac-12 Championship Game, as well as both of the Huskies’ College Football Playoff Games.

Florida was able to flip Grimsley from the University of Alabama, and Slackman transferred from the University of Pennsylvania and was named the 2023 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.

Despite losing multiple key players to the transfer portal, the Gators return talent to their roster. Graham Mertz returns as quarterback for the 2024 season, and Montrell Johnson Jr. will be the main running back after the departure of Trevor Etienne.

Wide receiver Eugene Wilson Jr. returns after a strong freshman season, and he’ll be the main tar-

Ashley Hicks // Alligator Staff

Freshman wide receiver Eugene Wilson III dives toward the end zone in the Gators' 39-36 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. get for Mertz.

“This is probably the best group of players we’ve had since we’ve been here,” Napier said Feb. 7.

Florida will open spring practice at the James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center March 7. The Gators will play their annual Orange and Blue

Game April 13 at 1 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. @B_Soly11 bsolomon@alligator.org