Monday, March 18, 2024

VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 26

Biden v. Trump: A local examination of the presidential ‘lesser of two evils’ debate

GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY UNSATISFIED WITH LIKELY 2024 CANDIDATE OPTIONS

By Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp Alligator Staff Writer

Gainesville, along with the rest of the nation, anxiously anticipates the potential of a choice between two candidates they’ve already seen clash for the presidency four years ago.

In light of the quickly approaching election season, UF students, professors and Gainesville residents have begun examining the impacts of political polarization and weighing the most likely presidential candidates to emerge from the primaries: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Florida’s primary election is slated for March 19, with 22 others remaining nationwide before the finalization of which Republican and Democrat candidates will advance to the November general election.

Biden, the incumbent and Democrat nominee, ran largely uncontested, but challenger and author Marianne Williamson, who suspended her campaign in February and rejoined less than a month later, is still in the race.

However, Florida will not offer registered Democrats a chance to cast a ballot in the primary, automatically listing Biden as the state’s chosen Democratic nominee.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race in January, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley followed suit March 6, leaving Trump as the only remaining widely supported Republican candidate.

Faced with the possibility of a replay of the heated 2020 presidential election between Trump and Biden, UF Political Science assistant professor David Macdonald said there’s a possibility constituents could experience frustration and a turn-off toward politics.

“I certainly think it can lead to people feeling down or discouraged, irritated, that they have to go through another election with these two candidates again,” he said.

However, he also acknowledged an upturn in voter participation. The 2020 election saw a turnout of 66.8% of all citizens 18 years of age and over, even at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, making it the largest turnout in

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Men's Basketball

Gators

the 21st century, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“One thing is that the choices are much clearer, and the stakes both are a lot higher and they seem a lot higher,” Macdonald said.

While voters have expressed a certain level of dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden, they never seem to back smaller rivals, he said.

There’s an audience for the “attack campaigns” against the major opposing candidates sparked primarily by the political right, Macdonald said, and that type of publicity could lead to an increase in hostility on both sides and branch into consequences as extreme as the storm on the capital on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Trump has sort of just supercharged something that was already there, which is growing polarization,” he said.

In an era of close elections and intense division at the elite level, people have become less willing to work with the other side both within places of governance and even in everyday life, he said.

As a UF employee currently without tenure, Macdonald declined to share his own personal candidate choices.

Conversely, Richard Conley, another UF political science professor, was quick to express his support for Trump. While Biden has more political experience, he no longer seems lucid enough to effectively run the country, he said.

Conley did, however, criticize the former president’s fall into what he called “incivility” toward other policymakers, which “robs us of a conversation.”

“Would I vote for Trump? Probably. Is it a satisfying vote? No, I’d prefer a different Republican,” he said.

As a practicing Catholic, he said he couldn’t support a pro-abortion candidate, and further expressed concern for the expansion of genderaffirming care, undocumented immigration and the expenses associated with a push toward sustainability, especially electric vehicles.

Despite this, he said candidates on both sides haven’t taken much effective action to resolve the problems that fuel their campaigns, naming Trump’s border policies as an example.

“Sometimes it’s better to have an issue than to resolve it,” he said.

SEE TRUMP/BIDEN, PAGE 4

Alachua County residents prepare for presidential primaries, discuss low turnout rates

By Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writer

Lorraine Rawls grew up in Alachua County and has performed her civic duty since she turned 18. The 43-year-old Gainesville resident and mother has found her experience voting to be easy, but she also recognizes the common problems people face when voting.

“There's just the struggle to get everyone who is eligible registered and up to date on where their precinct is,” she said.

With presidential preference primary voting occurring March 19 and early voting between March 9-16, the turnout is expected

to be quiet this cycle with only Republicans choosing a candidate in Florida.

Despite the slow pace, the cycle crucially contrasts from 2020’s pandemic shutdown as well as the implementation of Senate Bill 90, which required voters to renew mail-in ballots after every voting cycle prior to the four-year valid request.

This election season reminds Alachua County residents to inform themselves about new legislation and be mindful of deadlines. Turnout for primaries tends to be lower because citizens may not participate as often as the general elections due to a lack of knowl-

SEE VOTER TURNOUT, PAGE 5

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Florida pitcher Jac Caglione throws a pitch during the second inning of the Gators’ game against the Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday, March 17, 2024. Read more in Sportson pg. 11.

Today’s Weather

All four members of GRU Authority Board to resign

Resignation follows lawsuits filed by Gainesville Residents United

By Ella Thompson Alligator Staff Writer

All four current members of the GRU Authority Board submitted resignation letters over a lawsuit filed by Gainesville Residents United, a nonprofit organization aiming to bring awareness to the board’s takeover.

The resignations will take in 60 days and were submitted to act as a settlement for the lawsuits, according to the Gainesville Sun.

“That was part of the settlement that we, the Gainesville Residents United and the governor's attorneys, agreed upon. It's what needed to be done,” said Susan Bottcher, 66-year-old Gainesville Residents United vice president.

The law, put forth by Florida House of Representative Charles “Chuck” Clemons, R-Newberry, and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, establishing the GRU Authority Board required board members to live within Gainesville’s city limits.

The current four members have operated the board and controlled municipality utility decisions since Oct. 1. When the board was elected, though, four

lived outside the Gainesville city limits while one lived within, Bottcher said.

“Quite honestly, we were taken aback when the governor did it the other way around,” she said.

DeSantis appointed James Coats IV, Robert Karow and Christopher Lawson in September and the final two — Craig Carter and Tara Ezzell — in early October. Ezzell resigned shortly after her appointment because she did not meet the residency requirements of the law.

The current members will stay on until DeSantis appoints new members, but it’s unclear if any of the current members will reapply for the position.

Residents were critical of the governor-appointed utility board, raising concerns over residency issues and the selection process, which local officials nor residents had a say over.

David Hammer, a 70-year-old Gainesville resident, wasn’t surprised when DeSantis appointed the GRU Authority Board, he said. As a resident of Gainesville, he believes the law was flawed from the beginning.

“We believe the law is seri-

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ously flawed from both a technical implementation perspective as well as the perspective of constitutionality,” Hammer said. “Nevertheless, it is the law and as long as it remains the law, we are duty-bound to follow it while continuing our principled opposition to it.”

Hammer, along with other Gainesville residents, felt compelled to contest the board through lawsuits. With the most recent lawsuit resulting in the resignation of all four board members, Hammer considers this a win.

“[DeSantis] did not comply with the law in nominating these members who any eighth grader who read the law could tell you — with reference to their addresses — that they weren't following the law in accepting the nomination.”

Hammer found it “gratifying” when legal entities ruled in favor of Gainesville residents and the current authority board submitted resignation letters. Earlier lawsuits filed by residents had been dismissed because a judge ruled the plaintiffs had no standing, Hammer said.

If the law can’t be overturned, Hammer hopes to see a better version of it, including owner representation. He believes DeSantis will appoint five more people technically qualified to sit on the board, but thinks those appointed will be more oriented towards DeSantis’ political views rather than the vested interests of Gainesville residents, he said.

“The citizens of Gainesville own GRU,” Hammer said. “It belongs to us.”

Megan Howard contributed to this report.

@elladeethompson ethompson@alligator.org

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Presidential election

TRUMP/BIDEN, from pg. 1

One of Conley’s former students wrote a paper comparing political advertisements to the light motives of a horror film. He said the tactic is dehumanizing to the other side’s candidates and is capable of heavily influencing voter behavior, especially as it relates to two polarized public figures.

“Negative answers are cognitive shortcuts,” he said.

Alachua County Republican Party Chairman Tim Marden expressed similar sentiments as Conley toward both candidates. He said Biden has been a “disaster,” but Trump still wouldn't be his ideal choice if they’re the pair that emerge from the primaries.

Trump began the increase in government spending toward the end of the coronavirus pandemic, he said, an action that later contributed to high inflation rates.

The Economic Research Service reported that the Consumer Price Index, a statistic of economy-wide inflation, increased by 3.1% from January 2023 to January 2024.

“Biden contributed to that, but a lot of Republicans don’t want to acknowledge that it did, in fact, start under Trump,” he said.

While he expressed criticism from an economic standpoint, Marden said he felt the current state of im-

migration, which he disapproves of, was not a product of Trump.

According to the Pew Research Center, the undocumented immigrant population reached 10.5 million in 2021, with 4.6% of U.S. workers being members of that group during the same year. However, the center reported that the employee percentage was “nearly identical” to that of 2017 during the same period of Trump’s presidency.

Dr. J. Maggio, vice chair of the Alachua County Democratic Party, felt differently.

“Trump is never an option,” he said.

Having never voted for a Republican, Maggio said his candidate choice depends on three core issues: labor and union protection, support for national healthcare and prochoice policy.

He also pointed out the complexity of U.S. foreign relations, especially as it relates to the Israel-Hamas war.

Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, launched an attack on Israel last year that sparked a declaration of war. Israel has since launched blockades and attacks on the entire Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip, an area reported by the United Nations to be experiencing a humanitarian crisis.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. currently provides Israel with about $3.3 bil-

lion annually dedicated primarily to purchasing U.S. military equipment, and the Senate approved Biden’s proposal to send approximately $14 billion in emergency funding.

“I think Biden is balancing that as best as he possibly can,” he said.

If Biden and Trump advance to the general election, UF College Democrats President Sabrina Briceno said her position was clear.

“There’s no ethical choice, but there’s a less unethical one, and that one is Joe Biden,” she said.

Unlike Maggio, the 22-year-old UF public relations and political science senior heavily criticized Biden’s continual aid to Israel amid the Gaza humanitarian crisis, a conflict that has sparked pro-Palestinian protests tied to UF students and Gainesville locals along with a national response.

However, she said ensuring abortion access was at the top of her list and further expressed approval of the Democratic Party’s approach toward immigration and student debt relief.

“I think you have to sort of think about what party is willing to listen more and which one is willing to change or at least push the needle for progress,” she said. “I think that’s Democrats.”

With the loss of America’s political middle ground, there’s a need for different candidates who are open to diverse opinions and more willing to work with the opposite party, said Bryson Richards, a 25-year-old UF construction management graduate student.

However, faced with the choice between Biden and Trump, he found himself with a decisive opinion.

“Where our nation currently sits, I will be personally voting for Trump,” Richards said.

As a primarily middle-ground conservative, he said the nation’s economic stability, as he extends his career beyond higher education and begins to consider supporting a family, is his main priority.

Additionally, he expressed concern about military strength, supporting Trump’s approach toward

prioritizing national security.

Despite swaying more to the political right than in past years, he said remaining open to varying opinions is important. In an era where the people have never been more divided, he ultimately emphasized the need to resolve turmoil between parties and find common ground before it’s too late.

“America is starting to slip away,” he said.

@rylan_digirapp rdigiacomo-rapp@alligator.org

Remembering Andy Gil: UF alumnus leaves lasting impact on friends, faculty

ANDY GIL IS REMEMBERED FOR HIS GENEROSITY, LEADERSHIP ON AND OFF CAMPUS

By Bailey Diem Alligator Staff Writer

Andy Gil was known for his never-ending kindness and his dedication to helping others. UF students and faculty around him looked up to him as a leader and leaned on his guidance and positive attitude.

The 22-year-old UF psychology alumnus died in a Gainesville hit-and-run Feb. 29.

Before his graduation in May 2023, Gil was heavily involved in student organizations, including Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-health honors society in which he held several leadership positions.

Dominic Maglione, a 21-year-old UF microbiology senior and president of AED, remembers Gil for his friendly, optimistic personality.

“He was the kindest person I think I have ever met,” Maglione said. “He just always had a smile on his face, and he was always welcoming to everyone.”

Maglione remembers playing a game of assassins with Gil in AED. Members were assigned a target and had to “get them out with a spoon,” he said.

“We got really into it for some reason,” he said. “Don’t ask me why, but that was kind of our connecting thing. When we first met, we both realized how competitive we were and how into the game we were.”

Gil and Maglione went to other members’ classes and waited outside “just to get them out,” he said.

“The amount of times we’d go [to] different places and we’d always have these stupid spoons in our hand and we looked dumb,” he said. “Looking back, I miss it, you know?”

Maglione met Gil through a bigs and littles program in AED. When Maglione joined during the first semester of his sophomore year, Gil became his big.

They grew closer over the years, becoming

friends and roommates. Maglione greatly valued their friendship, he said.

“He was someone that you could always go to for support or anything,” he said. “He was just so level-headed and was able to find the good in any situation.”

He also admired Gil’s generosity, he said.

“He worked at Cava and even just a week ago, I was having a rough week and I went in to go get food, and he gave me a free bowl just because,” Maglione said. “He genuinely cared about people.”

Gil picked up multiple roles throughout his involvement in AED. When Maglione first joined, Gil was a director of the Student Arts in Medicine division. After that, he served as one of the public relations directors.

He later ran and was elected as the organization’s president, a role Maglione believed he was perfectly suited for.

“I think that’s where he really was able to shine the most,” he said. “He was just such a welcoming presence, and he made sure he knew everyone’s name and he genuinely cared to check in.”

During Gil’s time as president, AED meetings were never a hassle, Maglione said.

“At our meetings, it was never like, ‘Oh, we have to go,’” he said. “It was just like, ‘Oh, we’re excited to go, he’s going to be leading the meeting and it’s going to be super fun.’”

Maglione is the current AED president and looks to Gil’s time in the position for inspiration. He hopes to express the same leadership traits Gil exhibited in the position, he said.

“He’s taught me what it means to lead by example, how to be someone that people want to emulate, and that’s kind of what I’m trying to do in my role,” he said. “I want to embody the qualities that he had of being friendly and caring and approachable.”

Joslyn Ahlgren, a UF Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology professor and the faculty advisor for AED, admired Gil for his proactive nature.

“He was very into the weeds, in a really good way,” Ahlgren said. “He really wanted to leave AED better than how he found it.”

Ahlgren met Gil when he became the AED president. The organization has high standards, but Gil fit them well, she said.

“You don’t get into a pre-health honors organization without being quite bright and quite driven, both of which are qualities that I would say Andy was,” she said.

Gil was also a student in Ahlgren’s anatomy class one semester. He enjoyed collaborating with other students, Ahlgren said.

“I would say he was social with a purpose,” Ahlgren said. “It wasn’t just like, ‘Oh, I like people, I like to hang out.’ It seemed much more, with Andy, he was a very conscientious type of person.”

In AED, Gil was highly liked by his peers and “elected president easily,” which Ahlgren attributes to his enthusiasm to work with others, she said.

“He was very open to communicating in a way that was, you know, ‘I’ll share what I have, please share with me what you have,’” she said.

While many of the students Ahlgren works with are reluctant to collaborate with one another, Gil didn’t have that kind of hesitancy, she said.

“He was willing to work with people he didn’t know and he didn’t avoid those types of academic social interactions because of all the barriers that could possibly get in the way,” Ahlgren said. “That’s a really rare quality in students.”

Ahlgren considers being a faculty member at UF “a two-way street,” she said. Gil’s leadership and willingness to learn deeply impacted her, Ahlgren said.

“He was curious about methods to be a better leader. He was curious about methods that would make communications more effective and more efficient,” she said. “Getting to work with a student who is that driven to be better makes me want to also improve the way I do things.”

As a professor, Ahlgren loves seeing her students “launch into these glorious lives” as they pursue their future careers. That’s what made the news of Gil’s passing that much

more difficult to hear, she said.

“It’s really, really inspiring and it makes you feel like what you’re doing as a faculty member is worth your time and effort,” she said. “To see that snipped short is just beyond tragic.”

Gil left a lasting impact on many of his peers, including Jordan Buisch, a 21-yearold UF environmental engineering senior and member of AED.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but he was just the best person that I have ever met,” she said. “He was always so kind, so welcoming. He definitely touched the lives of every single person that he met.”

AED hosts a hiking trip each summer to support the Climb for Cancer Foundation. As someone with “bad knees [and] bad joints” who doesn’t consider herself outdoorsy, Buisch was reluctant to take part. Gil was the one who encouraged her to go on the trip last summer, she said.

“I went and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done,” Buisch said. “I don’t think I could have done it without him.”

Gil stuck beside her on the trail and helped her remain optimistic, she said.

“Every time I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to carry on, it’s like he knew. It’s like he was just right behind me, right next to me,” Buisch said, “And all of a sudden he was talking to me or singing songs with me [and] just making me feel more positive about the situation.”

While it could be “frustrating at times,” Gil always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, she said. He assumed the best of people and was patient with them, Buisch said.

“Something that he never seemed to run out of was patience,” she said. “That’s something that I’m going to try really hard to carry with me for the rest of my life as a way to honor him.”

Gil leaves behind his parents and four siblings.

Melanie Peña // Alligator Staff

Crime, trash and parties: How Florida residents feel about spring break

Florida locals express discontent with the spring break party mindset

By Annie Wang Alligator Staff Writer

School flags dot the sandy shores and trash is littered everywhere as students let loose, free from the burdens of assignments, labs and exams.

As spring break kicked off, college students rushed to Florida beaches for a week of partying and relaxation.

The idyllic image of spring break fails to resonate with everyone. Beaches are left littered, crime spikes and excessive partying disrupts some students who are looking for a laid back beach day at home.

In 2023, Florida saw a record 37.9 million visitors between January and March, which marked the greatest influx of visitors recorded in a single quarter.

Lauren Dela Rea, a 20-year-old UF microbiology sophomore, went to her hometown beach in Jacksonville during spring break. While it feels good to return to the beach she fell in love with, she said she doesn’t like how crowded it becomes during holidays.

“Me and a lot of other people who are from Jax try our best to either go more down where there's more hidden parking lots, or even other beaches that are a lot more kept away than Jacksonville Beach,” Dela Rea said.

While some locals still enjoy going to the beach on spring break, others prefer to stay indoors and out of the chaos. Marissa Schneider, a 20-year-old UF microbiology sophomore from Santa Rosa Beach, said many locals in her area are heading down to a bar and grill

to spend time away from the spring breakers.

“I know it's good for [the] economy because we do rely on tourism so much, but it kind of sucks because there’s always something going down,” she said.

Highway 98, which many visitors drive through, has been in renovation for four or five years now, and accidents occur every year because of spring break, Schneider added.

In Miami, the spring breakers issue is only exacerbated, as last March, law enforcement made 488 arrests, which included two homicides and the seizure of 105 firearms.

Elena Abraham, a 19-year-old UF finance freshman from Miami, said she and her family stay away from the beaches near her hometown during spring break because of the crime.

“I can understand there are some people

Primary preparations

tions.

edge on the candidacy, policies and importance of their vote. The process can also be overwhelming, eliciting fear rather than advocacy.

Communications and Outreach Director of Alachua County’s Supervisor of Elections Office Aaron Klein said it’s important for citizens to organize themselves in preparation for the general election.

“The biggest thing that our office is always going to emphasize is that it's really important that voters look ahead and make a plan for how they're going to get involved,” he said. “Since 2020, quite a few things about Florida election law have changed and voters may not be fully aware of that.”

Klein said one of the biggest changes in Florida is SB 90, which causes voters to renew mail-in ballots, and citizens may not be aware of changes because it’s common for voters to go silent during the primaries but still actively participate during the general elections in November.

There are about 40,000 registered Republicans in Alachua County. As of March 15, 5,000 have voted in the primary, he said.

Another concern in Florida is catering to the voices of the international population. Klein also believes citizens born outside the United States or undergoing the naturalization process unable to exercise votes still play vital roles in election turnouts, he said.

No state constitutions explicitly state noncitizens can participate in state or local elections but as of June 2023, Florida is one of the seven states specifying noncitizens may not participate in state or local elec-

Klein said he’s spoken with UF international students who want to get involved, and he believes advocating for their beliefs, challenging policies and attending meetings can make a difference.

Outreach and civic engagement is a continued effort through the County’s Supervisor of Elections Office. The office has participated in outreach work with other organizations like the League of Women Voters of Alachua County.

League of Women Voters of Alachua County President Janice Garry said outreach is one way the league is informing citizens.

Garry started a subcommittee titled Get Out the Vote. The purpose is to target populations of underrepresented voters, who may have little to no knowledge of the process and need the extra encouragement to become more involved.

“It's something I created because the importance of this election is just so high,” she said.

Through the subcommittee, a ‘meet and mobilize’ group has allowed league members to collaborate with other organizations, preferably of diverse backgrounds. The league hopes to connect with people and organizations who it hasn't been in contact with in the past, she said.

League members have labeled different municipalities through the library branches and provide citizens with general information as well as merchandise like stickers and shirts to create more uplift.

The league also wants to directly contact inactive voters to help them involve themselves again, including by mailing postcards.

“The audience for those postcards is people who are registered

who are respectful and everything, but recently, it has been more chaotic in spring break,” she said.

Miami Beach recently launched its breakup campaign with spring breakers, featuring a cheeky video that outlined stringent beach regulations. Such regulations included curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, $100 parking and strong police enforcement.

Jaret Tran, a 22-year-old UF history and political science senior from West Palm Beach, said he’s seen more people coming into his hometown during spring break over the years. While they also deal with issues such as noise or trash, the overarching concern is trash from the more popular spring break destinations frequently travels to their beaches, Tran said.

“You'll notice the amount of litter that

voters because we have obtained records that they have signed petitions in the last couple of years, but they have not voted at the last two elections,” Garry said.

About 1,600 postcards will be mailed out for this cycle, she said.

Garry said it’s difficult to measure how effective these efforts are, but one way is to try and build a relationship with the voters they come across and follow up with them on their trajectory.

Ensuring noncitizens get their voices heard is another significant element in voting season.

Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, a 29-year-old UF alumna and the federal lead at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said she knows voting season is important for migrants in Florida because legislation focuses on them despite the limitations they have in participating politically.

“In South Florida and Miami, you will see that people are speaking Spanish or people are speaking Haitian Creole, but as you go up, and as you get into areas north of Orlando, that kind of is not the norm,” she said.

Mendez-Zamora said education all around is important, but it’s especially important to migrant communities in North Florida, who don't have a representative population and don’t have immediate language access. U.S. citizens who could advocate for migrants might not be as knowledgeable on the topic either.

She also said it’s crucial to educate children of migrant families who were born in the U.S. and will eventually be able to support themselves through their vote.

“All we're hoping for is that they're voting in the interests of their family and community,” she said. “We're educating them so that they don't get sucked into a vacuum of just voting against themselves.”

Florida Way is a messaging cam-

[goes] up in places that aren't spring break hotspots, which is kind of bad,” he said. “That trash doesn't just stay in those places.”

While he understands spring break is time for students to decompress from a stressful semester, it’s important for them to be considerate of beach towns’ residents, Tran added.

“These places that you’re trashing, these streets that you’re crowding, they’re not resorts,” he said. “They’re people’s streets and homes.”

Maureen Abeita, a 34-year-old beach safety lieutenant for Destin Beach Safety, said during spring break, trash cans overflow, flooding into the sand dunes and water at the end of the day.

“They do their best to keep up with it, but it's a stretch of beach, and sometimes, they don't have the staff to go and walk the beaches to clean up everything,” she said of the county’s residents. “So some stuff does get left behind.”

To ensure the safety of beachgoers, Abeita said beach authorities fly flags with colors to notify swimmers of water conditions. Lifeguards also patrol the sands and watch from towers located along the beach.

“We do our best to educate and prevent,” she said. “That's our main job as lifeguards. The second job is to actually perform the rescues, but our first job first is to educate and prevent rescues from even happening.”

paign that breaks down the roles migrants play in Florida’s social and economic structure. The campaign is especially important during voting season, Mendez-Zamora said.

The campaign also speaks with people who’ve lived through the migration experience to understand the process of becoming civically informed and how they've passed that on to family and friends.

“This is why it's so important for you to talk to your kids about the importance of being civically engaged,” she said.

Rawls said her experience voting in Alachua County has been overall easy, and despite always voting in person, she believes if she had to use mail-in ballots, it would now “really be a hassle.”

“It would probably discourage me from voting by mail slightly,” she said.

Rawls believes an issue the county could face is a displacement of voters. The student body is a component of the population but it’s constantly changing. It makes it more challenging to stay informed on policy as well as switching registration frequently.

She also said families and individuals battling eviction or gentrification and being forced to leave their neighborhoods can find limits in their ability to vote. The county could break down the registering process and find ways to go about these obstacles.

“I do feel like there could be a little more of an educational push towards letting people know what those options are,” she said.

Kathy Paterson, a 75-year-old Gainesville resident who votes in every election, also believes the student population is a key element in Alachua County’s voting population.

Paterson used to tutor UF athletes, and she said a common pattern among them was little to no

@wynwg awang@alligator.org

participation in voting because of a lack of knowledge of policy and voting rights.

“I used to encourage them to vote, and it was the last thing on their mind,” she said. “It was really hard to get through, so that was eyeopening.”

Paterson said she understands the busyness of university life, and she believes it’s only more difficult with how confusing amendments and policies are expressed.

“I think a lot of people do kind of resist voting sometimes because they're afraid they'll feel dumb or something because they don't understand everything,” she said.

Paterson believes the legislation with mail ballots can make things more complicated, especially for elderly voters.

She also said she wishes there was another way to confirm a valid vote besides matching signatures because she struggles with Parkinson's disease.

“Pretty soon you won't be able to recognize my signature,” she said. “So I am going to have to deal with that.”

Paterson believes through restrictive legislation, Florida has instilled fear into people from targeted minority groups, causing them to leave the state instead of permitting them to keep fighting for their voice.

“I know many people who are gay or trans have left, you know,” she said. “It’s pretty sad.”

Alachua County does its best to encourage voting despite the state, she said.

“I think they do everything they can in Florida as a state to discourage people and make it harder for them to vote,” she said. “We should make it easier to vote.”

@nicolebeltg

Madilyn Gemme // Alligator Staff

COMEDY

Tom Miller announces retirement from 39-year open mic variety show

THE GAINESVILLE PERFORMANCE ARTIST WILL HOST HIS FINAL SHOW AT UNIVERSITY CLUB IN DECEMBER

By Molly Seghi Avenue Staff Writer

Tom Miller, a 58-year-old multidisciplinary performance artist and screenwriter, has graced Gainesville with open mic shows since his humble beginnings as a UF theater student.

Decades later, he will step down as the king of entertainment in downtown Gainesville, a place he calls “the known center of the universe.”

This year, Miller announced his retirement as host of “The Reverend Angeldust’s Tabernacle of Hedonism,” otherwise known as “The Tom Miller Show.” Running at the top floor of University Club, an LGBTQ+ nightclub at 18 E University Ave., the open-mic variety show offered a stage for performers and audiences to express themselves since 1985.

Miller said his retirement concludes a lengthy, yet entertaining, four decades. He is now interested in focusing on other projects such as screenwriting.

“We’ve done great things with [“The Tom Miller Show”],” he said. “Now, my work as a performance artist is the most ordinary, boring thing that there is to do, so it’s time to step out.”

ART

“The Tom Miller Show” is the longest-running open-mic live variety show in America, Miller said.

“If [“The Simpsons”] stopped doing episodes of ‘The Simpsons,’” he said, “my show would have run longer.”

The show operates as a platform for creatives to share their goals of legalizing marijuana and reverence for mystical beings, he said.

As host, Miller introduces performances that range from spoken word pieces to burlesque dances.

“We like encouraging artists and musicians to tell their stories and to share with us who they are,” he said.

The show was born as a convergence of independent shows of Miller and the show’s figurehead, Paul Yerima Cohen, otherwise known as “Reverend Angeldust.”

In the 1980s, Cohen met Miller by knocking on his door to sell self-published poetry books. He began to invite Miller to his openmic poetry performances. Over time, the two grew close and began “The Tom Miller Show” together.

“When you’re dealing with an Elon Musk … a Walt Disney or somebody like that, they’re not worried about the economy,” Cohen said. “Their deep dream takes precedence. Tom would be very much in that category.”

While Miller’s retirement is a significant

loss to the live show, Cohen said, the two have discussed potentially making it a podcast. The show has

local artists and eccentric characters, including Michael Garvin as “The Best Dressed of the Deacons.”

Garvin, grieving Miller’s retirement, said he is in the denial stage. The local performance artist began attending the show more than twenty years ago as a UF student. Now, he has an act of his own.

“I don’t know what Gainesville would be without Tom Miller,” Garvin said. “He has become such a vital figure here.”

Michelle Biggerstaff, a cast member of the show, said she jokes about creating protest signs that read, “Tom can’t go, he cannot leave us alone.”

Introduced to the show in 2020, Biggerstaff has written two songs about Miller since. She said she has found community through the show and her character, “Auntie Bobo.”

“[The show] really saved my life,” Biggerstaff said. “And that’s what Tom does: he just leads people around in creativity.”

Jill Dumas, a burlesque dancer and friend of Miller’s for more than 20 years, wonders what the future holds for the open mic community.

“[He] has given so many people an opportunity I don’t think they have otherwise,” Dumas said. “When Tom stops, it’s going to leave a big hole in the opportunity to perform.”

“The Tom Miller Show” runs Monday nights at 10:30 p.m. Miller’s final performance as host will take place in December.

@molly_seghi mseghi@alligator.org

Big: Culture & Arts Festival brings creatives across the state to Gainesville

THE ART AND CULTURE COLLECTIVE WILL ARRIVE DOWNTOWN APRIL 13

By Benjamin Miller Avenue Staff Writer

Big: Cultures & Arts Festival is set to take place in an empty lot between Porters Community and South Main Street, breathing life into the venue with Florida’s music, fashion, visual art and film scene. Musical artists based in Gainesville and cities across the state, including Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami, are set to appear in numbers April 13.

In addition to live musical performances, local food vendors varying in cuisine have been invited. Some food trucks scheduled to be parked include M&D West African Cuisine, Kings BBQ and Catering and Germain’s Chicken Sandwiches. Its predecessor, “The Big Sho,” took place last April at the Celebrations Warehouse and was consid-

ered a test run between Dion Dia and How Bazar: the organizers responsible for the festival and its constituents. There were about 600 people in attendance.

Last year, the event hosted Zack Fox, an Atlanta-based rapper, actor and stand-up comedian. Fox’s performance marked his first in Gainesville, and organizers credited the comedian for the success of “The Big Sho.” Jahi Khalfani, Khary Khalfani and Laila Fakhoury saw no other option but to continue the festival into the next year — with a new name and concept.

The Khalfani brothers and Fakhoury initially imagined Big as a departure from conventional music festivals, they said. They aimed to put a larger emphasis on the attendees, rather than operate with the profit-centric framework they said typically guides most festival organizers and their business decisions. This year, they expect a turnout of 3,000 guests.

“The goal for us is to build our own world,” Khalfani said. “You can be here and will 100% find

something that you genuinely connect with and love.”

Despite its success, 26-yearold Jahi Khalfani said “The Big Sho’” faced no shortage of difficulties, being the first large-scale event Khalfani and his colleagues planned.

“There’s just a lot of moving pieces,” Khalfani said. “It took me months to find someone that would actually get behind us and insure that event and without it we wouldn’t be able to host the event.”

Khalfani said he was completely preoccupied with work at the festival; without the time to have captured a photo, he said his memories of the event may fade sooner than anticipated.

“I had a photo on my phone of us setting up the stage the day before, then there’s nothing,” Khalfani said. “It was like I blacked out, like it never happened.”

However, with Big, Khalfani said it may be the redemption he’s yearning for. Unlike “The Big Sho,’” the organizers have sched-

uled national touring acts like Madison McFerrin, Nick Hakim and Wahid, as well as a slate of acts local to the Gainesville area.

For Casey Jones II, a 24-yearold Gainesville rapper, Big provides a significant opportunity for reaching an audience on a larger scale, he said.

“I can’t be delusional about the [goals] I have for my career, and then not doing the things it takes to get to the next level,” Jones said.

Jones said it took a multitude of factors to jumpstart his music career, including quitting a nineto-five, moving to a larger city and compromising with personal reservations preventing him from pushing himself to his full potential.

Anticipating a show-stopping performance like none he has done yet, Jones said he expects an equally exhilarating event.

“One thing I respect about [the Khalfanis and Fakhoury] is they are not going to do anything halfway,” he said.

Fakhoury, a marketing director

at Dion Dia, a Florida record label headquartered at Southwest Second Street’s How Bazar, said one of the greatest challenges of planning a large-scale music festival is the uncertainty of the response.

“What if [the attendees] don’t care?” Fakhoury said. “What if people don’t get it or don’t come?”

Originally set at a price point between $5 and $10 in its initial stages, Fakhoury said admission to Big jumped to $50 to meet its large-scale needs: over 50 artists performing between three stages, food trucks and a variety of art installations set up in an area of over 100,000 square feet.

“It was our first time asking the community to pay for one of our experiences,” Fakhoury said. “And it was because the money was going back into the artist and creating this festival.”

Tickets for Big are on sale now with general admissions prices starting at $50.

@men_mbiller

featured a cast of

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff Comedian Tom Miller works the bar at The Bull on Friday, March 15, 2024.

The rematch we were given

On March 19, voters in the Republican Party of Florida will head to the polls to vote in the state’s presidential preference primary election, although the contest is purely a formality. Former President Donald Trump (fitting that the first president associated with Florida is actually just a snowbird, right?) has already secured enough delegates to win the GOP nomination.

On the Democratic side, incumbent President Joe Biden has done the same, with only a handful of progressive voters casting “uncommitted” ballots due to the administration’s handling of the war in Gaza. Florida Democrats won’t even have an election, as the state party opted not to hold a primary, which, despite what pundits may claim, is not unusual for the party that holds the White House.

The nomination of an incumbent is almost always a foregone conclusion, and Trump’s grip on the Republican Party base did not waver, despite a modest, yet notable, challenge from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Most analysts knew for a long time this wouldn’t be close.

However, the public is hardly enthused about the matchup. A recent Yahoo/YouGov poll found the top emotion Americans felt about the rematch was “dread.” A whopping 40% of respondents picked the term as their first choice, followed by “exhaustion” at 29% and “depression” at 21%. It doesn’t seem like anyone wanted this. Why, then, were both primaries so uncompetitive?

Presidential preference primaries have

been the national standard for choosing party convention delegates since the 1970s, and 2024 may be the least competitive national cycle in that time span. Primaries were established as a more democratic alternative to letting party officials negotiate a nominee, and for a long time, that thesis seemed to be correct. But now, it seems as though once again primaries exist to perpetuate the status quo rather than challenge it.

There are four key reasons why: the outsized role of money in politics, the role of the media in promoting candidates, the type of voters who vote — or don’t vote — in primaries and negative polarization. The former two — money and media — are intimately tied and will require broad structural reforms to our nation’s elections. The latter two — turnout and polarization — are just as closely tied to each other, but in our own hands to fix.

Regarding money and the media, the nation will need to restore and enhance regulations on corporate spending in elections. The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Citizens United court case 14 years ago essentially permitted corporations and committees to buy elections, particularly by buying airtime. With guardrails on corporate spending and dark money eliminated, it became much easier for the candidates — or more accurately, the special interests — with the resources to dominate airwaves to also dominate the conversation.

With Americans’ access to digital media increasing rapidly in the last two decades,

every dollar in politics goes further than ever, meaning the candidates with the right backing can become the only candidates on anyone’s mind. Meanwhile, a news media driven by consumer interest and profit margins will lean into the most sensational election content, which generally favors those same exact candidates.

These two factors make it significantly harder for any candidate with fewer resources or less name recognition to win based on their record or the issues. A candidate like Jimmy Carter in 1976 or Bill Clinton in 1992 would have been lucky to generate 5% in today’s environment.

The other two issues — turnout and polarization — are influenced by the first two, and will be difficult to combat without systemic changes. However, you and I have a lot more power to do something about it ourselves. The problem of turnout, quite simply, requires showing up. Primaries are often all about the electoral base. Many states, like Florida, only allow registered partisans to vote at all, and even in open primary states, independent or undecided voters are a lot less likely to participate in intraparty contests.

As for polarization, a lot of it is driven by the media — both news and social — but that does not mean we as voters cannot work to undercut its detrimental influence. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a significant number of voters in both parties primarily see themselves as voting against the opposing candidate, rather than for their own, with 57% of Democrats and 40% of Republicans saying their votes were more negative than positive. This cuts at the very root of why people are voting in the first place, and in an alarmingly high number of cases, those votes are against someone, rather than for someone.

Andrew Taramykin opinions@alligator.org Column

While this applies most directly in the general election, its impact is felt in primaries, where voters increasingly consider factors like “electability” or who is better suited to beat the political rival, rather than to govern the country. To be clear, I do not think these concerns are entirely unwarranted; However, when they become the foremost concern, voters eschew other considerations like policy positions or leadership abilities, which could lead to greater dissatisfaction down the line.

To put it simply, each one of us could help fix what’s broken about our primaries just by showing up and voting for someone, instead of against someone else. This may ring a little hollow to young voters, especially those who identify with the incumbent party, who feel as though they don’t even have an option to begin with; however, this is in many ways attributable to the fact that young voters alone are not involved enough in either party to produce viable alternatives. This state of affairs is not inevitable though, and the problem of participation also gives us a clear solution.

If young people engage sustained, active and constructive participation, we can play a much bigger role in primary elections, and ensure that future elections are between two candidates whose voters actually want to see them in office.

Andrew Taramykin is a UF political science and history senior.

Message from an alumnus: Get off the sidelines and restore DEI

As a high school graduate from New England, I knew little about UF and had never been to Gainesville before I applied. After arriving as a freshman in 1984, I quickly became immersed in the culture of the school, served in Student Government and was one of the many founders of SCAAR, the Student Coalition Against Apartheid and Racism. Florida was still under the radar, but to me it was a hidden gem in large part because of its myriad of cultures.

As a student senator at UF, we met long into the night and took on issues of race and funding LGBTQ+ organizations in a system hampered not only by its own stained history of segregation, but by the almost all white student government.

It was in our meetings with the upper echelon of UF’s administration regarding UF’s relationship with apartheid South Africa where the lack of diversity or interest in issues of race and diversity showed. Only Dean Arthur Sandeen, a veteran of the civil rights movement in Ohio, had the background or concern to truly engage us. When the university refused to divest its resources

from the Apartheid regime in South Africa, students occupied the steps of Tigert Hall, the site where 14 years before, 66 black students were arrested and suspended for protesting after UF President Stephen O’Connell refused to meet with the Black Student Union or consider its list of modest demands.

Despite decades of calls to change the name to this day, student athletes must work out and play under the O’Connell center dome, scarred not only by his treatment of Black students as UF president, but his legacy on the Florida Supreme Court.

In a jarring act of judicial insurrectionism, O’Connell was among a majority who denied Virgil T. Hawkins admission to the UF law school in 1957 after the Supreme Court told UF Hawkins was entitled to “prompt admission.”

O’Connell joined the decision which forced Hawkins to prove his admission would not lead white students to violence and withdrawal. The fact that the name of Stephen O’Connell rather than Virgil T. Hawkins graces that center is a testament to the lasting power and legacy of UF

racism and a symbol of why DEI is so critical.

By shuttering its office to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, the university is retreating to its darkest past legacy in which voices were stifled and risks becoming the unwelcome and hostile space Stephen O’Connell and his cohorts promoted.

Mark Shmueli

opinions@alligator.org

In expressing his disgust at UF’s decision to close its DEI office, UF football legend Emmett Smith said it best: “We cannot continue to believe and trust that a team of leaders all made up of the same background will make the right decision when it comes to equality and diversity. History has already proven that is not the case. We need diverse thinking and backgrounds to enhance our university and the DEI department is necessary to accomplish those goals.”

Mark Shmueli is a 1987 UF alumnus.

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

©2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

answer on page 10

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

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53 Dad’s brother, in Paris 55 Chicken __ masala

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59 Baseball glove 60 Method: Abbr.

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1. MEASUREMENTS: How many inches are in a mile?

2. ASTRONOMY: What does the acronym SETI mean to the scientific community?

1. TELEVISION: Which TV sitcom featured a father figure named Philip Banks?

2. LANGUAGE: How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?

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

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

3. MOVIES: Which movie features the line, "To be honest, when I found out the patriarchy wasn't just about horses, I lost interest"?

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

4. SCIENCE: How long is an eon?

6. HISTORY: What was the first National Monument proclaimed in the United States?

5. GEOGRAPHY: In which country is most of the Kalahari Desert located?

7. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the island of Luzon located?

6. MUSIC: Which singer once was called the Material Girl?

8. MOVIES: Which sci-fi movie has the tagline, “Reality is a thing of the past”?

7. FOOD & DRINK: What is injera?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What was the name of the United States’ first nuclear-powered submarine?

8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of cockroaches called?

10. GAMES: What are the four railroad properties in Monopoly?

Answers

1. 63,360 inches

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which large U.S. city is nicknamed Emerald City?

2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

10. GAMES: How many blocks are in a Jenga tower?

3. Below or insufficient

4. Grover Cleveland

5.

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

1. Name the NHL team that played from 1976-82 before moving to New Jersey and becoming the Devils. (Hint: It shares a name with an MLB club.)

2. What Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver caught nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown to be named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII?

3. Name the Basketball Hall of Famer and member of the 1981 Boston Celtics NBA championship team who was nicknamed "Tiny."

4. What actor used a golf club to smash another driver's windshield in a February 1994 road rage incident?

5. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, American Sage Kotsenburg won the first gold medal in what sport making its Olympic debut?

6. In what year did NBA greats Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Florida men’s basketball prepares for NCAA Tournament as No. 7 seed without Handlogten

THE GATORS WILL PLAY THE WINNER OF COLORADO AND BOISE STATE MARCH 22

By Bennett Solomon & Max Tucker Sports Writers

In the opening minutes of the SEC Championship March 17, Gators men’s basketball starting center Micah Handlogten was going for a rebound. When landing, fans heard a snap, and he fell to the ground in pain.

Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, was dead quiet. Tears were falling from every Florida basketball player. As the stretcher came onto the court, the entire UF team came over to huddle around its starting center before he was taken to the hospital.

After the game, it was confirmed Handlogten fractured his left leg. It was the end of his season.

“Yeah, it's tough, man, 'cause he's a great kid,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said, tearing up after the game. “You just hate to see it for him because he does everything the right way. He works hard. That's a super fluky injury that you don't see very often in this game.”

Handgloten’s absence was felt. His 7-foot-1 presence limits teams’ ability to go to the rim and get open layups. Also, it allows the Gators to have a tall, shotblocking center to interrupt any easy shot attempts in the paint.

But in the SEC Final, the Auburn Tigers used their physicality against freshman forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, and took advantage of graduate student forward Tyrese Samuel being in foul trouble.

Auburn scored 44 of its 86 points in the paint, and the Gators defense struggled to contain center Johni Broome, who scored 19 points and brought down 11 rebounds.

“Micah is so valuable for our team, especially on the offensive rebounding side of things,” Tyrese Samuel said. “Losing him early kind of affected us a little bit. We were trying to win the championship for him. We really care about [Handlogten]. He's part of our family.”

Now, Florida will prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Its first game is set March 22 against the winner of the Boise State and Colorado First Four matchup.

Handgloten’s absence could play a major role for Florida’s hopeful tournament run. His lengthy height and wingspan have benefited UF all season. For an undersized opponent, it would’ve only benefited the Gators.

Florida led the nation in rebounds per game during the regular season, and Handlogten helped substantially on the glass. He averaged 7.1 per game and brought down 17 in a game against Georgia Jan. 27.

Even though UF won’t have their leading rebounder in the NCAA Tournament, Samuel said, after the games it’s a new sea-

bond together,” he said. “We’re always shooting free throws together. Because we all have to do the same job, so I’m sharing my insight and what’s going on during the game. I feel like that’s what’s made us really close.”

Haugh has blossomed into a role player for the Gators down the stretch. Against Georgia, he recorded a season and careerhigh 17 points against the Bulldogs. He played 25 minutes March 17, his thirdhighest of the year.

His playing time may increase more.

Listed at 6-foot-9, Haugh will have to play bigger than his size. He’s only gotten better throughout the year, becoming more clutch. The freshman recorded 11 points and four rebounds in the SEC Final.

Although the bracket for the NCAA Tournament was revealed March 17, Florida will be forced to wait to find out who its first round opponent will be.

The Gators drew the No. 7 seed in the South region and will await the winner of Boise State and Colorado on Wednesday.

“Knowing we got one more game promised, I think it's just staying together,” senior guard Zyon Pullin said. “Learn from this. Give ourselves the best chance to win and go on a run here.”

game. Senior guard Max Rice chips in 12.5 points per game and is a threat from deep, making 74 made 3-pointers on the season.

The Broncos are a veteran group that starts two juniors and two seniors which has been a similar recipe for success for team’s who made a deep run in the NCAA tournament in prior years.

The other possible opponent for Florida could be one of the best double-digit seeds in the entire NCAA Tournament. Colorado posted a 24-10 record this season and tallied some quality opponents.

The Buffaloes took down then-ranked No. 22 Washington State for a signature Quad 1 win. Despite its solid overall record, CU struggled against elite competition this season, finishing with a 1-3 record against ranked opponents.

But don’t get it twisted, Colorado will be an extremely tough out for both Boise State and Florida. They shoot the ball at a very efficient rate en route to having the best field goal and free throw percentage in the PAC 12.

son.

“Nothing matters from before pretty much,” Samuel said. “Just kind of going into practice, finding new tactics and ways just to complement each other without Micah.”

Golden will now have to fill the center position in the starting lineup but it should be an easy decision for the second-year head coach. Freshman forward Alex Condon will most likely replace the injured Handlogten in the starting five. Although Condon hasn’t started all year, he’s in the lineup often and has provided valuable minutes, especially in the SEC Tournament.

Additionally, Handlogten’s minutes had already been decreasing with the increased usage of Haugh and Condon.

Handlogten averaged 20.17 minutes per game during the regular season, but that number dropped to 13 per game in three full games in the SEC Tournament.

Condon will play even more of a role going forward. The 6-foot-11 freshman averaged 22.5 minutes per game in the conference tournament and played 26 minutes against Auburn and 28 versus Texas A&M.

Going forward, Samuel will have to limit his foul trouble, as he picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes remaining against the Tigers. His physical presence will be vital as the Gators enter the NCAA Tournament with their leading shot blocker out.

Throughout the season, rebounding and free throw shooting has been a priority among Florida’s frontcourt. A day before a contest with Missouri Feb. 27, Samuel said the group was well connected.

“I feel like us together, me, Condo, Micah and Tommy, I feel like we have a good

The Broncos and Buffaloes are both talented squads that will pose problems for Florida in their Round of 64 matchup.

Boise State is no stranger to defeating a quality opponent. The Broncos took down the former 21st-ranked team in the nation in Saint Mary’s Dec. 1. They finished with a 3-2 record against teams ranked in the AP top 25 when the regular season came to an end.

Boise State suffered a 76-66 loss at the hands of New Mexico in the Mountain West tournament March 14 and will be hungry for an upset win over the Gators in the first round.

The Broncos finished top five in the Mountain West in both scoring offense and defense and will bring a balanced play style into March Madness. Boise State’s offense isn’t exactly high-flying, averaging just 75.8 points per game. However, where they could pose the biggest issue for Florida is on the glass, especially with UF’s loss of Handlogten.

Boise State was the No. 1 rebounding team in the Mountain West this season and will look to match the intensity that Florida will bring to the boards. A Florida vs Boise State matchup would be a physical battle featuring two of the top rebounding teams in the nation.

A balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double-digit scoring marks makes it difficult to pinpoint one key matchup that will stick out for the Gators. Though, junior forward Tyson Degenhart leads the way offensively for BSU scoring 17 points and six rebounds per game.

Rounding out the Broncos offensive attack is senior Chibuzo Agbo and junior O’Mar Stanley, who combine to average just over 26 points and 11.5 rebounds per

Colorado finished third in the conference in both scoring offense and defense and beat teams by an average of eight points per game. Not only are they efficient from the field, but the Buffs are lethal from deep when it comes to knocking down 3-pointers and defending the perimeter.

They rank No. 1 in the PAC 12 in 3-point percentage and No. 1 in defending the three as well. The Buffaloes have three starters who all shoot above a 40% clip from deep. Leading the way is elite junior guard KJ Simpson who averages just under 20 points and five assists per game.

Though Simpson will be the focus point for Florida defensively, UF head coach Todd Golden will not be able to keep his entire attention just on Simpson when scouting the Buffs. Colorado has five players averaging double-digit point totals that all contribute offensively.

Senior forward Tristan da Silva and freshman forward Cody Williams are 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-8 wing players, respectively, who are skilled and have a versatile style of play that can attack your defense inside and out.

Da Silva is Colorado’s second-leading scorer at 15.6 points per game and Williams scores 12.6 per game, respectively. Senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr. is a force down low for CU’s frontcourt as the team’s leading rebounder at just over seven per game.

One area the Buffaloes struggle in that the Gators could take advantage of is being sloppy with the ball. Colorado ranks dead last in the PAC 12 in turnover margin at -2. Florida will take on the winner of Boise State and Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 4:30 p.m. March 22 in Indianapolis.

@B_Soly11 bsolomon@alligator.org

@Max_Tuckr1 mtucker@alligator.org

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff Florida sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen celebrates after slamming a dunk against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Gators’ 105-87 win on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

Florida comes together in baseball series finale against Texas A&M

THE GATORS RELIEVERS FIGURED IT OUT MARCH 17

By Luke Adragna Sports Writer

The 2024 season hasn’t unfolded how many Florida baseball fans anticipated it to.

Fresh off a College World Series run that saw the Gators finish one game shy of the championship title, the differentiating quality in play has been apparent at times this season.

Florida’s bullpen has struggled immensely in games. Its offense has experienced several droughts. Even the starters have struggled as well.

“I don't want to make changes just to make changes," UF head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said of his starting rotation. "These are the guys we have, they've had success in the past... Bottom line is we just have to figure it out."

There was a feeling that Florida’s opening SEC weekend against No. 4 Texas A&M, who was undefeated heading into the series, would hold significant weight for the rest-of-season outlook. Was this year’s ballclub just as capable as its previous 2023 squad, who finished one game shy of the College World Series title?

Florida proved its capabilities in a series-clinching game March 17.

Gators senior third baseman Ty-

ler Shelnut hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal a 4-2 victory and clinch the series behind a stellar outing from lefthanded starter Jac Caglianone.

“We know how good we are, we know what we’re capable of,” Shelnut said. “It’s just finding that rhythm, getting in a groove and starting to play better baseball as a whole.”

The biggest concern for Florida’s roster has been its bullpen and its reliance on freshman arms. There are less than a handful of veterans head coach O’Sullivan trusts, and few young arms have given him reason for trust due to their inexperience.

The concerns among freshman relievers were something assistant coach David Kopp said isn’t uncommon regardless of the collection of players.

“With freshmen, the biggest hurdle for them is learning how to deal with failure,” said Kopp before the season. “So once they figure out how to deal with failure and regroup and move forward — those are the guys that will merge and really help us when it matters.”

Florida opened its series with an 8-6 victory March 15 in a game where O’Sullivan avoided using any of his young arms. All-SEC closer Brandon Neely pitched three scoreless innings in relief and secured the series-opening victory.

Neely’s high pitch count posi-

tioned Florida to have to use more of its bullpen barring a quality outing from its freshman starter Liam Peterson.

Peterson lasted just 35 pitches, and O’Sullivan used six different arms in his bullpen.

Despite losing the game 10-6, it was the most impressive performance from Florida’s relievers to date.

Freshmen relievers Grayson

Smith and Robert Satin pitched 4.2 innings combined and surrendered no runs and worked out of several high-pressure situations.

Heading into the weekend, Florida’s freshman relievers boasted a 6.60 ERA. The positive performance

was encouraging for O’Sullivan.

“We’re really close,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re really close to being the team that I think we can be. It’s just that we’re going through some growing pains with the young arms.”

The series was put on the line when Neely felt discomfort in his bicep and was unable to return for the ninth inning in Florida’s rubber match against the Aggies.

Rather than having his All-SEC closer in his arsenal, O’Sullivan instead elected to go to freshman righthander Luke McNeillie.

Before the ninth inning, McNeillie had been the arm with the least amount of success in Florida’s bull-

pen. He was extremely successful in the Fall and surrendered zero runs throughout the preseason.

However, heading into the March 17 game, McNeillie held a 17.20 ERA on the mound in 8.1 innings pitched.

All speculation was put to rest when the freshman retired the top of the Aggies order, arguably one of the most lethal lineups in the nation, and secured the series victory. McNeillie pumped his fists and was mobbed by his teammates as they ran out of the dugout and onto the field.

“Coming off a few bumpy starts, he did exactly what we wanted him to do,” Caglianone said. “Everybody knew that Luke has the stuff to get guys out, and he really showed it today. So, I’m really proud of him.”

Coach O’Sullivan expects McNeillie’s outing will be a confidence booster going forward.

“The way I felt about the situation, honestly, is if he can get through this thing, this might end up being a really good story,” O’Sullivan said. “And hopefully pushes this progress along with him. It was huge.”

Florida continues its season with a weekend matchup against Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. March 19. After that, the Gators will face the defending National Champions, the Louisiana State Tigers, over the weekend March 22.

Matthew Lewis // Alligator Staff

Gators baseball head coach Kevin O’Sullivan visits the mound in the team’s win over Columbia University on Saturday, February 24, 2024.