Monday, March 20, 2023

Minca Davis // Alligator Staff

2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

NEWS OF THE WEEK

UF Board of Trustees passes action items, names Patel vice chair

Next meeting set for June 8

By Christian Casale Alligator Staff Writer

The UF Board of Trustees passed a series of action items, named trustee Rahul Patel as its vice chair and previewed the university’s longterm goals and courses of action more than a month into Ben Sasse’s term as president.

Patel will replace outgoing trustee Tom Kuntz, whose term ended in early January, as vice chair. Kuntz was replaced as a trustee

by Patrick Zalupski, for whom it was the first Board of Trustees meeting.

The board also voted to extend Morteza “Mori” Hosseini’s term as chair through 2025, to align his term with Patel’s as vice chair to that of the chair.

It was the final meeting for trustee Amanda Phalin, whose term as senate faculty chair will end May 31, and Student Body President Lauren Lemasters.

The board also passed three action items

unanimously: One approved appointments of directors to University Direct Support Organizations; another implements the changes to a UF Board of Governors resolution that relates to how and why academic programs would be terminated; and a third approved a new threeyear collective bargaining agreement between UF Board of Trustees and the Florida Police Benevolent Association Lieutenants Bargaining Union.

The trustees also approved tenure upon hire for six incoming professors, approved a new master’s degree in business analytics and approved the College of Medicine’s request to reduce the number of credit hours for a master’s degree with a major in medical sciences and a concentration in gerontology from 36 to 30.

The Board of Trustees will hold its next meeting June 8 at Emerson Alumni Hall. @vanityhack ccasale@alligator.org

UF student protestors face felonies but receive community support BOTH HAVE BEEN BANNED FROM CAMPUS FOR NEXT 3 YEARS

By Aidan Bush Alligator Staff Writer

Two UF students’ academic futures could be in jeopardy after they were arrested at an abortion rights protest March 10.

Bryn Taylor, the 26-year-old co-president of Graduate Assistants United, and Ian Dinkla, 21, face felonies after both allegedly struck an officer and Dinkla stole a pro-abortion sign, according to police officer accounts in arrest reports.

The pair is now trespassed from campus, meaning they aren’t allowed to enter any UF properties for the next three years.

UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan didn’t respond to clarifying questions in time for publication about how the ban would affect their educational endeavors going forward.

Taylor was charged with two felonies — aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence — and an additional misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement without violence.

Dinkla was also charged with two felonies: robbery by sudden snatching and resisting an officer with violence.

The two were participating in a UF Rally for Body Autonomy organized by the university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, in which around 20 people protested in Turlington Plaza.

The rally coincided with days of tabling by Created Equal, a multi-state antiabortion group with over $1.7 million in total revenue according to 2019 financial forms. The group set up 4-foot-tall signs depicting unborn fetuses.

Dinkla stole one of the signs, valued at $120, according to the arrest report. When Detective Joshua Tarafa tried to arrest him, Dinkla allegedly shoved him away.

Taylor was also arrested after officers allege she hit Tarafa in the back of the head with a bullhorn and punched him in the face while trying to detain her.

Video footage obtained

by The Alligator didn’t show strikes against the officer but did show Taylor shoving an officer after Dinkla’s arrest.

Dinkla and Taylor were released from Alachua County Jail March 11

without having to pay bail on recognizance.

Florida Prisoner Solidarity, a community activist group focused on prison abolition, posted on Instagram March 10 in an effort to raise funds for the pair’s bail money. Leaders for the group declined to share how much money was raised in total or comment about their fundraising efforts.

Dinkla is represented by Yolanda Means, a Meldon Law associate.

Means has defended similar community interest cases, including Terrell Bradley’s arrest after K-9s mauled him.

Taylor is still assigned to a state attorney, according to the Alachua County Clerk of Courts docket, as of Sunday afternoon.

While their lawyers were unable to be reached for contact, images obtained

by The Alligator show bruises on Dinkla’s elbow he alleges came from force Tarafa used on him.

Dinkla pleaded not guilty to all charges March 16; Taylor has yet to make a plea as of Sunday morning.

Their next trial dates aren’t yet scheduled as of Sunday morning. @aidandisto abush@alligator.org

Florida House to hear Gainesville Regional Utilities state takeover bill Alachua County Legislative Delegation voted 4-1 to progress legislation

By Siena Duncan Alligator Staff Writer

The Alachua County Legislative Delegation voted 4-1 March 17 to move a bill affecting Gainesville Regional Utilities to the floor of the Florida House of Representatives.

The bill, filed by Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, would move power over regional utilities out of the Gainesville City Commission’s hands by creating a state-appointed GRU Authority board.

The board would consist of volunteers from the area served by GRU, appointed

by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bill now moves to committee approval, a process that has been sidestepped before. The next step would be moving the bill to a House vote in the next two to three weeks.

Members of the Alachua County Legislative Delegation — Sen. Jennifer Bradley, Sen. Keith Perry, Rep. Chuck Brannan and Clemons — all voted to approve the bill.

About 40% of people using GRU live outside of the city limits, Clemons said during the meeting. If the City Commission is in control of the utility, that means 40% of its customers have no ability to elect them, he said.

“They can’t vote the people out of office,” Clemons said. “They have no ticket to get into the city for their election.”

The bill targets GRU specifically, one out of 33 regional electric utilities in the state, a list that includes major cities like Jacksonville, Orlando and Tallahassee.

GRU is the fifth largest in Florida, serving 93,000 customers. This means more than 37,000 people served by the cityowned utility can’t vote for Gainesville commissioners.

GRU rates were the second highest in the state in 2022. Key West was the highest at $162 per bill, ahead of Gainesville’s $154 a bill. These high rates can disproportionately affect minorities renting in low-income housing due to inefficient amenities that increase rates.

GRU currently has a 14% equity rate, which measures how well a company manages its debts. A good utility service has a 60% equity rate, Clemons said.

The commission hasn’t been handling utilities correctly, and it needs to see changes that permanently address the problem, he said.

“This is a spiraling thing,” Clemons said. “That’s what this bill attempts to do, is to help so that it doesn’t crash.”

However, the only Democrat part of the delegation, Rep. Yvonne Hinson, D-Gainesville, voted against the idea.

During her time as a Gainesville city commissioner from 2012 to 2015, the commission considered the same idea, she said. The only difference was that the City Commission would be the one

appointing volunteers. But they voted against it.

Similarly, Clemons brought a 2018 referendum to Gainesville for a bill that would put an independent GRU board in place appointed by the City Commission, rather than the governor. The vote failed, with 40% of voters in favor.

This continuous effort from Clemons and his supporters to take the power of GRU oversight away from the City Commission is not fair to residents, Hinson said. Because both the commission and the residents have spoken on the issue, Clemons is overstepping, she said.

“Let me just assure you, that is not what we want,” she said. “We should have done that ourselves.”

Mayor Harvey Ward also testified at the meeting. The importance of the City Commission’s oversight of GRU stems from the idea that commissioners are readily accessible to the public and can hear community members’ concerns, he said.

“I don’t go to Publix or Lowe’s or church or pick my kids up from school without somebody talking to me about the job,” Ward said. “Because that’s what the job is… We’re in the middle of the community all the time.”

Elected officials must respond to their constituents, he said. An independent board defeats this purpose.

The bill cannot be put on the House calendar until April 10, Ward said, but he expects the process to move quickly after that.

Commissioner Bryan Eastman also attended the March 17 meeting. He was saddened to witness them move the bill forward, he said. The delegation didn’t do enough to speak with people living in and around the Gainesville area to gather how people actually felt about the bill, he said.

“The decisions on this are going to reverberate for decades within our community,” he said. “Generally, things like this are done through careful study.”

A positive Eastman sees is that Clemons and the rest of the delegation are planning on discussing aspects of the bill directly with commissioners — a process that hadn’t happened until city officials showed up to testify March 17.

Eastman sees the current bill as unworkable, and he’s hoping they can convince Clemons to make some changes, he said. Having GRU Authority officials appointed by the City Commission instead of the governor would be an example of a compromise. However, the end goal is still no bill at all, he said.

“There’s a possibility that a better bill could come forward that would be more palatable,” he said. “And then we’ll continue to push.” @SienaDuncan sduncan@alligator.org

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WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 26 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville female religious leaders field sexism, pushback CHRISTIAN, JEWISH LEADERS SHARE EXPERIENCES

By Claire Grunewald Alligator Staff Writer

Ashleigh Lucas // Alligator Staff

Pastor Lynn Fonfara, 75, stands at the podium at the front of the University Lutheran Church in Gainesville Sunday, March 19, 2023. “There's always some personality things that have nothing to do with my being a man or a woman,” she said. “It's just the nature of the congregation sometimes is a little funky...around 1990 I started seeing women as pastors. But that's 20 years after women were first ordained in ELCA.”

Cynthia Chestnut: 5 decades of unwavering public service in Gainesville, Alachua County FIRST GAINESVILLE BLACK FEMALE MAYOR

By Siena Duncan Alligator Staff Writer

Growing up, Cynthia Chestnut didn’t have Black, female role models to look to. So, she became one.

Chestnut, 73, was the first Black woman to serve as a Gainesville City Commissioner, mayor, Alachua County Commissioner and state representative for District 23. She’s now a city commissioner, serving Gainesville for the second time since her tenure in the 1980s.

She recognized each step she took in her political career was uncharted territory, she said.

“I knew that I had to go in and make a dif-

Florida gymnastics wins SEC Championship Trinity Thomas earned two 10s in the Gators’ highest-scoring meet of the season.

Read more on pg. 14.

ference because so many people depended on me,” Chestnut said. “I assumed the office with a great sense of gratitude and responsibility.”

Chestnut had known she wanted to become a politician since she was a child, she said. She grew up in Tallahassee, receiving her bachelor’s in speech pathology from Florida A&M University and her master’s in speech pathology from Florida State University. She then dedicated her time to getting her doctorate in public administration from Nova Southeastern University.

In Tallahassee, she said, she was able to see the heart of how Florida government functioned, and she knew she wanted to be a part of it.

“You could see the power,” Chestnut said.

“You could see the importance of having a

SEE CHESTNUT, PAGE 6

Less job opportunities, lower salaries or being labeled “heretic” is nothing new for women who lead Gainesville’s religious congregations. Although the city’s female religious leaders face adversity, they continue to fight for diverse initiatives and new perspectives of their beliefs.

One Protestant Christian minister, Bromleigh McCleneghan, a 43-year-old Gainesville resident who leads the United Church of Gainesville, faced a mix of praise and criticism for her book “Good Christian Sex,” which attempts to transform the way Christians view sex and purity culture.

Some of the comments she re-

ceived about the book related to being a woman, she said.

“I’d get emails from total strangers at work about ‘how did I not understand XYZ?’,” McCleneghan said. “Mansplaining the Bible to me.”

From 2018 to 2019, only 13.8% of congregations were led by women, and 8.1% of worshippers were in congregations led by women, because they tend to be smaller, according to National Congregations Study surveys.

The data comes from surveying churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and other places of worship.

McCleneghan was working as a minister for children and families at the time of her book’s publication, and many people called to have her fired.

“Folks would call the senior

SEE RELIGION, PAGE 5

Tivalee Hansen elevates patient care at UF Health Shands Hospital

Hansen aims to become nurse practitioner

By Aubrey Bocalan Alligator Staff Writer

Tivalee Hansen’s life came to a halt in November 2020 when her mother, then-42-yearold Jill Hansen Holker, became one of over 100 million people in the United States to get COVID-19.

Most people get better within a few days to a few weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but Holker’s sickness got worse. Eventually, it got so severe she needed a double lung transplant.

Hansen, 21, had to shift her priorities, becoming a mother figure for her 18-year-old

Gainesville woman serves East Gainesville through journalism

Voleer Thomas uses her writing talent to be a mouthpiece for her community, pg. 8

sister and moving her church service mission to Florida to take care of her mother.

The experience brought her from Spanish Fork, Utah, to UF Health Shands Hospital — not just to support her mom during the surgery, but to work.

“I, to be honest, didn’t even think of Florida as a place to live,” Hansen said. “But then my mom got sick…she had a double lung transplant, and Shands did it.”

Inspired by her mother’s surgery, Hansen now works as a patient care assistant for cancer patients at Shands. She’s also enrolled in the nursing program at Santa Fe College and

SEE PCA, PAGE 5

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EDITORIAL: Why we chose to commemorate Women’s History Month The Alligator Editorial Board weighs in on the month’s importance, pg. 10

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Today’s Weather A one-woman show: Hawthorne’s mayor inspires next generation of women Jacquelyn Randall’s journey to serving her Alachua County town

By Jack Lemnus Alligator Staff Writer

Hawthorne Mayor Jacquelyn Randall isn’t weighed down by the many hats she wears. As an educator, clinician, mayor and mother, she devotes her life to serving others and empowering female youth.

Her first outlet for service was the medical field, in which she earned a master's degree in health ­­ care administration from Saint Leo University in Tallahassee, and later worked as a professional respiratory therapist, bedside clinician and then a traveling clinician during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was a servant to the public before I became a public servant,” Randall, 38, said. “My profession definitely gave me the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives who were afflicted with pain, afflicted with sickness, afflicted with grief.”

She then moved on to inspire students with similar passions for medicine as an adjunct clinical instructor at Santa Fe College. In this role, she aims to enrich students’ skills in not only health care but empathy, she said.

Randall’s pastor, the Rev. Eugene Herring, has known her since she was born and said he’s always marveled at her ambition and charisma as a young leader.

“For her age, she’s a very mature leader,” Herring said. “She’s probably the most outgoing and progressive young person in our community in terms of leadership.”

Immersed in medicine, education and politics, Randall said she didn’t think this was how she’d give back to her community — she was simply guided by the principles passed down by the influential women in her life, especially her grandmother.

She used to tell Randall: “Nobody wants to help somebody who’s not helping themselves” and to “not sit around and wait for pity or a handout.”

As a woman of color in the maledominated field of politics, Randall established herself under that guidance, later taking on the position of mayor of her hometown, Hawthorne — something she never envisioned for herself.

It wasn’t until she joined a PTA for Hawthorne Middle School that she discovered a taste for public service. She was elected PTA vice president and found herself advocating for more than just education. Suddenly, she was working with city officials on everything from better health care to transportation.

Though her mother also served as mayor while Randall was in college, public service never piqued her interest, she said. But while her mother was in office, Randall saw how one woman could effect real change in her community.

When she would come home from college, she remembered being showered with adoration for her mother by those who felt her impact.

She gleamed with admiration while watching her mother in the city parades, cheered on by the people she’d dedicated her life to.

“Those moments I can recall taking it in, just sitting there and being proud of her,” Randall said.

Randall’s mother and grandmother set the expectation that a happy and successful life is achieved through enabling the happiness and success of others, she said.

With former generations as her bedrock, Randall now hopes to empower the next wave of female leaders who want to live a life of service.

“Women empowerment is going to be the driving piece for us to

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For Randall, the biggest challenge to that goal is the lack of role models. Once women see themselves in positions of power, they can excel anywhere from the workplace to Congress.

But more representation requires beating back centuries of structural barriers, Randall said.

“The challenges are historically embedded in who we are as a nation,” she said. “We have to approach these places knowing that it was not created with us in mind … and we do so by consistently showing up and exuding our strength — our resilience.”

It’s easy for women to become discouraged when trying to enter a room full of people who don’t look like them, Randall said, but as someone established in multiple fields, confidence is key.

“My biggest advice is: Know who you are before you enter a space,” Randall said. “That space can be toxic and overwhelming. It can be so overwhelming that you forget who you are and why you’re doing what you’re doing. … I see the greatest change when I see women in those positions do it with certainty of what they’re doing, why they’re doing it and who they’re doing it for — and before all of that, knowing who they are.”

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Renewed purpose PCA, from pg. 1 hopes to one day be a nurse practitioner.

A history of health care service can be traced back through Hansen’s family. Her mother and grandmother were both nurses, so she’s known she wanted to be in the medical field since she was young.

She essentially grew up in the hospital, Hansen said, often visiting her mom in the Shock-Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Intermountain Healthcare. Despite being young, she enjoyed spending time surrounded by medical workers, she said.

“She [Holker] got all the gnarly, gnarly things,” Hansen said. “And I’m a little kid, you know…probably should not see that. But I wanted to hang out with my mom.”

Hansen’s mother first experienced symptoms of illness on Halloween in 2020. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, but Hansen knew there was something wrong.

“If you're in the medical field, you're the most stubborn human being when it comes to going to the hospital,” Hansen said. “So, she was laying on the couch dying, and I'm like, ’Yeah, we're done with this.’”

On Nov. 5, 2020, Hansen brought her mom to the hospital. On Dec. 6, 2020, they transported her from Utah to Gainesville. They flew her on a private jet, but Hansen’s mother was upset because she was in a medically induced coma for the flight.

“They had to wake her up and be like, ‘Hi, you're sick and had to get a double lung transplant. You're also in Florida. Surprise,’” she said. “She was mad. She's like, ‘I was in a private jet, and I was unconscious the whole time.’”

When Hansen’s mother got sick, it was hard for many reasons, she said. As the oldest child and of legal age, a lot of decisions were hers to make.

Doctors informed Hansen if her mother couldn’t receive a lung transplant, she might have to make the decision to end her mother’s life. Hansen and her mother made a pact that

if Holker was “like a vegetable,” then Hansen could call it, she said.

But the rest of Holker’s body was working, so they decided to follow through with the lung transplant. After a few weeks of searching, they found a perfect match, and Holker had the surgery in late January 2021.

“That was probably like the hardest thing I've ever done,” Holker said. “But as far as nursing goes, it's very interesting to be on both sides of the ICU and to see what your patients go through.”

Holker recently became a nurse practitioner, and as she prepares to take this next step in her career, she hopes to honor the trials she’s been through, she said.

“I don't want the person who gave me these lungs to ever think that I was a waste,” Holker said.

Hansen’s responsibility to care for her mother extended to caring for her younger sister, Tylee. It was usually just the three of them at home, she said, so when their mother got sick, Hansen had to step up and be a mother to her sister.

It drove a bit of a wedge between her and her younger sister, Hansen said, because she had to be strict with Tylee. But in the end, it also brought them closer.

“When you go through something traumatic, all you have is your family,” Hansen said. “You can tell your friends all the things that you're going through, but no one actually understands how it feels to have your mom dying in the hospital and having to take care of your little sister.”

Tylee also carries on the family legacy in the health field in a different way. She hopes to go to school to study neurology.

When Holker was in the hospital, Hansen and Tylee would meet their mother’s thenboyfriend at his garage and then go to Culver’s almost every night. In the fast-casual restaurant chain, the three were able to draw strength from one another, she said.

The concrete mixers — ice cream shakes with mixed-in toppings — became a comfort food.

Hansen always got chocolate with strawberries. Tylee always got mint chocolate chip.

Low wages, less opportunities RELIGION, from pg. 1 pastor and [say], ‘You need to fire her because she's a heretic,’” McCleneghan said. “I think that a lot of that pushback was highly gendered.”

The women who serve in these roles are normally treated with the same respect as their male counterparts. However, many female religious leaders have spoken out about the sexist microaggressions they have faced while working.

And the same is true in Gainesville — three female leaders interviewed by The Alligator who have worked in congregations said they’ve experienced sexist remarks throughout their careers.

McCleneghan grew up in Chicago watching her father serve as a minister in Protestant Christian churches. She was against following in his footsteps, until she attended the University of Chicago and discovered her passion for preaching.

She served in several churches in Illinois before a colleague encouraged her to apply to be a minister at the United Church

of Gainesville, where she’s been since 2020.

McCleneghan has typically witnessed women leaders in her denomination treated the same as her male coworkers, but there are incidents she believes only happened because of her gender, she said.

When Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2018 after sexual assault allegations against him came to light, McCleneghan led a prayer about sexual assault and the difficulties of watching the government ignore survivors.

Many members of the congregation expressed how inappropriate the prayer was, she said.

“I think if my male colleague had offered the same prayer, it would have been very different things that folks said,” McCleneghan said.

Lynn Fonfara, a 75-year-old resident of Beverly Hills, Florida, is the interim pastor at University Lutheran Church and has noticed struggling churches often have to be open to accepting pastors who aren’t male. Often, congregations have no complaints, she said.

“The best possibility is if

Alan Halaly // Alligator Staff

Tivalee Hanson poses for a portrait outside of the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital Saturday, March 18, 2023.

Though it was a difficult time, it strengthened Hansen’s resolve to become a nurse.

It took several months of recovery before Holker was able to move again. Being in a coma for so long limited the use of her muscles. It’s up to patient care assistants like Hansen to help patients upkeep personal hygiene.

The first thing Holker wanted to do when she was able to move again was brush her teeth.

“In health care, you always think about ‘We have to give them a bath, we have to get the meds out and yada yada yada,’” Hansen said. “But, at the same time, I feel like sometimes we forget to do the super small, simple things.”

Hansen deals with the big things like pain and death working with cancer patients, too.

“It just kind of sucks because you sit there and you watch them suffer,” Hansen said.

Still, she’s grateful to be there when pa-

you’re open to a woman, or even a person who is gay or lesbian, and they looked at me like, ‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any difference to us,’” Fonfara said.

Aside from churches who face financial or attendance problems, Fonfara has heard of instances of sexist hiring practices.

In one situation, Fonfara said there was a man and a woman who were both seeking positions in religious leadership. The woman was invited to be a candidate at a small church, while the man was invited to be a candidate at a larger church with a larger paycheck, she said.

After graduating from Augustana College in Illinois in 1970, Fonfara believed she wasn’t ready to lead a church so she began volunteering in the church, mainly in the women’s organization.

“Being a pastor was something that, for the most part, women were told they couldn't do,” Fonfara said.

In 1997, Fonfara enrolled in seminary and has been serving as a pastor and interim pastor ever since.

In the past at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s annual Churchwide Assembly, Fonfara and other women in at-

tients are at their weakest and most vulnerable, holding their hand and wiping their tears.

One of her patients, Cathy, recently passed away after being in the hospital for almost a year.

“I don't completely understand what they're going through, but I know it sucks and I can love them, be there for them when they're sitting there in their minds at 3 in the morning crying,” she said. “Someone's got to help them.”

Holker thinks her daughter has a level of compassion that sets her apart, she said.

“Tiv is one that loves to sit and talk to patients, and I admire that because that gives you that sense of you're not just a disease — you're a person,” Holker said.

tendance would have to put in extra effort to make sure they were recognized as pastors, she said.

“All of us women would wear collars,” she said. “We’d wear clerical shirts to make sure that lay people and male pastors saw us as ordained women.”

Fonfara doesn’t feel the need to follow this practice, as there’s a lot more acceptance than ever before, she said.

Fonfara has overall been accepted by the different congregations she has served, she said, and always been welcomed. There was one instance in a church in which she was respected by half of the congregation, while the other half didn’t feel the same, she said.

“There were other people in the same congregation who were trying to get rid of me because women shouldn’t be ordained,” Fonfara said.

Outside of the Christian faith, religious leaders still face issues.

Gail Swedroe, a 39-year-old resident of Austin, Texas, served as UF Hillel’s assistant director and campus rabbi from 2012 to 2014.

Growing up, Swedroe was surrounded by many Jewish women who made up the clergy or were rabbis, she said.

@aubreyyrosee abocalan@alligator.org “I feel privileged that I'm part of a religious movement that does have women clergy,” Swedroe said.

In rabbinical school, Swedroe’s class was half women. She also never directly experienced instances of sexism after leaving school, she said.

In informal capacities, Swedroe has been asked about having children and balancing that with work after interviewing for positions, she said.

“How I would anticipate being able to balance having a family and serving in a professional capacity, which is not something that my male colleagues typically get asked,” Swedroe said.

After working in Gainesville, Swedroe moved to Austin to work after UF Hillel got rid of her position. She has now worked as the associate rabbi at the Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin for the past eight years.

Despite changing standards in different faiths, the female commitment to faith won’t change — whether that’s from the seats of a congregation or a podium at the front. cgrunewald@alligator.org @grunewaldclaire

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

A field of dreams CHESTNUT, from pg. 1

seat and realize the difference you could make and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Her aspirations were local from the beginning, she said. At first, she wanted to be mayor of Tallahassee.

But she moved to Gainesville with a boyfriend who was pursuing a UF law degree.

Although the relationship that brought her here didn’t last, she met her husband Charles Chestnut while they hosted a WUFT program called “Color Us Black.”

Her desire to serve the community around her had been present since she was a child, growing up as the eldest girl in a household of 10 children. The concept of duty wasn’t unfamiliar — her mother, Janie Moore, would tell her she had the responsibility of upholding the family name.

“I knew that I had to be a role model for my sisters,” she said.

Her mother also instilled in her a deep respect for civic duty, going out of her way to vote in every election possible. Moore was aware of a long history of Black voter suppression.

“She understood that the only route we had was the ballot box,” Chestnut said. “And that you could never take that for granted.

Never.”

So, she ran for a commissioner seat in 1987.

From the beginning, Chestnut knew her term would be different for her than for her husband, who had sat on the Alachua County Commission and the Alachua County School Board.

Once, she and her husband met with a group of community leaders who asked about her positions on the environment, singlemember districts and economic development.

But whenever she would start to answer, the men would turn to her husband and ask what he thought.

The final question was about how she saw herself fitting into an environment where there would be two Black commissioners. Instead of answering, she motioned to Charles.

“I turned to my husband, and I said, ‘Charles, what do you think?’” Chestnut said.

Chestnut would go on to win her race, the first in a series of many victories.

She served for three years as a city commissioner, her third year, she was voted in as mayor-commissioner — an appointed position at the time. She then resigned to run for the open District 23 seat in the Florida House of Representatives in 1990. The step up would

have been intimidating, but all she felt was excitement, she said.

“I was such a novice,” she said. “I didn’t know to be overwhelmed.”

Chestnut would serve five terms over the course of a decade, during which term limits were put into place and she was prevented from running again.

As a state representative, Chestnut knew she couldn’t focus on everything at once, she said. Education became her focus.

She served as the chair of the House Committee on Education and helped create the legislation that would eventually become Bright Futures, a scholarship program approximately 93% of incoming UF freshmen participate in.

Chestnut and the other Black representatives at the time also pushed for the House to approve House Bill 591 — a 1994 bill focused on reparations for the survivors of the Rosewood massacre.

Despite majority opposition, their small group went into a House “bubble”: a period of discussion they refused to come out of until the House agreed to vote on the bill. The bill ultimately passed, marking one of very few times any group of Black people in the nation has received reparations for past discrimination.

Rep. Yvonne Hinson, D-Gainesville, said she’s constantly surprised by what Chestnut has accomplished, because she doesn’t talk about it. Chestnut will typically only mention legislation she helped out with if it’s in danger of being overturned now. Hinson didn’t know she helped pass Bright Futures until recently, she said.

“When it comes up, I’m always stunned and amazed at what she was able to do,” Hinson said.

Hinson has known Chestnut since the 70s due to family connections. They’ve both served as city commissioners and state representatives, although never side by side. When the pair sit down to talk, it often takes a bit for Chestnut to ease into casual conversation because of how focused she is on her work, Hinson said.

“We have to give it time to unwind before she actually lets go and becomes Cynthia,” Hinson said. “Cynthia the woman, not Cynthia the businesswoman.”

Once the conversation flows, they have “girl talk:” discussions about church, aging and health. She and Hinson started a book club together called the Opinionated Ladies Book Club. They enjoy their off time together, Hinson said, but Chestnut is always ready to go back to the grindstone.

Chestnut ran for a Florida Senate seat in 2000 but lost by a wide margin in the Democratic primary. Candidate Rod Smith won instead. She returned to politics two years later,

1

Caia Reese // Alligator Staff

Cynthia Chestnut tells the story of how the Rosewood Bill was passed emphasizing the importance of the bill to the Florida community Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. sitting on the Alachua County Commission for eight years, during which she was chair, until she was defeated by Susan Baird in 2010. After that, she planned on retiring.

But then she learned Gail Johnson, another Black, female city commissioner, was stepping down.

Including Johnson, there were two Black commissioners at the time, she said. She wanted to make sure it stayed that way. So, she decided to run again and was sworn in Feburary 2022.

As a Black woman in politics, Chestnut has found more can be required of her than her colleagues, she said.

She represents a community that has been historically underrepresented, and because of that, she’s often called to many different culturally Black events across town: church services, social functions, ceremonies, fundraisers. She feels a responsibility to them to show she’s committed to her role as their unofficial spokesperson, she said.

“It is a more intense role,” she said. “But for those of us who are in the role, we’re happy to perform the service.”

Chestnut has also served her community outside of her role as a commissioner. Karl Anderson, 49, has known Chestnut for as long as he can remember. He grew up with his family being a friend of hers, and he’s seen Chestnut give as much as she can to Gainesville’s underserved people, he said.

Chestnut worked at UF Health Shands Hospital as director of Eastside Community Relations and Education Coordination from 1997 to 2011. During that time, she was the first person to suggest Shands reach out to the

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predominantly Black community east of Main Street through churches, Anderson said.

“She cares about people,” Anderson said.

“All people. And she don’t stop until she get a result in most cases.”

Anderson is a founding pastor of Upper Room Ministries, a Gainesville church. He saw her grow the conversation surrounding health disparities by involving historically Black churches, he said. Under her leadership, Shands paired with churches to provide classes on topics ranging from cancer awareness to day-to-day healthy eating habits.

Many churches still host services on every second Sunday of February where churchgoers would wear red to raise awareness about heart health, a tradition started by Chestnut, Anderson said.

“It really speaks loud of her legacy,” he said. “It’s not going anywhere… she’s still saving lives.”

During her return to the Gainesville City Commission, Chestnut has made housing and economic development her two key platforms, she said.

Her primary goal is to see a sports complex built on East Gainesville’s Citizen’s Field during her time as commissioner. She thinks it will bring the boost the east side of the city needs to thrive. She calls it their “field of dreams.”

She sees it as her final project, she said.

Once the earth is turned on Citizen’s Field, she’ll know she can retire. @SienaDuncan sduncan@alligator.org

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MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 ALLIGATOR 7

Amanda Figueredo commits to safety in Gainesville SWAT unit FIGUEREDO ORIGINALLY CAME TO GAINESVILLE TO WORK IN RESTAURANTS

By Aidan Bush Alligator Staff Writer

In 2020, Amanda Figueredo wasn’t even a sworn officer. Two years later, she became the fourth woman in the Gainesville Police Department’s history to join the SWAT unit.

Figueredo, 31, recently received accolades after her rise in the GPD, earning the officer of the year title. But her community involvement extends past policing into diversity programs and child mentorship.

“At the end of the day, no matter what’s going on, we can still make an impact,” she said.

Before she joined law enforcement, Figueredo worked in the restaurant industry for over eight years. She first came to Gainesville from Miami for college, where she became a restaurant manager at the now-closed Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria.

There, she quickly grew close to the city and its people.

“I kind of fell in love with the small community, with the culture,” she said. “Just seeing how things were.”

When Felipe’s hosted special events like buy-one-get-one margarita Fridays, it often outsourced off-duty GDP officers, who spoke with Figueredo.

The GPD officers encouraged Figueredo to join the force, and by March 2020, she

Courtesy to The Alligator

Figueredo (center) enlisted as a non-certified officer ready to go through academy.

The COVID-19 pandemic almost disrupted her plans, she said. She joined just one week before the pandemic really hit and put the department in disarray. Instead, staff had her run errands across multiple departments, helping her build rapport across GPD faster than usual.

“We got to know a lot of the different personnel in the agency before even becoming a police officer,” she said.

A year later, Figueredo was sworn in. As a GPD member, her favorite aspect of career life is engaging the community’s youth.

During the holidays, she participated in Shop with a Cop and Heroes and Helpers,

two programs in which officers help students buy gifts on a set budget.

Figueredo was inspired by the kids, she said, as many of them used their limited budgets to shop for family members rather than themselves.

She also regularly engages in diversity outreach. Together with the local Tu Fiesta Radio station, Figueredo created a program for law enforcement officers to appear on the station twice monthly to answer questions and speak to the Hispanic community, she said.

Beyond officer duties, Figueredo became a SWAT officer in August, making her the first Hispanic woman in the unit, and the fourth woman on the team in any capacity.

Only 13.3% of law enforcement officers in the United States are women, according to an FBI study from 2021.

Figueredo was initially unsure if she would be able to make SWAT, she said, but quickly learned she had the ability.

“If you have goals and ambitions, don’t be intimidated by what anybody else thinks,” she said.

Throughout 2022, Figueredo was nominated for officer of the year by Sgt. Farrah Lormil for her community efforts and rapid progress.

“I could go on about Officer Figueredo’s hard work, perseverance and kind-heartedness, but these qualities are always available for viewing and familiarity,” Lormil said in a release.

The award was announced at Gainesville’s state of the city address in February, where Mayor Harvey Ward had her and Lormil recognized in front of everyone.

“I want to thank them both and everyone at GPD for being front and center and keeping our community safe,” Ward said.

While proud of her success, Figueredo said she found a better work-life balance in the past year. Her constant efforts at GPD left her busy, but more recently she’s been able to travel and visit her family in Miami more often.

“The main thing I learned was to slow down and enjoy the moment for what it is,” she said. @aidandisto abush@alligator.org

Deborah Hendrix: A life of preserving oral histories at UF HENDRIX REFLECTS ON 23 YEARS AS A HISTORIAN

By Ella Thompson Alligator Staff Writer

Deborah Hendrix was elbowdeep in work for her new film as she reflected on her 23 years with the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. Through SPOHP, Hendrix has ensured accessibility to over 8,000 interviews on topics such as civil rights and Native American history.

On April 12, Hendrix’s film, Oscar Mack Versus the Ku Klux Klan, will premiere at Pugh Hall.

Mack, a postmaster in Kissimmee, defended himself from the Klan and was, in turn, pursued by local police.

Newspaper accounts have conflicting reports of what happened next, but the film seeks to uncover the truth through oral history interviews with Mack’s descendants.

To Hendrix, the film exemplifies the power of oral history.

“You’re doing oral histories, think about that,” she said.

“They’re sharing their whole life story with you. It’s just a gift that is beyond anything you can wrap your mind around.”

SPOHP — the award-winning oral history program that covers historical topics based on social justice — conducts oral history

field expeditions throughout the Deep South, on which Hendrix is a researcher and videographer.

In the past, the group has traveled to the Mississippi Delta to conduct oral history interviews with former civil rights activists and leaders.

Having access to these interviews is priceless, Hendrix said, and many students who have gone on expeditions return completely changed. Some even switched career paths, choosing to pursue law or activism.

Hendrix has been with the program since 2000. She’s awardwinning herself — in 2016, she won the Superior Staff Accomplishment Award for her work in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in editing, production and preservation of digital data and storytelling.

She arrived in Gainesville in 1986, when few had access to the kind of filmmaking equipment people take for granted today. She studied graphic design at Santa Fe College to stay within the creative field, although video and film were her primary interests.

Hendrix first found SPOHP through a newspaper article and later began to volunteer with the program. She was the first to propose video-recording the interviews; but the program’s namesake, Samuel Proctor, hated the idea, she said.

“There was not going to be any possibility for video,” she said. “I was trying to video on the side.”

In 2005, the program was forced to switch gears when it was allowed to interview newly appointed federal judges in Florida, but with the stipulation that they had to be on video.

Hendrix knew it was her time to shine, she said, and jumped into action.

With previous knowledge of videography, Hendrix guided SPOHP through its transition to videography.

“All of a sudden, my hours kind of increased a bit,” she said.

In 2008, UF history professor and acclaimed author Paul Ortiz joined the program and pulled it into the digital era. SPOHP switched from tapes to Marantz digital audio recorders, but it wasn’t necessarily a reduction in work, Hendrix said.

Hendrix has transcribed and recorded years of interviews.

In her work, she’s seen a transformation in diversity over the decades.

Not all groups have been fairly represented in oral history.

Women in particular have been neglected, Hendrix said, but that’s changed in recent years.

The inadequacy of female subjects is saddening, Hendrix said. She noted that she’s seen

what women had to do to achieve a sense of equity.

“Yet they persevere,” she said.

“They persevere. I’m not sure why.”

Though Hendrix has been working with recordings for nearly 30 years, she has had men

explain procedures to her like she’s a first-grader.

“It’s not a stereotype,” she said. “It’s getting a lot better. It’s improving.” @elladeethompson ethompson@alligator.org

Courtesy to The Alligator

8 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

Voleer Thomas dedicates career to East Gainesville service journalism THOMAS HAS WORKED AT THE GUARDIAN FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS

By Jake Lynch Alligator Staff Writer

The name Voleer means strength, reading and writing. Even so, Voleer Thomas’ mother had no idea her daughter would grow to be a journalist.

Through her journalism, Voleer Thomas, 27, has channeled her outspoken nature to inform the city of Gainesville about issues facing Black residents.

For the last five years, Thomas has worked as a reporter for the Gainesville Guardian, which was founded in 2005 to address gaps in the Gainesville Sun’s coverage of Gainesville’s Black community. Formerly a weekly publication of the Gainesville Sun, The Guardian ceased its print edition and shifted to an email newsletter format beginning March 2.

Thomas’ reporting primarily focuses on the east side of the city, guided by her values and faith.

“I really do feel like I was called to be in this mission,” Thomas said. “It’s my duty to be in this position, to help others through my words, to inform them and to inspire them.”

For Thomas, there was never any doubt of what she was going to do. Her love for the written word and storytelling was forged at a young age. She gives much of that credit to her father. Rolston “Rally” Thomas, who passed in 2020, was a great oral storyteller, Thomas said.

Matthew Cupelli // Alligator Staff

“I’m a storyteller in words, through writing, but he was a storyteller through his mouth,” Thomas said. “He knew how to keep your attention.”

Thomas insisted her parents always stressed education and hard work, which is something she carried all the way to her education at her dream school, UF, where she majored in telecommunications and graduated in 2017.

While at UF, she joined groups like the National Association of Black Journalists and Black Affairs.

She hasn’t left Gainesville since graduating.

An associate producer at WCJB-TV20 since 2017, Voleer spends time behind the camera shooting and editing footage – but also often finds herself in the field, meetinging members of the community.

Rev. Milford Griner, an involved member of the east Gainesville community and president of the Rosa Parks Quiet Courage Committee, met Thomas through her cov-

erage of his organization’s events.

“She will sometimes be the first person to arrive at a local event,” Griner said.

Griner has gotten familiar with Thomas through the years she has worked in the community. He and his organization have awarded people for their quiet courage since 2006. That same quiet courage is how Griner describes Thomas and her work.

“She is willing to write stories about racism and gun violence,” Griner said. “She is willing to tackle the hard subjects, and she is not afraid to write stories about things that need to be addressed in Gainesville.”

Her desire to speak out is even present in her family life, which draws from multiple different cultures. Her mother is from Guyana and her father from Antigua and Barbuda.

The lesson she instilled the most was to be kind, Thomas’ mother, Michele, said.

“Always be nice,” Michele Thomas said.

“Life is not easy, and we all go through things in life.”

As the oldest sibling of three, Thomas was very direct with her younger set of twin siblings, sister Vadalya and brother Viayazz.

Her daughter would scold her siblings when they misbehaved and commend them when they did the right thing, Michele Thomas said.

“She would tell them what she had to tell them if they were doing wrong and if they were doing right,” she said.

Her mother said Thomas showed writing prowess as early as the fourth grade, when she was the first child at her school

to get a perfect score on the statewide standardized Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in the writing section.

It was always obvious that Thomas was a leader, her mother said.

Michele Thomas gushed about her daughter’s ability to lead even as a teenager. As a multi-sport athlete playing softball, soccer and volleyball, Thomas sometimes had to be reminded that she didn’t need to play so rough.

Determination and grit are needed for some of the stories Thomas writes.

Throughout her time at the Guardian, she’s written stories about everything from Gainesville history to community issues such as gun violence and racism.

Thomas doesn’t watch many TV shows or movies, she said; instead, she studies up on her idols. Her favorite novel is “Step Out On Nothing” by Byron Pitts, the coanchor for ABC News’ late-night program “Nightline.”

Idols such as Pitts and Ida B. Wells — an investigative journalist who wrote stories about the lynchings in the South during the late 19th century — drive Thomas to attack her job with bravery.

Voleer sees her talents as a gift, she said.

She calls her career a duty she was given by God to cover the stories that matter and inform the community. It’s a duty she carries out with a smile on her face. @JakeLyn20488762 jlynch@alligator.org

First Black Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Kim Barton works to restore trust BARTON DEALS WITH GROWING VOTER MISINFORMATION

By Lauren Brensel Alligator Staff Writer

Growing up in a segregated Memphis, Tennessee, a young Kim Barton would go door to door with her family, asking neighbors if they needed a ride to the polls.

As the first Black person to be elected Alachua County’s Supervisor of Elections, Barton, 60, said she’s come full circle since then.

“Going to vote was something that, as Black people,” she said, “we could not afford to just sit back and not do it, given the history and the climate of the day.”

Before being elected to her first term in 2016 and reelected in 2020, Barton served as the office’s outreach coordinator — a role designed for her because of her previous experience with One Church One Child of Florida, finding homes for Black children in the foster system.

Barton was there for the launch of the office’s website and Facebook, while she explained elections to high school students and the elderly alike.

Outreach is one of the most important aspects of an Alachua County election, she said, because college students face the extra task of ensuring they’re registered to vote in Alachua County even though it’s not their hometown.

“When you’re going from county to county, that requires some additional things and that may hold them up in the line because they [have] to fill out a voter registration form,” she said. “That doesn’t happen automatically.”

In 2019, the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office was recognized by the national Election Center for its efforts registering students to vote. Barton filmed three commercials with then-UF president Kent Fuchs, educat-

ing students about early voting.

She also oversaw the opening of an early voting site at the Reitz Union. Out of all the college campuses that held early voting polls, she said, UF had the highest turnout that general election.

One of the biggest highlights of her time in office is connecting with the Barton community, Barton said.

When she was doing outreach at a recreation center, a Black man in his 80s approached Barton, asking her to help him register to vote. He was ashamed he hadn’t.

Barton worked alongside him to get him registered.

“He voted for the first time, and that was the year former President Obama ran for office,” she said. “He got to vote in that election, and he came to see me and he just had tears in his eyes … It doesn’t matter when you start.

Exercise your right to vote.”

However, some don’t have that same faith in the Supervisor of Elections’ office, she said.

“There’s been so much misinformation that people don’t trust,” she said.

According to a study conducted by the Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey, 57% of white Americans said they believed there was some level of voter fraud present in the 2020 presidential election.

Aaron Klein, the office’s spokesperson, said Barton manages this misinformation by ensuring the office is all on the same page.

“Some of that is thinking bigger picture,” he said.

“What do we want to use our limited resources on to inform voters? … Supervisor Barton is fantastic at this for planning ahead for anticipating some of those challenges.”

While people used to flock to keep Barton in check on election night, she said live tallying of votes rid the office

of its larger crowds. Now, people call Barton personally to share their opinions.

“I’ve had people call me and chew me out,” Barton said. “I have gotten to the point where I just let them talk.

And then I will explain, ‘No, you have been misinformed.

Let me explain it to you.’”

Another obstacle Barton faced was unexpectedly losing the office’s Chief Deputy Supervisor of Elections William Boyett, who died in 2021.

“It’s just hard not having the person who has the historical knowledge,” she said. “But we made it through.”

Elections nationwide have become ugly in the past few years, and Barton said some of her staff also quit amid the rising tensions.

There’s no off year for the office, she said. Because of that, her work hours aren’t always feasible. Some days end at 3 a.m., which Barton said is just part of the job.

But Barton’s family respects her being a public official, she said.

When she’s out with her husband, Barton said, sometimes people ask her questions, and her husband knows to step away.

“There are people who will say, ‘I’m with my family.

I’m not working right now. Don’t ask me.’ I could never do that. It’s just not who I am,” she said.

Through the difficulties she endures, though, her family remains her biggest supporter, she said.

One time she cited this was when she was first elected and took her oath of office. Though her father had passed, she said it was an honorable experience.

“It was a proud moment for my mother and my brother who [were] there to see it, to witness it,” she said, “To be the first Supervisor of Elections of color … I consider it a privilege and an honor to serve everyone.” @LaurenBrensel lbrensel@alligator.org

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

ARTS & CULTURE

Poet, activist Terri Bailey builds community among women in Gainesville BAILEY USES ART, EDUCATION TO HELP WOMEN HEAL

By Lauren Whiddon Avenue Staff Writer

Terri Bailey’s office, located in the Blount Center, is one of a working woman. On her desk lie stacks of papers and folders, small sculptures, books and an affirmation jar. On the wall hangs a painting

by Turbado Marabou, her husband who’s a local muralist.

Gainesville proclaimed March 16 Bailey Learning and Arts Collective Day last week. The Bailey Learning and Arts Collective, Inc. was created by Bailey, 56, and focuses on grassroots organizing and community building through art and education.

Bailey was born and raised in Gainesville and has worked hard to give back to her community. Now, her hard work gains city recognition.

“It felt really, really great,” she said. “I’m a Gainesville native — but I also had a reputation growing up as a bad kid, so to get a day named after my organization and my name feels really good.”

Bailey grew up in Pleasant Street, the city’s oldest Black neighborhood. In Pleasant Street, all the neighbors knew each other: The adults watched over the kids, and the kids took care of each other.

When money was tight, the moms would cook together to make sure everyone could eat.

“It wasn’t always like some TV show where everything was always good,” she said. “There was a lot of poverty in our neighborhood, some drug use in our neighborhood, but there were also a lot of well-to-do people.”

Bailey looked up to doctors, educators, shoemakers, electricians and dentists in her neighborhood.

Those who grew up in Pleasant Street were always surrounded by possibility.

As a child, Bailey was a P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School lifer, which means she attended the school since kindergarten. In 11th grade, she was expelled.

Despite this setback, her education didn’t stop. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff

Terri Bailey sits in front of “Iya,” a painting created by Turbado Marabou, in Blount Hall Sunday, March 19, 2023.

Bethune-Cookman University and to receive master’s degrees from Southern New Hampshire University and UF, where she studied English and creative writing, as well as women, gender and sexuality studies, respectively.

Sometimes, people ask Bailey why she continues to classify herself as a high school dropout. Her response is clear. She does it to show others, especially women, that their past doesn’t have to define them, she said.

“I hope that it’s an inspiration for women — young women in particular — who find themselves with a bad attitude, a bad life situation and a bad reputation,” Bailey said. “You can absolutely turn that around.”

Bailey learned about the importance of grassroots organizing and having dreams from Gainesville activists and organizers such as Rosa B. Williams and Byllye Avery, whom she grew up around.

Williams worked on civil rights issues, and Avery started the modern Black womens’ health and wellness movement.

Bailey saw Williams work on organizing through voter registration and getting people out to the

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polls. The work of these women has stayed with Bailey throughout her life.

“All of that, right now, resonates, and it touches everything that I do,” Bailey said.

Rayaan Ali, a 21-year-old UF psychology senior, has worked with Bailey several times. In her time as the president of the Living Poets Society, which is a UF club dedicated to poetry in the community, Ali has come to deeply respect Bailey.

“She’s somebody you can really learn from when it comes to community building,” Ali said.

Bailey always makes an effort to pay artists and poets who work with her, which is important for incentivizing the community to gather for art and poetry, she said.

That effort turns social capital into financial capital, Ali said, which is an important aspect of supporting artists here. Bailey uses her work to collaborate with other organizations, also teaching her interns about organizing.

“There’s a dynamic between the bonding of having somebody intern for you but then also giving you the resources you need to be successful in whatever you are trying to do with the community,” Ali said.

During Bailey’s time studying gender at UF last year, she learned about the Divine Feminine, which is the feminine energy that connects people to Earth through things like love, compassion, healing and acceptance. Here, she developed her ideas of the laws of SHE: self-care, healing and empowerment.

“We have to start asserting ourselves and taking that time unapologetically because so much of women’s life is devoted for caring for others,” she said.

When you take care of yourself, Bailey said, you begin to process what you need to heal from. Once you know what you need to heal, you can start to do so, which empowers you to live an authentic life, she said.

Although Bailey spends a lot of time teaching these principles to other women, because of her dedication to the community, it can be hard for her to practice this for herself.

Taking time for yourself is especially challenging when many efforts taken to empower women are being challenged.

Gainesville has seen an increase of Black women in the City Commission and School Board, she said,

which is a step in the right direction. However, there are still many difficulties in uplifting women at both the state and local levels.

“While there’s great female leadership in Gainesville, it is also a big struggle trying to get our voices heard and trying to get our goals accomplished,” Bailey said. “Not only for us individually, but for us as a collective.”

Despite the hardships, Bailey continues to dedicate her work to the community she loves so deeply.

The Bailey Learning Arts Collective is hosting Black Women Write, a two-day writing workshop, at the Santa Fe College Center for Innovation and Economic Development April 7-8. There is a sliding scale cost of $50 to $200, with scholarships available.

The event starts on Bailey’s 57th birthday, a day she wasn’t sure she would see back when she was expelled from high school, she said.

Now, it will be an opportunity for her to continue to educate and build community with women in Gainesville. @LaurenWhid lwhiddon@alligator.org

El Caimán: Dulce Manjar retribuye a su comunidad

Mochilas Misioneras ha donado alrededor de 300 paquetes, pg. 13 Scan to follow the Avenue on Spotify

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

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Celebrate remarkable women with The Alligator

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n a perfect world, The Alligator wouldn’t need to devote an entire issue to highlight the invaluable contributions of women to our campus and community.

But too often, the hard work, long hours and emotional toll many women put in for Gainesville and UF go unnoticed. Women have been continually undermined, underrepresented and underestimated in fields dominated by men.

This month, we take pride in celebrating the numerous women who shaped UF and Gainesville, beginning with their journeys in 1947, when UF became a co-ed university by order of the Florida Legislature.

Its official title may have been placed over 70 years ago, but women have long been trailblazing the standards set by the university.

Take, for example, Lassie Goodbread-Black, the first woman to fully enroll at UF. Her impact shouldn’t be taken lightly; she set the scene for women’s education in 1925 — over two decades before official legislation was put into effect.

Though the current legislature threatens the livelihood of different types of women at UF and in the greater Gainesville community, many of them have continued to stay strong in the face of these adversities.

Some departments, such as UF’s women’s studies program, are directly targeted with the proposal of House Bill 999. The program, established in 1977, has continued to hold numerous panels across UF’s campus, furthering the intersectionality UF has strived for within recent years.

Women’s History Month strives to highlight the importance of women in society, and their pursuits in obtaining this level of success shouldn’t be ignored.

Through this project, we aimed to provide a diverse array of women who inspire us in the UF and Gainesville communities.

Members of our staff profiled women like Cynthia Chestnut, a Gainesville City Commissioner with five decades of public service experience and Tivalee Hansen, a patient care assistant at the beginning of her career who found herself working at UF Health Shands Hospital after her mother’s severe COVID-19 diagnosis.

With each story, we hope you recognize the perseverance that these women and countless others before them had to possess to see their dreams realized. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and we will continue to fight for positive change as gaps in equity rightfully shrink across industries.

Over the years, the “Florida man” stereotype has taken on a life of its own in statewide media — a comedic dig at the outlandish, often dangerous situations men along the coast find themselves in.

In our Women’s History Month edition, The Alligator flips this caricature on its head and spotlights the many Florida women who make up the rich cultural tapestry of UF and Gainesville.

Alan Halaly EDITOR -INCHIEF

Veronica Nocera ENGAGEMENT MANAGING EDITOR

Aurora Martínez DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Selin Ciltas OPINIONS EDITOR

Women’s History Month: What is UF standing for?

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love being a woman.

HB 999 would completely eradicate Women possess a certain kind of courses, majors and minors associated with magic.

“Critical Theory,” including, but not limited We’re intelligent, sophisticated, to, gender studies and queer theory. naturally beautiful and hold a special Women and any other students pursuing amount of empathy others don’t. We’re gender studies degrees are left with less ethereal, for every single human originates academic freedom, while professors in these from the womb. Without women, the Juliann Carpenter categories face the risk of losing their job. world would crumble.

LGBTQ history would be washed away, opinions@alligator.org We’re mothers, sisters, friends, leaving stories like the Stonewall Riots in neighbors, scientists, doctors, teachers, athletes, the past. Our stories have historically been left out in scholars and hopefully, one day, U.S. presidents. conversation, but now, with HB 999, we’ll not be left Despite how great we are, we are looked down out — we’ll be forgotten. upon when we exhibit natural human characteristics The bill also bans diversity, equity and inclusion considered “unladylike.” We’re criticized for not practices at our university. acting soft, pretty, gentle or caring. We’re stripped National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural from our feminine identity when we favor something Greek Council organizations, as well as other inclusive or act in a way that’s stereotypically masculine. spaces, will be heavily restricted, silencing the women We’re objectified and dehumanized to be nothing of color who call these organizations home. more than a pretty face who answers to someone LGBTQ students are at high risk, as safe spaces for higher. these students will be also dictated by HB 999.

Throughout history, we’ve risen above the DeSantis wants to make our campus a political unfortunate circumstances thrown upon us. We fought playground by completely controlling what we are against gender roles and for suffrage. We protested doing, what we are learning and who is present on for abortion rights and equal pay — something we’re our campuses. He wants to erase the hard work for sadly still working on. Many people don’t know we which women have shed blood, sweat and tears just couldn’t have credit cards until 1974 or that marital because he doesn’t agree with it. rape was legal in some states until 1993.

If the above sounds confusing, as politicians try However, the path to equity looks different for their best to be, let me try and help you: UF as we every woman. know it is at risk, and women, women of color and Women of color and LGBTQ women face unique LGBTQ women are stuck in the crossfire of political challenges that often go unnoticed. Despite the 19th warfare.

Amendment granting women the right to vote, Black Higher education is a place of open-mindedness women couldn’t truly vote like white women could and eagerness to learn, but it is now being threatened until 1965. The Stonewall Riots, led by transgender with censorship and regression. women of color, sparked the first Pride parade.

We’re fighting for our right to academic freedom.

Today, LGBTQ women are sexualized and criticized We’re fighting to keep this campus a safe, inclusive in politics and media, and women of color continue environment for everyone. As Ben Sasse settles into to face sexism and racism daily. Although all women his role as UF’s new president, it’s hard to believe his share similar experiences, we must not forget the selection was nothing short of a political move. struggles of those who simultaneously face different A politician who has consistently opposed women’s obstacles. rights and LGBTQ rights has no place on our campus.

I wish the rest of this piece were a Women’s History As a female student, I’m sick and tired of hearing Month celebration. news every week about DeSantis and his extremist But, yet again, we’re under attack. agendas against the campus we call home.

I came to UF from my tiny town in Georgia hoping We’re regressing. for a well-rounded and intentional education. I Everything that women have fought against for so yearned to be around different types of people from long may be eradicated, forgotten and disrespected by different walks of life who were celebrated and loved HB 999. by the community and the university. I dreamed of a Each and every one of us should be scared right place that fueled creative minds and supported hard now. But, more importantly, we must be willing to working students. I aspired to thrive in an environment speak out and fight against this dangerous bill. that loved, supported and uplifted its women.

If you don’t identify as a woman, continue to However, Gov. Ron DeSantis has continued to support us and uplift our voices. strike higher education in once-unimaginable ways.

Contact your representatives and continue to speak DeSantis has been evident in his extremist out. Decades of hard work from those who came ideologies since day one. before us are at risk with HB 999.

His right-winged viewpoints that target women, UF will never be the same for women, women of women of color and LGBTQ women have trickled color and LGBTQ women if this disgusting bill goes down into Floridians’ daily life since he was elected into action. in 2019.

Perhaps in the future, Women’s History Month will Now, we’re fighting a new monster: House Bill 999. be a celebration of the victory against HB 999 — not HB 999 is a painfully vague bill that attacks just another month of fighting against an oppressive everything we know about higher education. This bill system. potentially gives the Florida State Legislature almost complete control over what happens on Florida Juliann Carpenter is a 20-year-old campuses. If this bill passes, there’s no prediction for UF advertising sophomore. the evil that will unfold on the campus we call home.

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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solution on page 10

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

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El Caimán

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Panadería en Gainesville hornea delicias sudamericanas y retribuye a su comunidad

Negocio impacta a su comunidad boliviana Por Nicole Beltrán Escritora de El Caimán

Cuando Marliz Arteaga hornea sus delicias sudamericanas, ella anticipa la nostalgia que traerá a sus clientes.

Ya sea viajando millas para buscar auténtico coco brasileño o reuniendo los ingredientes específicos para preparar un dulce de leche casero, Arteaga dedica bastante tiempo a la elaboración de su especialidad.

Arteaga, de 40 años, y su esposo Leandro Soria, de 41, son dueños de Dulce Manjar Bakery, una panadería artesanal especializada en delicias sudamericanas.

La selección de Dulce Manjar ha incluido anteriormente productos como pan dulce y volteado de piña.

Su producto principal, sin embargo, es el alfajor de maicena, una galleta de vainilla rellena de manjar, un producto similar al dulce de leche, coronada con coco rallado.

La pareja, que llegó a Gainesville desde Bolivia, elabora cuidadosamente esta clásica repostería sudamericana que le recuerda inmediatamente a la gente sobre el ambiente nostálgico de Bolivia. Ambos están orgullosos de compartir sus talentos culinarios con la comunidad de Gainesville, al mismo tiempo que comparten la prosperidad de la panadería con comunidades vulnerables de Bolivia.

“Nosotros no solo vendemos alfajores”, dijo Arteaga. “Nosotros vendemos una experiencia”.

Después de dejar su hogar en la Amazonía Boliviana y llegar a los Estados Unidos en el 2010, la pareja se comprometió a familiarizarse con Gainesville. En 2017, comenzaron a hornear pan para los eventos de su iglesia.

Las primeras etapas de los objetivos empresariales de Arteaga y Soria consistían en mantener una panadería. Pero pronto la pareja quiso desarrollarse más.

“Pensé que necesitábamos encontrar un producto único. Y me acordé de los alfajores de maicena, que siempre me han encantado”, dijo Arteaga.

Después de experimentar con nombres, como “Panadería Arte-

sanal”, y conocer los gustos y disgustos de sus clientes, la pareja finalmente pudo iniciar el negocio que actualmente vende auténticos dulces sudamericanos.

“Debido a que la base del alfajor es dulce de leche, lo llamamos Dulce Manjar”, ​​dijo Ateaga. “En algunas partes de Sudamérica le dicen manjar al dulce de leche, que significa alimento para la mente o sustancia espiritual”.

La pareja trata de mantener un equilibrio en su trabajo con Arteaga gestionando la parte de negocios y Soria encargándose del proceso de horneado. Los dos hijos de la pareja también están involucrados en el negocio.

“Paso alrededor de cinco horas a la semana horneando, pero todo depende de la cantidad de pedidos”. dijo Soria. “Tratamos de ayudarnos los unos a otros tanto como podemos”.

Lizet Navarrete, residente de Gainesville de 56 años, ha sido cliente de Dulce Manjar durante aproximadamente dos años. Desde entonces, ha sido testigo de cuánto esfuerzo pone la pareja en el negocio, dijo.

“Marliz pone calidad y esfuerzo en sus pedidos”, dijo Navarrete. “Es excelente para comunicarse con los clientes”.

Arteaga siempre está dispuesta a probar nuevas recetas para satisfacer a sus clientes, agregó Navarrete. Pero las contribuciones de Dulce Manjar se ven más allá de los residentes de Gainesville: El 10% de las ganancias de Dulce Manjar regresa a Sudamérica a un proyecto familiar llamado Mochilas Misioneras para la Amazonía.

La crianza de Soria en una zona rural de Bolivia y la falta de recursos disponibles lo llevaron a cumplir con su deber como propietario de un negocio.

La iglesia de la pareja estaba trabajando con “Operation Christmas Child” para enviar artículos de primera necesidad, ya que Bolivia califica como una nación necesitada. Sin embargo, Soria sabía que el proyecto no llegaba a las comunidades a lo largo del río.

“Si esa organización está llegando a Bolivia pero no llegando a esas comunidades, no creo que ninguna otra organización esté llegando a ellas tampoco”, dijo

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Soria.

A través del apoyo de la Iglesia Hispana de Gainesville, ubicada en 3508 NW 19th St., iglesias en la Amazonía boliviana y grupos coordinados de voluntarios, Arteaga y Soria pudieron iniciar Mochilas Misioneras para la Amazonía.

El objetivo del proyecto es entregar mochilas llenas de útiles escolares, artículos de higiene, ropa, juguetes y material bíblico a niños de 4 a 12 años que viven junto a la Amazonía boliviana.

Las mochilas se suelen entregar durante el mes de abril en conmemoración del Día del Niño Boliviano, pero el año pasado también se entregaron en época navideña.

Lindy Rivera, de 53 años, esposa del pastor de la Iglesia Hispana de Gainesville, dijo que el programa comenzó hace cinco años.

“Marliz y su familia propusieron la idea a nuestra iglesia y comenzamos a promoverla”, dijo Rivera.

Arteaga y su familia han estado muy involucrados en la comunidad de la iglesia. Arteaga participa como líder del ministerio de estudiantes y mujeres, y Soria es voluntaria, dijo Rivera.

La Iglesia Hispana de Gainesville realiza eventos de recaudación de fondos para el proyecto. La iglesia también puso en marcha un café que abre todos los últimos domingos del mes.

Todas las ganancias del café se destinan al proyecto de mochilas, así como a otros ministerios de la iglesia.

Y el apoyo a la visión de Arteaga y Soria también trasciende fronteras.

Edilson Texeria, de 51 años, y Cintia Texeria, de 46, son misioneros brasileños que viven en Cobija, Bolivia, y son amigos de Arteaga y Soria desde hace mucho tiempo. La pareja se encarga de la compra de productos y la entrega de las mochilas, una hazaña que a veces dura de siete a diez días.

Desde 2010, los Texerias recorren el río amazónico Manuripi para evangelizar diferentes comunidades.

“Viajamos usando el barco misionero. Es un barco muy grande”, dijo Cintia.

Después de combinar las ga-

Diego Perdomo // Alligator Staff

nancias de Dulce Manjar y la recaudación de fondos de la Iglesia Hispana de Gainesville, Arteaga y Soria envían el dinero a los Texerias para las mochilas. En Bolivia, se fabrican las mochilas y se empaquetan con la mercadería necesaria, dijo Cintia.

Con el dinero recaudado, Cintia dijo que han podido empacar unas 300 mochilas.

Los Texerias se toman el tiempo de reconocer el apoyo de Soria, Arteaga y la iglesia.

“Cuando les damos a los niños sus mochilas, les explicamos de dónde vienen y quién aportó”, dijo Cintia.

Los anuncios publicitarios para el proyecto comienzan a hacerse a medida que se acerca el mes de abril.

El proyecto de Arteaga y Soria es un reflejo de sus ambiciones personales de crear un entorno más ecológico y abundante.

Arteaga tiene una maestría en desarrollo sostenible de UF y actualmente está terminando un doctorado en ecología en UF. Cuando no está cuidando de Dulce Manjar, Arteaga trabaja con proyectos de desarrollo e investigación transdisciplinaria en la Amazonía boliviana y brasileña en comunidades afectadas por grandes infraestructuras.

Arteaga forma parte de varias redes de investigación en Bolivia, como Tu Beca Bolivia, una insti-

Alberte Rimdal wraps up second season with Gators Rimdal is Florida women’s basketball’s first Danish recruit.

Read more on pg. 15.

tución de mentores para jóvenes profesionales que ayuda con solicitudes de becas. Además, ella también es responsable de monitorear y evaluar el programa Mujeres Chef Emprendedoras, que apoya a mujeres en Bolivia para que inicien su propia panadería.

Soria es actualmente un padre que se queda en casa, pero es voluntario activo en la iglesia.

Tiene una granja de gallinas, de las cuales sus huevos se usan para hornear, y también cultiva una huerta que produce cebollas, aguacates, plátanos, chile, zanahorias y tomates.

Estas ambiciones de sostenibilidad son fundamentales para Dulce Manjar.

“No nos importa la cantidad de nuestros productos, nos importa la calidad”, dijo Arteaga.

Arteaga y Soria esperan cultivar Mochilas Misioneras para la Amazonía, con el objetivo de repartir una mayor cantidad de bolsas este próximo abril.

“Compartir lo que tenemos es lo más importante”, dijo. “Damos el ejemplo a nuestros hijos de que hay más alegría en dar que en recibir”.

Find the English version of this story online at alligator.org.

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MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 www.alligator.org/section/sports

GYMNASTICS

Gators gymnastics wins 12th Southeastern Conference Championship Thomas reaches perfection twice in championship meet

By Jori Rzepecki Sports Writer

Trinity Thomas reached familiar heights and earned the title of allaround Southeastern Conference champion. Her performance helped the Gators clinch the 2023 SEC Championship.

She completed a season gym slam — a perfect 10 on each event in a single season — after her 10.0 on uneven bars and floor to secure back-to-back SEC Championships for Florida. Thomas now has 27 per-

fect 10s — only one away from tying the all-time record.

Thomas wasn’t thinking about the race to 28, she said. However, she did her best to save her energy throughout the meet so she could help the Gators to the best of her ability.

“This is exactly what we’ve been working for,” Thomas said. “The best part is we’re not done yet.”

The No. 3 Florida Gators (12-2, 6-1 SEC) competed in session two of the Southeastern Conference Championship March 18 against the No. 6

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Florida sophomore Leanne Wong jumps in the air during her balance beam routine in the Southeastern Conference Championship Saturday, March 18, 2023.

Louisiana State Tigers (8-5, 4-3 SEC), No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats (10-3, 5-2 SEC) and No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-5, 4-4 SEC).

The Gators finished with a score of 198.425, edging out second place Alabama by 0.500. UF won three of four events and earned a meet record score in Duluth, Georgia.

The Gators began the meet on vault. Florida sophomore Sloane Blakely tied for first in the event with a score of 9.950.

Florida junior Chloi Clark appeared on vault with a score of 9.825. She was also named to the SEC gymnastics community service team March 17.

UF finished with a total of 49.375 in the event; Alabama rose above with a total of 49.525.

The Gators dominated on uneven bars. Thomas earned a perfect 10.0 to secure first place. Florida junior Victoria Nguyen and sophomore Leanne Wong tied for second with a score of 9.950.

Nguyen returned on uneven bars after she slipped on the vault against the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners March 3.

UF’s score of 49.700 set it ahead of Kentucky, which ended with a score of 49.600.

Florida continued to dominate as it moved to the third rotation — balance beam. Wong secured first place with a score of 9.975 to earn the honor of SEC Individual Champion

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Gators gymnasts congratulate Florida graduate student Trinity Thomas after her uneven bars routine that gave her one of her two perfect 10s in the Southeastern Conference Championships Saturday, March 18, 2023. on balance beam.

Florida secured a score of 49.675 to surpass Alabama and Missouri’s tied second-place score of 49.375.

The Gators finished their night on the floor, and Thomas reached perfection with her second 10.0. Florida freshman Kayla DiCello finished in second place with a score of 9.950.

UF’s score of 49.675 helped them clinch first place in the meet; LSU trailed them in the event with a score of 49.625.

Thomas earned the highest allaround score of the night with a score of 39.800. Wong finished in third place in session two with a score of 39.625. DiCello earned fifth

place in the session with a score of 39.600.

Gators Head Coach Jenny Rowland emphasized “normmentum” — UF’s word of the week. It means being normal and creating momentum at the same time, she said.

“They did a fantastic job,” Rowland said. “I think that's just going to carry them through the postseason.”

Florida now awaits the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals, which take place from March 29 to April 2. UF will find out its seeding March 20. @jorirzepecki jrzepecki@alligator.org

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

The Florida Gators gymnastics team celebrates its Southeastern Conference win Saturday, March 18, 2023. alligatorSports has a podcast!

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Florida graduate student Trinity Thomas performs her floor routine in the Southeastern Conference Championships Saturday, March 18, 2023.

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MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 ALLIGATOR 15

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

From international player to SEC starter: Alberte Rimdal finishes second season with Gators RIMDAL IS PROGRAM’S FIRST DANISH SIGNEE

By Austin Stirling Sports Writer

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Florida guard Alberte Rimdal shoots the ball over a defender’s outstretched arm in the Gators' 90-79 loss to the Louisiana State Tigers Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023.

Coming from overseas, Alberte Rimdal has always been a hooper.

The sophomore Gators guard is a 21-year-old Koge, Denmark, native, and she’s the first Danish recruit on the Florida Gators women’s basketball team. She frequently started during the 2022-2023 season. Rimdal grew up around the game of basketball and is now living out her dream — playing in the SEC. Rimdal began playing basketball at the international level for Denmark when she was just 15 years old, playing more than 50 games for the Danish women’s national team and making a large impact offensively; she averaged 13.5 points in the 2019 U18 European Championship.

Rimdal did most of her damage from behind the arc and became known as a sniper from 3-point range. She established an identity for herself as a player through her love of shooting.

“I can shoot all day long,” Rimdal said. “I love to put work in.”

Basketball has always been a family affair for Rimdal. Her older

sister, Cirkeline Rimdal, played the 2022-2023 season as a senior at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her sister started playing first, Rimdal said, and she followed shortly after, beginning in second grade.

But it was her father, Brian Rimdal, who had the biggest influence on her early love for basketball, she said.

“I got into basketball because my dad played,” Rimdal said.

“I’ve always been in the gym when he’s been there and came to all his games.”

Rimdal’s father not only exposed her to the game at an early age but also served as her head coach when she started playing.

She was also able to play with a lot of her friends on her teams during her early years, which helped the game feel more natural, she said.

Perimeter shooting continues to be a huge part of Rimdal’s game now for UF. She’s shooting an efficient 37.6% from 3-point range this season and is one of the team’s leaders from behind the arc.

Although Rimdal has been very effective as a player since coming to Gainesville, the adjustment from international play to NCAA Division I competition took some time to get used to.

Florida guard Alberte Rimdal dribbles the ball toward the basket in the Gators' 61-54 win against the Texas A&M Aggies Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023

“When I got here to college, basketball is much more professional,” she said. “All the facilities and all the money they put in the sport … there’s a lot more time invested in it.”

Rimdal didn’t initially start for the team when she arrived as a freshman for the 2021-2022 season. Despite this, she was able to carve out an effective role for herself as a shooter off the bench.

Rimdal scored an average of 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1 assist per game in an average gameplay of slightly over 16 minutes.

“I feel like the tempo or speed of the game is faster here,” Rimdal said. “People are more athletic.”

Coming off the bench provided Rimdal with time to better understand and adjust to the college game, and it was essential going into her sophomore season.

During the 2022-2023 season, she’s seen improvement in every statistical category.

She became a starting guard for the team as a sophomore and has nearly doubled her output this year. She’s averaging 8.6 points per game to go along with 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

“I’m playing more minutes than last year, and I think that has

SEE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, PAGE 16

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff

16 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023

Rimdal’s increased role WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, from pg. 15

something to do with my confidence growing,” she said.

Rimdal’s year of experience living in Gainesville has also been instrumental in her improvement as a player.

“Last year everything was new to me,” Rimdal said.

“This year, I kind of know what’s going on. It’s way more comfortable for me, and I have a lot more confidence this year.”

Confidence has been a major point of emphasis for Rimdal as she continues to grow. She feels much more confident this season, she said, and her teammates have echoed that sentiment.

“One of the biggest things with [Rimdal] we were working on is confidence — trusting her shot, trusting her reads,” Florida fifth-year guard Zippy Broughton said.

“When [Rimdal] comes in the game off the rip shooting, we love it.”

Few people know Rimdal’s game better than Broughton — the two share a very special and close relationship, Broughton said. She transferred to Florida after her junior year playing for Rutgers University in New Jersey. The pair of guards entered the program together for the 2021-2022 season and have had a tight bond ever since.

Broughton explained the two pride themselves on pushing each other to be better every day. She described it as a competitive yet loving relationship.

“If I see she was at the gym before me, I will try to be there before her a few minutes earlier just to know, ‘You know I beat you,’” Broughton said with a smile on her face.

Broughton was sidelined for the entirety of the 20222023 season due to an injury in October. Despite her injury, she said, she still prioritized Rimdal’s development and growth as a player.

“Throughout the year, we would do mobility sessions

together or workout sessions,” Broughton said. “Anything that she may not see on the court, I can help a lot off the court.”

Broughton’s leadership and willingness to help have left a major mark on Rimdal’s game and is a big reason she continues to gain confidence.

Rimdal does not want to stop playing basketball when her time at Florida comes to a close, she said, regardless of what the future holds.

“My biggest dream is to play in the WNBA, but I will for sure play professional,” she said.

If she doesn’t make it to the WNBA, she plans on playing at the international level and traveling to different countries for basketball, she said.

As the women’s basketball season comes to a close, Rimdal will be looking to have an even better 2023-2024 season and is well positioned to do so. @austinstirlingg astirling@alligator.org