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MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2024
VOLUME 118 - ISSUE 28 Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
‘Rainesville’: Overused pun or a real weather pattern? Experts say ‘a little bit of both’ GAINESVILLE’S RAINFALL ISN’T MUCH HIGHER THAN FLORIDA AVERAGE — EXCEPT IN WINTER MONTHS
By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer
“If you're saying purely from the standpoint of, ‘Does it rain a lot here?’ The answer is yes,” she said. “Whether or not it rains more than the areas around it, the answer I would say is that's probably a myth.” Wet, hot Gainesville summers
Waterlogged sneakers squeaking on classroom floors. Students speed walking through campus with backpacks hoisted over their heads to block the downpour. A sea of umbrellas wandering across courtyards. For UF students, school is often synonymous with storms. Anyone who stays in Gainesville for more than a few days will probably see rain. Anyone who stays in Gainesville a few minutes after that rain starts will inevitably hear someone call the city “Rainesville.” UF students often believe — perhaps due to the inescapability of the “Rainesville” pun — that its frequent showers make Gainesville wetter than other Florida cities. But though Gainesville does rain often, it doesn’t stand out in Florida, which is a rainy state in general, said UF geography professor Esther Mullens.
Florida storms in general are both more intense and more summer-concentrated than in other states, said Mullens. Because it’s surrounded by a “nice warm ocean,” Florida has lots of moisture and water vapor in the air, meaning when it rains, it rains hard, Mullens said. As a United Kingdom native, Mullens pointed out London, another notoriously wet locale, receives half of Gainesville’s annual rainfall. Its chillier northern temperatures create lighter — albeit steadier — drizzle, she said. In the summer, Florida, as a thin peninsula, heats up rapidly every morning, while the ocean heats more slowly. The imbalance sets up a low pressure system in the middle of the state. Air rises, and thunderstorms result. People sometimes assume coastal cities get more storms, Mullens said. But winds tend
SEE RAINESVILLE, PAGE 4
Credit
A student is seen biking through the Plaza of the Americas during the rainy morning of Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Gainesville religious communities use faith to inspire climate action Religious groups focus on disaster relief, community education and carbon neutrality By Kylie Williams & Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writers
Some people find their religion through crisis or a calling. Jim Harper found his through climate change. Harper, 56, had spent years as a climate activist and educator. In 2018, he attended an environmental workshop at the United Church of Gainesville. “I thought, ‘What is this place? This is really cool,’” Harper said. After the workshop, Harper became involved in the church, bringing his environmental activism with him. Harper helped his church become officially designated as a Cre-
ation Justice Church, which involves a congregation demonstrating a commitment to caring for the environment. In communities around Gainesville, the idea of “creation care,” or a religious responsibility to the environment, is becoming increasingly common. As the threat of climate change persists, people are using faith as a launching point for environmental action. For Sue Blythe, caring for the environment is at the core of her Baha’i faith. The 77-year-old Gainesville resident believes creation care is about combining religion with science and that people of faith are obligated to protect the Earth.
“We believe this is God’s creation, and we have a moral responsibility to take care of God’s creation,” Blythe said. “And that’s not only the planet itself but everything on it.” In 2013, Blythe and a few other members of the Baha’i faith wanted to put their beliefs into action. They started the interfaith climate group, an organization that unites members of different religions under the umbrella of climate action. Even though the members of the interfaith group come from very different religions, Blythe said, they’re able to bypass any prejudices in favor of their shared passion for the environment. “The differences are much less
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT
Women’s History Month
Gators scrimmage ahead of spring pg# showdown. Read more on pg. 11.
The Avenue: Uplift GNV
Football Story description finish with comma,
important than the goal of working together,” she said. Blythe is also a member of Community Organizations Active in Disasters. The COAD places faithbased organizations in a position to help Alachua County in the case of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane. COAD Emergency Management Coordinator Francine Vincent’s inspiration for recruiting faith-based groups is their versatility in the community alongside their efforts to always give back. Vincent said through these groups, more outreach can be done to communities residing in rural parts of Alachua County and not just Gainesville.
UF Women’s Student Association celebrates with new approach, pg. 3
Concert raises funds for musicians' therapy, pg. 5
“I really thought that faith-based organizations had great insight,” she said. Vincent recruited about 10 to 15 organizations last summer. She said she has already structured ways in which the groups would be able to assist the community, but the fundamental reason comes from creating more outreach. “I figured they would be the best people because they know everybody in the community,” she said. “They know where the people who were hit or who need the most help.” Through donations, cleanup procedures, food distribution, long-term recovery support and more, the or-
SEE INTERFAITH, PAGE 4
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