Monday, April 22, 2024

Remembering Bob Graham: Former senator and Florida governor dies at 87

GRAHAM WAS A UF ALUMNUS AND FOUNDED THE BOB GRAHAM CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

By Annie Wang Alligator Staff Writer

Bob Graham’s enduring influence on UF is reflected in his advancement of environmental initiatives and his advocacy for public education — as well as having a playful and nurturing personality, according to those who knew him.

The two-term Democratic Florida Governor, former United States Senator and UF alumnus died April 16 in Gainesville. He was 87.

“We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a visionary leader, dedicated public servant and even more importantly, a loving husband, father, grandfather and greatgrandfather,” the Graham family wrote in a statement on X.

In his academic years at UF, Graham

established himself as a prominent student leader, serving as chancellor of the student honor court and president of his fraternity, Sigma Nu. Graham also attained membership in the honor society Florida Blue Key and was inducted into the UF Hall of Fame. He graduated from UF in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“Senator Bob Graham emerged from our university with a heart for public service,” UF President Ben Sasse said. “He prized finding common ground rather than sowing division — and he was a champion of democracy and civic engagement.”

In 2006, Graham founded the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. The center serves to create a community of students, scholars and citizens who share an interest in promoting civic engagement, public leadership and public service.

Matt Jacobs, the director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, said all students who are interested in developing the

SEE BOB GRAHAM, PAGE 4

public sector unions are under threat. How is UF

adapting?

UF graduate and faculty unions safe for another year; staff union decertified

By Zoey Thomas & Delia Rose Sauer

Alligator Staff Writers

Almost one year after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law changing certification requirements for Florida public employee unions, one UF union is gone, and two are struggling to survive.

The law, from Senate Bill 256, requires public sector unions boost the rate of members paying dues to 60% or else be decertified.

Since 2018, Florida law has required teachers unions have 50% of members pay dues. The new law expanded the requirement to all public employee unions — with the exception of law enforcement offi-

cers and firefighters — and raised the bar 10 percentage points.

Any union failing to meet the threshold has one month to collect “interest card” signatures from at least 30% of members agreeing to continue being represented by the union. If the signatures are accepted, the union must hold an election showing at least half of those eligible to join the union want to be represented.

At least 28 unions have been fully decertified and 42,000 public sector workers in Florida have lost representation, according to a public database created by WLRN.

Five unions had contracts with UF before the law was enacted. Two of them, for police officers and

lieutenants, were unaffected.

Of the three remaining, the graduate student union and faculty union failed to meet the 60% membership requirement but secured interest cards to remain another year.

Only the non-instructional staff union has been fully decertified.

‘They’re going to have no rights’: staff union decertified

Maryann Daniel found out about the new law from a NewsBreak notification on her phone. The UF physical plant division employee knew instantly what it meant for the staff union she’d led for five years: decertification.

The UF staff union represented

P.K. Yonge community opposed to proposed selective high school admissions

THE UF BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESENTED PLANS TO RAISE P.K. YONGE’S HIGH SCHOOL STATE RANKING

By Megan Howard Alligator Staff Writer

P.K. Yonge faculty, students and parents disapprove of UF Board of Trustees presentation looking to change P.K. Yonge high school to a selective admission program, claiming it will ruin diversity at the school.

At the March 8 UF Board of Trustees meeting, Penny Schwinn, UF PK-12

vice president, presented a plan to raise P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School ranking in the state of Florida.

Currently, the school is ranked 38 out of 1130 in the state. However, when removing schools using selective admission processes, such as magnet schools, P.K. Yonge ranks number three for public Florida high schools.Schwinn proposed P.K. Yonge high school move to a selective admissions process, so the school’s ranking can be reflective of UF.

“Our current high school ranking

Ashley C. Hicks // Alligator Staff

Jamielee Thompson and Sofia Ramos pictured in front of plants at the plant sale located at the Florida Museum of Natural History on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Read more in TheAvenueon pg. 6.

Today’s Weather

Florida bill impacts classrooms two years later

Professors try to comply with House Bill 7

By Delia Rose Sauer Alligator Staff Writer

While writing a syllabus, professors can worry about the number of assignments, weighting grades and now, breaking the law.

A bill relating to individual freedom has been active for nearly two years in Florida, affecting public universities across the state. Some professors haven’t seen a difference in how they’ve had to teach, but others have had to make changes in how to approach their course material.

House Bill 7 went into effect July 1, 2022. The bill, nicknamed the “Stop WOKE Act,” wanted to protect individuals from specific concepts that can be seen as “discrimination based on race, sex and national origin.” The bill also states that students or employees cannot be considered inherently racist or oppressive based on their race and sex.

The new concepts can be difficult for foreign language and culture courses to avoid, where topics like colonialism and race are often discussed in the classroom.

HB 7’s vague implications led to a lawsuit, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the bill was unconstitutional in March because it violated the First Amendment.

Regardless, the bill has led to changes in classrooms across public universities in the state, including UF.

Professors and graduate assistants of foreign language classes have ensured that no rules are broken. However, when learning about culture, religion and gender, it can be easier said than done.

Teaching the culture

UF Creole professor Jhonson Leonard is in his second semester at the university and hadn’t heard about HB 7.

The 34-year-old professor likes

doing things by the book. If it’s not part of the curriculum, he doesn’t teach it, he said. However, he understands where the application of bills like HB 7 can become complicated.

“To teach a language, you have to teach the culture,” Leonard said.

Haiti’s religions, music, food and education system help contextualize phrases in the language, he said. It also helps students improve their syntax and grammar.

Kleber Naula also sees the importance of teaching culture alongside language. The 44-year-old UF professor has taught Quechua, an indigenous language from Peru, since Spring 2022. He first heard about HB 7 when he was a student, and he said he remembered his classmates being worried about what that meant for the university.

According to him, 50% of his class is spent on grammar and learning, and the other 50% is spent on learning Andean culture.

A lot of aspects of Andean culture have been impacted by colonialism. However, the bill is adamant that no person bears “personal responsibility” or feels guilt for actions committed by other members of the same race, national origin or sex in the past.

Naula said alienating students has never been the goal in his class.

“We need to respect other students first,” he said.

Naula’s class often engages in debates. Since HB 7, he’s allowed himself to become more of a moderator. The students direct conversations that focus on the intricacies of Andean culture, such as its religion, economy, politics and the elements of its society.

He’s grateful that his students are curious about the culture alongside the language, and he said there needs to be a balance in how sensitive conversations are addressed.

“Avoiding topics like colonialism

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and racism is creating the opposite effect,” he said. “Even though the law is trying to… avoid this kind of conversation, I think people are still talking about it.”

Changing the approach

Tania Trejo-Mendez, a 25-yearold graduate student, was a teaching assistant for Introduction to Chicanx and Latinx History in Fall 2023. While not a language course, it explores the historical foundation and culture of the Latinx and Chicanx communities.

She learned about HB 7 from social media and her classmates. The question on her mind was, “What’s going to happen?”

While she didn’t help design the syllabus or curriculum, there were times when she would help prepare or conduct lectures. After the bill was implemented, she knew she had to “stick to the material” and not entertain many personal discussions on the topics.

“I don’t want to put myself, my professor, my supervisor or my students in a difficult situation,” she said.

The class does involve conversations about colonialism and racism, especially how they affect current Latinx and Chicanx communities. But Trejo-Mendez said she teaches objectively and clearly states when something is her own opinion and apart from the lesson.

The class title was also a topic of conversation.

“This general idea of Latinx or Chicanx means we invite people of all backgrounds, of all identities to take the class, learn from us, talk with us,” she said.

It’s to ensure an inclusive space where students feel comfortable to share their opinions, she added.

Trejo-Mendez also had concerns regarding her own research. She’s in the process of getting a master’s in Latin American studies, and the bill has made her so cautious that she’s reshaping how she portrays her research.

“I can’t help to be affected by the fear sometimes,” she said. “But I came here to study this and teach this.”

She hopes that professors and graduate assistants will continue to foster conversations with students without fear of these bills in the future.

“I know some people don't want us to be talking about these things,” Trejo-Mendez said, “but we're going to do it because this is important for you all to learn.”

@_delia_rose_ drosesauer@alligator.org

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Remembering Bob Graham

BOB GRAHAM,

from pg. 1

skills to engage, lead and serve will be supported at the center, regardless of where they come from or where they are headed.

“We're saddened by [Graham’s] departure, but we fully embraced the opportunity to continue building his legacy,” Jacobs said. “That sort of sentiment, that's what motivates us day after day, before his passing and after his passing, to do what we do here at the center and to be that home for students.”

Graham came to the center three days a week for six months until the start of the pandemic because he loved UF and its students, Jacobs said. However, in May 2020, Graham suffered a stroke, which severely limited the interactions he was able to have with students. Despite this, students still felt his impact.

Andrew Taramykin, a 22-yearold UF history and political science senior who works at the center as a civic engagement assistant, never met Graham in person, but he still felt a close connection to him through conversations with the

Graham family.

“I wouldn't necessarily say that I had a personal relationship with Gov. Graham, but I felt like I knew him because of the influence he had on everyone he met, and those people in turn had such an influence on me,” he said.

The center will carry on Graham’s legacy by cultivating public servants who care about the people they work with, Taramykin said.

“We're not only building leaders. We're building the kind of leaders that Governor Graham was, that this country needs,” he said.

“And I hope the momentum stays as high as it is.”

Steven Noll, an affiliate faculty member of the Bob Graham Center, said he admired Graham’s ability to reach out across political and partisan divides while remaining strident in his beliefs and understandings.

“I think we’ve lost someone that cannot be replaced,” Noll said.

“His ideas about governance and civic engagement and [his] concerns about the environment are something that are deeply missed now.”

To honor Graham, Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis issued an order for the U.S. and Florida flags to be flown at half-staff across the state, starting from sunrise April 17 until sunset on the day of interment.

“He was a devoted public servant who, among other important work, made enormous achievements in conserving Florida's natural resources,” DeSantis wrote in a statement on X. “We are grateful for his service to our state and nation. May he rest in peace.”

President Joe Biden also released a statement April 17 commending Graham for his dedication to his constituents and reminiscing about their time serving together in the Senate.

“Bob Graham was a colleague, friend and devoted Floridian whose nearly 50 years of service to his beloved home state and to our country have made America a safer and stronger nation,” Biden wrote. “He was full of humor and humanity, and I’m grateful for the support that he gave me over the years.”

@wynwg awang@alligator.org

‘It has turned back the clock’: Florida Democrats fear approaching six-week abortion ban Voters will have the chance to approve an opposing amendment in November general election

By Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp Alligator Staff Writer

As April ebbed away, Sarah Parker dreaded what’s to come when the clock strikes May: an even stricter state abortion ban in the wake of a world post-Roe v. Wade’s overturn.

“This isn’t political,” she said. “This is life or death for some people. This is our right, and this is our right to bodily autonomy.”

The Florida Supreme Court upheld the state’s 15-week abortion ban April 1, concluding the years-long legal challenge and instituting a new six-week ban. On the same day, the court also approved an opposing state constitutional amendment to appear on the November general election ballot, leaving the fate of abortion access in the hands of Florida voters.

While the six-week ban was officially signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, a lawsuit against the previous 15-week ban launched by Planned Parenthood and other advocacy groups temporarily paused its enactment.

“Planned Parenthood cannot overcome the presumption of constitutionality and is unable to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that the 15-week ban is unconstitutional,” the court justices wrote in a majority opinion.

The six-week ban is set to take effect May 1.

On the other hand, Amendment 4, backed by Floridians Protecting Freedom along with a collection of reproductive rights groups, aims to enshrine abortion access in the Florida constitution. If approved by at least 60% of state voters in November, it would disallow government restrictions before fetal viability at approximately 24 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for a pregnant patient’s health and safety.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody argued the initiative’s language was vague and confusing with the aim of misleading constituents, a challenge struck down by the court April 1.

Voices of Florida Executive Director Sarah Parker aided in crafting Amendment 4’s language, which read in part, “No law shall pro-

hibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

While the “bait and switch” passage of the initiative would counteract tightening restrictions, Parker said the six-week ban’s ripple effects would remain.

“There’s nothing positive that’s happening from this,” she said.

As a Black woman, she said her chances of feeling safe carrying a future pregnancy to term under the new ban have dwindled.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nationwide 2021 Black maternal mortality rate was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, over two times higher than 26.6 for white mothers. The Commonwealth Fund found that 2020 maternal mortality rates were 62% higher in states restricting abortion than those that were not.

“What are my chances of dying while giving birth?” Parker said. “Why is that discrepancy real?”

In a post-Roe world, she said the approval of a six-week ban has plunged Florida farther from the future.

Before the 1973 enactment of Roe v. Wade, Florida had a near-total ban on abortion, and since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, restrictions have once again wound tighter with each passing year.

“It has turned back the clock, but we cannot live in the past,” Parker said.

Voices of Florida, a statewide advocacy group, will educate and engage young voters on Amendment 4 leading up to the November general election, she said.

Following an increase in women unable to receive appropriate healthcare before developing extreme symptoms due to the 15-week ban, a decrease to six weeks is “horrifying” to those faced with unexpected pregnancies, said Florida Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Davie.

“Women and girls will die,” she said.

In response to DeSantis signing the ban into law, Book was arrested in a peaceful demon-

stration outside Tallahassee City Hall along with 10 other pro-choice protesters last year. The new restrictions will have disproportionate impacts on both minorities and those who can afford healthcare the least, she said.

Unlike Florida’s current restrictions, the sixweek ban includes exemptions for rape, incest and human trafficking, but Book emphasized the difficulty for women and girls surviving sexual assault to prove their stories.

“This is going to make it much, much harder for women to be believed,” she said.

Before Amendment 4 received the green light to appear on the general election ballot, Book aided in collecting the minimum of 900,000 signatures needed for approval. Even if the initiative was approved by a majority of voters, she said the struggle against government interference still wouldn’t be over.

The amendment would likely be challenged and need to appear before the Florida Supreme Court again, and while Book believes it would prevail, she said the process would be long.

“That takes time, and women are hanging in the balance,” she said.

The six-week ban is only a small part of a larger post-Roe picture, Book said, emphasizing the state’s past support of crisis pregnancy centers and the enforcement of 24-hour waiting periods prior to the procedure.

“Republicans have been chipping away at a woman’s right to choose in many, many, many different ways,” she said.

Book felt lawmakers supporting the new ban were “out of touch” with Florida voters.

Ashley Sanguino, UF Planned Parenthood Generation Action outreach director, said she was “devastated” following the court’s approval of the six-week ban.

“That basically leaves you two weeks after you missed your first period,” said the 20-yearold UF political science junior.

As a young adult, she said facing the idea of limited bodily autonomy is difficult, especially when an unexpected pregnancy could act as a barrier to education and professional opportunities.

“I just think of all the students who may

think they are alone in this situation and that the state essentially has just kind of abandoned them with this decision,” she said. “It is definitely an emotional and mental toll to the student body.”

With the increase in risk associated with pregnancy, she felt there’s been an upturn in awareness of safe sex practices and contraceptives among her peers. As a member of the campus chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, she said the organization’s priority will be educating those young people on Amendment 4 through voter registration and events.

The protests following the overturn of Roe v. Wade were the reason she became involved in reproductive rights advocacy, an issue exacerbated by the new ban that Amendment 4 has the power to fix, she said.

“This reflects an attack on wanting to control women,” she said. “Is it people in power trying to politicize human rights and politicize standard equality for their own benefit?”

The state is going to push toward the prohibition of all abortion, a direction that most Floridians don’t approve of, said Michelle Morton, policy council for the ACLU of Florida.

“This makes abortion a crime,” she said.

The continuation of a six-week ban would have multifaceted impacts on people facing pregnancy, she said, expressing that those concerns also extended to her own situation.

“I’m older,” she said. “For older women, pregnancies bring a lot more risks, and knowing my health could be at such risk certainly adds more stress to my life and my marriage.”

Along with other advocacy groups, she said the ACLU would also prioritize educating constituents on Amendment 4, which she hopes will eventually return Florida to where it was before the tightening restrictions on bodily autonomy if approved.

“It’s a very jarring situation to be in, to have to re-fight these battles that came before me,” she said.

@rylan_digirapp rdigiacomo-rapp@alligator.org

Courtesy of the United States Senate

Selective admissions

of number 38, [we] heard very loud and clear that’s not where we want to be,” Schwinn said. “We need to be in the top ten period. No question.”

With 35 of the 37 schools ahead of P.K. Yonge using selective admission, Schwinn recommended UF’s developmental research school follow suit. The two schools ranking higher without selective admissions are in high-income areas, Schwinn said.

“If we are thinking about P.K. Yonge being a top 10 high school in the state of Florida, it would require selective admissions,” she said.

At the high school level, Schwinn said there is an expectation of rigorous courses, such as advanced placement and dual enrollment courses, that prepare students for high college achievement.

“Ninth grade is really that make or break moment where you have to be able to move at a rapid pace in order to meet the expectations that are in the top 10,” Schwinn said.

Taking and passing AP courses and exams is pertinent to the top 10 score. State assessments, such as the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking are important to school rank, but Schwinn said the majority of the weight falls on college readiness courses and exams.

Another option presented by Schwinn suggested a dual model with a normal high school program and a selective admission program.

“Then there is this idea of a dual program. I’m going to be a little less enthusiastic about this one. So, I’m going to reveal my bias there but that is this idea to simply create two split schools,” she said.

The non selective high school would be representative of Florida and Gainesville demographics and diversity. The selective admissions school would likely not be as reflective.

“Candidly, what ends up happening is a very clear have and have not situation, where the one school gets all the resources and feels really, really good because you want to get it to the top 10,” Schwinn said. “Then the other one gets what’s left.”

Schwinn recommended P.K. Yonge high school uses the total selective admission process and not the dual program option.

UF President Ben Sasse clarified students currently enrolled

in P.K. Yonge high school would not have to apply to the school. The change would be effective for incoming freshmen starting for the 2025-2026 school year, should the school change to selective admission.

“This isn’t going to affect anybody who’s today in grades nine to 12,” Sasse said.

P.K. Yonge community input

P.K. Yonge’s school advisory council held its quarterly meeting to address school business and planning April 16.

Many members of the school community came out to voice their concerns about the 2025-2026 high school planning process. The crowded meeting became standing room only by its 5:30 p.m. start.

Brian Marchman, P.K. Yonge’s director and superintendent, began by explaining why the UF Board of Trustees is pushing for a raise in the school’s ranking.

“We’ve all followed UF’s meteoric rise in the rankings and we’re expected. We are the University of Florida’s lab school. We’re expected to have similar stature of our mothership,” Marchman said.

Marchman credited P.K. Yonge’s staff, students and parents for their work to raise the school’s ranking. However, he said there is tension between having a high ranking high school and a high school reflective of Florida’s diverse population.

“Whether those things can be reconciled, and that you can be both elite and inclusive, and that’s where the tension comes from,” he said.

Following Marchman’s comments, the school advisory council opened the floor to community comments. Thirteen people spoke for two minutes each, all dissenting from selective admissions for the high school.

Kevin Flavin, the husband to P.K. Yonge faculty member Angela Flavin and a father to two children in high school, gave an emotional testament against the proposed selective admission process.

“What concerns me most about the things I’ve heard in the past 24 to 48 hours is that there’s a concept that there needs to be a top 10 ranking that’s been arbitrarily harvested from a study that’s been produced and published by U.S. News and World Report,” Flavin said.

Nathalie Clement, a P.K. parent, is worried selective admission would get rid of the community diversity, which is why she chose to enroll her daughter at P.K. Yonge instead of a private

Unions at risk

from pg. 1

employees including plumbers, groundskeepers and computer repair technicians. It was decertified by the state Jan. 22 after failing to report 60% dues-paying members.

But the death knell came not from the law passed in May, but from a UF rule created two decades prior.

When Daniel joined the university 26 years ago, she was classified as USPS, or University Support Personnel.

In January 2003, UF introduced a new personnel category called TEAMS, or Technical Executive, Administrative and Managerial Support. Other than slightly different contract terms, TEAMS employees differ from USPS employees in one major way — they were not allowed to join the union.

The UF staff union was limited to people hired before 2003 as a result.

During her time as president, Daniel watched the union’s membership flounder as her coworkers began retiring. But she still used her power to hold UF accountable for how it treated employees, she said.

Under union contract, Daniel’s superior had to email her every time the division created a new rule, Daniel said. Since the union’s decertification, Daniel’s USPS coworkers are being reprimanded for breaking new rules they weren’t told existed, she said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “They have never been

wrote up before in their life, they do the same job they’ve been doing for 30 years. And now they’re being wrote up because, ‘You’re not doing it right.’”

Two women have already called Daniel to tell her they’re leaving because they can’t take the mistreatment anymore, Daniel said.

“They’re going to get no rights,” Daniel said. “These poor, poor people, there’s nothing they can do. They just have to go with the flow or retire — and that’s what they’re trying to do, get them out.”

UF’s staff union was a local chapter of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, a national public sector employee union.

Torrell Johnson, a 57-year-old union organizer, served as UF’s regional representative on AFSCME’s behalf. He also worked with universities throughout northern Florida, including Florida State University.

AFSCME laid off Johnson and the majority of his staff in August, three months after the law went into effect. Of the 25 unions Johnson used to oversee, 21 are now decertified.

AFSCME failed to file recertification petitions for at least 30 of its bargaining units across the state, including UF’s.

Johnson doesn’t know whether there’s anything AFSCME leadership could have done differently, he said. He’s mostly just frustrated with state legislators, he said.

“I’m hoping more eligible employees open their eyes and see the

P.K. Yonge pictured on Saturday, April 20, 2024.

school. As an immigrant, she wants her daughter to grow up exposed to different cultures and ideas.

“For me, the diversity is number one. I do believe selection is going to be reducing this diversity, particularly on the economic level,” she said.

Abigail Pruden, a current P.K. Yonge junior who’s attended the school since kindergarten, is opposed to the selective admissions process because she fears the school would lose its diversity.

“I’m vehemently opposed to the selective admission process because it annihilates the diverse aspects of P.K. that so many people love,” Pruden said. “From racial and ethnic diversity to socioeconomic diversity to learning diversity, there are so many people with a variety of learning abilities here.”

Concerned parents created a petition asking to be included in the UF Board of Trustees decision on P.K. Yonge.

“At this point, we believe there are more potential harms than benefits to the selective admissions plan, and we would recommend high school admissions be left as they have always been,” the petition reads.

@meganmhxward mhoward@alligator.org

attacks that are being made on the unions in the legislature,” he said. “These attacks appear to be aimed at unions, but in turn, it’s going to be their jobs.”

AFSCME remains committed to protecting public services workers’ rights, freedoms and voices, said representative Mark McCullough in a statement to The Alligator April 16.

Though their only official union has been decertified, UF staff retain some representation through United Campus Workers, a statewide noninstructional staff union whose UF chapter began in 2021.

Unlike the former AFSCME union, UCW is open to all university staff, including TEAMS and USPS. However, the young union doesn’t have a contract with the university. Its members can circulate petitions, organize protests and request meetings with university administration, but it can’t make administration

come to the bargaining table, said UCW fellow and former UF librarian Kestrel Ward.

As an uncertified union, UCW was technically unaffected by the law. But recruitment has worsened since it passed, Ward said.

“There’s always a lot of misinformation about unions, and so this just spread further misinformation,” they said. “People just heard there was an anti-union law, and a lot of people just assume that means that unions are over.”

Graduate Assistants United:

Keeping a union alive

Between card collecting and weekly negotiations, Graduate Assistants United will remain active for another year.

Kathryn Feerst, a 26-year-old UF evolutionary biology Ph.D. student, stepped in to help with GAU’s card campaign during Spring 2024 Blitz Week, GAU’s

card signing campaign.

The campaign began after SB 256 passed. GAU wasn’t going to reach its 60% goal by February 2024, so it. Instead, the union got 40% of graduate assistants to sign cards stating they supported the union.

Feerst tabled for four days during Blitz Week in February. By the end of the week, GAU members signed more than 1,800 cards and bought the union another year of survival.

Having the union on the line was stressful for members, Feerst said. Without the protections in the collective bargaining agreement, tuition assistance and higher salaries could be at risk, Feerst said. It would mean many graduate assistants couldn’t pursue their master’s or Ph.D.

“A lot of us just can’t survive without a lot of the things that the union guarantees us in our bargaining agreement,” they said.

GAU is no longer collecting cards and has shifted to increasing membership to reach the 60% goal.

“We’re not trying to sell people something,” Feerst said. “We’re trying to help protect our community. The more members we get, the more power we have to ask for better working conditions.”

While GAU works on building its membership, the union’s bargaining team spends Thursday afternoons going through articles of its collective bargaining agreement with UF. Read the rest online at alligator.org.

@zoeythomas39 zthomas@alligator.org @_delia_rose_ drosesauer@alligator.org

Karis Dunnam // Alligator Staff

Gabriella Aulisio // Alligator Staff

MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2024

www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

Blooms for butterflies: Florida Museum of Natural History hosts spring plant sale

PROCEEDS FROM EARTH DAY WEEKEND SUPPORT

MUSEUM’S BUTTERFLY RAINFOREST EXHIBITION

By Molly Seghi Avenue Staff Writer

Pickup trucks and wagons filled with florals and foliage exited a parking lot-turned-plant display as hundreds welcomed spring with open arms and green thumbs.

The Florida Museum of Natural History hosted its 12th spring plant sale April 19-21. The Earth Day weekend celebration welcomed local gardeners and plant enthusiasts to peruse and purchase from more than 250 exotic and native species of plants.

The event at 3215 Hull Road was spearheaded by Ryan Fessenden, the manager of the Florida Museum’s Butterfly Rainforest exhibit. Fessenden has spent about a decade aiming to inspire people to become interested in the natural world through the museum’s annual plant sale.

“Our primary goal is to encourage people to build butterfly habitats in their own yards,” Fessenden said. “A lot of native plants… generally require less maintenance than non-native species and… better suits increasing your biodiversity.”

The plants sold are butterfly attractors or butterfly host plants,

AWARENESS

‘Survivors

hand-selected from local nurseries. Prices range from $4 to $20, and some rare plants cost up to $50, with all proceeds supporting the museum’s Butterfly Rainforest exhibit.

In recent years, the sale has grossed an average of $75,000 from more than 9,000 plants, Fessenden said.

“The more that we can support ourselves through the sales and the more we can improve the exhibit,” Fessenden said, “the more ways we can educate and excite people into getting interested in learning more about Lepidoptera diversity, ecology and conservation.”

Beginning in 2006, the museum’s annual ButterflyFest aimed to increase awareness of Florida’s butterflies through activities, workshops and a plant sale.

As time went by, the plant sale grew increasingly popular and larger until it became an entity in 2018. The plant sale, which was hosted biannually, is now only hosted in spring to accommodate for the community’s growing demand.

Recently, the sale moved from the museum’s parking lot to the lawn near its parking garage, which now holds the display and loading area. This year the museum staff and volunteers will adopt a color-coding system to keep organized while loading plants into customers’ cars.

Museum staff sees more than 100 excited patrons lining up in the parking lot an hour before the sale every

year. Some hope to buy a plant or two, while others have a mission of mind, sometimes spending hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Nikhil Srinivasan, the public relations and communications specialist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, is asked about the spring plant sale all year round. He said he feels the crowd growing and growing every year.

“We’ve carved a niche out for ourselves as this home for butterfly researchers and butterfly experts,” Srinivasan said. “[The plant sale] is a really cool event that ties in with our museum mission and what we’re known for in such a synergistic manner.”

The selection of more than 150 native plant species attracted large crowds of gardeners of all ages.

Jacqui Sulek, a 70-year-old self-proclaimed native plant enthusiast, stood in line an hour before the sale began for the third year in a row.

“This is probably the best native plant sale happening in the area every year,” Sulek said.

Holding a yellow-lined piece of paper with a list of plants that resembled a shopping list, she searched through the native plant section to find the plants that grow well in her sandy garden.

“Gainesville is getting very savvy about the importance of native plants,” Sulek said. “We’ve got to start putting nature into our yards

because the more of us, the less of them.”

Unlike Sulek, Kiona Clelland, a 22-year-old UF information systems master’s student, attended the plant sale with no mission in mind. Although she is graduating, she could not resist buying more plants to add to her ever-growing collection.

The Florida Museum of Natural History’s staff hopes to continue to increase the diversity of plant species offered in the future.

@molly_seghi mseghi@alligator.org

“I feel like not a bunch of people our age talk about their love for plants,” Clelland said. “It makes me happy how many people are out here geeking over different varieties.”

of Violence’ exhibit joins the Harn Museum for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

SPONSORED BY ALACHUA COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES, THE ART EXHIBIT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL APRIL 30

By Emilia Cardenas-Perez Avenue Staff Writer

A black-and-white photograph with the caption, “Let’s not make this a big deal,” etched across a nude body; “Embittered Woman” in red paint over police reports; a burnt undergarment over a black canvas. The wall of art on the lower level of the Harn Museum tells 17 stories of six artists’ experience as survivors of violent crimes.

While conversations around sexual assault can be difficult, art can express what words can’t. Coinciding with Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the ‘Survivors of Violence’ exhibit is at the Harn Museum of Art at 3259 Hull

Keep up with the Avenue on Twitter.

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@TheFloridaAve.

Road.

Since April 2, the museum has served as a sanctuary for survivors’ voices, providing a platform for their artwork to be seen, heard and felt by the community.

Hosted by the Alachua County Community Support Services and the Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center, the exhibit invited survivors of interpersonal violence to contribute original artwork, including performance pieces, as a means of reclaiming their narratives and advocating for change.

According to data from 2022, the rate per 100,000 of reported sexual assault in Alachua County was 26.2, compared to Florida’s average of 10.3. Alachua County’s rates of domestic violence and rape are among the highest in the state, ranking above larger counties like Miami-Dade, Orange and Palm Beach. More than two-thirds of sexual assaults go unreported.

Cassandra Moore is the project coordinator at the Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center. Her job involves promoting

Goodbye columns

awareness about sexual violence and local resources in the community.

“We have the opportunity to expand our art display for the month of April, and we are grateful for our survivors and community members who share their journey with us,” Moore said.

Isabela Estrada is a 22-year-old UF acting senior and one of the exhibit’s artists. She contributed two paintings inspired by her experience as a survivor of sexual assault.

One of her paintings is titled “Sticks and stones.” Estrada said she experienced the opposite of what the popular euphemism implies, as the stigma and victim-blaming that followed were more difficult for her.

“The worst part of the assault wasn’t even what was done to my body,” she said. “It was the way I was treated afterwards. The painting is of a rib cage, and written on it are some of the worst things said to me by friends, family, my rapist and even previous partners.”

She said her second painting, “I pray no-

Editor-in-chief Claire Grunewald and Avenue editor Jared Teitel say goodbye. Read more on pg. 8.

body kills me for the crime of being small,” was inspired by a poem she found on X, written from the perspective of a bug begging for its life. She described a roach lying on its back, helplessly stuck between a glass and a tissue.

“I have always had a soft spot for bugs, especially those hated a lot like roaches,” she said. “After being assaulted, I was under a lot of scrutiny. I was treated like I was dirty, ugly, gross.”

Estrada said she remembers scooping a bug outside in the same manner as in the painting. In that moment, she said she knew how it felt to be the insect — subjected to mistreatment for the way she was born. She described feeling small after the assault, vulnerable to the actions and decisions of others.

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

@emiliaandreaa ecardenas-perez@alligator.org

Ashley C. Hicks // Alligator Staff

Jamielee Thompson and Sofia Ramos pictured in front of the cash register at the plant sale located at the Florida Museum of Natural History on Sunday, April 21, 2024.

Why you should join The Alligator

I’ m not going to sugarcoat it: walking into The Alligator for the first time was terrifying.

When I received a phone call offering me the Santa Fe College reporter position, I was beyond thrilled — and simultaneously panicking. The only things I could offer the newsroom was a hardly passing Reporting grade and a bad case of imposter syndrome. I couldn’t believe the “Big Three” editors wanted me on staff. What did I have to offer them?

So if you would’ve told me then I’d be here five semesters later as editor in chief, I’d be floored.

My first semester here was a classic ‘sink or swim’ moment. (I now have found out everyone pretty much feels this way.)

I didn’t have time to compare myself to the more experienced staff members surrounding me because well, I didn’t even have time to think. Thoughts about getting

sources and perfecting my AP Style skills replaced any feelings of being the lowest on the totem pole.

Then slowly but surely, coming into the office on Sundays began to feel like one of the best parts of my week, and not a chore. Waiting hours for a copy call or getting my first drafts edited to shreds didn’t feel as bad once I got to know the people on staff, and later became friends with.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying my time here has been perfect. The thing about journalism, especially student journalism, is that it’s cutthroat. It’s almost too easy to forgo a friendship for a position or because that person is now your boss. The Alligator is no exception to this.

And if you want to know how people really feel about you, apply for editor in chief.

So asking yourself “Why should I join The Alligator” might come with loaded an -

swers. I could go on about how it is the best place to work in Florida as a student if you want to seriously pursue journalism (it is) or the neverending impressive bylines you will walk away with. But my answer is simple. The people inside the decrepit building off Southwest 13th are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met (cheesy albeit true).

To my staff this semester and every staff I’ve been lucky to be on: thank you.

To Aidan Bush and Jackson Castellano, without you two I wouldn’t have been able to do this job. Honestly, without you two I wouldn’t have wanted this job. Even during the print nights we knew would lead to dead-silent drives home, you two still made it fun. Long live the best Big Three! Drake wishes he were us.

To Jiselle Lee and Fall 2022 Uni Desk, thank you for not only being my first true friends at The Alligator, but for showing

My road trip down the Avenue

As a mainstay of one desk my three semesters at The Alligator, I feel it’s only right I address this letter in her name:

Dear the Avenue,

I would be lying if I said you were my dream desk from the very beginning. In fact, I actually didn’t know you existed before applying to The Alligator.

I remember the first time I was introduced to your name two-and-a-half years ago. I received a phone call from the editor-in-chief when my first winter break as a UF undergraduate was coming to an end. She broke the news, and it came as a blow: I wasn’t chosen to be part of the seemingly coveted metro or university team. I had failed the rite of passage, and my heart stood still in time. Until, she followed with the words, “We’d like you to be part of our Avenue desk.” Huh? The thing I turn onto at West University when I’m deciding whether I want a

crispy chicken poblano from Just Salad or a polite vodka cranberry from Rowdy’s?

The next thing she said: “It’s our arts and culture desk.” And suddenly, my entire future at The Alligator was set.

As a former theatre kid (however, not the 2 a.m.-atDenny’s-with-his-whole-ensemble-cast type), a desk like this had my name written all over it. Not only would I get to report, but I would get to report about things that actually excited me. To even slightly hesitate to accept the offer would be an insult not only The Alligator, but my inner Trina Vega as well.

You, the Avenue, have always reminded me how much I love this field each time I think I truly hate it (to reporting or multimedia reporting students, if you know you know). Second to the theatre, you are the longest relationship I’ve ever had.

me how fun the office can be. I kept coming back every semester because of you all. I can say without a doubt that our friendships aren’t limited to just working together.

Claire Grunewald @grunewaldclaire cgrunewald@alligator.org

At the start of this semester many people asked me why I would give up my final semester of college in exchange for budgeting a paper every week and waking up to 20 missed texts about breaking news every day. My answers varied to this question, but I can confidently tell you now the real answer was that I wasn’t ready to leave. But I know when I walk away a final time, I’ll leave with no regrets.

So why join The Alligator? Well, I’ve realized joining this newsroom can be scary, even hard, but leaving it is much worse. I hope my journalism career outlives The Alligator couch.

Claire Grunewald was the Spring 2024 Editor in Chief.

But now comes the time we must mutually end things. I guess you could say it’s because “the timing just isn’t right.” But every time I spent with you, it always felt right (but also mandatory; I had a job to do).

Jared Teitel @jaredteitel jteitel@alligator.org

To my desks back in my baby reporting days to my desk during my big-boy editing days, you have all made this section what it is. Although a lot of what we do can feel independent from The Independent Florida Alligator, we are and never will be second fiddle.

I now rev my engine and depart the Avenue, heading straight on to who-knows-where boulevard. But, I’ll let you know if I have to make a U-turn.

Graciously, Jared Teitel the Avenue Editor

Jared Teitel was the Spring 2024 Avenue Editor.

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

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

How to Place a Classified Ad:

scan the code to

¿hablas español? lee

el periódico independienteuniversitario mas grande de estados unidos.

by Fifi Rodriguez

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

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

1. LITERATURE: What are the names of the four sisters in "Little Women"?

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

2. U.S. STATES: Which northeastern state has a desert?

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

3. MOVIES: Which long-running movie series features the character Legolas?

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

4. ANATOMY: What does the lacrimal gland produce?

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

5. GEOGRAPHY: Ellesmere Island belongs to which nation?

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

6. SCIENCE: Which of the human senses is most closely related to memory?

7. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin phrase "ad meliora" mean?

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

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

8. TELEVISION: Which TV sitcom features a mom named Rainbow Johnson?

9. THEATER: Who wrote the play "A Little Night Music"?

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

1. 63,360 inches

2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

3. Below or insufficient

10. MUSIC: Which alternative rock band went by the name of The Warlocks before becoming famous?

4. Grover Cleveland

5. Katharine Hepburn 6. Devils Tower, 1906 7. The Philippines 8. “The Matrix” 9. The USS Nautilus

Pennsylvania, Short Line, Reading and B&O

1. Name the 2011 WNBA Rookie of the Year who won four championships from 2011-17 with the Minnesota Lynx.

1. Tommie Aaron, brother of Hank, hit how many home runs in his seven-season Major League Baseball career?

2. What Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver caught the gamewinning touchdown in overtime to seal the Chiefs' 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII?

3. What golf course on Long Island, New York, hosted the U.S. Open Championship in 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004 and 2018?

2. Bill Chadwick, the NHL’s first U.S.-born referee and later a broadcaster for the New York Rangers, went by what nickname?

4. Tennis player Andre Agassi was married to what model/ actress from 1997-99?

3. The name for the Albuquerque Isotopes Minor League Baseball club was inspired by a fictional team from what TV comedy series?

5. What motorsports track, site of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix beginning in 2012, is located in Austin, Texas?

6. Who was head coach of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders when the team won Super Bowls XV and XVIII?

4. Jim Covert and Ed Sprinkle, two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020, spent their entire playing careers with what NFL franchise?

5.

7. In the 1970s, sports figures Bob Uecker, Joe Frazier, John Madden, Boog Powell, Bubba Smith, Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner appeared in TV commercials for what brand of beer?

MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2024

www.alligator.org/section/sports

GYMNASTICS

No. 4 Gators fall short of gymnastics NCAA title

SLOANE BLAKELY RECORDED A CAREER-HIGH BEAM SCORE OF A 9.95

By Alyssa Britton-Harr Sports Writer

Junior Sloane Blakely brought momentum for the Gators when she reached a career-high beam performance of 9.95. She kept her teammates afloat in the final apparatus of the meet during her floor performance and pulled through until the final moments.

Despite her high-scoring routines, the Gators struggled with executing their landings in every apparatus when the stakes were high.

The flowing intensity in the arena kept the pressure intense while competing with some of the best gymnasts in the country. UF fell behind early and failed to make a comeback to win a national championship.

The No. 4 Florida Gators (29-8, 6-1 SEC) lost to the No. 2 Louisiana State Tigers (31-3, 5-2 SEC), No. 3 California Bears (20-3, 7-0 PAC-12) and the No. 5 Utah Utes (16-4, 6-1 PAC-12) as they placed fourth April 20 in the final round of the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena.

“[I] am extremely proud, humble and grateful for the opportunity this team put themselves in a position to even be here,” Florida

head coach Jenny Rowland said. “It may not have been the exact outcome that we wanted, but sometimes you don't always get what you want.”

LSU came in first (198.2250), California earned second (197.8500), Utah placed third (197.8000) and Florida placed last (197.4375).

UF freshman Skylar Draser ran through her vault routine, executing a clean landing except a deduction of overstepping in the final moment which earned her a 9.875. Senior Victoria Nguyen kept the momentum high, quickly running through her routine and managing to stick her landing to earn a 9.85.

Florida freshman Anya Pilgrim delivered a clean vault routine as she soared high into the air while increasing her height and sticking her landing. However, she overstepped and forced a deduction to earn her a 9.8.

“We might've not been No. 1, but we reached so many goals along the way,” Pilgrim said. “That’s incredible, especially since no one thought we would get this far.”

Freshman Danie Ferris brought the Gators' momentum back into the meet with her 9.9125 score off her strong landing in her vault performance. Junior Leanne Wong ran through her routine but fell short on her landing when she overstepped and came up with her chest too low, recording a 9.8125.

UF finished the first appara-

tus with an overall 49.2500 score heading to the uneven parallel bars.

Junior Sloane Blakely opened up for the Gators and effortlessly leaped between bars, earning a 9.8625. Nguyen shined in her routine with her flips and turns which allowed her to obtain the perfect dismount and execute a well-structured landing to earn a 9.8750.

Pilgrim shined on the bars with a double twist landing. She recorded a 9.8875. Draser left the audience impressed after her bars performance where she found her composure and controlled her

landing, earning a 9.9. Wong worked her magic on bars to close out the apparatus, scoring a 9.95 off her almost-perfect landing.

UF finished the second apparatus with a 98.7250 overall score heading to the balance beam.

Draser elegantly glided across the beam, keeping her composure during her dismount which earned her a 9.9. Blakely scored a careerhigh beam performance with a 9.95.

Nguyen earned a 9.6625 on the beam, wobbling at moments when traveling across the beam. Wong struggled to keep her composure

as she lost her balance and fell off the beam, forcing her to restart her performance. She earned a final score of 9.3750.

Lazzari brought the Gators’ momentum back with her stellar beam routine as she managed to obtain a strong landing and earned a 9.85 to close out the apparatus.

“It’s been a long year full of obstacles, adversity, we’ve overcome so much, we've grown, we’ve learned such an incredible amount,” Lazzari said. “We laid it out on the floor and we just showed everyone what it means to be a Gator.”

UF finished with a 147.9625 overall score heading into its final apparatus on the floor.

Nguyen gracefully swept across the floor earning a 9.9125. Lazzari delivered an ecstatic performance with her double twist and turns on the floor, scoring a 9.8825. Blakely beamed during her floor routine earning a 9.8625 off her performance layout. Wong closed out the final apparatus with a 9.95, but it wasn't enough to make a comeback and win the title.

“Reflecting on a very memorable year and a year filled with peaks, a year filled with valleys and a year that there were so many people who doubted the Gators that they would even be in this position,” Rowland said.

@abrittonharr abritton-harr@alligator.org

Florida softball gets back on track, defeats South Carolina in rubber match

THE GATORS DEFEATED

THE GAMECOCKS 7-6, APRIL 21

By Hailey Hurst Sports Writer

After a disappointing 11-13 record in SEC play in 2023, the Gators softball team had questions to answer coming into the 2024 campaign. With an entirely new pitching staff and coach, Florida hoped to improve its worst aspect of last season. Those issues were resolved early. Behind the pitching staff,

Florida found early success, winning four straight SEC series including a home series against the No. 7 Louisiana State Tigers.

However, UF suffered its first conference series loss on the road to the Missouri Tigers April 11-13.

On April 21, it looked as if it might suffer another SEC series loss, this time to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Despite a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Florida right-handed pitcher Keagan Rothrock surrendered five runs on six hits in the circle. Rothrock had led the Gators in the circle all year, com -

alligatorSports has a podcast! The alligatorSports Podcast releases episodes every Wednesday and can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your other preferred streaming platform.

ing into the game with a 2.13 ERA and an 18-5 record.

Graduate student pitcher Mackenzie Wooten subbed in for Rothrock with no outs and trailing 5-2 in the top of the fourth inning. Wooten had just 8.1 innings of work before entering April 21, and she allowed just one run off two hits during her outing.

“I know my job is to get out there and throw quality pitches to keep us in the game,” Wooten said. “Today, I knew we were going to break through, and it was just my job to get us to that point.”

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Head coach Tim Walton said he didn’t have many expectations for Wooten coming in, but she’s worked at improving, understanding location, throwing hard and changing between three speeds. It showed April 21. With Wooten keeping the Gators in the game, the offense delivered an explosive fourth inning frame, scoring four runs on five hits to take back the lead 6-5.

The inning was highlighted by a two-run home run from freshman third baseman Ariel Kowalewski and an RBI triple from junior center fielder Kendra Falby.

“We knew we were right there, and we just needed to keep fighting,” sophomore catcher Jocelyn Erickson said. “We’ve had games earlier in the season where we fight to get on top, and it was good to have that again.”

The Gamecocks tied the game in the top of the sixth, and the two teams were knotted at six runs each heading to the bottom half of the inning. Junior left fielder Korbe Otis led off the inning with her 42nd walk of the season. Otis leads the team in walks

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

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Florida gymnast Sloane Blakely performs her floor routine in the Gators’ meet against the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. UF clinched the SEC title with their victory.

Gators take series

SOFTBALL,

and has the highest on-base percentage at 0.592.

“She’s competitive, fiery,” Walton said. “Her on-base percentage is sick — then again, she’s a good teammate and softball player.”

Then, with two outs, Erickson smashed a double to left-center field, and Otis used her speed to score from first base.

South Carolina attempted to capitalize with one last chance in the top of the seventh. It had two runners on base and one out in the inning. But freshman Ava Brown stayed composed in the circle, forcing a ground out and an infield pop-up to end the game.

“I told them we have to play better softball and by ‘we’ being the team,” Walton said. “It’s not about us, it’s about them. They have to play better, communicate better and appreciate little things better amongst each other.”

Next, Florida will step out of conference play for a midweek contest against in-state rival Florida State at 6 p.m. April 24 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

@haileyjhurst hhurst@alligator.org

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Florida men’s basketball at three commits from transfer portal so far in offseason

FORMER FAU GUARD

ALIJAH MARTIN IS THE MOST RECENT COMMITMENT TO UF FROM THE TRANSFER PORTAL

By Bennett Solomon Sports Writer

On March 22, the Gators men’s basketball season came to an end after a narrow 102-100 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.

It was graduate student forward Tyrese Samuel and senior guard Zyon Pullin’s last game with the Gators, both of whom will be tough to replace. Pullin was an All-SEC First Team selection while Samuel started in all 36 games for the Gators.

“We're going to miss ZP and Tyrese a lot,” Golden said after the Colorado game. “They're going to be hard to replace.”

Furthermore, Riley Kugel announced he was transferring to the University of Kansas March 31, and guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard announced April 8 and 17, respectively, they’ll go through the NBA Draft process while maintaining their college eligibility.

Both Clayton Jr. and Richard will return to UF if they decide to forgo the NBA Draft.

But Todd Golden has already gotten busy in the transfer portal. Last year, he brought in six transfers to join the roster: Pullin,

Clayton Jr., Samuel, Micah Handlogten and Julian Rishwain. EJ Jarvis was also brought into the program via the portal, but he stepped away from basketball before the beginning of the 2023-24 season.

So far, Golden has already received commitments from three transfers: FAU guard Alijah Martin, Washington State center Rueben Chinyelu and University of Tennessee at Chatanooga forward Sam Alexis.

Martin highlights the transfer class so far, as he played a major role in FAU’s Final Four run in 2023. He announced his commitment April 21, and the 6-foot2 guard averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season. He shot 33.8% from 3 and shot over 30% from beyond the arc throughout his four years with the Owls.

If Clayton Jr. decides to stay in the draft, Martin’s 3-point ability should make up for some of the success Clayton Jr. saw beyond the arc. If the former Iona transfer chooses to return, Martin and Clayton Jr. could become one of the best backcourt duos in the country.

Additionally, Martin’s physicality will help replace Pullin’s absence. Pullin was a floor general and was able to back his defender down oftentimes to convert mid-range jumpers or layups.

With Martin’s rebounding and ability to back smaller defenders down, it’s a perfect fit for him to do almost everything with the

and Thomas Haugh in the frontcourt. And if there’s one thing certain, Golden’s squad will be loaded with height. Chinyelu stands at 6-foot-11, and although he averaged just 4.7 points per game, he brought down 5.0 rebounds and swatted 1.3 shots per game.

“He is an ultra-talented young man who fits into the culture of our program seamlessly,” the head coach said. “He has fantastic tools on both the offensive and defensive end, and we expect him to make a big jump across the board as he enters his second collegiate season.”

Golden will have three players standing at 6-foot-11 or taller next season, an unfortunate look for an opposing team that attempts to get an easy shot in the paint. May hasn’t even started and Florida’s head coach has already found two bigs who can substitute Samuel’s physical play in the paint.

The Gators are halfway to their total transfer recruits from last season, so expect Golden to keep utilizing the transfer portal before the 2024-25 season begins.

Gators.

Alexis was the first transfer to announce his commitment to UF. It came April 13, and the sophomore originally from Apopka, Florida, averaged 10.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in last year’s campaign.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sam into our program here at Florida," Golden said in a press release April 15. "He's a great

young man who excels both on the court and in the classroom.

With Sam being from Apopka, it's great to add another native Floridian to our group. He's already proven to be a great finisher, rebounder and rim protector, and we expect him to continue expanding his game on the offensive end."

Alexis, along with Chinyelu, will join Handlogten, Alex Condon

“The goal is that these younger guys will continue to grow and get better, and we'll find guys that are the right fit with great attitudes and great work ethics and really will want to be Gators,” Golden said March 22. “We'll continue to build it that way because it's what I believe in and it's worked for us.”

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Korbe Otis does the Gator chomp before Florida softball's matchup with Oklahoma State on Feb. 20.

Ryan Friedenberg // Alligator Staff

Florida men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden coaches his team during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, February 18, 2024.