Monday, June 12, 2023

LGBTQ Commissioners bring unique life experiences to local government

COMMISSIONERS WILLITS AND ALFORD FOLLOWED UNUSUAL CALLS TO SERVICE IN A CITY THEY FEEL IS A SANCTUARY

By Jacob Sedesse Alligator Staff Writer

Gainesville City Commissioner Casey Willits and Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford represent Gainesville as the only two elected officials in the county who are openly a part of the LGBTQ community.

The two commissioners have followed contrasting paths to their positions today — both professionally and personally.

Alford, the District 1 county commissioner, holds a special place in her heart for Gainesville — her hometown. She’s the oldest of nine children raised in a Mormon household, which shaped her heavily, she said.

“I don’t want to say Mormonism sort of takes away some of your identity, but you are kind of molded into a thing,” she said. “It took me a while to realize I was something dif-

ferent than that thing.”

She molded herself into an environmental engineer through many years in the local school system, working several jobs at a time. However, her busy lifestyle distracted her from developing her identity.

“My mind was just totally focused on school and everything else, and at some point I was like, ‘I need to say who I am,’” Alford said.

She came out as gay just two years before graduating with her master’s degree. She finished up school and went off to work in the power industry, where she worked for several years — often the only LGBTQ person and the only woman in the room.

“I was out enough that I was asked to teach the diversity and inclusion classes for a bunch of people, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it because it was a very conservative environment,” Alford said.

After facing health issues, she left the industry. She was diagnosed with cancer.

The diagnosis forced her to soul -search and led her to the conclusion to quit working in power plants.

Instead, she worked with her

Santa Fe’s LGBTQ Resource Center provides on-campus support

The center opened in 2021

By Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writer

Santa Fe College senior Apoorva Bangalore Raviprasad, an astrophysics major, left India for the United States in 2022, feeling confused about how the future would unfold and struggling with her identity.

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

“I didn't know anybody or anything, and I wasn't even fully out yet,” Bangalore Raviprasad, 19, said.

Bangalore Raviprasad finally found her peace at SFC’s LGBTQ Resource Center.

The center opened in 2021, focusing on providing resources and support for LGBTQ students on campus.. Students can benefit

from assistance in mentorship and advocacy, to accessing technology and educational guidance. The center also helps students legally change their names and pronouns and offers a “queer closet” where students can donate or select clothing.

“I spend almost every day there between classes,” Bangalore Raviprasad said. “It's a place that I feel like it’s my second home because it’s given me so much comfort.”

Bangalore RaviprasadApporva has found friendship through social events and appre-

ciation of her community through volunteer activities as an active member at the center, she said.

JoJo Sacks, the resource center’s specialist, oversees the center’s goals and fulfills her duties by assuring the center is a safe environment for students.

As a member of the LGTBQ community herself, Sacks, 26, believes these spaces are crucial for students.

“[In college] I really relied on the queer

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UF men’s track and field wins title Florida track and field brings home men’s national championship.

GAU student protest

Story description finish with comma, pg#

Read more on pg. 11.

The organization peacefully protest graduate housing, pg. 3

Affordable housing

Alachua Habitat for Humanity, Santa Fe College work together, pg. 5

Chloe Hyde // Alligator Staff Florida baseball sophomores Jac Caglianone and Blake Purnell give head coach Kevin O’Sullivan a Powerade bath after the Gators’ 4-0 win against South Carolina Saturday, June 10, 2023. Read more on pg. 11.

2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2023

UF Board of Trustees considers proximitybased pricing system for student parking

Weather

A finalized proposal will be presented on Dec. 7

By Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writer

The Office of Business Affairs proposed a new student parking pricing model at the UF Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday.

The proposed plan restructures the student parking system to have three tiers varying in price based on campus proximity.

The least expensive tier, Red 3, will only include rooftop parking at Garage 9 on Archer Road.

A mid-tier, Red 2, will include Garage 5 on Gale Lemerand Drive and parking at the Lakeside Complex.

The most expensive tier, Red

1, will include the remaining Red parking areas on the main campus.

Prices for the new system have not been decided.

The current student parking permit system, which has been in place for eight years, has a flat annual fee of $160.

The proposal was made to meet student demand and address rising operating costs, according to the meeting agenda.

UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan confirmed in a statement the Board of Trustees took no action on the proposal, opting to give staff more time to assess pricing and modify UF Parking

Have an event planned?

Regulations.

The Office of Business Affairs is expected to present a finalized proposal at the next Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 7.

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 36

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Kiara Cline // Alligator Staff A car exits the parking lot across from Southwest Recreation Center on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.

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‘Trees Over Profit’: GAU holds peaceful protest for graduate housing

UF GRADUATE ASSISTANTS UNITED THROWS ITS FINAL BLOCK PROTEST PARTY AT MAGUIRE VILLAGE

By Vivienne Serret Alligator Staff Writer

The UF Graduate Assistants United peacefully protested the closure of graduate housing in Maguire Village and University Village South with a final “no-pool pool block party.”

About 45 attendees had their last protest at Maguire Village on June 10 from 2-5 p.m. and hung handwritten notes that read “Save Affordable Housing” and “Trees Over Profit!”

The Maguire pool was closed due to the building’s impending demolition despite its

usability, according to the UF GAU Twitter. GAU members protested the closure with water activities, such as water balloons and a slip-and-slide, near the pool as a sign of peaceful protest.

Old flyers handed out at the event noted UF Housing has a long history of corruption. In 2017, the UF housing director was arrested for grand larceny.

UPD officers arrived at 1:30 p.m. prior to the event. The police presence initially concerned protestors, but UPD assured protesters they were at the event to monitor and promote campus safety.

One of the officers stayed and performed a magic trick for protesters.

The event featured live music performed by local bands Triple Fault, Rainy Night In, A. Sunroom and Ashra.

One of the performers for the event was Sen. Anghelo Gangano (Change-Graduate) who got involved with Student Government to represent graduate students and address issues facing the graduate student community, he said.

“The biggest issue that seems to exist in all my time here is housing,” Gangano said. “Inflation is up every year, rent hikes are up every year and we’re losing 40% of the oncampus housing this sSummer.”

It’s unfortunate the campus master plan involves tearing down Maguire and UVS, which raises more issues for graduate students, Gangano said.

Aaron Mares, a 24-year-old UF information systems and operations management master’s student, performed alongside Gangano and shared the same sentiment about

the state of graduate housing.

The songs he and Gangano performed were throwbacks with sad notes to them given the current climate of what is going on with Maguire, Mares said.

Mares and Gangano performed Flashlight by the Front Bottoms at the event — the song provided the ambiance with a sense of melancholy.

“I think there’s a lot of sadness with the potential of less housing being available to graduate students,” Mares said. “Also just the primary body we have advocating for rights being dissolved in the near future.” Maguire Village and UVS are set to close June 25.

@vivienneserret vserret@alligator.org

Campus representation

community I had around me and the resources that I had available to me,” she said. “We really need to continue to be one of those.”

Sacks watched the center grow and hit many of its milestones, she said.

“We've had lots of amazing events that have been able to increase education on a college-wide basis about different queer issues, days of remembrance, also sexual education for all people around this campus,” she said.

The center observed HIV LongTerm Survivors Awareness Day on May 6 and hosted an event highlighting the severity of HIV and encouraging the use of different medical resources.

SFC is sharing resources about getting tested as a part of the several events the center is hosting for Pride Month, Sacks said.

Mary Enos, a 17-year-old SFC health sciences sophomore, has interacted with the resource center, learning about the different services it offers and the events it holds.

The center offered to add her

into their Canvas page and they also shared other resources like hotlines, she said.

Enos recalls her experience transitioning into the LGBTQ community as confusing.

“It took a lot of figuring out who I was, and I’m still doing that to this day,” Enos said.

Enos believes college helped her cultivate an environment where she can feel safe expressing her identity, she said.

“I met a lot of people that helped me discover who I am now and I am lucky enough to have a huge support system to help me through finding my identity,” she said.

Jade Morrison, a 19-year-old SFC business sophomore, usually heads over to the center for an enjoyable mental break.

“All the little activities they have in front of the library are so cute and so much fun,” Morrison said.

For many years, Morrison struggled with accepting her identity, but she’s found a place where she’s content and confident.

“The resource center makes me feel welcomed and appreciated,”

Morrison said.

The center has positively contributed to the well-being of many students, but as of right now, there are no plans to grow, said Asha Brunings, the SFC executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion.

“At this point, the college does not have any plans to expand the center,” Brunings said.

LGBTQ commissioners

partner in sustainability consulting. They owned a firm consulting with utility companies as environmental project managers.

During this time, she sought to make sustainable home construction easier and advocated for the adoption of tiny homes, a trend she felt she was years ahead on.

On an individual scale, Alford faced discrimination in this field. She told the story of how her firm, owned by herself and her expartner, lost a big job in Lake City after they met with the city council.

“One of them just looked at us and said, ‘You know, I don’t believe this is a job that two women can do,’” she said.

She realized she wanted to run for office af-

ter Alford and her partner split professionally and ended their personal relationship.

“I’d been involved in a lot of non-profit work, a lot of working with environmental organizations — actually serving on several boards for the city and the county,” Alford said. “At some point I got tired of advising, and I wanted to be in a decision-making capacity.”

She put her name in the hat, unsure of what would come of it, only to find herself beating a 20-year-long incumbent with about 60 percent of the vote.

“I expected it to be a close race; I didn’t know that I would win,” Alford said. “So I was really shocked to find myself in office.”

Despite recent political progression, members of the LGBTQ community still face scare tactics culturally from members of their local community, Alford said.

Brunings described the center as meeting its current and foreseeable needs.

However, Sacks believes even with the number of accomplishments already met, the center still has more to achieve.

“I think it would be wonderful to have just a larger reach and be able to host education on a larger scale,” Sacks said. “It's very chal-

lenging these days, not knowing what's going to happen with the legislation that's out — People rely on safe places, like this one.”

The center plans to host several interactive events during June to honor and celebrate Pride Month.

nbeltran@alligator.org @nicolebeltg

“When the pride center was attacked last fall, I went down there and it really hurt my heart to see what had happened and the impact of hate on other people,” she said. “Rocks were thrown so hard that they had embedded themselves to glass — that they embedded themselves into the drywall.”

Regardless, she overall felt comfortable with her place in the Gainesville community.

“This county is so welcoming and appreciative of diversity as a whole that I really haven’t felt threatened at all,” Alford said. “I don’t feel afraid;, I’m not a person who wants to live my life in fear.”

Above all, though, Alford felt happy that she could work in a place that was accepting.

Willits, the District 3 city commissioner, took a direct path to office in Gainesville.

Originally from Arkansas, Willits moved across the South and worked for various political campaigns and LGBTQ organizations. He started in his local community, eventually getting the opportunity to work in Florida.

In Florida, he worked against the anti-gay marriage amendment and campaigned for former President Barack Obama. He focused on mobilizing voters by building a progressive coalition meant to reach specific communities.

Through his work around the state, he came across Gainesville; first in 2014, then again in 2015. Multiple factors attracted him to the city — its likeness to his own Arkansas hometown, its flat and bike -friendly geography — but mainly, he felt his political background drew him there.

“I really found a home in Gainesville, but then also realized that we need to continue to elect people to achieve those things,” Willits said.

Counter to the progressive policies Willits advocates for, Florida has taken several actions that are hostile to the LGBTQ community. The primary example is HB 1557, known commonly as “Don’t Say Gay,” which prevents K-12 classrooms from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity.

The decisions felt personal to him. Though many members of the LGBTQ community might argue their sexuality does not define them, Willits said it has affected “way too much” of his past to separate himself from his

identity.

Describing the state’s actions as part of a “renewed threat,” Willits argued DeSantis’ words attempt to deputize citizens into policing the LGBTQ community’s culture and lifestyle.

Willits pointed to the misuse of the word “grooming” to equate making LGBTQ culture visible to youth with indoctrinating them. It’s a call to violence, and even at the city level, it requires “all hands on deck,” he said.

“We have to fight politically, we have to fight in courts,” Willits said. “Individuals and communities and networks have to prepare themselves for worst-case scenarios.”

Willits’ experienced some of those worstcase scenarios, starting when “homosexual acts” were a criminal offense during his time in Arkansas. The progression was quick coming to Gainesville and experiencing more protections before receiving protection of marriage rights by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Willits couldn’t think of any discrimination he experienced locally.

Such comfort felt like a luxury compared to West Virginia, where he faced housing discrimination. In his attempts to find a place to rent, he struggled to find a place where two men could live together.

Willits felt that, compared to many cities he has been to, Gainesville is one of the “most advanced.” His sexuality was not even an issue when he ran for office.

“Gainesville is truly, truly special in the commitment to LGBTQ rights,” Willits said. “Particularly early on, they kind of led the way in passing human rights ordinances that weren’t just about sexual orientation but that included gender identity and then defending those at the ballot box.”

Willits acknowledged many residents simply see Gainesville as a college town. However, he believes it has the ability to retain its residents longer than they expect because of its accepting nature.

“Gainesville is a shining beacon,” Willits said. “It’s a shining city on the hill.”

Evelyn Miguel // Alligator Staff City Commissioner Casey Willits (left) sits in the pavilion behind his apartment complex and County Commissioner Mary Alford (right) sits at her office in the Alachua County Administration Building.

Evelyn Miguel // Alligator Staff Santa Fe students have access to books, health & wellness brochures and personal hygiene products at the college’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center seen on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

Proposed East Gainesville cultural arts center strives to uplift community

CITY COMMISSION CONFIRMS THE FACILITY WILL BE LOCATED IN THE EAST SIDE

By Amanda Friedman Alligator Staff Writer

Gainesville City Commissioner

Desmon Duncan-Walker dreams of endless prosperity for East Gainesville’s Black youth.

Following Duncan-Walker’s leadership, the City Commission plans to bring a cultural arts center to East Gainesville as an effort to support at-risk youth and Black residents.

The proposed center aims to provide arts and cultural programming, workforce development, skill cultivation and after-school activities resources, according to a January 2022 General Policy Committee meeting presentation.

“I’m putting it forward because I have seen it save lives,” Duncan-Walker said.

Before working in policy, Duncan-Walker previously taught theater at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami. A cultural arts center can serve as an alternative to crime for East Gainesville residents, she said, combatting ongoing issues afflicting the community, like gun violence.

“Our children don’t know who they are,” she said. “They’re not being shown positive images. They don’t have the opportunity to be diverted from penal systems into therapeutic arts environments.”

There has been an overwhelming increase of governmental oversight on Florida’s education system, such as the rejection of a preliminary pilot version of the College Board’s Advanced Place-

ment African American Studies course in January.

The Eastside center will serve as a safe space free from legislative restrictions, where chronicles of the Black experience can thrive, Duncan-Walker said.

“Our young people are dealing with a lack of understanding of who we are as Black people,” she said. “There is a gap that can possibly be filled by telling that story because it’s not being told in a full and robust way.”

Duncan-Walker also highlighted the correlation between the arts and traditional education.

Duval Early Learning Academy went from a D- to A-rated public school after the introduction of a fine arts magnet program in 2002. The magnet program has since been terminated, causing a fall in the school’s rating, she said.

The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department hosted a community engagement workshop dedicated to collaborating with locals on the vision for the center at the Historic Thomas Center May 31.

Although city staff advertised the event as a way to “help shape the vision of a cultural arts center in East Gainesville,” Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs Director Roxana Gonzalez announced the center had no set location during the recent workshop, raising concerns among residents.

Gonzalez misspoke, DuncanWalker said, as the center’s proposal highlights East Gainesville as the intended location.

“It has to be in East Gainesville,” she said. “It has to be accessible to the most vulnerable populations who need it the most.”

Although the center mainly seeks to aid youth and Black

people, Duncan-Walker said, individuals of all cultures and backgrounds will benefit from a visit.

The city recruited consulting practice AMS Planning and Research to conduct a feasibility study that will help identify possible locations and funding resources for the project.

Potential financial pools include nonprofits like the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce and city funds. It is still uncertain when construction is expected to begin and whether the center will be a brand-new building or an existing structure, she said.

East Gainesville activists and community members are also showing support for the proposed cultural arts center.

Essence Thomas, a 24-year-old UF dance graduate, founded The Against All Odds Movement Project, a grassroots initiative seeking to empower and heal East Gainesville’s at-risk youth through arts education and involvement.

Earlier this year, Thomas helped survey issues in the East Gainesville community and artis-

tic initiatives that could be beneficial for a study conducted by SPARC352 and the UF Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship.

As she went door to door, she heard similar stories from parents about ongoing gun violence within the community and a lack of access to arts and culture resources for youth, she said.

“They want to send their kids there and know that they’ll be safe,” she said.

Outside creative resources, Thomas would like to see the proposed center provide mental health counseling, food insecurity resources and educational seminars to locals.

“It would benefit them because then they have this one hub where they can continue to write their own history,” she said. “The arts are a gateway to allowing youth to find their strength through adversity.”

The center should also be staffed with East Gainesville residents to create jobs within the community, she added.

Porters Quarters native Faye

Williams, the 69-year-old founder of nonprofit M.A.M.A.’s Club and longtime social justice activist, is thrilled to see plans for an Eastside cultural arts center, but she is disappointed in how long it has taken to get the effort off the ground, she said.

Williams hopes the city holds future community workshops in East Gainesville to better engage with the impacted community, especially Black residents, she said.

“If you’re talking about having something out East you’ve got to include Black folks,” she said.

East Gainesville resident Sharron Key, a 40-year-old staff accountant and mother of four children, thought the arts can serve as an outlet to help youth build the confidence to overcome learning obstacles in subject areas like math and science, she said.

“It opens up their imagination,” she said. “It shows them that there’s something else they can do.”

Key also believes arts and culture education can help bring communities together, as our country continues to navigate a culture of division.

“The arts center will bring friendships because you’re standing right next to your brother or sister — that’s what you become when you’re on a team or when you’re in a safe place,” she said.

A second community engagement workshop will be held later this summer to help gather input and shape AMS Planning and Research’s feasibility study, Gonzalez wrote in an email.

The study’s findings will be presented to the City Commission in late 2023 or 2024, she said.

@amandasfriedman afriedman@alligator.org

Alachua Habitat for Humanity and Santa Fe builds more affordable housing for local residents

for 12 years

By Gabriel Velasquez Neira Alligator Staff Writer

For the 12th consecutive year, local families have an opportunity to change their future trajectory and access affordable mortgages, largely due to Santa Fe College and Alachua County Habitat for Humanity.

Alachua County Habitat for Humanity works to create affordable housing for underserved communities, with 176 houses being created through help from local communities, partners and volunteers.

Gainesville ranked below average in Florida cities with the most affordable homes even before the steady rise of rents across the country. The city sat at 35 out of 53 surveyed cities with a population of more than 60,000, according to 2017 census data.

No construction institute facility exist-

ed when Beth Kurtzman, a Gainesville resident and the organization’s construction director, went through SFC’s program.

She has worked alongside SFC students for 11 years.

The project begins in the Charles R. Perry Construction Institute each August. Student plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians and builders each take on a piece of the project until the house is entirely built.

“Sometimes Santa Fe College gets a grant for all of the material money,” Kurtzman said. “But if they don’t, we purchase the materials, and they install them.”

The students’ involvement allows them to grow in their construction skills, said Silvia Novelli, a professor at SFC.

“In drafting, they are very fresh about the construction elements,” Novelli said.

“When they get to really build the house, they already have the base knowledge of

everything.”

SFC students built the house in two separate portions at a gym-sized factory, and a member of Habitat for Humanity visited SFC weekly for quality control.

The house was transported to the site and set on the foundation, allowing volunteers to gather on Saturdays. They will begin insulating the home, installing the drywall and painting the home. The house will be inspected for a certificate of occupancy, and afterward, the family partner purchases and closes on the home, similar to a traditional mortgage.

Tom Mason, a recruiter for the construction and technical programs at SFC, said the program greatly benefits the students because it prepares them for the workforce.

“Almost all of them have a job lined up before graduation because the needs of the construction industry right now is acute,

just kind of like almost at a crisis level in terms of skilled labor.” Mason said.

To become a homeowner with Habitat for Humanity, applicants need to meet specific requirements like being between 30 percent to 80 percent of the median income in Alachua County and having a specific debt-to-income ratio.

Alachua Habitat for Humanity tries to make the mortgage less than 30 percent of the homeowner’s monthly income for applicants.

Once accepted, the homeowner must put in 250 hours of sweat equity. The sweat equity includes taking financial literacy courses, homeowner classes, cooking classes, and how to paint walls, put up walls, install drywall and lay sod. The entire process, from application to movein day, takes over a year and the particular home will be complete by November.

@gvelasquezn

gvelasquezneira@alligator.org

Isabella Ferrie // Alligator Staff

The groups have worked together

El Caimán

Hispanas del Norte Central de la Florida luchan por los derechos de los migrantes

Las protestas comenzaron a principios de junio

Por Nicole Beltrán Escritora de El Caimán

Ha pasado un mes desde que el gobernador Ron DeSantis firmó el proyecto de ley del Senado 1718. La ley se enfoca en la regulación de los migrantes trabajando en Florida.

Esta legislación, que toma efecto el primero de julio, exige verificación legal para cualquier empleador con 25 o más empleados, impone castigos para empleadores que emplean a inmigrantes sin ciudadanía autorizada e intensifica las sanciones por tráfico de personas.

La ley también prohíbe a los gobiernos locales emitir tarjetas de identificación a los inmigrantes sin ciudadanía, invalida las tarjetas de identificación proporcionadas a los migrantes en otros estados y exige que los hospitales recopilen datos sobre los costos de atención médica a los migrantes.

Residentes de la comunidad Hispana en Florida norte y central están esforzándose para luchar contra la legislación migratoria.

La Alianza de Migrantes y Mi-

norías y el grupo Guerreras Tu Voz es Mi Voz se han juntado en el condado de Volusia para accumular grupos y comenzar a protestar

“Mi mayor preocupación de esta situación es el rompimiento de la familia”, dijo Areli Perez.

Perez, 43, es la presidenta de agricultura de la Alianza de Migrantes y Minorías en Orlando y también es la directora de Guerreras Tu Voz es Mi Voz, dos organizaciones que se ocupan de la salud, el empleo y la defensa de las comunidades de inmigrantes y minorías en Florida.

Los inmigrantes son vistos como una carga para la nación, pero mucha gente no se da cuenta de su esfuerzo haciendo trabajos difíciles que mucha gente no quiere hacer, dijo Perez.

Perez y María Elena Valdivia, la presidenta con 50 años de edad de la Alianza de Migrantes y Minorías, explican las barreras detrás del crecimiento de su plataforma de defensa.

“Mi organización es pequeña, y es nueva entonces no tengo recursos”, dijo Valdivia.

Antes de protestar, Valdivia y Pérez se aseguran de que las perso-

nas de la comunidad estén informadas sobre sus derechos y los pasos a seguir en caso de enfrentarse a la ley. Sus organizaciones tuvieron una sesión informativa en Misión San José de San Peter Iglesia Católica en Pierson, Florida, el 1 de junio.

Para Valdivia, lo más importante es involucrar a la mayor cantidad de gente posible.

“Esta ley nos va afectar a todos”, dijo Valdivia.

Valdivia está interesada en llevar las protestas a otros condados, como el condado de Alachua. Quiere encontrar más organizaciones con su misma meta, dijo.

Las protestas también han estado pasando en Jacksonville.

Edwin Rodriguez, residente de Jacksonville de 50 años de edad, organizó una protesta el primero de junio con su empresa, Encomiendas Latinas Jacksonville.

La mayoría de sus clientes son latinos, dijo Rodriguez.

Durante 13 años, la compañía de Rodriguez se ha especializado en envíos a México, Centroamérica, parte de Sudamérica, República Dominicana y Puerto Rico.

Rodriguez ya ha planeado dos eventos. El primer evento fue una reunión informativa que tuvo lugar el 27 de mayo, donde los miembros de la comunidad discutieron los derechos de las personas a protestar. El segundo evento, y su primera protesta, tuvo lugar el 1 de junio.

Rodriguez tenía que actuar inmediatamente, él dijo. Sintió la responsabilidad de apoyar a la comunidad latina y de apoyar a sus clientes.

“Me dolió en mi corazón ver que familias estaban tirando todo sus muebles, sus camas, todo de su apartamento porque estaban desalojando para dejar la casa vacía y salir para otros estados”, dijo. “Tengo la oportunidad de hacer algo”.

Por redes sociales, Rodriguez se ha podido comunicar con las organizaciones de Perez y Valdivia. Planean aumentar sus protestas con más días durante junio.

Mónica Trejo Aretes, una residente de Haines City, Florida, de 35 años de edad y la dueña de la empresa Produce Martín, vino a los Estados Unidos para buscar una vida más estable y prometedora.

“Nosotros venimos a trabajar y a echarle ganas”, ella dijo.

Trejo Aretes emigró de México y ha vivido en los Estados Unidos por

19 años. Hace tres meses abrió su negocio de frutería y verdulería. Con cuatro hijos, Trejo Aretes, 35, está esforzándose para regalarle lo mejor a su familia.

Trejo Aretes cerró sus puertas el primero de junio para demostrar su solidaridad con otros dueños de empresas latinas.

“Cerré por mi y mi familia y todos porque todos somos una familia”, dijo Trejo Aretes.

A Trejo Aretes le preocupa el futuro de sus hijos más que todo.

Sus hijos no nacieron en los Estados Unidos solo para que se los quiten porque la ley quiere devolverla a su país, dijo.

Aunque está orgullosa de sacar sus sueños adelante en la Florida, Trejo Aretes explica que si la Florida no quiere la ayuda de los inmigrantes, no hay razón para quedarse aquí.

“El estado va a perder más cuando nosotros nos demos cuenta que no se merece que nosotros estemos aquí”, ella dijo.

Las protestas están programadas a seguir ocurriendo todo el mes de Junio.

@nicolebeltg nbeltran@alligator.org

North Central Florida’s Hispanic communities fight for the rights of migrants

PROTESTS BEGAN IN EARLY JUNE ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL FLORIDA

By Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writer

A month has passed since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1718 into law. The bill focuses on the regulation of migrants working in Florida.

The legislation, going into effect July 1, requires legal verification for any employer with 25 or more employees. It imposes penalties for employing unauthorized immigrants and intensifies penalties for human smuggling.

The law also prohibits local governments from issuing identification cards to unauthorized immigrants, invalidates identification cards issued to migrants in other states and requires hospitals to report data on the costs of providing health care to migrants.

Residents of Hispanic communities in North and Central Florida are making efforts to fight the recently imposed legislation.

The Migrants and Minority Alliance of Orlando and Guerreras Tu Voz es Mi Voz have come together to amass groups and begin protesting in Volusia County.

“My biggest concern in this situation is the separation of family,” Areli Perez said.

Perez, is the 43-year-old president of agriculture for the Migrants and Minority Alliance in Orlando, as well as the director of Guerreras Tu Voz es Mi Voz, two organizations that cater to health, employment and advocacy assistance to migrant and minority communities in Florida.

Immigrants are seen as a burden to the nation but what a lot of people do not realize is their effort to do difficult jobs, jobs a lot of people don't want to do, Perez said.

Perez and Maria Elena Valdivia, the 50-year-old president of the Migrants and Minority Alliance, spoke about the barriers behind growing their advocacy platform.

“My organization is small, it's new, so I don't have resources,” Valdivia said.

Before protesting, Valdivia and Perez ensured people in the community were informed about their rights and the steps to take action. They held an information session at Mission San Jose of Saint Peter Catholic Church in Pierson, Florida, June 1.

For Valdivia, the most important element is to involve as many people as possible.

“This law will affect all of us,” she said.

Valdivia is interested in expanding the protests to other areas like Alachua County. She wants to find more organizations in those parts of Florida with a goal similar to hers, she said.

Protests have also begun occurring in Jacksonville.

Edwin Rodriguez, a 50-year-old Jack-

Mantente al día con El Caiman en Twitter. Envíanos un tweet @alligatorElCaiman.

sonville resident, organized a protest June 1 with his shipping company, Encomiendas Latinas Jacksonville.

Most of his clients are Latino, Rodriguez said.

For 13 years, Rodriguez's company has specialized in product shipping to Mexico, Central America, part of South America, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Rodriguez has already planned two events. The first event was an information meeting that took place May 27, where members of the community discussed people’s rights to protest. The second event, and his first protest, occurred June 1.

Rodriguez needed to act immediately, he said. He felt a responsibility to support the Latino community and to support his clients.

“It hurt my heart to see that families were throwing away all their furniture, their beds, everything from their apartment because they were planning to leave their house empty and go to other states,” he said. “I had an opportunity to do something.”

Through social networks, Rodriguez can communicate with Perez and Valdivia’s organizations. They plan to work together and gather larger crowds for their protests all throughout June.

Mónica Trejo Aretes, a 35-year-old resident of Haines City, Florida and the Owner of Produce Martin, has come to the United

States to pursue a more stable and promising lifestyle.

“We work to do our best,” she said.

Trejo Aretes, left Mexico and has lived in the United States for 19 years. Three months ago, she opened her grocery business, Produce Martin, in Haines City, Florida. With four children, Trejo Aretes wants to give her family the best living conditions possible, she said.

Trejo Aretes closed her business to show her solidarity with other Latino business owners June 1.

“I closed for myself and my family and for everyone because we are all a family,” she said.

Trejo Aretes is concerned about the future of her children more than anything.

Her children were not born in the United States just to be taken from her because the law wants her gone, she said.

Although proud to pursue her dreams in Florida, Trejo Aretes explains that if Florida does not want the contribution of immigrants, there is no reason to stay here.

“The state is going to lose more when we realize that Florida doesn't deserve us to be here,” she said.

Protests targeting the legislation are scheduled to continue throughout the month of June.

@nicolebeltg

nbeltran@alligator.org

Síganos para actualizaciones

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

Opinions Activist Ruka Scarlett shares her opinion on Pride Month, pg. 8

Comunidades

The Harn Museum Nights: Art + Pride celebrates LGBTQ artists and local community

THE MUSEUM DISPLAYED ARTWORKS WITH AN LGBTQ SPOTLIGHT

By Leia Ulrich Alligator Staff Writer

As children ran past the rows of tables set up in the foyer of the Harn Museum, their parents chatted and fixed plates of pasta salad and mini hamburgers. Volunteers excitedly distributed maps detailing the night’s different exhibitions. Rainbow flags hung from the hands and purses of many guests.

This month, the Harn Museum chose “Art + Pride” as the theme for its monthly nighttime community event, Museum Nights.

Organizations supporting women, people of color and LGBTQ people were invited to educate and connect with the museum-goers.

The Harn Museum partnered with eight local organizations for the June 8 event, including The Pride Community Center of North Central Florida; UF Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement; UF Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies; Beyond the Binary; TranQuility; Malcom Randall VA Medical Center; UF Counseling and Wellness Center and the Alachua County Library District.

Michelle Lingkop, a consultation referral team member at the UF Counseling and Wellness Center, said her organization tabled this event to let them know about its services.

“If they’re students, what we offer at the center, also what’s in the local community

for folks that may not be a part of the University.” Lingkop said.

Allysa Peyton, 46, has worked at the Harn for the past 15 years and coordinated the event.

“We are definitely in celebration mode,” Peyton said.

The DJ played upbeat party music and families danced to it — beats and footsteps echoing throughout the museum. Attendees weren’t afraid to express themselves, wearing rainbow clothes, fun animal ears, tutus and unicorn onesies.

They admired the artworks surrounding them while enjoying the atmosphere.

Kehinde Wiley’s work was especially celebrated at the event. In 2008, while Wiley was still up-and-coming, the museum bought one of his works, “Dogon Couple,” which is on display in the Mary Ann Harn Cofrin Pavillion.

Thomas Logan, 76, became a Harn docent, someone who’s studied art and gives tours, last year. He traveled across the world to explore art, and he received training to attain his current volunteer role.

Wiley grew up in Los Angeles, Logan said, but found home in his African heritage, which later impacted his art.

Wiley is also gay, and his identity plays into his work. The two traditionally masculine subjects on the painting “Dogon Couple”, which he chose for his piece, are posed to resemble an 18th century Malian sculpture of a man and a woman. At first glance, the average viewer would assume these are two

friends, maybe even brothers, but by understanding Wiley’s background, the piece represents much more.

The traditional Malian sculpture which Wiley based his painting off of represents the role of a man and woman in a relationship. Instead, he transformed the couple into a same-sex couple. One of the men is wearing a soccer jersey from Senegal, a country considered to be one of the most dangerous

in the world for queer people. His sexuality is not necessarily the forefront of the painting, but there are queer influences added, Logan said.

The painting represents a larger message of the night: queer influence which is not always brought to the attention of viewers.

lulrich@alligator.org

The Boheme Coven casts a spell over Gainesville’s drag scene

THE DRAG HOUSE REVEALS THE MAGIC BEHIND CHOSEN FAMILY

By Valentina Sarmiento Avenue Staff Writer

Birthed in the bogs of Gainesville, The Boheme Coven conjures a chosen family from the surrounding swamp of sawgrass and muck.

The Coven doubles as a drag family and a group of entertainers based in North Central Florida. Rachel Boheme, mother and Supreme of the Coven, founded the group in 2016. The Coven hosts its weekly show Sinister Sundays at the University Club, Gainesville’s first and only gay club located at 18 East University Ave.

“These are my people,” Boheme

said. “It’s just a safe place for us to be around each other. It’s a place for my kids and all the weirdos to come and just have a normal, fun time.”

The concept of drag family was born in the queer ballroom scene. It refers to a collection of drag queens and other queer artists who perform and socialize while creating a chosen, familial network of support. These families, often referred to as houses, are led by an experienced house parent.

Despite doing drag for 15 years now, the 31-year-old Boheme reminisces on her origins, when she opposed the art form initially, she said.

“I started on a dare,” she said. “Then I did it one time and I think that there has never been a weekend since that I haven’t been in drag.”

For Boheme, the feeling of performing is intoxicating. People can feel the power in the air and for about four minutes you black out and become this “thing,” she said.

“Drag just takes a hold of you very easily,” she said. “It’s addicting.”

She’s extended her mentorship toward other aspiring performers within the community after years of perfecting her craft.

This comradery organically developed into the coven’s creation, she said.

“We were the darker people,” Boheme said. “The ones that were doing the weird stuff, so we became the coven. It came very naturally, it was never planned.”

The Boheme Coven’s small start transmuted into something even its creator couldn’t have predicted.

“It just kind of grew from there,” Boheme said.

Boheme revealed how the chosen family came together after she chose to take in her drag children.

“You don’t find them, and at first you’re very apprehensive to even take them in because that’s a lot of work to take someone under your wing,” she said. “It comes slowly.”

Boheme wanted to foster a home where every point of view is spoken for. As a performer, she fashions herself after Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, she said. However, she isn’t bound to one aesthetic, admitting she isn’t always “dark.”

“Something that’s great about our city here is that we have a very open-minded community to all types of drag,” she said.

This versatility allows Boheme to live up to her role as the horror

hostess of the coven. In turn, she’s able to platform and display the talents of her spawn.

“These are my monsters,” she said. “Please come see them and enjoy. Open your mind and see that it can be a beautiful thing to be a little bit uncomfortable.”

Among the coven’s cast of distinguished creatures is 30-year-old J’adore Lagore. Originally from Boston, drag allowed her to find her creative footing in Florida with support from her chosen drag family. July will mark her seventh year as a drag performer.

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

Sawyer Lamers // Alligator Staff

The Pride Community Center of North Central Florida tabled at the Museum Night offering Pride flags among other items on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Finding hope as history repeats itself

How I wish I had better news. It’s Pride Month after all — one of many occasions throughout the year when we celebrate diversity in a world that doesn’t always embrace such a thing. I’m happier with myself than ever, living my truth has been a blessing, allowing me to thrive. Unfortunately, being happy with oneself, is a different thing from being happy with one’s situation, even further removed, being happy with the state of things.

You see, I’m a 33-year-old woman, a transsexual female. I find myself at my Jewish temple once or twice a week. I love reading, studying and spending time with friends and family. I’m disabled and losing my vision, which is bothersome but the least of my worries, whatever that means.

I’m a homemaker with a boyfriend who I hope someday will call me his wife, and I have children I hold dear. I’m an activist, with feminism being my usual priority. Sounds typical, maybe boringly so? From an outside perspective, it seems I’m living an average life, and oh, how I wish I was.

All around us, I see dehumanizing misinformation used to convince those driven by fear that there is a group of people out to destroy a perceived morality. This group is said to mutilate children, steal valor, prey on the vulnerable and pervert society. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious. This kind of talk is used by those who want control. They have an idea of how the world should be. Instead of ideas with solutions on how to fix our economy, reduce violence or save the environment while preserving autonomy, the focus instead is on ideas without a solution. It includes a world without women like me. This was never about kids, and if you think it is, you have likely fallen for a bit of the misinformation out there.

We live in a society where human rights are partisan issues, which is troubling as I’ve never subscribed to political sides. Critical thinking seems to be a virtue lost, but who am I to judge? No one is perfect, and we could use more understanding.

Throughout the U.S and Florida, we’ve seen worrying trends: bills violating basic rights, banned books, censorship in education and media, ongoing violence, policing of women and trans bodies and oppression of expression by marginalized communities.

Why are we seeing things like empathy demonized as a subject not worthy of inclusion in our curriculum? That’s one of many questions I have for people who support these ideals that call for my eradication.

Gov. Ron Desantis speaks of “facts” — despite making decisions that professionals in science, psychology and academia disagree with. He claims to know what’s best for our “freedom” while he has shown to be an enemy of our Constitution. It‘s terrifying that a man of such twisted words has been able to gain the support of many far-right

supporters. DeSantis has banned Jewish and Holocaust studies, but claims there is a place for Jews in his plans.

The fact I worry that writing this may incriminate me, speaks for itself.

to due diligence reporting for Pride

Last week, The Alligator published a paper with an emphasis on LGBTQ stories. We featured nonbinary drag queens, covered state trans legislation, local Pride info sessions and more.

We’re proud to publish these stories our staff worked hard on. We’re honored to cover the stories about our local communities.

Ruka Scarlett Local Activist

Lately, I’ve been fearing for my life. I was there in Tallahassee when some of our state representatives said the most vile things of us, calling people like me “demons” and “mutants.” I wish I could describe the way I felt. One thing I have learned from my rabbi, and my studies on the matter is that the Jewish people have often done their best to find joy and laughter in dark times. Like seeds destined to flourish after being buried. All we can do is have hope.

Genocide is a strong word. Yet, here I am likely having to flee the state much like Anne Frank had to flee Germany. I think it’s relevant to say my body cannot produce the hormones I need to live on its own. I rely on hormone replacement therapy. The state’s debate to ban such treatments, knowing it would kill many, including myself, by sickness or suicide is worrying enough. So, I think genocide is an accurate term for what they’re trying to do to trans people.

Think of it like a jar of water in a freezer, everythings fine right? All’s well enough for now, we can still live with this, even if not ideal, but someday, that jar will shatter. I worry none of us will be safe if the Florida governor or anyone like him becomes president.

Many trans people and families have fled their homes, faced violence and have died already. I’m here worrying if simply using the ladies room will be the end of me. I’m rarely out alone; my femme-presenting non-binary friends and girlfriends often accompany me to the restroom when in public to ensure my safety. I feel lucky my looks match my identity enough as so I’m never given much trouble, which is not the reality for many.

Eventually, I hope to write my life story, and I often pray I see society turn away from ignorance, violence and hatred. I hope my life does not mirror Anne’s. I wish I could articulate how I continue to survive and find moments of joy and laughter, but I do, even when all seems grim. I suppose that is what pride is about for some. So, if you are reading this, and you feel afraid, overwhelmed and have a number of unexplainable feelings, find the time to smile for me, and have hope. Oh, dear friend, how I wish I had better news.

Ruka Scarlett is a local Gainesville activist.

After publishing one of our Pride stories, we had to edit the online version out of safety concerns for our sources. It’s not often we need to do this.

The story featured a local art workshop trying to normalize trans and nonbinary models in the visual arts. Our coverage centered around the founder’s trailblazing efforts and the empowerment of the models.

We initially received thanks from the workshop organizers, who appreciated our coverage and the tone of it — but shortly after, they warned us about an unwanted response they received from other politicized news outlets who picked up the story.

The group requested we change four things in the story: removing “buzz words” from the headline, removing the workshop’s name from the headline, removing the models’ names from the photo’s caption and alerting Alligator reporters and editors of the negative circulation of the story.

Understandably, this group is worried about their members’ general safety. But it shouldn’t have to be this way.

We’re proud to highlight LGBTQ stories during Pride Month and beyond. We’re committed to serving Gainesville — despite a polarized, political climate that attempts to villainize some of its residents.

This climate has continued to create issues within the community and within our coverage of the community.

While working on Pride-focused reporting, Alligator staff writers are continuously running into a growing issue: LGBTQ sources are afraid to go on the record and speak up about being queer in Florida, fearing harassment from intolerant groups.

Simply put, our reporters are struggling to find LGBTQ, especially transgender, sources who aren’t afraid of the opposition they might receive.

As reporters, we want to share their stories. As human beings, we want to respect their boundaries, their privacy. So we redacted the sources’ last names and we altered the headline of the story. If we’re being fully transparent, The Alligator’s priority is to better our relationships with sources and make them feel safe.

Over the past few months, the Florida state legislature has passed a number of bills targeting LGBTQ individuals, from drag performers and Pride celebrations to queer youths in public education and transgender individuals’ access to healthcare.

Members of the community are seeing nearly every aspect of their day-to-day life affected by political turmoil.

The Human Rights Campaign, one of the biggest organizations championing LGBTQ rights in the nation, issued a Florida travel advisory to the LGBTQ community May 23.

The legislation wave pushed many LGBTQ individuals to flee the state in fear of what a future in Florida might look like. Speaking up now matters more than ever.

Our state has increasingly become a hostile place for LGBTQ communities, and we feel the need to share the concerns of our local residents.

Gainesville’s own LGBTQ history has come a long way to make the city the safe space it is today. The Alligator is proud to have played a part in that.

In April 2018, Gainesville officials banned conversion therapy for minors. It was the first city in North Florida to do so.

In October 2019, Gainesville pulled out their multicolor paints, adding rainbow crosswalks to downtown to celebrate Coming Out Day. The odes to Gainesville Pride have lasted throughout the years and can still be seen today.

This week, we’re featuring two openly gay and lesbian commissioners who are pushing the envelope for LGBTQ representation in government. We also covered local drag families and queer student resources.

We stand by our communities’ stories, and we stand by our sources’ right to tell them. Intimidation will not result in silence.

Pride Month originated as a way for a silenced community to tell their stories proudly, loudly and unapologetically. With our coverage, we hope to uphold and celebrate that legacy — June and beyond.

Jiselle Lee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kristine Villarroel ENGAGEMENT MANAGING EDITOR

Jackson Reyes DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

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

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1. What island nation was the site of the 1973 heavyweight title fight between George Foreman and Joe Frazier billed as "The Sunshine Showdown"?

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

2. What American tennis player won six Grand Slam singles titles from 1949-55 and was the second woman to complete the Career Grand Slam?

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

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

3. What two Formula One drivers were killed in separate incidents during the weekend of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix?

4. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Bunning served in the U.S. Senate for what state from 1999-2011?

5. What Dutch basketball player led the ABA (1975) and the NBA (1980) in rebounding?

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?

6. What team selected North Carolina Tar Heels running back Natrone Means in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft?

5. What traditional Japanese martial art is literally translated as “the way of the sword”?

7. What 1981 World Series MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers was nicknamed "Penguin" for his unusual running gait?

6. Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated what mixed martial arts superstar in a 2017 boxing megafight in Las Vegas?

7. What Croatia-born basketball player won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-98 and was the 1996 NBA Sixth Man of the Year?

Answers

1. 13. He hit eight of them in his 1962 rookie season.

2. The Big Whistle.

3. The Simpsons.

4. The Chicago Bears.

BASEBALL

Florida baseball comes together on road to Omaha

FLORIDA ADVANCED TO ITS FIRST COLLEGE WORLD SERIES SINCE 2018

By Luke Adragna Sports Writer

Any Florida baseball fan could point to an individual’s performance on the 2023 Gators baseball team and label it as the reason for their success. In fact, it’s quite easy to pick out certain players.

Names like sophomore two-way player Jac Caglianone or junior outfielder Wyatt Langford were candidates for the Golden Spikes Award. Other newer faces like freshmen Cade Kurland and Luke Heyman were selected to the All-Southeastern Conference Freshman team.

But when you ask the Gators locker room what went into the success of this team, the response is simple: playing for one another.

Florida fifth-year catcher BT Riopelle put it into words after UF advanced to its first College World

TRACK & FIELD

Series since 2018 in a 4-0 win against the South Carolina Gamecocks June 10.

“We just love each other, and we’re trying to win for each other,” Riopelle said.

Gators junior shortstop Josh Rivera chimed in on what it took for the team to play at this level.

“We just had to rely on the next guy to play their role off the field just as much as we need them to play their role on the field,” Rivera said. “Whether that’s getting on somebody to do their homework or making sure they're getting enough extra swings.”

After a historic regular season and a two-game sweep against South Carolina in the Gainesville Super Regional, Florida is headed to the 2023 College World Series.

“Our season’s not over,” said UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. “We’ll let this story play out, and we’ll see where it ends.”

SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 12

Florida track and field brings home men’s national title, seven medals from NCAA Outdoor Championships

THE GATORS EARNED THEIR 14TH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN PROGRAM HISTORY

By Hailey Hurst Sports Writer

The Florida Gators men’s and women’s track and field teams had a dominant weekend at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas.

Multiple athletes earned individual national titles as the Gators brought home seven medals and their 14th national title in program history.

The four-day event finished with the men’s team crowned 2023 National Outdoor Champions and the women’s team finishing runner-up in team competition.

The men’s team entered the event ranked fourth in the nation with nine athletes competing in eight events. The women’s team entered the event ranked second in the nation with 14 athletes competing in 16 events.

Six semifinal events took place June 7. UF’s men’s 4x100 relay team — juniors Ryan Willie and Robert Gregory and redshirt seniors Jacory Patterson and Pjai Austin — advanced to the finals after they won their heat with a time of 38.22 seconds.

Gregory advanced in the men’s 200-meter after the speedster ran the third-fastest time in school history of 19.95 seconds.

In the last men’s race of the day, the 4x400 team of Patterson, Willie, redshirt Junior Jevaughn Powell and sophomore Emmanuel Bamidele set a meet record time of 2:58.62 minutes. They placed first in the semifinals.

The women’s team faced nine semifinal events. Junior Talitha Diggs advanced in the 400- and 200- meter races. Diggs ran the fifth-fastest time in the country of 50.35 seconds in the 400 meters and a new personal best of 22.45 seconds in the 200-meter.

After an impressive day one, the Gators women’s team continued the momentum, advancing three entries to the finals Saturday.

UF redshirt junior Jasmine Moore secured bronze in the women’s long jump with a distance of 6.66 meters. She has won a medal in every horizontal jump championship competition as a Gator.

On the final day for the men’s team, the 4x100 relay team of Willie, Gregory, Patterson and Austin, led the day with a silver medal and a time of 38.26 seconds. The second-place finish earned eight points for UF.

Bamidele won the men’s 400-meter title with a time of 44.24 seconds, the fastest in college this season. Only 0.01 seconds behind him was Willie, who secured silver with a time of 44.25 seconds. Powell finished seventh in the same event. The trio collectively earned 20 points for the Gators team.

UF’s men’s team trailed Arkansas by five points entering

the final event of the day. The 4x400 men’s relay team of Powell, Bamidele, Patterson and Willie continued momentum from day two as they won the relay title with a collegiate record time of 2:57.74 minutes. The win secured the national championship for the Gators men’s team.

“It is an incredible feeling,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Our job was to come in here and win this one, and that is what we did."

Less than 24 hours later, the women’s team came close to their third team national championship in program history.

Moore led the day with a gold medal in the triple jump competition. She broke her third collegiate record with a distance of 14.78 meters. The star jumper has won four-straight triple jump titles.

Freshman Alida Van Daalen earned bronze, the first medal of her career in an NCAA Championship. Daalen threw her personal best in the discus with a distance of 59.96 meters.

In the last women’s race of the day, redshirt sophomore Parker Valby earned a national title in the 5,000-meter. Valby set a facility record running a time of 15:30.57 minutes.

Florida’s women’s team finished runner-up in the team competition with 51 points to Texas’ 83 points. The men’s team earned its 11th national championship and the 14th overall national title for Florida’s track and field programs.

@haileyjhurst hhurst@alligator.org

Chloe Hyde // Alligator Staff

Florida baseball junior Wyatt Langford celebrates after the Gators’ 4-0 win against South Carolina Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Gators’ road to Omaha

SOFTBALL, Florida dream comes true

el, so he had an impact on my growth as a person and an athlete," Reagan Walsh said. Her growth as an athlete and as a Gator was made possible by the support of her ond year — recognized she has support from her father, teammates and coaches,

"The people at the University of Florida are great and have definitely impacted me as a player, but also as a person," Walsh

BASEBALL,

said.

tossed 13 strikeouts in eight shutout innings.

be hard on her so she will succeed, he said.

Her fellow Gators have noticed her confidence in her ability to change positions on the field when things get tough.

from pg. 11

Florida’s season was on the verge of ending after its 5-4 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Regional round June 3. The group didn’t falter and won three-straight elimination games — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished by the Gators since 1998. It positioned UF to face the Gamecocks in the Super Regional round.

"I've seen her work and the growth she has had,” UF shortstop Skylar Wallace said. “I think she's known you're not going to be perfect at all times."

Walsh has displayed confidence and an eagerness to win to the fans who come out to support her in Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. She batted in a season-high six runs against Illinois State Feb. 11 and has a batting average of 0.353 this season. Her control at bat and ability to find the right pitch is big in late innings, Wallace

After a 5-4 victory June 9, the Gators needed one more win to make it to Omaha.

“We’re just gonna try to play our best baseball,” O’Sullivan said, heading into game two.

UF junior right-hander Hurston Waldrep took the mound for Florida in the seriesclinching matchup.

The Thomasville, Georgia, native had plenty of momentum after he tossed 12 strikeouts and surrendered one run against Connecticut June 4, but he undoubtedly oneupped his performance against the Gamecocks.

“As soon as I stepped on the mound, I knew it was gonna be a good day,” he said.

Waldrep surrendered three hits total and

Walsh was set to fill the hole left by the departure of former Florida graduate student infielder Hannah Adams as she entered her sophomore season.

“That was the best stuff he’s had all year,” Riopelle said. “He put his complete arsenal on display from pitch one.”

The righty was cushioned by an early lead provided by UF junior infielder Colby Halter — who struggled offensively during the latter part of the season and even sat on the bench for multiple games — with two outs in the second inning.

“Working with Coach Walton every single day at practice, and him killing me at second base, I think, is all worth it,” Walsh said. “Hannah was such a great athlete; it's an awesome experience to be able to play second.”

Riopelle began the top of the second with a full-count walk, and Heyman followed with a single. The two runners advanced an additional base with a groundout by junior outfielder Tyler Shelnut to set up Halter to deliver the finishing swing.

Walsh and her father share a passion for sports and the competitiveness that comes with it. However, a line is drawn between his support for her as a father and giving her advice as a former athlete who understands the hardships of being an athlete, John Walsh said. He has to push her and

Halter drove a pitch down the right-field line for a two-out double. The Gators took a two-run lead, which was all that was necessary for the shutout performance from Waldrep.

The righty cruised until the ninth and All-SEC sophomore closer Brandon Neely entered the game after Waldrep allowed his first batter to reach base with a single.

Neely earned two quick outs and sealed the save and forced a routine pop out to Kurland at second. The freshman ventured just outside the perimeter of the infield, called off Caglianone at first, and as soon as the ball grazed the open mitt of Kurland, the dugout

and bullpen cleared to form a dogpile toward the right of the mound.

"As a parent, I just want to love and support her — tell her it's all right,” he said. “Then on the other hand, you have to be competitive, and you have to push her to make sure she knows you have to do better, and you can do this.”

A record-setting crowd of 8,851 raucous fans chanted “It’s great to be a Florida Gator,” as Waldrep was dumped with icecold water during his on-field postgame interview. Players made their way around the stadium to show their support and high-five the crowd of orange and blue.

He will forever support his daughter, he said. As a former athlete playing at a competitive level, he’s been hard on Reagan and understands the tough times she might face, he said.

“It’s easy to go out and play in front of this many people,” Shelnut said after the Gators’ win June 9. “They push us. We want to get in touch with them as well as ourselves.”

"It's a tough balance,” he said. “But I love her and let her know that.”

All the success from the weekend draws back to the team-wide effort that Florida harped upon.

@abrittonharr abritton-harr@alligator.org

“We gotta just stick to what we’re doing as a team,” Rivera said. “It’s gotten us pretty far, and I’m excited to see where it takes us.

O’Sullivan made it explicit the run was all about the team.

“I hate naming names because you start leaving people out,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s just a great group effort.”

The Gators will begin their College World Series run Friday against the Virginia Cavaliers. The start time will be released when the Super Regionals conclude June 12.

@lukeadrag ladragna@alligator.org

Chloe Hyde // Alligator Staff Florida baseball graduate student BT Riopelle and junior Dale Thomas celebrate after the Gators’ 4-0 win against South Carolina Saturday, June 10, 2023.