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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2023

GNV4All tackles learning achievement gap with new pre-school center

THE GEZ FAMILY LEARNING CENTER OPENED ITS DOORS TO LOW-INCOME, BLACK FAMILIES AUG. 10

By Valentina Sandoval Alligator Staff Writer

While some young children arrive at school every morning ready to learn, others sit at their desks with their heads down all day.

Those are the children Schuran Cartwright, the 53-year-old assistant director of the Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center, worries about most: the ones who don't get enough sleep, skip dinner before bed or encounter other struggles that impact their readiness to learn.

“You will wonder, ‘Did they have a rough night, did something go wrong at home, they had a bad drive to school?’” Cartwright said. “You never know what their differences are opposed to that child who just walks in ready to go.”

33, embraces Cairo, 2, while they play with another student

Center on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.

The GEZ Family Learning Center is a new preschool center founded by the local nonprofit

Gainesville for All, known as GNV4ALL, which seeks to address racial and economic inequities in the community.

The center opened its doors to Alachua County families Aug. 10 and is located on the Metcalfe Elementary School campus. Roughly 20 students ranging from 6 weeks old to 4 years old currently take advantage of the resource, Cartwright said.

The center divides students by age into five groups: a class of infants and a class for each age group from 1 to 4 years old. Each small class has its own teacher to focus on their learning.

The center’s mission is to close the educational achievement gap between Black and white students in Alachua County. Staff aims to accomplish this by encouraging families to be more involved in their children’s education and connecting them with teachers and available resources in the community, she said.

“We say that family is in our title for a reason,” Cartwright said. “It’s because we not only want to educate children in our

SEE ACHIEVEMENT, PAGE 5

Hurricane Idalia leaves Alachua County mostly unscathed, slams Big Bend region

The storm changed paths the night of Aug. 29, sparing Gainesville the worst of the damage

By Kylie Williams Alligator Staff Writer

As Florida’s Big Bend communities recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Idalia, the Alachua County community is grateful to not have met the storm's eye.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Keaton Beach as a high Category 3 storm Aug. 30 at 7:45 a.m. With maximum sustained winds at 125 mph, Idalia brought heavy rains and over 6 feet of storm surge to northwest Florida’s coastal cities.

Alachua County suffered minor damages. Several trees and power lines came down across Gainesville, and some roadways were blocked.

There was one death in Alachua County attributed to Idalia, according to a Florida Highway Patrol Official press release. A 59-year-old Gainesville man was involved in a car crash on State Road 20 while the

storm’s outer bands swept through the city.

About 14,500 Gainesville Regional Utilities customers lost power the day of the storm, said GRU Communications Director David Warm. All outages were fixed within the same day.

During Hurricane Idalia, deputy sheriffs in Alachua County staffed emergency shelters, increased patrols and were deployed to help with downed power lines. Several members of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office also traveled to the Big Bend region to help with relief efforts, ACSO spokesperson Chris Sims said.

Alachua County, which was originally forecast to get a direct hit from Idalia, was spared when the storm shifted west. If it hadn’t, Gainesville could have seen severe damage, Mayor Harvey Ward said.

“There would very likely have been loss of life and tremendous property damage,” he said.

Ward was proud of how the community

and the city responded to the hurricane. He appreciated the community listening to local officials and staying indoors, he said, and was impressed at the response from the city’s emergency operations team.

UF impact

UF also avoided damage by the shift in Hurricane Idalia’s path, UF Director of Emergency Management Kenneth Allen said. Although UF closed its campus from noon Aug. 29 through Aug. 30, the university resumed full operations by Aug. 31.

“Even that little bit of shift over to the west dramatically improved our outlook,” he said.

UF Southwest Recreation Center also opened as an emergency shelter on campus. Fewer than 10 guests sheltered there due to the storm’s minimal impact, he added.

GRACE Marketplace

Ahead of the storm, Alachua County opened emergency shelters. One of the emergency shelters, located at local homeless shelter GRACE Marketplace, took in 150 residents Aug. 30. GRACE, which has a normal capacity of 129 beds, was open to taking in up to 300 residents, executive director Jon DeCarmine said.

GRACE also ensured that residents in its housing programs were stocked with emergency supplies. What’s considered a mild hurricane to most people can be a lot more daunting to those who are only protected by a tent or a blanket, DeCarmine said.

“Making sure that we’re available to provide shelter to people in crisis is what we do every day,” he said.

Damage statewide

While Alachua County didn’t experi-

SEE HURRICANE, PAGE 5

Diego Perdomo // Alligator Staff Jess Hunt,

in the one-year-old class in the Gainesville Empowerment Zone’s Family Learning

The aftermath of the Senate's special meeting, election map to be debated

Petition, counter petitions filed to the UF Supreme Court

By Vivienne Serret Alligator Staff Writer

A recent Senate meeting continued Senators' battle over voting districts, which could impact who represents students in the upcoming Fall election.

Over the Summer, both Gator and Change affiliated Senators formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Fall 2023 Apportionment Realignment to refine the way off-campus students will elect their Fall senators.

With this came the Student Senate Bill 2023-1175 — The Fall 2023 Apportionment Realignment Act (FARA), but the bill could not be heard over the Summer due to the last Senate meeting failing to meet quorum.

UF Senate President Oscar Santiago Perez (Change-District D) sent an email to current Student Government Senators requesting a special Senate meeting for Aug. 27 at 8:30 p.m.

Santiago Perez requested the special meeting to conduct the first reading for FARA.

The meeting was also requested to consider the nominations for the University Committees to consider the Senate delegate, alternate to the Faculty Senate and consider Judicial and Executive Agency Nominations.

The special meeting was called to order at 8:38 p.m. by Santiago Perez and adjourned at 11 p.m. due to the Reitz Union closing. Quorum was established with 67 senators present.

The Senate voted against passing the apportionment proposal under first readings during the special meeting. Both parties believe their suggested apportionment maps bring a series of issues.

Gator said registrar data is inaccurate, which would require 37 off-campus seats to better represent the student body. Change believes Gator’s proposed map would not represent a fair amount of diverse

students.

Students can expect these issues to be further addressed at the Sept. 5 Senate meeting.

Gator's side

UF Student Body President Olivia Green, Rules and Ethics Committee

Chairwoman Lililana Clark (GatorDistrict A) and former Minority Party Leader Bronson Allemand (GatorDistrict A) filed a petition to the UF Supreme Court Aug. 19.

The petition states there are 60,743 people listed as students and 10,931 do not have a local ZIP code listed, according to the Fall 2022 data from the Office of the University Registrar. Therefore, 18% of the Student Body population is not able to be accounted for when apportioning seats for the Senate, the petition argues.

“It is evident that data cannot be used which is this inaccurate, and there must be an alternative model to avoid problems concerning the truth that it is impossible to definitively state that one can have an accurate picture of how many UF students live in specific parts in or outside of Gainesville,” the statement read.

The petitioners are requesting for the court to grant Ethan Halle, the supervisor of elections, authority to adopt the petitioner’s proposed remedial apportionment of seats for the Fall 2023 Senate election.

The Ad Hoc Committee on Fall 2023 Apportionment Realignment offered a chance to thoroughly analyze the registrar data and ensure students are properly represented, Clark said.

“When looking at the data, we found that less than 17,000 students had Gainesville-area addresses,” Clark wrote in an email. “This presented major concerns for the previous A-D District model, and led me to believe that it was no longer an accurate model for the 60,000+ student population.”

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Clark believes Change Party affiliates opted to use over 36,000 addresses outside of the Gainesville area and integrate them into the existing A-D model. She argues for 37 off-campus Senate seats because of the deep flaws in the registrar’s data.

“While on the Ad-Hoc committee, I learned that I did not have any address listed for Fall 2021 or 2022, despite the fact that I was required to enter it on ONE.UF,” Clark wrote.

Clark believes keeping the district system would be a major disservice to the student body and completely ignorant of the data, she said.

Change’s side

Santiago Perez said voting against passing the apportionment proposal has made any Fall 2023 Apportionment map unable to be added to the agenda per Rule XIV 1(e), they wrote in an email.

Santiago Perez believes they are witnessing the death of a representative democracy within Student Government.

Stephens said they are appalled at the Gator Caucus’s decision and hopes students who are watching will reach out to their representatives from the Gator Caucus to get their act together, deeming it “fascism.”

“FARA would have not only protected our multi-district seat allocation that protects and affirms racial diversity and composition within our legislature,” Stephens wrote in an email. “It also ensures that our oncampus residence halls are allocated properly in accordance with the UF Constitution, the Florida Constitution, and the U.S. Constitution.”

Santiago Perez submitted a counter-petition to the UF Supreme Court, appointing Stephens to argue the case on their behalf.

“The matter has now been punted off to the Supreme Court,” Santiago Perez wrote. “Which has historically been filled with individuals who are backed by the same Florida Blue Key individuals who support the System Party.”

Santiago Perez believes it is evident Gator’s data and analysis of the legislative map is both outdated and blinded. They said the petitioners utilized a false record of data that was not utilized in any way during the crafting of FARA.

“The current proposed map as represented under the Petitioners’ brief violates a multitude of State and internal laws/constitutional provisions, which only further puts our government in the crossfires of severe litigation,” Santiago Perez wrote.

@vivienneserret vserret@alligator.org

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Hurricane Idalia brings pet fostering surge to local animal shelters

STORM INSPIRES GAINESVILLE RESIDENTS TO TAKE IN ‘HURRICANE FOSTERS’

By Zoey Thomas Alligator Staff Writer

The Humane Society of North Central Florida manages 250 fosterable animals, but on the morning of Aug. 30, not one could be found at the shelter.

The Humane Society and other Alachua animal shelters began efforts late last week to find foster homes for their animals to wait out Hurricane Idalia. The storm made landfall in Florida the morning of Aug. 30 but spared much of Gainesville.

The cinderblock building would have kept animals safe regardless, but the shelter wanted to keep its employees off the roads during the storm and give animals a break from the facility, said Humane Society director of development Leesha Baumann.

A successful social media and flier campaign led the Humane Society to both find foster homes for all its animals, with the exception of ringworm-positive cats that aren’t fosterable, and for five dogs in outdoor kennel facilities taken in from the Dixie County shelter during the storm, Baumann said.

“Once the storm was announced … we started by posting in our foster group to get as many animals out to current fosters as possible,” Baumann said. “Then we went to our general social media and did a plea to the community.”

The foster program isn’t exclusive to hurricanes. At any given time, two-thirds of its animals are living outside the shelter with foster homes, Baumann said. These volunteers take pets into their homes temporarily until the animals are adopted, while the shelter provides

By Sophia Bailly

Alligator Staff Writer

Richard Conley was corralling his cat Marley into a carrier and loading his car with essentials when a highway patrol officer arrived on his doorstep in Cedar Key around noon Aug. 29.

The officer asked if Conley, an associate professor of political science at UF, was following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mandatory evacuation order for Levy County ahead of Hurricane Idalia.

“Nobody can force you to leave your home, but it’s kind of silly to stay, especially with something like this when you know it’s coming,” he said.

Within the hour, Conley was driving to the panhandle to stay in a camper.

Hurricane Idalia, a Category 3 storm, swept through Florida’s Big Bend region last week, causing significant damage to many coastal communities like Cedar Key and Perry.

DeSantis, who announced his candidacy for president May 24, put his campaign on hold to focus on the storm’s impact on Florida. He held 16 press briefings or live-streamed updates throughout the week and issued mandatory evacuations for 46

supplies and medical care.

“It’s fantastic in a college town because we have a lot of college students who miss having their pets at home,” Baumann said. “We’re able to help fill that gap for them while they’re here.”

While increasing the total number of fostered pets from two-thirds to all of the shelter’s animals in the span of five days proved challenging, Baumann viewed the occasion as a win for the shelter.

“Any time we can get animals in a foster home, it’s always positive,” Baumann said.

Many fosterers go on to adopt the animals they take in — an instance known as a “foster fail.” Foster fails are common for hurricane pets — so much so that the Humane Society waives adoption fees for anyone who adopts their hurricane foster.

When Hurricane Ian hit Florida September 2022, the storm led several dogs to their “forever homes” through storm fostering, Baumann said.

“We had a dog … found tied to a pole in one of the skate parks,” Baumann said. “We sent him out with a hurricane foster … and they kept him and brought him to every adoption event all the way from September until December before deciding that they really loved him and he was going to be a permanent part of their family.”

Skye Barkley, 35, works as foster coordinator for Alachua County Animal Resources — a public shelter that provides services like housing, vaccinations and microchips for homeless animals.

Like Baumann, Barkley emphasized the surprising bright side of hurricane fostering. Even if volunteers don’t adopt their foster animals, they can still discover aspects of their personalities — like whether they get along with children or other dogs — that shelters

counties, including Alachua, Levy and Citrus counties.

Recent national polls show DeSantis with roughly 18% of voter support for the Republican nomination, making him a distant runnerup to former President Trump. As the 2024 presidential election nears, DeSantis along with seven other GOP candidates are trying their best to steal Trump’s lead and score the Republican party nomination.

DeSantis’ hurricane response might not give him a national boost in Republican polls for his presidential campaign, but it does demonstrate his ability to lead during a disaster, Conley said.

“If DeSantis had gone ahead and gone campaigning and just left all of us, I think Floridians would be mad,” he said.

Leading one of the largest states through a hurricane offers DeSantis an opportunity to gain voters’ favor, Conley said.

“But does that really parlay into something that will get voters elsewhere outside of Florida on board with this campaign, especially since Trump has such a commanding lead?” he said.

At a press conference for the storm in Tallahassee Aug. 30, DeSantis listed off eight urban search and rescue teams, 33 ambulance

can use later, Barkley said.

“It can be a little stressful to get them out, but it’s completely worth it,” Barkley said. “Even if it’s for a few days, we will get some pretty good notes [on the dog] … so that we can advertise them on our end to find the best adopter possible for them.”

ACAR holds 70 to 80 adoptable animals at a time. While it usually fosters out about three animals per week, 12 dogs went out to foster homes during the storm — 10 of which were taken in by people who had never fostered before but were inspired to help by the emergency situation, Barkley said.

“These were big, big numbers for us,” Barkley said. “Some of our old dog fosterers were like ‘Hey, we’re back in the market, we can help out.’ But the majority of them were new.”

One of those dogs, one-year-old Jake from State Farm, waited out Idalia with Brandi Ormerod, who owns the cage-free doggy daycare and boarding facility Camp Run-a-Mutt in Gainesville.

Camp Run-a-Mutt has worked closely with ACAR for the past two years and runs a “Dog Day Out” program where shelter volunteers bring rescue animals to visit the camp for the day to socialize.

When Ormerod saw ACAR’s plea for hurricane fosterers on Facebook, she drove to the shelter immediately.

“What’s beautiful about it is you’re getting the dogs out of the shelter for the storm. But you’re also spending a lot of time with these pups and getting notes that the shelter staff wouldn’t necessarily be able to get,” Ormerod said.

Ormerod discovered that Jake loves baths, swimming and getting his nails done. She also took pictures of him to advertise on social media, and her efforts paid off Sept. 1 when two

strike teams, 5,500 National Guards and Coast Guard on standby. There were also more than 30,000 linemen stationed, 1,100 generators prepared for traffic regulation and 1.2 million gallons of fuel staged, DeSantis added.

“We just hope everybody stays safe,” he said during the conference. “Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point.”

In the aftermath of the storm, DeSantis has traveled to Taylor, Levy, Madison and Suwannee counties to distribute food to residents and meet with first responders and linemen for recovery efforts. More than 220,000 meals, 150,000 water bottles and 3,000 tarps have been distributed to the state’s nine different Points of Distribution, according to the governor’s website.

DeSantis announced that 13 counties will receive help from the Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Idalia, which reimburses debris removal and authorizes individual assistance for residents. President Joe Biden approved the plan for Levy, Lafayette, Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Colombia, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Madison, Pasco, Suwannee and Taylor counties.

Tim Marden, a city commissioner for Newberry and chairman of the Alachua County Republican Party,

Santa Fe College students saw her posts and came to adopt him.

“Everyone’s stepping up to help out for the hurricane,” Oremerod said. “It’s a really good, wonderful thing.”

Another ACAR hurricane fosterer, Susan Ducheneau, a 39-year-old business analyst and two-year Gainesville resident, has fostered eight dogs with her family since December 2022. Like Ormerod, Ducheneau was inspired by ACAR’s Facebook post.

“We decided to go see if there was [a dog] we could bring home just to … get them out of the shelter from the scary situation,” Ducheneau said.

The family’s hurricane foster Bullseye plays well with the “foster fail” they adopted earlier this year, Baumann added.

Olivia Warner is no stranger to fostering failures. When the 20-year-old UF animal sciences junior took in her first foster cat in Fall 2022, the cat ended up giving birth in her apartment and Warner kept one of her three kittens.

Warner loves fostering with the Humane Society, but the influx of community aid didn’t leave her the chance to take in another foster during Hurricane Idalia.

“The Humane Society was reaching out to people for the storm … they ended up all getting fosters before I saw the post,” Warner said. “But if they hadn’t been, I would definitely have taken one and I definitely will in the future.”

Both Humane Society and ACAR are continuing to foster out dogs and cats to interested volunteers, who can stop by either shelter to get matched with an animal and receive information and supplies.

@zoeythomas39 zthomas@alligator.org

state. DeSantis didn’t confirm plans to meet with the president. DeSantis’ spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said a meeting between the president and governor would take time away from recovery efforts.

said Florida’s government has spent decades revising hurricane response and preparedness, so DeSantis won’t hold a national spotlight for long over a disaster response that feels routine.

“There’s all sorts of opportunities to fail,” Marden said. “There’s really few opportunities left to really rise to the occasion and really be a champion for recovery.”

To Marden, DeSantis did what he was supposed to as Florida’s sitting governor, and if anything, recovery efforts could paint him as a hero.

“In the world of politics, you get very good at making good things out of bad situations,” Marden said.

Danielle Hawk, chair of the Alachua County Democratic Party’s Outreach Committee, said DeSantis has neglected his commitment to Florida since he announced his presidential candidacy.

“Governor Ron DeSantis fortunately decided to take a short break from his failing presidential campaign to come home during a crisis,” Hawk wrote in an email. “Thankfully, President Joe Biden was ready to step in by offering our state additional funding to rebuild our communities.”

Biden arrived at the Gainesville Regional Airport Sept. 2 to assess hurricane damage throughout the

Hawk said the Alachua County Democratic Party hopes DeSantis “stops playing politics” and accepts resources from the Biden-Harris Administration.

Julia Ferenac, a 20-year-old UF business administration junior, said the government’s disaster response is a non-partisan job obligation that was upheld during Hurricane Idalia.

“I don’t typically agree with the state of Florida’s politics, but with hurricane response, [DeSantis] declared a state of emergency, he had evacuation in effect for the right counties but also not for every single county,” she said.

It is DeSantis’ job as the governor to look after the state, Ferenac said, even if that means putting his presidential campaign on the back burner. However, to gain support from potential voters, she doesn’t think the hurricane will do much to help his platform. Voting comes down to politics and policies, not natural disasters, she said.

“The political climate of the U.S. is so polarized right now that things like [the hurricane] are not what’s going to change peoples’ minds,” Ferenac said.

DeSantis pauses presidential campaign for Hurricane Idalia State hurricane preparedness was what it needed to be, Florida residents said

Center opened early August

center, but we also want to educate the families as well.”

Alachua County has the largest achievement gap between Black and white students of any school district in Florida. For the 202122 school year, only 22% of Black students reached a moderate achievement level for mathematics and 25% for English Language Arts, compared to 68% of white students reaching a moderate achievement level for mathematics and 70% for ELA, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Metcalfe Elementary’s student population is 87% Black, according to its public school report card. For the 2022-23 school year, only 24% of third and fifth graders and 30% of fourth graders passed the ELA state assessment. For the math assessment, only 26% of third graders, 30% of fourth graders and 21% of fifth graders passed.

Increased parental involvement is key to closing the achievement gap, the center’s director Angellia Walker said.

The center is looking to hire a family outreach coordinator who would help plan events where parents can connect with the teachers and learn about resources that address issues like food insecurity and financial instability.

“Hopefully, through strengthening the family in the early education of their children, we can not only help the child be ready for kindergarten but possibly have given the parents some tools,” Walker said.

The FLC also works with nearby elementary schools, like Metcalfe and Marjorie K. Rawlings, to monitor students’ transition to higher grades. This allows Walker and other staff members to better understand the center’s impact on student’s education, she said.

A large part of the center's success stems from its partnership with Alachua County Public Schools. The school district provides the facility's Metcalfe campus location for free, pays a portion of the center's monthly utilities expenses and supplies other other helpful resources, according to ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson.

“We recognize that so many of our students enter school in kindergarten, and they are just not ready to learn yet,” Johnson said.

ACPS has high hopes for the center’s achievement. Johnson hopes the services the center provides will help both students and parents to be successful academically as well as socially and behaviorally once they enter school, she said.

Although the preschool center is only in its first weeks of opera -

tion, its teachers and supporters feel optimistic about the future.

Laporsha Smith, a 44-year-old Gainesville resident and educator, teaches the 4-year-old students at the center. She said more areas across the country should put more effort into creating preschool programs to help children adapt to a K-12 school environment.

“My vision for this place is for it to expand,” Smith said. “Other schools can start branching off parts of their buildings to open for preschools.”

The center’s teachers and leaders are not the only people who believe in the importance of preschool education. GNV4All was awarded two $350,000 grants for the center's creation by the Gainesville City Commission and Alachua County Commission in 2022. Both donations came from American Rescue Plan funds.

Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut supports the center’s mission to dissolve Alachua County’s achievement gap and voted in favor of the commission’s grant in 2022. The more learning opportunities children have, the better prepared they are to enter the K-12 educational system, she said.

“Quite simply, it’s an investment in our future,” Chestnut said.

Children need teachers who

put in the effort and will go the extra mile for them, Cartwright said. That is what she wants for the school.

“It’s gonna take a lot of family involvement,” Cartwright said. “It's not just gonna take that ‘meet the teacher’ one time.”

Families can pay full price for the center's tuition or receive assistance through the VPK and School Readiness initiatives from the Early Learning Coalition of

Alachua County. The average cost of enrollment is $300 per week, but for low-income families who qualify, the ELCAC pays up to $250 a week, Cartwright said. Once the FLC finishes building an outdoor playground, it will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony in mid-September to celebrate the center’s opening.

@valesrc vsandoval@alligator.org

Gainesville mostly unharmed

HURRICANE, from pg. 1

ence severe damage, parts of northwest Florida were devastated by the storm.

Cedar Key, which took a direct hit from Idalia, is one of the areas in Florida that suffered the most damage. UF IFAS has a nature coast biological station in Cedar Key, which didn’t respond for comment. Cedar Key will be recovering for a long time, said Carrie Stevenson, an IFAS coastal sustainability agent in Escambia County.

“Islands are often cut through and dunes may take decades to rebuild,” Stevenson said.

Hurricane Idalia is the latest storm in an above-average hurricane season. In an average season, there are 14 named storms. Since June 1, there have been 11, UF Chief Meteorologist Jeffrey George said, which could be due to climate change — as warming ocean temperatures help fuel hurricanes.

“With sea level rise caused by climate change, we will also see higher storm surges and increased flooding in coastal and riverine areas,” Stevenson said in an email.

While ecosystems and human economies can bounce back from a hurricane, Stevenson said they’re not prepared to weather multiple severe storms every year. Trees in urban environments that aren’t demolished during a storm are still more vulnerable to disease and insect infestation.

With fewer trees in a city, there’s less chance to mitigate overly hot temperatures.

“That beautiful tree canopy around town could be devastated by intense winds,” Stevenson said. @KylieWilliams99

ACHIEVEMENT, from pg. 1

CJ Lee// Alligator Staff

CJ Lee// Alligator Staff

Evelyn Miguel // Alligator Staff

A large tree is uprooted in the parking lot of the Wells Fargo Bank at 4210 NW 37th PIace on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

El Caimán

Los residentes de Gainesville se reúnen para el inicio del festival internacional de la Semana de Bienvenida

EL FESTIVAL LLEVA ARTE, COMIDA, MÚSICA, HISTORIA Y CONCIENCIA CULTURAL A LAS COMUNIDADES LOCALES

By Nicole Beltrán & Bonny Matejowsky Escritoras de Personal de El Caimán

En el corazón del centro de Gainesville, el dulce aroma de los platos africanos y los ritmos de tambores japoneses llenaron el aire. Rápidamente surgió una multitud de espectadores al festival, emocionados por sumergirse en la celebración multicultural de la unidad.

El Centro Internacional Greater Gainesville organizó su Festival Internacional Anual de la Semana de Bienvenida en Bo Diddley Plaza el 2 de septiembre.

El festival fue el evento de inicio de la Semana de Bienvenida, una campaña de una semana dedicada a reunir a miembros de la comunidad de diversos orígenes, lanzada por la organización benéfica Welcoming America en 2012.

Detrás de este evento está el ex alcalde Lauren Poe, de 52 años, quien fue alcalde de Gainesville de 2016 a 2023 y ahora es el director ejecutivo del Centro Internacional Greater Gainesville.

Su tiempo como funcionario electo influyó su perspectiva sobre cómo la ciudad sirve a la comunidad internacional, dijo.

Poe, junto con Steven Kalishman, crearon la organización en 2023 para conectar a la diversa comunidad de Gainesville a través de la cultura, la educación y el empoderamiento económico.

La organización sin fines de lucro se basa en organizaciones previamente establecidas, como el Centro Internacional de la UF y el programa de ciudades hermanas de Gainesville.

Kalishman, de 69 años, es el presidente de la junta directiva de la organización y el director del programa de ciudades hermanas de Gainesville. Ha estado trabajando con el programa de ciudades hermanas desde 1982 y le apasiona expandir el alcance internacional de Gainesville.

Este programa construye una relación permanente entre Gainesville y una ciudad extranjera. Gainesville tiene una lista diversa de 10 ciudades hermanas, incluyendo Novorossiysk, Rusia; Jacmel, Haití y Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Kalishman espera que las organizaciones participando puedan poner a Gainesville en el mapa como un destino mundialmente reconocido para los negocios, la educación, la cultura y la innovación.

"Tenemos todos estos vecinos internacionales, pero todos están en sus propios grupos haciendo las cosas por sí mismos", dijo Kalishman. "Estamos tratando de unir a todos y mostrar lo emocionante que es tener aquí a estas personas maravillosas que tienen grandes cuentos y grandes historias".

Residentes y organizaciones locales se reunieron para promover la importancia de la apreciación cultural.

El Centro de Educación sobre la Cultura India colocó su organización cerca del escenario, alentando a los participantes a pasar y aprender más sobre sus iniciativas.

Raj Phosle, residente de Gainesville de 51 años y miembro de ICEC desde 2005, quería mostrar la cultura india y todas sus cosas maravillosas, dijo.

El festival también creó un enchufe para muchas formas de expresión artística y colorida.

MaryCruz Ruiz, residente de Gainesville, vendió pinturas, grabados y calcomanías vívidas en el evento. La artista de 23 años comenzó su pequeño negocio, “Creaciones de MaryCruz”, el año pasado, pero ha estado haciendo arte desde que se puede recordar.

Aunque nació en Florida, la familia de Ruiz es de México. Ella vino a Gainesville para trabajar en agricultura y aquí encontró un sentido de comunidad, dijo.

“Realmente se siente como un acto de servicio para mi familia o mis antepasados que lucharon demasiado para poder tener esta oportunidad”, dijo Ruiz.

La comida también atrajo a grandes multitudes al festival con una variedad de platos exóticos servidos a largas filas de invitados hambrientos.

Aisse Kane, residente con 45 años, dirige la empresa de servicios de comida, Flavorful, junto con su compañera de 38 años, Awa Kaba. Ambas mujeres, originalmente de África occidental, se conocieron en Gainesville y combinaron su pasión mutua por la cocina para crear Flavorful, una cocina de comida Africana

"Es sorprendente ver todos esos tipos de culturas y pequeñas empresas de diferentes orígenes", dijo Kane.

Aunque han trabajado en otros

Los asistentes al Festival Internacional Welcoming Week organizado por el Greater Gainesville International Center bailan con artistas de danza cultural en Bo Diddley Plaza en Gainesville el sábado 2 de septiembre de 2023.

festivales internacionales, las mujeres sirvieron su cocina por primera vez en el festival de la Semana de Bienvenida.

"Este es un evento increíble y definitivamente algo que necesitamos más para Gainesville", dijo Kane.

Aunque la Semana de Bienvenida orgullosamente mostró la intrincada variedad y belleza de la cultura, también sirvió como un recordatorio para los residentes locales y más allá de la batalla en curso para combatir la disparidad global.

"Lo que afecta a cualquier país en cualquier otro lugar, nos afecta a nosotros aquí mismo", dijo Jacob Mofe Gordon, ex profesor de Estudios Africanos y Americanos en la Universidad de Kansas y presidente

del capítulo de las Naciones Unidas en Gainesville.

Otras organizaciones como la Coalición de Derechos Humanos del condado de Alachua y el Proyecto de Salud de las Mujeres Rurales también defendieron y promocionaron sus servicios en el evento.

"Siempre le digo a la gente que piense globalmente y actúe localmente", dijo Gordon.

Se programan más eventos en los próximos días para seguir conmemorando la Semana de Bienvenida.

@nicolebeltg nbeltran@alligator.org @bonnymatejowsky bmatejowsky@alligator.org

Gainesville residents gather for Welcoming Week International Festival kick-off

FESTIVAL BRINGS ART, FOOD, MUSIC, HISTORY AND CULTURAL AWARENESS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES

By Nicole Beltrán & Bonny Matejowsky

Alligator Staff Writers

In the heart of downtown Gainesville, the sweet aroma of Afro-fusion dishes and layered rhythms of a Japanese drumming ensemble filled the air. A crowd of festival goers quickly emerged, eager to immerse themselves in the multicultural celebration of unity.

The Greater Gainesville International Center hosted its annual Welcoming Week International Festival at Bo Diddley Plaza Sept. 2.

The festival was the kick-off event for Welcoming Week, a weeklong campaign

dedicated to bringing together community members from diverse backgrounds, launched by the nonprofit Welcoming America in 2012.

Behind this event is former mayor Lauren Poe, 52, who served as the Gainesville mayor from 2016 to 2023 and is now the executive director of the Greater Gainesville International Center.

His time as an elected official influenced his perspective on how the city does and doesn’t serve our international community, he said.

Poe, along with Steven Kalishman, created the organization in 2023 to connect Gainesville’s diverse community through culture, education and economic empowerment.

The non-profit builds off previously established organizations such as UF’s International Center and Gainesville’s Sister City

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

program.

Kalishman, 69, is the Board Chair of the organization as well as the director of Gainesville’s Sister City program. He has been working with the Sister City program since 1982 and is passionate about expanding Gainesville’s international reach.

This program builds a permanent relationship between Gainesville and a foreign city. Gainesville has a diverse list of 10 sister cities, including Novorossiysk, Russia; Jacmel, Haiti and Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Kalishman hopes that the organizations he’s involved in can put Gainesville on the map as a globally recognized destination for business, education, culture and innovation.

“We have all these international neighbors, but they’re all in their own groups doing things by themselves,” Kalishman said. “We’re trying to bring everybody together and to show how exciting it is to have these

wonderful people here that have great stories and great histories.”

Residents and organizations gathered together to promote the importance of cultural appreciation.

The Indian Culture Education Center placed its setup near the stage, encouraging attendees to stop by and learn more about its initiatives.

Raj Phosle, a 51-year-old Gainesville resident and member of the ICEC since 2005, wanted to showcase Indian culture and all of its wonderful things, she said.

Read the rest online at alligator.org. @nicolebeltg nbeltran@alligator.org @bonnymatejowsky bmatejowsky@alligator.org

Síganos para actualizaciones

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

Korean Corn Dogs Mr. Cow offers different corn dog flavors. Read more on pg. 7.

Adriel Bolocon// Alligator Staff

Corn Dogs by Mr. Cow brings Korean corn dogs to Gainesville

By Alexandra Burns Avenue Staff Writer

The smell of greasy oils and sugar floats through the open window into the crowded outdoor park, reminding customers of weekend nights at a festival. Two young toddlers dressed in matching tie-dyed shirts jump up and down, unable to control their excitement, as they ask for more whipped cream on their milkshakes and gaze in awe at the list of corndogs.

Fruity Pebbles, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and crispy potato fries are not typically the first toppings that come to mind when ordering a corn dog. However, the new local food truck Corn Dogs by Mr. Cow has reinvented the traditional idea of a corn dog, taking inspiration from South Korea through its sweet and savory combination of sugar-coated and spicy toppings with chewy fresh dough, beef and stringy mozzarella.

The mobile Korean corn dog kitchen first celebrated its grand opening Aug. 19 parked at Midpoint Park and Eatery — located on 931 SW Second Ave.

The truck, now open seven days a week, has risen in popularity among UF students and young families looking to grab a savory bite to eat while doing homework, chatting with friends or enjoying an afternoon with their children.

Founder Yunho Kim originally opened the corn dog business in Honolulu in 2019. This is the first food truck in the Corn Dogs by Mr. Cow chain, Co-Founder James Lee said, which includes over 10 sit-down restaurants in Hawaii and throughout the country.

The location was one of the main motivating factors in their decision to open a food truck in Gainesville, Lee said.

“We were looking for an available space in Gainesville and found this vacant trailer from the website,” he said. “The trailer was already custom-made for restaurant use. All kitchen equipment was placed in the trailer when we signed.”

Since opening, the food truck has surprised customers with its intricate menu and combinations of toppings and fillings.

The unique menu was inspired by the popular street food in South Korea, Lee said.

“There are several different K-corn dog brands in South Korea,” he said.

The corn dogs are skewered and created from freshly prepared dough and rice flour, filled with mozzarella, cheddar cheese or beef sausage and then rolled in toppings and sugar.

The toppings include Fruity Pebbles, bite-sized potato fries, caramel and sweet barley puffs, cinnamon with sweet potato fries and Flaming Cheeto crumbs with spicy mayo.

Gabby Drew, a 19-year-old UF psychology sophomore, tried the Flaming Potato corn dog for the first time and said she did not expect to love it so much.

“So you know how with greasy foods, it’s just traditionally you get fries or burgers or chicken nuggets,” Drew said. “It’s really good, but it’s not something traditional that you think of.”

Drew, a vegetarian, also appreciates the inclusivity of the menu, which provides vegetarian options.

“It’s really cool that I could get cheese in the middle so that way I could still experience it,” Drew said.

The mobile kitchen also sells milkshakes sourced from Korean ingredients with flavors such as blue soda and honeydew.

Amber Millan, a 34-year-old Gainesville resident, spent her Saturday afternoon at Midpoint Park and Eatery with her husband and two children. After ordering food from a neighboring food truck in the park, she said her children were looking for dessert and wanted milkshakes.

“The kids were excited about it,” Millan said as her son slurped down a blue milkshake. “These are nice and refreshing on a hot day.”

The variety and trendiness of the menu have brought in a large crowd since open -

ing.

Corn Dogs by Mr. Cow is hiring for morning and afternoon shifts. It also hopes to open a second location on UF campus with a bigger kitchen that allows it to make and serve other items, Lee said.

The mobile corn dog kitchen’s location has proved to be especially popular with students and families, who chat at picnic tables or throw frisbees in the grass while they wait for their corn dogs.

“I think the atmosphere here is really great,” Drew said. “If I was out with friends and we couldn’t decide what to eat and wanted something quick and greasy, I would totally come here.”

@alexaburnsuf alexandra.burns@ufl.edu

Sweet, spicy corn dogs become a fan-favorite at the new food truck at Midpoint Park and Eatery

Evelyn Miguel // Alligator Staff

James Lee, co-founder of Mr. Cow Corndog, serves customers at Midpoint Park Eatery on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

Union under siege: GAU, SB-256 and you

For those of you who are not already familiar, Graduate Assistants United is the labor union representing over 4,400 Graduate Assistants at UF. UF GAU is a family, a haven and a safeguard against entities that often don’t have our best interests at heart.

Our job is to protect our members and ensure graduate assistants have a voice at UF. In the past, GAU has obtained tuition waivers, fee relief, stipend increases, academic freedom protections and more. GAU protects these rights via our Collective Bargaining Agreement, a legally binding document. GAU’s ability to represent graduate assistants and fight for better working conditions is at stake after the passage of Senate Bill 256.

Effective July 1, the Florida Legislature passed SB 256 — a bill specifically intended to limit the power of educators labor unions in the state. Among other things, the bill requires educators unions like GAU to obtain and maintain 60% membership.

If GAU does not reach 60% membership by February, we could lose our union. This is an immense challenge that the Florida legislature has forced upon us. Despite this, we continue our commitment to uplifting each other.

What do we stand to lose?

There is too much at stake. Without a certified union, the rights and protections in the CBA could not be negotiated further. Without a certified union, there would be no entity that can legally uphold the clauses of the CBA. Here are specific things from our contract that we would miss out on without GAU:

Article 9: Academic Freedom. Protects academic freedom of all Graduate Assistants at the UF. It ensures that graduate assistants can speak freely about matters of university governance and to speak, write, or act as individuals without fear of institutional retaliation.

Article 10: Stipends. Stipulates a minimum salary for graduate assistants, and ensures that health ($142.29/semester) and transportation fees ($84.96/semester) are waived by UF. Without Article 10, graduate assistants could make less than provided ($17,000 for 9-month contracts at 0.5 FTE; $22,600 for 12-month contracts at 0.5 FTE) and pay more in fees. Salary increases would be left to the sole discretion of departments.

Article 11: Tuition Program. Ensures that graduate assistants employed at 0.25 FTE (10 hrs/ week) or more do not have to pay tuition, including additional costs associated with out-of-state tuition. Without Article 11, all graduate assistants would be responsible for paying, at minimum, $4,038.57 per semester.

Article 12: Health Insurance. Ensures that the university provides health care coverage for graduate assistants hired at 0.25 FTE (10 hours/week) or more, and establishes a low-cost premium of $12/month. Without Article 12, graduate assistants could be made to enroll in the university healthcare plan, costing the GAU $1,200 per semester.

How do we get to 60% membership?

Besides requiring educators unions to reach and maintain 60% membership, SB 256 also re-

Storms, teams and budgets

This past week the City of Gainesville, along with many other cities and counties across the coastal south, dealt with the effects of Hurricane Idalia.

Gainesville and Alachua County were fortunate to miss the worst of the storm, but the sound of chainsaws could be heard across the city as fallen trees and limbs were cleared from roads, lawns and, yes, homes.

I spent many hours with our excellent emergency services teams at the city’s Emergency Operations Center and was reminded how truly professional our city workers are. There is no team I would rather depend on in such a crisis than the one we have at the City of Gainesville.

The good news is that they are your team as well. We are here to serve every resident, guest, neighbor in Gainesville, and that includes you.

You should be proud of the folks providing municipal services to you here in our city, and you should rest easy knowing they are looking out for you.

Perhaps the best example of how well our city handled the storm is that about 24 hours after the tropical storm winds subsided, of the about 100,000 customers of Gainesville Regional Utilities, exactly one was still without power. That’s unheard of. With our community safe, our utility workers went to assist other communities who had more severe storm damage.

In the coming week the Gainesville City Commission will need to pass the budgets for our general government

voked the university’s ability to conduct dues deductions for the union. This means the moment SB 256 went into effect July 1, all GAU members stopped being dues-paying members. This poses an additional burden for GAU, as we need to rebuild our membership from scratch.

Thanks to the help of our parent unions, GAU has been quick in adapting and already has an established alternative system to collecting dues from members: eDues. Florida Education Association, a statewide federation of teacher and education workers’ labor unions, began working with the eDues system in 2011.

As part of this new system, members can securely enroll for dues to be automatically deducted once every payday through Plaid. Plaid is the same platform that powers commonly used payment services like Venmo, Zelle and CashApp.

The infrastructural support we have received from our parent organizations has made it easier for our union to survive. But the fight is certainly not over. Now GAU must ensure that all previous members make the switch to eDues, and that new members enroll to satisfy the 60% requirement.

We are positive that we can save the union and continue building on a legacy of over 50 years of hard work and amazing achievements from graduate assistants — but this is a group effort, and we need all hands on board.

Were you a GAU member before July 1?

If so, you may have received an email from FEA CMS with a link to switch to our new eDues system. If you have not done so yet, please proceed to make the switch; you will not be considered a member until you are on the new eDues system. If you were a GAU member before July 1 and you did not receive the email, or cannot find it, please email GAU at organizing@ufgau.org — we are very happy to help!

How do I become a member?

Becoming a member is easy and affordable. The only requirement to be a member and help reach the 60% goal is to pay dues. Dues are only 1% of your paycheck — for most of our members, less than a cup of coffee per paycheck!

The benefits of being a union member are representation during grievances, free legal counseling, access to free food and drink at payday parties, local and national discounts, and those of maintaining the union far outweigh the 1% cost.

If you are a new member, joining is easy! You can simply visit this website: https://feacms.floridaea.org/portal/fasttrack/79/form and complete the form. Otherwise, you can visit our website at www.ufgau.com and navigate to “take action” and “become a member” to access the form.

This column was written by GAU Communications Co-Chair Cassie Urbenz and GAU co-presidents Eva Garcia and Jacob Fiala

(public safety, parks and culture, public works, etc.) and for our utility operations. Our fiscal year begins Oct. 1 each year, and our tradition has been to pass these budgets and their associated resolutions and ordinances at our two regular meetings in September.

This is a very different budget year for the City of Gainesville than we are used to. In response to direction from the Florida legislature, last spring the city commission made drastic changes to the funds transferred from our municipal utility operations (GRU) to our general government operations.

Traditionally our city had kept local taxes relatively low by using this transfer of funds as a way for UF and other entities that do not pay local taxes to pay their fair share for the services they receive from the city. We enacted plans to reduce that transfer by more than half, which means we had to create a general government budget with a revenue reduction of more than 10%.

We are doing that in several ways. We’re reducing the general government workforce by about 10% — 125 positions — and we will all feel that reduction in workforce as a reduction in services. Make no mistake, the remaining workers will continue to show up and be the creative, hard-working professionals they are, and you will continue to count on basic government services, but there will be things that don’t work quite as well as we’re used to.

We are also meeting this challenge by increasing city property taxes. The city will still have a lower tax rate than our local public school taxes and our county taxes,

and there are many cities across Florida that will continue to have a higher tax rate than ours, but it will be felt.

Through all of this, we are not only maintaining most services, but we are also planning to increase spending on public safety, including police and fire rescue services. Keeping the people of our community safe will continue to be a priority.

We also have a variety of separate funds not subject to these reductions, and you will see them continue to make this a better place to thrive. We will be working harder than ever to develop collaborative projects with Alachua County, Santa Fe College, UF, state departments and federal partners.

This is a challenging budget season, but we will come out of it strong. We will continue to support you and all of our neighbors in a way you will be proud of.

The Alligator has graciously offered me this opportunity as your mayor to communicate with you regularly in this space, and I hope to use it to help you become more connected to your city government.

If you have questions or concerns, I hope you will reach out to me directly at wardhl@gainesvillefl.gov.

I’m glad you are part of this community, and I appreciate you taking a moment to read this column.

Cassie Urbenz GAU Communications Co-Chair Harvey Ward Mayor of Gainesville

©2023

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

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Will and Samantha Palmer lead the cross country team into a new season

By Isabella Morales Sports Writer

The Fall cross country season is approaching, meaning another cycle of new faces, performances and expectations. For Will and Samantha Palmer — who recently joined Florida as coaches — “new” has become familiar.

The 2023 season marks their first season coaching the Florida Gators cross country team. However, the balanced dynamic that embodies their coaching style is nothing new for the husband-wife duo.

The Palmers understand what it takes to lead a successful team as the couple had coached together for four-and-a-half years at the University of Alabama.

In January, the Palmers were officially welcomed into Gainesville. Will was designated as the associate head coach for cross country and assistant track and field coach, and Samantha as the assistant coach for cross country and track and field.

They’ve guided numerous runners to All-American and Southeastern Conference honors and even a third place finish for Alabama’s women’s team at the 2022 NCAA cross country championships.

Between these two coaches, there’s a special way they complement each other to keep their dynamic strong and working well, Samantha said.

“We always joke that he’s the tortoise and I'm the hare,” Samantha said. “I want to get stuff done, I want to be on top of things … and Will is very well organized and very detail-oriented.”

The Palmers acknowledge how they balance each other out. Leading a group of roughly 45 runners to remain motivated and content throughout the season is no easy feat, yet their relationship seems to be positive for the team, they said.

“They are so open in communication with one another,” sophomore runner Caroline Bauer said. “That's why I love the husband-wife duo, there’s not a lot of teams that have that out there.”

Will and Samantha coach the

women and men’s team together, and Bauer sees that as something special. She feels that the support they provide, both in running and other aspects of life, makes the team her home away from home.

“It's been a lot of fun, but also when it’s time to get to business, we get to business,” Bauer said.

The Palmers enjoy maintaining a fun environment with their team, they said. They’ve hosted Taylor Swift karaoke nights at their home, created bracelets together and Samantha even runs with the women’s team on recovery days.

In fact, the same fun energy the coaches reinforce is what Samantha said initially attracted her to UF.

“There's just something special about Florida,” she said.

Samantha specifically recalls being at Texas A&M for the indoor SEC meet in February 2022, and during the 4x400-meter relay, the Gators section was going insane, cheering for their team.

“It was the coolest thing ever,” she said. “I wanted what those athletes had, and the staff had. It was something special and different from the other teams in the SEC.”

The most enticing aspect about the Florida job was the way the Gators’ running operates, Will said.

Mike Holloway, the head coach for sprints, hurdles and relays for the track and field team, had a big impact on the couples’ decision, Will said.

“When you see the program at meets and stuff like that, it's a really cohesive team, and I think that comes from Coach Holloway,” Will said. “If there's one thing that really drew us, it's a really integrated and together track team.”

The unified and unfragmented program at UF emulated a familylike atmosphere, Will said. For the Palmers, the idea of having a family of their own was fairly new as they entered their roles as coaches in Gainesville with their 1-year-old son Liam.

“He comes out to practice on the weekends, he travels on the road with us,” Will said. “He's

going to be a track baby and it's kind of neat.”

Samantha and Will make the same joke, explaining how having Liam around is actually made easier by their 45 new babysitters. Yet, the family found the initial transition into Florida difficult.

After they moved from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Samantha and her son, Liam, were continuously traveling back and forth between Gainesville and their old home for a month. The Palmers initially lived in a hotel because the contract on their home didn’t close until February.

With their newborn now in daycare, the family deems life as a bit more organized going into this cross country season, Will said. The coaching pair is prepared to guide the women and men’s teams through the ups and downs of running, especially by creating an open, comfortable space for their athletes.

“We're really upfront with our athletes,” Will said. “If you've got something going on, and you want to come see me, come see me. But if you want to go see Sam, see Sam. We're interchangeable parts in that way.”

Being a husband-wife duo helps the Palmers balance each other out as coaches, Sam said. Their differing personalities help them create individual connections with their athletes, which encourages a positive atmosphere among the team.

As coaches, Will explained he and Samantha set realistic expectations for their team in order to meet certain checkpoints throughout the season.

“But it's really less about those outcomes than it is creating positive momentum and getting them to find ways to come together as a team,” Will said.

Neither the Florida men nor women’s cross country team qualified for nationals last season. The only individual who represented Florida at nationals was redshirt junior runner Parker Valby.

The women’s team is predicted to finish ninth at the NCAA Division I cross country nationals in November by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Although the men’s team is not ranked in this preseason poll, they are expected to finish eighth at the SEC Champi -

onships.

“The guys are definitely in the building stage,” Will said.

The men’s team is looking to improve their performance from a year ago. With eight new recruits, Will hopes to get the team into the top half of the SEC by the end of the season.

Florida’s new cross country coaches bring a newfound energy to the team and hope to see a successful year ahead of them. Although a husband-wife coaching pair may be uncommon, Will and Samantha manage to find an equilibrium between their two personalities.

For the athletes, Bauer explains that having the Palmers as coaches is a blessing. With high expectations and the potential to achieve them, the runners are excited for what’s to come.

“They believe in us,” Bauer said.” That's the big message; they truly believe in us, support us and who we are as people and not just runners.”

@isasmorales imorales@alligator.org

‘He’s the tortoise and I’m the hare’: Introducing Florida cross country’s husband-wife coaching duo

Courtesy to The Alligator

Will and Samantha Palmer pose with their 1-year-old son Liam during the Gators' National Championship meet Friday, June 9, 2023 at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Gators open season with head-scratching loss

Florida lost 24-11 to Utah Aug. 31

By Luke Adragna Sports Writer

Florida head coach Billy Napier attempted to stay positive after a considerably unmemorable season opener. He touched on the several things that went wrong during the postgame conference and sounded strangely assured while doing so.

“A lot of credit to Utah,” Napier said. “Gators are continuing to get better. We’re going to coach better and play better in the future.”

The Florida Gators (0-1) fell to the No. 14 Utah Utes (1-0) 24-11 to open the 2023 season. The Gators suffered miscues in every facet of play and quickly fell behind to Utah, which was without its senior starting quarterback Cameron Rising.

It was Florida’s own mistakes that kept it out of the game. Offensively, the Gators suffered three false start penalties, two illegal formation penalties, a delay of game and a holding call.

“We just had too many penalties,” Napier said. “Those are things that we can do better.”

The Gators were unsuccessful on third downs and went 1-13 throughout the contest. Florida completed 40% of its third down attempts last season, which was sixth-best in the Southeastern Conference.

“First of all, we were behind the sticks quite a bit,” Napier said. “And then the third downs that we did have that were manageable, we had penalties.”

A lack of execution showed from the opening drive. Florida incurred a false-start penalty in a third-and-one situation, which led to UF going three-and-out.

Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes offered a quick response and aired out a 70-yard touchdown to wide receiver Money Parks on the Utes’ first play. Utah led 7-0 and never faltered.

The Gators’ mistakes weren’t just seen offensively. Many of the errors committed by UF occurred on special teams.

Sophomore kicker Adam Mihalek made one of two field goal attempts and missed a routine 31-yard kick. Junior punter Jeremy Crawshaw shanked a punt that traveled just 21 yards. Personnel errors occurred on special teams more than once as well.

Florida sent out two players wearing No. 3 to return a punt in the second quarter, which resulted in a penalty and first down. The Utes eventually scored a touchdown on the drive. In the fourth quarter, the field goal block unit had just eight players on the field during a 55-yard attempt.

The return-men didn’t make things any prettier for Florida either. Freshman wide receiver Eugene Wilson opted to field a punt at the oneyard-line and was tackled around the five.

He also decided to call for a fair catch on a punt that landed around the three-yard-line, but the play was called off due to two No. 3 jerseys on the field.

“We’ve got to communicate that better,” Napier said. “There’s no question that’s another thing that we control that we didn’t do the right way.”

However, despite the all-around poor performance, the head coach offered a sense of optimism.

“I think that you find out who you really are in difficult times,” Napier said. “I think this group is going to respond. I know that group in there. There’s fight in that group.”

It was difficult for redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz to get anything going on offense, but he still performed in his debut for the Gators despite the circumstances. He completed 70% of his throws for 333 yards and threw a touchdown and an interception.

His performance was one of the only positives of the game for UF. Penalties and weak offensive line play continually held the offense back all throughout the contest.

Florida’s offensive line allowed five sacks, seven tackles for loss and several quarterback pressures. It was without its starting center redshirt junior Kingsley Eguakun, who was out due to injury.

“Mertz got beat up a little bit,” Napier said. “We need to keep him clean in the future.”

The Gators’ run game was quiet most of the contest due to the challenge of playing from behind. UF’s tandem of running backs — sophomore Trevor Etienne and junior Montrell Johnson Jr. — averaged 3.1 yards per carry and combined for 31 rushing yards.

“We need to get production out of the two backs to be able to give them an opportunity to impact the game,” Napier said. “When we did run, it wasn’t necessarily as effective as we wanted it to be.”

Sophomore linebacker Shemar James was another bright spot for Florida on the other side of the ball. He finished with 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss — both of which are careerhighs.

However, he didn’t receive much help from the players around him, and the defensive pressure wasn’t a factor throughout most of the game. The team failed to record a sack.

“We fell short this game,” James said. “So we’re getting back to the drawing board, getting back to Gainesville and preparing for our next opponent.”

Florida hadn’t lost a season opener since 2017, but it proved to be too difficult playing at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Utah won 14 consecutive home games entering Thursday’s matchup. The last time the Utes were defeated at home was Nov. 21, 2020, which was when they lost 33-17 to Southern California.

“I think that whenever you’re in an away

environment, it kind of ramps up the possibilities of controllable things that pop up,” Mertz said. “There’s a lot of stuff that when we go out there in an away environment, that we have to hold each other accountable to and that will be a point of emphasis.”

Florida’s season opening loss can be pointed out by its lack of execution.

“Execution,” Mertz said. “That’s what I need to see from myself. I need to hold myself accountable to that.”

Napier added to the sentiment.

“I feel like we’re in the fight and we made tons of mistakes,” he said. “There’s gonna be a ton of teachable moments for a lot of young players … First thing I told the team after the game is, ‘Execution wins.’”

The Gators will look to redeem themselves in their season home opener against the McNeese State Cowboys (0-1) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

@lukeadrag ladragna@alligator.org

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff

The LSU Tigers swarm tackle freshman running back Trevor Etienne in the Gators' 45-35 loss to the LSU Tigers Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.