Monday, September 12, 2022

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VOLUME 117 ISSUE 4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

UF stays top five UF KEPT THE NO.5 SPOT FOR THE SECOND YEAR

By Christian Casale Alligator Staff Writer

No need to reprint the banners: UF is still a top-five public university.

The university has maintained its status as No. 5 national public university for the second year in a row, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best Colleges rankings released Monday.

UF tied for the fifth spot with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — a university UF shared the position with last year. University of California at Santa Barbara previously held the No. 5 ranking with UF and UNC, falling off from the top-five group in the 2023 rankings.

The U.S. News list follows a year where UF found itself at the center of numerous national and state headlines for alleged political influence on academic freedom and COVID-19 policies.

The ranking may cause a breath of relief for some administrators at Tigert Hall, as some have been concerned about whether the

university would hold on to its top-five standing.

Before the results were certain, President Fuchs told The Alligator another spot in the top five would be pretty magical.

“It would be a reflection of all the hard work of everyone, from alumni to faculty to staff,” Fuchs said. “It makes the degrees we get more valuable because other universities notice those rankings.”

In the overall rankings among national universities, which includes private institutions, UF’s standing did slightly waver — falling from No. 28 to No. 29.

Maintaining the No. 5 spot interrupts five straight years of UF’s climb up the public university rankings since entering the top 10. UF still remains the first and only Florida university to reach top-five status.

But for some, it isn’t a setback to the administration’s ambitions for UF’s national prestige.

“UF’s position in the rankings is reflective of our continual, rapid strengthening in teaching, learning and research performance — smaller class sizes, consistently high graduation and

SEE RANKING, PAGE 4

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff

Billy Napier lost his first game as Florida’s head coach Saturday night against the Kentucky Wildcats.

He took responsibility for the defeat and hopes to use it as a learning experience. “We can coach better; we can play better, and that starts with me,” Napier said. Read the story on page 11.

‘I can’t see’: Police release graphic K-9 mauling footage The K-9 that attacked the man will rejoin the force after training

By Lucille Lannigan Alligator Staff Writer

Terrell Bradley could barely see — his right eye protruding from his socket — as Gainesville Police Department officers shouted for him to put his hands behind his back. The police K-9 who mauled him finally let go.

“I can’t open my f-----g eye,” Bradley cried.

“You can stand,” one officer said. “Your legs work.”

GPD showed never-before-seen body-camera footage at a Thursday press conference about its K-9 encounter with 31-year-old Terrell Bradley, who was stopped for an alleged traffic violation July 10 and then fled from the officer after allegedly striking him with his elbow.

The graphic footage shows the incident between officers and Bradley as the police dog finds him, attacks him and is pulled away. Officers are seen going through with the arrest as

Bradley shouts and groans. They continued to struggle, pulling him up.

Bradley lost his eye after he was mauled by the K-9 in an incident that sparked widespread community outrage. GPD Chief Lonnie Scott said two officers were suspended Thursday with pay pending an investigation because of the incident. He declined to name them but said the review will be completed within two weeks.

The officers were suspended for comments made after Bradley’s arrest and after an internal investigation revealed they took pictures during the arrest, TV20 reported.

An internal investigation of the situation is ongoing. Scott said in the video shown during the press conference that GPD hired an outside consultant, V2 Global, to also review the situation and GPD’s K-9 policy.

The agency’s report said the traffic stop, response to resistance, search and use of the

police K-9 to apprehend Bradley was in compliance with GPD policy and law enforcement industry standards for the use of K-9s.

Though the police dog was “off the road for a while,” Scott said it’ll return to duty in a couple of weeks after receiving more training.

Officers also explained the steps taken in the traffic stop and subsequent K-9 deployment in a recorded video.

Bradley, a Black Gainesville resident, faces four counts for weapon possession and resisting law enforcement.

Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit signaled its intent to prosecute Bradley on these counts Wednesday. These charges include possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, carrying a concealed firearm, battering an officer and a separate one for resisting arrest.

These charges come after the process of the prosecutor reviewing evidence and interviewing the GPD officers who were involved in the

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Exclusionary zoning elimination still a hot button issue

The 2020 Heisman finalist sits down for a Q&A. Read more on pg. 11.

OPINION: UF doctoral student weighs in on graduate stipend raise

What’s new with Kyle Trask?

Story description finish with comma, pg#

Voters share how the proposed ordinance is impacting their mayoral vote in November, pg. 5

The stipend still isn’t enough for rent, groceries, pg. 8

arrest, said Darry Lloyd, a state attorney’s office spokesperson.

Agencies typically file charges, he said, then prosecutors assess the charges based on the state constitution and statute. The next stage of the arrest is the formal information or filing of charges by the prosecutor, Lloyd explained.

These charges then get presented to Bradley’s lawyer, Curtis Lee, and will finally go into litigation in court, he said.

The two investigations — V2 Global’s and GPD’s — have no impact on this prosecution process, Lloyd said.

“Ultimately, it’s the prosecutor’s job to determine whether we’re moving forward based on the law,” Lloyd said.

Bradley was pulled over by GPD after turning out of Sweetwater Square apartments without yielding to traffic, Cpl. Joseph Castor said in the conference video.

Despite Officer Andrew Milman’s original sworn complaint claiming he pulled Bradley

SEE BRADLEY, PAGE 6

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2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Students face pandemic fatigue, Today’s Weather anxiety as county monkeypox cases rise THERE ARE 9 REPORTED CASES IN ALACHUA COUNTY, AS OF SEPT. 10

By Melanie Pena Alligator Staff Writer

Navigating a public health crisis has become part of the norm for student life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as monkeypox casts a familiar air of uncertainty, UF students worry they could face another viral outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared monkeypox a public health emergency in July, with the Florida Department of Health reporting the first confirmed monkeypox case in Alachua County soon after.

As of Saturday, there are nine monkeypox cases reported in Alachua County, with one of the cases belonging to the 15 to 19 years age range and another in the 20 to 24 years age range. The number of reported cases increased by five since Aug. 29.

Alachua County has shared information about monkeypox from the Florida Health Department; however, response procedure isn’t at the county level because the area isn’t under a state of emergency, Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton said.

The past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic included quarantine periods, mask mandates and safety protocols. Many feel burnt out from dealing with the outcome of a pandemic and are wary of monkeypox.

Monkeypox is transmitted predominantly from intimate skin-toskin contact with an infected person, but it can also be transmitted through close contact with respiratory droplets, said Jerne Shapiro, UF Department of Epidemiology faculty member.

The symptoms of monkeypox include the emergence of rashes, fever, exhaustion and muscle aches.

The disease often lasts two to four

weeks, according to the CDC. Data from the CDC conveys that men who have sex with men make up the majority of monkeypox cases. Monkeypox vaccination and education efforts have been focused on that group, said Paul Myers, administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County.

However, LGBTQ advocates caution those who fear monkeypox to not repeat the stigmatization that came with the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Anyone who has been in personal contact with an infected individual is at risk, according to the CDC. While students have recently made their return to Gainesville, the risk of monkeypox is not directly tied to an increase in population, Shapiro said.

“It does bring people in that may have traveled, but the real risk for monkeypox comes with the number of sexual partners that you have had recently,” Shapiro said. “It's not transmitted through handshakes or casual contact. The majority of the population is not at risk.”

Alexandria Daves, a UF chemical engineering senior, said she fears contracting monkeypox and wears a mask to minimize her risk of catching any illnesses. The 21-year-old said she feels a little nervous about being on campus with the potential of monkeypox spreading.

But the nerves don’t trump her desire to attend classes in person.

“I go back and forth because when I hear about [monkeypox] on the news, I’m like ‘I need to make sure I’m washing my hands and keeping away from people,’” Daves said. “I started disinfecting my phone and my iPad and laptop when I get home.”

Jana Taher, a 20-year-old UF English senior, said she was concerned when she first heard about monkeypox over the summer. Taher worried the outbreak could impact her return to UF. “I was freaking out a lot because I was scared,” Taher said. “But it

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 4

ISSN 0889-2423

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seems like nobody cares.”

Most pretend COVID-19 and monkeypox don’t exist, even though they know the diseases are still present, because dealing with public health crises has been tiring, Taher said.

“What exactly are we supposed to do as a bunch of young adults when the universities, the state governments or city governments aren't doing anything to actually combat it — what are we supposed to do?” Taher asked. “We just have to keep going and pretend that it's not there even though it is, which is scary.”

With the start of a new school year and an increase in campus activity, UF released a statement Aug. 26 to update the university’s community on current public health concerns. UF’s statement mentioned there may be “probable [monkeypox] cases on campus.”

UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said UF’s monkeypox prevention policy is aligned with CDC guidance and recommends individuals avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with individuals who have a rash similar to monkeypox. People should also avoid sharing bedding, towels, clothing or kitchen utensils with those individuals.

Washing hands thoroughly and frequently is also recommended, Roldan said.

Read the rest online at alligator.org. @MelanieBombino_ mpena@alligator.org

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Man who recorded victim in UF dorm shower in December released on probation He served 81 days in the Alachua County Jail

By Lily Kino Alligator Staff Writer

The man caught recording a female student in a UF Murphree Hall shower was released from the Alachua County Jail Friday afternoon.

Deontre Mason, a 25-year-old Illinois resident, was arrested in Carterville, Illinois, on nine counts of video voyeurism from the UF Police Department June 22. He was brought back to Gainesville where he served 81 days in the Alachua County Jail, according to court records.

Mason was released from jail Friday afternoon, but will be electronically monitored for two years and on probation for at least three years, court records show.

UFPD received a call Dec. 2, 2021, from a woman who thought she was being recorded in her Murphree Hall shower. She saw a blue iPhone pointed at her while undressing in the bathroom, she said. The caller, however, was unable to identify the suspect.

Just days earlier, Mason confessed to recording a vic-

tim over the stall divider in a bathroom at the University of Central Florida, according to police reports. He was banned from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2020 for wandering a female dormitory.

Mason had no affiliation with UCF, PBAU or UF, police said.

UCFPD obtained a search warrant soon after for Mason’s phone and submitted it to a forensic laboratory for examination, where investigators found 37 videos he had taken in UF’s Murphree and Library West area.

The videos showed 18 different women in bathroom stalls, showers and stairwells, according to court records.

Mason may transfer his probation to Orlando and must complete a psycho-sexual evaluation and mentalhealth evaluation within 30 days of release, records show. He’s also forbidden to make any contact with any colleges or universities. @lily_kino lkino@alligator.org

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 ALLIGATOR 3

Part of Museum Road may open by October, multiple UF construction projects still underway STUDENTS AND FACULTY NAVIGATE NEW BUS ROUTES AND MODES OF TRANSPORT

By Peyton Harris Alligator Staff Writer

Being stuck in the emergency room was not how 20-year-old UF psychology junior Avery Dodge imagined spending an average Wednesday night last year.

On Dec. 22, 2021, Dodge was picking a friend up from the Midtown area on her electric scooter. Both Museum and Stadium Roads’ entrances were closed, as well as entrances on 13th Street, so Dodge took her scooter onto the busy West University Avenue.

She said she was brake-checked by a car and fell on her scooter. The resulting gash was so severe she had to go to the emergency room to be examined, she said.

If Dodge could drive through campus, which she considers a safer route with fewer cars, she said she may have avoided the injury.

Road closures are still a major concern for the UF community, as construction is still in process under UF’s Campus Landscape Master Plan and other projects slated to continue for at least another year. Reasons for road closures range from underground piping replacements to new campus structures, which have resulted in altered routes and transportation methods

for many.

However, an end may be in sight for some campus road construction in less than a month.

One of the largest stretches of road under construction is Museum Road, with sections east and west of Gale Lemerand Drive currently closed. The stretch of road from Newell Drive to the Center Drive intersection on Museum Road is projected to reopen Oct. 2, UF Business Affairs Associate Vice President Brandi Renton wrote in an email.

The new opening will hopefully alleviate transportation challenges for the UF community, she said. The current closure on Museum Road and Newell Drive is due to construction related to replacing chilled water, steam line and electrical duct banks, Renton added.

The lines are leaking, unsafe and more than 50 years old, Renton said. They are being replaced for safety reasons.

One of the busiest campus intersections — Gale Lemerand Drive and Museum Road — reopened the week of Aug. 15, Renton said, after it was closed to fix unforeseen underground pipe conditions.

Pipe conditions have also delayed the construction of Malachowsky Hall, the new data science building located across Museum Road from the Reitz Union. Malachowksy’s original projected completion date of March 2023 was extended for 30 days to April 2023, Renton said.

The budget for the new data science build-

ing is more than $150 million. It will house faculty and researchers from the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering, according to UF’s website for planning, construction and design.

The Museum Road section west of Gale Lemerand Drive has a longer span of time until completion: May 2. Until then, Renton recommends students plan ahead to avoid construction-related issues in areas like Museum Road.

“Our best advice to all students dealing with the current road closure situation is to remain patient and plan for additional time in your commutes or trips across campus,” she wrote.

One of the largest construction-related hurdles for students and faculty to overcome is adjusted bus routes and times. RTS detoured 12 of its 42 routes around areas affected by construction. With major closures on Museum Road, traffic has increased on the two remaining east-west campus roads, Stadium and Mowry, Renton wrote.

The UF Transportation and Parking Systems will continue to work to improve its transportation network, Renton said, but it’s also on students to be creative with their choice of transit.

“We encourage students to explore alternate methods of getting around campus,” Renton wrote, mentioning options such as bicycling, walking, riding e-scooters or using public transit.

Despite the promised improvement of infrastructure, Sophia Salvador said her commute

to campus is still a headache. The 20-year-old UF environmental engineering junior lives in the apartment complex West 20, and after two semesters of taking RTS bus routes 20 and 21, she still encounters issues of detours and roadblocks.

Before construction, the bus would stop at Hume Hall, but now it goes to a farther stop, which creates a longer walk to class, she said.

“It’s not that bad of a walk, but it can be stressful if I am running late, which happens sometimes if the buses get full, and I have to wait for the next one,” she said.

Biology professor Bernard Hauser said he feels comfortable getting through the construction by riding his bike. While it’s hard on all of the UF community to deal with construction, he thinks the end result will be worth the headache.

“When you have a chance to build a new building, you’re always going to take that chance,” Hauser said.

Other major construction projects expected to finish within next year include the construction site for Honors Village, Southwest Recreation North West building area and Florida Department of Transportation work on West University Avenue, according to UF’s Campus Closures website. @peytonlharris pharris@alligator.org

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

UF Graduate Assistants United expands recruiting efforts through first ‘payday party’ after stipend raise GRADUATE ASSISTANTS DIVIDED OVER WHETHER IT'S WORTH IT

By Siena Duncan Alligator Staff Reporter

On the upper floor of Cypress & Grove Brewery, about 50 graduate assistants chatted over food and drink Friday night. However, ongoing disputes about union membership lie beneath the surface.

Members and guests of the UF Graduate Assistant Union gathered at the brewery for a “payday party” — the first the organization has ever held. It was advertised as a gathering to celebrate getting paid that week, but GAU Co-President Rachel Hartnett said it was also part of recruiting efforts to bring more people into their union.

GAU’s bargaining unit, the group that receives the benefits of negotiations, totals around 4,400 people, Hartnett said.

However, Hartnett said not all of them are dues-paying members.

One of the issues GAU encounters, including at the payday party, is convincing graduate assistants to use some of their money toward the union.

Union members pay dues each year that are scaled according to how much they make: 1% of their stipend, according to the GAU website. Dues cover employment liability insurance and legal fees, as well as social events like the party. Hartnett used the free legal counseling when

she was almost required to work inperson during Spring 2021 as an immunocompromised person, she said.

Hartnett, Cait Clark and previous GAU Co-President Meridith Miska, planned the event to foster togetherness among the union.

It was meant to be a night of celebration for the graduate assistants’ increased paychecks arriving that day. Instead, Hartnett said it was bittersweet.

GAU and UF recently negotiated a $1,420 increase to the minimum stipend — the money graduate assistants receive each year for their work — raising it to $22,753 annually. However, the package they secured Aug. 18 ended up $15,580 less than GAU’s original offer.

“It’s not the finish line,” Hartnett said. “But it’s a goalpost along the way.”

Negotiations are scheduled to continue between GAU and UF Sept.

26 — this time for paid parental leave. GAU will start by asking for eight weeks of paid leave, the same amount granted to faculty in 2021, Hartnett said.

The payday party provided free food paid by GAU membership dues.

Attendees from the union received two tickets for themselves and their plus one. The ticket was valid for a free entree from the food truck Tommyknockers, which serves Southern-fusion food.

People who weren’t on the member list had to pay for food, but were still welcome to sit and eat in GAU’s reserved area of the brewery.

Siena Duncan // Alligator Staff

Graduate assistants gather at Cypress and Grove Brewery to celebrate at a “payday party” Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.

Most of Hartnett’s night was spent trying to recruit graduate assistants to the union, one of whom was Talia Jacobsen, a new graduate assistant from Chicago.

Still, 22-year-old Jacobsen said she wasn’t convinced to join.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I’m going to look into it a little bit more.”

Jacobsen is a part of the Plant, Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program. Her group of about seven fellow PMCB graduate assistants said they make higher stipends than the minimum: around $30,000.

The group of seven attended the

UF's second year at No. 5 RANKING, from pg. 1 retention rates, and the increased value of each student’s degree after graduation,” Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees, said in a UF press release.

UF Provost Joe Glover highlighted the university’s efforts in technology advancement with the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Academic Initiative Center and the Malachowsky Hall for Data Science and Information Technology.

He added the 2021 reduction of the faculty-student ratio to 17-to-1 was a major initiative to boost its standing. In 2012, the ratio was 21-to-1, Hosseini said at the State of the University address in August.

While UF didn’t move up in the rankings like recent years, Glover said it was important for the university to begin to solidify itself into the top five this year.

“I think the fact that we've done it two years in a row is a good indicator that we have some handle on this,” Glover said.

“We've achieved a certain level of excellence so the state is getting a certain return on its investment.”

Although he’d like to see UF rise in the rankings over the next few years, Glover said the competition gets more and more stiff among the top five.

UF has climbed nine spots in the pub-

lic university rankings since 2017, according to the UF press release. Last year, its emergence at No. 5 was heavily publicized by the university as the culmination of a yearslong effort to make UF one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country.

UF quickly found itself in the middle of the national debate over public education policies last year, which caused the university community to speculate that it could fall in the U.S. News rankings as a result.

Glover acknowledged that among the wide variety of U.S. News metrics, UF’s measure of reputation — determined by surveys of other university presidents, provosts and admission directors — lagged behind other top-five public universities.

“I think the fact that UF is ranked so highly is a testament to the fact that we're succeeding,” Glover said. “Sometimes what happens in the [political] environment is a little bit distracting, and I'm sure that will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. But we just tried to stay focused on our job and the things we need to do.”

Last October, three political science professors were barred by the university from testifying in a lawsuit that challenged the implementation of Senate Bill 90 — a bill critics said discriminated against Black voters and was in violation of the Voting

party to get to know people in their program. Some of them were not union members, such as 25-year-old Emily Wolf.

Wolf first got put off from joining GAU during PMCB orientation when a GAU representative came to speak to her. They were a bit aggressive and off-putting, she said.

Wolf doesn’t quite see the value in being a union member. Their program pays them well, she said, so she feels no need to actively participate in negotiations.

“I get all the benefits without paying anything,” she said. “We’re grad

Rights Act of 1965.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill live in a Fox News exclusive event, fueling allegations that the law was a purely partisan move.

A UF spokesperson told The New York Times that month “the university denied requests of these full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution.”

The trio later filed a lawsuit, claiming the university violated their First Amendment rights. The saga played out publicly over national media as DeSantis positioned himself as a potential presidential hopeful focused on conservative values in sectors like education.

Aside from DeSantis’ polarizing “Parental Rights in Education” Act — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — the governor signed the “Stop WOKE” Act, which limits teaching some social concepts of systemic racism and discrimination in K-12 schools and universities.

The ranking also comes at a time of leadership transition for the university, as it searches for a new president and UF Honors Program director.

UF’s advances in STEM and research — less prone to fiery headlines — likely helped the university stay on course.

The university announced in March the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Academic Initiative Center, which is aimed to promote data science and the integration of

students so we don’t get paid that much anyways.”

Just across the table from Wolf, 26-year-old PCMB graduate assistant Nadia Mourad said she doesn’t understand that perspective.

“People who are like that are really annoying,” Mourad said. “You’re sitting out while everyone else is fighting for you. That’s not fair.”

She isn’t a member currently, but she’s planning on becoming one this semester.

Mourad makes $33,456 a year, she said, making more than $10,000 above the minimum stipend. Those in higher-paying programs like hers should help others get higher wages too, she added.

“Maybe that will embarrass them to do something about their grad students,” she said. “They should be embarrassed.”

One of the goals of the event was to bridge the gap between graduate assistants making the minimum and those making more. Even though many of them don’t make much money anyways, it’s easy to fall into a sense of superiority if you make more, Clark said.

It’s also easy to be resentful if you don’t, she added.

“I think that if you’re sharing things together, especially a meal, it encourages a sense of community,” Clark said. “That’s why I feel like it’s hopefully something that’s going to be good for the group.” @SienaDuncan sduncan@alligator.org

AI across majors.

“It's a new technology that's going to enable all sorts of amazing technological developments that are going to change the way we live and do business,” Glover said.

“We felt it was very important to get a leg up on this technology for the students and for the faculty.”

Glover also pointed to the HiPerGator 3.0 supercomputer, which Top500 — a top global list — ranked as the No. 22 supercomputer in the world. The machine is available to all students rather than only the engineering or computer science departments, Glover said.

In July, UF joined a group of 15 national public research universities to reach $1 billion in annual research spending. UF also received two No.1 rankings in 2022: from the U.S. News for its online bachelor’s degrees and from Heartland Forward for its “value of academic research in the private sector.”

Amid last year’s celebration, “Top Five” banners could be found all over campus — and then across dorm-room walls after many were stolen. Rather than risk further theft of banners hung on campus, President Fuchs said he asked the university to be ready to give the students the option of purchasing them at the bookstore.

Alissa Gary contributed to this report. @vanityhack ccasale@alligator.org

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 ALLIGATOR 5

Florida Gators superfan group reunites 20 years later THE SUPER GATORS STILL HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR GATORS FOOTBALL

By Alissa Gary Alligator Staff Writer

Sporting orange athletic shorts and beanies, blue knee-length capes, orange-and-blue striped face paint and no shirts, the Super Gators pushed through a crowd of booing University of Tennessee fans in 2004, dodging ice cubes and trash.

Despite the loss, they kept their heads high with pride for their school.

At its peak, the Super Gators were made up of 50 UF students who were UF football superfans. They cheered on the Gators at every home game from 2001 to 2007.

At the explosive Utah game Sept. 3, the group reunited for the first time in more than 20 years. For many of them, it was the first time they saw each other since their younger years in the Swamp.

Paul Johnson, a 39-year-old former Super Gator, said the group met in September 2001 when they lived on the same floor of Weaver Hall. The original Super Gators — Steve Gilbert, Dan Murphy, Jen Gustafson, Mike Wallace, Dave Smith and Brian Barnes — each wore a different face paint design, but

Courtesy to The Alligator

all matched in their shorts-and-cape outfits.

“It was a bunch of people that were just over-the-top into it,” said George Lane, a 40-year-old former Super Gator. “This is the group of people I would always marvel. They just took it to the next, next, next level.”

During their sophomore year, the Super Gators invited friends from their hometown of Pensacola to live together in apartments situated behind what used to be a Kash N’ Karry store in Gainesville. When the group threw parties in their apartments, more people kept joining, Johnson said.

When they became large enough to form a block, Johnson said the athletic depart-

ment looked upon them favorably because they remained sober on game days.

“We were really loud,” Johnson said.

“Obnoxious, actually.”

“But we did find a way for it to be socially acceptable to be loud and obnoxious,” Wallace added.

Any former Super Gator will point out a photo of themselves immortalized on a banner at the North end zone of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Super Gators were known to show up to games as early as 3 a.m. holding signs to get to the front of the stands and be on camera — and they often succeeded, Johnson said.

“We thought it was funny,” he said.

Lane said that he wasn’t as committed to seeking football-fan fame.

“They took it to that extreme that most people weren’t doing,” Lane said. “They really wanted to go out there 110% on Saturdays and do what they wanted to do.”

For Johnson, the Super Gators were born out of a desire to be on TV. Both Johnson and Wallace have filled the role as the iconic Albert mascot — Johnson from 2003 to 2007, and Wallace from 2007 to 2008 — which landed them on an ESPN game day commercial.

“That was the greatest thing I’ve ever done,” Wallace said.

“It’s complete anonymity and an audience that loves you no matter what you do,” Johnson added.

The Super Gators attended not only every home game, but also every away game from 2002 to 2007. Although they were beloved in the Swamp, they often faced backlash from opposing fans, Johnson said.

At a University of Miami game, Barnes said a Miami fan burned him with a cigarette butt. Johnson also recalled another fan breaking a beer bottle and preparing to fight.

“When you’re dressed up in garb, you’re a target for that kind of thing,” Barnes said.

Despite backlash, the Super Gators continued cheering the team to victory.

During the 2006 home game against the University of South Carolina, Johnson said he prayed as the opposition took a field kick in the final seconds of the game, which would have ruined the Gators’ chances of making it to the national championship.

When the Gators blocked the kick, the stadium exploded in cheers, Johnson said.

Read the rest online at alligator.org. @AlissaGary1 agary@alligator.org

Gainesville residents debate exclusionary zoning as key issue before mayoral race A proposed ordinance divides the city

By Allie Sinkovich Alligator Staff Writer

As Gainesville residents anticipate the runoff mayoral race in November, the aftermath of the city’s elimination of exclusionary zoning is heavy on their minds.

Gainesville city commissioners voted Aug. 4, to eliminate city-wide single-family zoning in a 4-3 vote.

The initial vote was to get rid of exclusionary zoning while amending occupancy and bedroom limits, allowing two-story multifamily units to be built in residential areas.

The ordinance would remove restrictions that limited occupation to one family and limited bedrooms.

In order for the ordinance to be passed, a second vote will be held at an undetermined date.

The Department of Economic Opportunity and Alachua County Commision sent letters to the city urging commissioners to reevaluate the vote. The state department’s letter, which was sent Sept. 8, detailed their concern that changing zoning ordinances would solely benefit university students and not city residents.

Some residents, like those in East Gainesville, have similar concerns as the county and state.

Wayne Fields, 67-year-old resident of Azalea Trails in East Gainesville, opposes eliminating single-family zoning. Historically Black neighborhoods on the east side of the city, he said, have seen an increase of multi-family housing despite exclusionary zoning ordinances prohibiting their development in residential areas.

“East Gainesville has been the dumping ground for affordable, low-income, government-subsidized housing, instead of the American dream of land owners,” Fields

said.

High utility and rent rates have pushed residents out of East Gainesville, he said. The area has seen an increase in multi-family complexes funded by the federal government to provide more affordable housing.

The prominence of lower-income housing on the east side of Gainesville has led to a lack of commercial businesses, such as grocery stores, medical facilities, insurance agencies and entertainment businesses, Fields said.

Fields supported mayoral candidates Edward Bielarski and Harvey Ward, who were against the elimination of exclusionary zoning, prior to the primary election results and will continue to support their campaign. However, when asked which candidate’s stance on exclusionary zoning he supports more, Fields said he’s not so sure.

Fields and his neighbors in East Gainesville want to hear what the candidates’ course of action would be if elected, he said.

Both Bielarski and Ward have expressed their opposition against eliminating single-family zoning in their campaigns. Ward, District 2 city commissioner, voted against the zoning changes during the City Commission vote.

“If I’m elected mayor, I will work to return it back to its original state after the first of the year,” Ward said.

To improve the accessibility and availability of affordable housing in Gainesville, Ward voted in a City Commission vote to allocate $8 million of the American Rescue Plan to work with non-profit partners.

Bielarski, former Gainesville Regional Utilities general manager, said he believes the affordable housing crisis in Gainesville won’t be solved

by the elimination of single-family zoning. Instead, he would focus on finding better job opportunities for people, bringing better-paying businesses to town and ending learning disparities within schools.

“If it’s passed under this commission, I would work to revoke it if I become mayor,” Bielarski said.

Camilo Reina-Muñoz, a 28-yearold Gainesville resident, supports removing single-family zoning through a nuanced lens.

Reina-Muñoz said he understands long-term residents’ fears of college students moving into their neighborhoods, but believes the ordinance could help solve Gainesville’s housing crisis.

He explained how many LGBTQ+ individuals’ immediate families ostracize them after coming out, pushing them to create their own chosen families in Gainesville.

However, due to the lack of legal structures to declare queer citizens as a “family,” the individuals may struggle to live together because of single-family zoning.

This can become problematic with Gainesville’s limitation of single-family homes to one family, a Department of Sustainable Development employee, said at the Aug. 4 commission meeting. A family is defined by the city as “one or more natural persons who are living together and interrelated. Plus, no more than two additional unrelated natural persons occupying either the whole or part of the dwelling unit.”

By eliminating occupancy limits, multiple unrelated people can live in a home that is traditionally built for families related by law or blood.

Reina-Muñoz supported July Thomas during the primary election, he said, despite Thomas’ rejection of the elimination of exclusionary zoning. He believed Thomas understood how single-family zoning negatively impacts the ability of

marginalized communities to live together.

Apart from Thomas and Commissioner David Arreola, he said Ward is the only candidate who he feels has spoken directly to him.

“Harvey Ward is someone who I feel would listen to the community and be able to draft or present a better way of addressing exclusionary zoning that would address the potential pitfalls of the current draft, which might invite gentrification rather than actually helping the marginalized communities,” ReinaMuñoz said.

Carrie Parker-Warren, an 81-year-old East Gainesville resident, said she shares Fields’ concerns.

Parker-Warren, Azalea Trails resident and retired secondary administrator at the University of Florida’s P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, said she believes developers have mistreated East Gainesville as they continue to build large complexes despite residential complaints.

“That was the American dream — to buy a house in a neighborhood where you had other families living behind you and not all this stuff they want to continue to bring to our side of town,” Parker-Warren said.

Jason Sanchez, a resident in the Duckpond neighborhood and cofounder of Gainesville is for People, is an avid supporter of the vote to end exclusionary zoning in almost every neighborhood in Gainesville.

Allowing multi-family housing and decreasing minimum lot sizes will create “much-needed diversity” throughout Gainesville, Sanchez said. His organization, Gainesville is for People, is an advocacy group for more diverse housing types throughout the city, which they believe will reduce housing costs and car dependency.

While Arreola was his top choice

out of the original nine mayoral candidates, Sanchez said he’ll support Harvey Ward in the runoff.

“I support Harvey Ward rather strongly,” Sanchez said. “His career has been supportive of other housing solutions like using community land trusts to buy up land and build affordable housing. He’s shown a commitment to exploring other solutions that aren’t just tied to sort of a bigger rezoning of Gainesville.”

In regards to Bielarski, he said the candidate’s campaign on exclusionary zoning focuses too intensely on “protecting single-family” housing.

“All I’ve heard from Ed is ‘I’m going to protect single-family housing,’ which is, frankly, ridiculous because it’s not going anywhere,” Sanchez said. “Nobody’s knocking down single-family houses…I think overall, Harvey has demonstrated a more complete understanding of housing issues that face Gainesville.”

The runoff election for mayor is during the Nov. 8 general election.

Despite both candidates’ opposition to eliminating exclusionary zoning, Gainesville residents remain divided on how to best approach the affordable housing crisis while also making room for lifelong Gainesville residents and seasonal university students.

Parker-Warren said she’ll remain hesitant until Bielarski and Ward present concrete plans.

“We have two people that are saying they want exclusionary zoning in this county,” Parker-Warren said. “It’s up to the people to look into their eyes and see who’s being honest and who’s not being honest…Somebody who talked to the people before they make stupid decisions about our neighborhoods.” @allie_sinkovich asinkovich@alligator.org

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Bradley faces charges BRADLEY, from pg. 1 man activated his lights and siren, Castor said.

He turned into the Eden Park at Ironwood apartment complex and drove slowly, stopping near Building 2. Bodycam footage begins as an officer speaks to Bradley who was sitting in his car, window rolled down.

Milman said he saw a bag of marijuana on the center console and smelled the substance from the vehicle. The officer saw Bradley reach under his seat repeatedly and asked him to keep his hands in sight, Castor said in the conference video.

These hand movements cannot be seen in the footage because of the placement of the bodycam on the officer’s chest, Scott said during the conference.

Audio kicks in when the officer asks Bradley to step out of his car.

There’s a moment where the officer is seen trying to put Bradley’s hands behind his back, and he tells officers they’re “making him nervous,” and that he didn’t do anything. Bradley struck the officer with his elbow, Castor said in the recorded conference video.

Bradley then runs, and officers begin to chase him further into the complex.

A second clip of bodycam footage shows other officers searching Bradley’s car. They find a loaded handgun with an extended magazine between the driver’s seat and center console.

After checking Bradley’s driver’s license, officers confirmed he was a convicted felon and couldn’t legally own a gun. He also didn’t have a concealed weapons permit, and officers said they confirmed the gun was stolen.

Officers called the K-9 unit after learning of his criminal background and because he may have been armed. This unit “can only be deployed for criminal apprehensions

for specific felony crimes,” according to GPD’s K-9 manual criteria.

The press conference video pointed out the manual says the “K-9 is authorized to track for any felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or violence against any individual.”

K-9 force should be used only when necessary, according to the manual, and K-9 officers will “utilize all reasonable means to affect apprehension, without incurring a bite.”

The K-9 unit arrived 38 minutes after Bradley ran away from police.

Bradley was hidden in bushes along one building in the complex while officers surrounded him.

Bodycam footage from K-9 officer Josh Meurer shows the dog on a 15-foot leash searching for Bradley.

It runs around between bushes and air conditioning units, finding him in under a minute, the footage shows.

Growls from the dog and shouts from Bradley are heard almost immediately.

“The dog’s not coming after you,” Meurer said. “Come out to me!”

“He’s got me, bro,” Bradley said.

“I’m done.”

The footage shows Bradley pleading with officers to remove the dog.

The K-9 officer asks a colleague to step in. Bradley can be seen clutching his eye as the police dog continues gripping onto his hand with his teeth. Another officer holds onto Bradley, while they pull on the dog’s leash and use a Breaker Bar K-9 release tool to get the dog to release its bite.

“He got my finger,” Bradley shouted between screams. “He ripped my finger.”

Officers instruct Bradley to put his hands behind his back. Bradley’s bloodied hand can be seen in the video.

“Your dog ripped my eye out, bro,” he said.

The group of officers then called Emergency Medical Services, and

Ashleigh Lucas // Alligator Staff

A mural in honor of Terrell Bradley on the 34th street wall Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. two officers are in frame putting Bradley in handcuffs.

“We need to get EMS now,” one officer said. “His eye is out.”

One officer asked Bradley to roll onto his side. But Bradley said he couldn't.

Officers direct Bradley to stand and help him up. They lead him away from the bushes and to the parking lot to wait for the ambulance, telling him to sit.

“I can’t see,” he said, panicked.

As officers help him sit on the sidewalk, the bodycam points down on Bradley, showing his eye out of his bloodied socket.

Officers and Bradley wait for the ambulance.

“Breathe, relax,” one officer said.

“EMS is coming.”

Castor said officers helped keep Bradley upright and conscious. One officer tells Bradley to rest his head on his leg. Bradley lays back on the officer’s leg and drinks water provid-

ed by an officer.

The officers put Bradley on a stretcher, and the entire right side of his face is drenched in blood. Bradley was transferred to UF Health Shands Hospital for treatment and then to a specialty hospital in Tampa.

“Ensuring Bradley got immediate medical attention was the highest priority of the officers on scene,” Castor said in the recorded video.

In 2021, the GPD K-9 unit, consisting of five dogs, was deployed 129 times, according to the video shown. Twelve of those times resulted in a bite.

“We’re well below 25%,” Scott said. “Don’t take my word for it — go to the people in the industry, find out what the standard is. But I think that’s a low bite ratio to have.”

Bradley initially faced charges in the direct aftermath of the incident, and a judge approved his conditional release from the Alachua County Jail July 19.

The K-9 mauling of Bradley sparked community protests and calls for police accountability. Scott released a July 22 statement announcing the investigation that could have taken up to 90 days.

During a July 27 police advisory council meeting with community members angered by the incident, Scott said he couldn’t comment on the incident because the investigation was ongoing but said “appropriate action” would be taken if video footage of the police encounter with Bradley revealed misconduct.

The conduct that caused him to suspend the two officers didn’t completely have to do with Bradley’s arrest, Scott said. The results of the internal investigation will be made public within the next two weeks, he said. @LucilleLannigan llannigan@alligator.org

Former Gainesville Police Department K-9 officer alleges racism within the unit THE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY CAME MONTHS BEFORE A K-9 MAULED A BLACK MAN

By Omar Ateyah Alligator Staff Writer

A racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the city by an ex-Gainesville Police Department officer in the force’s K-9 unit recently made its way to federal court.

Edward Ratliff, a Black 13-year veteran of the force, alleged white officers casually used racial slurs within the K-9 unit through multiple uses of the n-word. This includes an incident where, in light of a K-9’s euthanization, a white officer said the dog “bit a lot of n—s.”

Another time Ratliff said he overheard a white officer talking at a party about “those n—s on the east side,” in reference to the Black population of East Gainesville.

Lonnie Scott, the GPD chief, said in a press conference Thursday that racial discrimination isn’t something he tolerates on the force. The city’s equity and inclusion department once looked into Ratliff’s concerns, he said.

“People can sue for a host of things. That doesn’t necessarily make it valid,” Scott said. “That’s not necessarily something that we want to get into. We leave that to the lawyers.”

The case will proceed to a jury trial in the Gainesville division of the Northern District of Florida in April 2023, and Judge Allen Winsor will oversee the case. Ratliff will be represented

by Orlando attorney Alfred Truesdell.

Ratliff claimed he was removed from the K-9 unit without

justification in 2015 and was reassigned to it in 2017. In late 2017, Ratliff received a reprimand for leaving his K-9 at home when he went out to dinner on a weekend. He was told if he were to do it again, he may be removed from the unit, according to the lawsuit.

K-9 officers are expected to remain home with their dogs in the beginning of the relationship, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is noteworthy in light of a police K-9’s July mauling of Terrell Bradley, a 31-year-old Black man, which led to community outrage and protest. GPD released body camera footage Thursday from the incident where Bradley lost an eye.

“The City, however, did not intrude on the personal lives of non-minority officers or impose on them such draconian restrictions under threat of removal from the Unit,” the lawsuit reads.

The facts of the Bradley incident could enhance his client’s case, Truesdell said.

“In discrimination cases, the allegations can be strengthened by showing additional incidents of discrimination, and I think that’s what this does,” he said. “It shows that there was a mentality or a culture that tolerated racial discrimination within the police department.”

Ratliff also alleges he was disciplined for the minor infraction of submitting his monthly report in an incorrect folder. The city didn’t discipline a white officer who didn’t submit a report at all, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims Ratliff was also mistreated by the department in the aftermath of an injury he sustained while working in May 2019, according to the lawsuit. He was removed from the unit in August 2019, and the lawsuit alleges Ratliff “was falsely accused of lying about a physical therapy appointment

related to his injury” in September 2019.

Ratliff was placed under surveillance that month after a city official said he received an anonymous tip indicating Ratliff wasn’t honest about his injury, the lawsuit alleges. His workers’ compensation benefits were suspended in October 2019.

His law enforcement privileges were suspended in December 2019 and not reinstated until July 2020 as an investigation was carried out. The investigation concluded there was no evidence Ratliff lied on his workers’ compensation claim, according to the lawsuit.

Ratliff detailed incidents where white officers in the unit referred to him as “Radio,” in reference to a mentally disabled Black film character from a 2003 film of the same name. The nickname came from Ratliff’s attentiveness to the police radio during training exercises, documents show.

Court documents allege when Ratliff expressed offense to the nickname by saying, “You are basically calling me a retarded Black guy,” another officer responded with, “Yes, we know.

That’s why it’s funny.”

In its response to the allegations contained in Ratliff’s lawsuit, the city of Gainesville, through its attorneys Marc Sugerman and Michele Martin, denied Ratliff was treated unfairly.

Howard Waldman is lead attorney representing the city.

“All employment actions taken by Defendant against Plaintiff were taken for legitimate, non-discriminatory, and non-retaliatory reasons,” the response read. @OAteyah oateyah@alligator.org

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

CULTURE

Gainesville Asian markets give customers a ‘taste of home’ FOUR ASIAN MARKETS PROVIDE A PLACE THE ASIAN COMMUNITY CAN RELY ON FOR STAPLE GROCERIES

By Erina Anwar Avenue Staff Writer

For Gainesville residents who want to make tteokbokki, pancit, biryani or huǒguō, ingredients can be hard to find. Asian markets provide what several common U.S. grocery chains can’t: authentic flavor and, for many, comfort food.

Some may be looking to break out of their comfort zone withAsian snacks. Others may want to reminisce on a childhood favorite with a home-cooked meal. With these four favorites to choose from — Tahanan Filipino Bistro & Shop, Chun Ching Market, Enson Market and India Bazaar — fresh ingredients and groceries aren’t far from reach in Gainesville.

Tahanan Filipino Bistro & Shop

Bang Dimattac Carugda, 44, was a nurse at UF Health Shands Hospital since 2006. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, she and her husband took a leap of faith and bought SM Oriental Food Mart, the local Filipino grocery store.

Carugda renamed the store Tahanan, which means “home” in Filipino. She wanted Gainesville’s Filipino community to get a taste of home, she said, through the groceries and ingredients in her store, located at 4000 W. Newberry Road.

“That’s actually one of the best things that I’ve experienced,” Carugda said. “Clients who have been here in and out [were] looking for stuff, and they were able to find it here.”

Before the grocery store was built in 2004, the Gainesville Filipino community had to travel to Jacksonville or Orlando to get groceries for home cooking, Carugda said.

Tahanan carries Filipino home necessities, such as packets of pancit noodles, traditional fried noodles; pandan leaf extract, a common condiment; and bagoóng, a fermented fish condiment. Another section of the store is reserved for snacks like lychee jelly, dried mango and tamarind candy, as well as various flavors of bottled tea.

On Fridays and Saturdays, Carugda and her husband have a bistro where they cook and serve Filipino cuisine to go. Customers can

enjoy freshly cooked adobo, pancit and Lumpiang Shanghai, among other staples.

Carugda’s biggest mission for Tahanan is making it a place where the Filipino community can get many of the ingredients they need to prepare their favorite dishes, she said.

“We wanted them to actually get the same items that they usually get,” she said. “I would say not 100% but at least 50-60% of what they like from the Philippines will be bought from us.”

Chun Ching Market

Located at 418 NW 8th Ave., Chun Ching Market is farther away from UF campus than most grocery stores UF students shop at. Owner Thu Win, 45, calls the market a “hidden gem” for many Gainesville residents.

Chun Ching Market has a nearly 30-year history in Gainesville, being managed by four previous owners before Win and her husband Ye Oo. The couple bought the market from its previous owners in 2018.

The store has an assortment of goods from China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Colorful displays of snacks line the shelves and frozen dumplings, tofu and rice cakes can be found in the freezer aisles.

Necessities such as fresh meat, spices and produce are also available.

Kay Lee, 49, has been shopping at Chun Ching Market for about three years. Lee, who is originally from South Korea, said she appreciates the Korean ingredients and spices that can be found at the market — particularly the red chili pepper flakes, a staple in Korean cuisine.

“They have everything here,” Lee said.

To staff the grocers and cashiers, Win said she looked to the community and customers who visited the store.

“We have a great team here, and we are all very close,” Win said.

Tyler Walsh, a 20-year-old UF business junior, visited Chun Ching Market for the first time Friday.

Walsh said he was interested in trying different Korean recipes, such as tteokbokki, a spicy rice cake dish.

“Recently, there has been a lot of interest in Asian culture from people that aren’t a part of that community,” Walsh said. “Having these markets allows people to have access to these different types of cuisines and the different cultures that are here in Gainesville.”

Keep up with the Avenue on Twitter.

Tweet us @TheFloridaAve.

Caleb Ross // Alligator Contributing Photographer

Enson Market, an international grocery store, sits in University Towne Center in Gainesville Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.

Enson Market

Enson Market — an Asian supermarket chain with several locations dotted across the U.S. — opened at 3035 SW 34th St. over the summer.

Business was slow during the first few weeks but scaled up once students started moving back into Gainesville for the Fall semester, said Ben He, a 23-year-old department manager.

“The size of this market is much bigger than the others, which will give us the opportunity to get fresher stuff,” he said.

The massive store shelves all their products by category, including a vast array of household basics. Shoppers browsing the aisles can pick up mirin, gochujang paste, dumpling rice paper and other necessities while soft jingles play in the background.

Some of the most popular products among students who visit the store are the large assortment of snacks from different parts of Asia, He said. These include shrimp crackers, panda-shaped biscuits and unique flavors of potato chips like seaweed, crayfish and wasabi.

Shopper Yuting Zhou, a 32-yearold Gainesville resident, said she was happy Enson Market had items people typically can’t buy in American grocery chains, like frozen dumplings.

Zhou comes to the market frequently to do her regular grocery

shopping, so she can cook dishes from her hometown in China.

“It’s just a convenience for Asian people because they got specific food I can get here,” Zhou said. “It’s the primary reason that I choose to shop here.”

India Bazaar

As customers enter through the door, smells of spices and fresh produce greet them while upbeat Bollywood music fills their ears.

India Bazaar is an Indian grocery store located at 3550 SW 34th St., along a strip mall plaza. The store is divided into two sections: “Food Market,” the main grocery store, and “Halal Meat and Fish Market,” which sells all certified halal meat — the only type of meat Muslims can consume.

Halal meat is meat from livestock that has been blessed under Islam and killed ethically. It doesn’t include pork.

The Food Market has items like daal, masala, roti and other condiments commonly used in Indian and south Asian cuisine. It also has some common Indian hair care products, such as coconut hair oil and tubes of henna.

Betty Chafla, a 29-year-old Gainesville resident, said she shops at India Bazaar when she wants to pick up frozen meals or snacks.

Chafla said the store’s location is one of the strongest reasons to visit.

“They have a really big variety,

and they’re near a bubble tea and a restaurant right there,” Chafla said. “So, they’re located near other things where it’s easy to stop when I am here.”

The India Bazaar team founded the grocery store in 2001 and have slowly expanded the store’s size over the course of several years.

They never spent any money on advertising. Customers were drawn to them because they stayed true to their roots, they said.

The team at India Bazaar also operates two restaurants within the same plaza — Indian Cuisine and Indian Street Food — making the plaza a hub for Gainesville residents to get a real taste of Indian food and culture.

Saurav Saha, 34, and Aishiki Banerjee, 34, said they moved to Gainesville from India last week.

They said they were very satisfied that India Bazaar contained most of the common groceries they would buy in India.

“It’s kind of like an SOS service for us,” Banerjee said. “Getting home-cooked food is very difficult out here, and if we get the grocery stuff we can manage it ourselves.”

The store is also a comforting reminder of India, they said.

“It felt like a taste of home,” Saha said. @ErinaAnwar_ eanwar@alligator.org

Gators fall from grace

Florida loses to Kentucky after rapid rise in the rankings, pg. 11 Scan to follow the Avenue on Spotify

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

UF’s graduate stipend raise is still far from sufficient

T

his July, I found myself being revived after having a bad reaction to donating plasma. Lying down with ice packs all over my body, waiting for my vision to come back and for color to return to my skin, I could only think about one thing: “Will I still get paid for this?”

The first year of my Ph.D. program in psychology had taken a toll on my finances.

I had moved from a job that paid me just enough to get by, determined to make UF’s much lower stipend work. Unfortunately, determination wasn’t enough to make that stipend stretch to cover the cost of living.

After burning through my savings to cover moving costs and medical treatments, credit card debt started piling up.

Like many graduate students, I had to start using the food pantry. In May, I discontinued my use of a prescription drug I could no longer afford. This month, I’m late on rent for the first time in my adult life.

My experience is neither uncommon nor extreme.

A recent report by Graduate Assistants United (GAU), the union representing graduate students at UF, found that nearly 30% of graduate students have been unable to buy enough food at the current stipend rate. Additionally, 72% can’t

cover all of their living expenses on their stipend, 20% have been unable to pay rent and 22% are unable to afford medications.

But there’s some relief on the horizon: After a long and grueling bargaining period, UF and GAU have negotiated a

stipend increase for graduate students.

The minimum stipend for employees on 9-month stipends has been raised to $17,000. The minimum for 12-month employees will be $22,753. To put these new minimums in perspective, I make several

Siena Duncan // Alligator Staff

Co-President Rachel Hartnett talks to Talia Jacobsen, a new graduate assistant from Chicago, at Graduate Assistants United’s first “payday party,” Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.

thousand dollars above the present 9-month minimum.

Unfortunately, this raise is not nearly enough to account for inflation.

Graduate students today will S. Elisha LePine opinions@alligator.org still be effectively making less than their counterparts were in 2017. For many, seeking outside employment is impossible, as international students are legally prohibited from taking on other jobs.

The pay graduate students receive is in no way commensurate with the value they produce for the college.

We teach undergraduate classes. We produce research and perform service. We write and work on the grants which bring external money to the university.

Without the labor of graduate students, there would be no university.

Paradoxically, we aren’t paid enough to do this work well.

No one teaches while hungry. I can’t do research when I’m selling my plasma.

I can’t focus on grant-writing when I’m worried about getting evicted.

Graduate students look forward to the wage increase this year. But we know it’s not enough.

S. Elisha LePine is a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida.

Column

Grappling with imposter syndrome at a top five university

T

here will always be someone better than you.

For a significant portion of my life, I’d accepted this sentiment with confidence. I mean, there are billions of people who live on this planet — it would be illogical to think I could single-handedly best each of them in a given subject area.

My faith in the above statement remained unwavering during some of the most defining moments of my academic career: The first time I took the infamous college entrance exam that shall not be named, I rarely found myself worrying about how well other students might have scored in comparison to me.

As I worked through probability equations in a concerningly cold classroom, I caught my focus frequently drifting toward how I could perform better on a future exam, as opposed to how my peers could outperform me. There will always be a student better at analyzing mathematical expressions than me, so what’s the point in obsessing over them?

Once I graduated high school, I was certain this mentality would follow me into my college career. I had successfully avoided getting stuck in deep pits of self-doubt during the college admission process; I never thought that my extracurriculars and academic accomplishments didn’t make me a good fit for UF. And then I stepped foot on campus.

I entered my first discussion period for The Long Civil Rights Movement two months ago, eager to apply my keen interest in social justice and aptitude for writing to a class that synthesized those two things perfectly. It was when assignments started becoming increasingly difficult, though, that I wrongfully began to dislike this course.

As I started to compare my grades with those of my classmates, I realized for the first time in my life, I was no longer accepting of the aforementioned statement that used to define my academic career. I was no longer ok with not being the best.

Why didn’t I earn that point? Why are other students performing better than me? Do I not belong here?

Within a matter of weeks, this frustration with my own performance transformed itself into a larger issue: a full-blown demonstration of imposter syndrome. Loosely defined as a sense of self-doubt that leads individuals (especially those that are high achieving) to feel like pretenders — this perceived fraudulence was only heightened by the environment I was in.

Earning the title of a top-five public university last year, UF has become a space for some of the nation’s most gifted individuals — something that often prompts students to go the extra mile when doubting their own skills. Questions of academic ability often become questions of belonging, with a single less-than-superior grade housing the potential to make students worry about whether they deserve to have a spot here.

But it’s especially important to consider the demographic that imposter syndrome likely affects the most on campus: freshmen.

Members of the class of 2026 were forced to navigate through one of the most difficult college admissions seasons in recent years. With overall application rates surging for a slew of reasons, acceptance rates for schools throughout the nation dropped significantly. Accepting 22.8% of applicants during the 2022 admissions cycle as opposed to 32.8% the previous year, UF was not exempt from this trend.

First-year UF students successfully made it through this

year’s competitive admissions season, and now they’re trying to prove themselves to be the people in their applications. So, why do some of us still feel like we don’t belong?

The uncomfortable truth Dealing with imposter syndrome has been especially challenging because it’s Halima Attah revealed an ugly truth about students @HalimaAttah like myself: We are overly focused on hattah@alligator.org academic achievement.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with being committed to attaining academic excellence. Goals like these played an instrumental role in my admission to UF, and it plays an even bigger one in my current experience here. But it is remarkably easy for this focus to send first-year students down a harmful spiral.

When faced with the tiniest academic challenge, those suffering from imposter syndrome are quickly led to believe they do not deserve to be in whatever environment they exist in. When I began comparing my academic performance to that of my classmates a couple months ago, I allowed myself to fall victim to this notion.

The truth is, the point of pursuing a higher education isn’t to be the best at anything, really. There is a lot of good that can come out of simply valuing the academic experiences that can be gained from spending time in school, whether positive or not.

When we start entering class with a little less of a goaloriented approach, we free ourselves from unnecessary comparison. There will always be someone who’s better than you at something — so accept it and continue to excel, regardless.

Halima Attah is the Opinion Editor at The Alligator.

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

The Alligator encourages comments from readers. Letters to the editor should not exceed 600 words (about one letter-sized page). They must be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, classification and phone number. Names will be withheld if the writer shows just cause. We reserve the right to edit for length, grammar, style and libel. Send letters to opinions@alligator.org, bring them to 2700 SW 13th St., or send them to P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, FL 32604-2257.

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ANSWERS: 1A-Sunday 5A-Grace 6A-Enact 7A-Athens 1D-Signal 2D-Nearest 3D-Average 4D-Hiatus B-Cary Grant

Send comments to TCA - 160 N. Stetson, Chicago, Illinois 60601 or DLHoyt@HoytInteractiveMedia.com

solution on page 10

©2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

answer on page 10 Release Date: Monday, September 12, 2022 Release Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022

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09/06/2022 09/07/22

09/12/22

09/07/22 09/12/22

10 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

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solution below

Spaying/Neutering Free-Roaming Cats Borrow a Trap / Make a Clinic Reservation Make a Donation / Volunteer New Expanded Hours

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3.4. U.S. ASTRONOMY: What Who is thewasbrightest PRESIDENTS: the only to serve two nonconstar inpresident any constellation called? secutive terms?

LITERATURE: 20th-cen4.5. MYTHOLOGY: WhoWhich is Thor's father in tury movie star penned the autobiograNorse mythology? phy “Me: Stories of My Life”?

HISTORY:Where What iswas first 5.6. COMICS: thethesuperhero National Monument proclaimed in the Aquaman from?

United States?

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MOVIES: Howlocated? many characters does Mike island of Luzon Myers play in the "Goldmember" movie?

8. MOVIES: Which sci-fi movie has the tagline, “Reality is a thing of the 7. LITERATURE: How many lines does a past”?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What haiku poem have? was the name of the United States’ first nuclear-powered 8. TELEVISION: submarine?

What was the name of 10. GAMES: What are thewestern four rail-"Bothe ranch on the 1960s road properties in Monopoly? nanza"?

Answers 63,360 inches 9.1.U.S. STATES: Which state's official ani2. Search for extraterrestrial intellimal is the raccoon? gence 3. Below or insufficient 10.

BUSINESS: What is the Ford Mustang 4. Grover Cleveland automobile after?

5. Katharinenamed Hepburn 6. Devils Tower, 1906 © 2022 King Features Synd., Inc. 7. The Philippines 8. “The Matrix” answers 9. The USS Nautilus below 10. Pennsylvania, Short Line, Reading and B&O CryptoQuote solution © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

Trivia Test answers

January 27, 2020

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/sports

FOOTBALL

Florida shows inexperience and growing pains in Kentucky loss THE GATORS DISPLAY NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT WITH SLOPPY LOSS TO DIVISION RIVAL KENTUCKY

By Topher Adams Sports Writer

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson set the internet ablaze after his week-one performance against Utah. The sophomore signal caller sent NFL scouts and Heisman leaderboards into a frenzy.

For all the hype Richardson received, he had made just two starts and completed 55 passes in his Florida career prior to Saturday’s bout with the Kentucky Wildcats.

He’s a young and overall inexperienced player, something Gators faithfuls were painfully reminded of during UF’s 26-16 loss to the Wildcats.

Richardson struggled mightily against Kentucky. He completed just 40% of his passes and threw two costly interceptions that led to 14 UK points. Florida’s defense made a valiant effort to stifle Kentucky and give the Gators’ offense a chance, but Richardson and company never seized the opportunity to get back in the game.

“I feel like [the loss] is on me, I played terrible,” Richardson said.

“I take full responsibility.”

The Gainesville native struggled to find his rhythm early in the game, and the early mistakes snowballed into a regrettable performance. On the opening drive of

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson threw two costly interceptions against the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. the game, Richardson found redshirt junior receiver Justin Shorter for a 16-yard gain. Three incompletions later, the Gators punted the ball away.

That was the story of the game for the Florida offense. The Gators had chunk plays of 40, 28 and 24 yards, but they never consistently strung plays together for scoring drives. UF’s lone touchdown came after an interception by defensive end Gervon Dexter Sr. that gave the Gators a short field to work with.

Richardson showed his youth with an inability to rebound from the early misfires.

“I missed a couple of wide open throws so my confidence got shot,” Richardson said. “Mentally, I shot myself down a little bit.”

It wasn’t just Richardson who showed growing pains on the biggest stage, but head coach Billy Napier as well. Saturday was Napier’s second game leading the Gators and his first against a Southeastern Conference foe.

Napier, who also calls the offense for the Gators, said the team’s execution, or lack thereof, was the main driver in Saturday’s loss — something he said was ultimately on himself and the coaching staff.

“We can coach better; we can play better, and that starts with me.”

- Billy Napier, UF football head coach

Florida’s offense outgained Kentucky on the night, with the

Gators piling up 279 yards to the Wildcats’ 272. Florida didn’t commit many penalties — just three on the night — and the special teams made no consequential mistakes while Kentucky conceded a safety and missed a field goal.

The game came down to offensive mistakes and Napier recognized that.

“We gave [Kentucky] a picksix. We gave them a short field after another interception,” Napier said. “Two touchdowns in the game. Ultimately, it's gonna be hard to win when you do that.”

Florida’s best unit on the night, the defense, is the most veteran group on the team. Fifth-year senior safety Trey Dean III led the team with nine tackles. Sixth-year senior linebacker Ventrell Miller made several big tackles before missing time late with an injury.

Junior defensive tackle Gervon Dexter made seven tackles in addition to his pick.

“A lot of good on defense,” Napier said. “I thought they did a fantastic job, and there was no quit.”

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has led the Wildcats since 2012 and is the winningest coach in program history. His quarterback, senior Will Levis, is in his second full season as the starting signal caller.

Stoops’s program is as established as any in the SEC. Levis is as seasoned a starter as you could

have in college football. That showed itself in the Swamp Saturday.

The Wildcats played sound defense and forced Richardson into mistakes. Levis didn’t play like a superstar — completing just 54% of his passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception — but he made few errors and kept his composure against a physical Florida defense.

Kentucky looked a lot like the same team that won 10 games last season and was among the better teams in the SEC East. Florida looked nothing like the team that upset a top-10 Utah team and rose to No. 12 in the AP poll.

Stoops has coached 75 games in the SEC. Napier just coached his first. Levis made his 15th start for the Wildcats, while Richardson made his third for Florida.

Napier sees the rawness of Richardson and his young team, hoping Saturday’s loss is a learning moment moving forward.

“I think he’s really gonna grow and improve and learn the lessons and grow his character relative to how he responds,” Napier said. “With these things comes opportunity if you have the right attitude and approach.”

Florida will have its chance to rebound Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when it hosts the South Florida Bulls. @Topher_Adams tadams@alligator.org

Q&A

Keeping up with Kyle Trask THE FORMER FLORIDA QUARTERBACK SITS DOWN FOR A SPECIAL INTERVIEW

By Michael Hull Sports Writer

I had the opportunity to speak with former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask ahead of the start of his second season in the NFL. Trask had a prolific career with the Gators, including a 2020 season that featured 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns through the air. The 2020 Heisman finalist led Florida to more than 500 yards per

game, nearly 40 points per contest and the SEC Championship game.

"You were back in the Swamp for the Utah game week one. What was that experience like, being back there, that energy, that crowd?"

Trask: It was awesome. I mean, you know that energy in that stadium is electric.

And that's known across the nation — how cool it is to play in that stadium. I thought it was just awesome to see all the fans come out and come through for such a big game and Napier's first game. I just thought it was a great environment and

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really helped him get that first big win of the year.

"You obviously overlapped with Anthony Richardson in 2020. I was doing some research, and last year you said you like to call him the Lebron James of football. What makes him so dangerous as a player, and from your perspective, where do you think his ceiling is?"

Trask: I think his ceiling is as high as he wants it to be. From what I've seen playing with him for that year is he's a very humble, hardworking kid. So, I know he has nothing but great things ahead of him, and it's really cool to, not only him, but just to see all the young guys that were freshmen and sophomores, whenever they first came there and I was a senior, to see

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them all blossom into the players they are now, making plays left and right. It’s just really cool to see.

"Looking back over all of the games you started, specifically in the Swamp, is there one that stands out to you as either your favorite or a favorite moment?"

Trask: It would have to be the 2019 Auburn game. It was definitely a very memorable game for me. The first pass of the game went for a touchdown. That was the loudest I heard it at the time. And then, probably the biggest moment for me at that game was when Perine broke off that run, and just the roar of that crowd

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SEE Q&A, PAGE 12

12 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

From SEC to NFC TRASK, from pg. 11

was incredible. There's a lot of memorable moments when I think of that game.

"Looking at the 2020 season, was there a moment either before the season or even during the season when you realized it was going to be special either for you or for the team as a whole?"

Trask: Yeah, I mean, I think that 2019 year we were clicking really good, and we had a solid year and won the Orange Bowl and went out on a high note and had a lot of confidence going into next year. We have a ton of seniors returning. So, I think the confidence was always super high in the offseason.

And then when you got the obvious playmakers like we did, and we were just clicking all of camp. We could just tell we had something special. Then to

go out and put up points that we did versus Ole Miss, I think it was kind of solidified that we knew we had something special to build off of going into the rest of the year.

"What made that offense as strong as it was?"

Trask: I think it was just from top down everyone doing a great job. [As far as] the scheme, Mullen always put us in great positions to succeed on offense.

And then we, of course, had the talent to go out there and do it.

And more than that, it was just a really close group of guys. Like I said, a lot of people return[ed] from the 2019 year. A lot of us had been there at least for three or four years together. Like I know I had been there when (wide receiver Kadarius) Toney came as a freshman, when (tight end Kyle) Pitts came as a freshman, I had been around (wide receiver

Trevon) Grimes for I guess about three years at that point. So we had tons of talent. We had a great chemistry, we'd been together for three or four years. It was just putting everything together, it was almost unstoppable.

"Your football career story has been well documented (backup in high school, waiting three years to start at UF, etc.). Something that defines it to me is patience. How did you have that patience? What was that like mentally? And how did those experiences help you prepare for the NFL?" Trask: It's definitely just a mindset. And you know, you got to have a self confidence about yourself that you belong, and that's kind of what I did. I always worked extremely hard and tried to get better every day. And I just knew I belonged, I knew like once I got my shot I was gonna make the most of it.

It's definitely a good trait to take into the NFL because there's extremely talented guys

everywhere you go, and the reps are at a minimum compared to college. There's not many to go around, so you really just have to make the most of the reps that you get.

"You mentioned how talented everyone is, obviously playing at a school like UF and in the SEC. Did that help with the talent jump, and how was your transition coming into the league? Being surrounded by NFL talent in college and playing against it."

Trask: It definitely doesn't hurt to play around so many NFL guys in college and so many great players we played on defense that are now starting in the NFL. It gives you something similar to look forward to coming into the NFL, what to expect and obviously the NFL is a lot faster and more mental and experienced than college. But I think it did help me in the long run, especially playing in big environments. There's a lot of good traits that I've picked up just playing in all those big time

SEC matchup in college.

"You mentioned picking up traits in college. You were drafted to a team in Tampa with quarterback talent both on the roster and on staff. How did being around players like Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin as well as coaches like Bruce Arians and Byron leftwich help with your adjustment to the league?"

Trask: Oh yeah, I couldn't be more grateful to be in the quarterback room that I'm in because there's so much experience in there. I think one of the main things I learned and can sometimes get overlooked by a lot of people is just being a pro and showing up to work every day. You can't ever take any plays off, any practices off. Not that that was necessarily a problem for me, but it’s just really cool to be around such an experienced group of guys who have answers for any questions I ask. @Michael_Hull33 mhull@alligator.org