Oct. 4, 2021

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Hundreds march through Gainesville in support of abortion rights THE MARCH WAS ONE OF 650 OTHER DEMONSTRATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

By Jiselle Lee Alligator Staff Writer

MaryAnn Riggs remembers protesting anti-abortion legislation in the 1970s. Over 50 years later, she brought the same energy to Saturday’s North Central Florida March for Reproductive Rights & Justice.

The 66-year-old Ocala resident held up a sign that read, “I can’t believe I have to protest this sh-again.”

“You really have to let your voice be known nowadays,” she said. “If you don’t stand up and say what you believe in, it will disappear. You can’t take that right for granted anymore.”

Alongside 650 other Women’s March events happening simultaneously across the country, Gainesville pro-choice advocates marched in a rally Oct. 2. Activists highlighted reproductive issues, such as access to abortion and menstrual products, equitable prison birth conditions and Florida’s Heartbeat Act bill proposal.

Three hundred North Central Florida residents joined the national movement in two separate marches — one starting at Depot Park and the other starting at University Avenue and Northwest 13th Street.

The march was organized by a coalition of 10 organizations and people, ranging from student groups like UF College Democrats to community activist groups like North Central Florida Indivisible and the Gainesville chapter of the National Women’s Liberation Movement.

Danielle Hawk and Amol Jethwani led a crowd of over 200 marchers from Depot Park to Cora P. Roberson Park, as they chanted, “No Justice; No Peace,” and “Here to stay: Roe v. Wade.”

Hawk, a 27-year-old Democratic candidate for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, said abortion access is a personal issue for her as someone of reproductive age. Reproductive

rights are a large part of her campaign’s platform, she said.

As an organizer of the event, Hawk said the march was planned to highlight the local issues occurring in Florida and Alachua County.

She said the event was important in bringing Gainesville’s two often-divided parts together: the university and the residential area.

“It’s almost symbolic to show our community coming together from different walks of life — and literally from different walks — coming together to the rally to unite with one another and to say, loud and clear, that anti-choice legislation has no place here,” Hawk said.

Simultaneously, another group from University Avenue and 13th Street marched down University Avenue and Southwest Sixth Street behind a banner that read, “National Women’s Liberation.”

Rachel Wolfrey, a 20-yearold UF political science and public relations junior, set up a giveaway of 24 morning-after pills provided by Planned Parenthood Generation Action.

Wolfrey said she’s proud to be a part of making history by marching alongside the other 650 marches happening across the country.

“I am one very pissedoff woman,” Wolfrey said. “I am not going to sit silently or complacently while my rights are being taken away.”

Kiara Laurent and Karine Dieuvil, members of GoDDsville Dream Defenders, pointed to the case of Erica Thompson, who gave birth inside a jail cell in August and lost her child, as an example of the treatment.

Laurent said Thompson’s case speaks to how Black pain is often ignored.

“I’m here standing for Erica Thompson because Black women should be believed the first time,” Laurent said. “When I say I’m in pain, I ain’t lying. It hurts.”

Cara Loudermilk, a 24-yearold Gainesville resident, marched from Depot Park holding a sign that read, “If men could get

Protestors march down West University Avenue toward Southwest Sixth Street during the North Central Florida March for Reproductive Rights & Justice on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The group of over 100 converged at Cora P. Roberson Park with another group that started at Depot Park.

SEE RALLY, PAGE 4

SEE CDO SEARCH, PAGE 7

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT California kidfinish with comma, pg# Story description

The Florida golfer, now an upperclassmen, is ready to lead the Gators deep into the postseason. Read more on pg. 15

Alan Halaly // Alligator Staff

UF continues 7-month-long search for new Chief Diversity Officer

Students and campus diversity groups are concerned about the vacancy

By Camila Pereira Alligator Staff Writer

Lee en español en la página 14 UF is inviting a second round of candidates for its Chief Diversity Officer vacancy this week.

The CDO position was created in 2018 following white supremacist Richard Spencer being invited to speak on campus and an incident where an administrator rushed graduating Black students off stage.

The UF CDO search committee has been looking at possible CDO candidates since February when

Senate shake-up

Change Party won 12 seats in last week’s election, pg. 6

Fuchs fulfills a promise

Read the UF president’s latest column, pg. 11

the university’s first and former CDO Antonio Farias resigned. Farias left UF to become the University of Colorado Denver’s vice chancellor.

The committee, which consists of 16 students, faculty and staff appointed by UF President Kent Fuchs, has since invited one round of candidates to campus at the end of the Spring semester. As of Sept.13, the committee agreed to interview a second round of possible candidates and invite them onto campus to meet and engage with students.

Some UF students and campus diversity organizations want to hear more about what’s going into the process to find a new CDO. LaRaven Temoney, a 24-year-old

political science doctoral student and secretary for the Black Graduate Student Organization said she believes the university needs to be more transparent about the hiring process.

“I’m not sure if UF is really clear on what they want in a Chief Diversity Officer,” she said. “It seems like they want someone who’s already a Chief Diversity Officer.”

Temoney said an ideal candidate would have experience with conflict management and facilitating uncomfortable conversations. She’s looking for someone who is creative

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2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

UF moves Today’s full steamWeather ahead with gas-fired power plant plans despite student protest STUDENTS AND SUSTAINABILITY EXPERTS SAY THE PLAN IS A STEP BACKWARD FOR GREEN ENERGY POLICY

By Alexandra Harris Alligator Staff Writer

Students donning Gators shirts wander through the maze of closed-off streets on the University of Florida campus.

Obscured behind some of the green fences and striped barricades, construction services the university’s steam pipes.

Students are mostly oblivious to what resides beyond the gates, said Stephen Mulkey, a UF sustainability professor.

“I walk into the university and my heart just breaks,” Mulkey said. “How dare they do that to the future of these kids?”

The power plant approved over summer is anticipated to operate on natural gas, which primarily consists of methane. Mulkey said it is morally reprehensible to use a greenhouse gas like methane at this crucial juncture in history, where the fate of young people is riding on these long-lasting decisions.

The UF Board of Trustees approved the Central Energy Plant Project in June to the dismay of some staff and students. Protesters booed the board’s approval, which they said was made over Summer when many students were off campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic — leaving many students to find out about the university’s plan less than three months before its final decision in December.

After about 50 protesters demanded the university administration halt the gas-fired energy plant Sept. 24, UF President Kent Fuchs explained the board’s vision for moving the project forward Sept. 28.

Fuchs said the initiative is critically important and will help the university meet energy demands for the growing campus and support research efforts.

The plant will produce both steam and electricity while balancing efficiency, costeffectiveness and environmental considerations, Fuchs said. The facility will be located on Gale Lemerand Drive.

“We can’t wait to move forward on this far-reaching effort,” Fuchs said.

But chants heard by passersby on the corner of University Avenue and 13th Street demand a different approach.

“No more oil, keep our carbon in the soil!” “Divest! Divest! It’s in our best interest!”

Climate Action Gator President Makenzie Griffin led the protest charge in an attempt to stop UF’s plans for a gas plant that will be in commission for decades. The protest’s goal was to push the university away from outdated technology and toward more sustainable options, such as renewable energy.

“We don’t want empty promises anymore,” said Griffin, a 22-year-

old zoology senior.

Griffin pointed to UF’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2025, which she said is not possible if the university only reduces emissions by 25%.

She wants to see UF follow the example of other universities in the nation that were able to reduce carbon emissions by more than half through solar energy. Climate Action Gator is working to present a solar proposal to UF with logistics and pricing.

As UF approves gas-fired energy plans, Harvard University said it will end all of its investments in fossil fuels, according to the Washington Post.

“It gives me hope that other universities are going to follow suit, especially our own,” Griffin said. “But it’s also disheartening that UF doesn’t seem to talk much about their investments.”

While UF provides an education to its students, she asked what good that education is if there’s no future to apply it in.

“Do better,” Griffin said.

“Follow in the footsteps of these other top universities who have shown that it’s possible to do better … I know that UF has the money and they have the land. Use it the way students want it to be used.”

Despite opposition from students and staff, UF General Counsel attorney Colt Little said the plan will drive substantial improvement for the university’s carbon footprint.

“The University of Florida has ambitious green energy goals,” Little said.

The Central Energy Plant Project will be the university’s largest source of energy, anticipating a 25% reduction to its overall carbon footprint, Little said, which is roughly the equivalent of shifting 18,000 U.S. homes to zeroemission electricity on an annual basis.

The reductions come from improving UF’s steam supply efficiency, shifting about 60% of campus electricity from the grid, applying a combined heat and power approach and reducing the distance electricity needs to travel.

Little said UF recognizes the plant is only the first step in a larger process to meet environmental goals.

The university is looking for technological solutions that can burn more environmentally friendly fuel sources in the future.

But faculty say there are still financial limitations on those solutions today.

“All this positive, wonderful, forward-looking language, yet the whole damn thing is built on methane — fracked methane,” Mulkey said.

He said methane is the worst energy source UF could use apart from coal. Methane heats the climate over 80 times more than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it enters the atmosphere. After 20 years, most of the methane becomes carbon dioxide, which can last centuries.

Currently, UF’s steam needs

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are primarily met through a Duke Energy-owned and operated central cogeneration facility, UF Vice President of Business Affairs Curtis Reynolds said.

The Duke Energy Facility has been in operation for 25 years and is nearing the end of its service life and contract, Reynolds said, which will be decommissioned by the end of 2027.

The facility is not directly connected to the university’s electrical distribution system. UF is a retail customer of Duke Energy.

On an annual basis, UF purchases more than 750,000 pounds of steam, he said, which is supplied to over 131 campus buildings.

“Through this effort, we would like to achieve steam independence,” Reynolds said.

The proposed energy project outlines three construction efforts: a central energy plant, thermal utility infrastructure and an electrical distribution system.

None of the university’s existing infrastructure will be sold as part of this process, Reynolds said.

After scouring UF’s webpage statements, Mulkey said he struggled to find a single mention of methane, showcasing a lack of transparency.

“It’s breaking trust with future generations at UF to invest in methane-fired — any kind of fossil fuel — at this point,” Mulkey said.

Instead, he said the energy plan should progressively move UF to strictly renewable sourcing.

UF spokesperson Hessy Fernandez didn’t provide a response on UF’s current carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions nor expected emissions for the new plant.

“At this time, the university cannot provide an exact amount of greenhouse gases content as we do not know the specifics around the plant,” Fernandez wrote in an email Saturday.

The contract will be for 25 to 35 years. Construction of the Central Power Energy Plan is expected to begin in 2023, with the facility located on the south side of the commuter parking lot on Gale Lemerand Drive and south of Museum Road, Fernandez wrote.

Mulkey believes the plant goes against the mission of an institution of higher learning: maintenance and renewal of civilization.

“We don’t need any more science,” Mulkey said. “The science is stark, and the reality is right in our face. What we need is political action. We need to act.” @harris_alex_m aharris@alligator.org

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

Right to choose RALLY, from pg. 1

pregnant, abortion clinics will be on every block like Starbucks.”

“The abortion laws are all about oppressing women,” Loudermilk said. “They don’t actually care about babies.”

Loudermilk said abortion clinics are important, especially because

having babies can be dangerous for some people, and some almost die giving birth.

“It changes your body permanently,” Loudermilk said.

“God forbid you don’t want to give it up, and you don’t even get government assistance a lot of the time.”

Krista Hogun-Knight, a 40-year-

old Gainesville resident, is a mother of three. She brought her 10-yearold son to the protest in hopes of being open and honest with her kids about political and social issues.

Hogun-Knight said choosing to be a mother is the hardest decision in the world.

“Every child should be a wanted child, and every parent should want to be a parent,” Hogun-Knight said.

Also marching from Depot Park, Fred Sowder, a 51-year-old

Alan Halaly // Alligator Staff

Abortion-rights protestors cross Southwest 13th Street at the North Central Florida March for Reproductive Rights & Justice on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The group of over 100 marched to Cora P. Roberson Park to hear from a range of speakers including politicians and community activists.

Gainesville resident, held up a sign that read, “Time 2 Mess with Texas.”

He said a Texas-style abortion ban has no place in Florida.

During the summer, Texas passed H.B.1500, otherwise known as the Texas Heartbeat Bill. The bill bans abortions once an ultrasound can detect a fetal heartbeat.

“We don’t want the same law that passed in Texas here in Florida,” Sowder said. “Women should have the right to choose.

Without question, unapologetically, abortion should be available free on demand whenever needed.”

The two marches eventually met at Cora P. Roberson Park, accumulating over 300 attendees.

The attendees were greeted by the organizers who set up tables at the entrance and live music.

On the outskirts of the park, however, were a handful of antiabortion counterprotesters.

Jennifer Friend, a 54-year-old Alachua County resident, said she heard about the national movement of women’s reproductive rights marches and looked online for a local one to attend.

But Friend had a different reason than most for attending the rally.

As hundreds of marchers poured into Cora P. Roberson Park, Friend waited on the sidewalk holding a sign that read, “Don’t spread your legs.”

Friend said there are other options besides abortion and describes herself as a pro-lifer.

She supports Texas’ Heartbeat Act and would support it if Florida replicated something similar.

“We already killed too many babies as it is,” Friend said. “It’s affecting all communities ... It’s

just not right. Those babies have a right to live, and just because you don’t have the money to raise them or you don’t want to raise them doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to be on this Earth.”

Chanae Jackson, a 42-yearold East Gainesville resident and activist, said the issue has become very personal for her. She had to rush her 17-year-old daughter J’Niyah Gilbert to Orlando Regional Medical Center Sept. 28 because of a menstrual problem.

One of the solutions that might have been needed to solve J’Niyah’s medical issue was birth control.

“People don’t understand that it’s bigger than somebody needing birth control to decide if they want to have sex or not,” Jackson said.

“It actually is that meaning between the difference of life and death. I want us to think bigger.”

Elected officials like Gainesville City Commissioner David Arreola and Alachua County Commissioner Anna Prizzia also showed their support for the cause.

Arreola said he’s urging Florida residents to acknowledge that an attack on abortion rights is not hypothetical. With a Texas-style abortion ban working its way through the state legislature, the attack is already happening.

“I wanted to be here today because I think that the bill that was recently filed in the Florida House is a direct attack on women’s rights,” Arreola said. “Being here today, I think, is a statement to everybody, particularly Senators Keith Perry and Chuck Clemons, who are going to have to vote on this legislation.” @jiselle_lee jlee@alligator.org

Florida lawmakers to hear Texas-style heartbeat abortion law, Gainesville residents express mixed views THE FLORIDA HEARTBEAT ACT WAS FILED ONLY 22 DAYS AFTER THE TEXAS HEARTBEAT ACT TOOK EFFECT

By Faith Buckley Alligator Staff Writer

Texas’ abortion bill has made its way to the Florida legislature, reigniting a decadesold debate.

Florida state representative Webster Barnaby filed the Florida Heartbeat Act bill Sept. 22 — less than a month after Texas’ bill went into effect Sept. 1 making abortion illegal after a fetus’ heartbeat is detected.

In Texas, at least $10,000 can be granted to anyone who sues a person involved in helping a woman get an abortion past the six-week mark — except for pregnant women themselves.

Similarly, in Florida’s bill, abortion would be allowed until detection of a fetal heartbeat, which generally happens about six weeks into a pregnancy. With proper documentation, exceptions are available for victims of rape, incest, domestic violence or human trafficking.

On Oct. 2, more than 300 marched to Cora P. Roberson Park to oppose the legislation. Florida politicians like House of Representatives Democratic candidate Danielle Hawk and Alachua County Commissioner

Anna Prizzia attended the protest, showing they also oppose the Florida Heartbeat Act. Kai Christmas, a 24-year-old Gainesville resident, organized another protest Sept.

9 outside Sira, a crisis pregnancy center located at 912 NW 13th St. — just outside of Gainesville’s Planned Parenthood. Crisis pregnancy centers are intended to dissuade women from getting abortions, often misleading women who intended to go to the abortion center next door.

“They do everything to get you into the door,” Christmas said. “These are places that prey on pregnant people’s vulnerabilities.”

Christmas started organizing the protest a day after the Texas Heartbeat Act was put into place. The Texas abortion law poses a large threat to women around the nation, as many travel to Florida to seek abortions, they said.

They said they want to see easier access to abortions in Florida and wishes for the 24-hour waiting period requirement to be terminated.

“It [Texas bill] empowers vigilante bounty hunters, and it incentivizes people to harass and surveil others,” Christmas said. “It’s truly unprecedented.”

Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, who represents parts of Alachua County in the Florida House, said she believes the bill was filed to challenge Roe v. Wade and appease state Republicans.

She said this isn’t the first time in recent

history that state lawmakers tried to unjustly impose restrictions on abortions. Florida’s current law bans abortions after 24 weeks into pregnancy, right before the beginning of the third trimester, with an exception being an emergency.

“When has anyone ever legislated the male body like they attempt to legislate the female body?” she said.

Others don’t see eye-to-eye with pro-choice activists.

Mark Harrington, the president of the antiabortion organization Created Equal, is in favor of the act and believes it, and similar bills across the country, is a start to overturn Roe v. Wade. Created Equal supports the Texas and Florida heartbeat acts, as it travels across the country to college campuses to engage in conversation and conduct debates over abortion.

“Everybody agrees that if there’s heartbeat there’s life,” Harrington said. “If we can protect the unborn and the detectable heartbeats then we’re detecting human life.”

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land and overrides Florida’s right to privacy, Harrington said. Victims of rape, incest and domestic violence shouldn’t be exempt from the heartbeat acts, he said. He wants abortion to be abolished completely.

“We don’t have the right to kill them,”

Harrington said. “The right to privacy doesn’t extend to a mother killing their offspring.”

Turning Point USA UF President Abigail Streetman, 20, is also in support of the act.

Incremental change on Florida’s current abortion law is necessary, and this act is the best solution, Streetman said.

“When you make the decision to sleep with somebody, you should know that every single time you make that decision you’re taking the risk of getting pregnant,” she said.

The unborn have the right to bodily autonomy, so it doesn’t invade a woman’s right to privacy, Streetman said.

On the other hand, Lauren Goodhue, the 48-year-old executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, is baffled by the Florida bill.

“They’ve [young women] never known a life where they didn’t have the right to bodily autonomy and to decide whether and when to parent for themselves,” Goodhue said.

Two similar events were held on the same day as the Sept. 9 Gainesville protest in Tallahassee and Miami, Goodhue said. There were also 650 protests across the country in support of reproductive rights Oct. 2.

“People are ready,” she said. “They’re really mad about the actions of our state.” @_faithbuckley fbuckley@alligator.org

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021 ALLIGATOR 5

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

Change Party gains could challenge Senate status-quo Newly elected officials will begin their one-year terms Tuesday

By Allessandra Inzinna Alligator Staff Writer

For a year, Gator Party has held control over SG Senate with a supermajority of more than 60 senators out of 100 total seats.

Change Party whittled down the supermajority by 12 seats last week.

Election night resulted in Gator Party securing 37 seats and Change securing 12. In the Spring 2021 election, Change only won three out of the 50 available.

Change campaigned on adding needed funds to the Counseling and Wellness center, renaming buildings named after “bigots” and extending the Title IX statute of limitations on sexual assault in the Student Handbook from one year to four.

Kenya Warner, Change Party treasurer, wrote in an email that her party’s new senators will be a force to be reckoned with.

“Change senators are ready to step up and take the necessary strides that Gator has unfortunately been lacking in,” she wrote.

Despite the parties’ differences, Warner wrote the two have mutual goals of improving the quality of life on campus.

Gator Party campaigned for adding Gator 1 cards to mobile wallets, adding links on ONE. UF for mental health assistance and re-establishing parking ticket forgiveness.

Noah Fineberg, the cocampaign manager of Gator Party, is excited to hear the ideas, initiatives and proposals new senators will introduce.

“I believe in building relationships with people, regardless of party affiliation,” he wrote in an email. “We are all elected to serve the students and while we may have different approaches in regards to how to best achieve these goals, I know we will still get things done.”

Warner believes Change now has more power to disrupt some of the norms seen in Senate, such as Gator Party leaders’ recurring calls to “previous question” when passing motions in order to impede objections and debate.

Utt wrote he’s seen Gator invoke the motion hundreds of times throughout his tenure as a senator. The motion requires two-thirds of senators to approve it, which is something Gator Party easily has.

“I do feel there are going to be a lot of changes in Senate including debates,” Warner

wrote. “Now that we have the ability to form a caucus, we’re able to have a more influence on what goes on the floor and what policies are made rather than simply holding opposition.”

Due to Gator Party’s massive numbers within the Senate, it’s difficult for minority senators, such as Independent Senator Zachery Utt, to have much decision-making power.

Additionally, if the Senate mostly consists of a single party in which almost everyone agrees on a certain bill, senators don’t make room for debate.

All newly elected senators will be sworn in during Senate Sept.

5, which will be Independent Senator Zachery Utt’s last day.

Utt believes that despite Change’s low numbers, they can do plenty.

Procedurally, however, 12 seats are the same as one in terms of the ability to pass legislation.

Bills, resolutions and motions are usually passed through a majority vote or unanimous consent when more than half of the Senate body decides to support a certain policy, according to the Senate Rules and Procedures.

Other than a majority vote, it usually takes at least one-third of senators voting for something

Kiara Cline // Alligator Staff

Noah Fineberg (left) and Annabelle Groux (right) embrace while celebrating the Student Government Senate election results at the Reitz Union on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Fineberg and Groux were both elected as District A senators. to get it done, Utt said. What the new Change senators can do, however, is set an example for how Senate should be run.

“They can identify corruption and push back against abuse,” Utt wrote. “They can make sure that voice of the student body

is present in the room where decisions are being made — even if the leaders in charge choose not to listen.” @ainzinna ainzinna@alligator.org

Catherine McCarthy // Alligator Staff

Ryan Wilder, Change Party founder and UF alum, celebrates the party winning 12 seats in the Student Government Senate on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021 at the Reitz Union. Wilder previously served as a District C senator.

Kiara Cline // Alligator Staff

Annabelle Groux (left) leans on Lauren Lemasters (right) while waiting to hear Student Government Senate election results at the Reitz Union on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Groux was elected as a senator for District A.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021 ALLIGATOR 7

UF looks to celebrate top 5 status with day off in Spring UF FACULTY SENATE WILL VOTE TO FINALIZE PLANS SOON

By Mariana Larsen Alligator Contributing Writer

UF students could soon mark Feb. 9 in their calendars as a day off from class.

Plans are in motion to cancel a day of classes in Spring to celebrate the university reaching top five in a national list of public universities, UF President Kent Fuchs said.

U.S. News & World Report announced UF’s new ranking, which tied it with University of California, Santa Barbara and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sept.

12. The publication measures how well the universities perform in several categories and counts up total points. Some categories include student outcomes, faculty resources and academic reputation, according to its website.

In 2019, Fuchs wrote a tweet that read “Note to self— when UF reaches Top 5, ask the faculty if I can cancel classes for a day-

long celebration.”

Now, there is speculation on campus as to whether the president would keep his word.

Fuchs confirmed he is proposing to the Faculty Senate to cancel classes on Feb. 9.

It will vote on a decision within the next month or two, he said.

In order to cancel classes in non-emergency situations, he said it is protocol for the president to go through the Faculty Senate for approval.

“We’re going to have a day of gratitude and celebration,” Fuchs said. “A day to celebrate all the hard work that everyone has put in — for almost two years by then around COVID — and also what we call our university values … around excellence, around innovation, around inclusion.”

He plans to ask different colleges and organizations to brainstorm ways they would like to honor the occasion before the event.

He said there’s a possibility there will be food trucks as well as a concert on campus.

Jose Cespedes, a 21-year-old UF mechanical engineering senior, is looking forward to

Sense of urgency CDO SEARCH, from pg. 1

in his or her approach to diversity and inclusion while directly interacting with students, faculty and staff.

“UF on paper has a decent amount of diversity,” Temoney said.

“But when it comes to rankings for different things, UF’s diversity and inclusion efforts suck compared to a lot of institutions at the same stature.”

She believes the long absence of a CDO hinders progress on President Fuchs’ promises following the Black Lives Matter protests last summer.

“At the very least, put an

interim,” she said. “You put an interim for everything else. I’m kind of confused why that wasn’t made a priority, especially when no one in the administration is an expert in [diversity, equity and inclusion].”

Carmi Thompson, president of UF’s chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, said the university should be open to different forms of knowledge and expertise. Sometimes those in CDO roles are not necessarily in it for the right reasons, she said.

“By having that more narrow lens for a job that should be innovative and transformative,

a potential day off from school. He said he believes reaching the top five is an important milestone.

“You know I’d say we worked pretty damn hard, so maybe a day off isn’t bad,” he said.

Cespedes said although school ranking doesn’t mean much to him, he believes it has a value of social importance, especially when it comes to employers.

“It shows the quality of students that these schools produce,” he said. “A ranking would show ‘oh they went to a top five ranking?’ That means they’re a hard-working student.”

Fuchs said the next step to increase UF’s ranking is to shift the focus to improving each college at the university. He believes if all of the colleges move up in ranking, then it would lift the university’s ranking overall.

Having a high ranking gives the university national recognition and gives students pride about where they go to school, he said.

“It’s not like winning a football game,” he said. “It’s a different kind of school spirit,

you could miss out on other highly qualified candidates who have the background, who have the understanding, who have the compassion and the empathy that you need in a strong leader,” Thompson said.

The 26-year-old graduate assistant said she also hopes the position continues to be a voice and ally for those historically excluded from higher education.

Thompson hopes the next CDO takes cues from Antonio Farias.

She said the previous CDO was supportive of student initiatives.

Thompson said she hopes the new CDO leads with empathy and compassion and listens to all of the voices that make up the UF community.

“At UF, we talk a lot about being

Lauren Witte // Alligator Staff

A top 5 banner is seen on Stadium Road on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021.

but it contributes to the pride in your university. And in some sense, it makes the degrees that come from the university even more valuable.”

a top-five institution,” she said. “But we can’t be a top-five institution if we do not care for the people that make up all of these units and all of these departments across the school.”

Although she understands the search process for a suitable candidate can be long, Thompson believes the CDO position is critical and should be prioritized among other administrative roles.

CDO search committee chair Jodi Gentry said the process has been extensive. UF doesn’t want to exclude students and faculty who were not on campus over the Summer from participating in the search process, she said.

“We do have a sense of urgency,” Gentry said. “We really do know that this is important and we’re moving

@MarianaLarsen29

forward. But I think it shows how important it is that we are looking for the absolute right person for us.”

Gentry said the university and the committee is looking for someone who’s been a Chief Diversity Officer at a university or system level before given how large and complex UF is.

The committee is also looking for someone who has strategic responsibility for promoting and enabling inclusive excellence for faculty, staff and students, Gentry said. This is because the role of the CDO is to provide leadership, expertise and even a vision for how the university can work together and create a model for inclusion, diversity, equity and access. @CamilaSaPereira cpereira@alligator.org

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8 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

From China to UF, Molly Wagner challenges perceptions of disabilities THE UNIVERSITY’S ACCESSIBILITY AND ACADEMIC RIGOR DREW HER IN, SHE SAID

By Melanie Peña Alligator Staff Writer

With each step, Molly Wagner’s small frame stumbled toward the orphanage director. She placed a book in Wagner’s lap.

As Wagner ran her fingers along the spine and crinkled the thin paper, she paused and glanced at a photo glued onto a decorated scrapbook page. It was of two boys, two girls, a mother and a father.

“You know who these are?” the woman asked.

She scanned the photograph. The orphanage would often have families sponsor children.

These photos must be of a family who sponsors my medical treatments and food.

The woman explained to Wagner that this was her new family, she had been adopted.

That was the first time Wagner, now a 19-year-old UF psychology freshman, saw her family — in a photograph while at the House of Love Orphanage in Guilin, China.

She was born in China with Ullrich muscular dystrophy, a rare degenerative genetic disease that leads to motor difficulties.

“I prayed about getting a family,” she said.

“Everybody told me America was great. I’m going to be eating fried chicken every day.”

After arriving in the U.S. in 2011, she owned her identity as a person with a disability, overcame the expectations society set for her and made her way to UF. She challenged what it meant to be mobility impaired.

She credits much of where she is today to her family adopting her.

Every day, her image popped up on Maureen Wagner’s screen. And every day, Maureen, who volunteered remotely for An Orphan’s Wish, called the orphanage director and asked if anyone had pulled Molly Wagner’s paperwork.

One evening, the director sent Maureen pictures from a play the orphanage put on.

Molly Wagner, wearing a robe and a crown, posed with her peers on stage. Maureen Wagner sent them to her husband.

“Typically, when I would send him kids that I thought were cute, he would never really comment,” she said.

But William Wagner rushed down the stairs. He turned to his wife in a frenzy. How much is it to go get her?

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pull her paperwork and then say no,” Maureen Wagner said. “She fulfilled in me my biggest desire. She closed that empty space in my heart. She completed our family.”

For a year, William and Maureen Wagner sorted through all the proper paperwork and prepared to see Molly Wagner in China. The family was familiar with the process. They adopted their daughter Lilian Wagner from China in 2006 when she was 2 years old.

One of their sons, Oliver Wagner, was in 10th grade when he joined his parents’ journey to pick up Molly Wagner.

“There’s just really no words to describe that — meeting someone who’s going to be your sibling forever,” Oliver Wagner said.

Molly Wagner also remembers when she met her parents and siblings. It was the first time she saw someone who didn’t look like her.

But when William and Maureen Wagner picked her up, they could tell she was smarter

than an average 10-year-old. Her duffel bags were stuffed with books. She chatted away with the translator, who said she expressed herself like an adult.

“Here was this young, very vibrant, young girl,” William Wagner said. “Seeking information, wanting to learn, wanting to know what the world was about. So talking to her was filled with a lot of questions.”

After multiple train rides and flights, Molly Wagner arrived at her new home in Ohio and met all four new siblings: Oliver, Noah, Lucy and Lilian.

Soon, her family took her to a clinic for testing. Doctors in China knew she had an illness but didn’t know how to diagnose her.

A doctor at a neuromuscular clinic traced her troubles walking to Ullrich muscular dystrophy. The condition severely weakened her muscles, which led to her using a motorized wheelchair.

“It didn’t really bother me,” Molly Wagner said. “I’d dealt with it all my life. It was just more like an answer to why I was the way I was.”

She didn’t let the diagnosis stop her from what she always wanted — to learn.

And it didn’t take for her long to become a top student, even when the family moved to Port Orange, Florida.

“I did always excel in school because that was something I could do,” Molly Wagner said. “I can’t necessarily excel in video games or basketball or jump rope.”

Before she started high school, she craved the chance for challenging coursework. That led her to the International Baccalaureate program.

Maureen Wagner worried the IB program’s workload would be too overwhelming for Molly Wagner. She pleaded for her to reconsider.

Oh Molly, I don’t know about that. I’ve heard that it’s a lot of work.

Her pleas didn’t ring.

I’m going to prove to you that I can make it in this IB program.

And so Spruce Creek High School IB Coordinator Karie Cappiello registered her for the advanced classes.

“IB is for kids wanting an academic challenge, but more importantly, it’s for global thinkers,” Cappiello said. “It’s for kids that are super motivated to do well and active in school, and that’s really what I saw in Molly.”

During the span of her four years, Molly Wagner left a legacy behind at Spruce Creek High School. She even outperformed most IB students.

“Molly was the heart of our school,” Cappiello said. “It’s kind of hard not to love her.”

Molly Wagner did what most couldn’t do even with added obstacles.

Everyday activities can take her up to an hour. She can’t jump in the shower and finish in 10 minutes. She can’t eat dinner in five minutes. But she could pen 4,000 word essays about classic literature like Romeo and Juliet.

“That’s two hours a night that she’s doing something other than studying,” Maureen Wagner said. “She typically is in bed at 9:30 because she needs all of her ventilator therapy.”

The fall of her senior year, she faced an unforeseen hurdle.

Molly Wagner suffered two cases of a collapsed lung and spent almost a month in the hospital. The healing process was slow, but she kept up with her schoolwork’s fast pace.

While in the hospital, Molly Wagner heard

Alan Halaly // Alligator Staff

Molly Wagner, 19, UF psychology and Chinese freshman, poses for a portrait outside of Anderson Hall. Wagner, who has muscular dystrophy, said she’s spent the past few weeks acclimating to life on campus. big news — Harvard wanted to interview her.

Hospital nurses mobilized and prepared the head nurse’s office for the interview. They also had the ICU chief stationed nearby in case she needed emergency assistance. She was waitlisted by the university.

When Molly Wagner’s lung healed, she wrapped up her last semester of school with ease. Then, the long-awaited Senior Award Night arrived.

The stage was littered with awards and plaques, but everybody’s eyes were set on the highest honor: The Hawk of the Year Award, an award determined by faculty nominations.

Principal Todd Sparger pulled a dark drape off a photograph. The photo was of Molly Wagner.

Beaming, she rolled onto the stage, and the crowd stood and cheered.

“That was probably one of the biggest surprises I’ve ever experienced,” she said.

Days later, she began to reflect on her college plans. She outlined a pros and cons list of Florida universities in terms of costs, accessibility and academics. The choice seemed clear.

She was set on UF after attending the university’s Youth Leadership Conference in February 2020. The conference consisted of leadership and group workshops, activities and games.

During the conference award ceremony, her team was honored as the best group.

Maureen Wagner gawked as she saw her daughter roll up the stage with her teammates to claim their award.

She feared Molly Wagner would have to pull up in the front while her partners walked up the stage; something that bothered her, but happened often. But this time the conference staff rolled a ramp for her.

Maureen Wagner searched for the conference director and thanked him for accommodating her daughter. He told her the conference counselors ordered the ramp to be placed that morning to ensure Molly Wagner had a way to celebrate with teammates on the stage.

UF’s atmosphere of inclusivity continued to draw Wagner in.

When she visited UF, she noticed welcome brochures and posters that included people in wheelchairs along with buttons to open doors –– something that her high school didn’t have. It’s a small detail, but the photos made her feel represented as someone who is mobility impaired.

When she discovered Cypress Hall, a dorm recently constructed to accommodate mobility-impaired students, the school became even more appealing.

“I felt like that would make my transition easier, and then knowing that they’re also a really academically rigorous college, I knew that I wouldn’t be giving up a good education for accessibility,” she said.

Throughout her life, Molly Wagner always felt like she had something to prove. She needed to be better, smarter.

“I just want to show that physical disability does not mean mental disability,” she said.

“I think a lot of times people don’t put that together. And they don’t have any reason to think otherwise, and that’s the problem.”

Her drive to learn made her an advocate for people with disabilities. She hopes to challenge assumptions of motor impaired people and promote inclusivity. And now at UF, she can open her own doors. @MelanieBombino mpena@alligator.org

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021 ALLIGATOR 9

UF enters talks with city about plans for graduate housing THE CHANGE MAY AFFECT AFFORDABLE OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING

By Eve Thompson & Alexander Lugo Alligator Staff Writers

UF and the city of Gainesville are moving forward with discussions over providing graduate students with affordable housing.

The talks come after graduate students expressed concerns over plans to demolish Maguire Village and University Village South with no proposals to replace the complexes. The lack of room for graduate students on campus would leave them to find housing in the city, which is facing its own affordable housing crisis.

The issue was discussed in a city commission meeting June 10.

In the meeting, Commissioner David Arreola called it counterintuitive to tear

down the two buildings without plans to offer housing to those displaced. He said the only reason his parents were able to move to Gainesville was because of the type of housing Maguire and UVS offer.“These decisions are going to raise the price of housing for a lot of people,” Arreola said in the meeting.

UF’s budget is about 72% of the total value of taxable property in Gainesville, meaning that any changes to UF’s housing has an impact on the surrounding city, Arreola said.

Additionally, UF plans to build a housing complex for honors students as well as one for athletes that will open in Fall 2023 adding 1,900 beds total. None of those beds are reserved for graduate students.

The number of honors students living on campus has decreased from Fall 2016

Lauren Witte // Alligator Staff

Maguire Village Commons is seen on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021.

to Fall 2020, going from 1,031 students to 658 students, according to public records.

Student athletes living on campus, however, have increased during the same time period, from 108 to 168.

The honors complex will cost between $175 million and $205 million to build.

The athletics housing complex will cost between $60 million and $70 million.

One room in either complex will cost $4,511 while a double room will cost $4,263 per room per semester starting in 2024, according to public records. Today, the cheapest single room costs $2,930 while the most expensive option costs $3,953. The cheapest double room costs $2,767 while the most expensive option costs $3,735. All prices are set to rise by 4.5% annually.

This is a major shakeup for UF’s housing portfolio,” Arreola said. “They’re talking about closing affordable graduate housing, not replacing it.”

While new housing is a plus for affordability in the long run, housing costs are skyrocketing in the short term, he said.

Arreola said he brought the issue up in a meeting with UF last week prompting plans to continue discussing a way for UF and the city to find a solution.

He suggested UF put money in Alachua County’s affordable housing trust. The trust was created almost a year ago but currently has no money in it, Arreola said.

Although it’s a suggestion Arreola likes, he said there aren’t any specific options that have been discussed yet. The future discussions between the university and the city are meant to find the best solution agreed upon by both parties.

UF’s Chief Financial Officer Chris Cowen said the university doesn’t want to make their situation the city’s problem.

“If we’re closing two dorms and then

saying to our married graduate students and families, ‘Go find housing,’ for that segment of the graduate student population, their main objective is affordability,” Cowen said. “And so they would immediately be competing directly with other members of the Gainesville community who also are looking at affordable housing.”

To avoid that, UF plans to partner with two developers by the end of the year, and Cowen said he believes they have identified a potential property to replace the complexes lost.

“We’ve heard graduate students,” Cowen said. “We understand their needs and we are committed to meeting them just as well as we can.”

Jonathan Orsini, previous president of the Graduate Student Council, said there are 1,469 beds aimed at graduate students and families on campus. Once the two complexes are demolished, there will be 947, a loss of about 36%.

With the problem persisting in the city and no clear messaging from the university, graduate students are still worried about the future.

Thirty-five-year-old Emily Fahey and her husband, an anthropology doctoral student, currently live in Maguire Village with their two daughters. She said she feels at home in the complex.

“We could not afford to live anywhere else in Gainesville without having this cheap, safe option of Maguire and UVS and the other graduate housing villages,” Fahey said.

Isabella Douglas contributed to this report. @evealanaa ethompson@alligator.org @AlexLugo67 alugo@alligator.org

Florida manatees dying at unparalleled rates due to loss of food source The Florida manatee is prominent in the state’s freshwater springs

By Omar Ateyah Alligator Staff Writer

As of late September, more than 900 manatees have died in 2021, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The number of manatees that have died so far this year has been greater than any year since 2013.

A large number of the manatees in Florida waters reside in the Indian River Lagoon near Palm Bay, which has seen a significant amount of algae that prevents seagrass from growing adequately. Seagrass is the vegetation that grows in these waterways and acts as a major source of nutrition for manatees.

Michael Walsh, a UF veterinary medicine professor, said manatees can also be found in Ichetucknee Springs, about 40 miles northwest of Gainesville, during colder months. The Florida manatee is thought to be one of the state’s trademark animals.

Walsh said manatees are now becoming overly reliant on power plant sites that produce artificial heat, which makes them stay in areas that might not have enough food. He said the decrease in the food supply is caused by a change in the water’s quality due in part to excess nutrients.

“That excess nutrient then can result in harmful algal blooms that contribute to the loss of sunlight because there’s more and more particulates that are put into the

water system,” he said.

Walsh said this makes water more turbid, meaning it’s less transparent.

“The more turbid your water is, the less sunlight gets through it,” Walsh said. “As turbidity increases, then the sun can’t get down into the deeper areas where the seagrasses are in those locations.”

Walsh said seagrass is necessary to conserve highquality water. As it worsens, the turbidity problem does, too.

“You’re into this vicious circle in terms of you take away the seagrass, you get poor water quality, [which] takes away the seagrass, which contributes to more poor water quality,” Walsh said.

The loss of seagrass means manatees cannot maintain their body temperatures in colder months, Walsh said.

Manatees have adapted to staying near power plants to stay warm when the weather cools, so they are generally not eager to leave when there’s a lack of food, Walsh said.

“When it gets to the point where [the manatees] have to make a choice now between where can I go for food versus staying warm ... a lot of them choose to stay warm because they don’t know where else to go,” Walsh said.

“They haven’t done the migration that would’ve happened generations ago like their grandparents did or their great grandparents.”

Although the loss of seagrass is the leading cause of death for the manatee population this year, it is not the

only factor. As of late September, more than 80 manatees have died as a result of boat collisions in 2021.

Ally Greco, Save the Manatee Club spokesperson, said boating tragedies can be avoided.

“If you’re out on the water, obey the posted speed zones,” Greco said. “They’re naturally kind of slowmoving creatures because they don’t hunt anything, and they’re not prey for anything.”

Greco also referred to her club’s website for other tips.

Some of these tips include boating in deeper waters — while also being aware that manatees could be located there as well — and maintaining a distance if a manatee is spotted while one is boating.

In 2017, the federal government designated manatees as threatened after an endangered designation that had lasted for a few decades. Greco said this downlisting has led to a less robust effort to keep manatees protected and noted that it was made as a result of an examination of manatees’ population standing.

Greco argued that this increase in the population does not mean people should be less persistent in their protection of manatees.

“More manatees means we have more manatees to protect,” he said. “So what we worry about is not having enough protections for their habitat.”

She said if someone spots a manatee that is deceased or in distress they should call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC. @OAteyah oateyah@alligator.org

10 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

East Gainesville tennis program aims to level the playing field THE PROGRAM HELPS INTRODUCE EAST GAINESVILLE RESIDENTS TO A TRADITIONALLY INACCESSIBLE SPORT

By Faith Buckley Alligator Staff Writer

Dallis Brimm, 7, walked up to the tennis courts at T.B. McPherson Park, racket in hand, ready to play a round of tennis. A quiet rainfall hit the blue tennis court floor, but that didn’t stop Dallis from doing what she loves.

Historically, more expensive and higher maintenance sports like tennis haven’t always been accessible to Black children like Dallis.

Historic barriers like income disparities and post-effects of segregation linger today.

Now, there’s a discounted program in East Gainesville that hopes to tackle the inequality gap.

The T.B. McPherson Pilot Program launched Sept. 13 and has brought tennis classes to East Gainesville for all ages at the park, located at 1717 SE 15th St. The program, sponsored by the Gainesville chapter of 100 Black Men of Greater Florida and Aces in Motion, hopes to bring more sports programs to children in East Gainesville.

Dallis’ grandmother, community leader Latashia Brimm, heard about the program on Facebook and immediately thought of Dallis who saw tennis players on TV and took interest in the sport.

“She’s been excited,” Brimm said. “She’s been asking when she’s gonna get to hit the ball.”

Even though Dallis was the only one in attendance on Sept. 21, she took full advantage of it.

“She has not expressed any interest in any sport other than this one,” Brimm said.

She hopes Dallis acquires new skills she can use down the road and will be able to say she tried something new.

Tennis facilitator Ebony Wiggins, 28,

coaches kids in the program and takes care of the courts.

“We wanted to branch out and start tennis out here so more kids can learn tennis and love to learn the game,” Wiggins said.

Tennis is generally a sport that requires families to have a disposable income, she said, so the program helps bring tennis to minorities generally underrepresented in the sport in East Gainesville.

Wiggins attended Abraham Lincoln Middle School in East Gainesville and was only ever familiar with basketball, soccer and volleyball. Her family didn’t have enough money for her to play tennis as a kid. Now, she’s excited to see children play tennis because of the discounted gameplay of $50 for six weeks.

“If they decide that they love tennis and want to play some more, then we’re here to give that to them,” Wiggins said.

Christopher Champion, head tennis professional for Play Tennis Gainesville, 35, had a one-on-one session with 9-year-old Lainey Norton, the only child that showed up for the 4:30 p.m. class on Sept. 23.

Champion collaborated with 100 Black Men of Greater Florida Gainesville and Aces in Motion to bring the program to life.

“We want to inform and educate the community about what tennis is, and try to make sure that individuals know that it’s accessible,” Champion said.

He’s played the game since he was 3 years old and understands its influence on a person.

What separates tennis from other sports is the required decision making, Champion said.

Because it is an individual sport as opposed to a team sport, the athlete must rely on himself or herself to make the complete decision.

Jamar Hebert, the president and chairman of the organization, was approached by Play Tennis Gainesville to participate in the T.B. McPherson program.

“We may discover the next Venus or Serena,” Hebert said.

Tennis is just one way to bring more resources to East Gainesville, Hebert said.

Like Wiggins, Hebert recognizes a problem with the racial and socioeconomic makeup of recreational and professional tennis teams across the U.S. In East Gainesville, he said there are less sports programs offered to children in the area.

“This is just one of many ways that we’re trying to bridge that gap,” Hebert said. “The game of tennis provides important life skills, lessons and mental and physical wellness to all.”

His organization hopes to inspire and encourage young Black males in particular, pushing them to join non-traditional sports like tennis.

The organization’s motto is “what they see is what they’ll be,” Hebert said.

“We firmly believe that exposing our two avenues into these programs, they’ll see it,” he said. “And hopefully they’ll be it.”

The program hosts three different groups: Red Ball Tennis 4 Kids, Orange Ball Tennis 4 Kids and Love to Learn Adult Clinic. The red group runs from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for ages 8 and under.

The orange group follows the red group from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and hosts kids ages 10 and under. The adult group is from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the same nights. @_faithbuckley fbuckley@alligator.org

Alan Halaly // Alligator Staff

Lainey Norton (left), 6, attends a tennis lesson led by Christopher Scott Champion (right), 35, during the program at T.B. McPherson Park on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. The pilot program offers discounted lessons for East Gainesville residents.

Gainesville disparity study seeks to create opportunities for local businesses The study began June 7 and will finish in August 2022 with potential recommended changes

By Meghan McGlone Alligator Staff Writer

The city of Gainesville is supporting a study that would create more equity for local businesses by identifying discrimination in the city’s current marketplace.

Atlanta-based law firm Griffin & Strong is conducting the disparity study in the city, CEO Rodney K. Strong said.

The firm will determine if Gainesville is experiencing discrimination within its marketplace, which is made up of the city’s businesses.

“I’m in this to see equitable opportunities created,” Strong said.

The study looks at past and current disparities by focusing on the city’s economic investments and who the city does business with to ensure both minority- and women-owned businesses are included.

Past discrimination includes instances where businesses may be disadvantaged due to historical effects of other businesses being favored, Strong said. An example of this includes current impoverished neighborhoods that still suffer from effects of Black-owned businesses being refused loans 50 years ago, Strong said.

If these types of inequity and inequality are present, then the marketplace isn’t equitable.

The history of disparity studies goes back toward the end of the Civil Rights Movement in 1967 to the creation of affirmative action programs. These ensured that Black people

who had previously been excluded from certain spaces would now be included, Strong said.

This eventually led to law firms specializing in studying disparities, such as Griffin & Strong.

To conduct a disparity study, researchers will collect data on where the city is spending its money geographically, as well as collecting information on minority- and women-owned local businesses. They will also collect anecdotal evidence from local businesses to analyze people’s experiences doing business with Gainesville.

Local businesses can provide anecdotal evidence through surveys, interviews or the firm’s website created specifically for Gainesville, Strong said.

Not only does anecdotal evidence help the study, it helps businesses get involved with their communities, he said. This helps businesses create beneficial relationships they wouldn’t have otherwise.

“It’s a necessary component to ensuring that there is a level playing field for businesses in the marketplace in Gainesville,” Strong said.

The city decided to do the disparity study after looking at the city’s finances, said Sylvia Warren, equal opportunity manager of Gainesville’s Office of Equity and Inclusion.

The city already has a small business program that provides opportunities for businesses to collaborate with the city’s departments. It’s not an affirmative action program, and the study will determine if the program helps women- and minority-owned businesses.

The study began June 7 and will finish August 2022, Senior Director of Consulting and Gainesville’s Project Manager Michele Clark Jenkins said.

The firm’s researchers are in the process of collecting data and will be finished mid-November, Jenkins said. They’ve also studied Gainesville’s policies and interviewed staff, and they are starting interviews. They’ve also had informational meetings in August with community members to educate them about the study and how to get involved.

“One of the biggest things that really was a bright spot for us so far is that we had a very good turnout to our informational meeting,” Jenkins said. “What that tells us is that there are a lot of firms in the marketplace who are really interested in what it is we’re doing.”

After statistical analyses on the data, Griffin & Strong will determine whether the city discriminates against minorityowned businesses or if business are dealing with the effects of past discrimination, Strong said. Then, the firm will recommend changes ranging from legislation to projects the city should implement.

Changes could include outreach support services, small business opportunities or other ideas, but the recommendations will be uniquely tailored to the city and findings, Strong said.

Strong said this gives historically underserved communities a chance to be part of a marketplace that has previously excluded them. More businesses create more competition in a marketplace, he said, which will help drive down prices and boost the local economy.

“We think it’s going to create a more robust economy we think everybody’s going to benefit from,” Strong said. “That’s why it’s a win-win situation.” @meggmcglone mmcglone@alligator.org

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

When life gives you lemons, make Gatorade

O

ctober is here, Fall is in nearly impossible.

But then there are days when full swing and many of us you bump into a high school friend have found our groove. lounging in a hammock on Plaza Study spots have been of the Americas and a spontaneestablished, the quickest routes ous Krishna Lunch picnic erupts. to classes are mapped out in evThere are hilarious professors eryone’s minds and thousands of whose jokes wouldn’t pack the new students have decided if they stand with Marston Science Li- Abigail Hasebroock same punch over a lifeless Zoom call. And pretending you are in a brary or Library West. @abbeyhasebroock coming-of-age film as you walk I experienced the throngs of people crawling on campus be- ahasebroock@alligator.org to the beat of Century Tower’s chimes during golden hour isn’t tween classes my freshman year in Fall 2019, but I’d forgotten just how many too hard if you use your imagination.

College is not easy. But we’re lucky to be people there are. As I exited my first class on Aug. 23 and joined the thick crowd, I was here. UF is the No. 5 best public university in thankful for the mask hiding my wide grin as the nation. We can get a COVID-19 test or vaccination appointment with a few swift clicks I thought: It’s so good to be back!

But we can’t be naive. COVID-19 cases on our stickered laptops.

Even as beads of perspiration form on your haven’t vanished, some still refuse to get vaccinated and UF students even get the choice to forehead as you make the trek to your 8:30 a.m. lecture; even as yet another person from abstain from wearing masks.

The pandemic is persisting, and while it a random club approaches you on Turlington can be difficult to remember there is a world Plaza despite the fact they can see the AirPods outside of the UF and Gainesville bubble, plugged into both ears; even when you wait communities around the world, specifically for more than 30 minutes just to drink a small, the global south, do not have equitable access overpriced coffee, savor every moment.

The sentiment is cheesy, and from someto vaccines, while we have the privilege to one who always sees the glass half empty, a deny a free one.

Sitting in a three-hour lecture while your little ironic. But given the absolute hell most stomach growls loud enough for the person of the world is still enduring because of a next to you to grimace isn’t anyone’s first health crisis that some worry we may never idea of fun. Weaving in and out of campus truly eradicate, it’s a privilege to be tucked construction as you speed walk to class only away in the UF sphere.

Positivity can’t heal a pandemic. But it to sit down and try to hide the sweat stains screaming off your shirt is frazzling, to say the won’t make it worse, either. least. And trying to find a quiet corner in the Abigail Hasebroock is a UF journalism library where unmasked couples aren’t loudly rehashing the gritty details of their weekend is junior and an aspiring optimist.

Column

A day of gratitude, reflection and celebration: Feb. 9, 2022

A

proposal was made to Feb. 9 will also be a day of me several months ago celebration. I’ve mentioned on that UF set aside a day numerous occasions for several this academic year for years, including my now often gratitude. The proposal was repeated tweet from Sept. 9, for a day of fun devoted to 2019, that we should cancel gratitude for all the sacrifices and classes for a day-long celebration contributions members of the UF when UF reaches Top 5 status.

UF President community have made for more In 1948, President J. Hillis Miller Kent Fuchs than a year and a half in the opinions@alligator.org first announced UF’s goal of midst of the pandemic. becoming a Top 10 university.

There is so much for which we have It took 69 years to achieve that goal, to be grateful, including all the UF Health which occurred in 2017. It took only four workers who have battled COVID-19 in our more years to achieve UF’s Top 5 goal. hospitals, administered seemingly endless This achievement, which is due to the COVID-19 tests and now vaccinated vast contributions of everyone associated with numbers of our students, staff and faculty. UF, is worthy of celebration.

Our gratitude extends to every employee, Although the university president can all staff and faculty, who continue to excel abruptly close the university and cancel in their work while maintaining personal classes when there is an emergency, nonhealth protocols. Our gratitude is also for emergency class cancelation requires UF’s students who have made incredible consultation with the Faculty Senate and contributions and personal sacrifices colleges. We have begun that process and during the pandemic. Alumni and friends hope by December to confirm that Feb. 9, have also supported UF at record levels 2022 will be a day set aside, without most throughout the pandemic, for which we formal classes, for gratitude, reflection, are grateful. celebration and a lot of fun.

Feb. 9, 2022 will be UF’s Day of Although there is much to celebrate, the Gratitude, with an overarching theme of ongoing pandemic is demanding that many reflecting on UF’s core values. Our core in the UF community continue to sacrifice. values include excellence, discovery and After more than 18 months of incredible innovation, inclusion, freedom and civility, pandemic challenges, I am filled with community and stewardship. I’ve seen all gratitude and admiration for the selfless those values expressed daily across UF as service and sacrificial contributions by COVID-19 has surged and waned. every member of The Gator Nation.

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.

Columns of about 450 words about original topics and editorial cartoons are also welcome. Questions? Call 352-376-4458.

How to Place a Classified Ad:

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solution on page 9 Release Date: Monday, October 4, 2021 Release Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2021

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By Catherine Cetta ©2021 By ChrisTribune Gross Content Agency, LLC ©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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ANSWERS: 1A-Trowel 5A-Wound 6A-Error 7A-Athena 1D-Toward 2D-Opulent 3D-Endorse 4D-Sierra B-Owen Wilson

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021 ALLIGATOR 13

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Wanted

The American Cancer Society Road to Recovery Volunteers Needed!

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St. Francis House is a homeless shelter located in downtown Gainesville.

Our mission is to empower families with children to transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing case management, housing, food, training and educational resources in a secure environment.

If interested in volunteering please contact the volunteer coordinator at 352-378- 9079 ext 317 or sfhcoor@stfrancis.cfcoxmail.com St Francis House depends on monetary support from individual donors and community businesses in order to provide meals to the homeless and the hungry.

To make a donation by mail, please send checks payable to St. Francis House P.O. Box 12491 Gainesville Fl 32604 or our website at Stfrancishousegnv.org

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HIRING OFFICE CLEANERS M-F & every other Sat. Night shift starting at 5:30 p.m. Must own a car / lots of driving.

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10-4-1-20 Notice To All Creditors of Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. (“FCADV”) If you are a creditor of FCADV, to assert a claim for payment, claim forms can be obtained by emailing info@moecker.com or calling 954-252-1560. Completed claim forms must be mailed to Michael Moecker & Associates Attn: Mark Healy 841 Prudential Drive 12th Floor, Jacksonville, FL 32207 or emailed to mhealy@moecker.com. Questions related to potential claims can be directed to Mark Healy at 904-210-7023. All claim forms must be submitted by January 31, 2022, or any right to a potential distribution may be waived.

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LIFESTYLE

UF students struggle with burnout in first semester back on campus STUDENTS FEEL THE PRESSURE OF ATTENDING A TOP-RATED PUBLIC UNIVERSITY AFTER SIX WEEKS BACK ON CAMPUS

By Luigi Bencosme Avenue Staff Writer

Pass by Marston Library and you’ll see the usual suspects: the guy frantically flipping through the blue pages of his Study Edge Packet; the girl chugging her third watermelon Celsius while on the verge of tears; and the freshman sweating bullets trying to understand “Siddhartha,” the hallmark text for UF’s infamous “What Is The Good Life?” course.

It’s not even finals week — October just started.

As UF enters its first full in-person semester since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a quick shift to a live learning environment, along with the pandemic fallout, caused mental health strains in students. Within just six weeks of the new semester, students at UF say they are struggling to cope with all the strain placed upon them to succeed.

“I feel like people are just trying to catch up for what they missed out on … that they couldn’t complete during the mostly online COVID time,” said Leslie Zepeda, a 20-year-old UF psychology junior.

Zepeda said for her, along with many other pre-med students, this first semester back in person has been extremely challenging because of the lack of available hands-on experiences in

their field.

“With COVID, it’s been very hard to get the opportunities that med schools require,” Zepeda said. “Physicians aren’t really allowing people to shadow them because of COVID regulations.”

She said volunteer opportunities and research lab positions have also become extremely competitive due to the various regulations put in place.

Zepeda isn’t the only one who feels the competition has increased. Tatiana Gomez, a senior biology major on a pre-dental track, feels students are becoming more competitive to adjust to harder college application expectations and increasing test scores.

“Pre-med is so toxic,” she said. “Everyone’s like ‘I get A’s in physics 1’ and I’m over here like ‘I barely passed physics.’”

Gomez is the president of the Pre-Dental American Student Dental Association, a Study Edge ambassador, a member of Delta Delta Sigma Pre-Dental Honor Society and an Equal Access Clinic volunteer. As a part-time research assistant who also shadows an orthodontist, she said feels burnt out.

The Fall semester — the first full-capacity and in-person semester since March 2020 — has challenged her to adapt to rapid changes in learning environments, she said.

“Now I have to calculate getting up in the morning, getting dressed, getting on the bus, going to campus, walking to class.

And it’s just … very overwhelming,” Zepeda said.

Zepeda said UF’s structure is inherently competitive — a mentality that can trickle down to the student body.

“I feel like students as well see each other more as competi-

tion than friends or classmates,” Zepeda said. “It’s very rare, the people that will reach out and help.”

Though UF offers various mental health resources on campus, including the Counseling and Wellness Center and the GatorWell Health Promotion Services, many students believe this isn’t good enough. Some students are aware of the services, but they aren’t too sure of their effectiveness.

“The students don’t go to that [CWC],” Gomez said. “I think they could do a much better job than what they’re doing right now.”

Zepeda believes UF places an emphasis on academics while failing to adequately address the mental health aspect of succeeding in such rigorous courses.

This year, for example, UF was ranked as a top public university in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Still, some students believe this achievement came at the cost of their well being.

“I feel like sometimes they just don’t really adjust [to] the needs of students because they want to be at the top and get to the best,” Zepeda said.

As students are left with inadequate resources to ease their stress, Gomez suggested they find options outside the university to take care of their mental health.

“Talk to people,” Gomez said. “Literally just give yourself breaks. Actual breaks. Having a spa night, hanging out with your friends, going out to eat to different places really helps.” lbencosme@alligator.org

EL CAIMÁN

UF continúa la búsqueda de siete meses por un nuevo director de diversidad LOS ESTUDIANTES Y LOS GRUPOS DE DIVERSIDAD DEL CAMPUS ESTÁN PREOCUPADOS POR EL PUESTO VACÍO

Escrito por Camila Pereira Periodista de El Caimán

Traducido por Saira Gonzalez Periodista de El Caimán

Los estudiantes y los grupos de diversidad del campus están preocupados por el puesto vacío.

UF está invitando a una segunda ronda de candidatos para su vacante de Director de Diversidad esta semana.

El puesto de CDO se creó en 2018 luego de que el supremacista blanco Richard Spencer fuera invitado a hablar en el campus y un incidente en el que un administrador agarraron y apresuraron los estudiantes negros graduados fuera del escenario.

El comité de búsqueda de CDO de UF ha estado buscando posibles candidatos para CDO desde febrero, cuando renunció el primer y ex CDO de la universidad, Antonio Farias. Farias dejó UF para convertirse en el vicerrector de la Universidad de Colorado en Denver.

El comité, que consta de 16 estudiantes, profesores y personal designado por el presidente de UF, Kent Fuchs, ha invitado desde entonces a una ronda de candidatos al campus al final del semestre de la primavera.

A partir del 13 de septiembre, el comité

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Tweet us @TheFloridaAve.

acordó entrevistar a una segunda ronda de posibles candidatos e invitarlos al campus para reunirse e interactuar con los estudiantes.

Algunos estudiantes de UF y organizaciones de diversidad del campus quieren saber más sobre lo que está sucediendo en el proceso para encontrar un nuevo CDO. LaRaven Temoney, una estudiante de doctorado en ciencias políticas de 24 años y secretaria de la Organización de Estudiantes Graduados Negros, dijo que cree que la universidad debe ser más transparente sobre el proceso de contratación.

“No estoy segura de sí UF tiene muy claro lo que quieren en un director de diversidad”, dijo. “Parece que quieren a alguien que ya tenga experiencia en director de diversidad”.

Temoney dijo que un candidato ideal tendría experiencia en el manejo de conflictos y facilitando conversaciones incómodas. Busca a alguien que sea creativo en su enfoque de la diversidad y la inclusión y que interactúe directamente con los estudiantes, el profesorado y el personal.

“UF en papel tiene una cantidad decente de diversidad, pero cuando se trata de clasificaciones para diferentes cosas, los esfuerzos de diversidad e inclusión de UF apestan en comparación con muchas instituciones de la misma estatura”, dijo Temoney.

Ella cree que la larga ausencia de un CDO obstaculiza el progreso de las promesas del presidente Fuchs luego de las protestas de Black Lives Matter el verano pasado.

“Por lo menos ponga un interino, pones un interino para todo lo demás”, dijo. “Estoy un

poco confundido por qué no se convirtió en una prioridad, especialmente cuando nadie en la administración es un experto en [diversidad, equidad e inclusión]”.

Carmi Thompson, presidenta del capítulo de UF de la Sociedad para el Avance de los Chicanos / Hispanos y Nativos Americanos en la Ciencia, dijo que la universidad debería estar abierta a diferentes formas de conocimiento y experiencia. A veces, aquellos en roles de CDO no necesariamente están en él por las razones correctas, dijo.

“Al tener ese lente más estrecho para un trabajo que debería ser innovador y transformador, podría perderse otros candidatos altamente calificados que tienen la experiencia, que tienen la comprensión, que tienen la compasión y la empatía que se necesita en un líder fuerte ”, dijo Thompson.

La asistente graduada de 26 años dijo que también espera que el puesto continúe siendo una voz y un aliado para aquellos históricamente excluidos de la educación superior.

Thompson espera que el próximo CDO se inspire en Antonio Farias. Ella dijo que el CDO anterior apoyó las iniciativas de los estudiantes e hizo grandes cosas.

Thompson dijo que espera que el nuevo CDO lidere con empatía y compasión y escuche todas las voces que componen la comunidad de UF. “En UF hablamos mucho de ser una de las cinco instituciones principales, pero no podemos ser una institución de las cinco mejores si no nos preocupamos por las personas que componen todas estas unidades y todos

estos departamentos en toda la escuela’’, ella dijo.

Aunque comprende que el proceso de búsqueda de un candidato adecuado puede ser largo, Thompson cree que el puesto de CDO es fundamental y debe priorizarse entre otros roles administrativos.

La presidenta del comité de búsqueda de CDO, Jodi Gentry, dijo que el proceso ha sido extenso. UF no quiere excluir a los estudiantes y profesores que no estuvieron en el campus durante el verano de participar en el proceso de búsqueda, dijo.

“Tenemos un sentido de urgencia”, dijo.

“Realmente sabemos que esto es importante y estamos avanzando, pero creo que muestra lo importante que es que estemos buscando a la persona adecuada para nosotros”.

Gentry dijo que la universidad y el comité están buscando a alguien que haya sido Director de Diversidad a nivel universitario o de sistema antes, dado lo grande y compleja que es UF. Pero, como miembro del gabinete, también están buscando a alguien que tenga la responsabilidad estratégica de promover y permitir la excelencia inclusiva para la facultad, el personal y los estudiantes, ya que el papel del CDO es proporcionar liderazgo, experiencia e incluso una visión de cómo la universidad puede trabajar en conjunto y crear un modelo de inclusión, diversidad, equidad y acceso. @CamilaSaPereira cpereira@alligator.org sgonzalez@alligator.org

First half fumbles

Florida football’s Saturday loss to Kentucky continued a disappointing recent first-half trend, pg. 16

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021 www.alligator.org/section/sports

MEN'S GOLF

Focus, drive prepare Ricky Castillo for junior season AFTER HIS FIRST POSTSEASON IN 2021, THE JUNIOR IS READY TO TAKE HIS TEAM FARTHER

By Carson Cashion Sports Writer

Ricky Castillo played his final round of the spring season in Glendale, Arizona, competing for an individual title in the final round at the NCAA national championship.

The Florida junior’s first taste of the game, however, materialized in much less intense atmospheres with much lower stakes: friendly, non-competitive matches with his older brother, Derek.

“I got into golf because my older brother got into golf, and I always looked up to him,” Castillo said. “That’s what I wanted to do just because my older brother was doing it. We were just out there enjoying it and having fun with my dad.”

Golf became an integral part of Castillo’s life at age 5, when he first began playing with Derek.

After learning from his father, Mark Castillo, he became a regular on the green. “[His] work ethic is funny because his life is golf, and his love is golf, so if you want to call golfing all the time ‘work,’ his work ethic was terrific,” Mark said. “He just wanted to go all the time.”

That same motivation which drives the now-No. 6 men’s amateur in the world to succeed in Gainesville was first fostered in his hometown of Yorba Linda, California, where he did whatever he could to get on the course as much as possible.

“Ricky is not a country club kid,” his father Mark Castillo said. “He couldn’t just go to a golf course whenever he wanted and play, so he had to kind of work around the schedules of the golf courses to be able to practice.”

An avid golfer himself, Mark became the head coach on Castillo’s team at Valencia High School.

“We didn’t have the best team or anything, but I really enjoyed my team,” Castillo said. “Most players don’t have their dad as

their high school golf coach, but I got the chance to have that, so it was pretty awesome.”

Castillo built quite the portfolio during his high school years: He was named a two-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rolex Junior All-American and represented the U.S. at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. Despite Castillo’s success as a Valencia Tiger, his father emphasized his behavior off the course -— advice Castillo still applies to his game years later.

Be a good person before being a good golfer. Your golf will be better if you’re happy with who you are.

Ricky wasn’t the first Castillo family member who played for Florida head coach J.C. Deacon.

He worked as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas from 2011 to 2014, where he coached Derek. Deacon met Castillo when the Californian was 11.

“He’s always been an unbelievable player since the first time I ever met him,” Deacon said.

“He’s always been pretty quiet and reserved and confident, and he’s just kind of really blossoming those attributes that are obviously very, very important to be a successful athlete.”

Deacon spotted Castillo’s knack for the sport early on and knew he wanted him in Gainesville.

Deacon manifested it.

You’re going to play for me one day.

Sure enough, almost a decade later, Castillo followed Deacon across the country to the Sunshine State.

“Florida wasn’t ever really in my mind or anything like that,” Castillo said. “As soon as I went here, I just knew that it was the place for me.”

Castillo acclimated to his new environment quickly with the support from his team.

Castillo connected with former Gator John Axelsen, who was a junior when Castillo first arrived on campus. Axelsen guided and mentored his younger teammate.

You don’t need to do anything special. Just play your game. Do what you know you can do. You’ll be perfectly fine.

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Castillo listened to Axelson’s advice and began to bloom as he started his collegiate career. In his debut season, he led the team in scoring average (70.08), top-25 finishes (7) and total eagles and birdies (89 combined). He capped off his season with back-to-back wins at the Sea Best Invitational and the Gator Invitational in the spring, the latter of which was played on Florida’s home course.

There isn’t a recipe to follow that will shape someone into a player like Castillo. He thrives on his detail-oriented nature.

“Sticking to the same plan, being more organized [is] as simple as keeping my room clean and keeping my car clean,” Castillo said. “Just stuff like that because it leads to the golf course.

I’ll feel better about myself if I know when I come back, I'll have a clean room or clean car.”

With his mindset locked in, the Yorba Linda native showed out in his second year at Florida.

After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the postseason of his freshman year, Castillo teed

into his first championship in the spring of 2021. The Gators finished 22nd and didn’t qualify for the match play of the national championship, but Castillo advanced to the final day as an individual and finished 12th.

The then-sophomore led the team in scoring average, birdies and eagles and top-25 finishes for the second straight season.

Deacon, however, said his young star yearns for more than accolades for himself.

“He really wants this team to be great,” Deacon said. “That's something that I really admire about him. It's not just about him. He wants this team to be successful, and he’s willing to help any one of his teammates.”

Florida’s goals are loftier than before with Castillo’s direction, as the team begins a new campaign.

“On paper, we have one of the best teams out there,” Castillo said. “I think we have the best team out there. We haven't really played that well, but I know we just have to have a few things click and go our way and just

keep working hard in every aspect of our life.”

But Castillo feels a change.

This year’s squad has made the locker room a more comfortable atmosphere than previous teams.

“Freshman year, we had friends, but everybody kind of had their own little groups of two or three where they would hang out,” Castilllo said. “Now, we literally have everybody hanging out at the same time, all the time, so it's just stuff like that that really helps us.”

While Castillo senses the team is ready to turn a corner, he also reflects on the changes he experienced. He competes for national championships instead of playing for fun with his brother.

He plays for a Division I program instead of his local high school.

However, all the changes haven’t altered his love for the game. Instead, they deepened it.

Now, he’s ready to lead his team as far as it can go. @carsoncashion ccashion@alligator.org

Courtesy of the UAA

Florida's Ricky Castillo competes in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Cle Elum Regional at Tumble Creek Golf Club in Cle Elum, Wash., on May 19, 2021.

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16 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

FOOTBALL

Early errors: Florida’s first-half woes continue in Kentucky upset THE NO. 20 GATORS AGAIN FAILED TO GET OFF TO A STERLING START AGAINST A CONFERENCE FOE

By Ryan Haley Sports Writer

Florida quarterback Emory Jones stood just shy of the Kentucky logo at Kroger Field, waiting for a play call that never came.

As the redshirt junior looked to the Florida sideline, the Gators’ trainers and staff began jogging to the far side of the field. The orange and blue offensive line slowly stood, Jones stood frozen for a moment, and the UF offense began to filter back toward its locker room for halftime.

The No. 20 Florida Gators lost their second game of the

Samantha Harrison // Alligator Staff

Florida Head Coach Dan Mullen during the Gators win over South Florida on Sept. 11, 2021.

season in Lexington, Kentucky, on Oct. 2, a 20-13 upset to the Wildcats, to eliminate any postseason dreams. Head coach Dan Mullen and his team got the ball back with just under two minutes before halftime and three timeouts to play with, but Mullen instead elected to let the second quarter bleed out, closing out the latest in a long line of recent first-half mismanagement for the Gators.

Florida allowed just 44 yards of offense between four of Kentucky’s five drives in the first half. Outside of Wildcats wideout Wan’Dale Robinson taking a screen pass and scampering 41 yards to the end zone, the Gators defense surrendered 88 total yards on 22 other plays.

So, how was the supposed No. 10 team in the country beating an unranked opponent by three points?

Florida offered a conservative aerial gameplan, as Jones completed 10 of his 11 first-half passes, but only three gained more than 10 yards. The Gators punted on a fourth and 3 from the Kentucky 41-yard line on their opening possession. Their fourth drive saw a third and 1 balloon into third and 11 after a pair of false start penalties, two of eight such offenses on the night.

The curiously close game continued a concerning trend for the Gators under Mullen’s tenure: a history of starting slow in the first 30 minutes and playing down to inferior opposition.

A week ago, Florida took its home field against Tennessee. While the Gators elevated their national status into the mesosphere by nearly toppling No. 1 Alabama the week before, the Volunteers limped to Gainesville two weeks removed from a loss to Pittsburgh. Mullen and his squad seemed destined for a romp.

Florida led by three at halftime.

Even in the vaunted Alabama performance, the team put itself in a massive hole early with three first-quarter Tide touchdowns and a 12-point halftime deficit. Florida outscored Alabama 20-10 in the second half, but the early hole the Gators

found themselves in was dug by their own shovel.

Mullen’s early issues aren’t solely a 2021 problem, either. Last year, during an 10-game all-Southeastern Conference schedule, Florida clung to a one-possession lead at the break in three games — twice to unranked opponents — and trailed unranked Louisiana State 24-17 through two quarters. In three more games, a score in the final two minutes of the first half prevented a one-score lead.

To repeat in less words: Against Florida’s last 14 SEC opponents, the Gators either trailed or led by one possession in the final two minutes of the first half 10 times. In Mullen’s past eight conference games, including the conference championship, he’s been outscored 128-118 in the first 30 minutes.

For context, defending national champion Alabama led by less than 14 points at halftime three times in its previous 16 games against Power 5 opponents, including a 18-point lead over Tennessee and 25-point lead over Kentucky last season. No. 2 Georgia, Mullen’s primary opposition in the SEC East, led by 18 or more points in five of its previous 13 Power 5 games.

Holding Mullen to the standard of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, a seven-time national champion, isn’t a fair bar, but the two have played a lot of the same opposition within the previous two years, including the Volunteers and the Wildcats, and the overlap betrays the gap which remains between the two programs.

The Gators found moral victories in a pair of onepossession losses to the Tide over the previous 10 months, but if Mullen wants to avoid speed bumps like LSU a season ago and Kentucky last night, he can’t let teams hang around for the first three quarters. @ryan_dhaley rhaley@alligator.org

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