Monday, August 4, 2025

From Hulk Hogan to the hot seat: Alachua board chair faces state backlash

By Sara-James Ranta Alligator Staff Writer

Florida’s top education official wants Alachua County School Board Chair Sarah Rockwell to face repercussions after a contentious public comment period spiraled out of control July 31.

In an Aug. 1 letter, Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas accused Rockwell of allegedly violating a parent’s constitutional right during the board meeting. He called her behavior “inexcusable” and urged the State Board of Education to withhold “an amount equal to the salaries of all board members” from the district.

“You should be ashamed of your failure as a board member, let alone the board chair,” Kamoutsas

wrote. “I think it’s time for some reflection on whether you are properly equipped to serve.” Kamoutsas wrote that by “publicly humiliating” the parent for his views, Rockwell created a “chilling effect” on all parents with similar beliefs. He ended the letter by stating Rockwell should not apply to renew her teaching certificate, writing he would “not permit her” to hold one.

The commissioner’s rebuke caps off a volatile week for the Alachua County School Board –one that began with a Facebook post about the death of celebrity wrestler Hulk Hogan and ended in political condemnation, threats against Rockwell’s family and a board meeting that broke into chaos.

The letter elevated a local boardroom dispute into a statewide test of facts over whether a parent’s rights were infringed or whether the events were mischaracterized.

SEE ROCKWELL, PAGE 4

Residents of Gainesville apartment complex worry about water safety

Residents lost water several times in recent years

By Logan McBride Alligator Staff Writer

Residents of the Aqua at Windmeadows apartment complex say they’ve lost water countless times over the years, but this summer, it’s only gotten worse.

Hallie Bell, a 24-year-old Gainesville resident, has lived at the complex for three years. She’s documented 19 separate occasions where

the water has been shut off, anywhere from a few hours to “multiple days” without water, she said.

“There are constant breaks in the piping,” Bell said. “There will be a bit of rain, or something like that will happen, and then the water will be shut off.”

Bell lives with her boyfriend, Dante, and she said the water issues have consistently hindered their lives as young working people. The water

will often turn off in the mornings as she’s going to work, causing her to have to skip a shower.

Bell added that the complex fell under a “boil water notice,” meaning residents are recommended to boil their water before consuming it.

She doesn’t know if the notice has been investigated since, she said, leaving her unsure about the safety of water consumption in the complex.

Bell believes the pipes are the biggest reason for the outages. Rather than replace the pipes,

she said the complex puts “band-aids on bullet holes” by carrying out minor repairs that don’t last.

“Some of our neighbors are disabled,” Bell said. “They can’t go anywhere when the water goes out, and sometimes they’re left multiple days without water, and there’s no rent abatement.”

Bell reached out to government agencies about issues within the complex, including Alachua County Code Administration and the Flori-

SEE APARTMENT, PAGE 3

Jordan Klucharich // Alligator Staff

Sara Stovall and Grant Peeples perform at Heartwood Soundstage on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Read more in The Avenue on pg. 6.

Today’s Weather

Health fair provides free medical services to Gainesville community

The next fair will take place in November

By Candy Fontana-Verde Alligator Staff Writer

Lined up outside Parkview Baptist Church, several families sought essential medical services with no cost, no insurance or documents required.

Along with free transportation and meals, attendees received pediatric and adult consultations, school physicals, gynecology checkups, colon and cervical cancer screenings, and tests for diabetes, blood pressure, anemia and cholesterol. Services were offered in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole.

According to recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly half of U.S. adults struggle to cover medical expenses, and one in four had difficulty affording care in the past year. More than one-third admitted to delaying or avoiding necessary appointments due to cost, highlighting how financial barriers affect access to healthcare.

Maria Eugenia Zelaya, executive director of Children Beyond Our Borders, said the fair aimed to reduce barriers to healthcare for those without insurance or resources to pay for medical consultations.

“Our job here is to welcome anyone who doesn’t have access to medical services and connect them with services that can provide follow-up care,” Zelaya said.

The fair also distributed backpacks with school supplies, crayons, coloring pages and teddy bears for children returning to school.

The event was designed to help families start the new school year successfully with medical checkups and backpacks with basic school supplies.

The health fair was supported

and organized by Children Beyond Our Borders, Equal Access Clinic Network, Mobile Outreach Clinic, UF Health Cancer Center, Project Continuity and Parkview Baptist Church.

Jamie Hensley, assistant director of cancer screening and care navigation at the UF Health Cancer Center, said her team seeks to bring preventive services to the entire community.

“We help people understand what their cancer risk factors are, what their screening options are, what screenings they’re eligible for and how to access them with or without insurance,” Hensley said.

An analysis presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, where nearly 1,800 cancer survivors attended, showed 19% had to delay or skip medical care due to costs, while 13% faced housing issues. It creates a difficult cycle where economic and social limitations directly affect health.

Hensley emphasized the importance of knowing family history to prevent serious illnesses.

“If you haven't talked to your family about what diseases and what cancers may run in your family, find out so that you can be better equipped to take care of yourself,” Hensley said.

Veronica Diaz, a 40-year-old Gainesville resident from Colombia, attends the fair with her family every time the fair takes place.

“The fair has truly been a great support for many people and the community,” Diaz said. “My whole family has benefited. We are truly grateful.”

The fair gives her family access to different medical services, she said.

Diaz was able to get gynecological checkups, her daughter received pediatric consultations and her

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husband received general medical care.

Michael Mathelier, a first-year resident in the UF Department of Emergency Medicine and health fair adviser, said the fair is an opportunity to provide primary care to those who need it most.

“The care that we provide here is free to the patient,” Mathelier said. “They don't pay anything. All the doctors here, they're volunteering their time.”

More than 2.3 million Florida residents lacked health insurance in 2023, representing 10.7% of the state population compared to 8% nationwide, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The fair is an accessible option for those who cannot go to a clinic during the week, Mathelier said. Many people travel from cities like Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa to take advantage of the free care, he added.

Gladys Cordova, a 64-year-old Gainesville resident from Chile, volunteers in the kitchen area but was initially an attendee. Grateful for the help she received in the past, she now offers the same support to others.

“When you’re a migrant, it’s such a blessing to be given a helping hand,” Cordova said. “This is my way of giving back for the help I once received.”

@CandyFontanaV cfontanaverde@alligator.org

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a student newspaper serving the University of Florida, published by a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) educational organization, Campus Communications Inc., P.O. Box 14257, Gainesville, Florida, 32604-2257. The Alligator is published Monday mornings, except during holidays and exam periods. The Alligator is a member of the Newspaper Association of America, National Newspaper Association, Florida Press Association and Southern University Newspapers.

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A medical student watches as a volunteer wraps a blood pressure cuff around a young girl’s arm at the vitals station at Parkview Baptist Church on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.

Aqua at Windmeadows residents face water outages

APARTMENT, from pg. 1

da Department of Health. She said she’s yet to receive a response from Code Administration.

Michele, a 77-year-old disabled resident who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from the complex, has lived in the complex since 2017. Water issues have impacted her for a long time, she said, but she feels for newer residents who aren’t accustomed to the outages. She keeps jugs of water on hand because of her history with the complex.

The complex previously provided gallons of water to residents, but it hasn’t offered resources during recent outages this summer, Michele said.

“The last one that lasted two days, they didn’t mention anything about having any water available,” she said. “Management did not provide any water during this two-day outage.”

Aaron Janosa, a 29-year-old resident of the complex, remembers having issues as early as 2019 but said they were more “infrequent” years ago.

“Within the last couple of months, it’s happened more often,” he said. “Residents just received an urgent email notice. It’s often unexpected.”

Janosa felt the water warnings are a corporate issue that could be resolved by investing in property repairs, he said. However, the property’s parking lot recently resealed potholes the last couple of years, which may hinder repairs due to the fresh asphalt.

Janosa added that the issues in the complex are typically not the staff's fault.

The “most significant” issue was earlier this summer, when the water was interrupted multiple times over the course of a few days, Janosa said. Although he wasn’t as affected because of the multiple water lines in the complex, he said the issues would be “insanely frustrating” for families, considering a unit is “basically unusable” when the water is off.

Aqua at Windmeadows management did not respond to requests for comment.

@LoganDMcBride lmcbride@alligator.org

Michael Goston // Alligator Staff

Aqua Meadows stands undisturbed amidst a recent boil water notice, causing concern for the apartment complex's water safety.

UF graduate union reaches impasse

MONTHS OF NEGOTIATION RESULTED IN A BREAK IN BARGAINING

By Delia Rose Sauer Alligator Staff Writer

Stuck at a standstill, negotiations for higher graduate assistant wages are left temporarily frozen.

After months of back-and-forth with UF’s bargaining team without a counter-

proposal, both parties declared an impasse in a July 31 bargaining session.

Patrick Keegan, UF’s chief negotiator, proposed the impasse. Austin Britton, the 27-year-old Graduate Assistants United copresident and geography doctoral student, agreed.

“At this point, the university is prepared to declare impasse,” Keegan said. “I’m not so sure it’s going to be terribly productive for us to continue to meet about [Articles] 10 and 16.”

Graduate Assistants United, which represents more than 4,400 graduate employees, negotiates stipend increases each year. Stipends, which act as fixed salaries for graduate assistants, are granted under Article 10 of the union’s collective bargaining agreement.

Another point of contention was Article 16, which defines the union’s released time program. The program allows graduate assistants to be temporarily released from academic work to contribute

School board faces possible legal action

from pg. 1

Hulk Hogan, hashtags and harassment

After posting a comment about the death of celebrity pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan on her personal Facebook account, Rockwell faced criticism, including multiple death threats and the public release of her address, according to emails sent to her school board inbox.

“Oh, did Hulk die? I didn’t even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world,” Rockwell wrote in the deleted Facebook post.

Her comments received national attention, and Rockwell issued an apology on her school board member Facebook page July 26.

The Alachua County Republican Party called for Rockwell’s resignation in a series of Facebook posts with the hashtag #resignrockwell.

Florida House Representative Kat Cammack responded to the virality, taking to X.

“As their federal Representative, I look forward to meeting with Sarah and @AlachuaSchools to discuss their federal funding,” Cammack wrote.

Rockwell began the July 31 ACSB budget hearing with an apology, stating she “deeply regrets the highly inappropriate” comment.

“This mistake was mine alone, and I regret that it has distracted from the important work we’re doing in this district,” Rockwell said at Thursday’s meeting. “I’m choosing to respond with humility, a commitment to personal growth and a renewed dedication to this district.”

Rockwell mentioned the threats during her speech, stating while she remains fully accountable for her actions, she doesn’t condone political violence.

“No one, especially my children, should be put at risk for my mistake,” she said.

During the meeting, Board Member Jeanine Plavac followed Rockwell’s remarks, reading her celebratory post aloud.

Plavac called Rockwell’s comments a “clear breach of community values.” She received emails calling for Rockwell’s resignation, she said.

“We must hold our leaders to our highest standards,” Plavac said. “For those that emailed me asking for that, I advised them that the governor was the only person that could exercise that authority.”

Plavac was appointed by DeSantis to fill a nearly four-month ACSB vacancy because of her passion for

teaching, her contribution to nonprofits and the "importance of her faith,” she said, not her conservative values.

“I have never professed to be anything more than a nurse of 49 years who values life,” Plavac said. “A teacher who has taught her students for 21 years the importance of integrity…and a conservative who respects and loves this country.”

Plavac said Rockwell “crossed the line” with her comments.

Responding to angry community members over email July 28, Plavac said she hoped Rockwell would “voluntarily” remove herself from the board.

“I have already written to the Governor because he is the only one that can remove her from the board since it is an elected position,” Plavac wrote to a community member over email. “I hope that Dr. Rockwell voluntarily makes the necessary change needed in leadership on the board before that time.”

Florida school board races are traditionally nonpartisan positions. Amendment 1, which would have made Florida school board elections partisan, did not pass in the 2024 election.

DeSantis has actively sought to influence the composition of Florida school boards to align with his educational agenda. DeSantis’ school board appointees over the last two years were registered Republicans, according to voter registration records.

In the 2022 midterm elections, DeSantis endorsed 30 candidates, with only five losses. His endorsements helped flip at least three Florida school boards from a liberal to a conservative majority.

DeSantis' political campaign launched the DeSantis Education Agenda survey in 2022, designed to assess school board candidates' stances on key issues – such as critical race theory, parental rights and curriculum content. Candidates were encouraged to sign a certificate pledging their support for the governor's agenda to ensure alignment with his educational vision.

From comment to chaos

Over 25 community members spoke in support of Rockwell during the July 31 board meeting’s first public comment period.

The crowd loudly argued after public commenter Jeremy Clepper, a 36-year-old Jonesville, Florida, resident, began speaking in dissent of Rockwell.

Clepper said Rockwell should step down if she has a “shred of integrity in her body,” later calling her a “disgusting, vile human being.”

Clepper spoke for the full two minutes he was allotted during his comment period. ACSB vice-chair Tina Certain warned the crowd not to interrupt him when attendees began speaking over him.

Certain ordered for Clepper’s removal, who was approached by resource officers from his seat.

Board Attorney David Delaney said he shouldn’t be removed.

Clepper walked down the rows and approached the dais, where he stood in front of board members. When the board questioned whether to remove him, audience members shouted, “Get him out,” while another community member commandeered the commenter podium microphone.

“He’s a white supremacist, get his ass out!” the community member shouted.

The board cut its microphone feeds and called for an immediate recess.

Board chair Sarah Rockwell was absent for the remainder of the meeting. She was listed as “not present at vote” on the board’s virtual agenda.

The missing minutes

While community members at home waited for the meeting’s recess to end, citizens at the meeting witnessed and filmed Clepper’s interaction with officers on scene.

Evan Meyer, a 27-year-old Gainesville resident and ACPS graduate, sat directly to the right of the speaking podium. He witnessed Clepper interrupt the board’s discussion multiple times, he said, shouting from his chair and asking when it was his turn to speak.

Meyer said Clepper was doing more than simply expressing an opinion; he caused disruption.

“I felt like I was watching a Jim Carrey movie instead of listening to political discourse,” Meyer said. “He gets in the face of Rockwell, starts yelling at her, starts pointing his finger at her, and that's the point when I started recording.”

Meyer’s video of the incident shows five uniformed officers surrounding Clepper, who stood within a few feet of the dais.

District Security Chief Douglas Pelton calmed the crowd after officers and Clepper reasoned with David Delaney.

“He is allowed to stay…however, he is choosing to leave,” Pelton said,

to union administrative tasks. Graduate assistants on released time are paid to file paperwork, connect with departments and handle grievances during the union’s office hours.

GAU received a historic raise in 2023, when stipends increased to $19,200 for nine-month appointments and $25,600 for 12-month appointments. Despite the victory, the union hasn’t moved forward with negotiating a livable wage.

“We’ve waited for several months for UF to come back to the table, and it was met with another brick wall,” Britton said

following Clepper out of the boardroom.

Meyer believed the school board responded appropriately by evacuating the dais during the incident, but he said he was disappointed by the officers’ behavior.

“Half a dozen officers in the room, and not one of them was making sure that this angry man wasn't able to physically lash out or intimidate a school board member,” he said. “A couple people did leave because they were afraid of the potential of violence.”

Meyer said the incident stood out because other public commenters, even those in dissent, remained calm.

“Everyone else was being civil when there were very minor interruptions,” he said. “This man was belligerent. He was interrupting. He was rude. You cannot paint yourself as a victim when you were acting belligerent.”

Tonya Camaratta, a 48-year-old Gainesville resident, attended the board meeting. Camaratta said she expected the meeting to be contentious but was “pleasantly surprised” when most of the public commenters showed support for Rockwell.

Camaratta believes Clepper “brought the temperature of the room up,” she said, especially since Rockwell received death threats following the comments.

“The main thing that I think escalated was just the proximity of the lawyer to Sarah,” Camaratta said. “If the lawyer had come around to the side and spoken to him in a different location, I think there would have been no issue.”

Camaratta, who lives a few houses down from Rockwell, observed increased police presence in her neighborhood following the threats. She fears for Rockwell’s safety, she said.

“A Facebook post about a celebrity wrestler could lead to death threats to someone in my neighborhood?” she said. “I'm not really a fan of that at all. I don't understand why there's not more of an effort to tone down the rhetoric.”

Clepper’s perspective

Clepper attended the meeting because he found Rockwell’s comments “disgusting” and believed the words were a blanket statement for all Trump supporters, including “everyone he knows,” he said.

Clepper said he believes the incident was a violation of his rights.

After walking toward the dais, Clepper asked Delaney “how many First Amendment lawsuits” he wanted on his desk in the morning.

“I pointed to [Rockwell], and I said, ‘She's making your life hell right now,’” Clepper said. “Even though they told me I could stay, it was just too hostile of an environment, so I just went ahead and left.”

In response to claims he interrupted the meeting, Clepper said he’d never been to a meeting before and wished the board clarified when public comment began.

In response to the controversy, Clepper took to social media, including Facebook and X, receiving national attention.

“They said that I stormed the dais to attack her, to attack Rockwell,” he said. “They said that they were in fear that I was going to hit her. It's just insane.”

The community is going after him for being a “white, strong man,” Clepper added.

“Big, strong men aren't allowed to speak their piece, especially if they're white,” he said.

Since the meeting, Clepper said he’s received one-star reviews on his company’s Google page and messages calling him a white supremacist.

The letter is evidence the community is “tired of this progressive agenda,” he said, and it gives him hope that it’ll be different this time.

While Clepper doesn’t support threats to Rockwell’s family, he said Rockwell should “live with the consequences” of her actions.

“I wish she would have said right there in the meeting, ‘I hope all MAGA do die,’ because at least she'd be not lying and getting it out there,” he said. “Let the moron speak.”

Clepper was contacted by the Florida Attorney General’s office, stating they’re “getting things together.”

He reached out to civil rights lawyers about the incident and said he “won’t go away quietly.”

“I'm hoping to see more Plavacs up there to balance this town out,” he said.

Was it a violation?

Over 30 people signed up for public comment, and “everyone was afforded the same amount of time to speak,” said ACSB vice-chair Tina Certain.

“I ran the meeting according to the protocol that we have outlined in board policy,” Certain said. “Our policy is surrounding the state law.”

Read the rest online at alligator.org.

@sarajamesranta sranta@alligator.org

ROCKWELL,

School supplies, creativity made affordable through reused supplies

A second life for school supplies supports teachers and classrooms

By Alanna Robbert Alligator Staff Writer

Ana Duran was driving through towns in Colombia with her family in 2019 when their tire went flat, leaving them stuck in an unfamiliar place. Stopping at a cafe, she went inside to ask for help.

As Ana and her family waited for the tire to be fixed, they noticed children’s drawings hung in a courtyard by a building across the street, done only in black and white.

The cafe’s locals said the building with a tin roof and clay walls was a school.

“We were waiting for the tire to be fixed, they were talking about how the kids were making the drawings,” Ana said. “They just do it in black because they don’t have colors.”

Ana and her son, Daniel Duran, a 17-year-old Buchholz High School senior, started collecting colored pencils and crayons to donate after realizing the supplies often went to waste toward the end of a school year. Friends, family and teachers donated used supplies to the cause.

When the Durans visited Colombia again later that year, they brought the supplies to a local, who donated them to nearby schools.

Their efforts created Color Compass, a grassroots organization led by Ana, Daniel and his sister.

They gather crayons and colored pencils from collection boxes at two Gainesville Catholic churches, Queen of Peace and St. Patrick.

After collecting the supplies, the family packs crayons into boxes to be shipped off with handwritten letters to organizations in Colombia and Kenya to distribute to schools.

The project’s name comes from “the idea that art and your imagination kind of dictates the direction you go,” Daniel said.

The collection effort is worth it to make the kids feel valued, he said.

“A lot of the time they’re neglected in many ways,” Daniel said. “To make them feel like they’re cared for in some ways is what we strive for.”

Art programs help children develop communication, emotional intelligence and fine motor skills by drawing with crayons or painting a picture. Despite their benefits, art programs are often the first to be affected by budget cuts.

Color Compass is supported by multiple companies, Ana said, including her hairdresser.

With rising shipping prices, the family is seeking support while looking to expand.

The family recently hosted a “birthday party-like” event at St. Francis House, a shelter for women and families ex-

periencing homelessness. The family used money they collected from church groups to buy basketballs, volleyballs, an indoor hoop and a magician for the children.

The Duran family hopes to raise more money to host similar events. Sarah Duran, a 9-year-old Queen of Peace Catholic Academy student, helps pack supplies. She will be taking Daniel’s “place” when he moves out for college, she said.

“Seeing something that was once a family project making other kids smile and seem really happy makes me feel really happy, too,” Sarah said.

She sees Color Compass as a tree, she said, where the water is the people and companies they have worked with. The roots are the connections the organization has made with people.

“The stronger the roots get, the stronger the tree gets,” Sarah said, “which is why we’re happy for all the help we’ve been able to get with Color Compass.”

Ana Duran said the project is her way of teaching her children the importance of helping people.

“I used to tell them that we have to work for the people,” Ana said. “People don’t have to say thank you because that will make society better.”

In 2024, U.S. families with K-12 children spent a median $875 per household on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics.

Amidst concerns about tariffs affecting back-to-school supplies and the environmental impact of landfill waste, recycling efforts could help teachers and students maximize classroom satisfaction.

The average teacher salary declined by 5% over the past decade. Some teachers resort to Amazon wish lists and crowdfunding to reduce the amount they have to spend.

On average, educators spend between $500 and $750 out of pocket for their classroom.

In addition to Color Compass, a longtime school supplies partnership also supports Alachua County teachers.

Tools for Schools, a collaboration between the Alachua County Solid Waste Department and Alachua County Public Schools, has provided school supplies to the county’s teachers since 2004. Open on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, the building serves as a resource center.

Shelley Samec, a 20-year Alachua County employee, works for the solid waste department. The center reduces waste by reusing school supplies, serving as a space where people can donate old educational materials, she said.

“This place was built to divert stuff from going to the landfill by bringing it here,” Samec said. “People would normally throw stuff away, but now we have [the stuff] here, and teachers can use it.”

Once an abandoned building off of 1147 SE Seventh

School supplies collected, Tools for Schools sit waiting to be used in their resource center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2025.

Ave, it’s now filled with everything teachers could need. Piles of spiral notebooks, counting blocks and posters fill every corner of the room.

Samec said Tools for Schools tries to alleviate teachers’ struggles for resources by giving ACPS teachers supplies for free. Teachers who visit the supply center must show their ACPS identification, she said.

Samec wishes more teachers would come to the center to supply their classrooms, she said.

“We know they need them, and we just want them to know we’re here,” Samec said.

Tools for Schools recently opened a mobile unit, which Samec said is a “food truck with school supplies” traveling to smaller cities Tuesday afternoons. The mobile unit drives to Alachua, Archer, Hawthorne, High Springs, Micanopy and Newberry.

“It’s a great idea to get stuff instead of being thrown away,” Samec said. “It gets to have a second, third, fourth [chance] at life.”

Supplies come from donations, and anyone can donate. The resource center gets supplies from retiring teachers and UF education students who no longer need the supplies, she said.

Tools for Schools receives numerous donations of office supplies, including three-ring binders and binder clips, as well as a large quantity of crayons.

@alannafitzr arobbert@alligator.org

Meltwich Food Co. to open in Gainesville

THE CANADIAN GRILLED CHEESE AND BURGER RESTAURANT FRANCHISE WILL OPEN FIRST LOCATION

IN FLORIDA

By Victoria Riccobono Alligator Contributing Writer

Say cheese! Meltwich Food Co., a Canadian restaurant specializing in grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers and fries, is opening its fourth U.S. and first Florida location in Gainesville.

The restaurant first opened in Canada in 2015. Barbara Kiss, the Meltwich Food Co. CEO, said they experimented with a bar and grill location two years ago, which became a quick success. The franchise is ready for the expansion opportunity, she added.

“We are extremely excited to open our first bar and grill location in the U.S., right in Gainesville,” Kiss said.

Ryan Hillis, the franchise’s executive vice president, said they’ve always had

their eyes on the U.S.

“Canada is a very big country, but it’s also a very small country,” Hillis said. “There’s really only so many stores you can do here before you start saturating your market.”

The Gainesville location will be the first of three planned in the state so far, with two others expected to open in Orlando.

Gainesville wasn’t supposed to be the first Florida location, but when the right opportunity presented itself, they “jumped,” Hillis said.

“[The team is] all very picky about where we go,” he said. “We’re very grateful that we got [this space].”

Hillis and his team competed with three offers for the spot on West University Avenue. However, he said they were able to convince the landlord Meltwich is the right fit.

While the team got lucky with the space, they faced trouble with permitting, which differs from the franchise’s Canadian locations.

“Coming into a brand new market, navi-

gating some of the different laws and permits was a bit of a challenge,” he said.

Despite the hiccups, Hillis said he’s excited to open right in front of an SEC campus like the University of Florida.

“The menu itself is very conducive to the kids,” he said. “It’s basically kind of comfort food, and the price point hits well.”

Customers can choose from weekday specials like a classic grilled cheese for $4.50 on Tuesdays. On Saturdays, visitors can get unlimited chicken tenders for $1.95 each.

The Gainesville location will serve as one of the franchise’s hybrid models, which works as a bar and grill. Customers will be able to buy beer and wine, start a tab, watch TV and sit down while a server takes their order.

For Canadians, the restaurant can offer a taste of dishes from home with a twist.

Poutine is a “very famous Canadian dish” made up of french fries and cheese curds smothered with gravy, Hillis said.

But if customers don’t see poutine on

the menu, they shouldn’t lose their spirit, he said. The item was remarketed for the U.S. menu and called “hot mess fries.”

“It’s something that most American markets haven’t seen before,” he said.

The dish is the top-selling item in Meltwich’s first U.S. location in Texas.

The restaurant aims to open in September and is awaiting permits from the city, county and health department, Hillis said.

Even if things go slower than expected, he said the wait will be worth it.

“The last thing I ever worry about when people come in is the food,” Hillis said. “It’s a very good product. We’re very proud of what we put out.”

Mara Baker, a 23-year-old UF nutrition master’s student, came to Gainesville from Canada. After almost a year in the U.S., she said she’s excited to get a taste of home.

“I don’t think I’ve heard about any [Canadian restaurants] here,” Baker said. “I love [poutine], it’s something that reminds me of being back home. I think it would be very nice to have in Gainesville.”

Meltwich will be located at 1404 W. University Ave., Suite 30, behind Cava.

Victoria Riccobono is a UF journalism junior.

Courtesy to The Alligator

MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2025

www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

Folk artist uses ‘revolutionary’ storytelling to address political divide

AMERICANA MUSICIAN GRANT PEEPLES’ POWERFUL SONGWRITING REACHES BEYOND FLORIDA LEGISLATION

By Autumn Johnstone Avenue Staff Writer

While touring the U.S., folk musician Grant Peeples pulled inspiration from the interstates that endlessly stretched in front of him. When he returned to Florida, the roadkill and landfills he often passed encouraged him to pull from what he observed physically and politically.

Sixty-eight-year-old Peeples is often accused of writing protest songs, but the feedback doesn’t discourage him. He doesn’t hesitate to tell people exactly what he’s passionate about, he said, even by calling Florida’s governor a “sleaze” in the middle of a set or promoting his “fascist-fighting” Nicaraguan coffee.

At Heartwood Soundstage Aug. 2, Peeples performed heartfelt original songs alongside Americana band Passerine’s Sara Stovall. The blend of the velvet-smooth tear of Stovall’s violin and Peeples’ sharp lyricism stirred a standing ovation from the crowd.

When Peeples played his newest song, written about Alligator Alcatraz, he made it known he would rather be scorned than associated with the destruction of the environ-

POP CULTURE

ment and its people, he said.

The Tallahassee native didn’t think he’d become a professional musician until he was 50 years old. After living on a small island in Nicaragua for 11 years, he returned to the U.S. in 2006 with a new understanding of American consumerism. His culturally relevant songwriting became a reaction to the driving factors of American life.

To Peeples, songwriting’s never-ending process allows songs to be changed decades down the line. Always people-oriented, he believes musicians never finish a song — they abandon it.

“I try to write the perfect song,” Peeples said. “I don’t try to sing it perfectly because I’m not a great singer and a great guitar player, but I want the structure to be there. I want the words to be right.”

Famed Abraham Lincoln impersonator Lew Welge met Peeples 15 years ago at Beluthahatchee, a tract of land in Fruit Cove, the same place where folk legend Woody Guthrie wrote 80 of his songs. Welge followed Peeples to his car after a concert and asked if he could hear some of his music.

Welge attends Peeples’ shows because of the musician’s poetic storytelling. He believes Peeples’ political allusions are warranted, considering the state of Florida’s government.

“He gives voice,” Welge said. “[Resistance is] not a fight we’re bound to lose. It’s a long-standing, ages-old struggle against injustice and for social justice. Music is revolution-

ary.”

Kat Dow, a 46-year-old Sarasota resident, was raised on folk music. Folk tradition passes down songs and stories that can’t be taken away, they said. It’s hard to define American folk music because being American has become closely related to stealing ideas, cultures and land, they added.

Yet the same goes for defining a song as hip hop, indie rock or country. Genres are like gender: It’s what you make of it, they said.

Dow met Peeples at a house concert in Sarasota a few years ago, where they encountered Peeples’ intense performing style and dedication to his craft. It’s clear he carves out time to write every waking minute, they said.

“I’ve got 1,000 voice memos in my phone,” Dow said. “They’re called whatever road I was driving on when something popped into my head. You know what I don’t do? Finish it. And [Peeples has] the commitment to finish it, and that’s admirable.”

Peeples struggled with addiction for years. After many years of recovery, he found writing to be the one thing that truly pushed him forward.

“Sometimes it’s the only oxygen I can get,” Peeples said. “It sustains me. I figure out what I think about things by writing about them.”

@AutumnJ922

ajohnstone@alligator.org

What Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad says about a divided America

THE DENIM AD STIRRED CONTROVERSY OVER EUGENICS, OVERSEXUALIZATION AND THE POLITICIZATION OF BRANDING

By Isis Snow Avenue Staff Writer

Genes are universal, and so is controversy. The “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” American Eagle ad campaign, which played on the homophones “genes” and “jeans,” sparked conversations about Western beauty standards, the media’s oversexualization of women and the influence of “woke” politics on American culture.

The ad opens with a slow pan over Sweeney as she zips her jeans. As the camera moves, the viewer sees her open denim jacket, revealing glimpses of her chest and stomach.

While it unfolds, Sweeney gives a monologue about genetics being passed down through generations.

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” Sweeney said. “My jeans are blue.”

The ad finished with the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

Some critics of the advertisement saw the wordplay as a possible unintentional reference to eugenics, the discredited idea of improving the human race by controlling breed-

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ing to favor certain traits.

One X post with over 2,500 likes wrote,

“Damn, I thought you all were joking, but that Sydney Sweeney ad really does say ‘genes determine personality.’ Our culture is absolutely cooked.”

Another ad referencing genetics released a few days after Sweeney’s commercial. A Dunkin’ Donuts ad featured television star Gavin Casalegno from Amazon Prime show “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

“Look, I didn’t ask to be the King of Summer; it just kinda happened,” Casalegno said in the ad. “This tan? Genetics.”

Both ads utilized conventionally attractive stars to make tongue-in-cheek implications about inherited traits.

The American Eagle ad was linked to a 1980s Calvin Klein campaign featuring Brooke Shields, which also mentioned genetics. In the ad, then-teen Brooke Shields laid on the floor, struggling to put on her jeans while discussing genetics and evolution, using the tagline, “Calvins, the survival of the fittest.”

Both commercials faced backlash for their provocative nature, but the prevailing issue stemmed from the discussion of “good” and “bad” genes. Despite striking similarities between the two commercials, they don’t necessarily mean American Eagle intended to pay homage to the over-40-year-old Calvin Klein ad.

Andrew Selepak, a UF media production professor, said if American Eagle was refer-

encing the ‘80s campaign, it missed the mark.

“The problem is, the people who are online and the people who are buying American Eagles, they don’t know that commercial,” Selepak said. “They were born long after that commercial…It seems tone deaf in terms of putting out that particular ad, because people don’t have that frame of reference.”

Those invested in the controversy waited with bated breath for American Eagle to respond. The company released a statement Aug. 1, nine days after the initial ad came out.

“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans,” the Instagram post read. “Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

American Eagle’s stocks peaked around $12 following the ad, but as controversy spiked, they took a downturn.

Selepak believes American Eagle waited to respond because the conversation about its new ad was financially beneficial for the company, he said, and the backlash didn’t come from its core customers.

“All of this comes down to money,” he said. “Clearly, it’s not hurting their stock price. Why? Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Sweeney’s ad sparked a deeply polarized response, reflecting the stark political divide among consumers. Reactions from critics and supporters alike only reinforced stanc-

es, turning a simple ad into a flashpoint in a broader ideological battle.

The controversy escalated to a political debate. News organizations like The Daily Show and CNN commented on the ad, and even prominent figures put in their two cents, with Doja Cat releasing a video mocking Sweeney’s ad.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz posted on X about the situation, writing, “Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I’m sure that will poll well.”

As debate surrounding the advertisement intensified, the conversation became less about denim and more about identity. What began as a marketing stunt spiraled into a mirror reflecting deeper societal fractures, where a pair of jeans could symbolize political allegiance, cultural values and morality.

Selepak said the brand politicization carries broader implications for how we engage with one another.

“The biggest negative to it is the sort of politicization of brands and products,” he said. “We’re kind of getting into this point where we’re saying, ‘I don’t want to be around people who view a topic differently … We can’t interact.’”

Even consumer preferences in this climate risk becoming partisan lines, he added.

“Once we start getting into that, it really divides us even further,” he said.

@snow_isisUF isnow@alligator.org

Graduate union declares impasse

at the bargaining session.

He said GAU has made “zero progress” over the last several months because the university hasn’t changed its proposal on stipend increases in almost a year. UF wanted to raise the stipend by just $1,000 for graduate assistants on nine-month appointments.

GAU’s goal is to have stipends act as a wage that accounts for rent, inflation, gas prices and healthcare. They aim to increase salaries to around $40,000 a year.

“GAs need to be able to pay rent, they need to be able to eat, they need to be able to live their lives,” Britton said. “For many GAs, the minimum stipend is simply not enough.”

The union interviewed graduate assistants and found 30% of salaries go toward rent alone, he said. While he understands higher wages are a permanent cost increase for the university, the current stipend is not enough for graduate employees to rely on.

Stipends aren’t Britton’s only concern. UF’s desire to eliminate the released time program can leave the union without the administrative work that keeps it alive. The UF bargaining team hasn’t changed its proposal in 16 months, Britton said.

“It's extremely vital to run GAU, especially with the increase in paperwork from laws like SB 256,” Britton said.

Senate Bill 256, which went into effect in July 2023, requires public sector unions to increase the rate of members paying union dues to 60%, or they risk decertification.

GAU began a card-collecting campaign as a result. If 30% of the employees a union speaks for agree to be represented, then the union could stay alive. That’s exactly what GAU did.

Without released-time employees, maintaining the union becomes significantly more challenging, Britton said.

With SB 256, the union has extra paperwork, must maintain 60% membership and bridge connections between GAU and graduate assistants across university departments.

“If we're spending all of our time worrying about collecting cards and staying alive, we get to spend that much less time on resolving grievances and making sure GAs know their rights,” Britton said.

Because of the impasse, all other articles agreed upon, such as extending paid leave to 12 weeks, can’t go into effect until the impasse ends and the full contract is ratified. It can take up to a year, he said.

Both bargaining teams are allowed to continue negotiations, but both seem uninterested.

“At this point, we're wasting months, and we're getting no closer to a contract,” Britton said. “We've been negotiating for two years.”

Cassie Urbenz, the 24-year-old GAU copresident and graphic design graduate student, was disappointed having to settle for an impasse. The union received a series of emails about what will happen to the paid leave both teams agreed on.

The story of a couple about to have a child stood out to her, she said. They now won’t get extended paternity leave due to the impasse.

“It’s a bit disappointing that we're going to have to do this, especially because we put in so much effort over the course of the past two years, particularly the past six to nine months,” Urbenz said.

While the full contract can’t be signed until the impasse concludes, previous benefits will still be implemented, she said; it’ll just take longer for them to be implemented.

“It does not mean we’ve lost anything we’ve won,” she said.

The union’s goal is now to ensure people stay informed about the union and the impact of the impasse in the coming months, Urbenz said.

The Graduate Assistants Union and the University of Florida find

unable to agree on a salary increase, putting an end to future negotiations.

Sorin Jacobs, a 27-year-old UF biomedical sciences doctoral student, was a GAU member for four years before becoming a National Institutes of Health fellow. Despite no longer qualifying as a graduate student, she was devastated to hear UF wasn’t seeing eye to eye with the union.

Jacobs considers herself lucky. As an employee of the College of Medicine, she gets paid slightly more than the minimum stipend for a graduate assistant on a 12-month appointment. The college believes it’s a way to keep good graduate students employed, she said.

“The stipends, as they stand, are just not a living wage at all,” Jacobs said. “I think everyone knows this, but it's not even keeping up with the amount of inflation we've seen in Gainesville.”

Jacobs’ rent has gone up $300 a month since moving to Gainesville four years ago, she said. Her wife, who’s on a nine-

month appointment, wouldn’t be able to afford rent if she lived alone.

“There's an idea that Gainesville is an affordable city, and so it's fine that our stipends are low,” she said. “It's just as expensive to live here as it is in a lot of cities that are paying much more to their graduate students.”

It can discourage UF graduate student enrollment, she added. Jacobs often helps with recruitment for her program and has seen candidates reject UF because they won’t get paid enough, she said.

“The university as a whole is benefiting so much from grad students,” she said. “Grad students make the university run. I think it would just be appropriate if the university actually respected that and paid grad students what they were worth.”

@_delia_rose_ drosesauer@alligator.org

N O W O P E

Henry A. Moore // Alligator Staff

themselves

www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Are Gator men becoming more like their reptilian counterparts?

In a school of over 60,000 students, it seems impossible to find the right person.

If you’re anything like me and my friends, college was your first time experiencing the dating scene. Rom-coms set expectations for star-struck love. A fiery, passion-filled proclamation of love from a movie’s protagonist filled your mind. Dreams of being swept off your feet lulled you to sleep.

Questions like, “When will I find ‘Mr. Right?’” swirl in your mind.

But UF’s dating scene makes me wonder if we would have better luck looking for our dream man in Lake Alice.

It can be difficult to find the right partner in college. Some guys are all talk and no bite. At least the residents in the gator-filled UF lake are willing to nibble.

Other guys don’t know what they want or who they’re looking for.

Sometimes you’ll go on a few dates and eventually part ways. No guessing involved, no hard feelings, just simple incompatibility.

While these kinds of guys come and go, it’s more important to watch out for the guys who won’t commit to anything.

He’s the kind of guy who won’t give you the respect of calling you “his girlfriend” — the famous “situationship” that has you debating whether he even likes you.

When you seem ready to leave him, he suddenly starts acting like your boyfriend. He asks you to hang out, grab lunch or watch a movie, all the activities adjacent to dating.

But when the inevitable question of “What are we?” comes up, it’s back to radio silence. This type of boy is cold-blooded like a reptile. He seeks the warmth of another’s company but leaves them high and dry.

I never want my girlfriends to waste their time with a guy who can’t even press a few buttons to call her back. No matter who you are, we’re all juggling classes, jobs, extracurriculars, a social life and our mental health, but we both know they have enough time to respond.

Still, the push and pull is almost fun, a game of cat and mouse to decide who will initiate

the next interaction. But the back-and-forth flirting only marks the steps before the real thing.

Growing up, my mom always told me if you have to question whether a guy likes you, you need to move on. Time is better spent without second guessing.

Grace Tran opinions@alligator.org

The Swamp is far too vast with far too many characters to worry if that guy you met going out or in Library West will text you back after a week of silence.

Why change for some guy when the perfect one might be sitting across from you while studying?

Find a man who embodies Albert’s character. He’s reliable and always at every school spirit event. He knows how to have a good time and when to hit the books. He is an inspiration.

At the end of the day, no matter the type of guy, it’s more important to know what kind of relationship you’re seeking and stick to those values.

The difference between our reptilian counterparts and a UF man: One knows when to call, and the other lives in Lake Alice.

Some Gator students might not find their lifelong partner in the Swamp, and that’s OK.

For those who do: We commend you and secretly hope to find that kind of love.

For those who are still searching: While dating is fun and marks a new chapter in life, know that love is found all over.

Love is sharing your lipgloss with a stranger in the bathroom. It’s complimenting another girl’s outfit and nails while in line at The Hub. It’s chanting Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” while standing in the Florida heat at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It’s the girls you went out with when you studied abroad.

It’s about finding your people.

Grace Tran is a UF mechanical engineering junior.

UF is at a fiscal crossroads

Funding America is wild, brutal and messy.

This compromising, pseudo-utilitarian method weighs everything. Do we trade 20,000 new textbooks for a study on AIDS prevention, Medicaid benefits or free afterschool programs? It’s a toss-up.

President Donald Trump recently signed his domestic policy bill, which outlines mass federal funding cuts. While the cuts were inevitable amid a national debt crisis and evolving economic policy, a choice was made to slash funding for programs nationwide.

The University of Florida has been lucky.

UF received $769.3 million from the federal government in 2024. Awards, including grants and scholarships to students, reached a record $1.25 billion in 2025, including $818 million in federal contributions.

During periods of fiscal tightening, which is common under Republican administrations, agencies like Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health often face reduced budgets that ripple through university research operations, forcing institutions to compete for a shrinking pool of resources.

This tension manifests in budget negotiations where universities like UF, which achieved record research funding this year, find themselves caught between shortterm fiscal imperatives and bipartisan recognition.

Before we panic: Don’t worry, Bright Futures is a state-funded program.

In addition to the direct cancellation of federal grants, presidential orders have imposed a 15% cap on indirect costs for remaining federal grants, costing the university an estimated $45 million annually in funding for laboratory infrastructure and administrative operations.

For most universities, the costs equal about $1 for every $2 spent on the research.

The more UF receives, the more we spend. The more we research, the more risk we take on.

And the more we have to lose.

If scholarships and grants are significantly cut, UF would face an unprecedented cascade of problems. We would see reduced student enrollment when fewer students can afford to attend, faculty departures as research funding dries up and abandoned research projects, which are a necessity for the university to maintain its status as a leading research institution.

The university has arrived at a heady and difficult question: Where do we cut funding, and how do we choose?

Will fewer funding opportunities stifle innovation, or will navigating them make us more thoughtful?

Holding non-federal contributions steady, there are two paths forward: preserving key initiatives by reducing peripheral programs or trying to manage the damage out of pocket.

The community now turns to the administration to lead us through this time of fiscal uncertainty, which is a challenge to UF’s newfound academic excellence and a testament to the strength of our institution.

Which approach will they choose? Because Gainesville is watching.

Lily Haak is a rising UF economics senior.

Lily Haak opinions@alligator.org

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1. U.S. STATES: Which is the only state named after a president?

2. MYTHOLOGY: Which goddess is queen of the Roman gods?

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

3. LITERATURE: Who wrote the poem "Paradise Lost"?

4. HISTORY: Which monarch was known as the Sun King?

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

5. MOVIES: How many movies did Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers make together?

6. GEOGRAPHY: The country of Malta is on which continent?

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

7. CHEMISTRY: What is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction?

8. FOOD & DRINK: What is tzatziki?

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

9. TELEVISION: What is the name of the family in the sitcom "Arrested Development"?

10. ANATOMY: What part of the brain converts short-term memory into long-term memory?

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

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

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

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

1. Name the owner of the Boston Red Sox who infamously sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920.

2. In motorsports, what does the acronym HANS stand for?

3. In June 2025, autonomous humanoid robots from Tsinghua University's THU Robotics team defeated China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea Team's robots in what sport?

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

4. Who did the Charlotte Hornets select 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and then immediately trade to the Los Angeles Clippers?

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

Answers

5. Unicycling acrobat Rong "Krystal" Niu, a fixture at pro basketball halftime shows, is better known by what stage name?

1. 63,360 inches

2. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

6. In 2024, Amit Patel pleaded guilty to stealing $22 million from what NFL franchise while employed with the team?

7. What 1978 National League MVP died 29 days before being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025?

3. Below or insufficient

4. Grover Cleveland

5. Katharine Hepburn

6. Devils Tower, 1906

7. The Philippines

8. “The Matrix”

9. The USS Nautilus

10. Pennsylvania,

Dave Parker.

Sudoku solution

El Caimán

LUNES, 4 DE AGOSTO DE 2025

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El sindicato de posgrados de UF llega a un estancamiento

MESES DE NEGOCIACIÓN TERMINAN EN UN ESTANCAMIENTO EN EL PROCESO DE REGATEO

Por Delia Rose Sauer

Escritora de El Caimán

Traducido por Sofia Bravo Escritora de El Caimán

Las negociaciones por mejores salarios para los asistentes de posgrado están en pausa tras meses de conversaciones estancadas.

Después de varias rondas sin una contrapropuesta por parte del equipo de negociación de la Universidad de Florida, ambas partes declararon un estancamiento durante la sesión del 31 de julio.

Patrick Keegan, principal negociador de UF, propuso declarar el estancamiento. Austin Britton, copresidente de Graduate Assistants United y estudiante de doctorado en geografía de 27 años, estuvo de acuerdo.

“En este punto, la universidad está preparada para declarar un estancamiento”, dijo Keegan. “No estoy seguro de que seguir reuniéndonos sobre los Artículos 10 6 16 vaya a ser muy productivo”.

Graduate Assistants United, que representa a más de 4,400 empleados de posgrado, negocia aumentos salariales cada año. Los estipendios, salarios fijos para asistentes de posgrado, se negocian bajo el Artículo 10 del convenio colectivo.

Otro punto de disputa fue el Artículo 16, que regula el programa de “released time” del sindicato. Este programa permite que ciertos asistentes de posgrado se liberen temporalmente de sus tareas académicas para realizar labores administrativas dentro del sindicato. Durante ese tiempo, reciben pago por tramitar documentos, comunicarse con departamentos y gestionar quejas.

En 2023, GAU logró un aumento histórico: $19,200 para contratos de nueve meses y $25,600 para contratos de 12 meses. Aun así, el sindicato no ha logrado avanzar hacia un salario digno.

“Hemos esperado varios meses para que UF volviera a la mesa, y nos encontramos con otro muro”, dijo Britton durante la sesión.

Afirmó que el sindicato no ha hecho “ningún progreso” en los últimos meses porque la universidad no ha modificado su propuesta: sólo ofrecen un aumento de $1,000 para contratos de nueve meses.

El objetivo de GAU es que los estipendios cubran el costo de alquiler, inflación, gasolina y seguro médico. Buscan aumentar los sueldos a unos $40,000 anuales.

“Los asistentes necesitan poder pagar alquiler, comer y vivir su vida”, dijo Britton. “Para muchos, el estipendio mínimo simplemente no alcanza”.

El sindicato encuestó a los asistentes y halló que el 30% de su salario se destina solo al alquiler. Aunque entiende que un aumento permanente de salarios representa un costo adicional para la universidad, el estipendio actual no es suficiente.

Además, Britton expresó preocupación por la intención de UF de eliminar el programa de “released time”, lo cual dificultaría mantener el funcionamiento básico del sindicato. Dijo que UF no ha cambiado su propuesta en 16 meses.

“Es extremadamente vital para que GAU funcione, especialmente con el aumento de papeleo causado por leyes como SB 256”, dijo.

El proyecto de ley SB 256, en vigor desde julio de 2023, exige que los sindicatos del sector público alcancen una tasa del 60% de miembros que paguen cuotas, o corren el riesgo de perder su certificación.

GAU lanzó una campaña de recolección de firmas. Si el 30% de los empleados representados por el sindicato aceptan su representación, el sindicato puede continuar operando. Eso fue

exactamente lo que hizo GAU.

Sin empleados liberados de sus funciones académicas, mantener el sindicato sería mucho más difícil, dijo Britton. Con SB 356, hay más papeleo, es necesario mantener el 60% de membresía y conectar al sindicato con los departamentos universitarios.

“Si tenemos que dedicar todo nuestro tiempo a recolectar firmas y mantenernos con vida, nos queda menos tiempo para resolver quejas y asegurarnos de que los asistentes conozcan sus derechos”, dijo Britton.

Debido al estancamiento, todos los artículos acordados, como la extensión de licencia remunerada a 12 semanas, no pueden entrar en vigor hasta que se resuelva el estancamiento y se ratifique el contrato completo. El proceso puede tardar hasta un año, dijo.

Aunque las negociaciones pueden continuar, ambas partes parecen poco interesadas.

“Estamos perdiendo meses y no nos acercamos a un contrato”, dijo Britton. “Llevamos dos años negociando”. Cassie Urbenz, copresidenta de GAU y estudiante de posgrado en diseño gráfico de 24 años, expresó su decepción por tener que aceptar un estancamiento. El sindicato ha recibido correos electrónicos preguntando qué pasará con la licencia remunerada que ambas partes ya habían aprobado.

Le impactó particularmente la historia de una pareja que espera un hijo. Ahora, debido al estancamiento, no tendrán acceso a la licencia parental extendida.

“Es algo decepcionante tener que pasar por esto, especialmente después de tanto esfuerzo en los últimos años, y particularmente en los últimos seis a nueve meses”, dijo Urbenz.

Lea el resto en línea en alligator.org/section/elcaiman.

@_delia_rose_ drosesauer@alligator.org

Feria de salud brinda servicios médicos gratuitos a la comunidad de Gainesville

LA PRÓXIMA FERIA SE LLEVARÁ A CABO EN NOVIEMBRE

Por Candy Fontana-Verde Escritora de El Caimán

Varias familias hicieron fila afuera de la iglesia Parkview Baptist en busca de servicios médicos esenciales sin costo, sin necesidad de seguro ni documentos.

Además de transporte y comidas gratuitas, los asistentes recibieron consultas pediátricas y para adultos, exámenes físicos para la escuela, chequeos ginecológicos, pruebas de detección de cáncer de colon y cuello uterino, así como pruebas para diabetes, presión arterial, anemia y colesterol. Los servicios se ofrecieron en varios idiomas, incluidos inglés, español, portugués y criollo haitiano.

Según un análisis reciente de la Kaiser Family Foundation, casi la mitad de los adultos en Estados Unidos tiene dificultades para cubrir gastos médicos, y uno de cada cuatro tuvo problemas para pagar la atención en el último año. Más de un tercio admitió haber retrasado o evitado consultas necesarias debido al costo, lo que resalta cómo las barreras económicas afectan el acceso a la atención médica.

Maria Eugenia Zelaya, directora ejecutiva de Children Beyond Our Borders, dijo que la feria tiene como objetivo reducir las barreras al

acceso a la salud para quienes no tienen seguro ni recursos para pagar consultas médicas.

“Nuestro trabajo aquí es recibir a toda aquella persona que no tenga acceso a servicios médicos y conectarla con servicios que puedan hacer el seguimiento”, dijo Zelaya.

La feria también entregó mochilas con útiles escolares, crayones, dibujos para colorear y osos de peluche para los niños que regresan a clases.

El evento tenía como objetivo ayudar a las familias a comenzar el nuevo año escolar con éxito, con chequeos médicos y mochilas con útiles escolares básicos.

La feria de salud contó con el apoyo y la organización de Children Beyond Our Borders, Red de Clínicas de Acceso Igualitario, Clínica de Alcance Móvil, Centro de Cáncer de UF Health, Proyecto Continuidad e Iglesia Bautista Parkview.

Jamie Hensley, subdirectora de detección de cáncer y navegación de atención en el Centro de Cáncer de UF, dijo que su equipo busca llevar servicios preventivos a toda la comunidad.

“Ayudamos a las personas a comprender cuáles son sus factores de riesgo de cáncer, cuáles son sus opciones de detección, para qué pruebas son elegibles y cómo acceder a ellas con o sin seguro”, dijo Hensley.

Un análisis presentado en la Reunión Anual

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2025 de la Sociedad Americana de Oncología Clínica (ASCO), donde asistieron casi 1,800 sobrevivientes de cáncer, mostró que el 19% tuvo que retrasar o evitar la atención médica debido a los costos, mientras que el 13% enfrentó problemas de vivienda. Esto crea un ciclo difícil en el que las limitaciones económicas y sociales afectan directamente la salud.

Hensley enfatizó la importancia de conocer los antecedentes familiares para prevenir enfermedades graves.

“Si no ha hablado con su familia sobre qué enfermedades y qué tipos de cáncer pueden existir en su familia, infórmese para que pueda estar mejor preparado para cuidarse”, dijo Hensley.

Veronica Diaz, residente de Gainesville de 40 años y originaria de Colombia, asiste a la feria con su familia cada vez que se realiza.

“La feria de verdad que ha sido muy buena y es de gran apoyo para muchas personas y para la comunidad”, dijo Diaz. “Toda mi familia se ha beneficiado. Estamos muy agradecidos”.

La feria le da a su familia acceso a diferentes servicios médicos, explicó. Díaz pudo hacerse chequeos ginecológicos, su hija recibió consultas pediátricas y su esposo recibió atención médica general.

Michael Mathelier, residente de primer año en el Departamento de Medicina de

Emergencias de UF y asesor de la feria de salud, dijo que la feria es una oportunidad para brindar atención primaria a quienes más lo necesitan.

“La atención que brindamos aquí es gratuita para el paciente”, dijo Mathelier. “Ellos no pagan nada. Todos los médicos que están aquí están donando su tiempo.”

Más de 2,3 millones de residentes de Florida carecían de seguro médico en 2023, lo que representa el 10,7% de la población estatal, en comparación con el 8% a nivel nacional, según la Kaiser Family Foundation.

La feria es una opción accesible para quienes no pueden acudir a una clínica durante la semana, dijo Mathelier. Muchas personas viajan desde ciudades como Jacksonville, Orlando e incluso Tampa para aprovechar la atención gratuita, agregó.

Gladys Cordova, residente de Gainesville de 64 años y originaria de Chile, es voluntaria en el área de cocina, aunque inicialmente fue asistente de la feria. Agradecida por la ayuda que recibió en el pasado, ahora busca brindar el mismo apoyo a otros.

“Cuando uno es migrante, es una bendición que le den una mano”, dijo Cordova. “Esta es mi manera de devolver la ayuda que alguna vez recibí.”

@CandyFontanaV cfontanaverde@alligator.org

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

MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2025

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FOOTBALL

DJ Lagway’s right-hand man: Previewing Florida’s backup quarterback options

LAGWAY SUFFERED A LOWER LEG INJURY HEADING INTO TRAINING CAMP

By Luke Adragna Sports Writer

Since Gators quarterback DJ Lagway stepped onto the field in the second week of his freshman season, he’s been nothing short of spectacular in the eyes of Florida fans.

However, there are lingering concerns heading into the fall as Lagway deals with his second injury since he strained his hamstring against Georgia in the 2024 season.

A shoulder injury prevented Lagway from throwing during spring training camp, and he suffered a calf strain that placed him in a boot heading into Florida’s fall camp, leading to speculation it could be a long-term injury. Recent reports from head coach Billy Napier have ruled Lagway day-to-day heading into the season opener.

“He’s made a lot of quick progress,” Napier said. “We’ll come up with the best plan we can to have him ready.”

Nonetheless, it raises the question: Who is expected to be Lagway’s backup option? Florida’s quarterback room will battle it out during fall training camp to answer that question.

FOOTBALL

Aidan Warner, junior Yale transfer

Warner is entering his second year in Florida’s program after an unorthodox sophomore season where he rose from fourth in the depth chart to a road start against the Texas Longhorns due to injuries to players ahead of him.

The Winter Park, Florida, native appeared in four games in 2024, tallying 228 yards, three interceptions and one rushing touchdown.

Many fans at the time were surprised Warner earned the nod over Colorado State transfer Clay Millen. Millen began the year third on the depth chart, but Napier said Warner proved himself in practice to earn the position.

In his start against the Longhorns, Florida lost 49-17 while Warner tossed two interceptions and completed less than half of his passing attempts without a touchdown.

Harrison Bailey, senior Louisville transfer

Bailey began his collegiate career at Tennessee and transferred three times, making stops at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Louisville and now Florida.

The sixth-year senior is a career backup, attempting only 171 passes across five seasons for 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

In Florida’s Orange and Blue game, Bailey played with UF’s projected second-team unit, finishing 29-of-43 for 363 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Warner played with the first-team unit and tallied 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite transferring with lofty experience, Napier consistently touted Warner’s abilities, even when asked about Bailey.

“I think all of our quarterbacks have taken advantage of the reps,” Napier said. “Aidan in particular has taken a big step in the right direction.”

Napier embraced the quarterback challenge among his backups. In Florida’s open media practice Aug. 2, Warner took first-team reps over Bailey, throwing to Florida’s new receivers like freshman Dallas Wilson and UCLA transfer J. Michael Sturdivant.

Based on how practice has unfolded since the spring, the quarterback No. 2 battle is undoubtedly between Warner and Bailey, favoring the Winter Park native.

Warner earned a scholarship during the offseason and has the opportunity to be the first Ivy League transfer to start opening week in program history if Lagway doesn’t recover in time.

Freshman Tramell Jones Jr. and Millen

Jones, a three-star recruit, played 34 varsity games at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville and missed a majority of his senior season due to a lower-body injury. Jones logged 7,197 yards with 71 touchdowns and 21 interceptions across his varsity appearances.

Jones appeared in Florida’s Orange and Blue scrimmage and completed two of three passes for 30 yards.

On the other hand, Millen enters with collegiate experience. Millen is a redshirt senior quarterback who set Colorado State's singleseason completion percentage record at 72.2% over 10 starts as a redshirt freshman in 2022. He failed to record a single snap during Florida’s Orange and Blue scrimmage in the spring. Every backup quarterback has been impressive throughout practice, but Warner was quick to receive praise among his teammates.

“I’m really proud of those guys, it’s like every other day, you don’t know when your name is going to get called,” said Gators tight end Hayden Hansen. “Aidan [Warner] specifically does a really good job of, ‘He’s always ready.’”

Hansen touted the abilities of Jones and Bailey, praising how quickly they’ve adjusted to Florida’s system.

“Tramell [Jones] is coming along really fast for a freshman,” Hansen said. “Harrison's coming along, too. He's picked up the system pretty fast for a transfer, and I'm excited. I don't really feel scared with those guys back here.”

Lagway is Florida’s uncontested signal caller if he recovers in time for the Gators’ season opener. Florida will kick off 2025 against the Long Island Sharks at 4 p.m. Aug. 30 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

@lukeadrag ladragna@alligator.org

Gators recharged: Florida football makes strides after 8-5 season

FLORIDA FOOTBALL IS PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY PREPARED TO KICK OFF ITS SEASON

By Curan Ahern Sports Writer

With fall camp beginning and the upcoming season on the horizon, Florida football is optimistic about its offseason improvement. Following a strong finish to the 2024 season, the Gators entered the weight room with a competitive focus heading into the 2025 season.

The team saw a rise in leadership and accountability since last season’s slow start. Senior kicker Trey Smack said the team’s younger players greatly matured, easing the burden on veterans to constantly monitor them during practices.

“After Tennessee, something really sparked, leadership started coming in,” Smack said. “Young guys realized, 'Hey, this is the SEC. It's no joke. We need to lock in every day.' And guys who don't play were giving their 100% effort at practice every day, which helped us out.”

The 2024 addition of special

teams coordinator Joe Houston was significant for the unit. Houston’s positive impact on team culture and his mentality of buying in made the Gators understand the importance of special teams.

Managing expectations for NFLcaliber players at Florida is an art, he said.

“You do the hard work and let the results come,” Houston said. “We need to be process-oriented and process-driven. That allows us to stay in the present and focus on the task we have now.”

Alongside the improving special teams unit, the defense bolstered itself since last season with newfound strength and leadership.

Senior defensive back Devin Moore said all of his lifts increased in weight this offseason, allowing him to drop 12 pounds of fat and gain 15 pounds of muscle headed into fall camp. The team’s chemistry is at an all-time high, he added, and it’s the most talented UF team he’s been a part of.

“No matter if you’re a freshman or a super senior seven-year, it’s like you guys met five years ago,” Moore said.

Moore praised sophomore de-

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fensive back Cormani McClain and freshman Ben Hanks III as young players who found accountability and comfort at UF.

“[McClain’s] definitely taking his game to the next level,” he said.

Senior edge George Gumbs Jr. also stepped up as a leader for UF, becoming faster and stronger this offseason while improving his diet.

Tyler Miles, Florida’s director of football strength and conditioning, said Gumbs kept energy high in the weight room during summer workouts.

Gumbs picked up boxing over the summer alongside fellow edge rushers sophomore LJ McCray and junior Kamran James, using the sport’s fastpaced critical thinking and physical movement to fine tune his reaction time.

“Being an edge rusher, we do a lot with hands,” Gumbs said. “So [boxing is] getting us way more comfortable, then of course it’s a workout.”

Gumbs not only physically improved in the weight room and boxing ring but also mentally off the field. He spoke fondly about last year’s alumni barbecue dinner with former Gator defensive linemen, reminding him of his team’s legacy and

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the standard he wants to uphold.

“It just gave me more fire than I already had,” he said. “Just going to a barbecue like that, I feel like it just added two more sacks.”

Freshman edge Jayden Woods is a player set to surprise fans this year, Gumbs said. Woods broke Gumbs’ lifting records in squat and power clean as soon as he set foot on campus.

McCray’s weight room transformation heading into his sophomore season was also impressive, Gumbs said.

“LJ had a crazy offseason,” he said. “Seeing him from the weight room standpoint, he was putting up numbers I never thought he'd do this early.”

Miles also praised McCray, who he said had one of the best offseasons on the team, gaining 40 pounds in each of his lifts and attacking the weight room with serious discipline.

Junior tight end Hayden Hansen made significant strides as a competitor and leader. Hansen said he’s striving to increase his production in the passing game and has been working on using his length to get separation.

In the first fall camp practice July

30, he caught at least five passes in the first half, he said, which is “a lot” for a tight end in Florida’s system. The offense is well-rounded without a “weak point,” he added, and the team is the closest it’s been since he arrived in 2022.

The mentoring of younger players and head coach Billy Napier’s “congregation dinners” help build team chemistry, he said.

According to Hansen, Napier has been hosting dinners where he assigns players to random seats, with about eight people to a table. The players are without cellphones and answer questions with their group like, “Who do you lean on the most?”

“You really get deep with the guys,” Hansen said. “You connect.”

With veterans embracing leadership roles and young players maturing quickly, the Florida football team is creating a culture of shared accountability. The impact of this offseason’s work in the weight room is showing up in the team’s chemistry, discipline and mentality as the Florida football team enters the new season.

@CuranAhern cahern@alligator.org

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