UF Chinese international students are at risk of losing student visas
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will start “aggressively” revoking Chinese student visas
By Maria Avlonitis Alligator Staff Writer
Amid a tariff war between the U.S. and China, international students who traveled overseas in pursuit of education find themselves stuck in the middle.
The U.S. will start "aggressively" revoking Chinese student visas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a May 28 press statement, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”
What qualifies as a “critical field” and what qualifies as a connection to the CCP is unclear.
Students weigh in
A UF Chinese international student studying chemistry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing her student visa, is worried about what this means for her future.
She said losing her student visa wouldn’t
have been as bad if she just started her degree or was in the middle of it, which would allow her to apply for another school. But as she starts her last year of graduate school, it would make it harder to transfer or start over elsewhere.
“ I feel a little bit worried because I'm about to finish,” she said.
It’s not easy to become a member of the CCP, she said, and you have to go through a long process to gain that status. Even though she doesn’t fit the criteria, she’s worried about her student visa being revoked.
“ It seems like [the government] doesn't care what you say,” she said. “They don't care really who you are. I don't think the truth matters.”
There are a lot of Chinese students in her department and other STEM programs at UF.
Universities will lose a large, qualified workforce in science and research if Chinese student visas are revoked, she said.
Chinese students, the largest group of international students at UF, made up 24.1%
of its international student population in 2022. They also make up the secondlargest group of international students in the country, behind India, with 277,398 Chinese students attending U.S. universities in the 2023-2024 school year.
Joaquin Rafaele Marcelino, a 20-yearold UF biochemistry, political science and Chinese senior, said universities are going to miss out on Chinese students’ contributions if the U.S. starts revoking their visas.
“ Everybody deserves a chance at a higher education and to be part of our community and civil society,” Marcelino said.
The visa revocation announcement follows a tirade of anti-immigrant policies in a trend they said is unlawful and goes against due process.
Florida has a history of targeting Chinese students. In December 2023, Senate Bill 846 banned “partnerships,” including recruitment programs, between state universities and any non-U.S. citizen living
New fire station
is one of multiple being added
in Alachua County
By Logan McBride Alligator Staff Writer
Alachua County hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 30 to officially open Fire Station 21 near Santa Fe High School and Interstate 75 in Alachua.
It will replace the former station on the corner of U.S. 441 and Northwest 140th Street. The project broke ground in March 2024.
Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Harold Theus said Fire Station 21 helps create an overlap of coverage where the predominant population of the city of Alachua resides.
Theus said the department wanted a property that could access I-75 and stay within a few miles of downtown Alachua. The property accomplishes both, being located only 2.3 miles from Alachua City Hall.
“A lot has gone into this location, and a lot has gone into this property,” Theus said. “We’re so very excited to be here, and we’re very excited about serving the community in this area for the next 50 years as this station is here.”
Alachua County bought Fire Station 21’s property in 2020. It purchased the site for $45,000, when similar acreage approached $1 million, Theus said.
The one-story, 11,500 square feet structure had a $7 million budget. It includes a new water tanker, an advanced life support ambulance and an E-One Typhoon fire truck that was delivered a few weeks ago.
The station will have five staff on duty 24/7 and house Battalion 7. Each battalion manages a different geographical area of Alachua County. Battalion 7 is responsible for the northwest corner of the county.
The Lunz Group, an architecture firm located in Lakeland, led the project’s engineering and architecture, while the D.E. Scorpio Corporation handled construc -
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Libby Clifton // Alligator Staff
Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Harold Theus (center left) and Alachua Mayor Walter Welch (center right) clap after ceremonially unscrewing a firehose to mark the grand opening of Fire Station 21 in Alachua on Friday, May 30, 2025.
Today’s Weather
U.S. House-passed ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will financially affect many lowincome families around the country
What does this mean for Florida?
By Jack Vincent Alligator Staff Writer
On May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill proposing significant changes to the Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
SNAP served an average of 42.1 million participants per month in fiscal year 2023, according to The Economic Research Service, 13.7% of whom are Florida residents. About 3.5 million Florida residents were enrolled in Medicaid in January, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
SNAP supplies low-income families with access to healthy and affordable food. Medicaid allows low-income families to receive affordable health care.
Many families fear the bill’s impact on financial assistance and living expenses.
The “Big Beautiful Bill” proposes up to $300 billion in SNAP funding but would halt future benefit increases beyond inflation, raise work age requirements from 54 to 64 and change the oldest age accepted for dependents from 18 to 8 years old. Medicaid would be cut by $880 billion over the next 10 years.
Billy Hackett, the congressional liaison for Alachua County Democrats, said the government shouldn’t restrict the resources but rather use this to invest in people through these programs.
“SNAP cuts are going to hit low-income Floridians where they would feel it most, and that's at the kitchen table,” Hackett said.
According to Hackett, who reviewed the bill's proposed changes to SNAP, all states would need to pay at least 5% of SNAP benefits and up to 25% of the total cost.
“That's significant, especially in the state of Florida, where we have yet to pass our state budget, and where that deadline is moving within the next three weeks,” Hackett said. “That's several million dollars that the state is going to need to now be able to come up with on fairly short notice.”
Tim Marden, chairman of the Alachua County Republican Party, believes the U.S. government isn’t an efficient allocation of resources.
The more government involvement, the greater the inefficiency, he said.
“Anytime you have the government involved, it distorts the markets, and the best solution is the free market solution,” he said.
He said that people can turn to civic organizations, like churches and food pantries, instead of government-funded programs for lower costs and accessible resources.
There is a debate over whether the bill will decrease the number of people who are taking advantage of the bill and if it will harm the people who truly need it.
“What unfortunately happens is you have people taking advantage of the situation and taking advantage of the system, and that spoils it for everyone who arguably are the people who actually need it,” he said.
Amy Trask, a single mother who received financial assistance through the programs, worked three jobs and around 80 hours a week just to support her two kids.
“Even doing all of that, it was really hard to put a roof over our head,” Trask said.
Parents like Trask, who don't have family support, would need to find someone to watch over their children while at work. She used the majority of her tip money for babysitting, which consumed the
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money that could be used for other expenses.
“I was 19, and my parents, being very religious, essentially said, ‘You have to get married, or we're not going to be involved,’” Trask said. “So I got married.”
It led to Trask being trapped in an abusive relationship, moving to Gainesville to escape with no support. She was tasked with taking care of her two children alone in a new place under new circumstances.
“There were days when I didn't eat anything, but I made sure that they [my kids] were fed,” she said.
One of her kids was born with fluid in their lungs. They were in and out of the fluorescent-lit halls of doctors’ offices, receiving imaging. Medicaid helped her bear the costs.
“There's this common fallacy, or this common idea, that people that are on these resources just don't want to work for it,” she said. “But what do you say to the mom who just got pregnant early and worked three jobs and went to school? They deserve a helping hand, right?”
Trask received help from a local Gainesville church, she said. Every year for Christmas, her kids received presents under the Christmas tree thanks to Trask and donations from the church.
When COVID-19 hit, Trask would come home to find gift cards for groceries. She also attended the Wednesday night Bible studies, where the church provided $5 to feed the whole family.
Although this assistance helped, there were still other expenses that the church could not provide or afford. She was happy she received support but grew frustrated when religion became a tool in politics.
“God is not in the business of making children go hungry,” Trask said. “God is not in the business of making people not have access to life-saving medication or medical treatment.”
Tonya Camaratta, a 49-year-old schoolteacher, believes it’s imperative the community works together.
“I think those who have the least are not interested in waste or abuse,” Camaratta said. “They're interested in survival.”
@JV_Reports jvincent@alligator.org
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Fresh vegetables on display at La Aurora Latin Supermarket on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Chinese students fear visa revocation
from pg. 1
in a foreign country of concern, including China. It sparked a protest at UF last year as students, faculty and advocacy groups spoke against the bill.
Christian Joven Garcia, a 20-year-old UF biomedical engineering junior, knows people who could be at risk from this mandate. It would set a dangerous precedent for how the federal government can impact students’ futures, he said.
“ The risk of having people within my personal circle just disappear like that because of some government mandate scares me,” Garcia said.
The U.S. and China have been in a tariff war since February 2025, when the U.S. announced tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Tensions rose May 30 when President Donald Trump accused China of violating a trade agreement with the U.S. weeks after the countries agreed to a temporary easing of tariffs imposed on each other.
Revoking Chinese students’ visas over trade conflicts is sacrificing their young livelihoods at the expense of a stick-poking fight between these two global superpowers, Garcia said.
“ Using these students as pawns in that is wrong,” he said.
A history of exclusive policies
Joanna YangQing Derman, the director of anti-racial profiling, national security and civil rights at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said she’s worried this mandate will create an environment of fear and uncertainty
for the Asian American community.
Targeting Chinese students can lead to racial profiling, she said. Not everyone can distinguish a stranger’s nationality and ethnicity, which could lead to people treating anyone in the Asian American community with suspicion because of the government’s actions toward one specific ethnicity.
Revoking Chinese student visas would be incredibly harmful because it paints them as a threat, she said.
“ It would act as a blunt instrument versus a scalpel when we're talking about how to responsibly address national security concerns,” Derman said.
There’s a historical pattern of exclusionary policies toward the Asian American community. Events like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Japanese American incarceration during World War II are precedents of dangerous law and rhetoric that heavily impacted the community, she said.
Other laws have been more inclusionary, like the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992, which paved the way for Chinese students to get legal permanent status in the U.S.
Haipei Shue, the president of United Chinese Americans, a Chinese American civic organization, played a leadership role in passing the Chinese Student Protection bill. Thirty years later, it feels like Chinese students are in a more dire situation, he said.
“ I almost feel like we need a new Chinese student protection bill,” Shue said.
Thousands of Chinese students' lives will be impacted by having their visas revoked or
not issued in the first place, he said.
“ We [Chinese citizens] have turned in the last 30 years from assets to a huge liability today, which is not fair for the Chinese students here and not fair for our two countries,” Shue said.
Having Chinese students come to study in the U.S. has built a bridge between the two countries. It has had a positive impact over the past century and has been one of the biggest diplomatic assets the U.S. has, he said.
“ We're now going to give that up?” Shue said. “I don’t understand.”
Concerns about due process
Robert Jacobs, a Gainesville immigration lawyer, expects the administration’s visa policy will face legal challenges and be temporarily halted.
President Trump wants to deport one million people this year, and this is a way to help him do it, Jacobs said. But the mandate is still shocking to him.
“ I don't see how you could just pick out a nationality and say, ‘You can't come into the United States,’” Jacobs said.
It is currently unclear how the administration plans to implement these changes, further adding to the confusion.
Jacobs said the government would have to find a way to justify denying Chinese students’ education in “critical fields.”
“ Trump's playing with fire,” he said. “He is challenging the judicial system and claiming that, as president, he has more power than the law actually gives him.”
Troy Nader Moslemi, a Florida Barcertified immigration attorney based in Flushing, New York, said the mandate will result in students’ visas getting canceled even though they aren’t dangerous.
It’s going to be hard to get evidence of students being affiliated with the CCP, and it’s likely the government will revoke visas based on suspicion alone, he said.
“ I don't know what the heck the evidence is going to be of CCP membership,” Moslemi said. “Nobody frames a certificate on their wall saying, ‘I'm in the CCP.’ It doesn't happen.”
CCP membership is very exclusive, and it’s unlikely a Chinese student would be a member, he said. Nevertheless, there are roughly 99 million CCP members, and the definition can be far-stretched if it doesn’t clarify how connected a student needs to be.
Targeting students for CCP connections and studying certain fields is another way of trying to meet deportation quotas, Moselmi said. Deportations require court cases and evidence, so this opens the door to targeting more people.
“ I don't think it's going to be implemented accurately,” he said. “I think [Trump’s] just going to start canceling visas.”
There is an immigration court and an appeal process, he said, and thinking someone can get deported without a trial is like thinking someone who gets arrested goes straight to prison.
“ You can't just pick people up off the street like they're spilled potato chips,” he said.
@MariaAvlonitis mavlonitis@alligator.org
What to expect from the Board of Governors vote on Ono
Ono has faced severe criticism as he awaits crucial board vote
By Swasthi Maharaj Alligator Staff Writer
Santa Ono was approved by the University of Florida Board of Trustees as UF’s current president-elect on May 27. The next step in the process is his approval by the Florida Board of Governors.
The upcoming Board of Governors meeting is set to take place at the University of Central Florida’s downtown Orlando campus June 3.
What is the Board of Governors, and what does it do?
The 17-member Board of Governors oversees the State University System of Florida and plays the final role in confirming public university presidents. Fourteen board members were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, including chairman Brian Lamb and vice chair Alan Levine. Many of the appointed members have longstanding ties to Florida politics or businesses.
The remaining three members come from within the university system: the education commissioner, the chair of the advisory council of faculty senates and the chair of the Florida Student Association.
UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini will describe the search process, Ono’s proposed contract and introduce him to the board during the meeting.
Once Hosseini concludes his introduction, the board will ask Ono about topics, such as his plans to improve the state’s education goals or his past leadership, before voting on whether to confirm him as president.
Potential challenges
Though the process is fairly straightforward, Ono may face scrutiny when he goes before the board.
In recent years, presidential appointments at Florida’s public universities, including that of Ben Sasse in 2022, have become major topics of discussion in broader higher education debates. DeSantis reshaped Florida’s higher education system, pushing legislation targeting topics like diversity, equity and inclusion, and environmental protection.
Some view Ono’s presidential confirmation as a referendum on whether UF will continue to align with this agenda, and opinions are divided.
Ono has served as the president of multiple universities,
leaving the University of Michigan for UF. While some of his previous administrative actions, such as closing U-M’s DEI offices, have earned conservative approval, others have garnered him criticism from other branches of the Republican Party.
Florida Rep. Greg Steube (R-17) sent a letter to the Board of Governors urging it to reject Ono and asking the board to “identify a candidate that continues to advance Florida as the leader in intellectual liberty and academic excellence.”
In the letter, Steube said Ono is unqualified to serve as UF’s president because he championed “prejudicial” DEI initiatives during his term at U-M, reversing them only under legal pressure. Since the presidential search was closed and confidential, Steube said he remains “unconvinced” that Ono is the best candidate for the job.
Criticism has also come from even higher up.
Donald Trump Jr. posted on X, calling on the Board of Governors to reject Ono and describing the candidate as a “woke psycho.”
Christopher Rufo, an American conservative activist and New College trustee, stood out as a particularly critical voice against Ono.
“[Ono] is not the leader of conviction necessary to continue Florida’s academic reforms,” Rufo said.
Rufo, who has played a role in reshaping education policy in Florida, claimed the Board of Governors is privately displeased with Ono.
Cassandra Edwards, the director of communications for the Board of Governors, wrote in an email that board members won’t comment until after the confirmation vote.
Juan Vivas, a 24-year-old UF international studies and political science alumnus, said these criticisms are all based on what Ono has done in the past and don’t consider what he could do to better UF in the future.
“I would say they’re baseless claims, because they’re attacking his persona but not what can actually be done,” Vivas said. “I hope the [Board of Governors members] are actually people who care about academics. They should focus on what would be best for UF students.”
Despite conservative concerns about Ono’s commitment to reshaping Florida’s education system in DeSantis’ vision, any potential UF president will have to enforce state laws, including those that defund DEI, regardless of their personal beliefs.
The Board of Governors is all that stands between Dr. Santa Ono and a position as the next president of the University of Florida. Will he overcome this final hurdle, or will he be rejected, leaving the presidency unfilled as the search begins again?
What’s next?
If confirmed by the Board of Governors, Ono will begin preparations for the 2025-2026 year. According to Ono’s prospective contract, he is set to take office as soon as June 3 with an annual base salary of $1.5 million. His contract would last through May 30, 2030.
If not approved, the UF Board of Trustees will have to restart its presidential search process. The search could reopen publicly or be conducted under Florida’s presidential search exemption law, which allows for confidential candidate reviews.
@s_maharaj1611 smaharaj@alligator.org
New Alachua fire station
RIBBON CUTTING, from pg. 1
tion. Lunz Group is involved with future new fire stations in the county, Lunz Group architect Stacy Witschen said.
The station was designed to accommodate growth, like the new Wawa and a subdivision of hundreds of new homes. Due to the area’s fast development, the new location will reduce response times.
“Time is really key, and being quickly accessible to any of those locations is pretty critical,” Witschen said.
Alachua Assistant City Manager Rodolfo Valladares spoke at the ceremony Friday, filling in for City Manager Mike DaRoza, who resigned on May 26.
“Our firefighters are everyday heroes,” Valladares said. “Today, we’re proud to provide them with a state-ofthe-art facility.”
Cesar Martinez, a 30-year-old High Springs resident, said new fire stations in the area are much needed due to
the increase in medical centers, restaurants and homes.
“I came in here about five, six years ago, and it’s nothing compared to how it is right now,” Martinez said.
Fire Station 21 is one of multiple new fire stations to be completed in recent years in Alachua County. In 2020, Fire Station 25 opened in Tech City, a sustainable community and business hub located in the county. The station currently serves the county’s eastern side and opened in 2020. Gainesville’s Fire Station 80 opened in March 2024 and covers the south side of Gainesville.
Later this year, Alachua County will continue to modernize its firefighting infrastructure with the construction of another station at San Felasco Tech City.
@LoganDMcBride lmcbride@alligator.org
Henry Moore // Alligator Staff
Libby Clifton // Alligator Staff
Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Harold Theus listens to speaker Alachua's Assistant City Manager Rodolfo Valladares during the grand opening of Fire Station 21 in Alachua on Friday, May 30, 2025.
UF undergraduates launch housing stability project in Gainesville, Pensacola The project aims to bring healthcare resources to the unhoused
By Koushin Unber Alligator Staff Wrtier
Backed by a $10,000 grant, two UF undergraduates are working to connect unhoused communities in Gainesville and Pensacola with essential healthcare and support services from hygiene kits and cancer screening information to bicycles and job resources.
A single-night count by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development found 887 people were experiencing homelessness in North Central Florida in January, with 746 located in Alachua County. Of the total, just under half stayed in shelters.
Ava Theng, a 22-year-old UF psychology alumna, and Tara Fenelon, a 20-year-old UF health education and behavior sophomore, are launching their project, Pathways to Wellness, to help address homelessness by
promoting housing security. They facilitate partnerships between non-profit organizations and UF departments to connect people experiencing homelessness with healthcare resources.
Projects for Peace, a grant program based at Middlebury College, awarded the students $10,000 to support their initiative. The program funds studentled efforts that offer innovative, community-centered solutions to some of the world’s most urgent issues.
Theng and Fenelon’s project collaborates with several organizations in the target areas, including GRACE Marketplace, St. Francis House and UF Health Cancer Center’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement in Gainesville, along with ReEntry Alliance Pensacola and the UF IFAS Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program across Florida.
Fenelon said the project’s inspiration came from struggles she and Theng saw in their community.
“We were trying to think of what we can do to create a lasting impact in our society,” Fenelon said. “We realized that, everywhere around us, people are experiencing housing insecurities, like when you take a walk down the street or just on TV. It truly is everywhere.”
The students’ goal was to uplift
the unhoused community. They aimed to avoid taking a top-down approach, choosing to collaborate with organizations that already had strong relationships and trust within the unhoused community instead, she said.
They have already given out bicycles, which helped communities improve access to employment opportunities, she said. They’ll also be teaching a course on growing fruits and vegetables.
The impact of the project will be measured using pre-project and post-project surveys.
“We hope to see that it’ll empower individuals with the knowledge to be a bit more selfsufficient,” she said.
Theng hopes the project can connect organizations that may not have collaborated with UF otherwise, she said.
“We would love to see a lasting impact on the individuals we support,” Theng said. “I really hope that they’re able to learn something from the materials that we distribute and have greater confidence and resources to achieve housing stability.”
Melissa Vilaro, an assistant professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, is the project’s faculty mentor. She helped the undergraduate students
UF alumnus to relaunch Gathr app
Gathr makes finding campus clubs easier and more engaging for UF
By Colby Kistner Contributing Writer
Finding ways to connect with others can be difficult for students at the University of Florida.
Social media apps tend to only post flyers of organizations without further engagement.
The new version of the Gathr app is expected to release at the beginning of Fall 2025. The original version was released in Fall 2024 but shut down at the start of Spring 2025 due to a lack of user engagement.
Rithik Raja, founder of Gathr and a UF alumnus from the Class of 2024, said he created the app to help students find clubs catered to their interests, while helping clubs grow their membership and foster direct student-club interactions.
He was inspired to create Gathr after struggling to find community on campus after moving to Gainesville from India.
“When I came to college, it was really difficult to get involved,” Raja said. “[Most people] have friends coming in from high school … they have people advising them to go to so-and-so club. I didn’t have any of that.”
He wanted Gathr to be more useful than GatorConnect, UF’s official platform to help students find clubs, Raja said.
“You can only do basic search functions,” he said. “All the links and websites are pretty outdated.”
Gathr will have a simple approach, Raja said. A user logs in with their student ID and
is immediately presented with events related to their interests.
He hopes Gathr becomes university-licensed and advertised for incoming freshmen.
Manuel Marmol, a 21-year-old UF advertising senior and CEO of Gathr, is working to make the upcoming version of the app more user-friendly.
Three months after launching the original version of Gathr, he said engagement went down rapidly. Raja brought him on board to help reinvent the app.
Marmol said the previous version was “way more technical,” and “there were a lot more buttons you needed to click.”
“We redesigned it so that it was simple, and anybody’s grandma could understand it,” he said.
Gathr gradually became more of a social media app, straying away from the original mission of strengthening the connection between students and clubs — but the new version of Gathr will revert to its original goal.
“There’s Facebook, there’s TikTok, there’s Instagram – we’re not beating them,” he said. “But there is no competition in finding your organization, finding your community, especially in the university world.”
Kriti Shah, a 20-year-old UF computer science and marketing junior and Gathr’s head of marketing, said she wants the app to be fun and college-oriented.
“It’s an app that we made, by students, for students,” she said.
students
The first step is to spread awareness of Gathr while Shah implements social media trends to help boost engagement.
To do so, Devh Thenepalli, a 19-year-old UF pre-med biology sophomore and associate of marketing for Gathr, has taken the role of an actor for its Instagram.
When Thenepalli left Minnesota for UF,
populations
conceptualize their ideas, put together a strong proposal that could be implemented in the summer and arrange meetings with community stakeholders.
“We [the FYCS department] are a pretty interdisciplinary department, and a lot of us are working on issues that work towards improving the lives of different people, and these are issues that impact every part of someone’s life,” Vilaro said. “If you have housing instability, other areas of your life will be impacted.”
The UF Health Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach will partner with the students to bring its mobile cancer screening unit to GRACE Marketplace’s campus, Vilaro said.
The mobile cancer screening bus is equipped with advanced technology to provide communities with access to various cancer screenings and health services, including 3D mammograms and tests for cervical, colon and prostate cancers.
Through these partnerships and collaborative efforts, Theng and Fenelon hope to see increased confidence and empowerment amongst the Gainesville community to achieve housing security.
@KUnber27 kunber@alligator.org
he didn’t know anyone, he said. He based his performances on his experiences as a freshman. “I was trying to act like, ‘Oh, I don’t have many friends, but I want to make friends,’” Thenepalli said. “‘This is the way I do it: Download Gathr.’” He said he wants to capture the freshman experience and have the audience relate to him. He hopes the app succeeds in accomplishing its goal of helping freshmen “find their place” through campus involvement.
Colby Kistner is a UF journalism junior with a specialization in sports and media.
Courtesy to The Alligator
Melissa Vilaro, an assistant professor of family, youth and community sciences, acts as the housing project’s faculty mentor.
Courtesy to The Alligator
Rithik Raja created Gathr to help students find community on campus.
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FOOD & DRINK
La Maracucha: Not just a person, but a dream come true
LOCAL VENEZUELAN RESTAURANT LEANS ON RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY
By Allison Bonnemaison Avenue Staff Writer
To most of her customers, Maria Alejandra Puentes is known as La Maracucha, but the nickname is much more than a nod to her hometown — it’s a dream, a family legacy and a responsibility she carries with honor.
Maria Alejandra, who also goes by Mariale, has a talent for cooking traditional Venezuelan food rooted in the flavors of her home of Maracaibo, just like her mother taught her. What began as a way to reconnect with her culture evolved into an actualized dream that sits on years of hard work.
“I am very shy, but it gives me a lot of pride when they call me ‘Maracucha,’” Mariale said.
The restaurant owner and cook said it fills her with a sense of pride knowing people leave her restaurant happy and satisfied after eating one of her meals.
Mariale met her husband, Eros Puentes, after moving to Miami and working in the same hotel. The seed for the business was planted eight years ago in 2017. She prepared hot meals for her coworkers, who fell in love with her cooking. It wasn’t long before her coworkers were willing to buy the meals.
With Eros’ support, that selling spirit sailed into her dream restaurant, La Maracucha.
To get away from the hectic hustle and bustle of Miami, the couple moved to Gainesville in 2020. It kickstarted their new project — opening a food truck. Mariale cooked, and Eros, the general manager, did the accounting. Their secret weapon, Mariale’s mother, aided with their cuisine.
Parked in front of an Ace Hardware, the food truck faced some obstacles. Some nearby vendors were friendly and even became customers, while others shut them out because they took up parking spaces, Eros said.
The family seized an opportunity to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2023 on West University Avenue.
Securing a permanent location was made possible by a regular, who offered his space because he was moving to Texas, Eros said. The pair agreed to take over his lease.
La Maracucha sells a full Venezuelan menu, an assortment of crepes and ice cream.
It’s the best of both worlds.
He said he didn’t know what a crepe was until they bought the place. Now, he claims he’s gotten pretty good at making them.
“It’s so good when you love what you sell,” Eros said.
The summer lull
In the slower summer season, having a variety of products gives the restaurant another selling point. However, sales still prove tough.
“There’s just no other way to do it,” Eros said. “We have to reduce the hours.”
They switched to a reduced summer sched-
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ule, opening at 11 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. and closing at 10 p.m. rather than midnight.
The shop’s proximity to UF’s campus means many of their regulars are students. When they leave for the summer, it’s a big lull in business, Eros said.
“When students or customers leave, my employees leave as well,” he said.
Despite rising prices of food, like beef or oil, rent, electricity and fewer sales, Eros said he sticks to the original pricing. Being Cuban, he said he understands the importance of keeping food accessible to customers.
“I see other Venezuelan restaurants, they keep going higher and higher,” Eros said. “Sometimes they make more money, but there’s a lot of people that notice, and they’re not happy about it.”
Creating community
During a shift, Eros overheard a regular and a newcomer mingle over their Colombian accents in the store. The pair bonded over their culture despite being from different generations, he said.
He attributes the influx of new customers to the word of mouth of the Latino community who’d visit from their food truck days. Spreading the word builds trust, he said, which can’t be replaced by an Instagram ad. The community’s interaction is essential to business.
Eros said he’s fostered a symbiotic relation-
ship with the Gainesville community. Amid news about Venezuela and Cuba, he said English-speakers ask curiously and “listen passionately” when he talks about his culture.
“They like my stories a lot,” he said.
Mariale shares the feeling. When she first moved to Gainesville, she didn’t find many Latinos.
“Maybe a year in, you would go to Walmart and suddenly hear somebody speaking Spanish,” she said. “Little by little, that community began to grow.”
She said Colombians, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and all kinds of Latinos visited her food truck looking for a familiar flavor, even if they weren’t Venezuelan.
“Their support was a lot,” she said. “It was the push.”
Roadblocks
Mariale prides herself on her fresh and traditionally made food. But there are only two chefs in the kitchen, her mother and herself. While another employee plates their dishes, it can prove difficult when customers line up.
“Starting is always hard,” Mariale said. But she refuses to sacrifice quality. The flavor stays in the family, she said.
In order to get the best flavors, she sources her meat from Miami, which entails a three-day trip to South Florida. Depending on the season, supply and demand prompt an added business
expense nearly every month.
She also struggles balancing being a business owner, cook, wife and mother to her 5-year-old with autism. It’s very draining and means sacrificing vacations or days off for the business, she said.
But she believes it’s worth it, she said. Knowing what it’s like to leave a country and its customs and adapt to a new one, Mariale understands the desire to feel at home.
“It fills both me and my mom with excitement to prepare food that [makes] people feel happy,” she said. “We make it with a lot of love.”
A taste of home
Isabel Velasco, a 21-year-old employee at La Maracucha, said she found the food truck when she first moved to Gainesville to study at UF. Growing up with Venezuelan parents and leaving her hometown of Miami, she said she missed being around Hispanic people. She was a customer for a year before working for the Puentes’.
“I first saw La Maracucha food truck, and I was immediately, like, ‘Yes, this is my place,’” she said. “So, I just started coming here all the time.”
“I’m attached to this place,” Velasco said. ”They [the owners] remind me of my family back home.”
In comparison to other Venezuelan restaurants, La Maracucha feels more intimate.
“Everything is made with so much thought,” she said.
Isabella Tang, a civil engineering student, said she was able to connect with another culture through the food. Originally from Hong Kong, the first-time customer was drawn in by a sign advertising empanadas, a dish she tried once while in Panama.
“I like the atmosphere here,” Tang said. “You feel like you’re at a friend’s home.”
The spaciousness, the decorations and overhearing Spanish conversation contributed to that homey feeling, she said.
Huheily Hernandez, a 31-year-old Gainesville resident and Walmart employee, dined in with 30-year-old Dairo Ortiz, a fellow Walmart delivery driver who recommended the place. Hernandez said she and Ortiz would go to the food truck every Sunday because Ortiz loves the soup.
She’s tried a bit of everything and loves all the food, from the pastelitos to the empanadas and tequeños, she said. From her frequent visits, she’s gotten to know the owners as friendly people.
She emphasized the importance of supporting immigrant-owned businesses and Latin owners like the Puentes’. It creates the opportunity to eat food from her land, she said.
Eating at La Maracucha feels like “being in Venezuela again, eating arepas,” Hernandez said.
To owner Maria Alejandra, she said reactions like that let her dreams come to life.
@allisonrbonn abonnemaison@alligator.org
Libby Clifton // Alligator Staff
Eros Puentes (left) and Maria Alejandra “Mariale” Puentes (right) smile at each other in their restaurant, La Maracucha, on May 21, 2025.
Caimán Un restaurante en Gainesville ofrece recetas venezolanas. Leer más en la página 11.
The calm after the storm: How Gainesville bars are affected afte r students leave
POPULAR STUDENT BARS NAVIGATE THE SUMMER DIP
By Allison Bonnemaison Avenue Staff Writer
After a year of packed game-day crowds and graduation celebrations, the summer air settles in the college town of Gainesville. Once busy streets empty out, bars and clubs become relics of what they were during the fall and spring semesters as thousands of students leave town and head off to whatever their summer may hold.
Nightlife spots in Gainesville, typically bursting with students and loud beats from the DJ, are now deserted. Even Midtown’s newest bar, MacDinton’s Irish Pub, lost half its usual occupancy.
Trinity Chan, a 20-year-old UF psychology and criminology junior and MacDinton’s bottle girl and bartender, said employees are facing difficulty due to the lack of patrons.
“Their bartenders are really struggling right now,” Chan said.
In the fall, Chan said she worked five days a week. On game days, her shifts were 18 hours long. On a game day week, she worked 35 hours. In the spring, she worked around 25 hours a week.
In the summer, MacDinton’s is open Friday and Saturday nights. Now, she works 15 hours a week at most.
The football season brings a hefty range of patrons watching the games or celebrating, and Chan said she would make around $2,000 a week.
In the quiet season, she makes less than half that, earning around $300 or $400 a week, she said.
Chan prepared for the lack of patrons by finding a second job for the summer.
“I don’t think that I could pay my bills solely off of what I’m making at MacDinton’s right now,” she said.
Chan’s not the only one affected.
“On busy days, we could have up to 12 bartenders per bar, and we have four bars plus like 10 to 15 security,” she said.
Out of four bars, only one is left open: the main bar downstairs.
DJs, cleaning crew and employees have all been cut, she said. Employees have taken on extra roles to fill the gaps, taking turns playing music from a Spotify playlist instead of having a live DJ. Rather than hiring third-party cleaners every night, employees like Chan are in charge of cleaning.
“You have to pay the workers to be there, and then you have to pay for all the lights to be on and for the water to be used and all of that, so if there’s not enough people coming in, we
have to shut down,” Chan said.
Busy Friday nights might only see 100 to 200 patrons over the summer, and “people are getting a lot less crazy,” she said.
The experience is still worthwhile, she said. Service is more personalized with a smaller crowd. She also urges people to come in and tip their bartenders.
MacDinton’s also offers more deals over the summer. The bar offers a buy one, get one free deal every Friday and Saturday night. Chan said she noticed more people coming in since the first week of the summer semester, which she attributes to the deals.
Sophia Lorenzo, a 19-year-old UF sports management junior, visited MacDintons on May 31. She was surprised to find most tables full and the bar crowded.
“I expected this to be completely empty, but there’s a few people,” Lorenzo said.
The unexpectedly sizable crowd might be
owed to the bar’s popularity. If people are going to go out, it’s going to be MacDinton’s, she said.
However, she noted a smaller crowd than usual and said the “vibes are low.”
“This time, there’s not even a bouncer at the door,” Lorenzo said.
She usually pays $20 to get into MacDinton’s, but she got in for free.
Lorenzo said she’s not going out as much during the summer because she’s focusing on classes and doesn’t have many people to go out with over the summer.
Rose McDaniels, a UF psychology junior and MacDinton’s employee, said the bar feels more intimate with fewer people.
“You can actually have a conversation with someone without the DJ blaring loud and 100 sweaty bodies pressed against you,” she said.
A few doors down, things didn’t look too different at Salty Dog Saloon. The small bar,
usually so full you can’t walk, was bare. However, some people took that as a plus.
Mollie Hoffman, a 22-year-old UF health science senior, said she usually doesn’t go out, but because the bar was emptier, it was more approachable.
“I’ve always wanted to go, but because it’s super packed, I can never get in,” Hoffman said.
While the bar was pretty empty, its small size made it seem busier. The bar was filled with more locals than students with no familiar faces around, she said.
Still, Hoffman said she thinks it’s fun to get dressed up and go out.
“I feel like it was a way for me to explore the bars that I haven’t been able to explore before,” she said.
@allisonrbonn
abonnemaison@alligator.org
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A scene from Midtown during spring semester of 2025.
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The Paper Bag: A devotion to the sandwich god
There’s something unassuming about a paper bag. It doesn’t shout for attention. It quietly holds what’s inside. But when you take a bite of what’s wrapped within, the flavors suddenly speak louder than anything you might’ve expected.
That’s when you realize the paper bag isn’t to conceal; it’s a loud whisper, a quiet force so powerful it deafens everything else, leaving only taste. And you’re grateful for it.
Once you’ve eaten at this restaurant, the next paper bag you see will remind you of a sandwich so delicious your drool will start to taste like mustard, mayo and fresh Cuban bread. Ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between, I give you: The Paper Bag.
Lately, I’ve been having nightmares — terrible dreams where this restaurant doesn’t exist. I would wake up crying, sweating and shaking violently. There’s a reason this place was anointed by Guy Fieri’s reality TV show, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” where he rates America’s best “greasy spoon” restaurants.
The Paper Bag is a temple, and Guy Fieri is its high priest blessing every sandwich with his divine frosted tips. Each bite feels like a spiritual awakening and a revelation wrapped in wax paper. The flavors are so profound they could convert even the proudest sandwich skeptics. It’s not just food, but an otherworldly experience that lingers in your dreams like lettuce in teeth.
In 1871, Margaret E. Knight revolutionized the paper bag by inventing a machine that produced flat-bottomed bags, perfect for carrying groceries and, eventually, sandwiches.
Now, Richard Sterck, the owner of this restaurant, has revolutionized the paper bag once again.
With a menu inspired by loved ones and fun sandwich names like “Tre Way Jay” and “Hey Antonio!!! It’s Meatball!!!”, it’s obvious Sterck pours his heart into this place. The personal flair is something you can both taste and see, littered with evidence of a fun and nostalgic intent. By the time you’re done eating, it will feel like you grew up smelling the bread and meat of the restaurant.
Now that you’re old enough, it’s time to review a couple of my favorite dishes from the menu.
#11: Tre Way Jay
Fun to say and even more fun to eat, this sandwich was my first introduction to the restaurant. It’s what made me come back again and again to eventually eat my way through the menu. I’ll let the description speak for itself: “If you can hit a Tre ball at the buzzer,
then this sandwich is for you. Burned pork ends, maple honey ham, thick cut pork belly, sweet and spicy bourbon glaze, American cheese, pickled Vidalia onions, served on Italian hoagie.”
If this doesn’t have you foaming at the mouth, then there’s something wrong with you. It’s as if America gave Italy a kiss on the cheek, but I’m the one left blushing. The bourbon glaze strikes the pork and honey ham with ferocity. The vinegar-stained pickled onions squeeze the tense flavors of the chewy pork belly.
It’s obvious there is a war going on between these ingredients, and you alone emerge victorious. The only white flag raised is the napkin to your lips to wipe away the sweet and spicy glaze before you head home, forever changed.
#16: The Vegas – Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Right below this intriguing sandwich title, there was a command: “Let Us Build Your Sandwich!!!” When a king speaks an order, you bow. But when a sandwich shop offers to craft you whatever they please, you hand your credit card over and let them do the rest.
I’ve ordered this countless times, and no sandwich has been the same. With more combinations than a deck of cards, be ready for pocket aces every time. My favorites so far have been the creamy pesto chicken and the smoky, rich and cheesy barbecue.
If you don’t know what you’re craving, let the professionals tell you. Normally, when you roll a die, you‘ll never see one and six at the same time. But at The Paper Bag, they sit side by side, and when you roll the dice on #16, the odds are always in your favor.
Closing
remarks
My mom once said that when you cook for people, you’re putting your love into the food you make. The Paper Bag reminds me of her words. It’s not just a deli; it’s a love letter to flavor, community and everyone who walks through its doors. Every sandwich here is a story, a piece of someone’s heart pressed between two slices of bread. You can taste the care, the creativity and, of course, the love.
So next time you’re in Gainesville, roll the die or make any choice. Just let The Paper Bag remind you what good food made passionately really tastes like.
Aidan Ragan is a UF computer science senior.
Taxing times
America loves to tax. We put taxes on everything, from beef jerky to bras — and, as the Beatles said, “Should 5% appear too small, be thankful we don’t take it all.”
Though it seems the stability of our economy ebbs and flows depending on who occupies the Oval Office, few presidents have looked past monetary mechanisms and fiscal policy to unearth a more archaic tool: the mighty tariff.
Now a distinct marker of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, the economic term is touched on more than the Bull Gator outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during spring graduation. But few recognize its significance beyond a political maneuver.
Tariffs on foreign trade partners make it more expensive for Americans to buy non-domestic products. The average effective tariff rate will rise to 12%, as some estimate imports will fall by over $500 billion in 2025, or over 15%, according to the Tax Foundation.
This brings me to some bad news: no more Barbies.
Brands loved by American consumers, in lieu of maintaining sacrosanct profit margins, will soon begin to pass the costs of these tariffs onto us. Mattel, Target, Walmart — and yes, your most celebrated SHEIN and Temu shops — could all face financial armageddon, according to a recent CNN article.
The 2025 tariffs will disproportionately affect the prices of textile and clothing products, with consumers experiencing 64% higher apparel prices in the short run, according to The Budget Lab.
The SHEIN bathing suits we talked about have nearly doubled in price. A bathing suit set that cost $4.39 on April 24 shot up to $8.39, a 91% increase within 24 hours, according to CNN. That same bathing suit is $12.36 today — oh, the shock and horror.
What should really terrify you is how the U.S. economy became so dependent on other countries for our most basic manufacturing needs. What most don’t understand is that China pegs its currency, the yuan, keeping it artificially low to incentivize exports to other countries.
This has made our Eastern trade partners a manufacturing marvel. China grew its exports of manufactured goods more than 25-fold over the last two decades, and it is responsible for nearly 20% of global manufacturing, accord-
ing to the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
The U.S. imported $438.9 billion worth of goods from China in 2024, representing 13.4% of all U.S. goods imports and the largest foreign supplier of goods to our nation.
This exposure, defined as how much America is connected to Chinese economic activity, is simply too risky to maintain. The United States’ increased dependence on a foreign entity is a security disaster and a major financial dilemma. This is why adding or raising tariffs could metaphorically hit two birds with one stone.
One, it could cleave us from China’s manufacturing sector, and two, it could start solving the amassing trade deficit, which is caused primarily by problem No. 1.
Excluding Canada and Mexico, Trump’s reciprocal baseline tariffs will raise over $700 billion dollars in revenue for the U.S. over the next decade; additional tariffs would create nearly $2 trillion in revenue during the same time span.
By taxing consumption to finance production, these tariffs would reallocate nearly $1 trillion to domestic pursuits, and as a result, produce an increase in GDP, higher employment, better wages and reduce our burgeoning national debt.
What is portrayed in the news as reckless foreign policy by the Trump administration is actually a measured response to the decisive political question of the 21st century: In a world defined by scarcity, where will abundance emerge, and who will direct the global economy?
While tariffs initially produced a contraction in GDP, we must look at employment, consumer spending, business confidence, wage expression, home sales, manufacturing demand and CPI indicators to make a more informed economic decision.
And in true John F. Kennedy fashion, ask not what America can do for your wallet, but what your wallet can do for America.
Lily Haak is a UF economics senior.
Aidan Ragan opinions@alligator.org
Lily Haak opinions@alligator.org
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El Caimán
LUNES, 2 DE JUNIO DE 2025
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La Maracucha: No solo una persona, sino un sueño hecho realidad
RESTAURANTE VENEZOLANO
LOCAL SE APOYA EN LA RESILIENCIA Y LA COMUNIDAD
Por Allison Bonnemaison Escritora de El Caimán
Traducido por Sofia Bravo Escritora de El Caimán
Para la mayoría de sus clientes, Maria Alejandra Puentes es conocida como La Maracucha, pero el apodo es mucho más que una referencia a su ciudad natal — es un sueño, un legado familiar y una responsabilidad que lleva con orgullo.
Maria Alejandra, quien también se hace llamar Mariale, tiene un don para cocinar comida tradicional venezolana basada en los sabores de su hogar, Maracaibo, tal como le enseñó su madre. Lo que comenzó como una forma de reconectarse con su cultura evolucionó hasta convertirse en un sueño hecho realidad, sostenido por años de esfuerzo. “Soy muy penosa”, dijo Mariale. “Pero me da mucho orgullo cuando me dicen ‘Maracucha’”.
La dueña y cocinera del restaurante expresó que se siente muy satisfecha al saber que la gente se va feliz y llena después de comer uno de sus platos.
Mariale conoció a su esposo, Eros Puentes, tras mudarse a Miami, donde trabajaban en el mismo hotel. La semilla del negocio se plantó en 2017. Ella preparaba comidas calientes para sus compañeros de trabajo, quienes se enamoraron de su sazón. No pasó mucho
tiempo antes de que empezaran a comprarle los platos.
Con el apoyo de Eros, ese espíritu emprendedor se transformó en su restaurante más sonado: La Maracucha.
Para alejarse del caos y el ajetreo de Miami, la pareja se mudo a Gainesville en 2020. Así nació su nuevo proyecto — abrir un camión de comida. Mariale cocinaba, y Eros, el gerente general, se encargaba de la contabilidad. Su arma secreta, la madre de Mariale, también ayudaba en la cocina.
Estacionado frente a un Ace Hardware, el camión de comida enfrentó algunos obstáculos. Algunos vendedores cercanos fueron amigables e incluso se convirtieron en clientes, mientras que otros se quejaron porque ocupaban espacios de estacionamiento, dijo Eros.
La familia aprovechó la oportunidad de abrir un local físico en 2023 en West University Avenue.
Lograron conseguir el lugar gracias a un cliente habitual que se mudaba a Texas y les ofreció su espacio, dijo Eros. La pareja acordó hacerse cargo del contrato de arrendamiento.
La Maracucha ofrece un menú completo venezolano, una variedad de crepes y helado. Es lo mejor de ambos mundos.
Eros comentó que ni siquiera sabía que era un crepe antes de comprar el lugar. Ahora asegura que se ha vuelto bastante bueno preparándolos.
“Es muy lindo cuando te gusta lo que vendes”, dijo Eros.
La temporada baja de verano Durante el verano, cuando las ventas bajan,
tener una variedad de productos ofrece una ventaja extra. Aun así, las ventas siguen siendo difíciles.
“No hay otra manera de hacerlo”, dijo Eros. “Tenemos que reducir el horario”. Adoptaron un horario de verano más corto, abriendo a las 11 de la mañana en vez de las 7 de la mañana, y cerrando a las 10 de la tarde en lugar de medianoche.
Por estar tan cerca del campus de UF, muchos de sus clientes son estudiantes, cuando se van durante el verano, el negocio se ve afectado, dijo Eros.
“Cuando los estudiantes o clientes se van, también se van mis empleados”, dijo.
A pesar del aumento de precios en alimentos como la carne y el aceite, el alquiler, la electricidad y la disminución de ventas, Eros ha mantenido los precios originales. Como cubano, dijo que entiende la importancia de que la comida sea accesible.
“Veo otros restaurantes venezolanos que siguen subiendo los precios”, dijo Eros. “A veces ganan más, pero hay muchas personas que se dan cuenta, y no están contentas con eso”.
Crear comunidad
Durante un turno, Eros escuchó a un cliente habitual y a uno nuevo conversar sobre sus acentos colombianos. Aunque eran de diferentes generaciones, se conectaron a través de su cultura, contó.
Atribuye la llegada de nuevos clientes al boca a boca de la comunidad latina que los apoyaban desde los días del camión de comida. Ese tipo de recomendación genera confianza, algo que no puede reemplazar un anuncio
en Instagram. La interacción comunitaria es esencial para el negocio.
Eros dijo que ha construido una relación simbiótica con la comunidad de Gainesville. En medio de las noticias sobre Venezuela y Cuba, comentó que los anglohablantes le preguntan con curiosidad y “escuchan con pasión” cuando habla su cultura.
“Les gustan mucho mis historias”, dijo. Mariale siente lo mismo. Cuando se mudó a Gainesville, no encontraba muchos latinos.
“Quizás al año, tú ibas a Walmart y de repente escuchabas a alguien hablando español”, dijo. “Poco a poco, [esa comunidad] fue creciendo”.
Comentó que colombianos, puertorriqueños, mexicanos y todo tipo de latinos visitaban su camión de comida en busca de un sabor familiar, aunque no fueran venezolanos.
“El apoyo de ellos fue mucho”, dijo. “Fue el empuje”.
Obstáculos
Mariale se enorgullece de su comida fresca y tradicional. Pero en la cocina solo están ella y su madre. Aunque otro empleado ayuda a emplatar, puede volverse difícil cuando hay muchos clientes en fila.
“El empezar siempre es duro”, dijo Mariale. Pero se niega a sacrificar la calidad. El sabor se queda en la familia, afirmó.
Lea el resto en línea en alligator.org/section/elcaiman. @allisonrbonn abonnemaison@alligator.org
El ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ afectarà a muchas familias de bajos ingresos en todo el país
¿QUÉ
SIGNIFICA ESTO PARA FLORIDA?
Por Jack Vincent
Escritor de El Caimán
Traducido por Sebasthiane Brakha
Escritor de El Caimán
El 22 de mayo, la Cámara de Representantes de EE. UU. aprobó un proyecto de ley de reconciliación presupuestaria que propone cambios significativos a Medicaid y al Programa de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria, o SNAP, por sus siglas en inglés. SNAP atendió a un promedio de 42,1 millones de participantes por mes durante el año fiscal 2023, según el Servicio de Investigación Económica. El 13,7% de esos beneficiarios residen en Florida. En enero, 3,5 millones de residentes de Florida estaban inscritos en Medicaid, de acuerdo con el
Commonwealth Fund.
SNAP proporciona acceso a alimentos saludables y asequibles para familias de bajos ingresos. Medicaid permite que estas familias reciban atención médica a un costo accesible.
Muchas familias temen como el proyecto de ley podría afectar su asistencia financiera y sus gastos cotidianos.
El “Big Beautiful Bill” propone hasta 300.000 millones de dólares en financiamiento para SNAP, pero pondría fin a futuros aumentos de beneficios más allá de la inflación, elevaría los requisitos de edad para trabajar de 54 a 64 años y reduciría la edad de los dependientes de 18 a 8 años.
Billy Hackett, enlace legislativo de Alachua County Democrats, dijo que el gobierno no debería restringir estos recursos, sino utilizarlos para invertir en las personas a través de estos programas.
“Los recortes a SNAP van a afectar a los floridanos de bajos
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ingresos donde más lo van a sentir, eso es en la mesa del comedor”, dijo Hackett.
Según Hackett, quien revisó los cambios propuestos al programa, todos los estados tendrían que cubrir al menos el 5% de los beneficios de SNAP y hasta el 25% del costo total.
“Eso es significativo, especialmente en el estado de Florida, donde aún no hemos aprobado nuestro presupuesto estatal, donde esa fecha límite se acerca en las próximas tres semanas”, dijo. “Son varios millones de dólares que ahora el estado deberá reunir en un tiempo muy corto”.
Tim Marden, presidente del Partido Republicano del condado de Alachua, considera que el gobierno de EE.UU. no asigna los recursos de manera eficiente. Según dijo, mientras más intervención gubernamental haya, maypr será la ineficiencia.
“Cada vez que el gobierno se
involucra, distorsiona los mercados y la mejor solución es la del mercado libre”, dijo Marden. Marden señala que las personas pueden acudir a organizaciones cívicas, como iglesias o bancos de alimentos, en lugar de programas financiados por el gobierno, para acceder a recursos a menor costo.
Existe un debate sobre si el proyecto de ley reducirá el número de personas que abusan del sistema y si perjudicara a quienes realmente lo necesitan.
“Lo que lamentablemente sucede es que hay personas que se aprovechan de la situación y del sistema, y eso arruina las cosas para quienes realmente lo necesitan”, dijo.
Amy Trask, madre soltera que recibió asistencia financiera a través de estos programas, trabajó tres empleos y alrededor de 80 horas semanales sólo para mantener a sus dos hijos.
“Aun haciendo todo eso, fue muy difícil mantener un techo sobre
nuestras cabezas”, dijo Trask. Padres como Trask, que no cuentan con apoyo familiar, deben encontrar a alguien que cuide de sus hijos mientras trabajan. Ella usaba la mayor parte de las propinas para pagar a niñeras, lo que le dejaba menos dinero para otros gastos.
“Tenía 19 años, y mis padres, siendo muy religiosos, básicamente me dijeron: ‘Te casas o no vamos a participar en tu vida’”, dijo Trask. “Asi que me case”.
Esa decisión la llevó a una relación abusiva. Se mudo a Gainesville para escapar, sin apoyo y con la responsabilidad de cuidar sola a sus dos hijos en un entorno completamente nuevo.
“Hubo días en los que no comía nada, pero me aseguraba de que ellos [mis hijos] si comieran”, dijo.
Lea el resto en línea en alligator.org/section/elcaiman.
@JV_Reports jvincent@alligator.org
Síganos para actualizaciones Para obtener actualizaciones de El Caimán, síganos en línea en www.alligator.org/section/elcaiman.
MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025
www.alligator.org/section/sports
SOFTBALL
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida Gators outfielder Taylor Shumaker (21) looks on during warmups before the fifth game of the NCAA Women’s College World Series vs. the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
BASEBALL
Florida walks the plank, postseason hopes end against East Carolina
AFTER A ROLLERCOASTER OF A REGULAR SEASON, FLORIDA HAS SEEN BOTH SIDES OF A BLOWOUT IN
THE CONWAY REGIONAL
By Curan Ahern Sports Writer
After falling flat in the opening game of regional play on May 30, the Florida baseball team reminded its opponents just how dangerous it is with an explosive performance in an elimination game the following afternoon.
However, the Gators couldn’t overcome East Carolina in either of their two meetings. The Pirates ended the Gators’ season after just three games in the Conway Regional. Florida lost 11-6 May 30 and 11-4 June 1, ending its season.
“I didn't see this coming,” said Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. “We had been playing so well.”
Florida lost its opening game to East Carolina in a contest that highlighted its struggles both in the box and on the mound.
East Carolina sophomore left-handed pitcher Ethan Norby dominated over his 7.1 innings of work May 30, commanding the mound with rhythmic urgency. Norby relentlessly attacked the zone and stayed in a mechanical groove, finishing with 10 strikeouts, no walks and a 67% strike percentage.
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The Gators failed to get their bats going enough to gain momentum, logging only four runs on nine hits. Five of Florida’s hits came at the courtesy of its first three batters in the lineup: senior Bobby Boser, freshman Brendan Lawson and senior Ty Evans.
As UF’s ace, sophomore right-hander Liam Peterson earned the nod against ECU. Despite leading the Gators in wins and strikeouts, the Florida native tossed only one strikeout before he was pulled with one out in the top of the second inning.
Peterson struggled with his command and only delivered a first pitch strike to two of the 11 batters he faced, forcing him to throw within the strike zone to catch up in counts. As a result, Peterson surrendered five hits in just 1.1 innings and left the contest after surrendering three straight singles to begin the second inning.
Florida’s bullpen failed to recoup after the sophomore’s rough start and surrendered seven runs across 7.2 innings. Sophomore right-hander Luke McNeillie recorded four outs and surrendered two runs, freshman right-hander Blaine Rowland allowed three runs in 1.1 innings, and freshmen Caden McDonald and Christian Rodriguez each gave up a run.
Read the rest online at alligator.org/section/sports.
@CuranAhern cahern@alligator.com
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An
UF WILL NEED TO FORESEE AND NAVIGATE IMPACTS ON SPORTS AND FINANCES
By Ava DiCecca Sports Writer
The NCAA has been searching for a framework to regulate name, image and likeness, or NIL, since the policy was established in June 2021. Four summers later, a possible foundation is near, but no change will be without implications, especially for top athletic programs like the University of Florida.
These changes have loomed for almost a year. President Donald Trump publicly considered an executive order May 2 to examine the state of NIL payments. Schools and athletes must heavily consider how these developments will impact their programs.
The prominent NIL discussion surrounds the House settlement. Lawsuits by current and former college athletes are pursuing a settlement of nearly $2.8 billion that will attempt to establish a future framework for NIL agreements.
Philip Nickerson, a Troutman Pepper Locke law firm associate who represents universities and collectives in NIL matters, said the settlement contains four major parts: allowing schools to pay athletes themselves for use of their NIL with an annual budget of $20.5 million, the potential for roster caps, NIL compliance and enforcement oversight, and backpay for former and current athletes who were unable to profit from their NIL.
In his personal interpretation, this could mean many of UF’s resources responsible for its success could become less prominent, Nickerson said.
“It puts a limit on how much they can spend, which means that smaller schools that maybe don’t have the same athletic budget or donor base have a chance to compete for the prized recruits and remain competitive,” Nickerson said. “I think it’s going to level the playing field across all college sports.”
UF would be forced to rely on its coaches and recruiting staff even more to out-recruit other schools for star high school athletes and in the transfer portal.
Christopher Batts, an attorney at ShuffieldLowman, represents students and institutions navigating NIL deals.
“I think the real impact is going to be on the school, and then that’s going to trickle down to the athletes,” Batts said. “Trying to divide up $20.5 million amongst a bunch of really good athletic programs is going to be way more difficult than for schools that are known just for basketball or just for football.”
Title IX compliance will complicate the issue, he said, but it will also prevent schools from putting all of the allotted $20.5 million into their higherrevenue sports like football and men’s basketball.
Even with these changes, Batts said there’s likely more to come.
“I think it opens just as many new issues as it resolves,” he said. “It doesn’t address Title IX. It doesn’t introduce collective bargaining.”
UF Director of NIL Strategy Ben Chase said Florida is more than ready to handle whatever changes head its way.
“Our goal here at Florida is to make sure that we give our athletes the opportunity to compete at a high level across all the sports we have,” Chase said. “There’s a lot of schools out there that are cutting sports, including at the Power Four level, and we don’t plan on doing that.”
He doesn’t foresee the changes affecting investments from donors and partners who have been a huge part of the success of Gator sports, he said. Instead, Chase sees benefits in the new settlement because it allows the UF Athletic Department to share the revenue with its athletes.
Chase said he’s excited about the opportunities UF’s athletes will have going forward, including more NIL deals.
“I think that where we are headed is true corporate NIL partnerships that are with athletes that may have never gotten those deals before,” he said.
A decision is expected to be made on the settlement in the next few months if executive action isn’t taken sooner.
@avadicecca24
adicecca@alligator.org
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