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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 18
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Mr. 305 speaks to the 352
By Emma Witmer Alligator Staff Writer
Between answering questions in English, Pitbull would lean in toward the audience and spit out a quick Spanish phrase. Each time, those whose understood laughed like they were in on an inside joke. During his introduction alone, the crowd of hundreds erupted into applause nearly 10 times. Audience members lined up around the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts nearly an hour before he took the stage in anticipation. Armando Christian Pérez, whose stage name is Pitbull, was paid $130,000 to speak at UF. The Cuban-American rapper addressed the crowd Tuesday night as part of Accent Speakers Bureau’s and the Hispanic Student Association’s homage to Hispanic Heritage Month. The discussion was moderated by Ted Spiker, the UF journalism department chair. During his time on stage, Pitbull talked about growing up with refugee parents, living around drug violence in Miami, how education impacted his life, his introduction into the music industry and how his past has influenced the way he handles the pressures of fame. As a kid, Pitbull said he attended between 20 and 25 schools.
SEE PITBULL, PAGE 4
Will Clewis / Alligator Staff
Rapper Armando Christian Pérez, known by the stage name Pitbull, talks to a crowd of more than 1,000 students during a speaking event hosted by Accent Speakers Bureau and Hispanic Heritage Month at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday night. The talk was moderated by Ted Spiker, the chair of UF’s journalism department.
‘It was a little bit scary’: Gator football equipment scorched EQUIPMENT WILL BE SENT BACK FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. By Kyle Wood Alligator Staff Writer
The charred Gators Football equipment would have upset punter Jon Gould, but new designer cleats pushed it out of his mind. The back of an equipment truck caught on fire on its way back from Starkville, Mississippi, as a result of a flat tire. Some of the team’s equipment was caught in the flames, including helmets, pads and wristbands, Will Pantages, a UF football assistant director, said. “A lot of our minds were shifted off it immediately when we got the new Jordan Retro cleats,” Gould said. His reaction was based on pictures he
Florida prepares for LSU
saw of the inside of the truck on social media. When he got to the team meeting Monday, his teammates shared photos of the damage. “The stuff that was in the fire was absolutely trashed,” Gould said. The football team is sending any damaged equipment back to Riddell, a football equipment manufacturer, for insurance purposes, Gould said. A new order has already been made to replace the equipment for this Saturday’s home game against the Louisiana State University Tigers, Gould said. The extent of the damage to the truck is still being assessed, and it is unknown whether the trailer will be repairable, Pantages said. He said the University Athletic Association is still dealing with the insurance company, so no total cost of damage is immediately available. @Kkylewood kwood@alligator.org
A matchup between former teammates. An offensive line readying for another “dogfight.” Defensive backs beef over “DBU.” Yup, it’s LSU week, pg. 14
Fate of OPS workers hangs in limbo amid UF review The departments were told to evaluate their use of OPS workers. By McKenna Beery Alligator Staff Writer
After years of discord from UF Other Personnel Services workers, the university is working to address the issue but not in a way that guarantees their jobs. In April, UF Human Resources Services began asking all departments to review their use of non-student hourly OPS staff because they found that some were in temporary positions for decades, Steve Orlando, a UF spokesperson, said. Nonstudent hourly OPS employees are at-will temporary workers who aren’t graduate assistants, faculty members, students or health center residents. UF employs 3,916
Watch your credit card
A former Zaxby’s employee was accused of going on a shopping spree with a customer’s card, pg. 5
Shark bait hoo ha ha
Local shark expert shows off his collection, pg. 4
non-student OPS workers, Orlando said. “It’s not a good place to have employees,” he said. “We needed to clean things up.” Human Resources told all departments to take one of three actions: transition their OPS employees to full-time staffing, end the position or transition the employee to TempForce, a staffing firm in Gainesville that connects employees with corporations, Orlando said. UF hires temporary employees for onetime jobs, Orlando said. Temporary employees work on special projects, help reduce workload, cover staff on leave or work on an as-needed basis. They are
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SEE OPS, PAGE 4