Is it just us, or is the thought of sitting in a windowless classroom or cramped lecture hall unbearable lately? Now that we’re in that fleeting time of year when the weather is perfectly sunny during the day and deliciously crisp at night, it’s especially hard to sit through classes when we’d much rather be lounging poolside or relaxing on the North Lawn.
Enjoy it while you can, y’all. Summer — with all its 90-percent humidity and wilting temperatures — is just around the corner.
In the meantime, enjoy this spring-has-sprung-and-our-bodies-have-finally-adjusted-to-daylight-saving-time edition of...
Darts & Laurels
UF’s law school is in a state of turmoil right now following President Bernie Machen’s decision to overrule the suggestions that the school’s faculty and a private Los Angeles firm — whose consultation cost $90,000 — presented in the school’s search for a new dean.
Students and faculty in the school expressed their anger and concern about Machen’s decision both in an interview with the Alligator and in an anonymous open letter that accused Machen of racism and homophobia. Of the three final candidates for the dean search, one was a black man, and one was a gay man.
In an institution such as UF with overwhelmingly white, straight male leaders, diversity is something that needs to be pushed. Clearly, it won’t happen organically. This week, we’re throwing a DART to Machen for disregarding the needs of UF’s law school.
While certain university presidents aren’t pushing for positive change, other areas of the state are. We’re talking to you, Miami Beach Public Works Department. PBS News Hour ran a lengthy report this week detailing the changes in Florida’s sea levels — namely, that sea levels in South Florida are projected to rise between 3 and 7 inches by 2030 and between 9 and 24 inches by 2060.
Miami Beach is working to prepare the city for these rising tides. A water management plan adopted in 2012 outlined $200 million of improvements to implement during the next 20 years to ensure the safety of Miami Beach's infrastructure — and its residents. For that, the City of Miami Beach gets a LAUREL for adopting progressive policies. Hopefully the rest of South Florida will follow suit.
If you read Gawker or watch “Chelsea Lately,” you know that Gainesville’s notorious — ugh — serial urinator has caught national attention.
As if the story angle wasn’t bad enough, a laughably bad crime sketch was released of the fugitive. Of all the comparisons, we’re partial to Gawker’s description of the sketch as a “racially fraught Muppet.” Indeed, the illustration is truly the stuff of Jim Henson’s nightmares. The artist of the infamous sketch gets a DART this week. For those who were wondering, the criminal himself deserves far worse than a dart. Maybe once he’s imprisoned, all his victims could take turns peeing on him in return? Now that’s a pissing match we’d like to see.
[A version of this editorial ran on page 6 on 3/21/2014 under the headline "Darts & Laurels"]
