2 - The Independent Florida Alligator

Florida fans crowd the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium stands during the Gators game against the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. The announced attendance that evening was 89,993.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Record-breaking crowds for Gators football home games prompt stadium safety concerns

By Claire Grunewald | Oct. 3, 2022

Fans have packed the stadium every game to show support for the football team led by its new head coach, Billy Napier. The Swamp has been close to full all season, with an average attendance of 85,435 for the Gators’ first four home games. Despite assurance on safety precautions from the University Athletic Association and local law enforcement agencies, these crowded games are accompanied by a variety of safety concerns like fights breaking out among fans.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Have you been impacted by the overturn of Roe v. Wade?

By the Editorial Board | Oct. 3, 2022

As The Alligator gets ready to launch a forthcoming project on the local impact of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, we’re asking for your help. Students and Gainesville residents, we want to hear from you.

Rabbi Berl Goldman, director of the Chabad UF Jewish Student and
Community Center, runs a Hurricane Ian relief drive for affected
communities, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. This is the organization’s third
full shipment of practical supplies since Thursday, Sept. 29.

METRO

Gainesville looks to aid Southwest Florida families in Ian’s wake

By Alissa Gary and Aidan Bush | Oct. 3, 2022

While Gainesville students and residents alike felt only indirect effects from the storm, many have families further south who witnessed the full extent of the disaster.

A tree smashes through a house in the Stephen Foster neighborhood the day Hurricane Ian hit Gainesville Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022.

METRO

Gainesville left mostly unscathed after Hurricane Ian

By Fernando Figueroa | Oct. 3, 2022

Hurricane Ian sideswept Gainesville on the afternoon of Sept. 28, causing gusts that toppled an Oak Tree, crushing Edna Hamilton's carport, shattering the windows of her 2002 Honda Accord and blocking her front door.

METRO | POLITICS

Federal student loan forgiveness plan limits eligibility, faces legal backlash

By Heather Bushman | Oct. 3, 2022

The White House announced Sept. 29 its debt forgiveness plan will no longer apply to around 770,000 private loan borrowers.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why you should combat UF Student Government voter apathy

By Halima Attah | Oct. 3, 2022

The less students vote, the less accurate image SG members have of student opinion on campus, and the less students will be satisfied with election results. It’s a lose-lose situation.

OPINION | COLUMNS

UF Top 5 Ranking – What's Next?

By Kent Fuchs | Oct. 3, 2022

No university has ever broken into that top-five ranking and stayed there for two consecutive years, until last month, when UF was ranked among the top five for the second year in a row. Berkeley and UCLA are tied for first, Michigan and Virginia tied for third, and UF and UNC are tied for fifth.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Florida Players UF theater club moves forward with season despite funding cut

By Emma Howard | Oct. 3, 2022

Florida Players, a student-led theater company at UF, usually receives close to $20,000 per semester from Student Government. This semester, it only received $500 through base funding, which is granted to any organization that applies.

University Women’s Club members gather for a social event held between the years 1969 and 1970.

METRO

University Women’s Club will be no longer despite 100-year celebration

By Anushka Dakshit | Oct. 3, 2022

With a centennial celebration underway, the University Women’s Club has some unconventional plans: the organization will be dissolved after their 100th anniversary.

METRO | POLITICS

Voting barriers, inequities abound as midterm elections loom

By Omar Ateyah | Oct. 3, 2022

As the 2022 midterm general election grows near, data reveals racial disparities in Alachua County voter turnout. Limitations like suppressive voting laws and confusion surrounding the rights of those with felony convictions present further barriers across the state.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF awards distinction to first female College of Medicine professor

By Siena Duncan | Oct. 3, 2022

Nixon is the co-vice chair of the UF department of psychiatry and chief of addiction research. She became the first woman in the College of Medicine to be named a distinguished professor by the university in August — one of the highest honors a UF professor can receive.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF College of Medicine departments appoint diversity liaisons to promote inclusion

By Siena Duncan | Oct. 3, 2022

More than half of UF College of Medicine departments now have a diversity, equity and inclusion liaison — a faculty member specifically dedicated to addressing social issues within the college.

The UF Student Senate meets in the Senate Chamber of the Reitz Union Tuesday, June 7, 2022.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Funding changes prompt worry from UF clubs

By Claire Grunewald | Oct. 3, 2022

UF students are still advocating for their organizations in an ongoing conflict with the university and Student Government after the Senate vote on a bill that allocates funds was pushed back.

Gainesville community members gather at Heartwood Soundstage in protest of Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill Saturday, March 19, 2022.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Gainesville Pride to return after 3 years despite hate crime investigation

By Lauren Brensel | Oct. 3, 2022

The annual festival hosted by the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida will return Oct. 22 at Bo Diddley Plaza, nearly a month after the center was vandalized. The center has celebrated Pride in Gainesville every year since 2008 aside from the last two years.

METRO | POLITICS

Proposed amendment could scrap constitution revision measure

By Heather Bushman | Oct. 3, 2022

Amendment 2 could dismantle the Constitution Revision Commission, a body that reviews and proposes new provisions to the state constitution every two decades.

Florida redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Kitna saw his first action as a Gator Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. He completed eight passes for 152 yards and a touchdown against Eastern Washington.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Gators rout Eastern Washington, get back in the win column

By Joseph Henry | Oct. 2, 2022

Florida defeated EWU 52-17 Sunday afternoon inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators looked dominant in each phase of the game on the way to their largest margin of victory this season. Offensively it was a balanced attack; UF complimented 392 passing yards with 274 yards on the ground.

Florida freshman running back Trevor Etienne celebrates a late game touchdown with his offensive line during the Gators' game against South Florida Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Gators hopeful for return to winning ways against Eastern Washington

By Jackson Castellano | Oct. 1, 2022

Florida has an opportunity to move above .500 and showcase its peak form Sunday against Eastern Washington. The responsibility falls on the Gators to seize it.

Florida junior defender Josie Curtis throws the ball into play during the Gators' match against South Florida Sept. 1, 2021.

SPORTS | SOCCER

Gators attack falls flat to drop match against South Carolina

By Jackson Reyes | Sep. 30, 2022

The Gators lost Thursday night’s match to No. 22 South Carolina Gamecocks 1-0. UF junior goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg recorded seven saves, but it was not enough to avoid defeat. Florida has now been shutout in three straight matches.

P.K. Yonge is one of four Florida K-12 schools directly affiliated with a university.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

P.K. Yonge: A UF laboratory school with rich history

By Sophia Bailly | Sep. 30, 2022

P.K. Yonge is one of four Florida K-12 schools directly affiliated with a university, serving as its own school district. P.K. Yonge isn’t affiliated with Alachua County Public Schools and has its own superintendent. All P.K. Yonge employees carry GatorONE Cards, follow the regulations and policies set by the university and work under UF’s Board of Trustees.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Vote like your life depends on it — because it does

By Susan Bottcher, Precinct Committeewoman, Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee | Sep. 29, 2022

Florida’s current abortion ban only prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, but make no mistake, the Florida Republican Party will work for a complete ban. They’re hoping you won’t pay attention. They’re counting on you doubting that the worst can happen. But pay attention, because it very well might. If Florida Republicans win big in November, they will double down on denying your right of bodily autonomy the first chance they get.

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