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Tuesday, August 05, 2025

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Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

'Fear of missing out' is a fact of life, so let's learn to accept it

Oct. 3, 2017

You know, it’s OK if you don’t actually want to go out,” my friend told me via FaceTime while I begrudgingly highlighted my cheekbones. That night, I didn’t have to study, and I didn’t really have to catch up on sleep. I didn’t have any excuse not to go out, so I felt like I had to. I felt like I should want to. My friend is a recent graduate so I assume she must have forgotten about that inner conflict we all get when we consider going out or staying in. The former always wins. I reminded her why: College is only four years! I don’t have much longer to buy $5 triples! We’re all going to graduate and have to be adults soon!

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Stop putting off applying for internships

Oct. 3, 2017

I would like to (metaphorically, of course) pull the hair of whoever came up with the concept that waiting until your last two years of college to take on internships is a good idea. Maybe this person was hoping more people would relax during their first two years or was concerned that most college freshmen don’t have the knowledge they need to intern, but I’m here to tell you that simply isn’t true.

UF offensive lineman Brett Heggie blocks for Malik Davis during Florida's 28-27 win against Kentucky on Sep. 23, 2017, at Kroger Field.
SPORTS  |  FOOTBALL

Notebook: Florida offensive line, rushing attack showing game-by-game improvement

By Ethan Bauer | Oct. 2, 2017

Brett Heggie and the rest of Florida’s offensive line weren’t the stars of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. The announcers weren’t hailing them on long runs. They weren’t praised as heavily as the running backs for Florida’s five rushing touchdowns. But without that unit playing better than in previous weeks, the running game couldn’t have done what it did. And the front five have noticed.

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A response to 'It’s time to stop kneeling during the national anthem'

Oct. 1, 2017

I am writing in response to Victoria Fortier’s column, verbosely titled, “It’s time to stop kneeling during the national anthem.” I’m a teaching assistant for ENC 1101 at UF, a class I really enjoy teaching. My students learn how to identify and write coherent arguments. One of the first things I teach them to do is to support claims with “receipts,” commonly known as evidence. I’m calling Fortier out because, while I respect her use of pathos, one of three rhetorical appeals (she’s really trying to rile people up), she hasn’t substantiated her claims with evidence. Dare I call unsubstantiated claims “fake news?” It’s true. More than 30 million people tune in every week to watch football games. It’s true that fans are now watching athletes kneel to protest the continued murder of black men, women and children. I disagree with Fortier’s claim that freedom has nothing to do with making a statement. I would back that claim up by providing my first receipt, the Declaration of Independence. Maybe Fortier has not had the chance to take history yet (however, I think it is a requirement), but this document is a literal statement of freedom written by our Founding Fathers. NFL protesters like Colin Kaepernick are very aware of their rhetorical situation. They understand their audience and have a specific purpose. Protest is a very specific strategy for making an argument. It’s often a dangerous and unpopular strategy in that it does not always care about being polite. While black men and women continue to die at the hands of corrupt police officers, Kaepernick and his fellow NFL players do not have time to be polite. Your plea for protesters to consider where and when they decide to make a statement isn’t needed. They have already considered where and when they protest. They have decided making you uncomfortable for a few minutes at the beginning of a football game is worth your discomfort. The Huffington Post reports that more than 250 black people were killed in 2016. These protesters want the murders to stop. If you were in my class and you turned in a paper without receipts, you’d receive an F.

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