A year ago, the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement reverberated around the world. Petitions, social media campaigns and demonstrations called for attention to racial equality within local law enforcement and university campuses. Now, The Alligator is checking in on how much progress has been made in Gainesville.
Controversy has clouded his role at UF after reports showed Board of Trustees Chair Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, who has ties to DeSantis, personally expedited Ladapo’s resume to UF Health despite his controversial views on COVID-19 measures. Ladapo’s hiring brought into question the school’s tenure process, which typically takes about a year and a half.
In February, the Division of Student Life requested the installation of cameras for the Reitz Union, UF Spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote. The request was approved by the State University System’s Capital Improvement Trust Fund Committee for $105,000. In August, UF’s Student Government agreed to contribute an additional $45,000 for the cameras.
UF submitted a report Tuesday to its accreditation body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, affirming there was no external influence on its decisions to allow or deny professors to testify as expert witnesses.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off on a resupply mission for the International Space Station Dec. 21. A small UF-made satellite, roughly the length and width of a Subway footlong sandwich, will venture into space along with it.
During the past few weeks, UF faced heavy scrutiny because of an administrative decision that kept three professors from providing expert testimony in a lawsuit against the state. The media coverage following the decision grabbed the attention of scholars and citizens across the country as well as its accreditor.
Ever since UF denied three political science professors the ability to testify against the state, many have expressed their dismay toward the university. The events led roughly 40 protesters to band together Friday on the corner of West University Avenue and Northwest 13th Street.
Widespread turmoil erupted after UF stopped three political science professors from testifying in a case against the state. Some faculty members believe these events point to a bigger issue: increasing political pressure from the state on the university’s decisions.
The UF College Democrats and the Gator chapter of NAACP hosted an in-person 2021 special election debate Tuesday night, allowing students to ask the candidates questions about traffic safety, food accessibility, affordable housing and sustainable energy.
Three UF political science professors requested to lend their expertise by testifying in a lawsuit against the state of Florida. However, UF turned them down, telling them their participation as expert witnesses is adverse to the university’s interests.
UF Health announced Wednesday all its employees must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8. This comes amid President Biden's executive order requiring certain federal workers to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
World leaders will gather at the United Nations Climate Change Summit while UF students hold their own virtual conference from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 31. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried and Orlando Rep. Anna Eskamani will be among the presenters.
Gilda, a 29-year-old UF doctoral 2021 graduate, filed a formal complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against UF’s astronomy department for discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages and intentional infliction of emotional damage. He also filed a lawsuit against UF for unpaid wages.
The sign outside of UF's Institute of Black Culture was uprooted last week
Seventy-five banners that read “Top 5” hung at UF. Now, only 35 remain.
Solutions by The State News
