News | Campus - The Independent Florida Alligator

Social media posts showcasing Valentine’s Day gifts and celebrations can increase pressure to spend, reinforcing consumer habits tied to the holiday.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Candy hearts and carousel posts: How is social media impacting couples on Valentine’s Day?

By Leona Masangkay | Feb. 14

While Valentine’s Day’s digitalization has the potential to positively impact relationships, it can also create false expectations of reality, according to Rachel Rodgers, a psychology professor at Northeastern University. Her research specializes in social media and how it impacts body image.

Sweetwater Gainesville Apartments is pictured along West University Ave, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Rising rent across Florida hits Gainesville students close to home

By Reagan Bresnahan | Feb. 11

With enrollment climbing and most students living off campus, rising rent prices are reshaping how Gainesville students decide where to live. Santa Fe College does not offer on-campus housing, and roughly 75% of UF students live off campus.

NEWS | CAMPUS BREAKING NEWS

University police respond to report of rape in UF dorm

By Vanessa Norris | Feb. 11

A public safety alert was sent out to UF students Wednesday morning

U.S. Circuit Judge Emil Bove speaks at the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center at the University of Florida, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

UF hosts former Trump lawyer as guest speaker

By Ariana Badra and Angelique Rodriguez | Feb. 10

Bove was elevated to Deputy Attorney General and then the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. His nomination to the latter led to over 80 former judges signing a letter asking for his rejection.

Graham Woods at the University of Florida, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

UF committee delays decision on project that could remove nearly 1,000 trees

By Juliana DeFilippo | Feb. 8

The project would remove an estimated 947 trees, including 67 designated as heritage trees. The designation applies to trees of notable size, shape or importance.

Under the Office of Sustainability, UF is supposedly instituting a Climate Action Plan. However, no information can be found on this plan.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

UF’s new Climate Action Plan in limbo as indefinite pause continues

By Alabama Weninegar | Feb. 7

Last year, the university closed its Office of Sustainability, the entity responsible for implementing the plan, after 20 years of service.

Study Edge's midtown Gainesville location is seen along NW First Avenue, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Study Edge becomes a second classroom for many UF students

By Mia Giannicchi | Feb. 6

Thousands of students budget between $50 and $90 a month for Study Edge, a third-party tutoring service near UF’s campus that offers course-specific exam preparation.

UF students walk in between the fine arts buildings in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF windows have caused hundreds of bird deaths. A campus group seeks a solution.

By Juliana DeFilippo | Feb. 3

The Bird Window Collision Project advocates for bird-friendly building techniques, especially when it comes to windows like that of the HPNP building, which is just one of many potentially harmful areas on campus.

Non-consensual Intimate Image Abuse (NCII) is widespread across the United States, with college students and young adults disproportionately affected.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

What the internet doesn’t forget: UF student, experts on nonconsensual image sharing

By Julianna Bendeck | Feb. 2

NCII includes a wide range of behaviors, from the sharing of private sexual images without consent to threatening or coercing someone using intimate photos or videos.

The UF Levin College of Law located at 309 Village Drive in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, Nov. 4, 2022.

NEWS | CAMPUS GRADUATE SCHOOL

Florida law schools soon won’t need the American Bar Association for accreditation

By Cameron Countryman | Feb. 1

The ruling means law students won’t need to graduate from an ABA-accredited school to sit for the Florida Bar exam. Instead, schools can be accredited by other U.S. Department of Education-certified entities.

The Young Democratic Socialists of America gather at Turlington Plaza in Gainesville, Fla. Friday, Jan 30, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF students gather for anti-ICE solidarity fest

By Molly Freeburg | Jan. 31

Over 100 students and community members gathered on UF’s Turlington Plaza for “Solidarity Fest” Friday afternoon to support international and immigrant students amid a partnership between the University Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Marbella Deininger sings at the University of Florida School of Music for the Resonance Festival in Gainesville, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Resonance Festival echoes the legacy of African American composers

By Isabel Kraby | Jan. 29

Beucher created the Resonance Festival to celebrate the rich legacy of Black composers.

New Board of Governors regulations could give DeSantis more influence over UF’s presidential search, allowing the board to appoint a member to the search committee and requiring all finalists to get BoG approval.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Florida universities are one step closer to a yearlong pause on H-1B visas

By Leona Masangkay | Jan. 29

On Thursday, the board moved forward with an amendment that would stop Florida universities from using the H-1B visa program to hire new employees for the remainder of this year. Public comment is available for two weeks, after which the board will officially vote on the policy.

A crowd listens to Kathi Earles speak about the climate justice equation as a part of Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture series in Pugh Hall in Gainesville Fla., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Dr. Kathi A. Earles delivers Martin Luther King Jr. lecture on climate disparities

By Alabama Weninegar | Jan. 23

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Dr. Kathi A. Earles visited UF’s Bob Graham Center for Public Services Thursday evening to share her research on health disparities.

Professor Lyrissa Lidsky delivers a presentation at the Straughn Professional Development Center, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

As UF enforces neutrality policy, retired faculty question limits on speech

By Sara Dhorasoo | Jan. 23

The discussion, led by UF constitutional law scholar Lyrissa Lidsky, came after UF implemented a policy that limits when university leaders may comment on public issues.

Ariella Hershfield speaks with Auschwitz survivor Sora Vigorito at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event at the Chabad UF Jewish Center in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Holocaust survivor speaks at UF Chabad

By Alabama Weninegar | Jan. 23

Close to 400 people gathered at Chabad UF to listen to a Holocaust survivor speak about endurance and faith Wednesday evening.

UF Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative members stand with Gainesville mayor to mark sister-city partnership Oct. 31, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative implements new wastewater pump station in Nizhyn

By Alabama Weninegar | Jan. 22

Thanks to efforts from a group of UF students, a city in Ukraine now has a more reliable and energy-efficient wastewater pump.

Logan Edge (left) and Marshall Rawson (right) speaking at the Legalize Guns on Campus event hosted by the University of Florida College Republicans at the Swamp Restaurant in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Gun rights advocates push to legalize firearms on college campuses

By Mia Giannicchi | Jan. 21

The panel discussion drew about 35 students and community members to The Swamp Restaurant

UF nursing students weigh in on a proposal to declassify nursing as a professional degree.

NEWS | CAMPUS GRADUATE SCHOOL

Graduate nursing degrees aren’t considered ‘professional.’ How are Florida nurses reacting?

By Cameron Countryman | Jan. 19

Students from professional degree programs — including medicine, dentistry and law — will be able to take out $200,000 in federal loans. Nonprofessional graduate degrees, such as nursing, are limited to $100,000 in federal loans.

Students grabbing Krishna Lunch on Plaza of Americas on University of Florida campus, Saturday, Jan. 16th, 2026.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Krishna Lunch launches online fundraiser for equipment

By Leona Masangkay | Jan. 19

Hare Krishna, a religious organization providing donation-based vegetarian meals, created a GoFundMe on Nov. 26, 2025, for new lunch equipment, including new food carts and a truck. The improvements would help make midday lunch distribution smoother, said Adi Syama, the 36-year-old Krishna member who organized the fundraising website.