News - The Independent Florida Alligator

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF’s university-wide commencement proves costly

By Lakshmi Gomez | Mar. 10, 2019

UF spent about $360,000 on Fall 2018 ceremony

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF students and faculty want to see building improvements. A bill new may help.

By Lakshmi Gomez | Mar. 10, 2019

The bill seeks $38.1 million from the state

Mary Katherine Boney, 5, and Hampton Boney, 7, inspect Zachariah Chou’s Inspire-themed dinosaur costume Tuesday outside of the The Hub. Chou, a 21-year-old UF political science junior, is Inspire Party’s presidential candidate for the 2019 UF Student Government elections. Inspire Party members also dressed up in a Pikachu outfit while campaigning. Chou said that the idea for the inflatable outfits came from the “‘Pokemon Go’ to the polls” statement that Hillary Clinton made during the 2016 presidential election. “We thought it would be a very positive way to increase voter turnout, and it’s definitely something different,” he said. “It all started with the Pikachu suit.”

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Pikachu, T-shirts and pizza: A look at Spring SG election finances

By Hannah Beatty | Mar. 10, 2019

Impact Party spent about $750 more than Inspire Party

NEWS

UF focuses on donations to reach top 5 status

By Kelly Hayes | Mar. 10, 2019

About 15 percent of the alumni population donates to UF

NEWS | SFC

Options continue to expand for students transitioning to UF

By Mikayla Carroll | Feb. 28, 2019

UF Online and Innovation Academy bring in more student transitions each year

A team worked quickly to excavate as much of the dugong’s skeleton from the rock as possible. Just feet from the Panama Canal, the site flooded within a week.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Dig it: UF researcher discovers the Central America's oldest sea cow

By Sarina Nunes | Feb. 28, 2019

The skeleton is 15 feet long

NEWS | CAMPUS

Former UF department chair loses defamation case against The New York Times

By Kelly Hayes | Feb. 28, 2019

The case is based on an article published in 2015

Gator robotics working on technology at a robotics workshop.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF robotics team goes through hoops to compete in basketball tournament

By Abraham Hunt | Feb. 28, 2019

The $2,000 robot will bring its game to potentially compete for $10,000

Akiya Parks, a first-generation student and Machen Florida Opportunity Scholar, addresses the crowd on the Plaza of the Americas Feb. 26, 2019, for the “Stand Up and Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day.”

NEWS | CAMPUS

First Gator Nation Day of Giving raises $12.6 million

By Kelly Hayes | Feb. 26, 2019

Donations will help UF toward goal of top 5 public university

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Libby Shaw sworn in as Senate President as Michael Murphy leaves

By Hannah Beatty | Feb. 26, 2019

Senators had a mouthful to say Tuesday night as they voted for new Senate leadership.

Health science senior Daniel Valladares, 22, answers questions about his business idea for a parking service app called “QU Parking.”

NEWS | CAMPUS

"Gator Tank" competitors 'bite' at opportunity to showcase original products

By Lina Ruiz | Feb. 26, 2019

The three winners will compete in April

Mirrors across eleven locations on campus were covered in paper in honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Students were encouraged to write inspirational messages on the paper.

NEWS | CAMPUS

This is why mirrors across UF’s campus were covered on Monday

By Christina Mouttet | Feb. 26, 2019

Students wrote inspirational messages on covered mirrors

Duane Mitchell and Dr. Jianping Huang, Director of Clinical Laboratory Operations for the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, work together on research in a laboratory.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Multi-million dollar donation kicks off brain tumor research at UF

By Christina Mouttet | Feb. 25, 2019

A neuromedicine clinic, neuro-oncology laboratories will be named in honor

Melissa Shabazz, a UF math lecturer, works in her office Saturday in Little Hall. Shabazz is the only African American professor in her department. She started working at UF during Fall 2018.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Few African Americans teach math at U.S. universities. UF’s math department is no exception.

By Kelly Hayes | Feb. 24, 2019

Less than 1 percent of U.S. math doctorates are earned by African Americans

Pedro Sanchez, a 78-year-old UF research professor of tropical soils, has been to 68 countries to study tropical soils and address world hunger and food insecurity.

NEWS | CAMPUS

68 countries, one mission: The UF professor studying soil to fight world hunger

By Brittney Miller | Feb. 24, 2019

The 78-year-old won over 30 awards

Alpine strawberries are tiny, soft and tasty. A UF researcher discovered a species that can grow in South Florida.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF Researcher aims to make big strides with small strawberries

By Danielle Ivanov | Feb. 24, 2019

A 4.4 ounce container of Alpine strawberries costs $12

Black UF students pose for a photo in the 1970 university yearbook. The UF African American Studies program was founded in 1969.

NEWS | CAMPUS

'A sense of home': After 50 years, African American Studies program to be department

By April Rubin | Feb. 21, 2019

It will be the first of its kind in a Florida public university

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Impact and Inspire Party found in violation of campaign rules

By Hannah Beatty | Feb. 21, 2019

The Elections Commission heard seven complaints

NEWS | CAMPUS

Phishing for opportunities: UF students still face email scamming in 2019

By Lakshmi Gomez | Feb. 21, 2019

Meleny Vega received an email to her UF account the summer before college offering her a job paying $30 an hour.

Michael Murphy, the 21-year-old Impact Party presidential candidate, celebrates winning the Student Government executive election Wednesday in the Reitz Union. He defeated Zachariah Chou, the 21-year-old Inspire candidate, 6,331 votes to 4,196. "I just can't wait to sit down for a little bit and just take it all in," Murphy said.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Impact executive ticket wins, splits senate seats with Inspire

By Mikayla Carroll | Feb. 20, 2019

More than 10,000 students voted in the election