News

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Crime, trash and parties: How Florida residents feel about spring break

By Annie Wang | Mar. 18

As spring break kicked off, college students rushed to Florida beaches for a week of partying and relaxation. But the idyllic image of spring break fails to resonate with everyone. Beaches are left littered, crime spikes and excessive partying disrupts some students who are looking for a laid back beach day at home.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Beloved UF cat Tenders returns home after brief campus ‘cat-napping’

By Bonny Matejowsky | Mar. 15

Tenders, the famed brown and white tabby who takes shelter at the UF Tolbert Area, returned home safe after being found four miles away at Cabana Bay apartments Thursday.  At 1:56 p.m. Thursday, she was retrieved by Emma Van Riper, a 21-year-old UF political science junior; Eden Kershner, a 20-year-old UF materials science and engineering sophomore; and Dr. Tina Tallon, a UF College of the Arts professor. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Students, staff and faculty protest DEI decision outside UF Board of Trustees meeting

By Sara-James Ranta | Mar. 8

On Friday morning, about 45 people gathered outside Emerson Alumni Hall chanting “Get DeSantis out of our campus” and “The B-O-T has got to go” to protest UF’s recent firing of diversity, equity and inclusion positions. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

UF SG Senate begins elections for new leadership

By Annie Wang | Mar. 6

After over eight hours in the Senate Chambers, the UF SG Senate elected its new president and president pro-tempore Wednesday morning just before 4 a.m. following the Tuesday night meeting.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Sasse appoints UF’s first biomedical research evangelism adviser

By Zoey Thomas | Mar. 5

UF President Ben Sasse appointed UF Health President Dave Nelson to a new role as adviser to the president for biomedical research evangelism, he announced in an email to faculty March 5.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

UF eliminates diversity: What’s known and what remains unclear

By Zoey Thomas | Mar. 4

The university announced it has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors in a memo published March 1. The university also fired 13 full-time DEI positions and ended 15 administrative appointments for faculty, according to UF Spokesperson Cynthia Roldan.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Understanding UF Student Senate’s Green New Deal

By Sara-James Ranta | Mar. 4

The UF Student Senate made national headlines for passing the first public university Green New Deal by unanimous vote Feb. 21. The resolution is written in five volumes and tackles a list of demands to address climate change. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Florida’s cell-grown meat ban leaves UF researchers divided

By Zoey Thomas | Mar. 4

Called “cultivated meat” by researchers and “lab-grown meat” by critics, the alternative protein is developed directly from animal cells. Scientists collect tissue samples from live animals without killing them. Then, they allow the cells to multiply and mature in a lab before processing them into a food product.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS BREAKING NEWS

UF eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion offices

By Alissa Gary | Mar. 1

UF fired 13 full-time diversity, equity and inclusion positions and ended 15 administrative appointments for faculty Friday. It also eliminated the office of the Chief Diversity Officer and ended DEI contracts with outside vendors, according to a Friday memo.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF jumps to no. 2 spot for number of Fulbright scholars

By Sydney Johnson | Feb. 29

If a poet, athlete, music enthusiast and novice ping pong player were gathered into a room, it may seem like they wouldn't have much in common. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Email reprimanding napping students at Malachowsky Hall brings backlash

By Delia Rose Sauer | Feb. 29

On Feb. 7, around 50 students received an email whose first line read, “We appreciate how hard our faculty and students work, but it’s Malachowsky Hall, not Malachowsky Hotel.” 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Vision Party wins Spring 2024 executive ticket, majority Senate seats

By Alligator Staff report | Feb. 28

Vision Party swept the executive ticket of the Spring 2024 Student Government election, electing John Brinkman as student body president. Laura Thomas and Saketh Damera, both from Vision, will serve as vice president and treasurer.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Students await results of Spring 2024 Student Government elections

By Alligator Staff report | Feb. 28

  Students had the opportunity to vote for student body president, student body vice president and student body treasurer, along with 50 Senate seats. Tuesday brought out 6,740 student votes, Supervisor of Elections Ethan Halle said. Total votes and results will be announced in the Reitz Union Wednesday night. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Over 6,700 students vote in first day of Student Government elections

By Alligator Staff report | Feb. 27

Students gathered Tuesday at polling locations across campus to cast their ballots for the Student Government executive ticket and 50 Student Senate seats. Tuesday brought out 6,740 student votes, Supervisor of Elections Ethan Halle said. It’s about 1,000 votes fewer than the first day of Spring 2023 elections, which brought out 7,619 students. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

The men behind the megaphones

By Zoey Thomas | Feb. 26

The UF cheerleading team currently has 13 men and 24 women, divided into a combination of male-female stunt pairs and all-girl groups. The athletes spent most of the two-hour practice preparing for next month’s cheer tryout, during which they’ll do their best to recruit talented newcomers — and show up themselves to re-earn their spots on the team. But tryouts will be less competitive for some than others.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Ukrainian Student Association hosts candlelight vigil two years after Russian invasion

By Tanya Fedak | Feb. 25

Hosted by the Ukrainian Student Association, the event commemorated the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. It also honored the 10-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Crimea. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF Kappa Alpha Psi celebrates Black community, culture despite arrest at step show

By Madilyn Gemme | Feb. 23

The winner of the Florida Invitational Step Show’s Stroll Off competition, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, is focusing on its community and celebrating Black culture — despite an arrest that occurred at the event last weekend. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

The UF Divine Nine celebrates Black History Month

By Annie Wang | Feb. 19

The Divine Nine promote academic excellence for African American students on predominantly white campuses. It also provides them with a space to address pertinent issues within the Black community, said Ammir Thomas, vice president of Theta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

UF Health receives $500,000 grant for East Gainesville mobile food pharmacy

By Zoey Thomas | Feb. 19

The UF Health chief culture officer, formerly the chief diversity officer, won a $500,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation to combat food and health insecurity in East Gainesville. 

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NEWS  |  CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF students struggle with higher bike theft rates

By Annie Wang | Feb. 15

In 2023, the UF Police Department had 122 cases of registered bike theft. That’s 60% higher than the previous year, which saw 76 thefts. The numbers for registered cases in the preceding years were 76 in 2022, 84 in 2021, 130 in 2020 and 104 in 2019, even with the effects of COVID-19.