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Thursday, March 19, 2026

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Changes to House Bill 999, explained

The Florida Legislature has made significant edits to the sweeping higher education reform bill between its original filing Feb. 21 and its most recent update March 15 — notably concerning majors and minors that will be removed if the bill becomes law.


Wearing a green silk scarf gifted to her by a student, Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis pulls a book from the shelf in her office, located in Carr Hall, Friday, March 31, 2023.
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UF history professor appointed to prestigious national science board

As one of the organization’s newest board members, Smocovitis will serve four years, traveling four times a year to various U.S. cities for meetings. Her work starts in April, when the board will meet in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, colleagues nominated Smocovitis, a longtime AAAS member and officer, to run for the board. Although she’s been an officer with the organization for more than 25 years, she was surprised to be nominated, she said, because she is, first and foremost, a historian.


Clay Calvert, former director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at UF, gives a speech about the legality of academic freedom at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
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UF staff unions host discussion of academic freedom

At the UF Ethics in the Public Sphere’s “Pizza and Public Ethics” event Tuesday, Paul Ortiz, UF history professor, spoke to over 40 listeners gathered in Smathers Library on the role of unionizing in protecting academic freedom. He was joined by Clay Calvert, former UF professor and director of the UF Law’s First Amendment Center. 


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UF Student Senate fails to meet quorum

Political turmoil in the UF Student Senate persists as the chamber failed to meet quorum Tuesday evening due to the absence of almost all Gator Caucus members. The seven-minute Senate meeting resulted in the delaying of Senate leadership elections for a second week. 


A new sign outside the entrance of Marston Science Library advertising its 24-hour schedule is seen Sunday, March 26, 2023.
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A late night at Marston Science Library

Marston Library began to offer 24/7 services March 19 through a pilot study funded by Provost Joe Glover. The study, which will fund the expanded hours for the remainder of the Spring and Fall 2023 semesters, will collect data on overnight hour usage to advise future funding decisions. 


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UF Student Senate fails to elect new leadership

The 94 senators at the chamber’s first meeting after Spring Break were supposed to elect a new Senate president, Senate pro-tempore and two members at large, per the Rules and Procedures of the Student Senate. This comes after the Change Caucus secured a majority in Spring elections.



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