News - The Independent Florida Alligator

The parking lot next to Flavet Field at UF, shown on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, was changed to a green decal only location. This change affects the ability of students with Park and Ride decals to park on campus. (Photo by Kiara Cline)

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF cuts designated Park and Ride lots for Fall, frustrating students

By Camila Pereira | Sep. 7, 2021

The two Park and Ride lots that changed this Fall include the Flavet Field parking lot, which was restored to student green decal parking, and the commuter parking lot next to Garage 14, which is permanently closed because it is currently a construction site and will later be the site for the new Central Energy Plant Project, according to UF’s Campus Master Plan.

UF Baby Gator at Newell Drive is seen on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. (Photo by Esha Nair)

NEWS | CAMPUS

Baby Gator toddlers exposed to COVID-19, parents are upset by lack of transparency

By Maya Erwin | Sep. 7, 2021

Over the month of August, dozens of toddlers from Baby Gator — a childcare center for UF affiliates — were sent home for two weeks to quarantine as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak within the school.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF celebrates its newest LLC aimed to help first-generation Gators

By Isabella Barnet | Sep. 3, 2021

This Fall, UF’s historic Murphree area added a new milestone to its collection: Thomas Hall. It was inaugurated Aug. 28 as the first-generation living and learning community.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Students can begin registering with parties to run for a Senate seat

By Allessandra Inzinna | Sep. 3, 2021

UF Student Government Fall election kicks off as slating and qualifying began Sep. 2

NEWS | SFC

Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo hosts online auction to name new baby gibbon

By Eve Thompson | Sep. 1, 2021

All proceeds from the auction will help fund animal care at the zoo.

Paula Gonzalez, FDOT communication staff member, talks to students about pedestrian safety outside the UF chemistry building on Buckman Drive on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (Photo by Elena Barrera)

NEWS | CAMPUS

The Florida Department of Transportation works to promote traffic safety on UF campus

By Elena Barrera | Sep. 1, 2021

This effort follows deadly accidents that took place on University Avenue last Spring. Two UF students and one professor were struck and killed by cars within one month of each other.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Former NFL linebacker and activist Emmanuel Acho speaks at UF

By Brian Olmo | Sep. 1, 2021

The conversation involved topics such as racism and cultural appropriation. Acho shared insight on his upbringing as a Nigerian-American, his NFL career and his popular video series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man."

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF agrees to cover health and transportation fees for graduate assistants

By Camila Pereira | Aug. 27, 2021

However, UF did not agree to cover the health and transportation fees for graduate assistants beyond Summer and Fall 2021, so this financial fight is far from over.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Student Government Productions announces Gunna and Neon Trees performing, ACCENT announces Emmanuel Acho speaking.

By Allessandra Inzinna | Aug. 25, 2021

At the end of BROCKHAMPTON’s concert, SGP, a SG-funded organization focused on bringing entertainers to UF, kicked off the first day of Fall classes with the announcement of its Homecoming and Gator Growl performers: Gunna and Neon Trees.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

BROCKHAMPTON and Deb Never kick off the start of Fall with a sold-out concert

By Allessandra Inzinna | Aug. 25, 2021

BROCKHAMPTON and Deb Never's Aug. 23 performance had a crowd of about 6,000 UF students who erupted in cheers as they took the stage. Upon entry, students passed through metal detectors, showed staff their mobile tickets and gave their student IDs to swipe and check their “cleared for campus” status.

United Faculty of Florida and UF Graduate Assistants United members gathered at Tigert Hall on Friday, August 20, 2021 to protest the lack of COVID-19 precautions in place for the upcoming fall semester at UF . UFF and UF-GAU brought a list of four demands to the protest: 

Three weeks of online classes as soon as possible to allow time for students to get vaccinated
Vaccines required and twice weekly testing for those with exemptions
Mask mandate for all indoor activities and large outdoor activities
Honest and detailed COVID-19 statistics, including daily updates

Several speakers talked during the protest, including Gainesville City Commissioner David Arreola, Alachua County Education Association President Carmen Ward, UF professors and graduate assistants.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF faculty and staff demand vaccine and mask mandates from university leadership

By Camila Pereira , Christian Casale and Max Taylor | Aug. 23, 2021

UF faculty and staff gathered at the steps of Tigert Hall Aug. 20 to protest the university's COVID-19 policies and demand change as the Fall semester approaches.

Jose Alvarez, center, and siblings David and Ismelda Alvarez, left and right, celebrate Jose’s graduation from the University of Florida in front of the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

A first-generation UF student paves the way for a triple Gator legacy

By Elena Barrera | Aug. 20, 2021

Four years after receiving his first degree as a Gator, Jose Alvarez now watches his youngest sibling, David Alvarez, 18, start his journey at the university that opened so many doors when he was a student.

Signage posted by the University of Florida advertising Gator Dining meal plans on the third floor of the Reitz Union at UF’s Gainesville campus on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF students discuss meal plan options

By Juliana Ferrie | Aug. 16, 2021

At UF, Gator Dining Services offers several different meal plans students can choose from.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

How to Navigate UF’s Parking System

By Eve Thompson | Aug. 16, 2021

Here’s a guide for how to appeal a citation, what to do when impounded and where to park on campus to avoid hefty citation costs.

Mary Parker, the University of Florida’s new vice president for enrollment management and associate provost, poses for a portrait in her Criser Hall office on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2021.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Mary Parker is UF’s new vice president for enrollment management and associate provost

By Antonia LaRocca | Aug. 16, 2021

With over two decades of experience in enrollment services and higher education, Mary Parker said she is ready to start at UF in her new position by building relationships with the university’s community.

Graphic by Ashley Hicks. Photo by Houston Harwood.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Dear freshman: Welcome to UF

By Isabella Douglas | Aug. 16, 2021

On Aug. 23, classes will begin at UF with freshmen scrambling to figure out the bus system and seniors heading to their favorite coffee shops before their first lecture. Heading into the new school year, some UF seniors offered advice to freshmen unsure of what to expect with college life.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Just transferred? Welcome to the Gator Nation

By Camila Pereira | Aug. 16, 2021

Although the transition can be nerve-racking, all UF students — whether admitted traditionally or non-traditionally — are an essential part of the Gator nation and encouraged to take every opportunity to succeed in the university.

Santa Fe College's Blount Center expansion, now under construction, located at 530 West University Avenue in Gainesville on Monday, July 12, 2021.

NEWS | SFC

Santa Fe College’s new Blount Hall set to open Spring 2022

By Antonia LaRocca | Aug. 10, 2021

Santa Fe College’s new Blount Hall is set to open to students in Spring 2022. The three-story building’s exterior is scheduled to be completed by September.

Willard Kesling (second from left), a UF choral professor and music director and conductor for the ShabbaTones Jewish choir, leads the baritone section of the ShabbaTones in a choir practice on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. "I will not let art, not let culture die," Kesling said, before the group began their first in-person choir practice since the COVID-19 pandemic halted performances in early 2020.

NEWS | CAMPUS

ShabbaTones returns with first in-person rehearsal since the start of the pandemic

By Camila Pereira | Aug. 3, 2021

ShabbaTones, a nonprofit Jewish chorus in Gainesville, had its first live, in-person rehearsal at UF Hillel on Wednesday after a 16-month long intermission due to the pandemic.

NEWS | FEATURES

FOLLOWING UP: Checking in on anti-racism initiatives in Gainesville

By Alexander Lugo , Jake Reyes , Makiya Seminera , Antonia LaRocca and Phong Huynh | Aug. 2, 2021

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.