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Sunday, March 29, 2026

Opinion: Columns

UF's Lauren Haeger pitches during Florida's 5-0 win against Florida State on April 22, 2015, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Sports

Who was the Best Female Athlete at UF in 2015?

The Alligator Awards continue this week, with the sixth award being for "Best Female Athlete." Editor-in-chief Jordan McPherson and staff writer Ian Cohen join alligatorSports editors Graham Hall, Luis Torres and Graham Hack in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.


Florida's Marquis Dendy leaps on his way to winning the triple jump during the NCAA track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., Friday, June 12, 2015.
Sports

Who was the Best Male Athlete at Florida during the 2014-15 season?

The Alligator Awards continue this week, with the fifth award being for "Best Male Athlete." Editor-in-chief Jordan McPherson and staff writer Ian Cohen join alligatorSports editors Graham Hall, Luis Torres and Graham Hack in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Donald Trump’s the worst, yet he’s the favorite?

Dear readers, we can all agree that Donald Trump is the worst, right? I don’t ask that question as if it’s a matter of relativity, or in a “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” type of way: Is it not universally accepted that Donald Trump makes Kim Jong-un look like a reasonable human being in comparison? At least Kim acts within the established parameters for how a statesman ought to behave in North Korea (that is to say, like a petulant child). No such boundaries exist for the Trump. 


Florida Alligator
Opinion

MTV Documentary addresses white privilege

When I first heard about MTV’s documentary about being white in America, I was skeptical of how well the issue would be handled. But Jose Antonio Vargas’ “White People” pleasantly surprised me, spurring conversations that need to happen more often. 


Rhamat Alhassan (1) swings for a kill attempt during Florida's 3-0 win against Missouri on Oct. 24 in the O'Connell Center.
Sports

Who was the Best Freshman for the Florida Gators in 2014-15?

The Alligator Awards continue this week, with the fourth award being for "Best Freshman." Editor-in-chief Jordan McPherson and staff writer Ian Cohen join alligatorSports editors Graham Hall, Luis Torres and Graham Hack in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Ambiguity as foreign policy can result in trouble

In the early 2000s, the refrain “We will not negotiate with terrorists” proved popular among conservatives. With the nation still reeling from the pain of the Sept. 11 attacks — and our military then deeply embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan — this oft-repeated mantra served no purpose other than to undermine the multitude of criticisms lobbied against President George W. Bush’s “War on Terror.” 


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Who wants to hack your car? I don’t know, but I’d rather not give them the option

I’ve always feared a "Minority Report" situation. You know, when Tom Cruise tries to make a run for it, but the bad guys are in the government so they take control of his car? They lock him inside his own car, lock all the controls and set the car to return to police headquarters. Tom is forced to kick out a window and huff it on foot in traffic. 


Florida Alligator
Opinion

The sad state of the Democratic primary race

In the Democratic primary race, as of today, there’s Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and everyone else. While the coverage of Sanders’ campaign is exciting, what he doesn’t have is the idolization that a lot of people have for Clinton. Her supporters are willing to look past her flaws and assume good intentions. No amount of argument will convince them there’s a possibility the emails that we should be most concerned about were not released to the State Department. 


Freshman quarterback Treon Harris directs players during the fourth quarter of Florida's 10-9 victory against Tennessee on Oct. 4 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
Sports

Alligator Awards: Best UF comeback in the 2014-15 season

The Alligator Awards continue this week, with the second award being for "Best comeback Moment." Editor-in-chief Jordan McPherson and staff writer Ian Cohen join alligatorSports editors Graham Hall, Luis Torres and Graham Hack in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Cherish every moment, because life is fleeting

We’ve all heard that death is as much a part of life as, well, actually living. At some point in our childhoods, our parents pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, braced for the flurry of questions and tears, and imparted this lesson to us, their children. It might be spurred by a death in the family (in my case, the family dog), or it may emerge totally unprovoked. Regardless of whatever form it takes, the “death talk” is a universally shared experience, and represents a watershed moment in one’s childhood.       


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