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Sunday, March 22, 2026

Opinion: Columns

UF President Kent Fuchs and Wageningen University and Research Executive Board President Louise Fresco planted a 9-foot live oak tree Thursday for Florida Arbor Day. This is part of an initiative to plant 100 “UniversiTREEs” across the world.
Opinion

President Fuchs on Florida Arbor Day

This week, I planted a live oak on the lawn of the Reitz Union near the Field and Fork Pantry.  The planting ceremony was with Louise Fresco, the president of Wageningen University, in celebration of the collaboration between our universities and in honor of Wageningen’s centennial anniversary. Wageningen, based in the Netherlands, is the world’s No. 1-ranked university focusing on agriculture.


Florida Alligator
Sports

It is time to say “Ok, Boomer” to the NCAA

After the LSU Tigers defeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, video circulated of what appeared to be a tipsy Odell Beckham Jr. distributing fistfulls of cash to wide receivers Jontre Kirklin and Justin Jefferson, the latter having declared for the NFL draft earlier this week.


Opinion

Goodbye Column: Your health should always come before a story

Wow, I’m finally leaving the godforsaken basement office that is The Alligator. Despite my cries to never come back at the end of every semester, it is a year and a half later and I’ve finally reached the point where I truly can’t come back. As a Leo sun and Virgo rising, I’m deeply unemotional, so I don’t know how to be sentimental. Instead, I'm just going to spew a bunch of words and stop when I feel like I’ve run out of things to say as a true fire sign with a Gemini moon. 


Kylie Gurthie, 3, and a volunteer play with the newly adopted 5-month-old dog Joey during the Summer Lovin’ Adopt-A-Thon at Alachua County Animal Services on August 17.
Opinion

Pets are great if you know how to take care of them

Getting a pet in college is a great idea. Any dog, cat, fish or chicken would make a great companion. We all need some animal affection in college, especially as finals approach. Kitten snuggles or puppy kisses might be exactly what you need at this time of year. Plus, they provide great emotional support. I recommend that every responsible college student have a pet, but think carefully before you add a tail-wagging pal to your family. If you do decide to get a furry, feathered or scaly companion, be conscious of where you are getting them from, and be certain that you are prepared to commit to this creature for the rest of its life.  


Opinion

On not living up to expectations

This is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately. Standing at the end of the semester now, there are great obstacles to face over the next few weeks, but there are even more behind us. You may have overcome some of those obstacles successfully and failed to overcome others. And, while I’m confident we’ll all face our upcoming challenges to the best of our ability, it’s possible we might not live up to the expectations we’ve set for ourselves. But falling short of them is not just okay, it’s normal. 


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