Opinion: Columns
Opinion
Introducing Shaine in Spain: Spring in Madrid through the eyes of a UF exchange student
By Shaine Davison | Jan. 17I’ve previously been an editor and reporter for The Alligator, but this semester I will take on a different role: a columnist.
Opinion
Introducing ‘Evelyn Goes Gator’: What does Gainesville look like to an Irish exchange student?
By Evelyn O’Carroll | Jan. 17I’m a junior exchange student from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. I arrived in Gainesville a few days ago, and I’ll be writing in this recurring column about what the move actually feels like, from culture shock and logistics to the small stuff people don’t warn you about.
Opinion
UF’s ICE partnership betrays its own mission
By Juan Caballero | Jan. 16The University Police Department states its mission is "to preserve a safe, secure campus environment where diverse social, cultural and academic values are allowed to develop and prosper." But UF's continued cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement directly undermines these stated values.
Opinion
You shouldn’t fret about UF’s new institutional neutrality policy
By Timothy Dillehay | Jan. 16This seems to be an effort to breed intellectual diversity, ensuring departments and colleges are filled with many differing opinions and ideologies.
Opinion
The Match Point: From The Swamp to New Zealand
By India Houghton | Jan. 14I’m India Houghton, a Gator athlete on the women’s tennis team and your freshly minted Alligator sports columnist.
Opinion
UF can’t fight hunger while defunding transit
By Sasha Morel | Jan. 14Despite the countless initiatives, services and even new grocery stores appearing in Gainesville, food insecurity is back on the rise as of late 2025, with local food shelters such as Deeper Purpose Community Food Ministries reporting an increase from 10 to 40 phone calls per day directed toward food assistance.
Opinion
Florida is too full to function
By Alannah Peters | Jan. 14I’ve lived in Florida for my entire life. Since 2012, my family has lived in the same home on the outskirts of Orlando. Drives that once took 40 minutes now stretch into an hour or more, a result of rapid population growth and unchecked development in a state unprepared to absorb it.
Opinion
UF journalism department interim chair welcomes you back
By Harrison Hove | Jan. 12UF journalism department interim chair welcomes you back.
Opinion
Mayor Ward welcomes you back
By Harvey Ward | Jan. 12Harvey Ward welcomes students to Gainesville.
Opinion
The verdict is in, and I owe it all to The Alligator
By Amanda Roman | Dec. 2Since I stepped foot on campus as a sports journalism major, I knew I wanted to work for the largest student-run independent newspaper in the country. What I didn’t know was how much The Alligator would shape me into the person I am today.
Opinion
Want to be a part of The Alligator? Join our Spring 2026 staff!
By Alligator Staff report | Dec. 2The Independent Florida Alligator is looking for its next team of reporters, editors, photographers and more for the Spring semester.
Opinion
Four years at The Alligator, told in diary entries
By Alissa Gary | Dec. 1To The Alligator: Thanks for giving my college years a purpose. I’m honored to be part of this paper’s legacy.
Opinion
The most fun I’ve ever had was in The Alligator’s office
By Sophia Bailly | Dec. 1My time with The Independent Florida Alligator was defined by love and laughter.
Opinion
Plans changed, and I reluctantly became the University Desk editor
By Maria Avlonitis | Dec. 1I swore I wouldn’t come back to The Alligator.
Opinion
An uninterrupted year at the Alligator
By Sydney Johnson | Dec. 1For the longest time, I never felt I belonged at The Alligator. Though I spent every Sunday afternoon there, I was terrified of anyone knowing too much — which is ironic when you work with a group of people who want to know everything.
Opinion
The Alligator isn’t perfect. But it’s home.
By Luke Adragna | Dec. 1I never thought I’d be writing a goodbye to The Alligator.
Opinion
Why in-person classes should remain the standard
By Isabella Cabrera | Nov. 30In all the movies I’ve seen about college, classes have always seemed so magical. I imagined myself sitting in a lecture hall surrounded by classmates and listening to my professor teach as I took notes.
Opinion
Why you should go get your flu shot
By Lara Caglayan | Nov. 30The end of Fall semester means the holidays are coming, and flu season is here.
Opinion
Don’t take the water out of our springs
By Marin Chester | Nov. 17As a wildlife ecology senior at UF, you’d think I visit Florida’s natural springs all the time.
