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Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Opinion: Columns

Florida Alligator
Opinion

We need to stop saying it’s too soon to talk about gun control

I don’t like to start a column this way, but sometimes we do things we don’t like in order to think critically about the world. Imagine a large building in Gainesville burned down. Imagine the fire started by accident — a gas leak or a candle — but the flames raged out of control, and the entire structure came down. In the 24 hours following the fire, we learn that it rapidly escalated as a result of poor building codes, and we probably could have contained the fire if it had not spread so quickly.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

We need to learn to disagree with others effectively

We are living in a time of anger. We’re angry at the way the world looks right now. We are angry at each other for making it this way. We all have different opinions about why the world is the way it is, and we have even more opinions about how to fix it.


Eight Gators writers pick eight college football games from around the country. 
Sports

Picks column Week 6: Homecoming edition

There’s nothing quite like Homecoming week at the University of Florida — as long as you exclude all the Homecoming weeks at other colleges. But one thing UF has going for it this weekend is a premier college football matchup between the Gators, who feel like they can conquer the world after beating Vanderbilt, and a team that almost knocked off Troy last weekend. The LSU Tigers come into Gainesville looking to find the win column for the first time since beating Syracuse two weeks ago. But while LSU had little trouble taking down the Orange, we’ll find out Saturday if they can beat the Orange and Blue.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Gov. Scott has blame in nursing home tragedy

Gov. Rick Scott has made every effort to wash his hands of the Sept. 13 South Florida nursing home tragedy, which left 12 residents dead. In my opinion, he shouldn’t absolve himself so quickly.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Patreon is a nod to the past and a jump into the future of expression

The Renaissance is known as the “cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history,” according to Wikipedia, with the genesis being in Florence, Italy, in the 14th century. It was a vibrant period of exploding artistic expression and impressive intellectual and philosophical exploration.


Keith Stone dribbles towards the basket during Florida's 65-39 second-round win against Virginia in the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2017.
Sports

Column: Three predictions for Gators men's basketball

One head coach, three assistant coaches and 13 basketball players walk into a locker room. They’re fresh off of a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, but they just lost four very productive seniors, three of their top-four leading scorers from a year ago and their would-be starting center for several months due to an ACL injury.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

'Tolerant' college students aren't as tolerant as they might think

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a UF student, it’s that college students are not as tolerant as they claim to be. Are you surprised? I’m not. The hypocrisy of those who claim to be tolerant is stunning, and it was on full display last week after Victoria Fortier wrote a column for the Alligator titled “It’s time to stop kneeling during the national anthem.”


Florida Alligator
Opinion

'Fear of missing out' is a fact of life, so let's learn to accept it

You know, it’s OK if you don’t actually want to go out,” my friend told me via FaceTime while I begrudgingly highlighted my cheekbones. That night, I didn’t have to study, and I didn’t really have to catch up on sleep. I didn’t have any excuse not to go out, so I felt like I had to. I felt like I should want to. My friend is a recent graduate so I assume she must have forgotten about that inner conflict we all get when we consider going out or staying in. The former always wins. I reminded her why: College is only four years! I don’t have much longer to buy $5 triples! We’re all going to graduate and have to be adults soon!


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Stop putting off applying for internships

I would like to (metaphorically, of course) pull the hair of whoever came up with the concept that waiting until your last two years of college to take on internships is a good idea. Maybe this person was hoping more people would relax during their first two years or was concerned that most college freshmen don’t have the knowledge they need to intern, but I’m here to tell you that simply isn’t true.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Poetry and the beauty behind shared experiences

Last week, writers, readers and rhyme enthusiasts alike celebrated National Poetry Day. They shared short verses on social media and encouraged others to pick up their favorite collections. Twitter especially lit up with screenshots and quotations from poets as varied as Maya Angelou and Rupi Kaur. It made me think: Isn’t it incredible that there really is a poem out there for everyone?



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