Opinion | Columns

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RNC, DNC disappoint constituents

Once every four years, the two biggest teams in America put on the biggest shows in the country. Each flexing their accomplishments and wins of the previous years to sell a vision to Americans for their future. These events of showmanship are the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. From porn stars to presidents, the conventions brought big names in front of the country and gave their best shot at putting their candidate in the most powerful office in the world.

Call for columnists

The Alligator opinions section thrives on local and student voices.

The chase for prestige: a required cost or misallocation

Ben Sasse, former president at University of Florida, sent out a public statement via X on July 18, stating he decided to resign after 17 months due to a long history of family health issues. I first felt surprised and melancholy. However, I looked back at an insightful lesson my professor taught me which is “Gators have thick skin.” This means to become resilient during challenging times. 

Welcome back, students!

OK, so it’s not SO quiet. But what is generally missing is the sound of your voices. What is missing is your energy. You transform this place, and we’re glad you’re back. From my first days as a lecturer and graduate student, I’ve been involved in higher education for 36 years, and still, the first days of class never get old.

For this fall, a wish for joy

It seems right that The Alligator invited me to write a column welcoming students back to campus, because like many of you, I’m also coming back.

Why selling my soul to The Alligator was worth every act of kindness

My love letter to the Alligator

It’s hard to distill just how life-changing the Alligator has been these past two years.

Leaving the heart of journalism after two years

As I take the next step in my journalism career, I will never forget the people and the place that took a chance on me as a young journalist. The Alligator was a huge part of my first two years at college. I spent every semester, including the summers, covering sports I am passionate about and improving my journalistic skills. I still remember the day my first article about the UF golf team was published, and it was a moment that I will cherish forever because it further ignited my love for storytelling. As a freshman who knew little about journalism, The Alligator welcomed me with open arms and inspired me to become a better writer. 

Chance and comic misunderstanding: My journey at the Alligator

I joined the Alligator believing I wanted to be better than it.

Passing down the pen and paper

I used to say my goal in life was to leave a legacy. If death came knocking at my door, I wanted to be able to say people would remember me fondly for the things I did. 

Preventing the well of well-run organizing from running dry

Hinting upon this idea last time as I spoke of how intersectionality can help us in the fight against burnout, bringing new members into the fold of leadership is more important than ever. As I, and a plethora of other organizers scramble to help build new leadership, I can’t help but think of the path I took to my current place and how to acclimate others to the difficult job of navigating activism in Florida.

J.D. Vance: The Forgotten Man

In 1886, William Graham Sumner, a renaissance man of the social sciences, formerly taught at Yale, produced a work named, “The Forgotten Man.” This piece gave insight into how the American government was moving toward aiding large corporations and concurrently leaving the middle class behind. 

‘Dark Brandon’ delusions: Biden’s narcissism places his feelings over country

“Dark Brandon is coming back,” President Biden told one voter earlier this month. Dark Brandon, to review, is the internet meme that satirizes the president’s low energy persona by depicting him as a laser-eyed figure cloaked in darkness obliterating malarkey. Its inversion of reality is the punchline. Biden, too, has increasingly inverted reality as he desperately clings to his party’s nomination after a devastating debate performance. 

Mom crossed the border, so I crossed out my dreams

As a first-generation Latina, iIt’s been up to me to be the glue that puts back the pieces of shattered dreams that once belonged to the 19-year-old version of my mother — a burden placed on me the second I was born. 

Intersectionality as a solution to activism burnout

As you become more entrenched in activism at UF and in Gainesville, you quickly begin to see familiar faces. It can be rewarding, but sometimes it can feel like you are the only ones organizing, and it gets rough when you need to plan action and get a LOT of things done in a short amount of time… all on top of your schoolwork, job and personal life.

Presidential debate: calamities or promise

The presidential debate June 27 presented a clearer picture of what both candidates have in mind for policies in the United States. A general concluding theme is President Joe Biden is mentally compromised, while former President Donald Trump arguably performed one of his best presidential debates. People from both parties realize Biden doesn’t have the strength to continue the most demanding job in the country.

It’s Joever: Biden is old, unpopular and should not be running for President

I tuned into the first Presidential debate of the election season with alcohol in hand. My friends sat around the couch, watching the live political spectacle alongside 51 million other viewers. Drinks ran dry as both candidates made gaffe after gaffe. While former President Trump lied about abortion “even after birth” and denounced Biden as a “bad Palestinian,” our current President’s age became painfully visible as he struggled to form coherent answers to Trump’s rhetoric. Even when silent, Biden unnervingly stared off into space, looking visibly confused.

Recognizing queer student activists at the frontlines of struggle

I co-organized my first protest the spring of my freshman year, opposing House Bill 1557 or the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. During our march through Gainesville, dozens of community members swelled the crowd while others heckled us with homophobic slurs. 

Leave it to the professionals: The trend of legislative attacks on higher education in Florida

Almost a year ago on July 1, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 256 — a bill specifically intended to limit the power of unions in the state. The challenge that the Florida Legislature forced upon us has developed in several ways. While we have seen a growing community stand behind our unions, we have also seen an escalation of attacks on the groups we have a responsibility to protect.

‘Inside the closet,’ and what it means to survive in silence

Staying in the closet can feel almost like an act of complicity. Is there a way I could change my family members' minds if I were more open and proud? Am I doing other people like me a disservice by not being out? But surviving as a community isn’t always about large actions, protests and demonstrations. For some of us, the biggest step forward in the fight for queer acceptance is to simply survive. To reach a point of success where we aren’t dependent on those who hate us.