Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

A message to new voters: I missed my first chance to vote, but you don’t have to

Oct. 2, 2020

It was my sophomore year at UF. I was deep into classes for my major, juggling a part-time job, internship and trying to find time to enjoy the Gators football season. I had just moved from a dorm into my first apartment and was trying my best to learn how to do adult things like shop for groceries for the week and pay the cable bill.

OPINION | COLUMNS

How counselors at the CWC are coping with the pandemic

By Sara Nash | Sep. 23, 2020

Our mental health is inseparable from our environment, yet we can do certain things to reduce the chaos and restore moments — if not more — of relative calm and safety.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Pope: Register to be a voter today

Sep. 22, 2020

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that apathy is not an option. Whether you are a Gator on campus or back at home, we all have a responsibility to make our voices heard.

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How we should honor The Notorious R.B.G.

Sep. 22, 2020

Her story, of a person who against all odds rose to one of the highest positions in the land, is one that should resonate with all of us.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Climate change requires bold action

By Savannah Gribbins | Sep. 22, 2020

Climate change hurts my family in real time. Where do I move my family to keep them safe?

OPINION | COLUMNS

The pandemic is humbling, but UF is listening and responding

Sep. 16, 2020

We are working hard to support you in your college experience under these trying circumstances, while still creating a safer and healthier environment. We will continue to do so, and we are counting on you to do your part as well.

OPINION | COLUMNS

17,000 reasons why we should have had a graduation ceremony

Sep. 8, 2020

As a first-generation college student, I dreamt about graduation day and walking out to my family afterwards to bask in the joy of my accomplishments. I never dreamt about going to football games, basketball games or anything of the like. My academics meant more to me than anything else at UF, given they were the main reason why I was there.

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At UF Law, a crisis averted, but questions remain

Sep. 7, 2020

Professor Michelle Jacobs started her 28th year of teaching at UF’s Levin College of Law as planned last week, after a week of frantic organizing by students. But things almost turned out very differently.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Blaming women for their assaults, through email

By Olivia deMontmorency | Sep. 4, 2020

What does language have to do with sexual assault? Everything.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Looking out for one another — our shared responsibility

By D'Andra Mull | July 27, 2020

We are in this together.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dear administrators: Here are steps to fix UF Student Government

By Zachariah Chou | June 21, 2020

From reforms to committee selection, Senator Zachariah Chou discusses what he sees as ways to solve problems within SG

OPINION | COLUMNS

Abolish Student Government. Burn it all down.

June 15, 2020

Murphree Area Senator Zachariah Chou asks if UF cares about its minority students

OPINION | COLUMNS

Dear Student Organizations: Help is on the way

May 18, 2020

Student Government’s system for funding student organizations is less functional than Florida’s unemployment system.

Christina Morales, as a staff writer at The Alligator, and Tyler Pratt on one of their first dates at the UF X Ambassadors concert on Flavet Field in 2017.

OPINION | COLUMNS

What it's like to date a journalist

Apr. 19, 2020

Journalists don’t have a lot of free time. If they date you, they must really like you. I consider myself extra special because I was able to get a journalist to fit me in her abundant agenda filled with interviews, writing, meetings and editing all the time. While I do feel special, there was also a lot I learned by dating Christina Morales for more than two years during her Alligator career.

Lina Ruiz and Dana Cassidy respectively covered city commission and crime beats during the Fall 2019 semester. Lina Ruiz was the digital managing editor during the Spring 2020 semester.

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Pop the champagne

Apr. 19, 2020

I remember the first time I entered The Alligator newsroom as a staff writer. I felt small despite the hospitality and limited square footage of the glorified closet.

Christina Morales with Abuelo and Ayaya at her 2016 high school graduation from Barbara Goleman Senior High at Florida International University.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Journalists are made by people

Apr. 19, 2020

There used to be an old man who tucked in his aqua button-up shirt into his khaki pants every day. He looped a leather belt, shined his shoes and slicked back the little white hair he had left.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Save the drinking for when your loved ones are dead

Mar. 17, 2020

If I truly knew how to make young people care about the lives of others, I suppose I’d be writing a bestselling book instead of a column.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t lose sight of the upcoming election

Mar. 9, 2020

As a student, it can be easy to forget about elections because of everything else going on in your life. With classes, part-time jobs and other extracurricular activities, it’s intimidating to even think about fitting an election into an already chaotic schedule. Luckily, voting is convenient and effortless, thanks to a variety of voting options.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cheryl '77 – Love and Reflection

Feb. 14, 2020

This week, I have eagerly anticipated the Cheryl ’77 podcast episodes by UF’s Alisson Clark and Emily Cardinali. Alisson and Emily are on a mission to discover the author and intended recipient of a love note inscribed in the concrete sidewalk just off University Avenue in the courtyard by Matherly Hall on UF’s campus.

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 | COLUMNS

President Fuchs on Florida Arbor Day

Jan. 16, 2020

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.