Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Our dreams aren’t always our reality

Mar. 26, 2019

I recently met a local attorney who likes to write short stories and poetry in his spare time. I, too, like to write creatively, and I was interested in how he has balanced his career and his writing. I was hoping for some encouragement because I plan on finding a job that will allow me time to write on the side. Instead, however, he sighed and looked at me with tired eyes. He said he has received hundreds of rejections, and he ended by saying that the world owes me nothing. Just because I have a passion or a dream does not mean either will inevitably come true.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Toxic masculinity won't save the U.S.

Mar. 24, 2019

While many of us struggle to watch policymakers continue ignoring the reality and the severity of climate change, we often forget that government offices are not the only spaces where change can take place. It won’t be the politicians who save our planet, it will be individuals who are inspired by the idea of a better future. Unfortunately, while we remain quick to judge the lack of action on the part of our country’s leaders, we fail to recognize the lack of action on our own part.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Undergraduate research will make the job search a little less painful

Mar. 24, 2019

Undergraduate students are constantly on the prowl for what will give them that extra leg up, whether it be for graduate school or to stand out to an employer. If you're in a STEM, Liberal Arts or any kind of major that offers research that you're interested in, it could give you valuable experiences and connections.

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 sits grounded at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Saturday, March 23, 2019. The chief of Ethiopian Airlines says the warning and training requirements set for the now-grounded 737 Max aircraft may not have been enough following the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people. Writing in Amharic reads "Ethiopian". (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

OPINION | COLUMNS

Deadly Boeing crash shows the importance of oversight

Mar. 24, 2019

A crash that happened halfway around the world should be a warning sign to passengers everywhere.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A whole “latte” love. Here's some of the best coffee shops in Gainesville.

Mar. 24, 2019

The first column I ever wrote for The Alligator was about the best libraries on campus. For this column, I would like to expand on my list of “Best of…” But rather than comparing the best on-campus libraries, I’m going to discuss off-campus coffee shops. This is my attempt at a reprise.

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2019 file photo, actress Lori Loughlin, center, poses with daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli, left, and Isabella Rose Giannulli at the 2019 "An Unforgettable Evening" in Beverly Hills, Calif. Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were charged along with nearly 50 other people Tuesday in a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the most elite schools in the country, federal prosecutors said. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

OPINION | COLUMNS

How are we supposed to trust the college admissions process?

By Chasity Maynard | Mar. 21, 2019

Applying for college was one of the most difficult academic challenges of my life. It was the compilation of years and years of all-nighters, skipped social events, supportive teachers (and not-so-supportive teachers), my parents’ sacrifices and so much work. I poured all of myself into my college applications because going to college was my most important goal.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The hits and misses of our class councils

Mar. 21, 2019

With our whole “stand up and yodel” day of giving in our collective recent memories, I think it would be fitting to talk about our class councils.

OPINION | COLUMNS

What the college cheating scandal means for affirmative action

Mar. 21, 2019

It’s no secret that money, a well-known family name and connections can bring advantages when it comes to college. Wealthy and famous families often donate huge amounts of money to the schools they want their children to attend. When families aren’t donating to higher education institutions, they can simply capitalize on their names and connections. Honestly, who could ever deny the kids of an A-list celebrity?

OPINION | COLUMNS

What majoring in the humanities can teach us

Mar. 19, 2019

Any humanities student will tell you that they have been repeatedly asked something along these lines: “What do you plan on doing with your major?” Most of us have our rehearsed responses: “I’m not sure yet!” or “Maybe law school.” But after a while, you wear down and begin to secretly wonder, along with everyone else, what exactly you will do with a classics or philosophy degree. At least, this has been my experience.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The only March Madness bracket I care about is Kanye’s

Mar. 19, 2019

Every year, basketball fans fill out a March Madness bracket in an attempt to predict the future and win an insurmountable amount of money. Around this time of year, I usually look at my sports-obsessed friends who have the basketball knowledge to fill out those cool-looking, debate-starting brackets and think to myself, “Darn, I wish I cared or knew enough about basketball to fill out one of those.” Then, last year came the Kanye bracket; now my bracket-filling cravings are satisfied with so many non-sports related brackets to choose from.

Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. A witness says many people have been killed in a mass shooting at a mosque in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.(AP Photo/Mark Baker)

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why everyone should take the New Zealand mosque attacks personally

Mar. 19, 2019

It is hard for bad news to surprise me nowadays. Headline after headline summarizing tragedies and horrific events are nothing new. When I read about these bad things happening, I usually feel very removed from the situation. I understand their negative effects, and my heart aches for all of the hate in the world. However, something about it does not seem real without seeing it happen firsthand. My life continues, and nothing changes. Gun control laws are not tightened, the country’s faulty socioeconomic system prevails and the depressing articles keep pouring in. I have almost reached the point of utter hopelessness.

Photo by Jonathan Cosens - JCP on Unsplash

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cable TV is becoming more provocative. Here’s why.

Mar. 19, 2019

Whatever happened to television shows like “Little House on the Prairie” and “That’s So Raven”? Shows that are sweet and often have a happy ending. Nowadays, if someone turns on the television, networks are most likely playing some type of provocative show. For example, the first episode of “Enemy of the State” involved at least four murders. All of this led me to think: Is television becoming too violent and sexual?

OPINION | COLUMNS

The bribery scandal isn’t the only thing wrong with college admissions

Mar. 17, 2019

College admissions have been rocked by scandal recently. Federal authorities have busted a scheme in which wealthy parents paid a man named William “Rick” Singer to get their children into college. He bribed college coaches to recruit children as star athletes (even if they had never played the sport in question) and bribed SAT or other college entrance exam proctors to give the children an advantage (such as the proctor correcting his or her answers or allowing someone else to take the test in the child’s place). Numerous figures from all sorts of professional fields were involved, including law, real estate developers, executives, etc. Including the ones that grabbed the most attention were actresses Lori Loughlin of “Full House” and Felicity Huffman of “Desperate Housewives.” What Loughlin, Huffman and others did is clearly illegal, and they should face justice for their actions. However, outright bribery and fraud aren’t the only things wrong with college admissions, and many of those problems are perfectly legal.

OPINION | COLUMNS

US lawmakers should look to New Zealand to solve our mass shooting epidemic

Mar. 17, 2019

Last Friday, 50 lives were lost in Christchurch, New Zealand, after a gunman opened fire in two mosques. The perpetrator is understood to be a white nationalist who posted a racist manifesto online prior to the attack and live-streamed the killings on Facebook. He was identified as 28-year-old Brenton Harrison Tarrant from Australia. According to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, he will go to trial in New Zealand where he will face the justice system for the acts of terror he committed.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The final weeks of the semester are the worst

Mar. 17, 2019

With Spring Break gone and a terrifyingly challenging week of classes under our belts, we have all settled back in. It’s different this time, though. After a Spring Break without responsibilities or rules, it’s hard to rid ourselves of that mindset. We’ve tasted what life is like for the elite members of society who don’t have to work for things, and returning to the "Gainesville grind" now feels like a painful vacation to a penitentiary. What did we do to deserve this? Students’ breakup with Spring Break is cruel, and now we are left with the sloppy second half of the semester. Is there any hope that it’ll get better?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Boot the braids: Frosty's are good but human rights violations aren't

Mar. 14, 2019

“We know that freedom has many dimensions. It is the right of the man who tills the land to own the land; the right of the workers to join together to seek better conditions of labor…” These words, spoken by Robert F. Kennedy at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, the same year Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, echo today, leaving reverberations across the United States. Cesar Chavez, who had been protesting for better living conditions for migrant workers in California, encouraged his fellow Americans to boycott the grape industry that underpaid and abused its workers.

OPINION | COLUMNS

From UF President Kent Fuchs: In praise of history that makes our hearts race

Mar. 14, 2019

Sixty-one years ago, an Air Force veteran named George Starke Jr. became the first African American student to attend UF when he enrolled in our law school.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Take a moment to flip your thinking on the Spring Break blues

Mar. 14, 2019

I have heard every version of students wishing Spring Break hadn’t ended. From, “I’d love it if the semester ended already,” and “Why did it have to end early?” to even the dramatic “God, I’m dropping out. I swear.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

SG needs to stand up for its students

Mar. 14, 2019

Things got a little spicy in Senate last Tuesday, and there’s plenty of tea to share.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Jury duty? More like civic duty

By Chasity Maynard | Mar. 12, 2019

The dreaded day comes for all of us, usually sooner than expected. We spend our whole lives trying to escape it, but, alas, each of us must meet our match at some point. When people open up the mailbox and the white envelope with the big red letters is there, it makes most people roll their eyes in defeat. Your government has summoned you for jury duty.