Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don't forget your childhood dreams

Nov. 17, 2015

When I was deciding my career as a little girl, full of blind naiveté and enthusiasm for a world that seemed so clearly ready to catapult me to stardom, there were a lot of options on the list. My aspirations ranged from ballerina to doctor to orange-truck driver over the years, but there was one job that kept coming up in the mix, no matter how many years passed: I wanted to be a writer.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Perils of registration, death of English program

Nov. 16, 2015

Registering for Spring classes is a perpetually stressful experience. Just in case the mid-semester deluge of papers, exams and self-doubt wasn’t enough, you also have to effectively plan four months’ worth of classes (assuming you’ll make it through December alive). While this process used to make me feel as though I had some aspect of my life under control, it has recently become an unavoidable and highly involved burden.

OPINION | COLUMNS

An update on Zadroga — Congress lets act expire

Nov. 16, 2015

About two months ago, I wrote a column about the plight of 9/11 first responders and the progress of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act.

OPINION | COLUMNS

American allies need to be held accountable

Nov. 16, 2015

The free world continues to weep for Paris this week.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Abortion restrictions are an issue of class

Nov. 15, 2015

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on Texas’ House Bill 2 — a bill that resulted in half of the state’s abortion clinics being closed. The law is a threat to the rights of low-income women in Texas. As the Supreme Court prepares to hear one of its first abortion cases in a while, it must consider the motivations behind such restrictions. Given abortion is a low-complication procedure, many of the restrictions are unnecessary and serve only to make it difficult for women to get an abortion.

OPINION | COLUMNS

We can condemn terrorism without targeting refugees

Nov. 15, 2015

This has been a year of magical thinking.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Millennials aren’t THAT terrible

Nov. 12, 2015

You’ve heard the complaints. We’re lazy and entitled, and when we aren’t staring at a screen, we’re staring at ourselves. We’re millennials, and we’re pretty unpopular.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The mother of sexual awkwardness

Nov. 12, 2015

My worst nightmare came true Friday. It was about 15 minutes after meeting my partner’s mom for the first time. We were walking down the street to the Homecoming parade when someone handed us a copy of the Alligator.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Mizzou students are the crest on a wave of activism

Nov. 12, 2015

This column concerns the events which transpired at the University of Missouri on Monday. No doubt you’re familiar with it already — along with the heresy of plain red cups, the Mizzou story has captured the country’s imagination.

UF President Kent Fuchs delivers his State of the University address in the Reitz Union Auditorium on Sept. 24, 2015. He plans to increase diversity and research opportunities at UF.

OPINION | COLUMNS

From President Fuchs: Listening, learning and combating racism

Nov. 11, 2015

In 1902, two years before he became UF’s first president, Andrew Sledd lost his faculty position at Emory University in Georgia because he spoke out against racism.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Syria, Afghanistan and double-back in U.S. strategy

Nov. 9, 2015

This past October, we witnessed a stark readjustment of the U.S. military agenda in the Middle East. On Oct. 30, President Obama announced the U.S. military would, in fact, be putting "boots on the ground" in Syria. Earlier on Oct. 15, the Obama administration announced an extension of the timeline for U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. Through most of next year, 9,800 troops will continue operations, and by Jan. 2017, a residual force of 5,500 troops will remain indefinitely.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Mississippi needs to change its state flag

Nov. 9, 2015

"Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall."

OPINION | COLUMNS

The Odyssey needs to rethink its approach to online journalism

Nov. 9, 2015

It’s an experience we know all too well: innocently scrolling through Facebook, attempting to stay up to date on your friends’ activities and unwillingly being drowned in a sea of useless click-bait articles. You know the type of article I’m talking about: the ones with titles like, "20 Things I Want to Tell My Little," "10 Struggles That Only Girls With Long Hair Will Understand" and "8 Thoughts Every Girl Has When Picking Out a Halloween Costume."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Don’t twist the meaning of sexual liberation

Nov. 8, 2015

To adapt Maxim Biller: Nothing is as boring as sexual liberation, at least for women.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Ben Carson, partisan politics, scrutiny

Nov. 8, 2015

Most politicians go to great lengths to cultivate a carefully constructed image. Donald Trump has made himself the candidate who says what others are thinking but are afraid to say. Jeb Bush has made it a point to distance himself from his brother’s policies.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Relax, Jeb Bush is still going to be president

Nov. 8, 2015

Back in the early days of the 2014 football season, the Green Bay Packers were 1-2. Fans were upset. Head management started updating their resumes. Things were not looking good. After receiving a loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions — yes, you can understand the Pack’s frustration — quarterback Aaron Rodgers told the cheesehead faithful to "R-E-L-A-X." Rodgers calmly told the media and Green Bay nation everything will be all right. And he was right. The team finished 12-4, captured first place in the NFC North and went to the NFC Championship.

OPINION | COLUMNS

From your Student Body President: Create long-lasting memories this Homecoming

Nov. 5, 2015

Hello Gators! I’m back for another issue of my new monthly column. I hope everyone survived midterms and is getting ready for a well-deserved Thanksgiving Break!

OPINION | COLUMNS

Butts, butts, butts: Anal is in, can I get a #ButtStuff2k15

Nov. 5, 2015

The 21st century has brought me a lot of things that I’m thankful for, among them being iPhones, the next Star Wars trilogy and butt stuff.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Far from peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Nov. 4, 2015

"We must think differently, look at things in a different way. Peace requires a world of new concepts, new definitions." — Yitzhak Rabin

OPINION | COLUMNS

Ann Coulter should not speak at UF

Nov. 4, 2015

On Monday, a fellow opinion columnist wrote about how he felt Ann Coulter should be a guest speaker on campus. While I would concede there is a need for more conservative speakers, I could not disagree more. Coulter is the last conservative speaker we need.