Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Denying the existence of climate change is unfair to poor countries

Oct. 1, 2015

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Josaia Bainimarama of Fiji addressed the United Nations General Assembly on the threat of climate change. As a Pacific Island state, Fiji is already experiencing the negative impacts of climate change; Bainimarama spoke of plans underway to relocate some Fijian villages due to rising sea levels. He urged the general assembly to take action at the upcoming climate change conference in Paris.

OPINION | COLUMNS

While the TSA is harassing a transgender woman, body scans aren’t making us safer

Sep. 30, 2015

The Transportation Security Administration’s policies, intended to fulfill the responsibility to detect and deter terrorist plots in U.S. airports, use largely invasive and discriminatory procedures that end up profiling whole groups of people.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Meet Joselin: Dancer, sister and your UF Student Body President

Sep. 30, 2015

Hello Gators! My name is Joselin Padron-Rasines and I’m your Student Body president. Even more than that, I’m a Gator.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Literary tourism: a rewarding way to learn about life

Sep. 29, 2015

Recently, I read an old article by Laura C. Mallonee in "The Paris Review" titled "Some Realms I Owned: Elizabeth Bishop in Manhattan."

OPINION | COLUMNS

On a scale from one to frat …

Sep. 29, 2015

Last Friday, I observed a sign on the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house that read "ATΩ + ∆∆∆ YOU’RE THE TEN-I-SEE." My first reaction was to scoff and write off the sign as a misplaced joke. But it merits consideration so that we might better understand how Greek life prescribes the interaction between men and women and how our culture inadvertently permits abuse.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: Support 352Arts in Alachua County

Sep. 29, 2015

I have had the pleasure of serving on the Gainesville/Alachua County Cultural Affairs Board since January 2012. I am more excited now than ever for the future of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs in this region. Arts and culture are thriving in our area, but there is so much more we can do if we all share in the effort. The 352ArtsRoadmap is a set of priorities that will help chart the future of arts and culture in Gainesville and Alachua County over the next five to 10 years.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The ‘John Oliver Effect’ in action

Sep. 28, 2015

Good satire can make you laugh, think or act; the best satire will make you do all three.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Volkswagen recall may prove to be positive

Sep. 28, 2015

It’s a great day when powerful people get caught doing bad things. Not bad as in being fellatio’d in the Oval Office or molesting-their-sister-while-espousing-conservative-family-values bad — more like corporate greed and deliberate-deception-of-the-public bad. Although it should be noted the exposure of hypocrisy does have its salience, there are bigger fish to broil today (not fry, ‘cause we’re trying to watch our figures).

OPINION | COLUMNS

40 years later, eccentric classic ‘Rocky Horror’ still a crowd pleaser

Sep. 28, 2015

This week ushers in the beginning of October, what I believe to be the best 31 days of the calendar year. This opinion isn’t based solely on the imminent approach of Halloween — which is unsurprisingly my favorite holiday — but also on the variety of changes the month seems to bring with it. With October comes the promise of cool(ish) autumn weather, the inability to escape pictures of girls in pumpkin patches and, of course, showings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Republican fact checking needs to be more strict

Sep. 27, 2015

C.J. Pearson, a 13-year-old online conservative activist, seems to be overly influenced by Fox News’ hateful rhetoric. It’s not wrong that he has decided to take on political issues. However, I take umbrage with how he has been sensationalized.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Guest Column: We need to fix the music building if UF wants to be a top university

Sep. 27, 2015

This past January, the Alligator published an article about the UF School of Music building and its desperate need for repair and renovations. Though its faculty and students have long called for changes to the building’s structure, many of us remained unaware of the situation inside the building. Most recently, anti-slip coating and handrails were installed in the stairwells. Though the public attention and minor renovations are a step in the right direction, the condition of the building is still very dire. Recently, I have been given tours of the building by a music student and professor.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Professor Q&A: Kafka and the creeping influence of the past coming back

Sep. 27, 2015

Eric Kligerman is an associate professor of German studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

OPINION | COLUMNS

IS: Terrorism in the Digital Era is cause for concern

Sep. 24, 2015

The Islamic State group, or IS (ISIS) is a name that has seldom been far from news headlines over past two years. After establishing a religious caliphate in swathes of Syria and Iraq, the radical Islamist group has gained global attention for the violent rule it has imposed in these regions. While the Islamic State group’s physical control may be confined to the territories it has claimed, its sphere of influence extends far beyond. The Islamic State group has successfully used the Internet and social media to spread both fear and its ideals, making it a uniquely digital terrorist organization.

OPINION | COLUMNS

There are no absolutes in sexuality

Sep. 24, 2015

I keep seeing posts or overhearing conversations where someone says, "I’m completely straight, but I find girls so hot and I want to make out with them!" or, "I’m totally not gay, but I want to try giving a blowjob," or "I swear I’m 100 percent homosexual, but man, do I want to have sex with someone of the opposite gender."

OPINION | COLUMNS

The disposability of American pop culture and Father John Misty as an icon

Sep. 24, 2015

My favorite dumb hobby is taking pop culture way too seriously.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Comedic journalism is informative and here to stay

Sep. 23, 2015

"The Daily Show" will soon be returning with a new host: South African comedian Trevor Noah. While Trevor Noah will have large comedic shoes to fill, there is no doubt with time he will find his own unique style and will evolve alongside the show. Every satirical news show that has begun after "The Daily Show" takes, at the least, a few dozen episodes to find its niche. It even took Jon Stewart a while to build a loyal and devoted audience; in the end, "The Daily Show" and its counterparts have created a way for millennials to keep up with the news while having a (somewhat) good time doing it.

OPINION | COLUMNS

U.S. government needs to combat Islamophobia

Sep. 23, 2015

Last week, the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed started trending around the social media sphere. It began with the story of a 14-year-old dark-skinned boy of Sudanese origins who had a keen interest in inventing. He brought a clock he made — comprised of wires, a display and a pencil case — to his high school in Irving, Texas, to show one of his teachers.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Marco Rubio is a disgrace to the university

Sep. 22, 2015

Last week, Marco Rubio, Florida’s junior senator, took a cheap shot and gave the world a glimpse into his character.

OPINION | COLUMNS

‘Studying history is like traveling’

Sep. 22, 2015

Michael Schuering is the visiting associate professor of history at the UF Center for European Studies. His position is partly funded by DAAD, the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, or the German Academic Exchange Service. He is currently teaching "Weimar Germany Culture" and "Genes, Blood and the Body."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Social issues are real and should be more than Emmy punchlines

Sep. 22, 2015

This weekend I embarked on a sweaty, bug-bite-infested journey to Camp Crystal Lake, which is a little north of Gainesville, in an attempt to educate Honors freshmen about all the different facets of UF they can take advantage of.