Opinion
Opinion
Editorial: Pope Francis, gay marriage and actualizing change
Sep. 30, 2015It was reported Wednesday that Kim Davis, current conservative darling and avowed hatemonger, had a private meeting with Pope Francis during his visit to the U.S. last week. Per the Washington Post and NPR, the meeting occurred last Thursday at the Vatican Embassy in D.C. Apparently the meeting had been arranged at the behest of the Vatican weeks in advance. Through her legal team, Davis expressed that the meeting, although brief, was profound for both her and Pope Francis, with both clasping each other’s hands and vowing to pray for one another. Francis also sent Davis off with a nice pair of rosaries.
Opinion
While the TSA is harassing a transgender woman, body scans aren’t making us safer
Sep. 30, 2015The 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
Meet Joselin: Dancer, sister and your UF Student Body President
Sep. 30, 2015Hello Gators! My name is Joselin Padron-Rasines and I’m your Student Body president. Even more than that, I’m a Gator.
Opinion
Editorial: Time management is a leviathan to be worked around, not slain
Sep. 29, 2015Time-management skills: Some of us got ‘em, some of us don’t. In high school and the preceding years, time-management skills essentially boiled down to doing your menial homework assignments as soon as you got home (unless you had a job, in which case your life was made exponentially harder), and saving the hard studying and projects for the wee hours. If you were of a particularly anxious sort or prone to procrastination, the wee hours could mean as early (or late) as 5 a.m. As far as the weekend went, school was essentially a non-entity, at least until Sunday evening rolled around.
Opinion
Literary tourism: a rewarding way to learn about life
Sep. 29, 2015Recently, I read an old article by Laura C. Mallonee in "The Paris Review" titled "Some Realms I Owned: Elizabeth Bishop in Manhattan."
Opinion
On a scale from one to frat …
Sep. 29, 2015Last 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
Guest Column: Support 352Arts in Alachua County
Sep. 29, 2015I 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
With SG elections in full swing, voting is more important than ever
Sep. 28, 2015t is universally agreed that democracy is a cornerstone of American values. By most accounts, it is the raison d’être for our country’s existence. The concepts which fall under democratic ideals, such as the freedom of choice and freedom of speech, have fundamentally shaped this nation’s political culture and social mores.
Opinion
The ‘John Oliver Effect’ in action
Sep. 28, 2015Good satire can make you laugh, think or act; the best satire will make you do all three.
Opinion
Volkswagen recall may prove to be positive
Sep. 28, 2015It’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
40 years later, eccentric classic ‘Rocky Horror’ still a crowd pleaser
Sep. 28, 2015This 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
Alligator endorsement: Access Party
Sep. 27, 2015In the past, UF Student Government elections have been marked by how relatively uneventful they were. This changed with Access Party’s victory last Spring and has only been compounded by the emergence of the Impact Party — and the maybe-not-so-coincidental dissolving of the Swamp Party — this semester. The tension in the air has been palpable and a frequent topic of discussion in both the Alligator office and campus at large.
Opinion
Republican fact checking needs to be more strict
Sep. 27, 2015C.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
Guest Column: We need to fix the music building if UF wants to be a top university
Sep. 27, 2015This 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
Professor Q&A: Kafka and the creeping influence of the past coming back
Sep. 27, 2015Eric Kligerman is an associate professor of German studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
Sports
Column: Amazing as it was, Florida must keep win in perspective
By JORDAN MCPHERSON | Sep. 27, 2015Florida fans will have fond memories of Saturday’s win against Tennessee.
Opinion
Darts and Laurels 09/25/2015
Sep. 24, 2015Although no one currently on the Alligator staff was in college in 2011, we feel confident in assuming that at some point in the year, a joke was made at the expense of "Friday" by Rebecca Black to introduce that week’s edition of Darts & Laurels. Although we would not stoop to such comedic lows, that isn’t going to stop us from using this information as an incredibly strained way to introduce this week’s edition of…
Opinion
There are no absolutes in sexuality
Sep. 24, 2015I 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."
