Opinion

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The curly hair revolution is here

Apr. 23, 2019

All my childhood, I wanted pinstraight hair. The hair that grows out of my head is the exact opposite, curly like the corkscrew you use to open a bottle of wine. It’s hard for me to remember one classmate growing up who had curly hair. There was no one to share the trials and tribulations of having a hair type that requires half a bottle of conditioner. In high school, I abused my curls via over-shampooing, over-brushing and tugging on them to calm them down. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized my hair wasn’t the problem, but my brain — all thanks to the beauty and supportive nature of the curly hair community.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

We mourn along with Sri Lanka

Apr. 21, 2019

Easter, a day of celebration for Christians all over the world, turned into a day of mourning after three churches in three Sri Lankan cities were torn apart by bombs, wreaking havoc on families and friends in worship. The bombings have killed at least 207 people and injured 450 people. Officials believe the attacks, which also included bombings at high-end hotels in Sri Lanka, were carried out by suicide bombers in a coordinated act of terrorism.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Notre Dame fire brings both destruction and recognition to an international icon

Apr. 21, 2019

One week ago today, the world was rocked by the news that a symbol, a monument to creativity and a cathedral were all burning: Notre Dame Cathedral was on fire.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Eating disorders can affect anyone, not just young women.

Apr. 21, 2019

When people think of eating disorders, they often imagine a stick-thin woman comparing herself to models or Barbie dolls. We often fail to realize people of all body types struggle with eating disorders, including men. Parents worry about their daughters starving themselves but don’t think to check on their sons’ eating habits, despite the fact that one out of three people afflicted with an eating disorder is a man.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

A few last thoughts and a final goodbye

Apr. 21, 2019

Now that this day is here, the day of my last Alligator column, it may be appropriate for me to reflect on what I have been trying to do here for the past couple years.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

A goodbye: Catch you all later, Alligators

Apr. 21, 2019

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The US healthcare system shouldn’t discriminate against transgender people

By Chasity Maynard | Apr. 18, 2019

Many transgender people nationwide battle hatred, ostracization and discrimination in their interactions with random people and even with their friends and families. Hate is a nearly unavoidable part of life for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. today. Unfortunately, achieving tolerance and acceptance is a process that takes time and education.

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OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: April 19, 2019

Apr. 18, 2019

You’re on your way to your final exam of the semester, and you should be going over equations in your head. Instead, your mind is thinking about summer days spent sleeping in and on home-cooked meals. The semester has flown by. There have been a few wins and a few losses, but you’ve made it through all the same. You find yourself with a small smile on your face, allowing yourself to revel in a little self-pride.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: What SG and others can learn from Public Policy Career Day

Apr. 18, 2019

On March 21, Chomp the Vote hosted the Public Policy Career Day inside of the Reitz Grand Ballroom. To put on the event, Chomp the Vote partnered with the Bob Graham Center, the UF International Center, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Beyond 120, the political science department, the College of Journalism and Communications, the Career Resource Center and Civic Duty Florida. The event featured more than 20 universities with public policy and administration programs, such as Tufts University, Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University, as well as employers from the public and private sector. The event director and planning team within Chomp staff created this event with the intention of bringing an event on campus for students to be exposed to educational and professional opportunities within the public policy sector.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

SG banquet: Mac and cheese, prayer and cowboys

Apr. 18, 2019

Well, I made it into the Student Government banquet this year, and it was a rather interesting event. For starters, they dropped around $20,000 on a banquet and ended up drinking out of disposable plastic cups. They are humble people, aren’t they?

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

There’s another reason to take the sexual assault survey

Apr. 16, 2019

If you’re a student at UF, you received an email from UF President Kent Fuchs encouraging students to fill out a campus climate survey on sexual assault and misconduct. It’s a survey that attempts to better understand sexual assault and sexual misconduct on college campuses. There are 33 universities conducting the survey, which is being conducted by the Association of American Universities, including UF.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Forget Hallmark holidays. Introducing: Instagram holidays

Apr. 16, 2019

National Girlfriend Day. National Boyfriend Day. National Ex-Spouse Day. The list goes on and on. It seems to me that in recent times these “holidays” have grown in popularity thanks to the online societies unasked for and organic decision to use them as a reason to post. These are days when your feed is full of people posting about their significant others, whom they love and appreciate, but it has become an excuse to post a picture that you have had saved in your camera roll.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Don’t feel guilty about how you celebrate the holidays this weekend

Apr. 16, 2019

This upcoming weekend is often a time for religious celebrations or even just a time to spend with our families. People all over the world will come together with their loved ones to observe Easter and Passover.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Do more responsibilities make us adults, or are we still figuring things out?

Apr. 16, 2019

am not a history buff, but I imagine that in the past it was easy, or at least easier than today, to discern when a child became an adult. There were rituals, or rites of passage, that set clear limits. Plus, a child had to pass through those rituals much sooner in life than we do. My fiancee’s grandmother, for instance, was married at 18 years old and was a mother at 20. Marriage has often been considered a marker of adulthood. She and many others from her generation had, from our perspective, clipped childhoods and prolonged adulthoods.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

‘Fake’ is in the eye of the beholder.

Apr. 16, 2019

Earlier this year, I wrote a column about how I owned a pair of fake AirPods. Well, I would like to write I have gotten a second pair that is much closer to the actual product. A trip online to an Asian wholesale website, a few extra dollars for express shipping and six days of waiting brought another pair of fake AirPods to my dorm. They came in a box with the same minimalist Apple style, a lightning cable that works for my phone and even some stamps. My first pair of imposters cost me $2 and were honestly a hassle. These fakes, however, have changed the game for me.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

The editorial board’s tour at UF Health Shands

Apr. 14, 2019

A few weeks ago, the editorial board was invited to take a tour of UF Health Shands Hospital, specifically the pediatric units after we wrote the editorial, “What does it mean to do it ‘For The Kids’?” In the editorial, we posed questions we felt were not readily available to the general public concerning Dance Marathon at UF, such as how exactly money raised by DM is utilized. As a result, Shands representatives reached out to give us these answers and provide more transparency on how the money is spent in the children’s hospital.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

To Meme or Not To Meme?

Apr. 14, 2019

It is time we talk about memes and meme culture. I love a good meme, and I assume you do as well, or else you wouldn’t be wasting your time reading a column about memes. Internet memes have become a prevalent part of a Millennial and Generation Z’s daily life. You could even say they have become a sort of coping mechanism. Memes represent the pent-up frustrations and passions of this time in history. Millennials are generally known to be in a worse off economic situation than the generation before, having been handed the failures of our ancestors without sufficient education to craft a solution. Those of us pursuing a college degree have to deal with incredibly high tuition costs and possibly immense student loans. Millennials are characterized as the “anxious generation,” and Generation Z has been reported as naming depression and anxiety as the biggest problems facing their peers, according to The Economist. The only way out of the unearned strife that has defined the short run-time of the third millennia is a good meme. But when should we create or share a meme? When should we not? It must be noted one cannot always meme, but then again there are times when a meme is the most essential service one can provide. For guidance, we look to Shakespeare’s most famed work, “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” or Hamlet, for short.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Return-free filing offers a solution to Tax Day woes

Apr. 14, 2019

The dreaded day is upon us: April 15. Tax Day. Whether you did your taxes early or waited until the last minute, and whether you did them yourself or had help, you’ve probably thought at some point, “There has to be an easier way to do this.” I’m pleased to say there is. If you weren’t aware there is an easier system, you can blame TurboTax and H&R Block.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

‘I don’t shine if you don’t shine’

Apr. 14, 2019

Since 2014, co-hosts Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman have used their podcast, “Call Your Girlfriend,” as a platform to discuss pressing social, cultural and political issues. In particular, Sow and Friedman highlight women who are agents, creators and those who initiate change. In doing so, they ensure “Call Your Girlfriend” gives a voice to women.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

How helping our own community can create a better Gainesville in the future

Apr. 14, 2019

UF’s Black Student Union has taken it upon itself to ensure local high school students have the funds necessary to pursue a college degree. UF’s Leadership Development Institute, a program within BSU, recently created a scholarship called the Rich in Color Scholarship to promote higher education for local high school students who otherwise may be unable to afford it.