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Thursday, February 12, 2026

Opinion

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

America should focus on education

The United States is a country that, while undoubtedly a strong and immensely powerful leader in many areas of global society, faces several serious issues as it pushes forward into the future. Beyond issues such as ongoing wars, steady unemployment and reality TV shows giving birth to other, far worse reality TV shows, one specific issue rises above the rest in its level of importance and the amount of immediate action we must take to combat its potential effects. This issue is a growing ignorance by a majority of our population toward confronting and solving the major problems and questions facing our nation today. This ignorance is being supported by an overall lack of resolve and patience, partisan bickering and a tendency for the national consciousness to be distracted and concerned with issues of far lesser importance.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Genocide, abortion not the same

Genocide is the systematic and deliberate slaughter of a specific race, nationality or culture. This term applies to what happened in the concentration camps in Hitler's Germany, as well as to the slaughter of non-Arabic people of Darfur, Sudan, by the militant government. It does not apply, however, to abortion. No matter how you feel about the issue of abortion, everyone should be able to agree that it is not, at least, a genocide.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Abortion rights must be protected

Access to a safe, legal, accessible abortion is a right that is protected in the United States today. Women in this country have the liberty to make the best personal decision for themselves and their families in the event of an unintended pregnancy.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Unite Party attacks are unfounded

In Friday’s Alligator, the Unite Party attacked the Student Alliance party for something they did not do. Let me be perfectly clear: The Student Alliance party did not participate in last week’s fliering with anti-Unite Party messages, and we don’t condone such activities.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Student Alliance party not acting for students

As I sat in on the annual Student Government debate Thursday, I was all smiles as I took the opportunity to shake hands with old friends on both sides of the aisle and even some former colleagues from Freshman Leadership Council who were hosting the event. Like most UF students, I’ve been happy to avoid the politics and take the best of what SG has to offer: great memories, a chance to serve my community and a great love for my university and my fellow students.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Danger nothing new in Winter Olympics

There was a considerable amount of finger pointing last week after Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a practice run for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I saw the video of the crash in which Kumaritashvili flew from his luge after exiting a turn over the 4-foot edge of the track, bounced off a rail and finally smashed head first into a support column – from a speed over 80 mph. He died before arriving at the hospital.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reitz Union fee will have large effect on undergraduates too

Let’s look at some numbers regarding tuition and fees. When I started at UF in fall 2008, tuition and fees were $126 per credit hour. Bright Futures Scholarship Program still paid 100 percent of this cost. This year, tuition and fees are $146 per credit hour. That’s a $20 increase per credit hour. This becomes $300 more in total for an undergraduate taking 15 credit hours. At the same time, Bright Futures no longer pays 100 percent of tuition and fees costs but a fixed $126. The $20 increase in tuition/fees had to come from the pockets (or other scholarships) of undergraduates.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Haiti needed help before earthquake

After the recent catastrophe in Haiti, it has been amazing to see the result from the Student Body and the rest of the country’s helpers. It is becoming visible — the impact a group of people, especially a group of Gators, can make. But it is disheartening to see that it took a disaster as big as a 7.0-magnitude earthquake to spark this. 


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