opinion - The Independent Florida Alligator

Opinion

Frank Walch’s comparison of Unite Party to Nazi leaders is offensive, shameful

By Dara Schopp | Feb. 22, 2010

As a Jew and as a decent human being, I was thoroughly offended by Frank Walch’s letter to the editor Monday that compared certain leaders of the Unite Party to Nazi leaders. Though Walch specified that he did not feel as though a Student Government politician could be described as being as evil as a Nazi figure (thankfully he was willing to grant that at the least), his letter is a blatant character-assassination attempt. Tell me, Mr. Walch, how on Earth one could possibly equate a few thousand dollars spent on alleged perks with a “fascist agenda”? How could you possibly insinuate that the hundreds of volunteers for Unite have been “coerced” into giving their time? How could you ignore the accomplishments made in the past year and instead credit the administration?

Opinion

Unite’s Senate candidates chosen based on obedience, not merit

By Joshua Niederriter | Feb. 22, 2010

The Alligator forgot the most important choice voters face in its editorial: the Senate slate.

Opinion

Selwach needs to take stronger stand on legalization of marijuana

By Katie Adamson | Feb. 22, 2010

I don’t get it. Is Richard Selwach for the legalization of the maple tree, or does he just want Florida to secede to Canada? If you are going to stand up for an issue as heated and as important as the legalization of marijuana, do so boldly, my friend!

Opinion

Reitz Union renovation is unreasonable

By Jordan Dominy | Feb. 22, 2010

Monday’s editorial endorsing the Reitz Union fee is indicative of the shortsightedness of the Alligator’s editorial staff. Yes, supporting the fee so long as graduate assistants are exempted from it seems like a good idea. I’m a teaching assistant, and I, too, find the logic that leads to this enticing because I stand to benefit from it. However, there is nothing that Student Government can do to assure us that this fee will be waived for graduate assistants. The Student Body President — Jordan Johnson now, and whoever his successor may be — is merely one member of the board of trustees and can only propose such a waiver. Moreover, as it stands on the day of an election that puts such an important matter to vote, a waiver of the Reitz Union fee for graduate assistants has not even been officially presented to the trustees. A vote in favor of this fee is a vote based merely on the fleeting hope that UF’s administration and trustees will have the goodness in their hearts to cut some slack to those who work the hardest to keep this university running.

Opinion

Benefits of Reitz renovation will outweigh costs

By Laura Brancheau | Feb. 22, 2010

The Alligator’s endorsement of the Reitz Union referendum has me at the edge of my seat. I read the Alligator daily and recognize it as the primary and most knowledgeable source for everything going on on campus. For weeks, I have read about the proposed student fee to repair and renovate the Reitz Union. I heard the potential price but wasn’t aware of the potential results. The Alligator Editorial Board has pulled the rug out from under my feet and made me think twice about this issue.

Sports

Give lacrosse a shot

Feb. 21, 2010

The first official goal scored in Florida lacrosse history was a mistake.

Opinion

Celebrities held to double standards

By Ryan Spencer | Feb. 21, 2010

An issue that plagued me considerably last year has recently resurfaced with the addition of wide receiver Donté Stallworth to the roster of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Stallworth, who nabbed passes for the Cleveland Browns during the 2008 season, was arrested in March of 2009 and charged with DUI manslaughter after hitting 59-year-old Mario Reyes. This event garnered a modest amount of media coverage and paled in comparison to the circus surrounding the Michael Vick case. It’s this disparity in coverage and, more specifically, public outrage that’s at the root of my dismay.

Opinion

Greek philanthropies not egotistical

By Delta Upsilon Fraternity members | Feb. 21, 2010

Philanthropies are a chance for the Greek community as a whole, and the houses individually, to provide charitable service to their communities through the power of collective action. It’s hard to believe that such an altruistic goal could be smeared or tarnished, yet recent commentary in the Alligator has proved otherwise.

Opinion

Administrators make reforms, not SG

By FRANK J. WALCH | Feb. 21, 2010

Jordan Johnson and Hitler: Are they the same? Ben Meyers: Could he be our generation’s Joseph Goebbels? Is Ashton Charles the next Rudolf Hess?

Opinion

Dove World Outreach Center should be forced off campus

By DAVID HANAN | Feb. 21, 2010

Members of the Dove World Outreach Center should be forced off campus by students and faculty alike. Gainesville residents should not tolerate blatant prejudice, whether it be on billboards or T-shirts. The message needs to be simple and direct: The Dove World Outreach Center does not belong on campus and does not belong on the streets. The hateful messages should be kept inside their festering warehouse of Bibles and screen-printing presses. When citizens become indifferent to religiously or culturally incendiary messages, evil will triumph. Everyone needs to know that genocide begins when lay people tolerate bigotry. If members of the Dove Center can walk freely though campus, student and faculty silence is directly condoning their message. When did the Holocaust begin? Did it begin when the first victims died? When they were put on trains? The Holocaust began when a whole people became desensitized to violence and apathetic to racism. The Dove Center is using religious text to try to label and isolate Islamic people. If this sounds familiar, join me and force the members of this wretched group off our campus and off our streets.

Opinion

Students should take a stand against hate act

By Jonathan Ossip | Feb. 21, 2010

I hope that I am joined by the entire university community in condemning the most recent incident of hate speech on our campus. For those of you who do not know, fliers were distributed across campus and around Gainesville that said, “Student Alliance party is the Nazi Party,” printing our logo and a swastika with an equal sign between them.

Sports

Ugly or not, Gators’ play was just what they needed

Feb. 18, 2010

I almost didn’t recognize the Florida men’s basketball team that defeated Auburn on Thursday night.

Opinion

Baseball season offers relief, hope

By PAUL MURTY | Feb. 18, 2010

It’s that time of year again. The smell of freshly cut grass is in the air, and the faint crack of a wooden bat can be heard in the distance, or at least in your heart. That’s right — it’s baseball season. The happiest time of year for me. Not only is the Gators baseball team getting ready to open its season — one that offers the hope of another trip to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series — but major league teams are reporting for their first workouts.

Opinion

Darts & Laurels

By Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 18, 2010

We know none of you have read anything this week — we realize the Winter Olympics are far more entertaining than any letter to the editor we have to offer — but please pull your attention away from Shaun White and friends for just a second so we can present you with this week’s after-all-one-of-our-columnists-did-talk-about-curling-for-a-little-bit edition of Darts & Laurels

Sports

Florida-Georgia meet will be one to watch

By CALLOVI< | Feb. 17, 2010

I have covered a bunch of really exciting games in the three years I have worked for the Alligator, but still one of the most exciting events I attended as a journalist was the Florida-Georgia gymnastics meet my first semester covering a team in 2008.

Opinion

Facebook Fans: Student’s precedent protects free speech

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 17, 2010

Katherine Evans deserves some recognition, but the usual two-sentence blurb in the Darts & Laurels won’t cut it. Evans, a UF undergraduate, just helped set a legal precedent.

Opinion

Student Government flier scandal has heroes, villains

Feb. 17, 2010

I thought nothing had the ability to drag me kicking and screaming away from a television when high-stakes international curling was on, but the substantial debate surrounding the Student Government elections at UF this year managed to do the trick.

Opinion

Student Alliance party’s lies about Unite should be ignored

By Jillian Moore | Feb. 17, 2010

I was surprised by Wednesday’s letter about how the Unite Party is really the Gator Party, but perhaps it shouldn’t be.

Opinion

Student Alliance party genuinely cares about student involvement in Student Government

By Stacey Gray | Feb. 17, 2010

When Hayley Plant decided to ambush Ben Cavataro in Wednesday’s issue of the Alligator and berate him for not knowing the election codes, she forgot to, y’know, read the election codes.

Opinion

Reader calls out creator of offensive flier to apologize

By Keith Dvorchik | Feb. 17, 2010

On Wednesday a hateful flier was posted in the Turlington area on the free speech boards. This flier equated one of the UF Student Government parties with the Nazi Party in Germany through the use of the swastika symbol.