Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels: March 17, 2017

Mar. 16, 2017

Ah, St. Patrick’s Day. The day when most Americans will proudly thump their chests, claim distant Irish heritage (yes, we get it Karen, your great-great-great-great grand-mother was Irish) and raise a pint to the air, singing what they think sounds like an Irish folk song. There may be shamrocks and green glitter involved. If you’re trapped in lecture and counting down the hours to your own St. Patty’s Day celebration, take a moment to prepare your toasts for tonight and go over this week’s...

OPINION | EDITORIALS

A message to the Student Body

Mar. 15, 2017

We’ve received some complaints saying we as a newspaper opinions section have been too ambivalent. This was in regards to Wednesday’s editorial, which was intended to view the Smith Meyers situation at a macro-scale. We wanted to highlight the domination

OPINION | COLUMNS

Let me ask you this: Why are you in college?

Mar. 15, 2017

One thing I learned quickly during my first few weeks on campus last year is that hardly anybody valued or enjoyed the mandatory class “What is the Good Life?” My teaching assistant for the class acknowledged this stigma himself on our first day of class. But he also posed to us a question, one that stopped me personally in my tracks. It was a simple question: Why are you in college?

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Do Better

Mar. 14, 2017

Everybody makes mistakes, but not everybody gets to be Student Body president. The way some people have responded (or not responded, if affiliated with Student Government) has been a disappointment. Let’s put the facts revealed by the arrest video out there, plain and clear: not only did Smith try to steal and damage multiple motorcycles, but he also appears to have punched a witness before running away and apparently also performed a poor carjacking attempt. Smith was trying to drive, and had Smith been able to get a vehicle running, he would have undoubtedly been a deadly threat to everyone around him and himself. Drunk driving is no joke and there is no shortage of personal tragedies out there to remind us of that. In Smith’s recorded words, however, “it’s not my fault.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Believing it’s ‘meant to be’ will hold you back

Mar. 14, 2017

The world we live in is chaotic. It is shaped by forces we do not always understand. A handful of powerful people exert disproportionate influence over our lives. There are things we have no ability to control.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A response to “The double standards in shaming Smith Meyers”

Mar. 14, 2017

I wholeheartedly agree that we should not ruin Meyers’ career over these events, however, I disagree on some key details.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

A campus divided over a sloppy night

Mar. 14, 2017

If there’s anything we have learned from the past few days, it’s that when there’s a hot-button issue on campus, boy oh boy do people get contentious about it. But what’s funny is what we consider a hot-button issue. Nazi on campus? Racial slurs and vandalism of UF buildings? A one-party monopolization of Student Government elections? The occasional defensive comments on a column or editorial, one or two letters to the editor, but nothing close to what we’ve been seeing.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Papa John’s Pizza driver should not have been fired over joke

Mar. 13, 2017

This is in reference to an Alligator story published March 13, in which a Papa John's Pizza employee was fired after writing a joke about domestic violence on the inside of a customer's box of brownies. The joke asked, "What do you tell a woman with two black eyes? Nothing, you already told her twice."

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Apology Accepted

Mar. 13, 2017

I am writing to voice my support for incoming Student Body President Smith Meyers and speak on behalf of the thousands of students who have read his statement and accepted his apology. I don’t know Smith well, but what I do know from mutual friends is how much this situation has weighed on his heart. Smith has worked for four years advocating for students and portraying UF in a positive light. That should not be erased by the actions of one night. I also find it puzzling that the majority of students calling for his resignation — because he embarrassed the university — are the same students sharing the stories and videos all over social media, presumably spreading the embarrassment they claim to oppose. I also find your publication’s criticism of his transparency to be unfounded. As anyone who has ever found himself or herself in a legal situation knows, you do not talk about your case with anyone other than your attorney before it is decided so as not to impact the outcome. This holds especially true for media outlets. What information are you asking from Smith that he could ever possibly give you? Finally, your criticism of administration for their lack of comment is also unfounded. No university official is able to comment on the legal proceedings of a student due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Do you expect administration to ignore this for your interviews? Please practice more responsible reporting in regard to this issue.

OPINION | CARTOONS

The double standards in shaming Smith Meyers

Mar. 13, 2017

I first discovered Jon Ronson’s book “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” last summer during one of my regular podcast loops at work. Ronson discussed his latest literary endeavor with Chris Hardwick on the Nerdist podcast and shed light on a topic I had never truly thought about on a deeper level: public shaming in the social media age. Cases like those of Justine Sacco, Lindsey Stone and Jonah Lehrer form the backbone of the book as Ronson depicts the swift-moving and often life-ruining mob mentality of public shaming on sites like Twitter and 4Chan.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Don’t let the White House control the narrative

Mar. 13, 2017

In case you haven’t heard, there might be cameras in your microwave detecting your every move. That’s a claim made by good old Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, now infamous for using the term “alternative facts” to describe lies. So really, we shouldn’t be that surprised that her most recent stint involves a technology that doesn’t exist to defend a claim that has no basis.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A statement from a UF student

Mar. 12, 2017

Out of respect for every student, UF’s Student Code of Conduct and the legacy of The Gator Nation, Student Body President-elect Smith Meyers should step down immediately.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Smith Meyers needs to be held accountable

Mar. 12, 2017

UF student made national news over Spring Break.

OPINION | COLUMNS

As Spring Break ends, reminisce and appreciate your time off. Don’t mourn.

Mar. 12, 2017

Today is every college student’s least favorite day of the year: the first day of classes after Spring Break. I completely understand. In fact, I wrote this in a car on the way back from my own fantastic trip. Today is especially irritating because we get all the frustration of returning to normal life without any of the excitement of starting fresh or being close to finishing a semester.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Say it one more time for the people in the back

Mar. 12, 2017

Last week, Republicans offered their take on a new health care plan in order to keep their promise to “repeal and replace” the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Despite criticism from both sides of the political aisle, many Republicans in the House of Representatives zealously pushed their plan through as quickly as possible, with two House committees approving it last Thursday and votes from two more committees coming up this week.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

From a Virginia third-grader: Help me learn about Florida

Mar. 12, 2017

Dear people of the great state of Florida,

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A statement from UF Student Body President

Mar. 12, 2017

I have known Smith Meyers my whole life and know just how out of character his actions were. I know firsthand how regretful he is to have represented our university in a negative light, and I am confident he will work that much harder for students in proving he has character that counts. I am committed to finishing out my term strong and aiding Smith in his transition as much as possible. I know Smith is eager to put this minor misdemeanor charge behind him and learn from it so he may continue to work on behalf of students like he has for the past four years. As the university does not investigate minor offenses for conduct purposes, I understand his status as a student and as a Student Body officer will not change. While many outlets have dramatized the facts of the situation, which are still being determined, my personal sentiments align most closely with Key West Police Department spokesperson Alyson Crean, who stated, “We don’t want to ruin this kid’s life for knocking over a couple of bikes,” according to this publication.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Statement from UF Student Body president-elect

Mar. 12, 2017

Editor's Notes: Smith Meyers declined questions for an article about his arrest. This is his personal statement he sent in lieu of answers.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Our university offers a lesson in smart spending and financial transparency

Mar. 2, 2017

On the third floor of Turlington Hall, there aren’t any windows. At least none that professors and teaching assistants, huddled in their dingy, cramped offices can see. The walls are gray, or might as well be, and its narrow corridors taste of stale air. It’s cold.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Being anti-abortion, or ‘pro-life,’ is hypocritical

Mar. 2, 2017

In the spirit of controversial news, let’s talk about abortion. Something that has always struck me as odd, not to mention hypocritical, is that so many people who consider themselves to be anti-abortion don’t seem to care much about the life of the child or mother after the baby is born.