1 - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

You should care about other countries

Dec. 1, 2015

Do you know someone who could tell you the capital of Venezuela? Or someone who knows where Iraq is on a map? It would be extremely difficult to find an average American who could point out more than two African countries on a map, if even that. On the other hand, I’m sure it would be easy to find someone who not only knows where France or Germany are located, but also wants to visit one of these countries.

Diana Moreno, a 27-year-old Latin American studies masters candidate and chief coordinator of Graduate Assistants United, speaks at the GAU "Spring Broke" rally in Turlington Plaza on Friday. "My problems are shared with my colleagues and we have to work together to solve them," she said on reducing graduate assistant fees.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Graduate assistants continue fight for salary raise

By Alexandra Fernandez | Nov. 30, 2015

Cristina Popescu lives paycheck to paycheck. She considers herself lucky.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Student Government executives donate salaries to scholarship

By Caitlin Ostroff | Nov. 30, 2015

Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars will be getting an extra $28,000 for scholarships this year because of three students.

Tyler Welz (left), a 22-year-old Santa Fe nursing senior, and Caroline Lewis, a 21-year-old Santa Fe nursing senior, sell earrings on Nov. 30, 2015, outside Santa Fe’s food court to fund a trip to the Nursing Student Association's annual convention in Orlando. The earring sale ends today at 2 p.m.

NEWS | SFC

Santa Fe professor sells earrings for nursing association

By Paisley Papineau | Nov. 30, 2015

Rita Revak-Lutz spends her free time making earrings.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Student Government debating New York Times online renewal

By Caitlin Ostroff | Nov. 30, 2015

Students could potentially lose their online subscriptions to The New York Times.

Gator fans tailgate just east of Turlington Plaza before the football game Sept. 5, 2015.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF traditions hold strong for decades

By Katelyn Newberg | Nov. 30, 2015

As graduation looms, UF seniors are finding that the best ways to connect to the university are through the oldest traditions.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF Smathers Libraries hosts talks with curators

By Courtney Grisby | Nov. 30, 2015

UF students and members of the community smiled when they saw the original Superman comic book Monday.

Daniela Gonzalez, an 18-year-old UF accounting freshman, shakes hands with President Fuchs during the Inauguration Week student event on the Reitz North Lawn on Nov. 30, 2015. Gonzalez, an assistant student government treasurer, said she has met Fuchs before but was happy to see him again.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

'Hi, I'm Kent': Students meet President Fuchs at first inauguration event

By Alexandra Fernandez | Nov. 30, 2015

When UF President Kent Fuchs introduced himself to students on Monday, he said, "Hi, I’m Kent."

UF point guard Kasey Hill goes up for a layup during Florida's 104-54 win against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 16, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Richmond Spiders could be “handful” for Florida men’s basketball

By ALEX MAMINAKIS | Nov. 30, 2015

While Vermont and Florida Gulf Coast, whom Florida defeated Wednesday and Friday respectively, put up solid first half fights, they aren’t exactly offensive juggernauts.

UF coach Jim McElwain walks out of the tunnel prior to Florida's 27-2 loss to Florida State on Nov. 28, 2015, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

SEC Championship Game asserts UF’s return to relevance

By GRAHAM HALL | Nov. 30, 2015

Saturday’s Southeastern Conference Championship Game is the most concrete evidence to date that the Gators have returned to the national spotlight sooner than anyone could have anticipated.

From left to right, UF president’s wife Linda Moskeland Fuchs and 31-year-old UF agriculture and life sciences major Allison Bechtloff talk about the Environmental Horticulture Club while 22-year-old UF plant sciences junior Carly Anderson and UF President Kent Fuchs discuss the variety of poinsettias available at the greenhouse.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF CALS displays locally renowned poinsettias at inauguration event

By Van Miller | Nov. 30, 2015

In one of the last greenhouses behind Fifield Hall on Hull Road there are 6,000 poinsettias.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

UF Student Government hosts first mental Health Awareness Week to break stigma

By Caitlin Ostroff | Nov. 30, 2015

UF Student Government wants to show students that not all mental health struggles can be seen.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Editorial: After yet another shooting, it’s time to decry extremist rhetoric

Nov. 30, 2015

This editorial isn’t going to be about the need for greater gun control, seeing as it is redundant, worn and torn territory. You, the readers, already know the details: a white, male gunman on the fringes of society. A specifically chosen location. Innocent lives lost and wounded. A mass shooting in Colorado.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A tale of two Thanksgivings: food insecurity in the US

Nov. 30, 2015

With Thanksgiving now in the rearview mirror and the weight of finals looming heavily over us all, we students will likely degrade into a cluster of anxiety as opposed to reminiscing fondly on this past holiday.

OPINION | COLUMNS

FSU Hate Week: beloved, but not PC

Nov. 30, 2015

As we all reveled in Thanksgiving Break by taking endless pictures of our dogs, skillfully dodging questions about our futures and binging on relaxation, something else loomed eminent on the horizon. Interspersed among social media proclamations of being #thankful were posts of a much different nature. It was "FSU Hate Week," and there was no escape.

UF football coach Jim McElwain walks down the sideline during Florida's 27-3 win against Georgia on Oct. 31, 2015, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.

SPORTS | COLUMNS

Column: Jim McElwain’s turnaround is something to be marveled at

By GRAHAM HACK | Nov. 30, 2015

Saturday, Florida will play Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, a contest even the most optimistic of Gator fans couldn’t have dreamed of being in for at least another two years.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Domestic terrorism is more frightening than anything from the Middle East

Nov. 30, 2015

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1. The odds of an American being killed in a terrorist attack (including terrorist attacks carried out overseas) are 1 in 20 million. C-3PO enlightened us with the former cosmic fact in 1980, while The Washington Post gave us the latter just two years ago. Despite the data, more than most on the campaign trail, including plenty who hold power in Washington, D.C., vie for further increases in discretionary spending for defense and cite the threat of terrorism (specifically attacks carried out by radical jihadists) as the primary reason for this necessity.

In this Nov. 7, 2015, file photo, LSU quarterback Brandon Harris (6) is hit by Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland (19) and Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey (26) in the first half of an NCAA college football game, in Tuscaloosa , Ala.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

A look at the opponent waiting the Gators in Atlanta: the Alabama Crimson Tide

By Luis Torres | Nov. 30, 2015

With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, the No. 12 Gators (10-2) will head to Atlanta for a matchup against No. 2 Alabama (11-1) with the Southeastern Conference Championship on the line.

They lost three senior backrow players from a year ago and lost five conference matches for the first time in 25 years under Mary Wise, but the Gators still made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Here are our two features on two players who got them there: Patrick Pinak's story on the knitting middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan (http://www.alligator.org/sports/volleyball/article_0a8cb024-8447-11e5-9fdb-c7277e26ef59.html) and Brian Lee's look at Ziva Recek's journey (http://www.alligator.org/sports/volleyball/article_a26ac8a4-9973-11e5-87b8-c375ed626332.html)

SPORTS | VOLLEYBALL

UF volleyball unsatisfied with simply competing in NCAA Tournament

By Brian Lee | Nov. 30, 2015

The Florida volleyball team is in familiar territory.

Haley Lorenzen blocks a shot during Florida's win against Jacksonville.

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

UF looks to continue winning ways at South Alabama

By Ethan Bauer | Nov. 30, 2015

It must feel pretty good to be a member of the Florida women’s basketball program right now.

El Caimán