The Alligator Editorial Board would like to welcome you back to Gainesville for the Spring 2012 semester — the last spring semester, if you want to believe the Mayans.
The world is not going to end; don't worry. Check out NASA if you don't believe us.
We are excited about the new year, and we're ready to bring you more of our opinions on current events on campus, in Gainesville, around Florida and throughout the U.S. and the world.
We will be focusing a lot of attention on local, state and federal elections this year. We will also be concentrating on issues in the presidential campaigns we believe are important to students and Gainesville residents.
Students will also be electing their new Student Body president this year. If you paid attention to last semester's botched election, you know how important it is to put competent people in office for UF's Student Government.
The Alligator's opinions section will also be making some changes this year.
Instead of featuring only five different opinion-makers each week, we will have seven regular Alligator columnists this semester.
We tried our best to select columnists from different ideological and political perspectives. One of our columnists will also be mixing in some humor with his analysis of the issues.
We are excited about this change, and we hope it will create an even greater sense of diversity of ideas for our readers.
We also strongly encourage you to submit your thoughts and opinions about these elections and other issues. The Alligator strives to use its opinion pages as a forum for debate and discussion, but there's no way we can do that unless you submit your ideas.
There are a couple of ways for our readers to have a voice on the pages of the Alligator.
If you have a lot to say, we encourage you to submit a guest column. These are usually between 500 and 600 words. Guest columns should take a stand and strive to make a clear and concise point about an issue. Guest submissions that focus on campus and local issues will generally be given priority over pieces focused on state and national issues. You must include your full name, your year (sophomore, senior, etc.) and your major.
If you want to make a quick point about an issue or respond to one of our editorials or columns, you can submit a letter to the editor. These are generally between 150 and 250 words. You should include your name and whether you are a student or a Gainesville resident.
Letters and guest columns should be submitted as an attachment to opinions@alligator.org.
We hope you have a great semester, and we look forward to providing you with the best news and commentary possible.
