In my time as a student leader at the University of Florida, I saw first hand how critical it is for the student body to have a dedicated student newspaper. In this era of budget cuts and tuition increases, it is vital that the student body remain informed and engaged. While I have at times taken issue with the Alligator, it has done a tremendous service to the student body and should be permitted to continue unabated.
I have no doubt that the administration's push towards modular units is in good faith, having discussed it with many administrators at the project's inception. However, I disagree with the current approach as I believe the Alligator is unique and must be treated singularly from the other newspapers which will occupy the modular units. Many of these other newspapers are nationally circulated, with no specific focus on our university. Others are not regularly printed. The Alligator is the only daily newspaper focused solely on the University of Florida student body.
The licensing fee to be placed on the Alligator is particularly troublesome: the Alligator is free for every student and thus consistently has difficulty getting out of the red. I would speculate that such a fee would be a major burden on the paper, which is completely student produced, in a way that would not affect heavyweights such as the New York Times or USA Today or even the Gainesville Sun. In addition, the modular units will not be placed nearly as ubiquitously as the Alligator's orange racks are currently. This would reduce student access to the student newspaper, something I believe most students would object to.
The Alligator has been a treasure of our student body since the time my grandfather attended the University of Florida. I believe every consideration must be made to ensure the Alligator remains a student-run student newspaper that is accessible to every student and able to remain financially afloat. I stand for “saving the racks.”
