You slowly make your way into the Marston Science Library Starbucks, sleep-deprived and in desperate need of your favorite holiday beverage: the pumpkin spice latte. Yes, dear readers, it’s back.
You think to yourself, surely the sugary, spicy goodness will bring you back to life after your blurry, almost-forgotten journey through Midtown the night before.
After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity, you finally reach the counter and tell the barista your order. After waiting and waiting and waiting, you question why you didn’t just order through the app or on Tapingo. “I guess that’s just my hungover brain,” you reason.
Several minutes later, they call out your name. Much to your surprise, when you go to pick up your drink, they haven’t spelled your name wrong. In fact, they haven’t spelled your name at all. Scribbled across the white and green cup is:
Darts & Laurels
For many Gators, the devastating reality of Hurricane Irma is finally hitting home — literally. As of Thursday evening, Gainesville has not yet been instructed to evacuate. For much of Florida, however, this is not the case.
For a lot of us, receiving panicked phone calls and texts from our family members who have been forced to evacuate their homes was the wake up call we needed — no pun intended. These calls and texts turned on an invisible switch inside our minds telling us, “OK, this is real.”
Even if these evacuations turn out to be nothing more than overcautious preparation, the threat of Irma remains real. It has already wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and doesn’t show any signs of going easy on Florida. The reality of Hurricane Irma, dear reader, is your first dart.
As the panic continues to set in and the store shelves run out of water and the gas stations out of fuel, there is one thing a lot of us are forgetting about: pets. Gainesville Pet Rescue is trying to get the word out that they need people to foster some of their furry friends during the storm. As of now, Gainesville Pet Rescue has found foster homes for all of its animals, but the Alachua County Humane society is still in need of fosterers. They are asking for a two-week commitment and will provide all supplies necessary.
For thinking about our furry friends, we want to award a laurel to Gainesville Pet Rescue and those who have stepped up to foster animals.
Unfortunately, the weather isn’t the only thing Gators have to worry about right now. Not only do we face the threat of a hurricane, but we also face the threat of a white supremacist paying a visit to our campus.
Even though UF denied Richard Spencer’s request to speak on campus, Spencer has reportedly retained legal counsel and plans to pursue efforts to hold this event as originally requested. No one truly knows the dangers his visit might bring, and thus, many Gators must continue to live in constant fear while they continue to hear rumors swarm about Spencer’s arrival.
Spencer’s resolute efforts to visit our campus certainly make him deserving of our next dart.
We have a surprising accolade for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, otherwise known as Gov. Rick Scott. For cancelling class tomorrow when UF has been slow to do so, Scott gets a laurel. Take this time to buy supplies and make sure any friends and family in South Florida are prepared. We’re going to get through this hurricane together, dear readers.
