Darts & Laurels: April 5, 2018

As you speed walk to your 12:50 p.m. class because you woke up late, you finally reach the corner of West University and 13th Street. You’re sweaty and 20 minutes late when the Hub comes into sight. Will being five minutes late to lecture actually make a difference? You did bring a reusable traveling mug, after all. You go to the Starbucks counter, give them your typical order — a grande French vanilla iced latte, double the syrup with caramel drizzle and an extra shot of espresso — and they stick on the label.

A few minutes later, the very nice and cute barista calls your name and hands you your drink. The barista gives you a smile and hangs onto your drink a little longer than expected. Was it a sign? Was the barista hinting at something?

Maybe the barista left a message on the label, you think. As you walk away, you force yourself to keep going until you’re out of sight. Heartbeat quickening, you turn your mug and, in messy handwriting, you see …

Darts & Laurels

President Donald Trump recently announced as high as a 10 percent tariff on paper that comes to the U.S. from Canada. The tariff — a tax placed on certain items imported from designated countries — can have far-reaching implications. It could raise the cost of paper as much as 32 percent.

Newspapers are feeling the hurt, along with farmers. Tampa Bay Times Chairman and CEO Paul Tash wrote the increase in imported paper will result in the company spending $3 million more a year on newsprint. It’s a cost that will result in cutting jobs and, ultimately, stories of the community being left untold.

The cost of journalism is one worth paying in order to keep a democracy in check. For that reason, we award Trump a dart.

Our society undoubtedly has an issue with sexual assault. In recent months, we’ve seen hundreds of men and women join the #MeToo movement, a viral social media campaign that allows survivors to share their stories.

It is often during moments like these, in which awareness is at its peak, that changes in culture happen. This is why sexual violence awareness matters, now more than ever. We are proud to see our fellow UF community recognize that.

On Wednesday, seeing the signs and hearing the chants of about 200 people who marched in Gainesville to protest sexual violence was encouraging. Afterward, they held a rally and allowed survivors to tell their stories.

We recognize sharing survival experiences for most is heartbreaking to say the least. For being brave enough to fight sexual assault, we award a laurel to all survivors and those who participated in the Take Back The Night rally.

Few people actually change the world. Even fewer change it both while they’re alive and dead. Wednesday marked the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a man who continues to inspire progress even 50 years after he was killed.

Across the nation, crowds gathered to honor his work, including at UF, where the Century Tower carillon tolled 39 times to commemorate each year of King’s life. Perhaps the most significant demonstration took place in Memphis, Tennessee, where thousands rallied at the National Civil Rights Museum, which is housed in the old Lorraine Motel where King was killed.

King was one of the most important voices in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s, and his powerful words still resonate today. He dreamed to live in a world where people are judged for “the content of their character,” not their skin color or other superficial reasons. We still haven’t accomplished that, so the fight for equality must continue. To everyone who took some time out of their hump day this week to pay a tribute to King, we present you a laurel.