Man, does it feel good to leave 2014 behind.
While it may have been a good year on an individual level, it was a year full of tragedies and frustrating turns of events.
Last year will be remembered for horrific plane crashes, renewed tensions with Russia, Florida’s failure to legalize medical marijuana and the start of Iraq War Three — and that’s without even getting into the Gators’ 2014 football season.
So it’ll be nice to cut all the baggage loose and look ahead to the next 12 months with the kind of optimism only a blank calendar and a gallon of champagne can bring. It’s great that nothing truly terrible has happened yet, and it’s also the start of a new semester which gives us a fresh start at school.
And hey, we won a bowl game against East Carolina University over the weekend while Florida State University’s two-season winning streak was finally vanquished. Based on those, 2015 is already looking a lot better than its predecessor.
With that, we’d like to welcome you back — back to nights spent agonizing in the library, to professors whose weird quirks leave you filled with awe and to the scent of Balls as it drifts through Midtown.
We know deep down that you’ve missed all of it very much. But, dear readers, we at the Alligator have missed you even more. We’ve missed you so much it hurts, and we’re really happy to have you back in Gainesville.
Yes, it’s nice to have everyone back in town and to see Gainesville thicken up to the normal level of rambunctiousness. It got eerily quiet for a while there.
And now that you’re here we must ask: Are you opinionated? Can you express your opinions in a thoughtful and interesting way? Does the idea of having your name printed in ink and seen by thousands of adoring readers give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside?
If you found yourself answering “yes” to any of those questions: Congratulations! You probably have what it takes to be a columnist for the Alligator.
As a columnist, you’d write one column a week about a topic that’s relevant, timely and — most importantly — something you care about. Columns can be anywhere from 450 to 750 words long and may cover any topic as long as you don’t slander anybody.
We’d also like to add that if anybody would like to speak his or her mind in the pages of the Alligator without committing to a full-time position as a columnist, feel free to send in a guest column. We’d be happy to have it.
So if you’re interested in writing a column for the Alligator, send an email to opinions@alligator.org with a resume, cover letter, writing samples and a brief description of yourself and your political persuasions. Viewpoints of every kind are acceptable.
With that, we hope that you submit to be a columnist and you have an enlightening semester and happy new year.
