News | Campus Student Life - The Independent Florida Alligator

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Late-night drives: UF SNAP transportation ensures safe student travel

By Sara-James Ranta | Aug. 14

SNAP is a free on- and off-campus transportation service exclusive to currently enrolled students and staff, operating from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. nightly during the Fall and Spring semesters and 8:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. every summer. Depending on demand, SNAP deploys between four and seven vans to roam campus that seat up to 15 people each.

The Solar Gators stand next to their car, “Sunrider”, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF Solar Gators gear up to defend championship title at Formula Sun Grand Prix

By Grace McClung | July 15

Sunrider, UF’s solar race car, is hoping to mark its final lap around the track with a second Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) national championship title. The car, built by engineering design team Solar Gators, basked in the spotlight Wednesday evening at a send-off event before it heads to the FSGP and American Solar Challenge this week.

People attend the Livestock Judging Camp on Saturday, July 13, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF hosts 8th annual Livestock Judging Camp

By Kamala Rossi | July 15

From July 10 to July 13, kids aged 8 to 18 passed through the doors of the UF/IFAS beef teaching unit for UF’s Livestock Judging Camp.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UFPD, GPD end investigations into undercover Messianic Jewish activist who sought to entrap Muslim professors

By Grace McClung | June 21

An undercover Messianic Jewish activist who sought to bait Muslim UF professors into admitting bias against Israel and conservatives will not be trespassed from campus and is “not considered a threat” by the UF Police Department.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF briefly removes Lavender, Black Cultural Living Learning Communities from housing website and application

By Timothy Wang | May 28

The Lavender LLC and the Black Cultural LLC, located in Graham Hall, disappeared from the UF housing website May 7. Clayton and other students said they think the removal of both LLCs could be related to legislation banning funding of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at state universities, which has left the future of diversity-related initiatives like LLCs and the Center for Multicultural Engagement unclear.

A Tussock moth caterpillar crawls across UF campus on Saturday, April 6, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Furry friends or dangerous foes? A look at the caterpillars swarming UF campus

By Annie Wang | Apr. 8

In Florida, there are three different species of tussock moth caterpillars: the fir tussock moth caterpillar, the white-marked tussock moth caterpillar and the definite tussock moth caterpillar. They have many shared characteristics, such as protruding hairs and spines, but can be visually distinguished by color.

A student is seen biking through the Plaza of the Americas during the rainy morning of Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

‘Rainesville’: Overused pun or a real weather pattern? Experts say ‘a little bit of both’

By Zoey Thomas | Apr. 1

Anyone who stays in Gainesville for more than a few days will probably see rain. Anyone who stays in Gainesville a few minutes after that rain starts will inevitably hear someone call the city “Rainesville.” UF students often believe — perhaps due to the inescapability of the “Rainesville” pun — that its frequent showers make Gainesville wetter than other Florida cities. But though Gainesville does rain often, it doesn’t stand out in Florida, which is a rainy state in general, said UF geography professor Esther Mullens.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF Women’s Student Association “revitalizes” Women's History Month

By Sara-James Ranta | Apr. 1

In the heart of Women’s History Month, the UF Women’s Student Association unveiled a different approach to celebrating March: implementing self-care.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Roller derby team becomes a space for UF graduate students to skate stress away

By Delia Rose Sauer | Mar. 25

Moving on a set of skates is not unusual to the members of the Gainesville Roller Rebels. With helmets and heavy padding on their elbows and knees, they look like a cavalry in armor. Each skater has an infectious passion and, more importantly, a clever nickname.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF graduate students balance parenthood with PhDs

By Delia Rose Sauer | Mar. 25

Being a parent and a Ph.D. candidate at the same time is synonymous with having a full plate. However, graduate students at UF make it work.

Crowds gather at Bradenton Beach on Friday, March 15, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Crime, trash and parties: How Florida residents feel about spring break

By Annie Wang | Mar. 18

As spring break kicked off, college students rushed to Florida beaches for a week of partying and relaxation. But the idyllic image of spring break fails to resonate with everyone. Beaches are left littered, crime spikes and excessive partying disrupts some students who are looking for a laid back beach day at home.

A mostly deserted evening along Newell Drive at the University of Florida’s Gainesville campus on Tuesday, July 22, 2021. The upcoming fall semester will see tens of thousands of students return to Gainesville, although an increase in the number of delta variant COVID-19 infections raises concerns about viral spread among unvaccinated people.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF jumps to no. 2 spot for number of Fulbright scholars

By Sydney Johnson | Feb. 29

If a poet, athlete, music enthusiast and novice ping pong player were gathered into a room, it may seem like they wouldn't have much in common.

Florida Gators cheerleader Waleed Aref tosses Amrynne Hill during the team's practice on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

The men behind the megaphones

By Zoey Thomas | Feb. 26

The UF cheerleading team currently has 13 men and 24 women, divided into a combination of male-female stunt pairs and all-girl groups. The athletes spent most of the two-hour practice preparing for next month’s cheer tryout, during which they’ll do their best to recruit talented newcomers — and show up themselves to re-earn their spots on the team. But tryouts will be less competitive for some than others.

Members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity exchange words of encouragement before their performance for the UFFISS Stroll Off competition at Depot Park on Feb. 17, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF Kappa Alpha Psi celebrates Black community, culture despite arrest at step show

By Madilyn Gemme | Feb. 23

The winner of the Florida Invitational Step Show’s Stroll Off competition, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, is focusing on its community and celebrating Black culture — despite an arrest that occurred at the event last weekend.

Plaques are seen representing the National Pan-Hellenic Council on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

The UF Divine Nine celebrates Black History Month

By Annie Wang | Feb. 19

The Divine Nine promote academic excellence for African American students on predominantly white campuses. It also provides them with a space to address pertinent issues within the Black community, said Ammir Thomas, vice president of Theta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Two bikes chained to the rack outside of Marston Science Library on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF students struggle with higher bike theft rates

By Annie Wang | Feb. 15

In 2023, the UF Police Department had 122 cases of registered bike theft. That’s 60% higher than the previous year, which saw 76 thefts. The numbers for registered cases in the preceding years were 76 in 2022, 84 in 2021, 130 in 2020 and 104 in 2019, even with the effects of COVID-19.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF students find community through Black organizations

By Sara-James Ranta | Feb. 12

Black UF students form strong bonds through diverse campus organizations at the predominantly white university.

Members of the UF Progressive Black Men organization tabling in Turlington Plaza on Friday, Feb 9, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Male students are outnumbered at UF. Why are Black males outnumbered most of all?

By Zoey Thomas | Feb. 12

David Canton, UF director of African American studies, calls it the “eyeball test.”

Nopal Dos at Midpoint Park and Eatery on SW 2nd Ave.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Some students find the UF vegan dining experience limited

By Annie Wang | Jan. 31

For vegan students like Maxine Sculthorpe, an 18-year-old UF biomedical engineering freshman, walking into a new dining hall can be intimidating because her food options are frequently limited to meager portions and subpar substitutes, she said.

Senior Beth Blair in Century Tower on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF Century Tower Carillon students ‘ring’ in the Spring semester

By Sara-James Ranta | Jan. 29

Every semester, a small group of students have the opportunity to play the Century Tower Carillon — an instrument made of bells — ranked among one of the largest university carillons out of the less than 200 nationwide. Since the carillon’s first recital in 1979, each student’s performance is an addition to the tower's historic legacy and unique sound, according to its website.