News | Campus - The Independent Florida Alligator

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF Honors Program director candidate Kathy Cooke speaks at final campus Q&A session

By Ella Thompson | Apr. 12, 2023

Kathy Cooke, a professor of history and founding dean of the University of South Alabama Honors College is the final of three candidates to present their Honors plan to the Honors community and participate in a Q&A. The search committee will make their selection for the next UF Honors Director in the next week.

Students line up at the Broward Recreation Room to cast their vote in the UF Student Government election Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2022.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

UF Supreme Court throws out April 4 Senate presidential election results

By Amanda Friedman | Apr. 12, 2023

The UF Student Government Supreme Court ruled Monday to disregard the April 4 election of Sen. Oscar Santiago Perez (Change-District D) as Senate president and prohibit the Senate from meeting until leadership from the Gator and Change Caucus sign an agreement on how the Senate plans to move past its turbulence.

Protestors for transgender access to healthcare gather at the corner of University Avenue and 13th Street to begin a march toward the Student Health Care Center where some will perform an “inject-in” of HRT Friday, April 7, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

UF ‘inject-in’ protest shows support for gender-affirming care

By Amanda Friedman | Apr. 10, 2023

UF’s LGBTQ+ community and allies swarmed the UF Student Health Care Center April 7 for an inject-in to protest the DeSantis administration’s gender-affirming care audit and legislation like House Bill 1421 and Senate Bill 254. During the protest, a group of demonstrators participated in an “inject-in,” where they injected themselves with hormone replacement therapy treatment.

NEWS | CAMPUS

Graduate Assistants United prepares for negotiations with new leadership

By Sophia Bailly | Apr. 10, 2023

Graduate Assistants United is continuing to negotiate for stipend increases and better living conditions with UF's bargaining team. There are three bargaining sessions scheduled for April.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF app ban explained: cybersecurity concerns, marketing

By Peyton Harris | Apr. 10, 2023

As of April 5, UF students have been unable to use TikTok and WeChat on campus Wi-Fi, among other applications deemed a cybersecurity risk after UF complied with a Florida Board of Governors directive.

Students sing and clap after dinner during the Passover Seder at Lubavitch Chabad Jewish Student Center Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

Passover at UF’s Chabad Jewish Gator brings out nearly 700 guests

By Alissa Gary | Apr. 7, 2023

Nearly 700 students and Gainesville residents gathered at the Chabad Wednesday night to celebrate Passover — the celebration of the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Chabad hosts the largest sit-down seder in North America, according to its email press release.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Gator Caucus disputes legitimacy of Senate presidential election

By Amanda Friedman | Apr. 5, 2023

Throughout the past few weeks, Change Caucus has accused the Gator Caucus of attempting to delay Senate leadership elections and reclaim a Senate majority with a perceived filibuster, quorum bust and resurrection of the retired Liberation Caucus.

NEWS | CAMPUS BREAKING NEWS

UF bans TikTok, other platforms on university network following other universities

By Peyton Harris | Apr. 5, 2023

Around 12:30 p.m., UF banned social media platforms like TikTok and WeChat across campus. Students and faculty will be unable to access the applications through campus networks and or own the app on university-controlled devices.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF Honors director candidate Micheal Blandino speaks to students ahead of selection

By Ella Thompson | Apr. 4, 2023

UF Honors Program director candidate Michael Blandino emphasized the need for UF to have a program worthy of its top five status in his presentation and Q&A session to the Honors community in person and on zoom Monday afternoon.

Dr. Sarah Jayasekaran, an assistant engineering professor at UF, shares her educational and personal journey as a Indian immigrant during TEDxUF’s 14th Annual Conference Saturday, April 1, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS

TEDxUF shares illuminating ideas in its 14th annual conference

By Cecilia Edelberg | Apr. 3, 2023

TEDxUF is a student-run and independently organized event affiliated with the international nonprofit media organization TED Talks. About 50 students, distributed across eight teams, worked for 11 months to put on this event.

Dr. Paul Ortiz, the director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, welcomes attendees to the talking portion of the Future of Florida Springs event Saturday, April 1, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF hosts Future of Florida Springs discussion, workshop

By Sydney Johnson | Apr. 3, 2023

At the Future of Florida Springs symposium held at Pugh Hall, activists, authors and assorted experts came together to weigh in on the current state of Florida’s over 1,000 freshwater springs. The conclusion? They are in grave danger.

A rendering of the UF Honors Village, available on the website advertising the housing option.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF Housing ends 273 housing agreements for Honors Village

By Sophia Bailly | Apr. 3, 2023

The UF Honors Village was set to open Fall 2023, but construction delays halted progress. The change leaves 273 students looking for new residency.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

Changes to House Bill 999, explained

By Alissa Gary | Apr. 3, 2023

The Florida Legislature has made significant edits to the sweeping higher education reform bill between its original filing Feb. 21 and its most recent update March 15 — notably concerning majors and minors that will be removed if the bill becomes law.

Wearing a green silk scarf gifted to her by a student, Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis pulls a book from the shelf in her office, located in Carr Hall, Friday, March 31, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS UF ADMINISTRATION

UF history professor appointed to prestigious national science board

By Alissa Gary | Apr. 3, 2023

As one of the organization’s newest board members, Smocovitis will serve four years, traveling four times a year to various U.S. cities for meetings. Her work starts in April, when the board will meet in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, colleagues nominated Smocovitis, a longtime AAAS member and officer, to run for the board. Although she’s been an officer with the organization for more than 25 years, she was surprised to be nominated, she said, because she is, first and foremost, a historian.

About 100 people gathered at the WARPhaus to condemn prisoner solidarity and UF’s censorship at the Burn It Down: Communications of Resistance Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS

4Most Gallery fields smashed windows, pressure from UF

By Allessandra Inzinna | Apr. 3, 2023

Broken glass littered the sidewalk outside 4Most Gallery March 27 after someone threw rocks through the window. Inside, a painting of a blazing jailhouse set against a natural scene showcased the exhibition’s goal: a society without prisons.

UF campus cat Eve eats Churu cat treats.

NEWS | CAMPUS

No need to panic: Tenders, other UF campus cats safe from eviction

By Alissa Gary | Mar. 31, 2023

UF Facilities Services has no plan to remove Tenders or any other campus cats, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said.

Clay Calvert, former director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at UF, gives a speech about the legality of academic freedom at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF staff unions host discussion of academic freedom

By Zoey Thomas | Mar. 30, 2023

At the UF Ethics in the Public Sphere’s “Pizza and Public Ethics” event Tuesday, Paul Ortiz, UF history professor, spoke to over 40 listeners gathered in Smathers Library on the role of unionizing in protecting academic freedom. He was joined by Clay Calvert, former UF professor and director of the UF Law’s First Amendment Center.

NEWS | CAMPUS

UF Honors Village to not fully open in Fall 2023 due to construction delays

By Sophia Bailly | Mar. 30, 2023

An email went out to 273 UF Honors students 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with news that their reserved spot for residence in the Honors Village has been removed due to construction delays.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT GOVERNMENT

UF Student Senate fails to meet quorum

By Amanda Friedman | Mar. 29, 2023

Political turmoil in the UF Student Senate persists as the chamber failed to meet quorum Tuesday evening due to the absence of almost all Gator Caucus members. The seven-minute Senate meeting resulted in the delaying of Senate leadership elections for a second week.

A new sign outside the entrance of Marston Science Library advertising its 24-hour schedule is seen Sunday, March 26, 2023.

NEWS | CAMPUS STUDENT LIFE

A late night at Marston Science Library

By Amanda Friedman | Mar. 27, 2023

Marston Library began to offer 24/7 services March 19 through a pilot study funded by Provost Joe Glover. The study, which will fund the expanded hours for the remainder of the Spring and Fall 2023 semesters, will collect data on overnight hour usage to advise future funding decisions.