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Saturday, May 09, 2026

Opinion

Florida Alligator
Sports

It is time to say “Ok, Boomer” to the NCAA

After the LSU Tigers defeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, video circulated of what appeared to be a tipsy Odell Beckham Jr. distributing fistfulls of cash to wide receivers Jontre Kirklin and Justin Jefferson, the latter having declared for the NFL draft earlier this week.


Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Be heard through elections

Returning from winter break, I am sure that many other students can sympathize with my struggle to avoid arguments over politics at family gatherings. My experiences have led me to this: Imagine if only people who voted were allowed to start arguments over the holiday dinner table?


Opinion

Goodbye Column: Your health should always come before a story

Wow, I’m finally leaving the godforsaken basement office that is The Alligator. Despite my cries to never come back at the end of every semester, it is a year and a half later and I’ve finally reached the point where I truly can’t come back. As a Leo sun and Virgo rising, I’m deeply unemotional, so I don’t know how to be sentimental. Instead, I'm just going to spew a bunch of words and stop when I feel like I’ve run out of things to say as a true fire sign with a Gemini moon. 


Kylie Gurthie, 3, and a volunteer play with the newly adopted 5-month-old dog Joey during the Summer Lovin’ Adopt-A-Thon at Alachua County Animal Services on August 17.
Opinion

Pets are great if you know how to take care of them

Getting a pet in college is a great idea. Any dog, cat, fish or chicken would make a great companion. We all need some animal affection in college, especially as finals approach. Kitten snuggles or puppy kisses might be exactly what you need at this time of year. Plus, they provide great emotional support. I recommend that every responsible college student have a pet, but think carefully before you add a tail-wagging pal to your family. If you do decide to get a furry, feathered or scaly companion, be conscious of where you are getting them from, and be certain that you are prepared to commit to this creature for the rest of its life.  


Opinion

Letter to The Editor: It’s Time For Ranked-Choice Voting

Representative democracy is founded upon the idea that citizens can confidently waive their direct voice in governmental affairs to elected legislators who will serve their best interests. This assumption is strong, and it often does not hold very well in practice.


Opinion

On not living up to expectations

This is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately. Standing at the end of the semester now, there are great obstacles to face over the next few weeks, but there are even more behind us. You may have overcome some of those obstacles successfully and failed to overcome others. And, while I’m confident we’ll all face our upcoming challenges to the best of our ability, it’s possible we might not live up to the expectations we’ve set for ourselves. But falling short of them is not just okay, it’s normal. 


Opinion

Imposter Syndrome

Underneath your success, imposter syndrome loves to roam. It transforms your achievements into bundles of doubts. It belittles all those hours of hard work into luck that you don’t deserve. 


A shopper passes in front of a large advertisement on Black Friday at the Fox River Mall on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, in Grand Chute, Wis. (Wm. Glasheen/The Post-Crescent via AP)
Opinion

Black Friday deals are outdated and come with a cost

Last week saw the repetition of what is now a tradition in the U.S.’ consumer culture: Black Friday. We all know what Black Friday looks like: mobs of people in a store rushing for extraordinary deals, people camping outside to get first dibs on a cheap TV or appliance and poor employees enduring all the madness. However, while this chaotic scene may have once had some appeal, time, the evolution of the Internet and our growing awareness of environmental and consumer issues is making Black Friday an irrelevant celebration. It’s time to acknowledge that.


President Donald Trump listens during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, on youth vaping and the electronic cigarette epidemic. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Opinion

Trump’s infamous money moves

In the first week of November, our president was ordered by a state judge to pay $2 million in damages to nonprofit groups. This came after he admitted to the misuse of funds raised by the Donald J. Trump Foundation to promote his run for the presidency, pay off business debts and purchase a self-portrait for one of his hotels. The award of damages marks the end of a legal battle that’s been taking place since 2016 when New York’s attorney general accused the Trump family of using the foundation for business and campaign purposes. The cash in question was raised at a fundraiser intended for veterans in Iowa, which Trump later acknowledged as a campaign event.


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