Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Protecting choice: The impact of Florida's ban on cultured meat

By Valeria Gomez | June 3

On May 1, Senate Bill 1084 was signed, banning and criminalizing the sale and manufacture of cultured meat in Florida. While other states, including Tennessee, Alabama and Arizona, have considered similar bans, Florida was the first to actually implement it. This push for a ban stems from the science behind cultured meat being viewed as taboo and a strong pushback against having increased competition from the meat industry.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Look out for lions!: ANHPID Pride and the fight for progress

By Joaquin Marcelino | May 28

From the Chinese lion dancers roaming about the Reitz Union to the heads of research labs, the Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Desi (ANHPID) community is lively and active at UF.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Blood in the water: A lesson in homogeneity

By Anghelo Gangano | May 28

I can choose my profession and my politics, but I will never be able to choose my ethnicity.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why you should join The Alligator

By Claire Grunewald | Apr. 22

I hope my journalism career outlives The Alligator couch.

OPINION | COLUMNS

My road trip down the Avenue

By Jared Teitel | Apr. 22

Dear the Avenue, I would be lying if I said you were my dream desk from the very beginning. In fact, I actually didn’t know you existed before applying to The Alligator.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The crucial connection between safe streets and RTS

By Casey Willits | Apr. 19

The ability to move around Gainesville safely and efficiently is key to four of the City of Gainesville’s Strategic Plan goals: A Great Place to Live & Experience, Resilient Local Economy, Equitable Community and More Sustainable Community.

OPINION | COLUMNS

UF Student Government is corrupt, opaque and ineffective. What do we do?

By Ronin Lupien | Apr. 18

The current problem

OPINION | COLUMNS

What’s happening with RTS? From the UF student body president-elect

By John Brinkman | Apr. 16

In the past week, there’s been a lot of conversation around RTS buses and what funding they will have in the future. As someone who was first made aware there was an issue between the City of Gainesville and UF when this was made public April 9, I’ve been learning as much as I can before I officially take office April 24 to have better and more nuanced conversations. Let’s talk about what’s been happening, and what the future will look like relating to RTS:

OPINION | COLUMNS

Uncovering my generation’s silent addiction

By Sabrina Castro | Apr. 15

One of the most prominent addictions among my generation these days isn’t one of the things my parents warned me about becoming addicted to before coming to college: drugs, alcohol or sex. It is something normalized by friends and peers at all hours of the day, in public, during class and on holidays.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Imposter syndrome: Why we never feel enough

By Morgan Vanderlaan | Apr. 15

“I do not deserve this.”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Better pedestrian planning means safer students

By Amaya Borroto | Apr. 8

If you’ve never been in a car accident before, I’m sorry to report, you’re in the minority. A vanishing minority as Florida has earned a top spot among the most dangerous states for pedestrians. I recently had the misfortune of colliding with a city bus on my morning commute to class. The experience taught me far more than to look both ways before crossing the street, though it was a grim reminder.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It isn’t just what you learn: The value of experience for STEM

By Ronin Lupien | Apr. 8

Recently, fellow columnist Sabrina Castro wrote about the value of involvement culture. With nearly 1,000 registered student organizations and many informal organizations, involvement forms a key aspect of the college experience. While what you learn is important, what you experience will be essential to the rest of your life. This is especially the case for STEM.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Vote for Debbie, save my healthcare

By Ashley Mason | Apr. 1, 2024

The fight for Florida’s United States Senate seat is not just a political race; its outcome is deeply personal to me. This past summer, my mom faced a health scare marked with uncertainty, all while navigating a healthcare system rife with economic barriers. Like millions of Floridians, the Affordable Care Act saved us from crippling medical bills.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A refresher on Trump’s legal battles

By Reed Jeffries | Apr. 1, 2024

As the political landscape heats up for November’s rematch, the specter of former President Donald Trump’s legal battles looms large.

OPINION | COLUMNS

A reflection on UF’s construction closures, accessibility

By Ronin Lupien | Apr. 1, 2024

Since my freshman year, there has been at least one large and obstructive campus construction project. I remember a time when most of Museum Road was closed off. Now, with only a few weeks before my graduation, I find myself boxed in with few good sources of information to learn more.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Justice denied: Anti-democratic practices of the SG Supreme Court

By Ronin Lupien | Mar. 27, 2024

The UF Supreme Court is a little-known part of Student Government. The adage goes: justice delayed is justice denied. The Supreme Court is insistent on delaying justice.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Your vote DOES matter: The importance of voting in local elections

By Morgan Vanderlaan | Mar. 25, 2024

Walking through Turlington Plaza, in between the chaos of students scrambling to arrive to class on time, you will undoubtedly be asked to sign a petition, join a political movement, or maybe even register to vote. To the average student, the nuisance of being approached despite wearing headphones outweighs the merit of exercising one’s civil duties, as there is a growing sense of voter apathy amongst younger generations.

OPINION | COLUMNS

My love letter to involvement culture at UF

By Sabrina Castro | Mar. 25, 2024

As I prepare to finish my junior year, the involvement culture surrounding the student body isn’t just a freshman year fad. Before I could even realize it, these questions have quickly become, “What organizations have you been accepted to?” or even worse, “Have you received any internship offers?”

OPINION | COLUMNS

Message from an alumnus: Get off the sidelines and restore DEI

By Mark Shmueli | Mar. 18, 2024

As a high school graduate from New England, I knew little about UF and had never been to Gainesville before I applied. After arriving as a freshman in 1984, I quickly became immersed in the culture of the school, served in Student Government and was one of the many founders of SCAAR, the Student Coalition Against Apartheid and Racism. Florida was still under the radar, but to me it was a hidden gem in large part because of its myriad of cultures.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The rematch we were given

By Andrew Taramykin | Mar. 18, 2024

On March 19, voters in the Republican Party of Florida will head to the polls to vote in the state’s presidential preference primary election, although the contest is purely a formality. Former President Donald Trump (fitting that the first president associated with Florida is actually just a snowbird, right?) has already secured enough delegates to win the GOP nomination.