Opinion

---

alligatorSports College Football picks column: Week 1

Sports boys and sports girls, it is time.

Bold predictions for Mullen’s first year

Life under the influence (of each other)

Even though social media ever-present, it's time to start seeking a life beyond it's validation

Letter to the editor: Kent Fuch's plan for UF

Editor’s Note: UF President Kent Fuchs published a column, which ran in the Aug. 22 issue of The Alligator, that called for readers to send feedback on what they wanted UF to accomplish over the next decade. This letter was written in response.

No news can be good news

I am a hypocrite. I love writing columns, arguing my opinions, excavating the news of the week for interesting artifacts. I haven’t written a column since the Spring semester, and I waited for that privilege again, which I am exercising and enjoying now and is the ultimate expression of my hypocrisy.

Ask not what Student Government can do for you

Please get involved in Student Government; I said please!

Belly dance is not sexual and never was

Through ignorance, belly dancing has become an art form that breeds judgement and contempt. Some say it’s too hot and too seductive. Some have asked how I feel comfortable in my own skin. Some just look me up and down, slowly.

The elusive picture-perfect freshmen year

What you may be expecting from your freshmen year won't happen. That's okay.

What even are the NFL’s rules anymore?

Hey all you NFL players, it’s finally time.

The Meyer thing isn't about Meyer

If you are anything like me, you were sitting in front of a TV screen Wednesday night watching Ohio State and Urban Meyer hold a press conference to announce how Meyer’s fate would play out. He was either getting fired (which was extremely improbable), getting suspended or getting off the hook.

Netflix series peddles chronic illness myths

The series "Afflicted" misleads people as to what a chronic illness is really about

Feleipe Franks is clearly UF’s best QB option

The expert’s guide to libraries

The five things you should know, from one of UF's librarians

More welcome home, than welcome back

As you take this year’s first steps across Reitz Union, through Turlington Plaza or into Library West, know that Gainesville, UF and The Alligator welcome you home. If this is your first time here, you’ll quickly become acquainted with what Gainesville has to offer. Prepare for the golden age between child and adult known as “college.” To those coming back: We missed you. Our town, schools and businesses are happy to have you back.

How to voice your vote in Alachua

Welcome to Alachua County, Gators!

Don't be a lemming: Florida will be playing on New Year's Day

The start of a new semester means facing some hard truths.

PREDICTION: Gators ride easy schedule to eight wins

Yes, the time has come to make a prediction.

FINAL COLUMN: The NBA will surpass the NFL in popularity

Slowly but surely, the totem pole is shifting.

Feeling stuck

College is a time of big changes for anyone. There are a lot of major decisions to make.You have to select your area of study and decide how you’re going spend your time on campus. The moves we make during these years on campus can outline the trajectory for our future. Making concrete and life-changing decisions can feel overwhelming. Things in and out of your control can affect your life path. Choosing one club or class can feel insignificant. But, on the other hand, one experience can illuminate a dream you never knew you had. Conversely, one class or club won’t make or break your life. A failure or a misstep can be a chance to learn or find what’s right for you.For me, this year has been especially crushing. I’ve felt stuck and frustrated due to how sick I’ve been. This summer, I wasn’t able to take on an internship. I’ve been in and out of the doctor and stuck in bed unable to focus on anything. I’m scared how sick I feel now is going to impact my future.Writing my columns for this Summer semester was really my only connection to a world outside of my phone, class on my laptop, bedroom or doctors’ offices. Sometimes I wrote what I needed to hear myself. Other times, I wrote about something impacting me in real time. Some things were reflective.For me, I’m glad I made the decision to write this summer for The Alligator. It taught me a lot about myself. I’m stuck on more than one decision for the Fall semester and grappling with the realities of what I can and can’t take on. More decisions being made by my body without my input.I can’t tell my body to give me more energy and magically function at its best. I wish it was up to running down Stadium Road or past Century Tower under a curtain of Spanish moss. I wish I could spend late nights on campus working in the newsroom or at The Alligator. I wish I could do more outside of my dorm bed and fill my UF bucket list to the brim with things other than going to UF Health Shands Hospital multiple times a week, not for an internship, but for visits.These decisions are made for me, by my doctors or by my health. I can’t change them as much as I want to. What I can do is make the most of the decisions left for me to make. College has taught me many lessons beyond the classroom, most of them about life. I may not have had my dream internship or campus experience yet, but I do have wisdom from my unique experiences that I might not have gotten any other way. And I do have wonderful professors, doctors, mentors and friends who have given me something that’s one of the most important parts of college to me: community.

Why moving out of my dorm made me ugly-cry

Today, I moved out of the dorm I’ve been living in for two years. I secretly liked living in a dorm, and I feel a little sentimental leaving it for a house. Once you get past the embarrassment of telling people you’re a sophomore living in a dorm, it’s not too bad.