Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

As Spring Break ends, reminisce and appreciate your time off. Don’t mourn.

Mar. 12, 2017

Today is every college student’s least favorite day of the year: the first day of classes after Spring Break. I completely understand. In fact, I wrote this in a car on the way back from my own fantastic trip. Today is especially irritating because we get all the frustration of returning to normal life without any of the excitement of starting fresh or being close to finishing a semester.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Say it one more time for the people in the back

Mar. 12, 2017

Last week, Republicans offered their take on a new health care plan in order to keep their promise to “repeal and replace” the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Despite criticism from both sides of the political aisle, many Republicans in the House of Representatives zealously pushed their plan through as quickly as possible, with two House committees approving it last Thursday and votes from two more committees coming up this week.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

From a Virginia third-grader: Help me learn about Florida

Mar. 12, 2017

Dear people of the great state of Florida,

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A statement from UF Student Body President

Mar. 12, 2017

I have known Smith Meyers my whole life and know just how out of character his actions were. I know firsthand how regretful he is to have represented our university in a negative light, and I am confident he will work that much harder for students in proving he has character that counts. I am committed to finishing out my term strong and aiding Smith in his transition as much as possible. I know Smith is eager to put this minor misdemeanor charge behind him and learn from it so he may continue to work on behalf of students like he has for the past four years. As the university does not investigate minor offenses for conduct purposes, I understand his status as a student and as a Student Body officer will not change. While many outlets have dramatized the facts of the situation, which are still being determined, my personal sentiments align most closely with Key West Police Department spokesperson Alyson Crean, who stated, “We don’t want to ruin this kid’s life for knocking over a couple of bikes,” according to this publication.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Statement from UF Student Body president-elect

Mar. 12, 2017

Editor's Notes: Smith Meyers declined questions for an article about his arrest. This is his personal statement he sent in lieu of answers.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Our university offers a lesson in smart spending and financial transparency

Mar. 2, 2017

On the third floor of Turlington Hall, there aren’t any windows. At least none that professors and teaching assistants, huddled in their dingy, cramped offices can see. The walls are gray, or might as well be, and its narrow corridors taste of stale air. It’s cold.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Being anti-abortion, or ‘pro-life,’ is hypocritical

Mar. 2, 2017

In the spirit of controversial news, let’s talk about abortion. Something that has always struck me as odd, not to mention hypocritical, is that so many people who consider themselves to be anti-abortion don’t seem to care much about the life of the child or mother after the baby is born.

OPINION | DARTS LAURELS

Darts & Laurels - March 3, 2017

Mar. 2, 2017

If you’re reading this, then your Spring Break probably hasn’t started yet. Or maybe it has, and while your friends are off on their expensive cruises or visiting their parents, you’re in good ol’ Gainesville. Or maybe you’re a dedicated student and are determined to show up to lecture with the five other people in the 200-person hall. Whatever it is, we are honored that on this blessed final day before Spring Break, you’ve decided to pick up a copy of your local newspaper and flip open to the pre-Spring Break…

OPINION | COLUMNS

Back to the basics: rebuilding the Democratic Party

Mar. 1, 2017

The Democratic Party is in decay. It’s impossible to deny. But the decline didn’t start last November. It’s been a steady deterioration since the resounding victories of 2008, which swept former President Barack Obama into office and took control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Since then, it has slowly ceded power, losing the House in 2010 and Senate in 2014. The exclamation point was Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Trump’s address to Congress: Are we being cautiously optimistic or too lenient?

Mar. 1, 2017

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave his first address to Congress. For one of the first times, our president sounded presidential. Reports from all across the media say this was the calmest and most professional our president has been since his inauguration. Some people are praising him for this.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Why we should all be allowed to take a Sabbath

Feb. 28, 2017

The Judeo-Christian idea of the Sabbath has been on my mind recently, most likely because of my personal schedule. College for most is either boring or impossible, with too much leisure or not enough time. I find myself in the latter position, where extracurricular involvement, tedious classes, relationships and personal hobbies jumble together to form one restless day after another. The reason why, I presume, the notion of the Sabbath has crept into my mind is because of the chaos of this semester. In short, I need rest — or maybe a month of backpacking through Ireland or a week at the beach.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Should we be concerned with cloud computing?

Feb. 28, 2017

On Tuesday afternoon, Canvas was down. We realized this quickly, frantically taking to Facebook to make sure our computers weren’t just acting up and asking others about assignment information. This problem was not localized to e-learning, however, nor was UF’s spotty Wi-Fi to blame. This stemmed from something much more widespread, with websites all over the internet losing functionality, ranging from small features not working to the whole site or app being down.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The media has no obligations to agree with the government on issues

Feb. 28, 2017

The American people have to trust that their president is being as transparent as possible, barring security concerns. A president should be open to the media and make statements whenever necessary — that’s why the position of press secretary was created in the first place. By establishing himself as the only one with the true facts, President Donald Trump is beginning to lead like a dictator. He demonstrates why there is a division between public relations and journalism. Journalists are supposed to report the truth, while public relations professionals represent clients. There’s a reason why The New York Times isn’t filled with press releases and why Sean Spicer isn’t called the White House resident journalist, but rather the press secretary. He represents Trump’s interests.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Appeasement: what happens when we compromise for all the wrong reasons

Feb. 28, 2017

This week I want to talk about a trend in public discourse. I’d like to take a look at what happens when we take the middle ground. Compromise is a democratic ideal we use to try to satisfy several parties with one solution. When other ways forward fail, we settle for the middle road. Compromise comes from the best of intentions, but that doesn’t mean it is always done for the right reasons. We have to learn to differentiate between compromise and conflict-avoidance.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Newspapers fill spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccceeeeeeeeeee

Feb. 27, 2017

That headline was intentional, Mike Foley. Don’t get your wrap-around glasses in a bunch.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Observations of a changing political atmosphere

Feb. 27, 2017

To my readers who may not be athletic or interested in sports, I apologize to you for my incoming analogies which may be lacking in relevance to you. For the rest of you, have you ever noticed how you must change the way you maneuver when you play on a different court or field? For those who have ever played tennis, football or volleyball, you are probably saying to yourself right now, “Yes, idiot. That’s obvious.” Right now, I’m also telling myself that same message because, at least instinctively, you’d catch me dead before you’d catch me taking a charge on a concrete basketball court.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

The purpose of art

Feb. 27, 2017

We will take a bit of an esoteric approach today, instead of launching into a commentary on the Oscar picks. We’re sure the events of the Oscars are plastered all across social media. There’s a lot we could talk about: the political overtones of the night, the

OPINION | COLUMNS

An ode to the journalists I know (and even the ones I don’t)

Feb. 26, 2017

This column begins with a disclaimer: Although I served on staff at the Alligator during the past year, I have never claimed to be a journalist. I pulled some long nights with my fellow editors, I helped writers revise their ledes, and I wrote many a headline in my time — but I’ve never gone out and gotten the scoop or snapped the photograph. With that said, I believe my outsider-turned-insider perspective might shed some light on the hard work your local journalists — and their counterparts around the globe — do each day to get the story and get the story right.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Instill the value of feminism to the next generation

Feb. 26, 2017

A few days ago, I went to visit a friend of mine who was tabling on Turlington Plaza for the Women’s Student Association’s Women’s Empowerment Week. She was there for a good portion of the day alongside other members of the organization, passing out “Girl Boss” temporary tattoos and collecting clothes to donate to Peaceful Paths, a local domestic-abuse shelter.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

We must continue to fight hate crimes

Feb. 26, 2017

Last week in Kansas, three men were shot — one killed — by a shooter who was tossing ethnic slurs at two of the men, who were from India (the third had jumped in to help). Last Friday, near the Tampa area, a prayer-hall in the Islamic Society of New Tampa was intentionally set on fire. That’s just in the last week.