The Gainesville Iguana

by Jenny Carr

A free-flowing Ocklawaha River is an essential component of improving the ecological health of Silver Springs, one of the largest and most famous springs in the world that is currently suffering from excessive algae, reduced flows, and a tragic loss of biodiversity. 

Dr. David Padgett, an associate professor of Geography at Tennessee State University, earned his PhD at the University of Florida where he was a major player in the civil rights movement. In this interview excerpt, Padgett [P] was interviewed by Justin Dunnavant [D]on April 10, 2012; transcript edited by Beth Grobman. Read the entire interview at tinyurl.com/Iguana2301.

D: What was the environment like in 1989 [when you came to UF]? 

P: It was a pretty volatile time for the Black students. There was a lot of the remnant Reagan-era attitude from the 1980s. You know, Clinton was just starting to get cranked up, so there was a bit of a change in attitude nationally, but still you had a lot of white students who still had that old Reagan, anti-affirmative action type mentality. 

by UF Young Democratic Socialists of America

The University of Florida (UF) students demand that ICE get out of our Swamp!

UF is directly collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The UF Police Department (UFPD) participates in federal immigration enforcement through the 287(g) agreement, which empowers local law enforcement to act in a similar capacity to ICE agents.

 by Amy Trask

Almost eleven years ago, I was barefoot, covered in spit-up, and trying to make breakfast when the man I once trusted turned violent. Deadly. That morning, I became a statistic — one of the more than 100,000 domestic violence cases reported in Florida that year. But I also became something else: a survivor. 

by Jyoti Parmar, Executive Director, North Central Florida Indivisible

North Central Florida Indivisible (NCFI) has launched the Gainesville edition of Signs of Solidarity, a nationwide Indivisible project that helps local businesses stand in solidarity with immigrants and resist efforts to erode civil rights.

by Austin Britton and Cassie Urbenz, Graduate Assistants United

What is Impasse? Why are we here?

Graduate Assistants United has been negotiating the next full contract for over two years. 

by Tessa Barber and Cassie Urbenz,Graduate Assistants United

This statement [about pulling the plug on H1-B visas] is just another inflammatory, racist positioning designed to distract from the fact that those in Tallahassee refuse to address any real issues facing the working people in our state, while working tirelessly to hurt unions and international residents who are only here to get an education and give back.   
– Austin Britton, UF-GAU Co-President 

Governor Ron DeSantis stood on the University of South Florida campus on Wednesday, Oct. 22, behind a banner of “reclaiming higher education,” to order Florida’s colleges and universities to “pull the plug” on H1-B visas.