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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 21 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

As UF starts third presidential search in 4 years, excitement wears thin FACULTY FATIGUED AS SEARCH FIRMS AND POLITICAL RELATIONSHIPS AFFECT TENURE TIME

By Leona Masangkay Alligator Staff Writer

UF is searching for its next president. Again. This is UF’s third presidential search in four years. Following the abrupt resignation of Ben Sasse in 2024, Dr. Donald Landry was selected by the UF Board of Trustees as interim president when Santa J. Ono, the University of Michigan’s then-president, was rejected. The university announced the launch of its latest presidential search committee in December 2025, and it’s held three listening sessions since the Spring semester kicked off. However, these meetings differed from last year’s. Following Sasse’s resignation, presidential search committee listening sessions were filled with comments on character, politics and conflicting opinions. This year, each meeting remained brief, with minimal comments. “A presidential search should be inspiring,” said Pasha Agoes, a faculty senate member representing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Everyone should be, you know, giddy with excitement.” Agoes said he began to feel

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Criminal justice

Story description finish with comma, Flock security cameras ignite privacy pg# concerns in Gainesville. Read more on pg. 2.

less enthusiastic about UF’s presidential search following Ono’s rejection. A search committee announced Ono as the sole finalist for the position in May 2025. But when the Florida Board of Governors questioned him on his stance on diversity, equity and inclusion prior to his confirmation vote, it decided he did not meet its criteria. Conservative board members cited Ono’s past climate justice initiatives and inclusion of gender pronouns on his Instagram profile as a threat to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-woke agenda. It was the first time in Florida public university history the Board of Governors rejected the sole finalist of a presidential search committee. Now, the overlap between politics and higher education is sparking fatigue among some faculty and students. “We are an academic institution,” Agoes said. “We are not a political institution.” Agoes said some of his colleagues are also feeling fatigued. UF’s presidential candidate should be a visionary, and they should be long term, he said. In recent years, faculty hasn't seen much of the latter in Tigert Hall. In considering his ideal candidate, Agoes said it’s important for UF’s next president to recognize the university’s mission as a diverse center of re-

SEE UF PRESIDENT, PAGE 4

Bayden Armstrong // Alligator Staff

Nicholas Hart and Cooper LaMontagne play guitar at a rehearsal of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the fine arts building on UF’s campus, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Find this story in The Avenue on pg. 6.

Florida’s new state-approved sociology textbook omits units on race, gender, sexuality

FSU and FIU adopted the shortened version, while UF declined to implement it By Sara Dhorasoo Alligator Staff Writer

Florida’s public university system has approved a significantly shortened Introduction to Sociology textbook that eliminates several core subject areas, a move faculty members say reshapes how the discipline is introduced to thousands of students statewide.

The Florida Board of Governors approved and distributed the revised syllabus and textbook framework for the course, which is now available for adoption at all state public universities. So far, Florida State University and Florida International University are using the new version. UF has declined to adopt it officially, treating it instead as a resource or recommendation, according to

El Caimán: Immigration

professor William Marsiglio. The state-approved textbook is 267 pages — compared to about 665 pages in the original Openstax Introduction to Sociology 3e edition used by UF. Introduction to Sociology at UF enrolled about 1,450 students during the 202526 academic year, according to public records acquired by The

SEE SOCIOLOGY, PAGE 4

ICE-watching activities ramp up in North Central Florida, pg. 7

The Avenue: Music

Rock ’n’ roll fans delighted as guitar store Funky Music moves to a new location, pg. 6

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