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MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 18 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

This rare bird hasn’t been seen in Alachua County since 1999 — until now The lesser nighthawk’s unexpected appearance draws crowds to Sweetwater Wetlands Park By Juliana DeFilippo Alligator Staff Writer

Daniela Peñafiel // Alligator Staff

An illustration depicts the lesser nighthawk, which was spotted in Alachua County for the first time since 1999, bringing crowds to its temporary location in Sweetwater Wetlands Park.

After he caught word of the lesser nighthawk sighting in Alachua County, Tim Hardin went to see it for himself. It took him three days to finally catch a glimpse of the speckled bird, with its small pointed beak and sharp eyes, against the backdrop of Sweetwater Wetlands Park Dec. 19. Until last month, the bird hadn’t been seen in Alachua County since 1999, when a park ranger found a dead lesser nighthawk at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. The bird’s return was first reported by Luis Gles and Mariah Hryniewich on eBird, a popular platform for birders to record sightings. “Rare. Second Alachua Co. record according to eBird, & 1st record alive!!!” Hryniewich wrote Dec. 16, citing her location as Sweetwater Wetlands Park. Three days later, Hardin and

When ChatGPT becomes a crisis helpline UF experts assess the benefits, dangers and future of AI in mental health support By Swasthi Maharaj Alligator Staff Writer

UF experts say the use of AI for making life decisions and dealing with mental health struggles has increased since the pandemic, with a decrease in the amount of people showing up to therapy and counseling sessions in-person. Last year, Adam Raine, a 16-year-old boy from Santa Margarita, California, spent months questioning the bot about life advice. ChatGPT responded to his prompts about self-harm and suicide with detailed explanations of how to carry them out. Shortly afterwards, the boy died by suicide. The aftermath of Raine’s death prompted legal action against OpenAI and amplified conversations about AI’s role in

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT Student life

Story description finish with comma, Student group builds wastewater pg# pump for Ukrainian city. Read more on pg. 2.

mental health support. At the same time, researchers at Sentio University examined how frequently people use AI for mental health guidance. In a July 2025 study of 499 participants, 64% reported using LLMs for mental health support for more than four months. Nearly half said AI had improved their mental health in some way. At UF, students, psychologists and researchers say they are striving to understand why people turn to AI, what it offers, where it falls short and how institutions can and should respond. Perceived benefits and accessibility Christopher You, a UF doctoral candidate studying human-centered computing, has published multiple research papers on AI’s role in mental health. His work focuses on

how people choose to engage with large language models, like ChatGPT, when it comes to navigating health and well-being. “Over the last 20, 30, 40 years, we’ve been seeing a trend where our visits with doctors are not the only way we improve our health,” You said. “Now it’s more of a self-journey.” With the expansion of online health information, You said, people face a growing “cognitive burden” when trying to determine what advice is reliable — a gap AI has increasingly filled. In 2022, You ran a qualitative study interviewing people about their concerns over AI. The main concerns, he said, were AI taking employment opportunities from doctors and psychologists and the validity of its advice. Still, many were open to AI serving as a supplement to professional care, he said.

K-12 education Glen Springs Elementary School parents concerned about new fence, pg. 5

The Avenue: Music

Four Gainesville DJs talk craft and community, pg. 6

around 75 others walked through the park after hours, guided by staff, searching for the bird. “Honestly, I feel a lot happier that a lot of other people were able to see [the bird],” he said. “I've seen some phenomenal birds here that not very many people have been able to see, and I have an appreciation of the joy and the camaraderie and having those shared experiences of seeing the bird.” On Jan. 5, Sweetwater Wetlands Park hosted a second after-hours event to spot the nocturnal bird as it starts hunting. The event drew around 145 people eager to see the lesser nighthawk, including nonbirders, which Hardin referred to as “breaking containment.” Over 80 photos of the Alachua County lesser nighthawk have been uploaded to eBird as of Jan. 20. Many birders keep “lifelists,” where they keep track of all the

SEE NIGHTHAWK, PAGE 4

One major benefit of AI, You said, is its ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and tailor it to individuals. For students, that can include identifying relevant mental health resources on campus. Though bots are now becoming more and more humanlike, You said he believes genuine human touch remains important. “I think the more AI we get, the more human we need to be,” You said. Ivanna Revoredo, a 21-year-old UF business administration senior, said she has used ChatGPT for mental health and life advice. During periods of personal crisis, Revoredo said, she turned to the chatbot for guidance on situations she felt uncomfortable discussing with people in her life. “It just made me feel like I wasn’t crazy,” she said. While she said friends may have offered similar advice, she preferred what felt like

SEE AI THERAPY, PAGE 4

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