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MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025

VOLUME 119 - ISSUE 24 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Remembering UF student Nyla Holland

She was known for her bright smile, outgoing nature and dedication By Shaine Davison & Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writers

Courtesy of Rebekah Santiago

Nyla Holland was a 20-year-old animal sciences major at UF.

UF urges Krishna Lunch to clarify meals are free, prices are suggested donations THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT COMES AMID A PERIOD OF FINANCIAL STRAIN FOR KRISHNA LUNCH

By Grace McClung Alligator Staff Writer

UF is working to form its first-ever official agreement with Krishna Lunch, requiring the religious organization to clarify that its advertised meal prices are only suggested donations — not mandatory payments. The agreement, which aims to formalize UF’s relationship with Krishna

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Fabrics needed finish with comma, Story description Gainesville grapples with Joann’s pg# closure. Read more on pg. 5.

Lunch, would ensure the continued offering of free meals while allowing voluntary contributions. But Krishna leaders worry increasing transparency about the donation-based model could discourage contributions, jeopardizing the program’s long-term survival. Krishna Lunch, which has served lowcost vegetarian meals to UF students since 1971, reported a $75,000 shortfall in revenue last year amid rising food costs. The organization temporarily raised its suggested donation per meal from $6 to $8, prompting complaints from students

SEE KRISHNA, PAGE 3

Nyla Holland did a little bit of everything. Acting onstage. Playing saxophone. Crocheting with her grandma. Weightlifting. Throwing javelin and shot put. Serving in UF’s Reserve Officer Training Corps. Riding horses — and teaching kids to do the same. But more than the sum of her talents, Holland was a radiant extrovert whose warmth and openness made people feel at ease. Holland, a UF animal sciences sophomore, died in Gainesville March 2. An oncoming car struck Holland while she was driving her moped into the parking lot at Southwest Recreation Center, where she exercised daily. She was 20 years old. She is survived by her parents, Jaime Holland and Rebekah Santiago, her 21-yearold brother, Jaime Jr. and 16-year-old sister, Moriah. Family and friends remember Holland as a resilient, energetic and loving jack-of-alltrades. Santiago, Holland’s mother, said her drive to explore new passions was rooted in her love for people. “When people think of her, I hope that they treasure their connections,” Santiago said. “That is what she loved.” Humor, too, was one of Holland’s strong suits. Her stories always had “color and pepper and salt,” Santiago said. “Sarcasm was her native language,” she said. “She saw things for what they were. They were not romantic at all — it had so much humor.” Born on Sept. 14, 2004, in Lake Worth, Florida, Holland graduated from Park Vista Community High School before attending UF. There, she became a dedicated member of the university’s ROTC program and at-

The Avenue: Cookies galore

Top five chocolate chip cookies in Gainesville, pg. 6

tained a three-year U.S. Army scholarship. She planned to follow in the footsteps of her father, Jaime, and enlist in the Army after graduation, with dreams of becoming a military veterinarian. Holland’s passions were diverse, but her heart belonged to animals — especially horses and dogs. Her love began early, with relentless requests for a dog. One Christmas, her parents gave her a toy dog, but that didn’t quite “quench her thirst,” Santiago said. So once the Hollands replaced their home’s carpets with hardwood, they adopted Lexi, a boxer whom Nyla loved dearly. Her bond with animals only grew as she got older. As a teenager, Holland began volunteering at Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida, the largest cage-free, no-kill dog rescue organization in the United States. “She was at peace when she was with an animal,” said Jaime Holland. “If you asked her to clean her room, that was torture. But if you asked her to bathe 10 dogs, she’d do 30,” Sanitago said. Holland also loved riding and taking care of horses, even if it caused her physical harm from time to time. Up until her death, she excitedly recollected when a horse stepped on her foot, showing the scar off to her mother. Her passion for animals carried into her studies at UF, where she recently earned a certification in artificial insemination. She had plans to start a club aimed at reducing mistreatment and stigma toward pit bulls, especially prevalent near her home in South Florida. After Lexi, the Hollands’ dog, passed away several years ago, Nyla urged her parents to adopt a rescue. The Hollands ended up taking in Sephora — a shar pei-pitbull mix.

SEE NYLA, PAGE 4

Florence Landfill

Neighbors reflect on Paul Florence’s character, pg. 5

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