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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2025

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 7 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Retired professor cut off for Charlie Kirk post says UF is ‘silencing dissent’ UNIVERSITY SAYS IT HAS “ZERO TOLERANCE” FOR VIOLENT SPEECH

By Swasthi Maharaj & Leona Masangkay Alligator Staff Writers

UF’s decision to take action on a retired law professor’s social media post has sparked conversations about free speech, political pressure and the boundaries of dissent on college campuses. UF revoked retired law professor Jeffrey Harrison’s emeritus status for a post he made on his Facebook about the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. While some students, alumni and Harrison himself now say the post followed university guidelines, UF continues to emphasize its “zero tolerance” policy toward violence-inciting speech a week later. In an email response to The Alligator, Harrison wrote he didn’t expect his words to draw so much backlash. “Given the nature of what appears on social media, I thought my post, though sharply worded, was well within acceptable bounds,” he wrote. Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah college campus while visiting universities nationwide to debate students on various issues for his “American Comeback Tour.” He visited UF in

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Health Story description finish with comma, COVID-19 vaccines hard to find. pg# Read more on pg. 5.

February to debate students at the Plaza of The Americas. “I did not want for him [Kirk] to die,” Harrison wrote in his post. “I reserve that wish for Trump.” On Sept. 19, UF confirmed a retired professor’s emeritus privileges were rescinded “in accordance with the university’s policies and regulations.” Emeritus status is a mark of recognition for praiseworthy service, given to some professors after retirement. It brings benefits like on-campus parking, use of recreational facilities and admission to athletic events. Harrison said he was “pretty shocked” to learn UF had stripped him of his emeritus status. Upon reflection, Harrison said, he and UF shared “little in common” when it came to their beliefs. He described UF’s decision as a warning sign for faculty statewide. “It could and will likely mean silencing dissent, which I think is the goal,” he wrote. Harrison said he regrets getting “caught in the turmoil.” Until recently, Harrison worked as a part-time contracts professor at the California Western School of Law, a private school in San Diego. He said he was hired to teach for the Fall semester only, and he notified the school when UF took action. “As a result of an amicable

SEE HARRISON, PAGE 4

Libby Clifton // Alligator Staff

Payton Logan hands a coworker an iced latte for a customer on opening day of Foxtail Coffee Co.'s new location on Northwest 13th Street, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Read more in The Avenue on pg. 7.

State claims Alachua County mounted almost $85 million in wasteful spending Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced findings of the county’s audit Sept. 25 By Maria Avlonitis Alligator Staff Writer

Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s recently appointed chief financial officer, announced Alachua County wasted almost $85 million in taxpayer money after a state Department of Government Efficiency audit. “This amount of spending is an eye-popping number for a local government,” he said.

Student life

The CFO held a press conference at Wolf Health & Performance Group in the city of Alachua Sept. 25 in front of a crowd of about 50 people. The DOGE audit found Alachua County wasted taxpayer money to expand its bureaucracy, he said, though he did not specify what programs or positions it wasted the money on. State auditors visited the county’s office Aug. 13 and Aug. 14. “It is not our job to highlight line by line exactly what the

administration, the city manager, the administrators should cut,” he said. “It's not our job to micromanage.” Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton said in a statement Alachua County has been transparent and cooperative with the state’s DOGE staff. “We had no advanced knowledge of information shared at

SEE BLAISE, PAGE 3

Chronically Outside club brings nature to all, pg. 2

El Caimán: Immigration

See September ICE arrests, pg. 6

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