We Inform. You Decide. www.alligator.org VOLUME 112 ISSUE 45 FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018 Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida FEATURE FRIDAY Back to school: At UF, a job can come with an education By David Hoffman is a second chance, she said. Alligator Staff Writer When she was last in school in 1985, Cimino was 21, married, For the fi rst time in more than pregnant and pursuing business ad- 30 years, Colette Cimino is a college ministration at Nassau Community student again. College in Long Island, New York. And the biggest change she sees Her plan was to deliver the baby is the technology. when it was due in June, fi nish her “I submitted a small essay this degree and start a career to support week online, and my professor her child. gave me feedback later that night,” But instead, her daughter, Kara, Cimino said. “They didn’t have that was born 2 ½ months premature. in 1985, let me tell you.” For the fi rst few weeks she tried As a full-time employee with UF, to balance it all. Cimino divided her Cimino, who works as an adminis- time between her part-time job at trative assistant in the UF Health a nearby dentist’s offi ce, college Cancer Center, can take up to six classes and the hospital wing where credit hours per semester tuition- nurses watched over Kara. free as part of UF’s Employee Edu- It quickly became impossible, cation Program. she said. Anywhere between 500 and “Life got in the way,” Cimino 800 full-time employees, who said. “And I cared way more about have worked for UF for at least six my baby girl than making every- months, use the program to study thing work at the time; she was my at either UF or Santa Fe College, priority.” said Kenya Williams, the program’s From there, she and her hus- director. band divorced; she moved in 1986 Most are working toward their with Kara to Gainesville, after Cimi- associates or bachelor’s degrees, no’s father took a job fl ying the UF but some — about 25 percent of last Health Shands Hospital helicopter. Fall’s participants — use the pro- “Try being a single parent, work- Alan Alvarez / Alligator Staff gram to get their master’s degrees, ing full time with high-stress jobs,” Omar Lopez, a lead scientifi c systems developer with the UF Center for Biotechnology Research, is en- Williams said. The program gets she said. “As much as I would have rolled in UF’s Employee Education Program, which allows full-time employees to take up to six credit about $305,831 each year, wrote liked fi nishing school, it was never hours tuition-free. Lopez, 25, hopes to get his associates degree by the end of the year. UF spokesperson John Hines in an really an option.” email. Cimino always had the idea of sudden,” she said. “I was thinking, I’m going to have to do algebra II, clined to the point where she could • • • returning to school in the back of ‘Well that would just be really stu- probably,” she said. “But it’ll be no longer walk on her own. The ar- Aside from working 40 hours her mind but didn’t think of it as pid if I didn’t do this.’” worth it.” thritis in the 45-year-old’s back and per week for their jobs, many of the a possibility until her co-worker at Now, fi ve days into her fi rst se- Omar Lopez is fi nishing what he her spinal stenosis, which causes students have families and children the Cancer Center told her about mester in more than three decades, started. strain on the spinal cord’s nerves, of their own to raise, Williams said. UF’s Employee Education Program. Cimino said she feels proud fulfi ll- In 2012, during Lopez’s sopho- were the worst they had been since “They’re juggling everything,” Cimino realized she could transfer ing her long-standing personal goal. more year at UF, he went from being diagnosed as a teenager. Williams said. “The whole balance her credits from Nassau Communi- She said her only fear is having to studying on campus to struggling to “The thing with parents is that of life — and then adding school on ty to Santa Fe and use the program take math again. hold his family together and man- they’ll never say to their child, ‘I top of it.” to help subsidize it. “Honestly, I don’t even remem- aging unexpected poverty. need help.’ That’s just not who His mother Omarya’s health de- But for Cimino, 53, the program “It was a big possibility all of a ber much algebra or calculus, and SEE EDUCATION, PAGE 5 County wants reimbursement for Richard Spencer event UF PRESIDENT FUCHS The county mailed UF a letter and invoice proached the county and asked for resources vices costs just under $20,000. RECEIVED AN INVOICE FOR for $302,184 Wednesday morning asking to to help and that there was an expectation of The invoice also lists $15,829 for the MORE THAN $300,000. be reimbursed for the cost of provided public reimbursement,” Sexton said. Alachua County Combined Communication safety resources, said Mark Sexton, the com- UF spokesperson Steve Orlando said the Center services, which includes overtime By Jessica Giles munications and legislative affairs director university had not received the letter but was pay for 911 and non-emergency operators Alligator Staff Writer for Alachua. Sexton said the reimbursement aware of it. He said the issue is under review. and radios that were rented for public safety has no due date. Security costs, split between UF and offi cers to use, Sexton said. Court security Alachua County is requesting more than The City of Gainesville will discuss charg- other agencies, were estimated to be about and jail services combined made up $6,343 $300,000 from UF to reimburse the cost of ing UF for security costs in a general body $600,000, according to Alligator archives. of the invoice. public safety resources provided for Richard meeting Jan. 25, said city spokesperson Chip Alachua’s law enforcement — total- Spencer’s event on campus in October. Skinner. ing $260,494 — accounts for most of the @jessica_giles_ “It’s my understanding that UF ap- Wednesday invoice, while fi re rescue ser- [email protected] March for MLK kicks off celebrations Gators lose fourth consecutive SEC See the photo story, pg. 8 FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR UPDATES game The Florida women’s basketball team fell to Ken- UF Senate rules, procedures, subject to review tucky 56-53 on Thursday night at the O’Connell The UF Supreme Court met to rule on the issue, pg. 10 @FloridaAlligator @TheAlligator_ @TheAlligator Center, pg. 14 2 ALLIGATOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2018 Today’s Weather VOLUME 112 ISSUE 45 ISSN 0889-2423 Not offi cially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications Inc., of Gainesville, Florida NEWSROOM 352-376-4458 • Fax: 352-376-4467 Editor Melissa Gomez, [email protected] AM PM Managing Editor, Online Caitlin Ostroff, [email protected] NOON Managing Editor, Print Jimena Tavel, [email protected] Beats Editor Meryl Kornfield, [email protected] Have an event planned? Freelance Editor Paige Fry, [email protected] HIGH 71° LOW 42° Add it to the alligator’s online calendar: Investigations Editor Romy Ellenbogen, Local Events / News in Brief alligator.org/calendar [email protected] Opinions Editor Abigail Miller, [email protected] photos that incorporate scientific up soon. Qualifying and slating Sports Editor Dylan Dixon, [email protected] WHAT’S HAPPENING? tools or concepts for a chance for candidates will be in the SG Assistant Sports Editor Jake Dreilinger, [email protected] to win cash prizes. The con- Office in the Reitz Union on the alligatorSports.org Editor Morgan McMullen, GatorNights: Welcome back test is organized by the Florida following days/times: Jan. 28 Today, the Reitz Union will Museum of Natural History from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Jan. 29 [email protected] hold its New Year’s rendition of and Marston Science Library. from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Jan. 30 Editorial Board Abigail Miller, Melissa Gomez, GatorNights. Start the semester Submissions are due Monday. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Caitlin Ostroff, Jimena Tavel with the Stuff-A-Gator activity For contest rules or to view past Photo Editor Alan de Sotomayor Alvarez, (which is only available for the winners; visit floridamuseum. Got something going on? first 300 people and they must ufl.edu/eos or call 352-273-2013. Want to see it in this space? [email protected] check in first) or dance all night Send an email with “What’s the Avenue Editor Natalie Rao, [email protected] in the atrium with live music Study Abroad Fair Happening” in the subject line to Copy Desk Chiefs Nealy Kehres, Gabby Valenti from DJ Mr. Magnum. We’ll The UF International Center will [email protected]. To request Copy Editors Victoria Gingras, have a special performance by host the Spring Study Abroad publication in the next day’s Dan Basalone, Alexia Schmidt, comedian Moses Storm at 9:30 Fair on Jan. 24 from 10 a.m. to newspaper, please submit the p.m. in the Reitz Union Grand 3 p.m. on Reitz Union North event before 5 p.m. Please mod- Jill Chabot, Katie Marshall Ballroom. GatorNights is always Lawn.