A contentious topic amongst UF students is prison labor. After the summer of 2020, UF president Fuchs condemned the use of prison labor which prompted many students to encourage the university to end its ties with Aramark, a company notorious for using prison labor as a primary source of production. UF Food Justice joins STAAR in a conversation to tackle the issue ..read more

In an effort to further bridge the gap between the STAAR executive board and students, we prompted a Q&A in which students had the opportunity to ask our team pertinent questions that directly affect us, as a diverse body of students. STAAR is intentional in its mission to act as the liaison between students, student government, and faculty; this episode marks the beginnings of students candidly displaying their diverse experiences and perspectives ..read more

In an effort to uncover hidden aspects of Black History within Florida, we will be discussing the community of Rosewood, a prosperous Black community only an hour away from Gainesville, that was targeted by a racially-motivated massacre in 1923. We will recount the tragic events that took place in the early days of January 1923, as well as detail the journey of the Rosewood survivors and descendants in the aftermath of the massacre ..read more

In our very first episode of “STAAR This”, we interview the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Florida, Antonio Farias. In June 2020, in response to great social unrest and a need for justice, the university released a list of initiatives it is committed to pursuing. These initiatives center around education, representation, and history. In the interview with Mr. Farias, we ask for details regarding what change the UF community can expect regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion ..read more