UF alumna Nicole Mollison wanted the “Gator Bait” chant scrubbed from Gator Band’s repertoire as early 2009. She’d learned of its racist past and brought her concerns to band leadership.
They didn’t listen. For 11 years, no one did.
It wasn't until Thursday that UF President Kent Fuchs announced in an email to students that the cheer will no longer be performed by the Gator Band at UF sporting events, due to the “horrific historical racist imagery associated with the phrase.”
This was only one of numerous measures outlined in the email, including ending the university’s use of prison labor in agricultural operations, but it gained widespread attention from Gator sports fans.