Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom opening celebration with ABC News past president on Feb. 24
Please join the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law as we celebrate the grand opening of the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom Thursday, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m. David Westin, a lawyer and the immediate past president of ABC News, will give keynote remarks on a topic involving courts and the media. A limited number of tickets will be available for the event in the Office of Student Affairs. Details will be available via the Allaw listerv. Following the courtroom opening celebration and lecture, the UF Law Trial Team will present its exhibition at 2 p.m. in the center. This event is free and open to the public.

Refine your conflict resolution skills today
Brush up on your conflict resolution knowledge and skills this Valentine’s Day at the practical presentation, “Why can’t we all just get along? Everything you wanted to know about dispute resolution but were afraid to ask,” by Levin College of Law Professor Robin Davis, Esq., director of the Institute for Dispute Resolution. Her presentation will focus on common dispute resolution processes and help faculty and administrators make more informed decisions, personally and professionally, in choosing an appropriate process for their disputes. She will highlight the application of these processes to academia, with special emphasis on mediation. The presentation will be held 3:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, in the Faculty Dining Room at the Levin College of Law, and is free and open to all. For more information on the program, contact Debra Amirin, amirin@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0651.

Need a Valentine’s Day gift to charm your sweetheart or friends?
The Journal of Law and Public Policy is selling carnations of assorted colors in the courtyard today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each carnation costs $2, and if you would like them to deliver the carnation to your recipient with a note, the carnation will cost $3. For more information, stop by the table in the courtyard today or contact JLPP Fundraising Chair Justin Berlin at justinberlin@gmail.com.

Spend an evening with pioneers in U.S. Civil Rights Movement
The University of Florida Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations (CSRRR) and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP)* present “An Evening with the Dues: Pioneers in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement” Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. with a reception and book signing followed by lecture in the Buddy and Anne McKay Auditorium of Pugh Hall. The event honors the work and legacy of Patricia Stephens Due and John Due. The Dues will discuss their lives, work, and the future work that needs to be done for social justice. In 1960 Patricia Stephens Due and four other students from Florida A&M University made history when they served 49 days in jail after being arrested for sitting-in at a lunch counter. Ms. Due and her fellow protestors refused to pay a fine and instead chose to go to jail in order to highlight the injustice of legal segregation. This was the first jail-in of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of Mrs. Due’s work fighting for human and civil rights in America. Mrs. Due and her husband, civil rights attorney John Due, have fought for human rights since their days on the campus of Florida A&M University. Mrs. Due is the recipient of many awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Outstanding Leadership, the Ghandi Award for Outstanding Work in Human Relations and the NAACP Florida Freedom Award. John Due is a 1963 graduate of the FAMU College of Law. *UF event co-sponsors: African American Studies Program; Bob Graham Center; Center for African Studies; Center for Women’s Studies & Gender Research; Department of Anthropology; George A. Smathers Libraries; History Department; and the Office of the Provost.

UF Law Trial Team to compete in Texas and Alabama
The UF Law Trial Team sends two teams this week to compete in competitions in Texas and Alabama. On Wednesday, Feb. 16, advocates Rhett Parker, Anita McNulty, Michael Quintero and Dan Hogan, supported by their coaches Nick Zissimopulos and Tania Alavi, travel to San Antonio, Texas, to compete in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Trial Advocacy Competition. This competition is a criminal trial where the advocates represent both the prosecution and defense. The NACDL competition selects only 12 schools to compete in this three-day competition. The NACDL team is supported by its Round-Robin Team of Georgia Buckhalter, Daniella Chacoa, Tiana Beaudouin, and Gillian Sykes and their Researcher/Team Mascot, James Baley. On Friday, Feb. 18, advocates Jennifer White, Dillon Roberts, Erik Gruber and Jared Thoma, supported by coaches Whitney Untiedt and Darby Hertz, travel to Birmingham, Ala., to compete in the National Trial Competition (NTC). Our advocates are prepared to represent both the prosecution and defense in this criminal trial where the defendant is charged with both first-degree murder and robbery. This regional competition features 26 teams from law schools across Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The top two teams advance to the national competition held in Houston, Texas, from April 6-10. The NTC team is supported by researcher, Andrew Bauta.

JMBA hosts student-faculty-alumni softball game and picnic Saturday, Feb. 19
Join local alumni, students and faculty Saturday, Feb. 19, at 3:30 p.m. at Westside Park, as the John Marshall Bar Association hosts a picnic and friendly game of softball between students, alumni and faculty. Many local alumni are expected to attend, which will provide a valuable networking opportunity for students, and include local alumni in the UF Law community. Please check back for more details as they become available.

Save the date for the Public Interest Environmental Conference Feb. 24-26
The theme of this year’s conference is “It’s Not Easy Being Green: Our Energy Future.” The discussion will focus on contemporary issues associated with our need for energy. Different forms of energy generation and their legal and social ramifications will be examined in a series of nine panels and two hands-on workshops. For details and registration information, visit http://www.law.ufl.edu/piec/.

All seven Florida Supreme Court justices to judge Maguire Appellate Advocacy Competition Feb. 25
The law school community is invited to watch as members of the Florida Moot Court Team showcase their oral advocacy skills to all seven members of the Florida Supreme Court Feb. 25. The 27th annual Maguire Appellate Advocacy Competition, formerly known as the Raymer F. Maguire Moot Court Final Four Competition, will be held at 10 a.m. in UF Law’s Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center. The event is free and open to the public — the law school community is encouraged to attend. The exhibition allows moot court team members to receive useful critiques regarding their oral arguments as they prepare for the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition. This year’s team consists of Wilbert Vancol (3L), Leah Edelman (3L), Katie Tinsley (3L), David Hughes (3L), David Evans (3L) and Monica Haddad (2L). During the exhibition, Vancol and Edelman will present arguments for Petitioner, and Haddad and Evans will argue for Respondent. The Maguire exhibition provides UF Law students a unique opportunity to observe these outstanding law students exhibit their distinguished oral advocacy skills. Providing critiques for the oral arguments will be members of the current Florida Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Charles T. Canady, Justice Barbara J. Pariente, Justice R. Fred Lewis, Justice Peggy A. Quince, Justice Ricky Polston, Justice Jorge Labarga and Justice James E.C. Perry.

Submit art for the Sixth Annual UF Law Student/Faculty Art Show by March 14
Mark your calendars for the upcoming UF Law Student/Faculty Art Show, which will take place Wednesday, March 16, in the Legal Information Center at 7 p.m. The Art Law Society will be having a silent auction for selected works and all proceeds will benefit Shands Arts in Medicine program. There also will be wine, food and live music. If you are interested in submitting your artwork, send the following information to f.c.tripp@gmail.com by March 14 at 5 p.m.: title, artist’s name, date created, dimensions of the work/length of video, medium (i.e., oil on canvas, photography, etc) and whether you would like to donate the work for the silent auction.

Princeton Review seeks input from law students
The Princeton Review has once again named the University of Florida Levin College of Law one of the best law schools in the nation. Distinguished schools will be profiled in the 2012 edition of Best Law Schools. In order to help them represent UF Law accurately, please fill out the following survey to author a new “Students Say” profile and update our ratings.

The Jurist-in-Residence Program brings judges to UF Law to provide insights to students and faculty on a broad range of issues relating to the judicial process, substantive law, trial and appellate advocacy and the day-to-day practice of law.

Judge Black was appointed as a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida and held that position from 1979 to 1992. In 1992, she was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit by President George H.W. Bush. During her visit to Levin College of Law, Judge Black participated in a number of activities at the law school and spent a significant amount of time speaking with students.

Judge Black spoke in several law classes, had breakfast and lunch with students, tea with faculty and participated in informal talks where students could engage in one-on-one conversations with Black. In addition to speaking about judicial process and decision-making, Black also addressed the practical aspects of lawyering during her visit, including the importance of professionalism, how to present oneself and advice on entering the job market in the legal world.

Judge Black spoke with various student groups, including the Florida Law Review. She also spoke to 1Ls in four classroom appearances with Professors Stinneford, Wihnyk, Mazur and Lear.

Judge Black also met with the Trial Practice class in the newly completed courtroom at the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center. Senior Legal Skills Professor Jennifer Zedalis, who is the director of UF Law’s Trial Practice Program and also chairs the Jurist-In-residence program at the College, said Judge Black’s visit was a great success.

“I think the program was wonderfully successful,” Zedalis said. “My impression was that she couldn’t wait to talk to these students.”

The UF Law Jurist-in-Residence Program was named to honor UF Law alum Peter T. Fay of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Fay served as the inaugural jurist-in-residence in 2009 and former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Charles T. Wells served as jurist-in-residence in 2010.

After six months of preparation, an eight-day trip to Austria’s capital and a 75-page problem report, it all comes down to this: squid.

That’s the topic of argument in this year’s International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Squid.

Or, more precisely, the international sale of squid.

And Parker (3L) isn’t the least bit intimidated by the thought of arguing before a three-member international tribunal for an hour about calamari.

But maybe that’s because Parker’s been here before.

Earning honorable mention in last year’s competition for her oral arguments and for the entire team’s claimant’s briefs, Parker said she’s excited to return to Vienna to serve as UF’s captain this year as the Gators tackle 10-tentacled legal issues against more than 250 other law schools from across the world.

“It’s an interesting thing to do a problem on,” Parker said. “It’s a bit more lively, no pun intended.”

Arguing about the international sale of water palms during 2010′s competition and missing out on advancing to the next level by only a handful of points out of 1,200, Parker and the rest of UF’s ICAM team hope squid will be their lucky charm.

“We really want to go back and prove to belong,” Parker said. “We want to prove we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

But, like any team, things don’t always begin picturesque.

Jeffrey Harrison, Stephen C. O’Connell Chair, and Professor of Law George Dawson, teach and coach the ICAM team. Harrison said students always start off a bit rusty before beginning their four-hour-a-week practice schedule during the entire spring semester.

But the rustiness gives way to something spectacular soon enough, Harrison said.

“Really, it’s like seeing them blossom,” he said. UF has been sending students to compete in Vienna since 1993, but Harrison said the evolution of the team has been remarkable in recent years. This will be Harrison’s sixth year as coach of UF’s ICAM team, and he doesn’t shy away from praising ICAM to others.

Calling the team “the single finest opportunity we offer students at the law school,” Harrison’s sentiments seem to be widely shared by all those involved.

Eduardo Palmer (JD 85), a major sponsor and coach of UF’s team, echoed Harrison’s feelings, calling ICAM “hands down” the best experience UF has to offer its law students.

Palmer, who specializes in international litigation at his law office in Miami, said the benefits students gain from competing in ICAM surpass simply learning about international arbitration.

Some get job offers on the spot, he said.

“Students get their first taste of this from the program, and they’re addicted,” Palmer said.

Parker is one of those students.

“The competition has literally changed what I want to do with my life,” Parker said.

Part of the life-changing atmosphere of ICAM, Palmer said, is the worldly experience that competitors gain.

And Palmer, who immigrated to America from Cuba shortly after the Communist takeover, said an interest in international affairs is essential in today’s world.

“The American viewpoint isn’t always right,” he said, “we need to be open to different viewpoints.”

While the main focus of the team’s travel to Europe is always on work, both Parker and Palmer emphasized the importance of play.

“They work hard, argue, but at night, they party,” Palmer said. “It’s a good balance between work and play.”

And in a place like Vienna, swept up with palaces and a 2,500-year history, Harrison said a balance between work and play is essential for students.

“You’re in a beautiful place. It’s kind of hard not be happy,” he said. “There’s a definite sort of happy excitement that permeates the whole thing.”

ICAM, which is conducted entirely in English, begins the general round with 250 teams in which each team competes against four others, Parker said. This year, UF will compete against Saarland University from Germany, the University of Silesia from Poland, the University of Fribourg from Switzerland and Palacky University from the Czech Republic.

From the general round, Parker said, the teams are cut down to the best 64 before it moves into a bracket-style of competition.

And while the competition to literally be the best in the world might seem cutthroat, Palmer said ICAM is just the opposite – the international camaraderie is one of his favorite things about the annual competition.

“There’s not that kind of mean-spiritedness you see in so many other areas,” Palmer said. “There’s much more that unites us than divides us when we look at the big picture.”

Along with Parker, this year’s team will bring to Vienna: Christa Diaz (3L), Jennifer Thomas (3L), Kimberly Stewart (2L), Caitlin Mitchell (2L) and Donna-Marie Hayle (2L).

Steger labeled even her stick figures as atrocious. Helgesen laughed at the thought of producing her own art.

But both Steger (3L) and Helgesen (3L) want to share their love of art with the University of Florida community because, as the pair said, art is everywhere.

Even in law school.

Together with Farrell Tripp (3L) and James Ayres (2L), Steger and Helgesen form the leadership of the UF Art Law Society, a student organization that hopes to paint future lawyers in a different light.

“(Art Law Society) provides for a place to be more creative than law students usually have,” Steger said. “It’s like a getting a little something extra.”

And the Art Law Society will give the law community a little something extra later this semester when it holds its biggest event of the year – its annual student and faculty art reception Wednesday, March 16.

The group began planning for the event in late January, and hopes the art reception will help the law community understand that the words lawyer and artist aren’t mutually exclusive.

“It’s really important to see what your classmates can do,” Steger said. “(The reception) starts a dialogue about your classmates as artists and something outside the legal realm.”

This year’s event, which will resemble a large art gallery and complimentary food and wine, will take place in the UF College of Law’s library beginning at 7 p.m. and will feature live music.

Students and faculty will also have the opportunity this year to donate their art to a silent auction at the reception in which all proceeds will benefit a local nonprofit organization designed to promote the arts.

“It’s good to be out of your shell,” Ayres said.

Last year, Tripp said the annual reception showcased paintings, photographs, drawings, videos and even clothing made by UF students and faculty.

And she hopes this year to be even better.

“Everyone has different interests,” Ayres said. “But art is culture. It really defines us.”

Those interested in submitting their art are encouraged to e-mail their submission (if possible) or dimensional information to Farrell Tripp by March 14 at 5 p.m. at F.C.Tripp@gmail.com.

“It gives an idea of what students are doing in their free time,” said Tripp, UF Art Law Society president.

“(Art Law Society) gives you a chance to see things you wouldn’t think people are doing.”

While the group deals with daily misconceptions about being nothing more than “doodlers and finger painters,” this group of students wants the law community to know how intertwined art and law are.

“(Art) bleeds into law so much,” Helgesen said, noting the current turbulence in Egypt and its potential for art crime in the chaos that is gripping the country. And Steger, UF Art Law Society’s vice president, said she goes above and beyond the obvious by bringing art law into her classes, choosing to weave art into her term papers.

“It comes up in every class in some way,” Ayres agreed. And while many might see his suggestion as going a bit too far, Ayres said art finds a way to work itself into even the most basic classes, including copyright law, patent law and even property law.

Ayres, who considers himself a classically trained oil painter, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in 2007, and has been busy working art into his own life as well as his law classes.

“I started drawing because I love cartoons. I love comics,” he said.

Bringing his talents to the law school and the Art Law Society, Ayres said he wanted to find fulfillment in other ways aside from the canvas.

“I wanted to help the artists who had the dreams,” he said. “That was my prime motivation for coming to law school. I don’t think being a lawyer precludes anything.”

Ayres’ motivations and history are shared by others in the Art Law Society, especially Tripp, who also received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.

“I wanted to be able to do something rather than just paint about things,” Tripp said of her law school aspirations.

While many maintain the image of law students hidden behind jurisprudence textbooks, the Art Law Society wants for the law community to know creativity isn’t a dirty word. In fact, the group suggested it’s quite the opposite.

“I think people are afraid to be creative,” Helgesen said, noting that even a mention of the UF Art Law Society on a job application sparks discussion.

Stacy A. Scott (JD 95), University of Florida Levin College of Law graduate and former supervisor of the county court in Alachua County, was appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist as the 8th Judicial Circuit public defender from Dec. 1, 2010, to Jan. 7, 2013. Scott’s professional experience since UF Law fits the bill: 11 ½ years in the Public Defender’s Office, nearly two years as an assistant state attorney and a stint in private practice. She will lead an office of 35 attorneys, manage a $5 million budget and oversee nearly 22,000 cases this year.

“If you know me at all, you know that I’m pretty straightforward,” Scott said. “What you see is what you get. I try to be myself in every situation. And although I thought the transition from being ‘one of the crew’ to head of the office might be difficult, I figured that if I continued to be that way as head of the office, everything would work out.”

Although Scott’s interest in practicing law began at a young age, it wasn’t until law school that she developed her interest in criminal defense.

“Then I took the public defender clinic here in this office and became very excited about fighting for the rights of underprivileged people and, in essence, fighting for everyone’s rights,” Scott said.

Her first job, however, was as a prosecutor under Rod Smith in the State Attorney’s Office.

“That was the job opportunity at the time, and I thought doing something from a side that maybe wasn’t as natural to me as the defense side would be a real learning experience,” Scott said. “And it was. And I’m really glad that things worked out that way. I got to see a perspective that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise and got to meet a lot of great people. But, in the end, my heart was more on the defense side, so I came back over to the PD’s office. And I’ve been here ever since.”

Scott left the State in 1997 to join the Public Defender’s Office in the felony division trying serious felony cases, and stayed there for two years before going into private practice in 1999. Scott came back to the Public Defender’s Office in October 2002, working in the felony and juvenile divisions. The last few years she has dedicated to supervising the county court and running the public defender clinic at the UF Levin College of Law.

“And this unexpected opportunity came along when Rick retired, and he told me that he was going to recommend that I be appointed to replace him,” Scott said of former Public Defender C. Richard Parker (JD 72). “I was really honored and humbled and thrilled all at the same time.”

Jeanne Singer (JD 77), chief assistant state attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit, has worked in the State Attorney’s Office for about 25 years. In her role as chief assistant, she supervises about 50 practicing attorneys who work for the prosecutor’s office, representing the state of Florida when a defendant is charged with a criminal offense.

Singer first met Scott in the State Attorney’s Office in 1996 when Scott was hired on as a prosecutor in the domestic violence division.

“At that time, I was head of the division that prosecuted crimes against women, children and families, and Stacy was hired as a prosecutor in our county court domestic violence division,” Singer said. “So very early on, we developed a close relationship working together as prosecutors and grew to be great friends from her initial position as an assistant state attorney.”

Singer said Scott impressed her as a person with strong convictions.

“She’s not only smart but savvy and energetic,” Singer said. “She’s one of those people who view the glass as half full, and she’s going to make sure that it remains that way for herself and other people who are not as fortunate as she is.”

Singer said that although the relationship between the prosecution and defense is adversarial, she believes she is fortunate to practice in a circuit with individuals, such as Scott, who make sure they do the best job they can to honor the profession and the process.

“You know, I might be biased, but I think we have a very special interface with our Public Defender’s Office here in that both the state and the defense want to see the best resolution of a matter that benefits the community, the victim and the defendant,” she said.

“We work very diligently to keep our jail populations low, and to afford defendant diversion or treatment programs in lieu of incarceration. Ultimately, there are some that we do have to incarcerate, but we try our best to separate the folks who have made a mistake from those who have intentionally, knowingly and willfully committed a crime and need to be punished. And we make a real effort to assure that each person’s case is addressed individually.”

Craig DeThomasis (JD 83), criminal defense attorney and adjunct professor for UF Law’s trial practice course, first met Scott when he brought her on as an associate with his law firm DeThomasis & Buchanan, P.A.

Although he has been in private practice for nearly 24 years, he served a stint from 1983 to 1987 in the Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender.

“Public defenders have to do some of the more difficult work required in the criminal justice system, advocating for people who are by definition indigent,” DeThomasis said. “When you look across the board from a sociological perspective, ‘indigent’ a lot of times equates to less educated and more difficult life problems, either because of a lack of education or lack of finances and the things that go along with that. And all those collateral problems come into play when you are trying to resolve that person’s problem in court.”

DeThomasis also said it has become more difficult to advocate for criminal defendants due to legislation that has increased penalties and added mandatory minimum sentencing requirements.

“Since I’ve been practicing, we’ve had more and more legislation that has taken discretion away from the judges,” he said. “A great majority of cases are resolved with settlements, compromises and plea negotiations. Although the court independently needs to evaluate accepting, rejecting or modifying the proposed agreement, in large part, the lawyers as adversaries work toward that compromise and propose it to the court.”

One of the largest issues Scott will face in her new role as public defender is the state budget crisis, Singer said.

“We have such good, solid people doing this work now and they may not be available in the future if pay is cut and retirement is not available,” she said. “We are one of the most essential parts in assuring our constitution is protected. If you cut these institutions too much, it impinges on constitutional protections, which affects not only defendants, but all of us in the community, because if the system doesn’t work right, it doesn’t work for any of us.”

Scott said that due to the budget crunch, her office handles almost three times as many cases per year as is recommended by the American Bar Association.

“If we followed their guidelines, we should have almost 90 lawyers, but we have only 35,” she said. “And without a public defender, indigent people — who make up the majority of our clients in this office — would be left to face the might of the government on their own. The right to counsel is a fundamental right and is what really gives meaning to the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial. Those principles don’t mean anything unless you have a lawyer there in court.”

Ultimately, it takes a special type of person to fulfill the role of the public defender, Scott said.

“We’re kind of mavericks by definition and individualistic by nature,” Scott said. “We’ve had some lawyers who spent their entire careers working for the Public Defender’s Office and others who have come in and burned out in six months to a year. Whether you stay and how you adapt to this line of work is really based on who you are. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and not for certain people.

“As a citizen, you may think that client has done the worst thing a person could ever do, but as a public defender, your duty is to represent that person to the best of your ability,” Scott said. “And you can only do that and sleep at night by having a strong belief in the system — a belief in the right to representation no matter what the accusation.”

But beneath her somewhat tough exterior lies a heart filled with passion for the role of the public defender — to see to it that her clients receive a fair shake.

“If there isn’t a PD who can be there to represent the client, then justice can’t be served. Every once in a while, there’s a person who’s wrongly accused, and that’s what really gets the fire going in your belly.”

As co-coach for the University of Florida’s 2011 Tax Moot Court team, Lewis has helped Baley (3L) prepare for the national competition since December.

And earlier this month, the three-member UF team took first prize at the competition in St. Petersburg with Baley also claiming the title of Best Individual Oralist.

But Lewis knows, perhaps better than most, just how good Baley and the rest of the UF team are — Baley and UF beat Lewis’ school, Charleston School of Law, in the 2010 competition.

“One of the reasons I hired (Lewis) was because I wanted him to help coach this team because I saw how good he was,” said Professor of Law Steven Willis, UF’s Tax Moot Court team coach.

Having only competed in the 16-team national competition for three years, UF took home its first first-prize award this year, edging out Ohio Northern University, after placing second in both 2009 and 2010.

But it hasn’t been easy, Baley said.

Baley and Willis said the team, which also included Michael Bruno (2L) and Kevin Hall (3L), had a practice schedule of about 10 to 12 hours every week, in addition to each student’s full-time class schedule.

For Baley, he knew the work had paid off when he got to argue before a three-member panel of United States Tax Court judges in the sixth and final round of this year’s competition.

“You get to sort of match wits with some pretty sophisticated and experienced judges,” Baley said. “I enjoy getting in a conversation with the three judges and seeing what we can figure out.”

And Willis, who’s coached the team for three years, isn’t bashful to mention just how impressed he is with his winning team.

“Watching the team progress over time just warms my heart,” he said. “I learn a tremendous amount as well.”

And for UF’s winning team, eyes are already set on next year’s competition.

“We’re constantly trying to improve,” Willis said. “We’re focusing on next year.”

But until then, Willis is awaiting the arrival of the competition’s trophy, a large silver bowl, in which UF’s name will soon accompany the names of the winners from the past quarter-century.

And Willis thinks UF students and faculty should see the trophy.

“I’d be lying if I said winning wasn’t my favorite part,” Willis said.