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Ethan Leckie Headshot

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor

A Pad Thai enthusiast, NASCAR follower, and Jon Bois fanboy, Ethan Leckie is a third-year journalism major at the University of North Florida, minoring in international studies. He first began his involvement with Spinnaker as a volunteer reporter in the fall of 2021 and currently holds the position of Opinions Editor. Ethan has always had a passion for writing and hopes to work for a newspaper one day. He enjoys watching YouTube, cooking, and visiting restaurants in his free time. If you see him on campus, ask him about his pieces- he loves to talk about them!

All content by Ethan Leckie
OPINION: UFF-UNF fights the good fight. Good professors should keep their jobs.

OPINION: UFF-UNF fights the good fight. Good professors should keep their jobs.

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor September 17, 2023
2023 has proven to be the year of the worker. Even with union memberships at historic lows in virtually every industry, there have still been over 250 work stoppages this year. From actors to auto workers, laborers nationwide have again taken up the struggle against corporate tyranny. This age-old fight has now reached our humble university.
Student Government banner

OPINION: The Interfaith Space’s removal is a step backwards for SG

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor August 18, 2023
Now that I’m back in the full swing of things post-summer, I want to take some time to share my thoughts on the recent removal of the Interfaith Prayer and Reflection Space. Back in March, the student-body presidential ticket of President John Grosso and Vice President Emily Sullivan ran uncontested, succeeding the previous Rodefer-Murray administration. After their election, the new Grosso-Sullivan administration listed two goals: to improve SG’s relationship with other UNF organizations and to address the university’s high transfer rates.
Ryan Graves, Americans for Safe Aerospace Executive Director, from left, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Maj. David Grusch, and U.S. Navy (Ret.) Cmdr. David Fravor, are sworn in during a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing on UFOs, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

OPINION: Aliens? In this economy?

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor August 7, 2023

Hey everybody, I’m back. I’ve had a good summer because ChatGPT hasn’t taken my job (yet). Now, let’s dive into something that I found interesting over the break. So, we’ve all heard about...

students talk and debate with preachers on the edge of the green holding large signs with often profane messages on them

OPINION: There may be a solution to the “preachers on the Green” after all

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor May 1, 2023

After witnessing the return of the infamous proselytizers for an entire year, UNF finally has taken a stand. Sort of. “Generally, outdoor areas of our campus that are accessible to the public are...

TikTok. (Solen Feyissa/Unsplash)

OPINION: TikTok bans reveal double standards between U.S., Chinese companies

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor April 14, 2023

Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news: we have gone through an entire week without clock app, and the campus has not devolved into anarchy. Now watch as I accidentally jinx us all. Last Wednesday,...

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his legal team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is appearing in court on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

OPINION: Trump indictment could mark the beginning of the end

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor April 6, 2023

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him… maybe. The former United States president Donald J. Trump was in New York City for his arraignment on Tuesday, where acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan...

Limayem smiling, wearing a blue suit

OPINION: Limayem is in an impossible position

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor March 23, 2023

[This article was corrected on Thursday, March 23, 2023, to reflect that the UNF Board of Trustees has not made a statement regarding proposals by the Florida legislature and DeSantis administration.] I...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Ron DeSantis)

OPINION: The “war on woke” has reached a tipping point. It’s time to fight back

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor March 2, 2023

Four years ago, surrounded by administrators from colleges and universities across the state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on them to adopt a “free speech resolution” similar to the University...

Opinions

OPINION: A free press is important for schools, too

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor February 24, 2023

In my time as a student journalist, I’ve learned that there is tremendous value in having a free student press. One of the core tenets of journalism is to hold people and institutions accountable.  The...

Love

The Singles’ Guide to Valentine’s Day

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor February 14, 2023

Kings, Queens, and Regals In-Between, February 14th is upon us. For some, the day might be spent with their one and only, happily frolicking together and filling our feeds with their whereabouts (or...

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, left, speaks to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL wild-card football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris OMeara)

OPINION: Florida’s eyes are on you, Jags

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter January 20, 2023

Well, hasn’t this been quite the playoffs? It only seems fitting that one of the craziest NFL seasons in my recent memory has had an equally unpredictable postseason to match. However, for us Floridians,...

DeSantis talks into a microphone

OPINION: Groans from the crowd as DeSantis continues culture war

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter January 9, 2023

A new year brings many new things. Sometimes, however, we get a chance to witness continuity from the previous year. In our case, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s political theater has been renewed for another season...

FILE - Rapper Kanye West speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Washington. Kanye West was escorted out of the California headquarters of athletic shoemaker Skechers Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 after he showed up unannounced. Skechers says West, also known as Ye, also engaged in unauthorized filming at its corporate headquarters in Manhattan Beach and was escorted out by two executives. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

OPINION: Does canceling really work?

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter December 2, 2022

Unless your name is Patrick Star, you’ve probably heard of “canceling.” You know, where someone does some kind of reprehensible act, and then the public shows their disapproval by ostracizing them?...

OPINION: Life isn’t fun sometimes and that’s okay

OPINION: Life isn’t fun sometimes and that’s okay

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter November 18, 2022

As Thanksgiving break approaches, I’ve been getting the feeling that pretty much everyone on this campus needs a chance to catch their breath (especially after course registration).  Let’s face...

Nathaniel Rodefer and Joshua Murry being sworn in by Chief Justice Travis Ford on April 15, 2022.

OPINION: Student Government is for the students, let’s take advantage

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter November 3, 2022

[Updated Nov. 4: A previous version of this article mistakenly reported that Student Government would begin their Spring 2023 semester with 18 senators total. A total of 19 senators are running in the...

Qdoba Mexican Eats Logo

OPINION: Qdoba is a breath of fresh air for on-campus dining options

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter October 17, 2022

Finally. UNF has answered (at least some) of our many, many prayers: we now have a different on-campus dining option in Qdoba.  I’ll be honest- seeing the empty space Slice occupied day in and day...

empty shelves

OPINION: Put the cart down, panic buying is no good

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Editor October 4, 2022

Now that Hurricane Ian has passed Florida, it’s time to assess the damages. Thankfully, my home back in Orlando suffered only minor damage. Although my family’s home lost power, it was only for one...

Rows of cars in Lot 18

OPINION: Parking is bad, who would’ve thought?

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter September 26, 2022

There are three constants at UNF: The Starbucks line will be long, the cold weather won’t come until November and parking will be impossible to find. I didn’t take any polls before writing this piece,...

Three artists perform on stage

OPINION: Country music doesn’t hide from life

Ethan Leckie, Opinions Reporter September 20, 2022

It’s no secret: Generation Z — as a whole — does not like country music. Hip-hop was the top genre among respondents to a Ypulse 2021 survey. In fact, country didn’t even crack the top three genres.  This...

The Unity Party logo.

Candidates with experience, Unity Party ticket poised to take uncontested election

Ethan Leckie, Reporter March 4, 2022

With the upcoming election, the Unity Party announced Nathaniel Rodefer and Joshua Murry as their Student Government (SG) presidential ticket, with Rodefer for Student Body President and Murry for Vice...

The cast of Hamlet receives applause from the audience after their performance at MOCA Jacksonville.

A closer look at UNF Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Ethan Leckie, Volunteer Reporter January 21, 2022

For the last week, UNF Shakespeare has been performing Hamlet to audiences in MOCA Jacksonville and UNF’s Lazarra Theater, respectively. Their production is unique in that students were integral in every...

Photo courtesy of Rylan Monge.

UNF’s ‘Right Ice Machine’ demystified

Ethan Leckie, Volunteer Reporter October 8, 2021

Lurking in the back of the Osprey Café, there sits a machine— an ice machine. Uttering its name will make even the longest-tenured students tremble in fear. From Aug. to early Oct., it would dispense...

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