Student Government: Student Government at the University of Florida is a cooperative organization that advances student interests and is based on mutual confidence among the student body, the faculty and the administration. Considerable authority has been granted the student body for the regulation and conduct of student affairs. Student Government accepts responsibility commensurate with the resources at its disposal to fulfill its mission, including the allocation of more than seven million dollars annually in student activity and service fees, substantial authority in the regulation of co-curricular activities and administration of the Student Honor and Traffic Courts. The university feels that training in and responsibility for the conduct of student affairs is a valuable part of educational growth and development.

Student Government is the governing organization and representative of the student body. Each student of the university is a member of the student body. Student Government functions under a constitution and by-laws that have been accepted by the university as expressing the will of the students, although ultimate authority for university affairs rests with university administration. Powers are distributed into the three branches: legislative, which is embodied in the Student Senate; judicial, which is embodied in the Student Honor Court and the Traffic Court; and executive, embodied in the president and the treasurer of the student body. Members of all three branches are elected directly by the student body. In addition to elected offices, many appointed positions have been established, including Cabinet and sub-Cabinet, Student Honor Court and Traffic Court posts.

Student Government, recognizing its limitations as a true "government," attempts to exercise influence on governments at all levels through conferences, lobbying, research and the advancement of proposals for change.

Students may apply for various positions within the student government structure by contacting the Student Government offices on the third floor of the J. Wayne Reitz Union.

Student Senate: The Student Senate is composed of representatives selected from the colleges and living areas on and off campus and, in general, acts as the legislative branch of Student Government.

Religious Activities: The churches, centers and organizations associated with the university offer a variety of programs and ministries. There are also interdenominational and nondenominational activities fostered by the Department of Religion and the Campus Ministries Cooperative.

Social Fraternities: Twenty-eight fraternities and twenty sororities have established chapters at the university. The Interfraternity, National Pan-Hellenic and Panhellenic Councils are the governing bodies of all UF Greek organizations. The Interfraternity Council supervises the activities of the 25 NIC fraternities and is composed of an executive board and the president of each fraternity. The officially recognized national fraternities at the university are Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Tau Omega, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Phi, Delta Chi, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Pi, Tau Epsilon Phi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Theta Chi and Zeta Beta Tau.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council is the umbrella organization for the seven traditionally African-American fraternities and sororities at the university. The NPHC is composed of an executive board and the president of each group. The NPHC fraternities at the university are Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma. The NPHC sororities are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Iota Phi Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta.

Primary jurisdiction in sorority matters is vested in the Panhellenic Council. The Panhellenic Council is composed of an executive board and the president and Panhellenic delegate of each of the university’s sixteen National Panhellenic Conference sororities. The members of the Panhellenic Council are Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa and Zeta Tau
Alpha.

In addition to the social fraternities and sororities, there are approximately 220 honorary and professional organizations and approximately 200 other special interest groups.

In the fall of 1995 the UF student body enacted a new honor code and voluntarily committed itself to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. When students enroll at the university, they commit themselves to the standard drafted and enacted by the students.

Preamble: In adopting this honor code, the students of the University of Florida recognize that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the university community. Students who enroll at the university commit to holding themselves and their peers to the high standard of honor required by the honor code. Any individual who becomes aware of a violation of the honor code is bound by honor to take corrective action. The quality of a University of Florida education is dependent upon community acceptance and enforcement of the honor code.

The Honor Code: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.

On all work submitted for credit by students at the university, the following pledge is either required or implied:

"On my honor, I have neither given nor
received unauthorized aid in doing this
assignment."

Information on procedures is located in the Student Guide at http://oss.ufl.edu/stg/ and is set forth in Florida Administrative Code.

Students enjoy the rights and privileges that accrue to membership in a university com-
munity and are subject to the responsibilities
that accompany that membership. In order to have a system of effective campus governance,
it is incumbent upon all members of the campus community to notify appropriate officials of any violations of regulations and to assist in their enforcement. The university’s conduct regulations are available to all students on the Internet at http://oss.ufl.edu/stg/ and are set forth in Florida Administrative Code. Questions can be directed to the Dean of Students Office in 202 Peabody Hall, 392-1261.

For each of the last nine years the University of Florida has ranked among the nation’s five best collegiate athletic programs and among the nation’s 10 best for 15 straight years, based on research conducted by USA Today and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Florida and UCLA are the only schools to finish in the top 10 in national all-sports rankings every year since 1983-84, while Florida, UCLA and Stanford are the only schools in the nation to finish in the top five in the nation over the past nine years.

On the strength of 10 top 10 national finishes, highlighted by a national title for the women’s tennis team, the university tied for second in the 1997-98 Sears Directors’ Cup national all-sports competition, the best finish in school history.

The Directors’ Cup program, conducted by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and sponsored by Sears, annually recognizes schools with the best overall sports performances in an academic year.

The all-sports champion is determined by points awarded for an institution’s finish in up to 20 sports. Fielding 18 athletic teams, Florida shared second place with North Carolina with 660 points. Stanford captured the title with 1,010 points; UCLA was fourth and Michigan was fifth.

In addition to the women’s tennis title, nine other Gator teams finished in the top 10 of their respective sports in 1997-98: Women’s Golf (2nd); Gymnastics (2nd); Volleyball (T3rd); Football (4th); Women’s Indoor Track and Field (6th); Men’s Indoor Track and Field (7th); Baseball (T7th); Soccer (T9th); Women’s Basketball (T9th).

The Gators also captured seven Southeastern Conference Championships, raising its total to 47 since the 1990-91 academic year, more than double any other conference school’s total over that time span. The Gators won SEC crowns in
baseball, women’s cross country, soccer, softball, women’s tennis, women’s outdoor track and field and volleyball. The six SEC titles by the women’s program ties a SEC seasonal record set by the UF women’s program last year. UF’s total of seven overall SEC titles is only one short of the SEC single-season record, which Florida set in 1991-92 with eight crowns.

For an unprecedented fourth time, Florida completed a sweep of the Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophies, winning both the men’s, women’s and combined crowns in early May. Florida became the first school in SEC history to win all three in 1992 and repeated the feat in 1993, 1996 and now in 1998. No other school in the league has won all three titles in the same year. Florida has now won the All-Sports Trophy seven consecutive years and nine of the last 11.

Individually, 55 Gator athletes earned All-America honors in 1997-98, and three Gators won individual national titles. UF’s coaching staff also garnered four SEC Coach-of-the-Year honors.

Florida was equally successful away from the athletic arena in 1997-98, as a league record 100 student-athletes were named to the Southeastern Conference’s Academic Honor Roll. Florida has now had 481 Academic Honor Roll recipients over the last six years—the best six-year total in UF and SEC history. Since the 1980-81 year, UF student-athletes have accumulated 908 SEC Academic Honor Roll honors, the best in the SEC.

In an era when the NCAA estimates 70 percent of Division I schools are losing money on intercollegiate athletics, the Gator athletic program continues to impact university academic programs. Since 1990, the University Athletic Association has contributed more than 14.3 million dollars to the university to help fund academic endeavors.

Florida’s athletic program also serves as a focal point for the surrounding community and beyond, as more than six million fans have filed through the gates to attend UF sporting events over the last seven years. More than 850,000 fans attended 169 home events in Gainesville in 1997-98. Five of UF’s athletic teams ranked among the top 10 in national attendance in 1997-98.

In addition, the "Goodwill Gators"—a program where UF student-athletes, coaches and administrators take part in community-related endeavors—has been honored with a White House Commendation for Volunteerism.

Florida is a member of the National Collegiate Association of Athletics (NCAA) and competes in Division I for all18 athletic teams.

The Gators field eight men‘s teams and 10 women‘s sports. The men compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, while the women participate in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, swimming and diving, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

Florida competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a 12-member conference divided into Eastern and Western Divisions. Florida joins Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the Eastern Division, while Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Louisiana State, Mississippi and Mississippi State form the Western Division. Florida was a charter member of the SEC in 1933.

In addition to fielding some of the best college athletes, UF also lays claim to some of the world‘s finest athletes, who are showcased every four years at the Olympic Games. Since 1968 and spanning eight Olympic Games, 83 Gator
student-athletes have represented 16 countries and claimed 51 medals—including 25 gold. Nineteen Gators and one UF coach participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and captured three medals.

When talk turns to facilities, the University of Florida‘s centrally-located athletic complex is among the nation‘s best.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field serves as the hub for the athletic complex. With its 83,000 seats, UF‘s football stadium is one of the eight largest on-campus football stadiums in the nation. UF ranks among the nation‘s top 15 in average football attendance 16 consecutive years and among the country‘s top five for seven years.

Since 1986, Florida has made $70 million in capital improvements, including major expansions of the football stadium, a multi-purpose athletic field house and new tennis, track and field, softball, baseball, golf, soccer and swimming facilities.

Another sign of Florida‘s commitment to excellence within its athletic complex is the 12,000-seat Stephen C. O‘Connell Center, which houses Gator basketball and also transforms into an indoor track and field facility. Undergoing an $8.1 million facelift in 1998 to give the facility a permanent roof, the O‘Dome also serves as home for the swimming and diving and gymnastic teams.

Gators love their sports and there are 70 courts and outdoor playing fields on campus, while the O‘Connell Center and a state-of-art recreation and fitness center are available for indoor sports. In all, Florida offers more than 60 intramural and club sports, and the campus is located near many recreational lakes and rivers.

Intramural Leagues: For structured competitive play, intramural leagues and tournaments are scheduled. Specific leagues available for flag football, volleyball, soccer, basketball and softball are Women’s Independent, Co-Ed, Recreational, Men’s Independent, A and B, Graduate, Residence Hall and Sorority. Individuals may also compete in activities such as swimming, bowling, golf, track, tennis, racketball, squash and wallyball. T-shirts are awarded to winners in each division.

Sports Clubs: The Sports Club program provides structured, competitive athletic opportunities among institutions in non-varsity sports. The program offers instruction, recreation and competition in 35 different clubs.

Lake Wauburg: UF students, faculty and staff have their own private lake-front parks located eight miles south on U.S. 441. Lake Wauburg North and South are outdoor recreation facilities owned and operated year round by the university. Each facility offers quiet places to relax or picnic. Park entry fees are free with your Gator 1 card. The north park opens at noon and the south park at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday the parks open at 10:00 a.m. Both parks close at 6:00 p.m.

Wauburg North offers 25 acres of shaded grassy picnic areas with tables and grills set on a hill overlooking the lake and the swimming area. Canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and rowboats are available and can be checked out for free with your Gator 1 card. Beach volleyball and fishing from the dock are popular activities.

Wauburg’s south shore offers 65 acres of natural Florida. Enjoy the unspoiled beauty of Lake Wauburg along the dock and beach area. Eagles and ospreys often fly over the lake. Guests can walk the nature trails or play a game of frisbee golf at the 18-hole championship course. Soccer and softball playing fields are also available.

Sailing and waterskiing programs are also offered at Lake Wauburg; ask a staff person how to join. Large groups may reserve the Gator Lodge or pavilions for picnics, parties or meetings.

The Student Recreation and Fitness Center (SRFC) is located off Fletcher Drive, behind the Florida gym, and has racquetball and squash courts, two aerobics rooms, and a strength and conditioning room with cardiovascular and Nautilus equipment. A multipurpose area accommodates volleyball, basketball and martial arts activities. The Lifestyle Appraisal Center, room 103 of the SRFC, offers fitness assessments and wellness information.

The Southwest Recreation Center (SWRC) is located across from the Harn Museum on Hull Road. It contains racquetball, basketball and volleyball courts, an aerobics room, and a strength and conditioning room with free weights, Med-X and cardiovascular equipment.

Any student of the university is eligible to register and operate a vehicle on campus. Parking eligibility is determined by the student’s local address and academic classification.

Students registering a vehicle on campus must be registered for class and present their vehicle registration to the parking decal office. Rules and regulations are available at the time of the vehicle registration, and all registrants should familiarize themselves thoroughly with the rules and regulations before operating or parking a motorized vehicle on campus.

Special rules apply to the use of disabled parking on campus. Students with a state issued handicap parking placard must first contact the university’s ADA office to purchase a decal.

Illegally operated or parked vehicles will be issued a citation. Failure to respond to a citation within the prescribed time will result in
additional costs, failure to receive transcripts, failure to register for classes and the towing of the vehicle.

Direct questions about the use of vehicles on campus to the Parking Administrative Services decal office (392-2241).