University of Florida - Tower / Seminole Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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season by losing coaches to NCAA viola- tions and key players to walk-out, leaving the defending SEC Champs with a string of 14 losses. The women could not miss out on the action, finding themselves without a coach for their last few season games. Baseball and track begged the NCAA and the university to hurry up and make any investigations into their programs before it would interfere with practice and the sea- son. Gymnastics could not match the oth- er sports in controversy, however it found itself struggling for an NCAA finals bid like never before. iiOn The Edge. Sad but true . . . the theme could cer- tainly fit some of the race related tensions on the HF campus also. A greater aware- ness is emerging of shared and conflicting interests between groups of all types. The formation of the White Student Union in reaction to groups like the Black Student Union and Hispanic: Student Union is just one example of a tension raising event on campus this year. There was also the mili- tant appearance of Project 99 members, the defacing of public: property during race awareness weeks, the accusation of police V i. ; openings

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iiOn The Edge. The theme of this year's book. I wasnt Editor-ln-Chief when this theme was picked . . . l was busy in darkroom developing film and printing pic- tures, much too occupied to ever worry about the theme or the Opening that would go with it. Yet circumstances find me the Editor-in-Chief now. Now I have to do the Opening land most of the pictures tooll. So lim sitting here in front of the computer screen trying to imagine what our past Editor had in mind when he picked On The Edge as the theme. Was he thinking of the Sports program? Was he thinking about racial tensions at UF? Was he think- ing about a new university president? Per- haps he was hinting at the yearbookis te- dious existence. Certainly this theme fits all of these cate- gories and probably more. iiOn The Edge. Anyone who has been conscious while on campus this year will have no problem fitting the theme to our sports program. The football season went like a Circus com- plete with NCAA violations resulting in the loss of coaches, quarterbacks, and players. Basketball did its best to better the football

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prejudice against blacks and, of course, the unequal proportion of minorities in LlF administration and student body. iiOn The Edge. Unfortunately I can apply this theme to the yearbook too. Student apathy has driv- en the UP yearbook almost to Closing and once again we are on the edge of being the only SEC school without a yearbook. No office. No money. Low sales. Small staff. Yet with a little hard work, some recruiting of fresh dedicated staff, and increased campus awareness, the yearbook will re- bound. People call us every day saying how much they wish they had a yearbook from when they were at UF . . . those of you who have this to read now should be glad youill have it to treasure later. iiOn The Edge. Most of what live said so far has been on the negative side of the theme and I think we should notice the opportunity that being on the edge gives us. The yearbook is on the edge of becom- ing a great publication and taking a firm hold on campus. The racial tensions on