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

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Are you leaving? Students walking to their car were often stalked by desperate drivers who were looking for a parking spot before their classes began. Whether they drove a car or not, ery student felt it. The futility, the anger, the tragedy – and then, in a small clearing of asphalt, the glory. Parking has a long and rious history in the lives of UF students. Generations of students have known the same horror, and so the legend is passed on. Rarely, if ever, does a student escape Gainesville without suffering the sequences of Gainesville parking lems – a ticket, a towed car, and for the fortunate few, the always fashionable and cosmetic boot. Many students had their own ideas about how to remedy the parking lems in Gainesville, both on and off campus. When asked if she found parking in Gainesville friendly, senior Jen Hickman replied in angst, No, it sucks. I hate it. Her solution? Build more parking garages, I guess. Parking garages, I guess. Parking garages seemed to be a love affair for UF dents, who commonly expressed the need for more. Yet others found more creative, if not practical, solutions to the parking quandary facing UF students. Senior Mindy McCumber said, Most people would give up half the sex they ' re having for better parking. Although speaking entirely for herself, students like McCumber represented the sheer desperation of most UF students regarding parking. Every student feared the ticket man and often tried to outsmart him by making checks on their illegally- parked car. Or who could forget the forever blinking hazards lights of cars lined up along the bike lines. Story by Sean Kane Slaving through another day, UF official Arthur Jones serves a ticket to an illegally-parked car. Despite the fine, illegally parking on campus was actually more cost effective than elsewhere in the city, where tow trucks put a painful dent in students ' wallets. 12 Student Life

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Sophomores Nick Fiorella, Matt Paynter, Justin Kramm and Matt Gent show off their karaoke skills at a local bar in maica. The three friends spent Spring Break snorkeling, catching some rays and trying to catch some females ' attention. Florida Alternative Break gave dents the chance to do some good for the community while on tion. Junior Katie Oetjen spreads mulch for a children ' s playground while statistics graduate student Heather Bristol stands by. Why do you think it ' s important to plan ahead for Spring Break or other vacations? people who didn ' t do anything be- cause they didn ' t make plans. Nick Fiorella 2BA A Because I know a lot of Instead of heading for the warm Florida beaches, sophomore Michael Bozza, se- nior Phil Culpepper and sophomore Williams headed north to Wash- ington D.C. for a different kind of cal Spring Break. These students jumped at the chance to spend some time in the cold. Weekend road trips were a favorite among the UF student body. Here tion sophomore Tiffany Arcaro and neering junior Erik Swerdlow pile their stuff into a friend ' s car. Arcaro and Swerdlow took a five-hour drive to to attend a U2 concert in November 1997. Student Life 11

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Paying for a parking fine, Jaime Murrell demonstrates the unfortunate conse- quence of parking illegally. While one ticket was seen by most as a minor nuisance, several tickets could result in a having a boot put on car or suspended parking priveleges. What do you dread most about the parking situation on the University of Florida campus? 1 A: Every Sunday night, I have to make the long trip to Hume Parking ga- rage to park my car, Sue Kelly, Freshman Brad Chibnik collects parking tickets side of Beaty Towers. With the glaring absence of available parking spots, many students chose simply to park illegally and risk the consequences, which in- cluded tickets, towing, boots and of course the dreaded suspension of parking privileges.. Waiting patiently for the bus, freshmen Matt Holt and Chad Kersting discuss the days events. Early in the spring semes- ter, Gainesville buses were free for UF students, a trial period intended to in- crease bus ridership. There was talk of making the change permanent. Student Life 13