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

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New Additions Friend The J. Wayne Reitz Union was built in 1967 and was named after a former Uni- versity of Florida President. The Union offers many resources to students, staff and faculty, including a food court, bowling alley, pool tables and game room. Vendors in the food court include Wendy ' s and Subway, and the Union is also home to Little Ceasar ' s and Dunkin Donuts. The union is also home to the University of Florida ' s Student Government offices as well as the Stu- dent Honor Court and the Student Traffic Court. The Union also houses the Constans Theatre and a camping supply store. Reitz Union also houses several stores and services including a travel agency, a copy center, a barbershop, and an eyeglass store. Concerts are performed on the pavil- ion next to Mailboxes Etc. free of charge. This offers students the chance to get out and get their minds off of their studies without leaving campus. Numerous activities including poster sales and college fairs take place regu- larly on the Colonnade. The Student Activities Center and the Office of Student Affairs are both located on the third floor of the Union. The Stu- dent Activities Center is home to Student Government, Panhellenic offices, and nu- merous other student groups. The Career Resource Center offers stu- dents the opportunity to explore what majors and careers would best suit them. They also offer resume coaching and services. A traffic analysis determined that more than 18,000 people walk through the doors every day, making it one of Some UF students take advantage of the pool tables on the ground floor of the the busiest places on campus. union, just another perk of being a Gator. For those who don ' t like pool there is also a bowling alley and video game room on the ground floor. Story by: Mae Webb 26 Student Life

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Accent Accent, the University of Florida ' s Speakers Bureau, has been bringing prominent speakers to the campus since the early 1960 ' s. These speakers share viewpoints, insights, and experiences of their lives and professions with the students of the University of Florida as well as to the Gainesville Community. At the end of each program, the audience is given the opportunity t o engage in a question and answer session with the speakers. The past academic year brought prominent speakers such as Sister Helen Prejean, Businessman Steve Forbes, Actress Ellen Degeneres, The Spitfire tour, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and Roy Firestone, host of ESPN ' s Up Close. Sister Helen Prejean is one of the best known death penalty opponents in the world. Her book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, appeared on the New York Times best seller list for 31 weeks and was translated into 9 different languages. Her book was also the inspiration for the film Dead Man Walking, starring Susan Sarandon. Business tycoon and presidential hopeful Steve Forbes also visited UF this past semester. After running unsuccessfully on the GOP ticket back in 1996, Forbes brought interesting experiences from his business and political life. Forbes hinted that he might be interested in seeking the 2000 ticket if the environment is right. The Spitfire tour visited the University of Florida and consisted of musicians, actors, and activists speaking out on global affairs. The Spitfire Tour included such public figures as actor Woody Harrelson, musicians Amy Ray and Krist Novoselic, MTV VJ Kennedy, and activist Todd McCormick. These speakers lectured on Jelen Prejean talks to students about the death penalty. Such subjects were various topics, from the protection of the environment to the legalization of medical marijuana. Story by: George Glenn of topics around campus this year, leading to many debates. Student Life 25

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The remodeled ground floor added such attractions as a student travel agency The new desk for the Reitz Union Hotel keeps ending students to places like London and Paris. Other additions included a this student hard at work. The Hotel ' s rooms Kaplan ' s educational center. were convenient for parents coming to visit. Students are hard at work photo copying and mailing at the Union ' s Mailboxes etc. Complete with tax forms and FedExing this convenient hotspot saves students a trip off campus. Student Life 27