No. 2 Gators take on No. 1 Sooners today in Gymnastics meet

I mentioned on Wednesday that spring sports are making a big splash here at UF.  Starting at 7:00 tonight, the reigning NCAA champions, Florida Gymnastics will take on No.1 Oklahoma in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.  Both teams enter tonight's meet after weekend wins.  Oklahoma has put up impressive wins over Georgia, Arizona, and Iowa State.  The Gators, in their most recent meet against Georgia put up two impressive back to back 10's when Bridget Sloan and Kytra Hunter took the floor in the final round.

Gymnastics is on the road to making Gainesville Title Town for the second year in a row!  I'm sure this meet won't disappoint and encourage you to check it out.  As an added incentive, the first 1,000 fans will receive light up blue shakers to use when cheering on the team.  Go Gators!

Florida Basketball: FANTASTIC!

Photo: Gatorzone.com

For those of you that haven't been "Living Life in the Dome" this year, the UF Men's Basketball team is heating up.  Just this weekend, out Gators beat Tennessee 67-41.  This win marks the 8th straight W this season and puts our home win streak at 26 games!  Florida Basketball is ranked No. 3 in the AP poll.  The next Men's Basketball game is tomorrow at 7:00.  The game will be played in Starkville, MS, but you can watch it on ESPN 2.

Florida Basketball isn't the only sport that's pulling top-10 rankings.  Florida Gymnastics is ranked No. 2 nationally, Men's Swimming and Diving is also No. 2, and Women's Swimming and Diving is currently ranked at No. 8.  Spring Sports are proving that It's Great to be a Florida Gator.  #TitleTown

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Distinguished Professor Lecture and Lunch on the Lawn

Professor Leslie Paul Thiele, professor of political theory and Director of Sustainability Studies, will present a lecture on "Fostering a Culture of Responsible Creativity" today at 4:00 in the Presidents Ballroom at Emerson Alumni Hall.  Professor Thiele studies the intersection of political philosophy, the natural sciences and sustainability.  He has many published articles and several books. His lecture will examine the responsibilities of citizenship and opportunities for leadership in our rapidly changing world.  This lecture is sponsored by the Faculty Senate, and is part of the "2014 UF Faculty Senate-sponsord Distinguished Professor Lectures" series.  Refreshments will be provided.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) marks my first Lunch on the Lawn of the semester.  We will be serving Chick-Fil-A from 12:30-2:00 pm in the Reitz Union Breezeway (outside near the RedBoxes and Wells Fargo).  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and can't wait to discuss everything that SG has planned for this semester!

Design Your Reitz: Choose the Furniture for the New Reitz Union

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone has been enjoying this abbreviated week and is looking forward to the weekend.  I want to give a quick update on the Reitz Union construction project.  For those of you that don't come to the Reitz on a regular basis, construction is well underway, and the builders have made a lot of progress.

The new Reitz will be student space through and through.  The team that is overseeing this project wants to gather as much student input as possible.  The first floor of the Reitz has a seating area set up with 17 different seating options to chose from.  You can vote for the option you like most at www.makeitreitz.com/vote  I have my favorite seating options, now it's time for you to pick yours.  Act quickly, because today is the last day to vote.

Go Gators!

UF Mobile Blue Light Application is Available!

One of the biggest priorities of this university - above research and education - is campus safety.  It is our responsibility and our duty to students and their families, as well as faculty and staff, to ensure that the University of Florida is a safe place to study, work, play and live.

Today marks a great achievement in our efforts to ensure that the University of Florida is a safe place.  After many committee meetings, interviews, sales pitches, and beta tests, the TapShield app was selected and is now ready for use on campus.  

This app pairs mobile GPS technology with existing campus safety infrastructure, and allows students to summon help anywhere on campus. TapShield is the only application that features one touch emergency alert, two-way messaging between users and dispatch, a timer option designed to provide security while walking home or going for a run, and yank technology, which signals an emergency by yanking headphones from the device.  

Students can download the TapShield app by visiting TapShield.com on a mobile device or searching for "TapShield" in the iOS app store or the Android Marketplace.

Senate President Cory Yeffet wrote a Letter to the Editor about TapShield that ran in today's Alligator.  Check it out HERE!

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yesterday marked a day of observance in honor of one of the most notable figures in our nation's history.  What we appreciate most about Dr. King are the principles for which he stood and his unrelenting pursuit of justice and equality for all.

Students from UF and Santa Fe chose to honor Dr. King by participating in the Martin Luther King Day of Service, which took place on Monday, January 20th.  Student Government, the UF Gospel Choir, and IRHA are some of the organizations that made up the nearly 300 participants in yesterday's event.  

Students cataloged their service with tweets and photos using #UFGivesBack  In Dr. King's memory, let us continue to work so "little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Nearly 300 volunteers met at the Reitz Union at 7:30AM on Monday morning.

UF is Dedicated to Creating More Study Space

Check out my Letter to the Editor that ran in the Alligator today:

President Machen recently unveiled a plan to create more student study space on the first floor of Marston Science Library.  I could not be more supportive of this decision.  According to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey, UF students identify more study space as the biggest need at UF. 
 
The plan to add study space for nearly 700 students is a much needed improvement.  Student Government recognizes the need for more study space, and we are working to create even more study locations on campus.
 
One of my biggest priorities this semester is to secure funding to transform Newell Hall into a study space equipped with the latest technology and infrastructure to support the needs of students in the 21st century.  Newell Hall, when combined with the new plans for Marston, will increase student study space by 40 percent.
 
I will be working with External Affairs Chair, Abby Whiddon to lobby the state legislature in the upcoming session, but we are going to need some help.  We will need the entire student body to help us show the elected officials in Tallahassee that renovating Newell Hall is a project worth investing in.
 
Go Gators,
Christina Bonarrigo
UF Student Body President

Florida Student Association

This Friday I will meet with the student body presidents from Florida's 10 other public universities in our monthly Florida Student Association meeting. We are gearing up for the spring semester and will focus on our spring legislative agenda.

FSA has the privilege to represent the 300,000 students that attend Florida's public universities.  The president of FSA serves on the State University System's Board of Governors and represents student interests in a state wide level. This semester, I am focusing on FSA's legislative agenda. As the external Vice President for the Florida Student Association, I am charged with organizing Rally in Tally, a day-long summit in Tallahassee where students from across the state voice their concerns about higher education in Florida and lobby the state government.

I'm looking forward to meeting with my friends from Florida's other public universities, and will continue to provide updates on what FSA is doing for students across Florida.

SGP Brings Dispatch to UF

SGP announced last week that Dispatch, the largest independent rock band in recent memory, will give a concert on February 7 at the Flavet Field Band Shell.  The outdoor concert is FREE and will be a great way to start the semester.

Dispatch started out in the early 1990's when three students at Middlebury College joined together to jam.  Since then, Dispatch has performed for hundreds of thousands of fans.  In 2004, Dispatch performed for 110,000 at Boston's Hatch Shell.  The band reunited in 2007 for a three-night benefit concert at Madison Square Garden.  The Garden sold out each night and raised funds and awareness for the poverty stricken country of Zimbabwe.

The success and popularity of Dispatch is attributed to an "underground network" of fans.  The band navigated the music industry on their own without the help of a major record label.  Despite this, Dispatch as seen their records in the top-20 of Billboard's internet sales charts and has played for sold out crowds across the country.

This concert will be one of the best events this semester and is something that you DO NOT want to miss!  Here's a link to the event page on Facebook: SGP Presents Dispatch! FREE @ UF

CLICK HERE to see Dispatch's YouTube Channel

Welcome Back to the University of Freezing

I've heard several people say that Gainesville has two seasons: Sumer and Not Summer.  So far, this week definitely falls into the "Not Summer" category with all the cold weather that the polar vortex is sending down to ruin our usually moderate winters.  The good news is that forecasters are expecting Saturday to warm up to 80º...only in Florida.  In the mean time, bundle up and stay warm.

Several days ago, we turned calendars over and celebrated the beginning of the new year.  Monday marked the beginning of a new semester.  The start of both the new year and the new semester present a time where students can make goals or resolutions about the coming semester or year.  Regardless of if your goals are to achieve a greater level of fitness or to earn a 4.0 for the semester, Student Government is here and ready to help.

I am looking forward to an active spring semester and finishing my term as Student Body President as strong as when I took office.  There are a number of things in the works for the spring semester.  First is the Mobile Blue Light Application that Student Government has been working on for some time.  We are expecting to launch the app later this month, so be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

Another one of my primary focuses this semester will be to secure funding for Newell Hall.  Anyone who tried to use the library to study for final exams at the end of last semester is sure to realize that UF is lacking in study space.  Newell Hall will meet the needs of the student body by providing a 24-hour study facility that will provide students with the space and technologic infrastructure that we need to succeed in our classes.

Finally, Student Government is hosting an Open House on the 3rd floor of the Reitz Union this Thursday (tomorrow) from 12:00-3:00.  We will have light refreshments and information about everything we're doing this semester.  I hope to see you there!

Happy Birthday UF!

Today marks the 161st birthday of our beloved University of Florida.  In the past century and a half, the Gator Nation has grown to include 50,000 current students and over 370,000 alumni living in 135 different countries.  Gator alumni include the inventor of Gatorade, Dr. Robert Cade, nine former Florida Governors, two Nobel Prize laureates, three Heisman Trophy winners, Olympic medalists, authors, actors, comedians, and musicians.

In its 161 years, UF has seen the invention of the television, alumni John Atanasoff invented the digital computer, the rise of indoor air conditioning, two World Wars, a large portion of the Women's Suffrage movement, the Civil Rights movement, transition from an all male institution to a co-educational institution in 1924, and racial integration in 1958.

The Gator Nation has a large number of achievements to be proud of in our 161 year history and much to look forward to in coming years.  Our university is growing and expanding, and will soon be among the top ten public universities in the nation.  We are also unveiling the first ever fully online, 4-year degree program which launched this spring.  There has never been a better time to be a Gator.  Happy Birthday, UF.  Here's to 161 more fantastic years!

Here are some cool "Then and Now" pictures from locations around campus

Photos from http://www.dmarlin.com/uf-then-now/