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Division of Student Affairs Community Outreach
The mission of the Division of Student Affairs is to provide opportunities for student engagement, learning and discovery in a diverse environment that will optimize their university experience and prepare them to serve a global community. Accordingly, several activities and efforts within the Division serve the community outside of campus. There are several other programs and opportunities involving students, but the following examples best showcase the contribution of student affairs to the community.
Off Campus Life: Part of the Dean of Students Office, Off Campus Life advocates for and educates towards the development of students as great Gator neighbors within the Gainesville community. Through direct outreach to off-campus students and assisting them with their needs in the local community, Off Campus Life provides many resources, programs, and activities.
Center for Leadership and Service: The mission of the Center for Leadership and Service is to engage students and cultivate opportunities for personal and academic achievement to prepare students to become leaders in the service of the global community. Part of the Dean of Students Office, In 2006-07, CLS logged 72,081 hours of community service by 12, 435 UF students. Their workforce contribution of student volunteers can be calculated at $1,352,960 at the 2006 Independent Sector rate.
Sorority and Fraternity Affairs: In 2006-07, sorority and fraternity members at UF contributed 19,524 hours of community service as part of their membership activities. As part of the J. Wayne Reitz Union, the Florida Greek community strives to advance the University of Florida and Gainesville area communities through service and philanthropy. Throughout the year, each individual chapter in the community sponsors a philanthropy or service week project that affords members the opportunity to give back to the community. In addition, during All Greek Service Day, 953 members of the Florida Greek community volunteered 2,454 hours of service throughout the Greater Gainesville community.
The J. Wayne Reitz Union has several services which are available to the entire community. For example, the Reitz Union Game Room is located on the Ground Floor of the Reitz Union, featuring 16 bowling lanes, 17 pool (billiard) tables, one Snooker table, two foosball tables, air hockey table, and video games. Opportunities in the arts are also available at the Reitz Union. “the gallery” is located on the 2nd floor, with free admission to view artwork by University of Florida students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Also, the Arts and Crafts Studio is an open facility to can learn crafts, use studio space, and meet with professional artisans. It has have equipment and studios for ceramics, silk-screen, jewelry making, and stained glass. There are also several retail spaces and eateries also open to the public.
The Career Resource Center works with UF students to advance their career goals in a global community by engaging them in career planning and employment opportunities. Within the community, the CRC hosts a large career and internship fair on campus each semester, participates in Workforce Florida and coordinates with the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce on several initiatives including a local internship program called BRIDGES. The CRC also conducts outreach to employers throughout the state and represents UF in the Florida High Tech Corridor collaboration.
The Department of Housing at UF is part of the Division of Student Affairs and also has many community outreach efforts. To read about them, see http://www.housing.ufl.edu/housing/commoutreach.html
To see what UF's other colleges are doing to give back to the community, visit the university's Colleges with a Conscience website.
