Dance Marathon 2013 turned out to be a big success for the University of Florida!  In its 19th year, the participants were able to raise a grand total of $1,169,722.16, beating last year's mark of $886,726.15.  The money from DM goes to benefit the Children's Miracle Network hospitals, which include departments in Pediatrics and multi-year programs to name a few.  

Dance Marathon is a 26.2 hour student-run philanthropy that aims to raise money for the Shands Hospital for Children at UF and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.  Participating in the event are dancers, staff members, fundraisers, and captains-all of whom make this a special event.  DM's popular phrase "FTK!" means "For the Kids!", showing that these participants had the kids in mind as they danced the day and night away for a good cause!

UF students and alumni have something very exciting to look forward to this Saturday beginning at 8:30.

Wakefest, the annual wakeboarding competition that takes place at Lake Wauburg's South Shore, is back this year!  Free to the general public, Wakefest includes live music from bands and DJ's, raffles from major boarding companies like O'Neill and Ripcurl, and this is the first year that visitors are able to swim and hang out from the water!

If you are interested in competing, there are four different divisions depending on your skill level-Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Outlaw. If you want to register as a competitor in the 2013 Wakefest, pre-Registration is $25, late Registration is $35, and there is a $10 charge to ride in multiple divisions.  All Competitors will get a Wakefest shirt!

Men and women are encouraged to compete, and this year, Wakesurfing is a new addition for those who want to compete!  All activities at Lake Wauburg on a regular day will be available, so this is sure to be a fun time for everyone who wants to get wet and have a ton of fun!

All day-any day, free access to computer software programs like Photoshop, AutoCAD, stats software, and IBM-SPSS are now available for UF students!  UFApps is a pilot program service that is offering Gators the ability to use these programs and many more, which can be used in Gainesville or out of Gainesville! 

Funded by the Student Tech Fee, UFApps will be continually evaluated to see if expansion to a full time "UFApps" with even more software choices will be possible! 


Listed below is the link from the original story on "UFApps" by Gator Times--
http://gatortimes.ufl.edu/2013/04/01/ufapps-%e2%80%93-use-software-in-uf-labs-from-any-location-2/

   

Ever want to pick up a copy of The New York Times on campus but find yourself not waking up early enough to get one?  Never fear--UF Student Government is now offering digital passes equal to the number of NYT copies on campus daily--to students!

All you need for registration is your UF email address (a validation email will be sent to you) and a password!  It's great to see our university participating in this program!  

Below is the link for registering for the passes:

https://myaccount.nytimes.com/edupass/claim 

On Saturday, October 30th, at 8 p.m., 13-year Navy SEAL Rorke Denver will be speaking at the University Auditorium about his life as a NAVY Seal and how he led spec-op (special operations) forces around the world.  Not only has he served outstandingly as a SEAL, he is also writing his own book!

Rorke Denver is also in the 2012 movie "Acts of Valor", which happens to be based on real Navy SEAL missions.  He will also be talking about the movie, so make sure you come out Saturday night (ADMISSION IS FREE!) and be inspired!

Special thanks to ACCENT Speakers Bureau for continuing to bring great speakers to UF.

·         Ranges from $500-1000

·         Ranges from $500-1000

·         Ranges from $500-1000

The first annual "Blitz Week" is going strong! From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, Action SG would like you to stop by and meet some of the current agency heads, executive directors and directorship members that will be tabling at the Reitz Union Colonnade.  

Come on out and meet n' greet!

From Tia Smart, Director of Internal Communications:

As part of Student Government Blitz Week, the Internal Communications Cabinet, co-sponsored with IRHA and ACTION SG,  is hosting a Student Government Barbecue Friday, March 22nd from 11am-2pm at Yulee Pit. The purpose of this barbecue is for students to meet their senators and give their feedback and/or ideas they would like to tell to their senators. Other leaders of student government will be there in attendance as well.

So if you missed them during the week, come out and talk to them there.

There will be hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, and more at the barbeque. As well as, funnel cakes, sno cones, and cotton candy.

So come out for the last day of the Student Government Blitz Week, enjoy some food and get to know your Student Government Officials more!

The future of the second-largest university system in the nation looks bright.  Higher education in Florida has received a considerable amount of attention from elected officials, business leaders, and down to the universities themselves which include the student-led "Aim Higher Florida" campaign.  For those of you who don't know, "Aim Higher Florida" aims to keep tuition low for students and advocates for increased funding for higher education.  

In a guest column from the Tampa Bay Times, Frank T. Brogan, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, talked about how higher education in Florida is starting to receive the proper, positive attention that it deserves.  From Governor Scott who supports helping the University of Florida move into the top 10 of public universities in the nation, to Florida's Congress that seeks to pass legislation for greater access to online learning and to students becoming more informed about the state of their education at a university, Florida seems to be prioritizing higher education in the right ways!

To read Mr. Brogan's guest column--please click on this link below!
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-florida-universities-on-right-track/2108677