History of the UF Division of Student Affairs | Page 11

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Albert A. Murphree was appointed the second president of UF in 1909 and
organized the colleges of Arts & Sciences, Agriculture, Law, and Engineering
and established the Graduate School. In 1910, Orange and Blue were chosen as
the official UF colors combining one official color from the Florida Agricultural
College at Lake City (gold and blue) with orange. In 1909 – 10, the Senior Class
began a yearbook named the Seminole. In 1911, the alligator was chosen as
the UF mascot. The Florida Alligator began as a weekly newspaper in 1912
and was owned/controlled by the student body and advised by UF faculty. A
standing faculty committee on “Publications” began in this time period. By
1912-13, there was a standing faculty committee on “Student Organizations.”
Example organizations from this time period include: Literary Societies,
Transit Club (Engineers), Teacher’s Club, Agricultural Club, Fraternities, Military
Organizations, Glee Clubs, Orchestra/Band, Debate, Dramatic Club, German
Club, Athletics Clubs (football, baseball, gymnasium), and the Young Men’s
Christian Association (YMCA).
When the U.S. entered WWI (1917-18), UF enrollment dwindled as students and
faculty enlisted in the service and the remaining students were displaced to local
boarding houses to make way for the training of soldiers. The campus population
dwindled further as over one-third of the campus community contracted the
Spanish influenza.
T h e Stu d e n t YM C A at U F
( 1 9 0 0 s t o 1 9 2 7 a n d B e yo n d )
In 1844, the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in
London, England, to improve the spiritual condition and living situations of young
men moving from rural areas to the industrialized cities to find employment. A
main goal of the organization was to provide a safe “home away from home.” The
movement spread worldwide with the first U.S. YMCA established at the Old South
Church in Boston in 1851. Some YMCAs also offered evening classes in liberal
arts and vocational education. By the 1950s, YMCAs operated 20 colleges in
U.S. cities, many that later became independent institutions of higher learning.
The first “student YMCA” was established in 1856 at Cumberland University
in Lebanon, Tennessee. Student YMCAs on college campuses focused on the
leadership development of college students with an emphasis on spiritual,
moral, and ethical growth.

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