Sabrina La Rosa Archives | şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą News Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More Thu, 07 Jan 2021 19:32:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/blogs.dir/20/files/2019/05/cropped-logo-150x150.png Sabrina La Rosa Archives | şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą News 32 32 Spin Scooters to Return to UCF Campus /news/spin-scooters-to-return-to-ucf-campus/ Thu, 07 Jan 2021 19:11:03 +0000 /news/?p=116837 Beginning Monday, 200 scooters will be available on main campus with new safety precautions in place.

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In conjunction with the start of the spring semester, a fleet of 200 Spin scooters will be available to help students better navigate the university’s 1,415-acre main campus.

The scooters were originally on campus last spring, after UCF Student Government worked with Spin, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, to bring the e-scooters and charging stations to campus. They were temporarily removed after campus was closed due to the pandemic.

“We are excited to share that Spin scooters are officially back on UCF’s main campus,” says Student Government President Sabrina La Rosa. “Safety continues to be the top priority of Spin and UCF. That’s why we worked together to identify several key safety enhancements.”

New safety and sanitation features that will be implemented this year include:

  • A safety ambassador program, where student ambassadors will ride around campus helping to identify issues and ensure everything runs smoothly.
  • All users will be required to complete an online safety test prior to their first ride.
  • All scooters will have a top speed of 10 mph throughout campus and 15 mph on Gemini Blvd. during the first week of the program and will automatically be set to these speeds for all first rides.
  • Scooters will be sanitized by Spin’s operation teams every time that a scooter is rebalanced or picked up to charge.
  • All Spin team members wear PPE, conduct daily health screens and physically distance in the company’s warehouses.
  • The Spin app will send reminders to riders to take precautions, such as washing hands before and after every ride.

“We have full control over operations and safety procedures,” says Edward Sun, senior operations manager at Spin. “When COVID hit, we engaged global experts to determine how to keep our riders and staff safe. We’ve also been working closely with UCF students and administration for several months now to develop this new safety plan that we’ll roll out when we re-launch at the start of the spring semester.”

The scooters will operate from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., will only be operational on campus, and require downloading the Spin app, which is available on and devices. Scooters will be available at 15 charging stations across campus and will cost $1 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to ride.

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Student Success Initiatives Benefit from Record Numbers on Giving Tuesday /news/student-success-initiatives-benefit-from-record-numbers-on-giving-tuesday/ Wed, 02 Dec 2020 18:59:18 +0000 /news/?p=115900 More than 600 donors contributed to support funds for UCF students on the global day of generosity.

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Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity that takes place every year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. Created in 2012, the day has grown into a global movement that inspires millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.

UCF has participated in Giving Tuesday since its inception. Over the course of 24 hours on Tuesday, December 1, more than 600 donors from all over the nation contributed $164,000 toward student success at UCF, funding a wide range of vital scholarships and programs, including career services, academic support, athletics, Knights Pantry and much more.

“On behalf of the entire student body, thank you for your constant support and generosity for our Knights and for our entire university.” — Sabrina La Rosa, student body president

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, this year’s donors set a new fundraising record for dollars raised for the university on Giving Tuesday.

“Once again, donors proved that when we work together, we can do incredible things,” says Heather Junod ’98, associate vice president of UCF Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, who noted that this year’s campaign raised 15% more for student success than last year’s effort.

“When alumni, faculty and staff, parents, and everyone donates – they are supporting countless students, helping provide leadership opportunities, and helping Knights make their way all the way to graduation day,” says Sabrina La Rosa, UCF student body president. “On behalf of the entire student body, thank you for your constant support and generosity for our Knights and for our entire university.”

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