The 2014 recipients include 13 LEAD Scholars, 10 students from The Burnett Honors College, eight from the President’s Leadership Council, six Student Government Association leaders, two Greek students and one student-athlete.

Undergraduate students are chosen for Order of Pegasus each year based on their outstanding achievement in the areas of academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community service. Graduate students are selected based on the same merits as well as publication or research experiences.

The winners will be honored at a ceremony this spring.

The names and a picture of the inductees will be added to the wall showcasing past and present Order of Pegasus recipients in the Pegasus Lounge located on the second floor of the Student Union. Inductees also receive commemorative medals, scholarships from the Student Government Association and lifetime memberships to the UCF Alumni Association.

This year’s recipients are:

Undergraduate students

Linh Anh Cat, College of Sciences and Office of Undergraduate Studies

Amy Crawford, College of Sciences and College of Arts & Humanities

Shekinah Fashaw, Office of Undergraduate Studies

Cynthia Florentino, College of Sciences

Jessica Gottsleben, College of Sciences and Nicholson School of Communication

Kaye-Alese Green, College of Sciences

Catherine Gutierrez, College of Medicine, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences

LaShaunda Hayes, College of Sciences

Amelia Klug, College of Health and Public Affairs

Charlene Kormondy, Office of Undergraduate Studies

Amelia Mackarey, College of Medicine and College of Arts & Humanities

Julien Meyer, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Rana Riad, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Nicholas Simons, College of Business and College of Sciences

Vu Tran, College of Sciences

Alexis Wansac, College of Sciences and College of Arts & Humanities

Graduate students

Tracy Becker, College of Sciences, Ph.D. candidate

Avianne Bunnel, College of Medicine, candidate for Doctor of Medicine

Courtney Buzan, College of Education and Human Performance, MA student

Stacey Hardin, College of Education and Human Performance, Ph.D. candidate

UCF participated in the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Game Day Challenge,” a friendly competition for colleges and universities to promote waste reduction at their football games. During the challenge, schools track and report waste reductions and disposal data, which is used to rank the schools.

With an estimated 47,000 tailgaters at the Sept. 28 game, UCF placed 3rd nationally for collecting 17.82 tons of recycled goods and finished 4th in the greenhouse gas-reduction category.

For the challenge, the Student Government Association paired with UCF Recycles to distribute blue recycling bags with flyers attached that described what could be placed in the bags. The bags were passed out by student volunteers and gave tailgaters the resource to recycle while serving as an educational tool. Giveaways were handed out to tailgaters who handed in bags of recyclables.

A game day recycling center was established between Memory Mall and Parking Garage D across from the CFE Arena as a drop-off point. The spot received so much attention by tailgaters that it remained a presence for the rest of the season’s home games.

“Our goal is to create a culture or habit of recycling where students and tailgaters look for the blue recycle bags and recycle on their own,” said Julia Felter, SGA’s environment and sustainability specialist. “This experience proved that if the resources are provided, students will actively participate.”

This is the fifth year UCF has participated in the “Game Day Challenge.” During last year’s competition, UCF had a recycling rate of 25 percent. That number doubled this year to 57 percent.

The annual pre-Homecoming game pep rally will begin at 1 p.m. Friday. This year, ESPN2 will be on hand to capture the festivities.

Those who can’t make it to Spirit Splash can watch the event live via a Google+ “Hangout on Air.” Spirit Splash will be broadcast .

Spirit Splash has been hailed as the best university tradition in the state by Florida Leader magazine for college students. In 2011, the event received the best campus tradition award from the National Association for Campus Activities.

Homecoming activities conclude Saturday when the UCF Knights take on the Houston Cougars at 7 p.m. at Bright House Networks Stadium.Campus will open for tailgating at noon, and this year’s Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during the game’s halftime.

More information about game day parking, tailgating, student shuttles, park-and-ride services and more is available at .

Events for “UCF’s Golden Homecoming” will start with a community service carnival to help raise money for charity. “Knightro’s Kidz Carnival” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Memory Mall, and there will be child-friendly booths, carnival games, prizes and other activities. Admission is free.

The week’s activities will wrap up when the UCF Knights take on the Houston Cougars at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Bright House Networks Stadium. Tailgating will begin at noon, and this year’s Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during the game’s halftime.

Other activities will include:

Saturday, Nov. 2

Sunday, Nov. 3

Monday, Nov. 4

Wednesday, Nov. 6

Thursday, Nov. 7

Friday, Nov. 8

Saturday, Nov. 9

Students who may need special accommodations for any of the events can contact osiassist@ucf.edu or 407-823-6471.

Additional details about Homecoming events are available at and .

The Recreation and Wellness Center is proud to announce eight of its graduating seniors have accepted graduate assistant positions at various universities including at UCF and across the Southeast Region of the United States. Over the past two years, 17 RWC student staff seniors have now accepted graduate assistantships across the country in the past two years.

Graduate assistants play a vital role in helping recreation facilities to reach annual goals. GA’s gain experience in operating recreation programs while having a chance to earn their master degrees. Institutions waive their tuition in exchange for their work.

The seniors and their new universities include: Alana Cilwick, Fitness (Georgia State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą), John Conley, Intramural Sports (UCF), Jack Crumley, Fitness (Florida International şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą), Jason Gosch, Outdoor Adventure (şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of South Florida), Victoria Landron, Intramural Sports (Louisiana State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą), Jonecia Mahan, Member Services (Georgia Southern şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą), Heather Marshall, Intramural Sports (şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Georgia) and Manica Pierrette, Facilities (UCF).

The 2013 crop of graduate assistants are all recognized and honored on the RWC Wall of Fame including: Pierrette─2013 Employee of the Year; Cilwick─2013 Wellness Champion Award Winner; Landron─2013 Team Champion Award Winner; Mahan─2012 Facilities Employee of the Year and 2011 Team Champion Award Winner; and Crumley─2011 Program Employee of the Year. Marshall and Gosch were honored by their peers as Employees of the Month in 2012.

The recognition goes beyond the walls of the RWC, Conley, for example, is a 2011 All-American Basketball Official. Marshall says the officiating program is just one reason for her success at UCF, “My four years as an official and three years as an intramural sports supervisor here at UCF has taught me about leadership, management and professionalism. I can’t imagine entering another career after I finish my masters at Georgia in 2015.“

RWC is funded by the Student Government Association. Its continuing mission is to enrich campus life through efficient services, comprehensive programs and high-quality facilities programs that foster healthy lifestyles.

The RWC is a department in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

The service, held in the Pegasus Ballroom, recognized 11 students and gave each of them the title of “Eternal Knight.”

In its 12th year, Eternal Knights invites students’ family and friends to join the university community in remembering loved ones and offering condolences. In addition to the ceremony, students and faculty and staff members from across UCF’s campuses commemorated the lives of lost students by participating in a moment of silence at 3 p.m.

“Although our university is one of the largest in the country, every student plays a role in making our university special and unique,” said SGA President Cortez Whatley. “When we lose a fellow Knight, we also experience pain together and mourn together, as a community does.”

The following were recognized:

Study Union supports the university’s mission of excellence, scholarship, integrity, community, and creativity. This is accomplished through bold initiatives that community collaborators offer through this program such as 24-hour access to the Student Union, quiet study rooms, group study space, laptops and test supply use, tutoring, test review sessions, supplemental instruction, free massages and exercise classes, to name a few. Every year more and more students participate in this program as they learn about the key resources that are offered to them. As a participant said, “The Study Union has exceeded my expectations. I had never before thought that the Student Union was a good place to study but this week has proved me wrong. Another great reason why I love UCF.”

The Study Union was selected for the NASPA Excellence Award on the bases of its positive impact on student learning, success in addressing critical campus and student needs, collaboration with various departments, originality and creativity, amongst other criteria. Recipients will be honored in March 2013, at the NASPA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The 24-hour academic support program offers safety, community, wellness resources and academic support during one of the most challenging periods of the academic semester: final exam week.

During finals week, Study Union features open areas for students to study individually or in groups, as well as spaces designated for quiet study. Computer labs provide free printing, and SARC provides peer tutors and staff for final review sessions and academic help. Free food and wellness services are also given to students.

NASPA, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, this week recognized the Study Union initiative with an Excellence Award. The award honors student affairs initiatives that improve learning through outstanding programs, innovative services and effective administration.

UCF will be recognized as the Gold recipient at the 2013 NASPA Annual Conference in Orlando in March.

“Since its inception in 2008, Study Union has had an enormous impact on the UCF community,” said Maribeth Ehasz, vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Services. “In addition to providing students with a safe location to study for finals, this program has created an environment of academic excellence and promoted a sense of community among our students. What I find most impressive is that it has brought together different groups and departments to meet an important student need.”

Study Union is a collaboration among the Student Union, Student Academic Resource Center, Student Government Association, Knights Helping Knights Pantry, UCF Foundation Parent and Family Fund, UCF Police and the Recreation and Wellness Center.

In 2011-2012, students visited Study Union 455,276 times, up seven percent from the previous academic year.

“The excellence awards embody the overarching goals set forth by NASPA: to lead in the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs profession. We are proud to promote the innovative work taking place on şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ąâ€™s campus and encourage institutions to follow suit and join the movement,” said NASPA President Kevin Kruger.

Learn more about the .

Led by E.Co, the Environmental Coalition at UCF, teams of students, organizations, departments, faculty and staff will compete to collect the most recyclables from game day visitors to Memory Mall.

The competition is part of the , a national competition among colleges and universities to promote waste reduction at football games. For the challenge, the schools implement waste-reduction programs during home football games, tracking the data on waste generated, recyclables collected and attendance that is used to rank the schools.

Today’s challenge within a challenge will run until 7 p.m. Teams will contribute full bags of recyclables to a “Recycle Mountain” created by E.Co. on Memory Mall. Bags will be tagged for each group, and the team that collects the most will win a prize.

Knightcast kept the parties energized with DJs playing music while the Street Team organized various games for students to play, including pool volleyball, limbo, hula hoop and dance contests. Students had the opportunity to win a variety of prizes such as sunglasses, headphones, and movie and concert tickets. Freshmen received Link Loot for attending the event that can be used at LINK Summer B Lottery. Special treats included snow cones provided by the Campus Activities Board.

“Many new freshmen attended the parties, and it was a great way to show them more of the ways to get involved, have fun and make new friends,” said Bianca Saragusti, Knightcast Street Team member.

Even though there are only two more Friday pool parties left for this summer, Knightcast continues to host events throughout the school year including the annual Battle of the DJs held in the spring.

Knightcast is the nonprofit, student-run Internet radio station and live event DJ services at UCF. Funded by the Student Government Association, Knightcast provides students the opportunity to be radio personalities and live event DJs as well as participate in station management.