Student life of Florida State University
Traditions
The university’s colors are garnet and gold. Florida State University’s marching band is the Marching Chiefs.
Alma mater
The alma mater for Florida State University was composed by Charlie Carter in 1956.
The most popular songs of Florida State University include:
- Alma Mater – “High O’er Towering Pines”
- Hymn – “Hymn To the Garnet and the Gold”
- Fight Song – “FSU Fight Song”
Residential life
Florida State University is a traditional residential university wherein most students live on campus in university residence halls or nearby in privately owned residence halls, apartments and residences. Florida State University provides 6,387 undergraduate and graduate students with housing as well as living–Learning Communities (LLC) on the main campus. The university now offers video tours and other remote access information.
Student clubs and activities
Florida State University has more than 650 Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) for students to join. They range from athletic, cultural and musical to philanthropy, including Phi Beta Kappa, AcaBelles, Garnet and Gold Scholar Society, Marching Chiefs, Garnet Girls Competitive Cheerleading, FSU Pow Wow, FSU Majorettes, Hillel at FSU, FSU Student Foundation, InternatioNole,
Student Alumni Association, Hispanic/Latino Student Union, Relay For Life, The Big Event at FSU, Por Colombia, and the Men’s Soccer Club. All organizations are funded through the SGA and many put on events throughout the year. Students may create their own RSO if the current interest or concern is not addressed by the previously established entities.
Fitness and intramural sports
The Bobby E. Leach Student Recreation Center has three regulation-size basketball courts on the upper level with the third court being designated for other sports such as volleyball, table tennis, and badminton. The Leach Center is membership access available to FSU students, staff and alumni.
The Florida State University intramural sports program is designed to encourage fitness and wellness in students. Sports clubs include equestrian and sailing. The clubs compete against other intercollegiate club teams around the United States. Intramural sports include flag football, basketball, recreational soccer, volleyball, sand volleyball, softball, swimming, kickball, mini golf, team bowling, tennis, ultimate frisbee, wiffle ball, dodge ball, battleship, college pick em, innertube water polo, kan jam, spikeball, and wallyball.
Entertainment
Student life at Florida State is often centered around the FSU Student Union, located on the North side of campus. A student activities facility first opened at the Rowena Longmire Student-Alumnae building in 1940. The student Union offers over 223,000 square feet of space for dining, activities and entertainment.
The Askew Student Life Center is home to the Student Life Cinema, a large movie theater run primarily by the student body.[290] Films are free for students and generally fall into one of four categories: midnights, classics, new releases, and co-sponsorships. Students can attend weekly meetings where upcoming films are selected by students. FSU alumni, staff and the public may view movies for a nominal fee.
The Lakefront Park & Retreat Center Reservation is a 73-acre (300,000 m2) lakeside recreational area located off campus on Lake Bradford in Tallahassee. This university facility (later called Camp Flastacowo) was founded in 1920 as a retreat for students when FSU was the state college for women between 1905 and 1947.
The Florida State University Flying High Circus is one of two collegiate schools in the country that has a circus. Participants audition for roles and must be enrolled degree-seeking students of the university.
Greek life
About 17% of undergraduate men are in a fraternity and 23% of undergraduate women are in a sorority. The Office of Greek Life at Florida State University encompasses the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Panhellenic Council (NPC), Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).
Reserve Officer Training Corps
Florida State University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps is the military officer training and commissioning program at Florida State University. Dating back to Civil War days, the Army ROTC unit at Florida State University is one of four collegiate military units with permission to display a battle streamer, in recognition of the military service of student cadets during the Battle of Natural Bridge in 1865.
The Reserve Officer Training Corps offers commissions for the United States Army. The Reserve Officer Training Corps at Florida State is located at the Harpe-Johnson Building. The Reserve Officer Training Corps at Florida State University offers training in the military sciences to students who desire to perform military service after they graduate.
The Departments of the Army maintains a Reserve Officers Training Corps and has a full staff of active duty military personnel serving as instructor cadre or administrative support staff.
Campus and area transportation
The FSU campus is served by eight bus routes of the Seminole Express Bus Service. FSU also provides other campus services, including Spirit Shuttle (during football games), Nole Cab, S.A.F.E. Connection, and Night Nole nighttime service.
University media
WFSU Public Media is affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), and FSU holds licenses. FSU operates two television stations, WFSU and WFSG-TV, and four FM-broadcast radio stations, WFSU-FM, WFSQ-FM, WFSW-FM and WFSL-FM including repeater broadcast stations in Apalachicola, Marianna, and Port St. Joe. WFSU Public Media also has cable and streaming delivery of the broadcast content.
FSU operates a fifth radio station, WVFS (V89, “The Voice,” or “The Voice of Florida State”), as an on-campus instructional radio station affiliated with the FSU Student Government Association as well as the FSU College of Communication and Information and staffed by student and community volunteers.[309] WVFS broadcasts diverse and spontaneous music as an alternative to commercial radio.
The campus newspaper, the FSView & Florida Flambeau, publishes weekly during the summer and semiweekly on Mondays and Thursdays during the school year following the academic calendar. The FSView & Florida Flambeau is owned by Gannett Co, Inc.
The English Department publishes a literary journal, The Southeast Review, founded in 1979 as Sundog.