This guide is a resource to help you develop a sense of belonging, find community and build lifelong friendships while studying at 166su.

Marquee Events

Whether you’re studying at 166su Downtown, the , Rosen College of Hospitality Management or the main campus,  you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Some signature events have become beloved 166su traditions with not-to-be-missed programming:

• Pegasus Palooza, UCF’s annual welcome week, greets new and returning students to campus with a variety of events including notable headliners at Comedy Knight and Concert Knight.

• 166su Homecoming Week,���ڱ𲹳ٳܰ����Բ���Spirit Splash, kicks off Monday, Oct. 19, and concludes with the 166su football team’s matchup against BYU on Saturday, Oct. 24.

• Space Game, a football game unlike any other in the nation, pays tribute to our 166su’s roots as America’s Space University. This year’s matchup against Baylor on Friday, Oct. 30, marks 10 years of the Space Game.

• , held each spring at  Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, showcases the artistic talents of 166su’s faculty and students in performances, exhibitions, presentations and interactive experiences.

• Gather Luncheon, a community-building event in the spring hosted by Wellness & Health Promotion Services and Dining Services,  brings hundreds of students together  for a free, three-course meal.

Recreation, Intramurals and Sports Clubs

In addition to its fitness and recreation facilities, the Recreation and Wellness Center has longstanding intramural and sports club programs that allow students to form friendships and win championships, sometimes on the brightest of stages.

The RWC’s intramural sports program welcomes all 166su students, especially those who are new to Orlando and haven’t met enough peers to form their own team. Thanks to its free agency feature, individuals ca be matched up with others or be paired with an established team.

The sports club includes 45 different sports, encompassing everything from judo to lacrosse to wakeboarding and have produced some of 166su’s most notable alumni. Gold medalist Phil Dalhausser ’02, who played club volleyball while pursuing his business degree, and bronze medalist Kristen Thomas ’16, who began her rugby career as a theatre studies major at 166su, both went on to represent Team USA at multiple Summer Olympic Games.

For more information, visit .

Registered Student Organizations

166su offers more than 650 registered student organizations spanning academic, professional, cultural and spiritual, social and recreational, and sports interests.

KnightConnect is 166su’s official involvement platform where students can explore these organizations or even create a new one. Each organization has its own page with meeting times, contact information, and ways to get involved.

Visit the  to find the organization right for you.

Greek Life

The fraternity and sorority experience has long been a part of campus life. Since the 1970s, fraternities and sororities have been providing spaces of belonging for students to grow together during their collegiate years.

Currently our 166su Greek community is comprised of 47 organizations, which all share the values of scholarship, leadership, service and brotherhood/sisterhood.

For more information visit .

166su Athletics – Knightmare Society and Marching Knights

166su is a member of one of the premiere conferences in the nation, the Big 12. From Fear the Fronds to Zombie Nation, the student section’s energy is an integral part of the game day atmosphere and gives the Knights a distinct home field (and court) advantage.

All full-time UCF-enrolled students (except 166su Online) are eligible for free tickets to home sporting events. Please note: all seating is first-come, first-served and admission is not guaranteed. For more information, especially for football and men’s basketball student tickets, please visit .

�ճ���� is an organization built and run by 166su students and supported by 166su Athletics. Joining the official group has its perks, including football tickets automatically loaded to members’ Ticketmaster accounts, a dedicated fast pass entrance at all 166su men’s basketball games, and first access to post-season student ticket claims.

Students can also contribute to game-day experiences by joining , a more than 390-member marching band student organization that performs at pregame shows, halftime shows, pep rallies and other fan-fest events. By creating the soundtrack for these dynamic events, the Marching Knights serve as one of the most vibrant and visible forces for school spirit.

Engage in Research

Undergraduate research provides opportunities to build a learning community with faculty and fellow students while engaging in meaningful work that develops solutions for challenges facing our communities, industries and the world.

In addition to forging connections with peers and mentors, this practical experience allows students to build their professional resumes before they graduate.

, UCF’s annual university-wide celebration of research and creative scholarship showcases graduate and undergraduate research. The week is scheduled for March 29 through April 2, 2027, featuring presentations, exhibitions and other events showcasing student research.

For more information on how to get involved with undergraduate research, visit .

�������ǰ��������������Ի��

166su students live in one of the most vibrant destinations in the world, Orlando. Whatever your interest, Orlando likely has it: theme parks, elite sporting events, electric festivals, Michelin-rated restaurants, nearby coastlines and natural springs.

Orlando is what you make it, and there are ways to experience it all on a student budget.

�ճ���� offers discounted tickets to various attractions, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Kennedy Space Center. Every spring semester, UCF students enjoy free, exclusive access to Universal Islands of Adventure as part of Universal Knights.

 gives Knights of all experience levels opportunities to go on hiking and camping trips at nearby springs, learn to surf, paddle through bioluminescent waters and more.

Several cultural museums in the area offer free entry, including the  on the main campus, Rollins Museum of Art and Mead Garden in nearby Winter Park, and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida in Maitland. �ճ����acclaimed Orlando Museum of Art offers free entry on the third Thursday of each month as part of its Access for All initiative.

Held annually at the start of the fall semester, Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining offers a chance to sample some the area’s exceptional restaurants at a fraction of the normal cost. Savor three-course, prix-fixe dinners  — including at Aurora at the on-campus The Celeste Hotel — for just $40 or $60 per person from Aug. 14 – Sept. 30, 2026.

 Twenty-two seniors from the RWC student staff have accepted campus recreation graduate assistantships the past three years. Graduate assistants play a vital role in helping recreation facilities to reach annual goals. GAs 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: Melissa Lewis, Fitness (University of South Carolina), Jamie Mineart, Intramural Sports (Texas A&M University), Patty Suarez, Intramural Sports (Ohio University), Kelsey Vance, Fitness (Purdue University) and Billy Waechter, Intramural Sports (University of Georgia).

 The 2014 GAs are some of the most honored and recognized student staff members at the RWC: Lewis, is the 2013-2014 RWC Program Employee of the Year, Suarez was honored as a National Campus Recreation Basketball Tournament official and officiated her first Division III College Basketball game in the spring, Vance is a former fitness lead supervisor and Waechter is the February 2014 RWC Employee of the Month, the 2012-2013 RWC Flag Football Official of the Year and a National Flag Football Tournament official.

 Mineart is the 2013-2014 RWC IM Sports Supervisor of the Year. The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association [NIRSA] also honored her, with the William Wasson Student Leadership and Academic Award in 2013-2014. Named after NIRSA’s founder, Dr. William N. Wasson, the award recognizes top students in college recreation. Mineart, a two-time All-Tournament Official at NIRSA’s Regional Flag Football Tournament, says the RWC has really helped her carve out a career path, “I got involved with the IM [intramurals] program by chance, but it was one of the best things that happened to me at 166su. Not only did I meet amazing people but the professional and personal development I gained is priceless.”

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

The RWC’s athletic trainers offer free open clinic hours during the week for students and are on hand for special events, Intramural Sports league and tournament play, and higher risk Sport Club events. The need is great. In 2012-13, Bell’s staff treated more than 240 injuries an 84 percent increase from the 2011-12 academic year. The athletic trainers refer injured students to the 166su Health Center’s Sports Medicine Program and Dr. Douglas Meuser, M.D. and Dr. Ashlee Warren, M.D.

Additionally Bell has easy access to Jewett and ., who is the medical doctor of record for the 166su RWC Athletic Training program. The clinic specializes in arthroscopy, hand and foot deformities, spine reconstruction and joint replacement and has served the Central Florida community for 75 years.

The 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 seniors worked in several areas at the RWC, including fitness, intramural sports and building management. Graduate assistants play a vital role in helping recreation facilities reach yearly goals and they gain experience operating programs while having a chance to earn their master’s degrees. Institutions waive tuition in exchange for their work.

The seniors who will move to other universities for graduate-assistant work are:  Kelsey Edge (University of Texas), Korey Lane (Grand Valley State University), Juilo Perez, Jr. (Nova Southeastern University), Alexandra Prano (University of Florida), Dani Rivera (University of South Florida), Dana Santoro (Ohio University), Brittney Shiller (Southern Illinois University), Richard Shiller (Clemson University), and Leanne Thompson (Purdue University).

Included in the group are brother and sister, Richard and Brittney Shiller, who participated in the RWC 0fficiating program and are both nationally recognized flag football officials.

Richard Shiller, Prano and Thompson were all student leads in intramural sports. Prano is the 2011-2012 Intramural Sports Supervisor of the Year. Santoro is the outgoing personal training lead for the RWC fitness staff and the RWC Wellness Champion of the Year for her commitment of keeping students healthy and fit.  Edge is the RWC’s 2010-2011 Facilities Employee of the Year.

The Recreation and Wellness Center is funded by the SGA. Its mission is to enrich campus life through efficient services, comprehensive programs and high-quality programs that foster healthy lifestyles.

RWC Park was funded by student Capital Improvement Trust Fund (CITF) money. Enhancements to the park including a softball field and four grass field areas, have been completed in multiple phases, beginning in 2006. The additional three turf fields give RWC Park six total turf fields and are used to host hundreds of Intramural Sports teams, eight competitive sport clubs, and daily open recreation use that sees over 130,000 visits annually. Phase I cost $3.2 million, Phase II cost $2.8 million and Phase III cost $2.5 million. Future phases are master planned to add more fields and facilities to support 166su’s growing outdoor recreation needs.

RWC is a department in the Division of Student Deveolopment and Enrollment Services. For more information on RWC and Intramural Sports, call 407.823.2408 or visit: .

166su team highlights at the NCCS included:

166su team highlights at the ACIS included:

166su now has six national championships in Flag Football. For more information about Intramural Sports, visit: .

Intramural Sports is a program of the Recreation and Wellness Center in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

166su’s campus champions qualified for the national tournament by winning the “Swamp Shootout” tournament at the University of Florida back in March. A team of nine students traveled to the campus of North Carolina State University on April 24-26. At the national tournament, UCF took on a field of forty teams from all over the country. They began pool play with a 69-41 win over UNC Greensboro and followed that up with 53-44 win over Virginia. That advanced 166su to the elimination bracket, where they opened up with a 57-36 rout over East Carolina. In the second round, UCF had their first test of the tournament and pulled out a win against North Texas, 64-60.

166su made it to the semifinals with another win, and squared off against the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. They continued their run with a convincing 57-48 win. In the championship game against Fayetteville State, UCF shined the most as they took a 10 point lead at halftime and held on down the stretch to win 50-47 to home the trophy. Erik Nix, who led the team with 16.2 points per game, was also named tournament MVP. John Kirby was also named first-team all-tournament, for shooting 20 of 25 for the entire tournament. Greg Crenshaw was second on the team in scoring behind Nix, and Elliott Cherry led the team in assists.

For more information, contact the in the Division of , at 407.823.2408.