For Felicity Duran, Gate 4 outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is home.
Since her sophomore year, the 21-year-old has spent countless evenings dancing with the Filipino Student Association, staying until 5 a.m. with other dancers to master routines.
But last week, the University Athletic Association posted signs that forbade unauthorized group dancing due to vehicular traffic. With that sign, Duran and the other FSA dancers lost their home.
"That’s our spot, everyone knows that," said the UF anthropology and accelerated nursing junior. "It’s the home of FSA dance."
University Police told Duran and several other dancers to leave Gate 4 on Monday night as they were practicing for a cultural performance this weekend at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. They then moved to the top floor of the Transportation Garage on Gale Lemerand to continue practicing.
Lindsey Thomas, the director of internal operations for the UAA, wrote in an email that the signs were in response to more student groups meeting outside the stadium in the past year. Students practicing outside of Gates 1 through 4 are near traffic, she said. Students can still use Gates 5 through 15 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"It’s really just to keep the safety," Thomas said.
Groups are being asked to relocate and are not being kicked out, she said. She said she asked the Department of Student Activities and Involvement to send out an email informing student groups of the new policy. The UAA is still evaluating band members’ use of the stadium to determine how they will be affected by the new policy, Thomas said.
While SAI Director Nancy Chrystal-Green said she did receive an email Thursday morning, she wrote in an email that they did not share the message because they felt key information — including alternative locations, when the policy started and who organizations should speak to — was missing.
"We thought we had some time to get that information, so we prioritized other projects," Chrystal-Green wrote.
Lt. Alton McDilda, the special events coordinator for UPD, said the UAA told them Oct. 21 it was making signs with the new policy. UPD began enforcing the policy Monday.
McDilda said officers are responding when they receive complaints but not actively patrolling the area. Officers are giving warnings to groups.
Ronit Dastidar, the 19-year-old treasurer of Gator Bhangra, said dancers from his organization were also told to leave. He and his friends made sure they weren’t in front of the areas with signs. When a UAA official came by and warned them, the group of about 25 dancers moved near the Heisman statues. At around 11 p.m. Monday, a UPD officer told them they had to leave, the UF microbiology sophomore said.
"It felt like we were doing something grossly wrong even though we weren’t," he said.
Contact Caitlin Ostroff at costroff@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @ceostroff
