Can students use the north intramural field without reservation? What about using the Green and the Amphitheater for recreational sports? How do students distinguish between recreation fields and fields used strictly for the university athletic teams?
Field use seems to be an area that was washed in grey and the guidelines for which were never formerly communicated between offices.
For example, the athletic department used to summon UPD to remove students from the athletic department’s practice field without a reservation.
All students receive open access to the track, the only information the athletic department knows, but they only procure open access to the soccer practice field – the one beside Hodges Stadium – if they make a reservation.
So UPD asks the students to move to the South Crossings recreational fields.
They know students usually have open access to the south fields when pre-scheduled events do not fill them.
Now another UPD officer comes and asks the students to vacate the south fields because of maintenance closure for field improvements until Oct. 12.
The officer tells the students about those field closures, but they can use the old softball field.
After UPD herded the students and prodded them from field to field, the students find out the old softball field – the area beside the practice field that amounts to mowed weeds and clay – abides by a first come, first serve policy.
The students find out the time spent repetitively traversing the UNF campus has caused them to lose their spot at the old softball field.
Students don’t fret, you gain exercise as you trot around UNF’s large camps as the recreational department, and UPD blindly lead you on excursions from one field to another.
Miscommunication between departments causes this seemingly ill-spirited act, but the unaddressed insignificant oversight can lead to bigger problems in the future.
Some departments didn’t even realize that this inter-departmental lack of communication and sharing of information had caused any inconvenience to students.
With an open gate, an open field and no sign refuting intramural student-athletes, of course they will practice on them.
In response to this problem the athletic department has decided to stop kicking students off the practice field in an attempt to offer intramural student athletes more field space to practice.
A better idea, since UNF has become directional-sign giddy, would be a preemptive strike by putting up signs telling students the specific rules for that field.
An even better idea would be to build more practice fields for intramural use. With the 1,000 acre nature preserve that UNF resides on there has to be some open space for a few extra fields.
This would cut down on the amount of removed students from the fields because of their ignorance of the field usage guidelines. It would save both the departments and students valuable time.
This issue deserves recognition and is finally receiving it, even though the attempts to correct the problem may not be a permanent fix. The Spinnaker hopes to communicate with the students and staff of UNF and exemplify some of the repercussion of this opaque field usage issue.
Clicking a pair of red, sparkly heels three times will never solve this confusing situation for students.
The departments behind the green curtain need to bring clarity to the situation because without clarification and specific guidelines, the students interpret things on their own.
There will always be those students jumping fences, and defying authority but if there is practice space for recreational student athletes there might be less of an issue.
