The J. Wayne Reitz Union: A Hub of Student Life at the University of Florida
The J. Wayne Reitz Union stands as the student union of the University of Florida. Located on Museum Road, on the university campus in Gainesville, Florida, United States, it serves as a central hub for student activities, services, and programs. Named in honor of J. Wayne Reitz, the fifth president of the university, who served from 1955 to 1967, the Reitz Union has a rich history and continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the campus community. East of the Reitz Union is the Constans Theatre, a performing arts venue.
From Florida Union to Reitz Union: A Historical Overview
The story of the Reitz Union begins with the Florida Union, the university's original student union building, which opened in 1936. (now known as Dauer Hall). The construction of the Florida Union was made possible through the efforts of President Albert A. Murphree, Senator William James Bryan, and the students themselves. President Albert A. Murphree asked his close friend, William Jennings Bryan, a famed politician, lawyer, and orator, to accompany him on a speaking tour around Florida to raise money for a religious center for the University in 1925. Noted for his victory in the Scopes Trial, Bryan raised forty thousand dollars and over $173,000 in pledges towards the building. Bryan also contributed $1,000 to the project. Financing for the union was accomplished by a statewide revenue certificate program for higher education generated and supported by fees of students of all state institutions of Florida. The financial start was in October 1951, when the student body voted a small fee to be set aside for the construction of this facility. Subsequent actions by the student body, the university administration, the Board of Control (now the Board of Regents), and the State Board of Education made the union possible. There were no tax funds used in the construction or furnishings of the building.
Even though initial contributions were donated towards a religious center, a local court ruled that the money could be used for a general student activities building, provided the second floor was endowed forever for religious purposes. A grant worth over $100,000 was procured from the Federal Government, provided the remaining funds for the project would be raised by the University. In 1934, the UF student body voted to provide $15,000 towards the construction of the Union. Ground breaking for the new Union took place on April 19, 1934 and was expected to cost a total of $173,104. The building was opened in 1936 as the Florida Union. At the dedication in 1936, Dr. Tigert confirmed the appointment of D. R. “Billy” Matthews as the first Director, a position which he held until 1948. Matthews was a student at UF from 1924 to 1929. During this time, Matthews served as Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, President of Florida Blue Key, Chancellor of the Honor Court, and was a member of the cheerleading squad, the Glee Club, and the varsity Debate Team. Army for four years during World War II and returned to the Union in 1946. He became Director of Alumni Affairs at the University in 1947.
In 1937 the first Board of Managers of the Florida Union was appointed to serve as the Union’s policy making body. To this day, the Board continues to play an important role in providing guidance to the Reitz Union staff. In 1941, a 25,000 square foot addition was completed which nearly doubled the size of the Florida Union. In 1948, William E. “Bill” Rion was named Director of the Florida Union. As an undergraduate student, Rion had worked at the soda fountain in the basement of the Union. He also worked at the Information Desk and was student manager of the Game Room. Rion was Student Body President in 1945, president of his fraternity, and president of his church organization. After graduating in 1945, Rion was named Assistant Director of the Florida Union.
As the university grew, the Florida Union became inadequate to serve the needs of the expanding student population. Following World War II the Florida Union was unable to keep up with the growing needs of the campus community. With over 10,000 students enrolled, the Union’s meeting, dining, and recreational facilities were grossly inadequate. In 1951 a subcommittee of the Board of Managers was formed to explore the possibility of a new Union facility. As a result of this study, the UF student body voted to impose a fee of $1.50 per semester for a new union building. In 1958 more than 150 student organizations passed resolutions in support of the new union and Student Government unanimously passed an additional $10 per semester fee to support the new building project. In 1962 $5 million was allocated from the Florida Development Commission (which was funded by student fees from Florida universities) to proceed with the construction of the new Union facility.
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Once approved, it took two years to secure funding, and the ground breaking was on May 9, 1964. The building was officially completed and opened to the students on May 1, 1967. At the ribbon cutting ceremony, the facility was named in honor of Dr. J. Wayne Reitz, President of the University from 1955 to 1967. At the time, the UF student population was 19,000.
Expansions and Renovations: Adapting to Student Needs
Since its opening, the Reitz Union has undergone several expansions and renovations to better serve the student body. Additional meeting rooms were constructed above the union colonnade, and the Career Resource Center (now the Career Connections Center) was expanded in 1991. In 1992, the game room was expanded. 1995 brought several changes, including the addition of a new wing to house the Career Connections Center, converting the existing cafeteria/snack bar area into a food court and the addition of retail space on the ground floor. These projects were completed in 1998. In 2003, the UF Bookstore and Welcome Center was completed. The expansion, which is connected to the Reitz Union through an expanded food court, includes a parking garage, along with a new bookstore.
In February 2010, university president Bernie Machen, members of the university's board of trustees, student leaders, and other university officials launched an aggressive campaign to spend $90 million to make repairs and expand the outdated building, which has an estimated $42.5 million in needed repairs. The expansion would include a 24-hour study center, a new parking garage (750 spaces), an expanded printing lab, more restaurant selections, new multipurpose meeting rooms, a 1,500-seat auditorium, and a cutting-edge fitness center. About $60 million of this cost would come from a proposed student fee, which would increase tuition rates by $3 per credit hour plus a $20 flat fee each semester.
In summer 2013, the Reitz Union began an extensive renovation and expansion project which added an additional 126,000 square feet and renovated 90,000 square feet of the existing building. In August of 1986, Dave Kratzer was named Director of the Reitz Union. In 2009 an assessment of building systems conducted found $42.5 million in deficiencies and deferred maintenance. That same year a master plan and needs assessment study was conducted to identify greatest needs for current and future program needs. In 2013, demolition of the Colonnade begins to make way for new structure. Also at this time an energy audit of all Reitz Union existing electrical and mechanical infrastructure systems conducted through a guaranteed energy performance services contract (ESCO) by Trane. Based on their findings and guarantees a $6.47 million loan was obtained to replace lighting systems throughout the facility with LED fixtures and replace outdated mechanical systems with energy efficient components and install a digital building automation system (BAS). The newly renovated and expanded Reitz Union facility opened on February 1, 2016. Total project cost: $70.7 M. Total gross square footage of Reitz Union, Bookstore, Welcome Center and Garage facility: 638,073.
J. Wayne Reitz: A Legacy of Leadership
Dr. J. Wayne Reitz, the namesake of the Reitz Union, served as the fifth president of the University of Florida from 1955 to 1967. He was a dedicated educator, astute administrator, and tireless public servant. Born in Olathe, Kansas, Reitz received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State Agricultural and Mechanical College (1930), a Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois (1935), and his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin (1941). He joined the faculty of the University of Florida as assistant professor of agricultural economics in 1934. In the 1940s, Reitz worked for the Farm Credit Administration and as an economist for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., before returning to UF in 1949 to be the university’s acting dean and then its provost for agriculture. In 1955, J. Wayne Reitz became the first UF president to be chosen from among the university’s faculty.
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Reitz presided over a period of unprecedented growth and change at the University of Florida. Hundreds of new facilities were constructed in those 12 years, and the UF student population grew from about 9,000 to nearly 20,000. Many of today’s campus landmarks were products of the Reitz era: Century Tower was completed at the beginning of his tenure as UF president. The University of Florida Health Science Center developed under his leadership; the university added Library West; and the student union that bears his name opened in 1967.
Reitz steered the university through dramatic changes in higher education as well. The Florida State University System added five new universities during his years in office. He adroitly and peacefully managed the racial integration of the university. Under his leadership, the University of Florida accelerated the pace of its fundraising programs; and in response to the national challenge posed by the Soviet launch of the satellite Sputnik 1. Reitz continued to be a chief advocate and supporter of the university and all aspects of its educational mission after stepping down from its presidency. Reitz’s door was always open to anyone seeking his counsel and advice. Individuals from all walks of life, from all across campus, and throughout the state and nation considered him friend and mentor. He remained a ready and invaluable resource for the university, its leaders and its aspirations.
J. Wayne Reitz received numerous honors and recognitions during his lifetime, among them Panama’s Cross of Balboa and Norway’s Order of the North Star for his involvement in international agricultural development. He holds honorary degrees from several institutions, including the University of Florida. In 1957, he was named Progressive Farmer magazine’s “Man of the Year” for his service to Florida agriculture, and he received the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce “Outstanding Citizen” award. In 1993, he was one of four persons named to the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame for their lifelong contributions.
Services and Amenities: A Hub for Student Life
The Student Union is home to many services and shops for student convenience. The union has eight levels including the Lower Level/plaza. The J. Wayne Reitz Union serves as the "community center" of the University of Florida. The facility provides services and programs designed to enhance the campus life experience for students and other members of the campus community. The Union offers a wide variety of activities, programs, and services including social and educational events for students, meeting and event facilities (for students, faculty and staff), and student organization offices. The high traffic 350,000-SF facility is located near the center of campus and is co-located with the Bookstore/Welcome Center/Parking Garage complex.
The Bryan Lounge on the first floor of the Reitz Union is named in recognition of Bryan’s efforts.
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In the 50s and 60s the old Banquet Hall was used for dances, conferences, information fairs and international dinners. “When the building opened in 1936 or ’37,” says Rion, “the basement portion was used as a short order cafe and bookstore while the upper portion was used for banquets. During WWII, Army officers-in-training lived in UF dorms and used the room as a mess hall. After the War, the Banquet Hall was officially designated part of the Union and became known as the Florida Union Social Room. Although most large University dinner events shifted to the Hub after its construction in 1950, UF still used the Union Social Room as a banquet hall on occasion, most notably for the annual Caribbean Conference. In the 50s and 60s the Social Room was used for a variety of student activities like information fairs, student elections and pep rallies. One of the more interesting and regular activities held in the Social Room, according to Rion, was the annual series of international dinners. “These student-planned dinners were held once a month or so,” he recalls, “and featured food, artifacts, music and speakers from a certain country. Students wore traditional dress and exhibited great pride in sharing the culture of their homelands.
Student Activism and Social Justice: A Site of Dialogue and Change
The Reitz Union has also been a site of student activism and social justice movements. For the first time in 12 years, the University of Florida is creating a new dining and food services contract. UF students refuse to support such a company any longer. To ensure that the next food service contract is free from the exploitation of prison slave labor, and all labor involved in bringing food to the restaurants and dining halls on campus is compensated fairly, they are boycotting all dining in the Reitz Union. Until these demands are met, do not spend any money on food or drink at the Reitz Union.
The University of Florida is a powerful institution that strives to be an example in the state of Florida and nationwide. However, it is plagued by histories of institutional racism that have yet to be substantively reckoned with. On June 18th, 2020, in response to national outcries regarding systemic racism in our country, President Fuchs made a public statement to the UF community that included promises and outlined steps the university is taking to battle racism. President Fuchs declared in the aforementioned statement that “The symbolism of inmate labor is incompatible with our university and its principles and therefore this practice will end.” Although IFAS has ceased its use of prison slavery at UF facilities thanks to grassroots organizing, the University of Florida is still profiting off of “inmate labor” as it is intimately tied to the prison-industrial complex via contracting all on-campus food services through Aramark. The University of Florida cannot claim to represent values such as justice and progress without acting to make the institution a more just place. The current food contracting practices that the University of Florida engages in do not reflect any such values. Today, your students continue having to work overtime to hold you accountable to your principles. Although committees, tasks forces, and goals have been established, little to no changes have been made. The UF community refuses to be pacified by your performative statements.
The Food Justice League is demanding that UF Business Services and the Committee responsible for review of UF’s food service contract add several protections and conditions for its next food service vendor, including a $15 minimum hourly wage for all UF contracted employees; union neutrality clauses; a commitment to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions; justice for farm workers, farmers, and food system workers; an increase in local sourcing of food products; and concrete accountability measures. We demand that the University of Florida specify in the upcoming negotiations for campus food service contractors that the chosen vendor will not be engaged in any prison labor contracts, invest in, exploit, or utilize prison labor in any way. The chosen vendor shall not be in any way tied-monetarily or otherwise-to the prison-industrial complex. The current food service provider, Aramark, has a despicable history of human rights violations and prison slavery exploitation. Aramark presently operates in 600+ prisons that collectively incarcerate 300,000 people (AFSC 2019). Furthermore, Aramark has a record of human rights abuses that includes the exploitation of enslaved prison labor (Ruelas et al. v. County of Alameda; Mother Jones 2020). Your students, the state of Florida, and the world are all watching. The upcoming food service contract negotiations are the perfect time for the university to live up to its rhetoric of justice and progress.
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