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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Seniors race to finish UF traditions before deadline

<p class="p1">Madison Todd, a 22-year-old UF political science senior, poses next to the Albert Murphree near Peabody Hall and the Plaza of the Americas.</p>

Madison Todd, a 22-year-old UF political science senior, poses next to the Albert Murphree near Peabody Hall and the Plaza of the Americas.

Madison Todd said she has been procrastinating throughout college, and completing her F-Book traditions was no exception.

“Maybe it’s how it should be — me procrastinating one final time,” she said.

The UF political science senior will be going to Emerson Alumni Hall at the end of the week to participate in the Florida Cicerones tradition-keeping logging days. She will compile four years of walking on Turlington Plaza and the Plaza of the Americas into one set of photos that will be shown to Cicerone loggers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

“My goal is to get the medal,” the 22-year-old said.

Students need 40 completed F-Book traditions to get a medal to wear at graduation, said Anna Shao, Florida Cicerones tradition keeper co-chair. Tradition completers also get three pins, one for every 10 traditions. The 40th earns you a medal.

Shao, a UF biochemistry junior, said students can bring physical or digital photos, as well as memorabilia, that prove what they completed. She said it gets most hectic toward the end, from 2 to 4 p.m., and she recommends students come early.

Although they are encouraged to complete all the traditions in their F Books, Shao, 21, said students aren’t confined to them. They have the option to add their own photos, too.

For Todd, this means adding in memories of student organizations, such as the National Residence Hall Honorary and College Democrats, she said.

However, she doesn’t know which photo best captures her time in college clubs.

“I’ve met so many great people,” she said. “I don’t know how I’ll choose.”

In the future, Todd said Cicerones may consider adding the tradition of hammocking on the Plaza of the Americas, although it’s hard to predict if that will still be popular with future classes.

Shao said Cicerones want students’ F Books to serve as mini scrapbooks, a compilation of photos and memories that future UF alumni can show their baby Gators.

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To help students get their traditions logged, Shao and other Cicerones have been offering to take students’ photos of them doing everyday campus activities, like eating Krishna lunch.

UF seniors Anelize Salmon, Valentina Cardona and Cara Blackburn picked up their graduation gowns together from the UF Bookstore on Monday.

They plan on finishing up traditions between studying for finals.

“We’re together now, and it’s going to get hectic later, before graduation,” said Salmon, a UF microbiology student.

She and Cardona became friends when they attended Miami Dade College before transferring to UF. Cardona and Blackburn were roommates in Beaty Towers.

Cardona said they forgot to bring an F Book to campus, but she made a handwritten list of UF photo opportunities.

Todd said she has taken her time completing the traditions, even though she does many of them on a regular basis.

“It’s easy to put off,” she said. “And here we are, the week before it’s due.”

Shao said Todd isn’t the only senior cramming to complete traditions this week.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Krishna lunch sales went up a little bit,” she said.

[A version of this story ran on page 1 - 4 on 4/22/2015]

Madison Todd, a 22-year-old UF political science senior, poses next to the Albert Murphree near Peabody Hall and the Plaza of the Americas.

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