Beat FSU! is the idea behind Operation Cover-Up Gainesville, a new UF Student Alumni Association community-service project.
A different kind of match-up, the clothing drive was launched Sept. 1 as a competition between UF and Florida State University to see which university could collect the most donations before the UF-FSU football game.
"We thought that competing against FSU would bring a friendly competitive spirit while providing valuable benefits to both our communities," said Rachel Johnson, the Alumni Association's director of membership and marketing.
Bragging rights are also involved, she said.
The winning university will be recognized Nov. 26 during the UF-FSU football game.
Clothes can be dropped off until Nov. 22 at Emerson Hall, 1938 W. University Ave., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations also are accepted during any SAA BEAT T-shirt giveaway or at any Gainesville Domino's Pizza location.
The clothes will be donated to local charities, including the Salvation Army and St. Francis House. Children's clothes will be sent to students at underprivileged elementary schools in Gainesville, according to Johnson.
Students who don't want to donate clothes can give money or gift cards that will go toward purchasing new clothes.
In previous years, the Student Alumni Association has done a food drive during the fall semester. This will be Operation Cover-Up's first year.
"We brought back a variety of community-service project ideas from a recent conference for student alumni associations, and the concept of Operation Cover-Up Gainesville came from that," Johnson said.
One student is already getting excited about the prospect of beating FSU.
Telecommunications sophomore Kelsey Branz said she has a lot of clothes she will be donating to the drive.
"I went through my old clothes this summer and was going to donate them to Goodwill, but this is a cause of equal stature," she said. "Besides, we're obviously going to beat FSU in football, so we might as well beat them in the clothing drive, too."
