Students can borrow bowties, pant-suits and suspenders from Peabody Hall Room 202, but a whole wardrobe will launch later this year.
The Gator Career Closet is aiming to launch during Summer B, Jen Day Shaw, the associate vice president and dean of students, wrote in an email. The closet, started by Student Government, will let students rent outfits for three days for interviews or professional events.
Heather Ryan, the director of the Gator Career Closet, said the Dean of Students Office is collecting clothes from UF alumni, faculty and students.
“There’s a pretty good selection coming through that we have to work with,” Ryan said.
Shaw added that the website for the closet should be launching soon.
Ryan, who was nominated for the director position by UF Student Body President Joselin Padron-Rasines, is working with the Dean of Students Office to launch the closet. She said the Dean of Students Office and herself have been working with UF housing to place bins during move-out week so students can donate clothes instead of throwing them away.
UF Student Body Treasurer Nicholas Carré said a student once dropped off a bag of clothes on his desk. Carré said he’s working on writing a contract to ensure the closet launches.
He said having to work with the Dean of Students Office’s schedule has been tough. Before the closet can officially move into Peabody, they need to wait for UF Off Campus Life to move into the Reitz Union.
But he said he hopes to have a solid plan for the closet before his term is over.
“It’s been a balance of getting people involved,” he said. “This is just something we want to get done.”
