History of the UF Division of Student Affairs | Page 26

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form Student Government, and student curfews were abolished for all students
except freshmen women. By 1973, the student newspaper was suspended from
campus and became the Independent Florida Alligator. These changes marked
the end of the university acting in loco parentis, in the place of parents, toward
a philosophy of student rights and responsibilities. This was the time period that
federal legislation was passed that supported student rights like Title IX of the
Educational Amendments of 1972 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of
sex in all areas of education and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974 (FERPA) that transfers certain rights with respect to educational records
including control over disclosure to students at age 18.

Cynthia Mays, Homecoming Queen finalist, and Don Gaffney, football team member
Homecoming 1973
Photo Credit: UF Archives Digital Collection

In his oral history interview, Hale expressed frustration in the students’ change
of attitude towards the administration from friendly to adversarial. He believed
that the university’s right to exercise authority over students was something
that could have been debated in open forums or brought before the Board of
Regents without going through the “rebelliousness and the trauma that shook
the University to its foundations.” When asked if he had outlived his time, Hale
responded that he was the best transition person for this time period. “There was
not a single building burned. There wasn’t anybody shot and killed. There wasn’t

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