University of Central Florida Office of Student Involvement Collection

According to the UCF website, the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) is one of the oldest organizations at the University of Central Florida. The OSI was previously called the Office of Student Activities, but it was changed in 2003 to OSI. The mission of OSI is to provide programs, services, and leadership opportunities that enrich students' time at UCF. Their core values are connect, involve, and impact. As of 2021, the OSI promotes these values by collaborating with both students and staff to create and develop programs that contribute to students' personal growth, civic responsibility, and diversity awareness. As of 2021, the OSI oversees the registration and management of over 350 student organizations (academic, pre-professional, honorary, military, sports, religious, special interests, minority/interracial, and service groups). The OSI also advises the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Fraternity and Sorority Life, Homecoming, Knights of the RoundTable (KoRT), Late Knights, Multicultural Student Center (MSC), Student Government Association (SGA), and Volunteer UCF (VUCF).

This collection holds a lot of material about Homecoming, which is the OSI's most recognizable event. Homecoming at UCF lasts for a week, leading up to the Homecoming football game of the year. Homecoming represents an opportunity for current students, staff, and alumni to come together and celebrate their time at UCF. Homecoming is one of UCF's oldest traditions, dating back to a mere three years after UCF first opened its doors. UCF held its first Homecoming in 1971 to coincide with the basketball season, which was UCF's first varsity sport. The first “skit knight” was held in 1971, which was known at the time as “Nite of Knights.” This has since become a staple in Homecoming week festivities. In 1975, UCF held its first Homecoming Parade. The parade was moved to downtown Orlando in 1992, but it was relocated back to UCF in 2007 to celebrate UCF's first on-campus football stadium. In 1980, UCF held two Homecomings to celebrate both the basketball and football seasons. Following the celebrations, Homecoming began to align itself with the football season. There was a brief gap in Homecoming from 1972-1974 when UCF put on an event called "Kaleidoscope" in its place. This event shared many of the same activities, but ultimately Homecoming was reinstated.

Another important aspect of UCF's Homecoming week is the Spirit Splash. Spirit Splash is a beloved UCF tradition in which students gather around the fountain in front of the John C. Hitt Library and run into it. UCF also produces rubber ducks to throw into the fountain as a souvenir for the students participating. Spirit Splash takes place on the Friday before the homecoming football game. The origin of Spirit Splash was debated until 2021 when the University Archives did a deep dive in research and confirmed that the first time students were encouraged to jump into the pond was in 1994. It continued in 1995 when the second group of students jumped into the Reflecting Pond before Homecoming. The SGA received funding for the event and renamed it “Spirit Splash” in 1997.

The OSI has also put on programs such as Knight Camp in the past. Knight Camp was a four-day orientation camp that allowed new incoming students to meet each other and learn more about UCF in a camp-like setting. The students were also allowed to move into their housing placements early if they so wished. Knight Camp lasted from 2013-2016.