Students have cause to rejoice this week as the fence surrounding the new addition to the Reitz Student Union has finally fallen, reuniting the East and West sides of campus.
The fence was torn down some time Wednesday afternoon at the hands of construction workers who are being hailed as saviors by the majority of the student body. Many students were finally able to see the faces of friends and family who had the misfortune of being on the wrong side of campus when the 8-foot chain link fence was first assembled.
“I hadn’t seen my roommate since the first week of classes because he got stuck on the other side of the wall,”
Said UF junior Michael Kay.
Today I finally got to tell him that our air conditioning is a little too cold for me. It was really emotional.”
Although the iconic green fence is no longer dividing the campus, some remnants of the barrier have been left standing in order to remind students and faculty of the struggles they shared. It will also be a new destination for campus tours, serving as a grim reminder of past semesters.
I think it says a lot about the spirit and culture of UF,”
Anna Tyler, 18, said.
“We brought down that wall keeping us apart and now we’re getting a $25 million food court with cool glass windows.”
As students celebrate the fall of the Green Wall, activists are reminding everyone on campus to thank their heroes in orange hats and remember what put the Wall there in the first place.
The University would like to remind students that the Wall is a historical landmark and that they should NOT try to sell pieces of it to tourists.
