Rules on getting in pond are murky

There is no official UCF rule specifically forbidding students from entering the Reflecting Pond, contrary to popular belief.

Cpl. James Roop, media relations officer with the UCF Police Department, said he has never heard of a case of a student entering the pond outside of the annual Spirit Splash homecoming event in his 10-year career at UCF.

"I've never heard of anybody just frolicking in there and getting arrested or anything like that," Roop said, calling the rumor that entering the pond is illegal "an urban legend."

Roop said if a student were to enter the pond, it would entail a university-sanctioned punishment, not a legal one — unless the student were committing a crime, such as defacing public property or exhibiting disorderly conduct. 

"A lot of people that would end up doing that would be possibly drinking or something else," Roop said.

While no rule prohibits going into the pond, there is a provision in the UCF Rules of Conduct that forbids "disruptive behavior," which is defined as "an act that impairs, interferes with or obstructs the orderly conduct, processes and functions of the university or any part thereof or the rights of other members of the university community."

Amber Suarez is one student who wasn't sure about the Reflecting Pond rules. 

"I have no idea. I never really thought about it," said Suarez, a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major. She said she knows it's against school rules.

Joe Miller, an electrical engineering graduate student, also said he had no idea what is the policy regarding the Reflecting Pond. 

"I think it would be refreshing," he said. "Now that you mention it, I'm tempted to go find out." 

William Merck, vice president for administration and finance, said the "good common sense" displayed by students in regard to the pond is what has negated the need for a rule to this point.

However, Merck advised students to stay out of the Reflecting Pond for other reasons.

"We don't maintain the pH balance in the Reflecting Pond as you would in a home swimming pool," Merck said. 

He also cited safety as an issue.

"Multiple people playing around in the pond without oversight, as we have at Spirit Splash, has high potential for an accident — slipping, falling and collisions," he said. "The occasional person standing in the pond for a picture after graduation or for some other purpose is innocuous and is not a problem."

Roop said he does not recall a student arrest at Spirit Splash, either. 

"They have a pretty good police presence out there [during Spirit Splash]," Roop said.