Top floor in Collins garage closed for protective fence installation
The top floor of the Leroy Collins garage is closed for the installation of protective fences, Director of Communication and Engagement Aaron Nichols said.
The addition of fencing is the second phase of a $3.8 million multiphased approach to install additional protective measures to open-air garages due to suicides at the Tampa campus. The first stage consisted of adding buffering landscape, such as large trees and shrubbery, on ground floors as well as signage on the upper floors.
USF announced the initiative in September 2022 after the death of a student at Beard garage, but phase one was not completed until early 2023. Another suicide occurred at Beard in July, marking the second in less than a year.
Work on Collins is expected to be completed later this month, Nichols said.
Top-floor fencing has already been completed at Beard garage, Crescent Hill parking garage and Laurel Drive garage, he said.
The remaining phase of the project will be the installation of fencing in between floors levels three and up. This phase has an expected completion date between January and May 2024.
More Stories
How funding cuts are affecting USF student orgs, depts
For Carolina Gutfreund, next year’s cuts to student organization funding won’t just shrink the Botanical Gardens Club’s budget — they’ve led her to step down as its president. “The idea of it being bad was just making me so sad because we put a lot of effort into our events,” said Gutfreund, a junior English […]
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is ranked best in the state
USF’s Morsani College of Medicine has been named the top medical school in Florida and ranked among the nation’s best in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The college, now recognized as a Tier 1 institution, is the only medical school in Florida to receive this distinction. Charles Lockwood, the executive vice president […]
USF students reflect on preparedness following FSU shooting
When confetti and champagne popped near the MSC Amphitheater during an Acts of Kindness event on April 24, Ashley Messer froze – afraid she was hearing gunshots. “All I could think for the rest of the event was that I just stood there like a deer in headlights,” said the junior English major. “I didn’t […]
USF rocket team completes most advanced launch in club’s history
Facing budget cuts, loss of resources and logistical setbacks, USF’s Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry completed what its members called the most advanced rocket launch in the club’s 12-year history. Led by computer engineering senior Alvaro Lazaro, SOAR launched its high-powered rocket, Prometheus, during a nationwide NASA Student Launch competition, marking the first time the […]
USF assembles DOGE task force to dig up ‘unnecessary’ spending
USF President Rhea Law has assembled a task force to promote “efficiency, transparency and strategic reinvestment” among university departments and staff. The team will be responsible for managing Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency requests at USF, according to public records obtained by The Oracle. Gov. Ron DeSantis created the Florida DOGE in February to […]
USF Faculty Senate opposes UP, ICE partnership
The USF Faculty Senate called on USF leadership to withdraw University Police from an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that will allow campus police to enforce immigration laws. During a special Faculty Senate meeting on Friday, senators expressed concerns over how USF’s international community – faculty and students alike – would be […]