Enrollment:There are about 34,500 students enrolled at the university.
History:Georgia was chartered in 1785 and is the nation’s oldest state chartered university. Classes began in 1801.
The first building built on campus was called Franklin College in honor of Benjamin Franklin, but is now known as Old College. Georgia offers a variety of academics and has 15 colleges and schools, the oldest of which is Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. It was founded in 1801.
Athletics:Georgia has 21 varsity sports, 12 women and 9 men. Georgia teams have won 37 team national championships in many different sports.
Georgia’s football team has fielded two Heisman Trophy winners, Frank Sinkwich in 1942 and Herschel Walker in 1982. Walker holds the Southeastern Conference records for most rushing yard in a season (1,891), most rushing yards in a career (5,259) and most rushing touchdowns in a career (49).
Walker rushed for 1,616 yards in his freshman season in 1980 while leading Bulldogs to an undefeated national championship. The football team also earned a national championship in 1942.
Sights to See:Visitors to campus should visit the North side of campus, which is the oldest part of campus. Once there, visitors can take in the “Arch” which sits as you enter the campus from Broad Street downtown. “Freshmen are not supposed to walk under the arch,” said Georgia associate athletic director Claude Felton. The legend on campus states that who freshmen walk under arch never graduate.
Near the Arch are the Chapel and the famous chapel bell. Students ring the bell after every Georgia victory. Next to the chapel and bell is old Herty Field, the site of the first football game at Georgia in 1892. It is currently landscaped and has a historical marker.
Sanford Stadium, which is Georgia’s football stadium, was the site of the 1996 Olympic Soccer medal rounds. This is where all the soccer medals were won during the Olympic games. “The U.S. Women won the gold in front of a crowd in excess of 75,000 which was the largest ever to see a women’s soccer match,” Felton said. “And the men’s and women’s competitions were seen around the world.”
The Georgia Coliseum, home of the UGA basketball teams and women’s gymnastics team, was the site of the 1996 Olympic rhythmic gymnastics and volleyball competition. There is an Olympic monument that sits outside the coliseum commemorating the Olympic competition. The Dan Magill Tennis Complex has been the semi-permanent home of the NCAA Tennis Championships. “There have been 24 NCAA Tennis Championships held here with another scheduled in May 2010 and May 2012,” Felton said.
“Athens is a famous music town,” said Georgia public affairs Vice President Tom Jackson. The groups R.E.M and the B-52’s started in Athens.Tailgating and Food:“Our stadium is right in the heart of campus,” Jackson said. “People tailgate all over the campus.”
But it’s important for tailgaters to follow the strict campus parking rules. Tailgaters should make sure they park in real parking spaces. If cars are parked on the grass or any other place that is not a specific parking area, they will be ticketed and towed. “We don’t allow you to drive up on grass or pull into landscaped areas,” Jackson said. “Be sure you’re at a parking lot between two white lines, because it will cost you a lot of money if you park in the wrong place.”
“Athens does have the best college town in the SEC,” said former Georgia graduate student Eli Abad.
There are more than forty bars that are agreeable to any taste.
Athens is known for it’s southern cooking. One of the best places to get fried chicken is “Weaver D’s.”
“It’s so well known that R.E.M. named their album ‘Automatic for the People’ after the slogan for Weaver D’s,” Abad said. “I would definitely recommend it. It’s an Athens tradition.”
Alcohol on Campus:Under aged drinkers will get arrested in Athens. Athens also has a very strict open container policy, but the policy is not enforced on campus. “There are places where if you’re on the lawn, you’re on campus, but if you step on the sidewalk you’re on the city,” Jackson said. “You really need to make sure you’re in the interior of campus to avoid Athens’ open container law.”