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University of Kentucky student life

The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky offers a variety of campus living and recreational options for students.

Greek-letter organizations

There are more than fifty active fraternities and sororities at the University of Kentucky. The social fraternities and sororities have chapter houses.

Sororities

In the fall of 2023, 27 percent of the University of Kentucky's undergraduate women belong to a social sorority. Following are the social sororities at the University of Kentucky.

Fraternities

In the fall of 2023, eighteen percent of the University of Kentucky's undergraduate male students belong to a social fraternity. Following are the social fraternities at the University of Kentucky.

Honor and recognition societies

Professional fraternities and sororities

Hazing incidents

After Thomas “Lofton” Hazelwood, an 18-year-old freshman at UK was killed in a hazing incident in October 2021, a report commissioned by the university pointed to an active tradition of hazing at the school, and a “deeply ingrained culture of alcohol” in Hazelwood's fraternity. Some fraternities forced members to eat and drink, others instituted personal servitude. Lofton's Law, making hazing a felony/misdemeanor in Kentucky, was passed in 2023.

Religion and life-philosophy

Following are some of the religious organizations at the University of Kentucky.

Christianity

Islam

Judaism

Secular humanism and nontheism

Campus recreation

The university has several campus recreational facilities. The Johnson Center features basketball courts, group fitness studios, racquetball courts, rock climbing walls, a running track, and weight lifting facilities. The Lancaster Aquatic Center, located next to the Johnson Center, opened in 1989. The Alumni Gym Fitness Center opened in 2018 and is a renovation of the historic Alumni Gymnasium, which was home to UK men's basketball from 1924 to 1950.

Residence halls

In the fall of 2023, 34 percent of the students at the University of Kentucky lived in college-owned or affiliated housing, while 66 percent of student lived off campus. Following are residence halls at the University of Kentucky.

Campus safety

The university has had issues with safety on campus. In a survey of 1,000 female university students, conducted in the spring of 2004, 36.5% reported having been victims of rape, stalking, or physical assault while on campus. While campus law enforcement statistics do not match the survey results, campus officials have taken steps to increase safety.

In response to the survey, university president Lee T. Todd, Jr. launched an initiative in September 2005 titled the Campus Safety Imperative, which included a quadrupling of annual expenditures on safety. Todd specifically linked campus safety to the goal of becoming a top-20 public research institution, stating that "We will never make gains toward becoming a top-twenty public research institution if our students are unsafe or if they lack a sense of physical security. It is part of our fundamental mission, then, to create a campus that provides a safe place to live, to work, and to learn."

References