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Best WWF Imitations
     Even when students at Warner Southern College aren’t mad at teachers, they still put them in a headlock. That’s because of the fast-growing tradition WrestleFest. For the past three years, students, faculty, and staff have come together for a wacky night of wrestling, a tribute to the sport and the entertainment value of the activity. About 200 spectators come to watch 30 people wrestle in the Turner Athletic Center. The whole event has seven matches and lasts about two hours. "All the students try to act like pro wrestlers," says Tim Craig, director of publications. "It’s all scripted like TV, and it’s a lot of fun. We have people from the community come to watch, as well as our president. But he doesn’t wrestle."

Best Legendary Labyrinths
     Tunnels aren’t just for subways. At Florida Southern College, hidden pathways run underneath the school. For years, it was all just a rumor until a graduate student researched the secret underground domain, and the truth came out. The passages originally were for protecting students in the 1940s in case of a war. Then, until the 1960s, they were used as a playground where fraternities would party. That was, until an overweight frat brother got stuck—literally resulting in the sealing of the labyrinths. "What the tunnels really are is crawl space," says Terry Dennis, director of finance. "None if it’s even walking height, except in the Polk Science Building’s basement. That was used as a civil-defense bomb shelter. Our maintenance department is still actively sealing the tunnels. We use the pre-dug areas for duct work now."

Best Greek Event
     A sorority sister puckering up with a pig? No, not a sloppy frat brother—a real live pig. During "Stop Domestic Violence Week," two Stetson University sororities, Alpha Chi Omega and Gamma Chi, hosted a "Silly Olympics" which included the "Kiss the Pig" contest. Each team’s members emptied their change into an empty milk jug. The three teams with the most money selected a student to kiss the pig on the snout. The sororities also provided a speaker from the Domestic Abuse Council and asked members of the Stetson community to wear purple ribbons, a symbol of domestic-violence awareness. The sororities also encouraged every residence hall and Greek organization to make donations of games, toys, and books for the children of abused women. Almost $400 and 50 bags of toys went to the children of battered women. "It was very entertaining but a lot of hard work," says Jessica Hatcher, president of Alpha Chi Omega. "Overall, we were impressed with how much the campus got involved with it."

Best Medieval Time
     For Santa Fe Community College students, it’s possible to travel back in time at the fourth annual Shakespeare Festival. The English department sponsors this free weeklong event each February. This year’s theme was "Worthy Fools," and entertainers acted, sang, and danced in as many as three shows daily, including scenes from Shakespearean plays. The county-wide Hoggetown Medieval Faire sometimes sends instructors to the school to teach stage combat to the student performers. "Practice goes on well before winter break," says Jimmy Lovelace, president of the Theater Club. "It’s a big deal here. We make the costumes on campus and have musicians come to play medieval music. Once, middle-school students came and choreographed Shakespearean dances. The whole community gets involved."

Best Political Party
     To Keiser College students, Bill Clinton isn’t just another famous face on television. The president came to Florida last December for the Florida Democratic Party Convention in Orlando and later met some of the students during a reception in Fort Lauderdale. Eighteen students from the Capital Culinary Institute at Keiser’s Tallahassee Campus and The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale culinary program prepared food for a buffet, tended bar, and created ice sculptures of an eagle and a bass fish. Two film and video students from Keiser’s Daytona Beach Campus documented the event. "The head of the advance team asked us to present the president with a gift of our graphic art students’ work in a framed collage," says Anne O’Connell, director of media relations. "Our SGA president from the Fort Lauderdale Campus was also asked to greet President Clinton and present the gift. You could see the president’s face beaming when he received it."

Most Magical Kids Club
     Magic made the difference at Florida Atlantic University. The FAU Kids Club, a group sponsored by the Broward Campus SG, hosted a day of entertainment and learning with guest-illusionist Steve Trash. "The Kids Club is an organization we began once we realized how many students had children," says Carolyn Pearce, coordinator. "Most of the students on FAU’s Davie Campus are 25 years old and have children." Trash presented a free ecological magic show for 150 kids, and created illusions with garbage in the Student Activity Center to teach children to respect the environment. "The magician used old boxes and cans to do his magic tricks," Pearce says. Trash answered kids’ questions about the environment in between each trick.

Best Student Activism
     When the Alachua County City Commission passed an anti-rave and dance-hall ordinance, University of Florida students had plenty to rant and rave about. SG sponsored four rave-ordinance student forums for those who wished to speak their mind in opposition to mandatory club closings at 2 a.m. The largest forum attracted 160 people, including UF’s SG president and lobbying director, as well as the Alachua County police chief, local business owners, and state Rep. Bob Casey (D-Alachua). The commissioners actually voted twice on the law. The first was for a 2 a.m. closing time, then after the student forums, commissioners changed it to a 4 a.m. compromise. Then, it was back to 2 a.m. since the city wasn’t sure that a 4 a.m. closing time was appropriate. "Many people felt that the city commission was trying to regulate morality," says Marc Adler, SG lobbying director. "They were very upset and felt that their rights were being taken away. They wanted action." As a result, SG created and distributed thousands of packets with a history of the issue, contact information for all city commissioners, and a petition sheet with 10 lines for signatures. SG collected 13,000 signatures, but the city commissioners still ignored the demand for change.

Best Residence Hall
     You can’t be just anyone to live in the University of South Florida’s Leadership House. True, men and women in any major can apply for residency, but only students involved in servant leadership can live in the on-campus dorm. "Servant leadership is a natural feeling to serve first and a conscious choice that brings one to aspire to lead," says Frank Hamilton, leadership house advisor. "The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant to make sure that other people’s needs are served." Robert Greenleaf’s book called Teacher as Servant, gave USF the idea to create the Leadership House, the first of its kind in America. Applicants must answer 12 questions about past leadership roles, activities, and beliefs. A board of students from the house then selects the new residents. Currently, 37 students live in the hall, which has been open four years, and attend weekly meetings, hear speakers, and participate in service projects. "The students learn about themselves, interdependence, and the art of persuading people as opposed to telling people what to do," Hamilton says.

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