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Best Charitable Act
     Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Florida Southern College has just two words for you— pantry raid. The Epsilon Xi chapter collected more than 80,000 pounds of food during its annual non-perishables drive. These "brothers feeding others," collected and then distributed the food to local Talbot House and Lighthouse Ministries in Lakeland to help feed the less fortunate. As a part of the North American Food Drive, Epsilon Xi chapter has ranked 4^th and 7^th nationally in the last two years in pounds of food collected. "We also have several other philanthropic programs, including a nationally recognized event for the American Cancer Society," says Jeremy Hancock, president.
Contact jhancock@flsouthern.edu

Best-Looking Campuses
     Imagine walking along a breezeway with wind blowing in from Lake Virginia, meanwhile all around, Spanish Mediterranean-styled buildings set the scene for students at Rollins College. "The campus is beautifully landscaped with trees and bushes indigenous to the environment," says Larry Humes, public relations director. Located in Winter Park, Rollins’ award-winning architecture dates back to 1932, making them the oldest college in Florida. A commitment to design and continuity aesthetic awareness has led to the great architectural beauty for which the school is so well known. The addition of the Cornell Campus Center, in February of 1999, created the "heart of campus," Humes says. President Rita Bornstein called the facility worthy of the great architectural tradition and legendary beauty. The building features dining facilities, conference rooms, offices, and lounges.
Contact Humes at LHUMES@rollins.edu.
     With a 1,600-acre nature preserve, wildlife sanctuary, and numerous nature trails, students study in serenity at the University of West Florida. "Located on rolling hills and natural woodlands along the Escambia River, the buildings on campus complement the natural beauty," says Janice Cooper, director of communications. The Edward Ball Nature Trail provides the opportunity for self-guided nature walks over a winding boardwalk over a swampy landscape. The university also owns 152 acres of waterfront property on Santa Rosa Island, which is available for recreational, academic, and research interests.
     A beautification committee established in 2000 constantly gives suggestions to make the campus more attractive. The biggest success developed was the tree protection policy. "The policy serves to educate our students, faculty, and staff about the importance of protecting our trees, "says Kent Schwartz, director of landscape service and committee chair. Persons not following the policy may be fined. Plans for improvement include better roads and spruced up medians around the area.
Contact Cooper at jcooper1@uwf.edu.

Best Cooperative Greeks
     The Kappa Delta Sorority at the University of Central Florida might as well not have kitchen doors—everyone is welcome to come for dinner or dessert. Each semester the sorority hosts a Greek Sister Dinner and a Panhellenic Dessert Social to bring the Greek community closer together. Members invite friends from different chapters for events.
     Uniting the Greek community is nothing new for Kappa Delta, they’re constantly assisting other chapters in philanthropy events. "We hold a dance competition amongst the fraternities and sororities on our campus," says Courtney Martin, Kappa Delta member. The competition also raises money for a local charity.
Contact Martin at CourtUCFkd@aol.com.

Best Freshmen Experience
     Although you won’t be left in out the cold shivering to stay alive, your freshmen year at college can be intimidating. Honors student Bevan Watson, of the University of Florida, was tired of the freshmen-year adjustment period, so he started the Honors Ambassadors Program to ease the transition from high school to college. The program pairs interested students with a mentor by their major, usually upperclassmen. The ambassadors help the new students pick schedules, and serve as a sort of big brother or sister. UF ambassadors also recruit high school students for the honors program.
     "Providing freshmen with resources allows them to make better use of their experience here and without question makes it more enjoyable for them," says Jessica Parker, one of two freshmen mentoring chairs. "Being an influence in their success at the school is a fabulous experience." Interested students simply apply, however only 35 become ambassadors.
Contact Parker at jrp02@ufl.edu.

Best Creative Recycling
     Save that soda can! Don't toss the trash. For the Students in Free Enterprise club (SIFE) at Lake City Community College, even the smallest scrap of metal is worth saving.
     The "Scrap to Music Foundation" collects metal from the Lake City community, it then gets money from Reynolds Aluminum Company to buy musical instruments. Anything from soda cans to washing machines can be recycled. SIFE is to be thanked for the largest contribution, with over 400 pounds of cans. "We’re all for recycling because kids in music programs are less likely to be delinquents," says Dr. Shari Carder, SIFE adviser. Last year alone, the money was enough to provide 190 instruments to local schools.
Contact Carder at carders@mail.lakecity.cc.fl.us.

Best Partnership
     Government and business usually butt heads on just about everything, but not at Nova Southeastern University. The private school actually partnered the Broward County government to build a $41 million high-tech library.
     The university will own and operate the 275,000 square-foot building, set to open in September 2001, while the local government will put up half of construction costs and 40 percent of annual operating expenses. All 100 workers will be university employees, says Dr. Donald Riggs, vice president for information services and university librarian. "It'll be a wonderful collaboration," Riggs says. "We can't find another partnership of this nature in the world. It may be a model idea." Already, Riggs has presented lectures nationwide on how NSU worked with the Board County Board of Commissioners to fund this unique project.
     NSU's facility, located centrally on a campus lake, will be the school's "signature" structure and will feature a 500-seat auditorium for plays and musicals, two exhibit galleries, 20 electronic classrooms, and a children's area, all available to NSU students and the public. "It will have books, too," Riggs says, "They won't disappear at least for a while. We'll be able to accommodate 1.4 million volumes."
     "The county was interested because they wanted access to a research and high-tech library," Riggs says. "Broward County supports its libraries very well. The county commissioners voted seven to zero to support this joint-use library, but it took the lawyers about six months to work this out."
     "It's going to improve the quality of life in the county," Riggs says. "It will attract and retrain students and better faculty. Students will decide to send their children here rather than in the Northeast. It will be much more modern than most major libraries across the country."
     "The students appears to be very excited," Riggs says. "You can imagine going from 17,000 to 350,000 square feet. We have one meeting room in the current library--in the new one, we'll have at least 30 rooms. It'll be most certainly user-friendly."
Contact Jennifer Meriam, office of public affairs, at (954) 262-5355.

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