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Best Homecoming Parade
     Move over Macy’s. And return to sender Rose Bowl. At Lynn University, Homecoming and Family Weekend attendees last October were treated to an awe-inspiring parade of…golf carts?
     SGA, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and the Black Student Union led 15 hip groups that creatively decorated the college carts, then puttered through campus to the delight of the halftime crowd during the Lynn/Barry University soccer match. With a swinging 1970’s theme, the women of Trinity Hall’s third floor painted their bodies in psychedelic colors, then draped themselves as their cart’s decoration, says Tim Marten, vice president of marketing, What a groovy time, baby.
Contact Marten at tmarten@lynn.edu.

Best Pre-med Procedure
     The University of Miami’s American Medical Student Association Premedical Chapter found a cure for any pre-med pupils who were shaking nervously in their scrubs. AMSA invited 100 future physicians to a social and paired them with current medical students in a Big Sib/Little Sib mentorship program. The project let curious students get the scoop on what med school is really like—straight from the mouths of real soon-to-be MDs. "We conducted a social where we had a discussion forum about life as a medical student complete with a video introduction and refreshments," says Brad Lipson, AMSA president and founder. "Then, the pre-meds were able to shadow the med students to see their classes and rounds. It was highly successful, and we will be doing it again."
Contact Lipson at brad_lipson@yahoo.com.

Best New Student Group
     Do you know more nursery rhymes than shows on the WB? Do you find yourself singing along to 80s hits? Do you know the qualifying criteria for the "head of household" tax filing status? These questions might be on the membership application for a new student organization at Florida Southern College. FSC’s Non-Traditional Student Association formed last September to reach out to enrollees who are over the age of 25, have a spouse or children, or have had a break in their education. The school hopes to keep nontrads more connected to campus by helping them network with their peers. "The role of wife, mother, and student is often an overwhelming task," says Robin Rogers, a 30-year-old wife and mother of three. "Our NTSA has provided me a valuable support group that not only keeps me informed of campus activities but also makes me feel that I am a real part of the Florida Southern community. This organization has definitely enhanced the quality of my education." Last fall, NTSA members enjoyed a spaghetti dinner and a carnival and observed National Non-Traditional Student Week by wearing T-shirts at convocation.
Contact Brenda Lewis, director of multicultural affairs, at blewis@flsouthern.edu.

Spookiest Seminar
     "I ain't 'fraid of no ghost" might just be Santa Fe Community College's new motto. As part of SFCC’s Community Education program, paranormal expert Andrew Nichols visited the campus to lecture about "Ghosts, Hauntings, and Poltergeists." On Halloween Eve, Nichols presented slides, a video, and reports from alleged witnesses of paranormal events, along with findings from his 25 years of research. A real-life ghostbuster, Nichols is a field investigator for the Parapsychology Foundation in New York City and has investigated eerie phenomena in ancient European castles and antebellum Southern mansions.

Best Speedy Degree
     Talk about a busy schedule. Smart high school kids in two Panhandle counties now can earn a high school diploma and a college degree simultaneously at Okaloosa-Walton Community College. Last fall, the college launched Collegiate High School, the state’s first full-time dual enrollment charter high. "It’s a public school, so all textbooks are free," says Sylvia Bryan, OWCC’s marketing and community relations director. "Also, each student is issued a personal lap-top computer," she says. "We had more than 300 students apply, plus had a waiting list of 100."
     Bryan says building "P" houses counselors, a deck, and a computer lab just for the high school students. "But they're not segregated from the rest of campus. When they take a class, they're with the rest of the college students," she says. "We actually have some high school students who are involved in the college Student Government and other activities."
     At the charter high’s web site (www.owcharterhigh.org), 11th grader Lindsey Reed of Niceville gushed about her new school "It’s been an amazing opportunity," she says. "I feel I learned more in the first three months here than I did in three months in high school."
     Throughout the 1990s, Bryan says OWCC averaged 400 to 600 dual-enrollment students annually, with some graduating from college before they even finished high school, which led President James Richburg and administrators to propose the charter school to the Okaloosa County School Board. "We felt there was a niche and need there."
Contact Bryan at Bryans@owcc.net or Director Charla Cotton at (850) 729-4949.

Best Tuition Perk
     Future financial tycoons at Northwood University’s Florida Campus are definitely getting more bang for their buck. Starting this fall, students who attend the business school will get a daily subscription to The Wall Street Journal, individual on-line access to the publication, and entry into The Journal’s global database. Northwood is the first school to include a subscription to The Journal in the price of tuition. As a result of this new merger, students are already taking the time to peruse the financial newspaper. "I personally have seen a marked increase in reading the Wall Street Journal, where before students were just sitting around waiting for class to start," says Academic Dean Dr. Cheryl Pridgeon.
Contact Pridgeon at pridgeon@northwood.edu.

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