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Best New Campus
     Combine the best of aesthetics and nature and what do you get? The best new campus in Florida, Seminole Community College's Oviedo campus, which opened in January 2001 with a Latin boom.
     The Latin carnival was the first event held at the Oviedo campus to introduce students to the site and optional clubs and organizations. Included in the festivities were a salsa band, free T-shirts, food and beverages, and a gladiator joust.
     In the center of campus sits the Clock Tower, overlooking beautiful wetlands. "It's a beautiful campus," says Shelley Caracciolo, news and copywriter, and community relations and marketing. VCC-Oviedo’s other main building on campus is Student Services, a one-stop center, which houses administration, business, counseling, registration, financial aid information, the bookstore, and the Computer Institute.
Contact Carracciolo at caraccis@scc-fl.com.

Best Art Subject
     Students at the Ringling School of Art and Design don’t worry about their newest models holding still-- they’re dead. Each semester, instructor Joe Thiel of the Illustrations Department takes students to the University of South Florida’s medical campus to learn medical illustration. The optional course is for students who might want to work in the medical field.
     The class meets once weekly at USF’s morgue, where Dr. Dwornik lectures on anatomy while the students draw. The other session adjourns at Ringling to critique the work. "It seems to be unique and one of the few places in the country that students have this opportunity," says Thiel, who believes practicing on corpses may be the best way to learn how to draw the intricacies and beauty of the human anatomy.
Contact Thiel at jthiel@ringling.edu.

Best Hearing-Aid
     Even though North Florida Community College doesn’t have a ton of deaf students, it provides the most help for these enrollees. The school offers a qualified interpreter to students, who attend any class. With an average of 11 to 16 deaf students a semester, many non-deaf students become intrigued with ASL and decide to take the school’s interpreter training program. "Since the school is small, it provides more of a family atmosphere," says Stevie Fenton assistant director of student activities. Preparing the deaf students for the real world, without interpreters, is another area the school prides itself on. "We do independent living skills, where other colleges don’t," Fenton says.
Contact Fenton at fentons@nfcc.cc.

Best Campus Firsts
     Students at Lake City Community College have something to howl! about. The new literary magazine was the first web magazine to enter the Florida Community College Press Association’s Magazine Competition.
     Currently, howl! features students’ essays, poetry, and artwork. Each issue is based around a central theme with the upcoming issue based on nature’s elements. "In the future, we’d like to change the format, include more student art to illustrate the theme and the creative writing we include, and we’d like to include more music so that the on-line experience is a more complete and interesting one," says Dawn Reno, creator.
Contact dawnreno@isgroup.net or www.dawnreno.com.

Best Orientation Program
     Does the idea of sleeping overnight at school sound more like nightmare? At the University of Miami, the "Great Start" orientation program lets commuter students spend the night on campus to experience dorm life and learn more about activities. The program, started in 1989, offers small sessions of 25 to 40 students. Students get a tour first, then head to the Rathskeller, a campus restaurant, for dinner and fun. In the morning, there's a field day, so students can meet representatives from other campus activities. "When the regular freshmen orientation came around, I felt that I knew more than the people giving the presentation," says Amy Dehbozorgi, a Great Start participant.
Contact Patricia Shatley, program coordinator at tshatley@miami.edu.

Best School for Service
     Potential volunteers at Santa Fe Community College no longer seek out service opportunities. Instead, the bi-annual Community Service Expo brings volunteer programs to them. Numerous local service agencies come to campus to inform students of the volunteer opportunities available. The Saints showed their support by donating over 10,000 hours in the spring of 2000. At least 200 student volunteers are expected at the next expo. "The expo got smaller after the college dropped the service hour requirement, but we have steadily been getting more students to come," says Sara Benefield, program coordinator.
Contact sara.benefield@santafe.cc.fl.us.

Best Summer Fun
     Clear the parking lot, set up stage, and get ready for Florida International University’s "The Block is Hot" annual summer party. Put on by FIU’s resident assistants, the event includes Mr. and Mrs. Housing's hot body, hula-hoop, and limbo. Students also play volleyball, basketball, dominoes, and card games.
     In addition, the university radio station was on hand to provide entertainment. But what event wouldn’t be complete without free food, and of course there were five tables with all types of edibles. "It was the first time that we had actually seen so many residents out together since our fire drill," says Cedric McMinn, a resident assistant. "This event will definitely become a tradition on campus."
Contact McMinn at mrfiu@hotmail.com.

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