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Best Toy Story
     Students at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale don’t leave the toymaking up to the elves—they put a new spin on a typical Christmas toy drive by designing their own playthings instead of just collecting donations. The school’s student chapter of the Industrial Society of America designed and built more than 100 wooden toys and donated the goodies to neglected and abused children in Broward County. The students distributed the wrapped toys at their 12^th annual Christmas party where the children met the real Mr. Claus and got special one-on-one attention. Student Activities Coordinator Joel Nemes says the rest of the toys are donated to Joe Di Maggio Children’s Hospital.
Contact Arlene Wites, communication director, at witesa@aii.edu.

Most Unique Majors
     Communicating without words may be unusual in most university classes, but at St. Thomas University hearing-impaired students use their silent language to communicate with teachers. Pastorial Ministries for the Deaf, the Miami university’s new master’s program started in January 2001, is the first of its kind in the country because deaf students are taught by deaf professors. It’s easier for people to learn in their first language, in this case signing, than through an interpreter, says Mercedes Iannone, program coordinator.
     Not just educating the mind but mending the soul is the goal of the university’s Center for Loss and Healing’s new certificate program. "Students deal with their own unresolved issues surrounding death and grief, which is a very important part of counseling," says Linda Blair, Center for Loss and Healing director. In the Crisis Intervention and Management course, students assist the Miami-Dade Police Department with crisis calls after proper training. The school started the program because the field lacked available training. "Not only is there great potential for personal growth and enhancement, but there’s also the benefit for the larger issues of death and losses to be confronted and dealt with in our society," Blair says.
Contact Iannone at mioannone@stu.edu.

Best Students
     Well, maybe not. But Palm Beach Atlantic College in West Palm Beach has the "Best Program" to get newbies off on the right foot. This program provides professional advisors who help first-year students get acclimated with their surroundings and different majors through seminars and counseling. Students must take a special two-semester course involving seminars on topics such as strategies for academic excellence and job searching. "We want to give students a connection to campus and everything we can do to serve them," says Audrey Criser, program director. If students can connect with an advisor, there’s a greater chance of getting through college. "They can become aware of themselves and not do business because dad did."
Contact Criser at crisera@pbac.edu.

Best Surprise Victory
     The University of Central Florida sports teams aren’t just playing with the big boys anymore—the Knights beat them. Last fall, UCF’s five-year-old Division 1-A football team rolled the University of Alabama Crimson Tide 40-38. The victory over UA with its storied tradition was an unprecedented step for the Knights. "We’ve had a lot of close calls in the past. Everyone believes we can do it [win] now that we’ve done it," says Javier Beorlegui, kicker and punter. "Every year we get better and better."
See www.athletics.ucf.edu/football/index.htm.

Best Surround Sound
     At Florida State University students can’t complain about a lack of stuff to do on campus. The new Student Life Building, completed in September 2000, houses student organizations, and ‘Noles can check out free entertainment such as movies and computer games. "It’s a stunning building architecturally," says Building Director Bob Howard. "It’s the nicest building on campus." The three-story brick edifice boasts a multitude of skylights and a pleasant courtyard equipped with benches, where students can enjoy the balmy Florida weather. The $10 million structure includes a cyber café and a theater with stadium seating and 20 surround-sound speakers, which is better than most local theaters.
     "It’s cool to chill with friends because they offer all types of new entertainment," says Rebecca Torman, who works at the facility’s information desk. Computers are also available for convenient internet access.
Contact Howard at rhoward@mailer.fsu.edu.

Best Helping Hands
     Instead of vegging out with their remotes, students at Lynn University in Boca Raton put their boob tubes to good use to help a fellow student in need. Kendrick English, a quadriplegic, needed money after his medical insurance benefits expired. By making a documentary in October 2000 about English’s life and airing it on several television stations for about six weeks, students raised more than $50,000 from contributing viewers. Every time the documentary aired, an address flashed at the bottom of the screen telling viewers where to mail in donations. "Kendrick’s like a brother to all of us," says Jarred Weisfeld, a communications senior and planner of the event. "He’s always there for us so we wanted to be there for him." In less than a week, students made the documentary which includes interviews with English, his family, and his lawyer. "It was hard to put together at the last second but it all came together," Weisfeld says. "It was a full team effort." English now has new medical coverage, but it still doesn’t cover all of his expenses.
Contact Weisfeld at sonofmudd@aol.com.

Best Brainstorming
     Students give teachers an earful during Central Florida Community College’s annual "Bagel Break"—a student and faculty panel discussion sponsored by the Student Leadership Development office and Teaching & Learning Center. "You always hear comments like ‘there’s not enough parking,’ ‘the food needs to be better in the cafeteria,’ and ‘we need a bigger student union,’" says Vanessa Baxley, student leadership development coordinator. "But we wanted to get faculty and students together and talk about issues in the classroom. How do you know that you learned something beyond the report card? What can we do as faculty to encourage student learning?"
     Baxley says about 70 participants, including students and faculty members, attended the January 2001 event in which a six-member panel (three students and three from the faculty) answered questions from the audience. "We follow-up with a survey, where students can anonymously write their thoughts about what they’d like the faculty to answer."
Contact Baxley at baxleyv@cfcc.cc.fl.us.

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