Best of Florida Schools 2004
General Categories—Page 6

Best Club Fund-raiser
Money Making Mud Pi
Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm—nothing could be greater than an oven-baked, crisp and glazed…mud pie?! You may not be able to eat the ceramic plates produced by the Mud Pi ceramics club of Florida Keys Community College, but they sure are selling like hot cakes.

The group raised over $10,000 at its annual Mud Pi Dinner Party held at the Tennessee Williams Performing Arts Center last April. For $30 a plate, you not only get to savor food from various Key West eateries, but you get to keep the plate too.

"It's really quite exciting to see. People come mainly for the plates," says Jay Gogin, Mud Pi's advisor and FKCC pottery professor. "They’ll wait in line and think hard about which plate they want before making a decision on which one to take."

Preparation for the dinner begins months ahead of time as the members of Mud Pi work to produce the individualized plates. Gogin says that sometimes the studio is so crowded with students creating the plates that people struggle not to trip over each other.

Aside from being creative in the artistic sense, Gogin says the group is creative in its fundraising efforts. The group sold plant pots at the Key West Garden Club and ceramic beer mugs at Key West's Fantasy Fest.

Rather than spend money on new equipment, Gogin says he and his members prefer trading their services to companies in exchange for new supplies.

"We recently worked on a fountain for the front of the police department," Gogin says. "They supplied us with all the materials, and we did it for free on the condition that they’d buy a large-scale tool that we needed, and we’d get to keep the tool."

Members of Mud Pi may be knee-deep in all the dough they’re making with their sales, but the group uses that money to keep true to its mission of "enhancing the ceramic awareness of our community." They use their earnings to sponsor speakers and bring potters from other countries such as Japan. —LF

Contact Gogin at gogin_g@popmail.firn.edu.

Best Pet-Friendly Campus
The Real Animal House
You miss your mom’s cooking, your sister already moved into your old room, and you have to make all new friends…except one! If you attend Eckerd College, man’s best friend is welcome to come along.

After completing the first semester, any student is welcome to bring a pet to school. In fact, for better than 15 years, Eckerd has counted creatures from the animal kingdom among its residents in the dorms. Feathered or scaly roommates are welcome in any of the 30 campus residence halls, provided they keep to their own caged quarters.  But if you prefer Fluffy sleeping at the foot of the bed or Fido wagging his tail when you return from class, plan to move into one of the four designated “pet houses,” which allow cats and dogs under 40 pounds. “Dogs and cats are in the pet houses, but otherwise, everything else down on the food chain is welcome,” says Rebecca Jacobson, assistant dean of students for campus life.

Pet issues are governed by the pet council, an eight-member board appointed by the Eckerd College Organization of Students (ECOS). Other than once having to banish a goat from the pet houses, the group serves pet owners with services like on-campus visits by a local veterinarian. There’s even a financial benefit to bringing a furry family member with you to college—the council issues a year’s worth of flea and tick prevention to keep you and your pet from that unsightly scratching. Fido will also receive an Eckerd ID tag, but he can’t use it to check out books or anything—it’s just to make sure everyone knows to which Eckerd student he belongs.

“In the dean’s office, we have dog treats,” Jacobson says. “When we came in, there was a rule, ‘No pets in student affairs,’ but we changed it to ‘No nasty staff members,’ so now we welcome cats and dogs.” —SRR

Contact Jacobson at jacobsrs@eckerd.edu.

Best Community Service Program
Let the Games Begin
Students at Manatee Community College—Venice faced off in a month-long competition that pitted different teams against each other to win gold, silver, or bronze medals. While you may be thinking that this sounds a lot like the Olympics, it’s really an event that takes the ancient Greek tradition and gives it a little twist: the Scholarship Olympics

“This event unites students, facilitates talents, and encourages community service,” says Jeff Snyder, student activities advisor.

Originally the brainchild of Student Government President Wendy Reed, this friendly contest challenged student teams to raise the most money through community donations. Each team, with names like the Manatees, Otters, or Hurons, took on an area in south Sarasota County. Making the rounds to local businesses, students explained that all funds would provide scholarships to three high school seniors.

“As the creator of the Scholarship Olympics, I see personal growth in our students as the main goal of the project,” Snyder says. “College is a place to learn about yourself, your talents, and newfound interests.”

The official finish line for the competition was December 12 at 6 p.m. sharp. After students turned in their business logs and tallied the results, the final total was $1,400. This amount will be matched by a local philanthropist and, Snyder hopes, by the state of Florida through the MCC Foundation for local scholarships.

The three medal winners received apprenticeships, which included three five-hour excursions with the MCC instructor of their choice. They were also rewarded with prizes like a software package, gift certificate, movie, and dinner. Despite the tangible benefits of the competition, Snyder believes the true reward comes through growth of character.

“From orientation to finish line, I watched the students expand their interests through teamwork, diligence, challenges, persistence, and hard work,” he says. —CG

Contact Snyder at snyderj@mccfl.edu.

Best Snow Day
Snow Without the Shivers
When Frosty the Snowman starts to melt, balmy Boca Raton is the last destination on his mind. Yet despite temperatures in the 70s, snowmen there last January were just chillin’ among the palm trees and sunshine—and they weren’t sweatin’ it at all. This frozen phenomenon was all part of Lynn University’s second annual “Snow Day.”

While most college students dream of spring break escapes from the snow, Lynn students have a truckload of it delivered. Last January, a local ice company brought seven tons of “snow”—300-pound ice blocks, which were then shaved down into 5-foot-high drifts right in front of the E.M. Lynn Residence Center. More than 300 students enjoyed music and steaming hot chocolate before facing off in a chilly snowman-building competition and snowball fights.

“The students have a blast,” says John Valentine, coordinator of student activities. “Many of them come from below the Mason-Dixon Line so have never seen snow before. Twenty-seven percent of the student body is international students—many coming from South American countries and the Caribbean—so it’s a first for lots of them too.”

This icy event was sponsored by the Student Activities Office and the Knights Activities Team, a club that plans and organizes fun activities for Lynn students. Valentine, who’s also the KAT advisor, says the wintry extravaganza costs about $1,500. Students enjoy the snow for about a week, until the Florida sunshine finally melts the last of it away.

Lynn’s third annual Snow Day was also a success, with students basking in eight tons of snow. “Each year we try to expand,” Valentine says. “Next year, we hope to bring in a portable ice rink.”

Next January, maybe Frosty should reconsider his travel plans and follow the snowbirds down to South Florida. —AMC

Contact Valentine at jvalentine@lynn.edu.

Best New Minor
For the People, Not the Paycheck
“Money Machine,” “Living the High Life,” and “Pot of Gold are phrases that motivate some people to get a college education. But if you’re enrolled in the University of Florida’s new non-profit minor, “it’s the thought that counts.”

UF recognized students’ increasing demand for youth and human service professions in non-profit organizations, which led to establishing the minor.

In fall 2003, the Family, Youth, and Life Sciences division of the College of Agriculture created this area of study that specializes in working with non-profit organizations. “The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences needed to work with non-profit organizations in all aspects of society,” says Dr. Elizabeth Bolton, a professor of the minor. “It’ll fulfill our social, agricultural, environmental, and academic ties with outside organizations.”

Where else can students go to college, get a paper that says you’re qualified to make a lot of money, and then work in non-profits? At UF, this unique area of study aims to acquaint students with aspects of managing a non-profit organization such as running board meetings or writing grants. Students of the minor must complete 17 credit hours of coursework and fulfill an internship with a non-profit organization.

“This first-year class of 40 students is a wonderful career opportunity,” Bolton says. “It gives them a set of skills and knowledge to work in non-profit organizations anywhere in America.” —OB

Contact Bolton at cbbolton@ifas.ufl.edu.

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