Best of Florida Schools 2005
General Categories—Page 1

Best Cameo in a Video Game
B-CC’s Virtual Fame
They won the 2004 “Defeat the Band” competition in Charlotte, N.C., taking home a $25,000 prize. They’ve performed during NFL halftime shows, made appearances on national television, and entertained at gubernatorial inaugurations. They’ve strutted their stuff in the Daytona 500’s opening ceremonies and made their film debut in the movie Drumline. But members of the Bethune-Cookman College marching band knew they’d really made it big when they landed a spot in a popular video game.

During the fall 2003 football season, Electronic Arts filmed the B-CC Marching Wildcats and five other Historically Black College and University bands for their EA SPORTS NCAA Football 2005 video game. Each band received $1,000 to showcase their unique style and energy in a 30-second collage, ending with the band saying the tagline: “EA SPORTS. It’s in the game.” “The cameo was about 30 seconds of us playing in the stands, on the field, dancing, drum majors, woodwinds—everything,” says Donovan Wells, B-CC director of bands. “It’s brought great exposure to the band and the college.”

In September, fans could watch each band’s video online and then vote for their favorite, with the winner receiving $10,000. Although the Wildcats came in second to Grambling State University, EA SPORTS liked B-CC’s band so much that this year, they were the only HBCU band filmed by the company for their 2006 video game. “They liked the energy of the group, they liked our excitement, and at the same time, we try to have a certain level of musicianship and discipline,” Wells says. ”I think the combination of those things were impressive to EA SPORTS.”

With more than 300 members, B-CC’s band—also known as “The Pride”—has a reputation for combining top-notch musicianship and precision with hip-hop inspired dance and pageantry. In their halftime shows, band members, the Sophisticat Flag Corp, and the nationally known 14KT Gold Dancers show off fresh choreography to songs ranging from “Shake Your Groove Thang” to “Stairway to Heaven” to “My First Love.” During the marching season, The Pride strives for perfection, practicing three hours a day, five days a week.

The Marching Wildcats are thrilled to be featured in a game that so many people play, especially since cameos often are limited to athletes and celebrities. Yet these seasoned professionals take it all in stride.

“Our students are very excited about any opportunities that come our way, whether it’s EA SPORTS, doing a Christmas special for ABC, playing for MTV’s Rock and Jock competition, or performing at the Daytona 500,” Wells says. “They know these opportunities have been great for us and the school. It’s always a win-win situation.”—AMC

Contact Wells at wellsd@cookman.edu.

Best Res-Life Experience
Gettin’ LINKed Up
Lots of students come to college hoping to hook up, but at the University of Central Florida, it’s easy for entering freshmen to link up—with the Learning and Interacting with New Knights (LINK) program.

“LINK is designed to assist first-time-in-college students with their transition to UCF by connecting them to the campus community through educational programming and activities,” says Rebecca Morales, coordinator of housing and residence life.

And there are a couple activities to choose from—okay, make that 200 to 300 activities to choose from. LINK joins up with the student affairs gang to create programming, but it also hosts independent events such as the Amazing Race UCF, Out-of-State-Student Social, and the First-Year Academic-Scholar Reception. Students can get serious with programs like stress management workshops or get spirited when it’s time for special homecoming events. But these are college students we’re talking about, so stuff needs to be fun. “The best attended programs are typically those programs that are a little more social, such as luaus, carnivals, and midnight breakfasts,” Morales says.

You’d think that freshmen wouldn’t need more incentive to get out there and meet people and get to know their campus, but UCF takes no chances—students earn LINK Loot points every time they attend a program. The points can be used at the end-of-semester LINK Auction, where students can bid on everything from audio equipment to jazz up their rooms to $1,300 in UCF tuition to jazz up their wallets.

Morales says there’s motivation behind the merriment: “These co-curricular programs complement the in-class experience and help first-year students develop the skills necessary to be successful in college.” –SRR

Contact Morales at rmorales@mail.ucf.edu.

Best Voter Drive
Wings for Votes
In exchange for chicken wings and Pepsi, all Manatee Community College asked was for their students to vote. “We wanted to increase the awareness of the importance of getting out and voting,” says Timothy Hill, student activities advisor. “Every vote is important.”

MCC did this by adding a little punch to their voter registration drive on Sept. 27. Instead of just having someone stand outside with a clipboard, they offered free Beef O’ Brady’s chicken wings, drinks, live music, and a unique spray-paint duo from Everything but the Mime, an entertainment agency. The duo cranked out paintings every three to five minutes by manipulating cans of spray paint, a favorite act with Manatee students. “You had more of an event atmosphere instead of someone just out there with a table asking people to register,” Hill says.

The event attracted 76 people to sign up to vote and offered free food to people already registered. “If we didn’t do this, I don’t know if those 76 would have registered to vote,” Hill says. “At least we got the first step done.”

The larger turnout also was due in part to the election year and the increased pressure on voters to exercise their rights, Hill says. He hoped that the drive inspired students to get out and vote. “They have the right to vote, and that’s a privilege not to be taken lightly,” he says.—JW

Contact Hill at hillt1@mccfl.edu.

Best Dorm Donation Project
Garments of Goodwill
Students often feel “needy” during final exams. Some need to pull all-nighters to learn a semester’s worth of material. Others need to borrow notes for all the classes they’ve skipped or slept through. A few need top marks on their tests to pass their courses. But at Jacksonville University, even stressed-out students feel fortunate during finals week, thanks to a new service project called “Lighten Your Load.”

Started at JU last spring, Lighten Your Load encourages on-campus residents to donate unwanted items to charity before they move out for summer break. At the beginning of finals week, Goodwill provides donation bins in residence-hall lobbies that students then fill with clothes. “Last year, we had an eight-building apartment community that participated, one men’s residence hall, and one women’s residence hall,” says Kristie Gover, director of residential life. “All types of clothing were donated, from winter coats to belts and shoes.”

So far, JU students have been eager to temporarily forget about exams and search for helpful hand-me-downs. With 20 bins of clothing donated last year, Gover hopes this successful program will become a semester project rather than a yearly one. “It’s easy to coordinate, a great service to the students and community, and requires little time and effort during one of the busiest semesters,” she says.

Besides giving students a study break, purging their closets also helps them put their own lives in perspective. “During the stressful time of final exams, students were reminded of the importance of helping others who are less fortunate,” Gover says. “It’s a program that will hopefully become a tradition.” —AMC

Contact Gover at kgover1@ju.edu.

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