Best of Florida Schools 2004
Web-Only Categories—Page 3

Best On-Campus Activity
Beacon’s Laser Daze
Students at Beacon College like to get to know their peers by shooting them. They stalk each other through swirling fog, take aim, and hope their shots ring true. Although this sounds like a scene from a war movie, it’s all part of the Student Government’s on-campus Laser Tag Day.

“We just wanted to try something really different this year,” says Jeremy Levin, SG president. The aim of the event last fall was to acquaint incoming freshmen with their peers and faculty members. While enjoying complimentary soda, candy, and sub sandwiches, participants relaxed and socialized throughout the day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. “It was just like a big campus party,” Levin says.

SG contacted a company that travels the country and sets up an inflatable dome-like arena for the game. It creates the perfect environment by adding techno music, dry-ice fog, flashing lights, and barriers. Armed with a laser gun and a chest-pack, participants try to attack the opposite team’s base. The chaotic scene lasts for half an hour as gamers hide behind obstacles, dodge opponents’ shots, and strategize for the win.

“The game is really intense,” Levin says. “It attracted about 80 percent of our student population that day.” Because Laser Tag Day was such a success, he’s confident that it will soon become an annual tradition at Beacon.

While SG members did enjoy playing the game, one of the day’s highlights was seeing the vice president of academic affairs engrossed in a heated battle. “He hung around for most of the day, just wandering around and having fun,” Levin says. “It was great.” —CG

Contact Levin at fsuman100@hotmail.com.

Best Location
Waterfront U
It’s a vacationer’s dream spot. It’s a watersport paradise. It’s one heck of a hunk of real estate. It’s Eckerd College.

“Three sides of the campus are bordered by waterfront, so we joke that only one side borders reality,” says Rebecca Jacobson, assistant dean of students for campus life. The campus looks out over Boca Ciega Bay with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, making bay sunsets top the ratings over any early evening show on TV.

Where most colleges let folks check out library books, Eckerd students can check out sailboats, kayaks, and other watercraft. “If students have always wanted to know how to sail or boat, there are lots of free classes that actually teach students how to use the equipment,” Jacobson says. “It gives students access to things right on campus that can otherwise be very expensive.”

No matter what sport students participate in, they get the water view from the school’s intramural field bordering the bay. Refurbished just this year, the field’s grass gives an eco-friendly nod to its location since it can be irrigated with salt water. Beyond the traditional chalk lines on the field for sports teams, Eckerd students can get sandy in the beach volleyball courts or just hang out down at the man-made beach. The party-friendly pavilion tops off the illusion that Fantasy Island’s Mr. Roark is tending to homework while Tattoo fixes fruity drinks.

With a setting that pretty, Eckerd doesn’t just have a party—they throw Kappa Karnival, the celebration down at the waterfront that winds up the last day of classes. “Last year, we had a full-size Ferris wheel on site looking out over the bay,” Jacobson says.  Students, staff, alumni, and the community have attended the bash on the water for over 15 years, indulging in cotton candy and hot dogs plus rides and a petting zoo.

But despite the leisure-friendly location, students can learn while on the waterfront. Eckerd’s Galbraith Marine Science sits at the edge of the bay, housing classrooms, labs, faculty offices, and lecture halls-providing one-stop learning for water lovers. —SRR

Contact Jacobson at jacobsrs@eckerd.edu.

Biggest Growth
Packing on the People
Each January, gyms overflow with people trying to achieve their New Year’s goals of losing weight. While these novice fitness enthusiasts resist urges to order late-night pizzas, pig out on Girl Scout cookies, or spend hours sprawled in front of the TV, Edward Waters College and Jacksonville University continue to pack it on without guilt.

“EWC has quadrupled its enrollment of less than 400 students in 1997 to approximately 1,300 students to date,” says Phyllis Bell-Davis, EWC director of institutional effectiveness. To accommodate this enrollment explosion, EWC more than doubled its land acquisitions, added new academic programs such as hospitality and tourism management, increased its number of faculty and faculty credentials, and built and renovated facilities. The inrush of spirited new students also helped bring back the Tiger football program and the EWC marching band, organizations that will draw more potential students to campus.

Next year, EWC will break ground for three major facilities: a multi-purpose athletics facility, a community development center, and a combined hotel and dormitory facility. A separate Community Development Corporation has also been formed to improve the neighborhoods bordering the campus.

In Fall 2003, JU welcomed the university’s largest freshman class in at least 20 years. The more than 400 students enrolled was a 9.5 percent increase over the previous year’s class. Coupled with an influx of transfer students, JU’s undergraduate enrollment has jumped to more than 1,700.

“Our admissions efforts have concentrated on better identifying students who would most benefit from the type of personal attention a small institution such as JU can offer,” says Peter Casella, associate director for media and community relations. “JU is a small school where students are simply unable to get lost in a crowd.”

Despite the increased enrollment, JU will continue to be a place where professors know students by name and have close working relationships with them. “We’ve added sufficient faculty members to keep our average student-teacher ratio around 14-to-1,” Casella says.  “As we continue to build new facilities, add new faculty, and target our recruiting efforts, all of our indicators predict our enrollment increases will continue on a steady basis.” —AMC

Contact Bell-Davis at pbelldavis@ewc.edu or Casella at pcasell@ju.edu.

Best Female Enrollment
Fly Girls
In 1950, a college with a 5-1 ratio of male-to-female students would have been a dream for most women--less competition to earn the coveted “Mrs.” degree. But today at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, women focused on finding future careers in science and aviation are trying to increase their own presence on campus. With a female enrollment that’s skyrocketed from 8 to 21 percent in the last 20 years, ERAU officials have noticed more Top-Gunning gals than Bridget Jones-wannabes.

With more girls now being encouraged to pursue interests in math and science, some growth in female enrollment is to be expected at a technical college. But another reason behind ERAU’s surge may be the more than 30 undergraduate degree programs offered there. “We’ve added majors like communications, computer engineering, global security and intelligence, safety science, and air traffic management¾they’re not all just physics- and chemistry-based,” says Jim Hampton, public relations director. 

Strong support given by ERAU’s chapter of Women in Aviation International, an organization that increases awareness and participation of females in the aviation industry, may also help with the school’s retention of women. “On a campus with such a small percentage of female students, it provides them with an avenue to meet each other,” says Debbie Schaum, advisor for WAI chapter. “Several girls have said it’s also a great place to find someone to study with.” Having a solid female network gives women on campus a chance to share their tough experiences and encourage each other.

Once a year, the ERAU chapter also helps sponsor “Women in Aviation Day,” an outreach bringing middle and high school girls to the school. “We show them, through activities and guest speakers, that women are in all aspects of aviation,” Schaum says. In addition, by talking with ERAU students, some of these young girls may end up following in their footsteps, helping to boost future female enrollment. —AMC

Contact Hampton at james.hampton@erau.edu or Schaum at schaumd@erau.edu.

Best Charity Fund-raiser
They See, They Saw, They Conquered
Although many students are used to the ups and downs of college life, members of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University take that to a whole new level. The group risked life and limb (or at least sore limbs), braving motion sickness at its worst to raise money for charity.

At the group’s annual "Teeter-Tot-a-Thon," members not only stay up all night, they go down, then up, then down, as they see-saw the night away raising money. The group came up with this idea after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“We wanted to do something to help,” says Joseph Carney, Alpha Phi Omega president. “So we built our own teeter-totter and had a blast.”

The fraternity donated over $500 to the 9/11 Widows and Children of Firefighters Fund in 2001. Members sought sponsors to donate money for each hour the member stayed awake on the teeter-tot. In addition, buckets were available at the event for sponsors to donate money to the cause.  

Many organizations experience ups and downs when trying to raise money for charity. However, the service fraternity rose to the occasion again in 2003 for the second Teeter-Tot-a-Thon. This time, all of the proceeds benefited the Red Cross. And if reliving their childhood playground experiences wasn't enough to keep them amused, members set up a radio, a small television set, and a tent to entertain participants.

“We had the tent so that members could catch some sleep before their shift,” Carney says. “And this time, we remembered to have the sprinklers turned off.” In 2001, night time campus sprinklers came on to”refresh” the tired teeter-totter participants. This year’s event raised over $300 for the American Red Cross.

“It’s good to help the community,” Carney says. “That’s what we’re all about.” —LF

Contact Carney at 386-405-5451.

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