SNR has worked to include Housing and Residence Life and off-campus apartment managers (both the student residential and conventional communities) to participate in the Housing Fair. There were 32 vendors which included 16 off-campus student residential apartment communities.

Among the off-campus apartment communities located within two miles from UCF, there were some new vendors such as the Plaza at the 海角直播 and the Retreat, Lake Amber. Each vendor offered free food, drinks and games where prizes were awarded. A DJ provided entertainment and assisted vendors in promoting their apartment special deals.

This semester, SNR opted to focus upon on-campus housing as the center of the Housing Fair. The booths were in the center of the event with free food, music, and promotional items, directing students to on-campus housing. According to staff, the event was a successful promotion especially for on-campus housing.

The housing fair was well attended by more than several hundred students, faculty and staff members.

Karen Nguyen, SNR program assistant, spoke very highly of this year鈥檚 event and said, 鈥淥ur students always benefit from the Housing Fair鈥檚 information and resources to make informed decisions based upon facts, data and knowledge as opposed to guess work.鈥�

Templar is an instrumental band that creates stadium fanfare pieces and recently stole the No. 1 spot on ReverbNation 鈥� a music sharing website, home to over 3.1 million music-industry professionals 鈥� earlier this month with the most downloads and screen clicks in the nation for instrumental music. Their most popular song, “UCF Chant Redux Remix,” had more than 14,000 downloads.

None of Templar鈥檚 members ever expected for the chant to become as popular as it did.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very weird, mainly because we didn鈥檛 put it out there with the intention of it being anything other than free music,鈥� Javier Perez, a first-year business administration student at UCF, said. Perez is Templar’s guitarist and engineer.

Elden Santos, who attended Rutgers, the State 海角直播 of New Jersey, and drummer for the group, said he was shocked to hear the band had reached the No. 1 spot on ReverbNation, especially because they never really promoted any of their music.

The exposure, which the band mostly attributes to the 50th anniversary of UCF and conference change of UCF sports, has even brought about inquiries from representative firms, film and television projects, Jason Banning, UCF alum and cofounder of the project, said.

The 鈥淯CF Chant Redux Remix鈥� has also had a few plays in UCF鈥檚 own Bright House Networks Stadium.

In 2008, the remix was the soundtrack for the football team鈥檚 entrance after first debuting at the UCF/USF game.

鈥淚 felt anonymous in the stadium,鈥� Banning said of hearing his work played at the games. 鈥淎ll these people hearing the music and I did that. That鈥檚 kind of a cool feeling.鈥�

Many of the members have been involved in the music industry for years, playing at the House of Blues, Hard Rock Live and other local venues, but they never imagined playing their music for the second largest school in the nation.

鈥淚 had been used to already hearing my songs on Internet radio stations. To listen to something I played to a crowd of 40,000 people 鈥� that鈥檚 petty humbling,鈥� Perez said.

Santos admitted he had never attended a UCF football game and was surprised to hear that the song had already played in the stadium on game day.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 great,鈥� Santos said upon learning of the achievement. 鈥淭hat was [Banning鈥檚] ultimate goal, to get the stuff in the stadium … serve as a way to pump up the fans.鈥�

Banning said that a rock-star university such as UCF needs music with some edge. He recalled approaching Ron Ellis about recharging the game music. Ellis joined the Marching Knights as a drill designer in 1990 and was named the assistant director of bands in 1995. In 2010, he left UCF for a position at the 海角直播 of Texas San Antonio.

鈥淸Ellis] was trying to get some personality into the band,鈥� Banning said. 鈥淗e actually thought of putting bagpipes in the band!鈥�

For Banning and Perez, UCF and the Orlando music scene had a strong influence on their music careers.

Perez said he remembers the first time he ever stepped foot on UCF鈥檚 campus. It was 2004 and Seether 鈥� a South African post-grunge/alternative metal band 鈥� was the main act in the UCF Arena. Perez鈥檚 band back in the day, Runnin鈥� Blind, opened the show.

Now it seems his career has come full circle, from opening a university鈥檚 homecoming to headlining its roaring football games.

Banning is the general manager of the Indian River Music Company, which welcomes all genres of audio and video production in the East Orlando area according to the company鈥檚 Facebook page. Templar record all of their tracks at the IRMC, but the music is owned by UCF.

Although each member has been a member of several bands in the past, some of which, Banning admitted, have crashed and burned, they each make their living from other endeavors.

Banning describes the project as something they all do 鈥渏ust for fun.鈥� Even the downloads from ReverbNation don鈥檛 put any money in their pockets, but Perez said that it was never about money.

鈥淚f we had done it for the money, I don鈥檛 know that it would have happened. We did this because we love music, and we love this school,鈥� Perez said.

The guys all have different ideas of where Templar鈥檚 future in music is headed, but they agree about one thing: It鈥檚 always going to be about UCF.

The team, consisting of Justin Darley and Casey O鈥橠onnell, will be competing against 67 other teams for their chance to make UCF history and even compete in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, which both O鈥橠onnell and Darley called the 鈥淪uper Bowl鈥� of professional bass fishing.

Darley and O鈥橠onnell will both be making their final appearance in a college fishing tournament and hope to finish off their successful collegiate careers with a top finish in the Bassmaster national championship.

Growing up, Darley and O鈥橠onnell learned how to fish from their fathers.

That interest, along with a growing aptitude for fishing, is what eventually led the two to become teammates and compete for the national title.

Before this year, Darley and O鈥橠onnell were on separate teams and knew little about each other.

In 2011, O鈥橠onnell and his teammate at the time won the Association of College Anglers national title, which is one of three collegiate championship series.

Darley has also experienced what it takes to be successful, nearly qualifying for the FLW national championship in December of 2012.

Immediately after pairing up as a team, O鈥橠onnell and Darley experienced success and their friendship grew.

鈥淵ou spend 10 hours in the boat together and it鈥檚 game time the whole time,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said. 鈥淵ou got to stay focused and mentally sharp for 10 hours and that鈥檚 a great way to build a friendship.鈥�

鈥淲e started fishing and we were immediately good friends after that,鈥� Darley said.

In February, Darley and O鈥橠onnell placed fifth in a qualifying fishing tournament, cementing their place to compete in the Bassmaster collegiate national championship. Both priding themselves on versatility, they recognize that this national championship tournament will be extremely challenging.

Many Florida lakes are less than 10-feet deep, whereas Lake Chatuge, the site of the championship tournament, is nearly three times deeper than that.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going up a week early for practice to study maps and we鈥檙e trying to get patterns down of where the fish are,鈥� Darley said. 鈥淐asey and I have both separately fished many tournaments with our dads and we both have a lot of experience. We feel like we can map and figure out patterns really well.鈥�

While Darley said it would be a little nerve-racking, both he and O鈥橠onnell are confident that they can compete at a high level during the August national title tournament.

鈥淥ur bass fishing aptitude is so high that we feel like there鈥檚 nothing we can鈥檛 do,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been pretty successful every time we鈥檝e put the boat in the water.鈥�

To fish in this tournament and many other tournaments, the anglers have to provide their own equipment and pay for a lot of that equipment out of pocket. Reel Knights, the UCF fishing club, with the help of sponsors and fundraising, has helped the championship-bound team immensely along the course of their journey.

Darley鈥檚 father, who is a proud supporter of his son鈥檚 fishing achievements, has also helped by providing the boat they used in the qualifying tournament, which they will also use during the national championship.

Both O鈥橠onnell and Darley hope to one day become professional fishermen, though the paths they take to get there may be different. Darley, who is graduating in December with a micro and molecular biology degree, hopes to attend dental school to eventually practice dentistry.

He said he one day hopes to compete in the Bassmaster Classic.

O鈥橠onnell, on the other hand, is immediately pursuing a career in professional fishing.

鈥淢y parents are fully behind me to become a professional fisherman,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey both believe in me and I think this would be the absolute way to solidify my college career.鈥�

With much support from family, friends, Reel Knights and the community, the confident team has one goal in mind: winning the championship tournament.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have been paired up with a better guy,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said.

The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship will take place Aug. 1-3 on the Chatuge Reservoir in Georgia.

Edorsson, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, a degree she will use to start a real estate business in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. For now, she works as a timeshare sales representative and has her sights set on more reality television.

鈥淚 was fine before Survivor, I didn鈥檛 plan to try out for reality TV but I was looking for something new. 鈥� This [Survivor] was the best thing I could do to change my life around,鈥� Edorsson said. 鈥淚 love sports and fitness and love to be around people. Survivor is the biggest challenge you could manage, so I did it.鈥�

In its 24th season, Survivor had contestants competing in Upolu, Samoa, for a chance to win $1 million. Survivor, a game known for being brutal to its contestants and entertaining to its audience, gave Edorsson an opportunity to prove her abilities and discover her comedic side.

鈥淎pparently, people think I鈥檓 funny. I became known as 鈥榯he clown,鈥欌�� Edorsson said. 鈥淩e-watching myself on TV, I was even laughing.鈥�

Being voted off was no laughing matter. The tribal council kept her on after a close call in the second show, but Edorsson鈥檚 game came to an end after she was blindsided in the 12th episode. She was originally planning to blindside tribemate Sabrina Thompson and was surprised to see the tribe turn against her instead.

鈥淚 definitely think I played a great game, but the choices I made weren鈥檛 as great,” Edorsson said. “Not entertaining Troy鈥檚 idea when I should have wasn鈥檛 a good thing, and not talking to Sabrina didn鈥檛 help.鈥�

Although she was voted off, she still says she feels like a winner.

鈥淚 went out as a threat, not a weak player,” she said. “I feel like I had a great attitude. I wish I could do better, but I feel like I did good.

鈥溾�� I went out there hoping I鈥檇 change the person I am, and [in] every episode, you see me change. The last thing you saw in tribal council is you saw how much I learned and changed. I matured a lot and am very thankful.鈥�

Life on campus hasn鈥檛 changed much for Edorsson, although she says many students stare at her wondering if she鈥檚 “that girl from Survivor.鈥�

鈥淵es, it鈥檚 me, and I want people to come talk and tell me how they feel [about the show],鈥� Edorsson said. 鈥淚 really hope Orlando is proud of how I played the game and that I represented UCF well.鈥�

After her experience on the show, Edorsson says she would love to play Survivor again.

鈥淚 might have plans to audition for other things,鈥� Edorsson said. 鈥淚鈥檇 love to do Dancing with the Stars, mind you you鈥檇 have to actually be a star and I鈥檓 not really a star, but still.鈥�

With no set plans but high hopes of being part of shows like Big Brother or Amazing Race, Edorsson says we should be on the lookout for her again.

鈥淭his is definitely not the last time you鈥檒l see me on national TV,鈥� Edorsson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 there for the challenge and for the game, and apparently people think I鈥檓 funny, so why not.鈥�

The Central Florida Future sports staff compiled a list using a variety of criteria, including impact on and off the field, career achievements, success of the program and buzz and exposure created for the school.

While things seemed pretty clear at the top of the list, it got a bit complicated as we neared the bottom, so included at the end is a 鈥渇irst four out,鈥� which lists a few other deserving Knights.

Here are the Future鈥檚 top 10 most valuable Knights:

1. Octavious Freeman, sprinter, track & field 鈥� This isn鈥檛 even a question. Freeman may very well be the fastest woman on the planet (her 11.10 in the 100 meters in Gainesville is the fastest time for a woman in the event this year, professional or amateur), or at least among them. Freeman came to campus as arguably the most sought-after recruit ever to choose the black and gold. Most importantly, a likely future Olympian, perhaps even a gold-medalist, is a UCF Knight.
2. D.J. Hicks, first baseman, baseball 鈥� He鈥檚 the guy carrying the big stick for the resident top-15 baseball team. Hicks was voted the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year and a preseason All American, and he鈥檚 delivered. He鈥檚 done it in ways outside of just sending the ball over the fence. Hicks is batting .329 with a team-leading 55 RBIs (Chris Taladay comes in second with 30). Hicks provides a lot of the excitement to be had at Jay Bergman Field, leading the team with 10 home runs. In short, Hicks is the face of a program that may be contending for a national championship in Omaha, Neb., this summer.
3. Mackenzie Audas, pitcher, softball 鈥� In a sport where a pitcher can dominate and take the mound nearly every game, there truly is nothing more valuable than an ace. The Knights have theirs. The freshman has come in and in a flash become the face of the program, posting shutout after shutout, including this biggest win of the season, a 2-0 victory over the then-No. 3 Florida Gators at the UCF Softball Complex. What鈥檚 more? She鈥檚 going to be rocking the black and gold for three more years.
4. Keith Clanton, forward, men鈥檚 basketball 鈥� He鈥檚 Mr. Reliable for a program that is on an upward trend and has embraced increasing expectations. Clanton is one of the few players who can quietly register a double-double, racking up rebounds and often scoring at ease in the paint or on the perimeter. Clanton led the Knights, averaging 14.5 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, and perhaps most importantly hit the go-ahead free throw with just seconds remaining in UCF鈥檚 historic win over Memphis.
5. Kevan George, midfielder, men鈥檚 soccer 鈥� The 29th pick in the this year鈥檚 MLS SuperDraft, selected by Columbus Crew, was an integral part of a loaded men鈥檚 soccer team that took the program to new heights in 2011. George led the team in assists (7) and had two game-winning goals to his credit in 2011, one of which game in the first round of the NCAA Championship against Florida Gulf Coast.
6. Isaiah Sykes, guard/forward, men鈥檚 basketball 鈥� Sykes was easily the most improved player on the roster this season and made a strong case for most improved player in the nation. The sophomore from Detroit continued doing the things he did well as a freshman: rebounding, defending and grabbing loose balls. But in the 2011-12 season he started scoring. A lot. Sykes averaged 12.3 points per game and had a few 20-point efforts to his name. Sykes got more confident in his jump shot as the season went on and, of course, delivered more than a few SportsCenter-worthy highlights.
7. Josh Robinson, defensive back, football 鈥� The Knights鈥� defensive backfield took a blow when this junior defender declared for the NFL Draft. Then, the program enjoyed some exposure when Robinson made a huge splash at the NFL Combine. Robinson鈥檚 4.33-second time in the 40-yard dash was the fastest of any athlete at any position at the Combine. Accordingly, Robinson, who came to the program as a four-star recruit out of high school, saw his stock shoot upward. Any time a Knight goes in the earlier rounds of the Draft, it鈥檚 a victory for everybody.
8. Tishia Jewell, forward, women鈥檚 soccer 鈥� The 5-foot-6 senior out of Satellite Beach was an integral part of a women鈥檚 soccer program that ranked among the top in the nation. Jewell finished 2011 as a Third Team All-American and a C-USA First Team honoree. Jewell dished out 10 assists, putting her at No. 24 nationally, and scored seven goals. On a program that has been consistently good for quite some time, Jewell shined this year, scoring two game-winning goals.
9. Jackie Coward, sprinter, track & field 鈥� She is the most accomplished athlete in the program鈥檚 history, and Coward is also the commitment that started it all. Coward was the first All-American to come to UCF and join coach Caryl Smith Gilbert in her vision of what the program could become. Speedsters like Freeman and Aurieyall Scott may not have selected UCF out of high school had it not been for Coward. The senior sprinter will be chasing Olympic dreams at the U.S. Trials this summer.
10. Alex Friedrich, right fielder, baseball 鈥� It鈥檚 probably the best sports story on campus. Friedrich, who graduated from nearby 海角直播 High School, had no major college offers despite his stellar high school career. Undaunted, Friedrich came to UCF and walked on with the program, no small achievement. But he wasn鈥檛 done. Friedrich gradually earned more and more playing time, and now the senior right fielder who came to campus without a scholarship offer is one of the top hitters on one of the top baseball teams in the country. Friedrich is batting .351 and also has quite the arm in the outfield with five assists this season.

Just missed out:

The Elite 11 quarterback had difficulty deciding on whether to choose his hometown school, the 海角直播 of Louisville, or UCF, to play football. After signing with UCF, Smith’s mother, Daytonya Ward, called Knights head coach George O’Leary asking for a release of the signed National Letter of Intent. Smith ultimately decided to follow through with the signed NLOI and arrived at UCF in June.

Clad in a UCF shirt and the same black UCF hat that he wore while spurning his hometown of Louisville, Ky., when he chose to sign with UCF, Smith sat down with the Central Florida Future to talk about his experiences so far in Orlando and what he’s looking forward to the most with the Knights.

Central Florida Future: Are you happy that everything is finally settled down now and you finally get to play football?

DaMarcus Smith: Yeah, I’m very excited. It’s been a rough six months, but it was all worth it in the end. I’ve really learned throughout this whole process. I made the right decision. I’m here now and I’m going to stick with it and see what these next four years bring for me.

CFF: What stood out to you about UCF that ultimately made you decide to come here?

Smith: There’s a lot I can say. Really, the first thing that stood out was the academics. I remember throughout my whole official visit they showed us a lot of the academic sights and gave me a lot of facts about the school. Just knowing that UCF is one of the top schools as far as academics that really stood out to me. Coach [George] O’Leary, one of the main things he stresses, is to go to school for four years and get a degree. That really stood out to me.

CFF: Coach [David] Kelly mainly recruited you. What stood out to you about him?

Smith: He’s unique with his recruiting. He’s really a people-person. I could really trust his words; everything so far that he has said, it’s really happening. I’ve been practicing with the team a lot. A lot of people think that coaches are only nice to you when they’re recruiting you and then things change when you get there, but he’s really been the same guy that I’ve met from day one. My relationship with him has grown more and more every time I spend time with him. Another thing that stood out about him was his beliefs. I’m a Christian and he’s a Christian too, and that really stood out to me. I didn’t have a recruiter who shared my same beliefs.

CFF: I know you’re still kind of new to the area, but what has been your favorite thing about the UCF area so far?

Smith: I love the campus. I’ve never seen something like this. Being from Louisville, we have a pretty good university. It’s only like 20,000 people. But just being here at the big campus, seeing all the people, it’s like a whole 鈥榥other world for a guy like me coming from Louisville. Your eyes really open up when you move from a smaller city to a bigger city.

CFF: What have been some of the biggest adjustments for you coming from high school to college?

Smith: Well first, the biggest adjustment has been time management. Once you get in college, it really becomes like a business, like a job to you. It’s not like you just come to practice and lift weights whenever you want. Everything has a structure and time-frame; just getting used to that.

CFF: In terms of football, what’s the biggest difference?

Smith: It’s a lot faster. Everyone’s a lot bigger, stronger, faster. Everyone’s athletic; everyone’s good. The way it’s set up, everyone is going to get better because everyone is either just as good as you or even better than you.

CFF: What do you think of the athletic facilities?

Smith: Well my weight coach isn’t going to like this, but I don’t like the weight room right now (laughs). It’s intense! But, it’s definitely going to prepare us and prepare me for when the season starts. My favorite place is the indoor facility. That’s where I spend a lot of time, throwing with my receivers and really working out and working on my craft as a quarterback.

CFF: Who are the receivers that you practice the most with?

Smith: As of right now, I practice a lot with Rannell Hall and Jacques Mackeroy. Those are my two freshmen receivers. We spend a lot of time, especially today, and just on a Monday through Friday basis we work out a lot and throw a lot.

CFF: What’s this I hear about your cousin possibly coming here?

Smith: Yes, Michael Fluellen. He’s taking a class at Valenica [Community College] and will hopefully be enrolling in January of 2012; kind of like a greyshirt.

CFF: Do you know who your roommates are yet?

Smith: I’m not in the towers yet, but I’m hoping that it’s going to be my two receivers, Rannell and Jacques. I’ve built a pretty tight relationship with those guys.

CFF: How’s your relationship with Jeff Godfrey and Blake Bortles?

Smith: Jeff Godfrey is like a big brother to me. He’s really showing me the ropes. He’s taken me under his wing and I’m learning a lot from him. I’ve been a sponge. I’m just looking up to him like a big brother. He’s doing a great job at leading. And Blake Bortles, I actually met him my sophomore year of high school. We competed at a camp together so me and him kind of clicked back up when I got here. We’re on good terms. I love the team camaraderie, and I love how the quarterbacks all stick together.

CFF: Do you know what’s going to happen, as far as being redshirted?

Smith: You know, I’m just a team player and I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to play. Of course I’m gonna go out and compete, me being a football player. I understand that this is a business and that coach is going to make the best decision for the team and for me. After camp and close to the start of season, that’s when we’ll really know.

CFF: What are some of your goals going into fall and practice?

Smith: I just want to be the best player that I can possibly be. With me being a people-person, I really want to be a good teammate and I’m looking forward to all of my relationships with my teammates. It’s a new beginning, a new start for me with new people. I definitely want to get that together and make that a go. After that, it’s winning. I wanna win a BCS championship, win bowl games, win Conference USA. I’m looking forward to a successful season.

CFF: Besides football, what is your biggest hobby?

Smith: I love playing miniature golf and golf. I haven’t played a round of golf here yet, but I played miniature golf over at Congo River. That was fun, but it was pretty easy. I’m going to be bringing my set of golf clubs back down with me so I can play.

CFF: Can you drive pretty far?

Smith: Oh yeah, I can hit close to 400.

CFF: But how far can you throw it though?

Smith: I can throw it! I’ve been spotted at 82 yards, first bounce.

CFF: Have you picked up the new NCAA video game yet?

Smith: All my boys are talking about it, but I don’t even think I want to pick it up because my speed is rated a 66, which is really low. They also made me number 13, but I’m really going to be wearing number 10.

CFF: Wasn’t Nico Flores wearing number 10 last year? Did you make a deal with him or something?

Smith: I’m not gonna say [whether I took it from him or not], but O’Leary made me a promise! He said if I come back to Orlando, I’ll be wearing number 10. He’s a man of his word. I’ve worn number 10 my whole life. The first team I’ve ever played for in Louisville was called the 10th Street Cardinals. I’m obsessed with it.

CFF: How has it been memorizing all those new plays?

Smith: It’s definitely challenging to memorize the plays. I wouldn’t say it’s hard, because when it’s something you’ve been doing your whole life you catch on pretty quickly. It’s what I’m used to. I’m used to facing adversity. This freshman year, I know it’s gonna be tough. But things will start falling into place eventually.

Source: Central Florida Future,聽, by Erika Esola, sports editor.聽Published: Wednesday, July 13, 2011; Updated: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 17:07

Last semester, the sorority cumulative GPA was 3.114 and the fraternity cumulative GPA was 2.797. This semester, however, saw an increase in both GPAs with the sorority cumulative GPA rising to 3.185, and the fraternity GPA rising to 2.903.

“Every fraternity and sorority is different for their exact GPA, but when you’re in Greek life in general you really are held up in a high standard,” said Kathleen Rosensweig, vice president of member development at Pi Beta Phi.

According to Rosensweig, not only has the GPA improved, but there has been a drastic change in the number of members on academic probation. Last semester 18 members of Pi Beta Phi were on academic probation. This semester, they’ve cut that number in half.

“I really feel that people just wanted to try hard,” Rosensweig said. “I deal with all of the people on academic probation, they have to report to me, they have to tell me their progress. I noticed that everyone who was on academic probation was really striving to get off it, and those are the people that brought our grades up.”

Members of Pi Beta Phi are required to maintain a GPA that is higher than 2.5, or they are put on academic probation. Compared to the school’s requirement of 2.0, she believes holding members to a higher standard yields positive results in their overall GPA.

“For us personally, if you’re below a 2.5 you have no voice and no vote in anything,” Rosensweig said. “You can participate in events, but it’s not just a stern talking to. You have to report to the library every week.”

In addition to logging a certain number of hours per week at the library, members of Pi Beta Phi must also attend workshops and show that they are dedicated to raising their grades.

But, Pi Beta Phi is not the only Greek organization who has seen an improvement.

Yani Concha, senior business major and president of Alpha Tau Omega, also credits high standards for the rise in fraternity GPA.

“Nationally our fraternity requires a 2.5 GPA to enter and be maintained,” Concha said. “However, at UCF our standards are higher, we require a 2.75.”

In addition to a higher standard, Daniel Porter, senior finance major and member of Alpha Tau Omega, thinks having his brothers to study with helps keep his grades up.

“If someone has a problem with something, we can help each other out; it’s all about the buddy system,” Porter said.

At times, a room full of fellow college students can become a room full of potential tutors.

“What makes us different is accountability,” Concha said. “We are all there to help our brothers, with classes and just about everything. Sometimes it just takes somebody else to take the time to explain something.”

For the past three semesters, Pi Beta Phi has been using some more creative methods to encourage members to maintain a high GPA.

The sorority hosts a raffle at the end of each semester; to enter members must have received A’s in their classes. As incentive, the prizes in the raffle are not mere $5 gift cards, but designer purses.

“We have incentives for people, so rather than getting them up to a C we get them up to an A,” Rosensweig said.

But above all, Rosensweig feels that members of the Greek community, and specifically at Pi Beta Phi, honestly want to do well in school, regardless of whether or not they get a designer bag for doing so.

“We all want to succeed; we all want to be the best. We’re very competitive people,” Rosensweig said.

Source: Central Florida Future, , by Jordan Snyder, senior staff writer. Published: Wednesday, June 29, 2011;聽 Updated: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 19:06

The Society of Automotive Engineers at UCF built an autocross-racing, one-person vehicle from scratch to represent the university at the Formula SAE Michigan.

The three-day competition began May 11 and provided real-world challenges of systems engineering, design and problem-solving for students trying to work in the auto industry.

This year, the team earned its second-best finish in school history.

For the Formula SAE chapter at UCF, this competition holds the most significance because of the great deal of prestige associated with their participation.

The team paid a $2,000 entry fee, earned through donations and fundraisers, to tackle competition from all over the world including such countries as Singapore, Venezuela and Japan.

The students’ performances were tested by automotive experts from General Motors, Ford and Honda 鈥� three companies seeking to hire new post-grad talent.

Formula SAE at UCF placed 14th in the cost report event, in which the jury discussed the vehicle’s cost calculation based on the manufacturing materials.

According to T.J. Yankee, UCF Formula SAE public relations spokesman, the total cost of the car came to $17,000.

SAE placed 15th in the acceleration event, in which the race car was evaluated on its accelerating ability from a standing start over a distance of 75 meters.

Yankee said the team began planning to construct the car during the summer of 2010 because of all the complications that can occur with having to build a car from nothing.

“It’s really difficult to be able to create a car with raw materials that must perform the challenges imposed at the event,” Yankee said. “The hardest thing is to manage the time between doing well in school and building the car.”

The student club met twice a week for a year despite their academic schedules. They dedicated as much time as possible to finish the car and completed the task just a few weeks before the competition.

“For a year, all they lived for was this contest,” said Corinne Jackson, a senior exceptional education major and the girlfriend of one of the 23 SAE members who traveled to Michigan. “Every time I met the team for lunch, all they would talk about was the competition.”

Yankee, as well as 27 of his teammates, also participated in last year’s event.

“We knew this year would be different for us because of the experience we had,” Yankee said.

Jacob Herbst, UCF Formula SAE team leader, is satisfied with the outcome of the event because the team never had any help from professors or mentors, and for the amount of funding collected, the results exceeded members’ expectations.

“I can speak on behalf of Formula SAE [at UCF] that for what we had, we did extraordinarily well,” Herbst said.

For the competition, SAE received $8,000 from SGA, while the remaining $9,000 came from individual efforts.

Next year, the club plans on finishing SAE in the top 25.

“We already began planning for next year’s event,” Herbst said. “The knowledge from this year will help us do better next year.”

Source: Central Florida Future, , by Salo Steinvortz, staff writer. Published: Sunday, June 5, 2011;聽 updated: Sunday, June 5, 2011 19:06

Tour guides are responsible for more than just showing the campus, their job is also to inform future students on all the resources offered at UCF and to answer any questions that the tourist may have.

The Central Florida Future had the opportunity to interview Cathy Eble to see what a day in the life of a UCF tour guide is like.

Central Florida Future: What led you to become a UCF tour guide?

Cathy Eble: When I did a tour at UCF, really the only thing that made me decide UCF ultimately was the tour. I never really had any interest in coming to UCF until I did a tour, and it really changed my mind about it. So when I saw that there were job opportunities like that, I went ahead and applied and basically got offered a summer job and I really liked it, so I kept going on with it.

CFF: How long have you been a UCF tour guide?

Eble: The past year. I started last summer.

CFF: What is your favorite location to show around UCF?

Eble: I think Memory Mall is the best just because a lot of people like to hear about different sports and things that go on at Memory Mall like tailgating, and also there are a lot of classroom buildings around there. So there’s a lot to talk about and a lot of people ask a lot of questions around there.

CFF: Who do you usually give tours to?

Eble: Prospective students and their parents. They’re usually people that are in high school, but we also have people who are transferring here. It could really be anyone who wants to come and check out the school.

CFF: Do you ever get nervous while giving a tour?

Eble: No, not anymore. My first few walks alone after I was done training were nerve-racking just because I didn’t want to forget anything, but not anymore; it’s kind of like having a regular conversation.

CFF: What advice would you give to future tour guides?

Eble: I would just say to not be nervous. It’s not a big deal if you forget something or mess up something. You just want to get out as much information as you can and to smile really big because if you’re up there looking all angry, no one’s going to want to come to UCF. They’re just going to remember there was an angry tour guide the whole time.

CFF: How do you think your current job as a UCF tour guide will benefit you in the future?

Eble: I think it’s definitely helped me with public speaking. I’m not scared to get up in front of a group of people that don’t know me. It’s benefited my confidence in the past year because I used to get kind of nervous in front of people, but now that I have been a tour guide for so long I’m very used to just getting up and speaking in front of people.

CFF: Did you attend any special class before becoming a tour guide?

Eble: No, I didn’t; it’s all on-the-job training. So for the first few weeks that you work, you do shadowing of people that are already tour guides. So you basically just learn by watching people and reading the manual that my boss gives us.

CFF: What is the most memorable tour you have ever given?

Eble: I gave a tour to an all-boys school one time. It was like 60 high school boys that were just asking funny questions the whole time, and they were just typical high school boys; I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

CFF: How do you prepare yourself for a tour?

Eble: When I first started out, I would just go over stuff in my head when I got to the stop, but now that I’m so used to saying everything, it just comes to me naturally when I get there.

CFF: How do you make each tour different or are they all relatively the same?

Eble: Each person (tour guide) has a different style and a few, different, informational facts that we give out, but we generally all do about the same thing. We all go to the same stops and say the same general information, but someone may be a business major so they may know more about the business college than I would as a nursing major.

CFF: Would you consider being a tour guide for a living?

Eble: Probably not as a career, but it’s good while I’m in college because it’s definitely helped me out the past year. Not only job-wise, but public speaking-wise, as well. But as career-wise? I don’t think so.

CFF: Have you ever given a tour to a famous person that visited UCF?

Eble: No, I wish! I wish Michael Jordan would come or something, but nope, no famous people yet.

CFF: If you could give a tour around UCF to one famous person, who would it be and why?

Eble: Oh my gosh, one famous person; there’s so many! I mean, I guess the president would be cool to give a tour to. That’s kind of a big deal, right? To have the president come to your school!

CFF: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Eble: I like getting to interact with people, especially the high school students because a lot of students are nervous when applying to college and leaving home. Getting to talk to them like, “Hey I’m a normal person too, let’s talk about what your future is going to be like.” That’s what I really like talking about because my tour guide really helped me when I was going to college, so I like to do the same for other people.

Source: Central Florida Future, , by Joni Fletcher, contributing writer. Published: Sunday, May 29, 2011; Updated: Sunday, May 29, 2011 19:05

The Hunger Banquet is an interactive event designed to educate students about hunger and homelessness in their hometowns and across the world.

The 鈥渂anquet鈥� will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 in the Pegasus Ballroom.

“After the Hunger Banquet event, few participants leave with full stomachs, but everyone will possess a greater understanding of the problems of hunger and poverty 鈥� and will feel motivated to do something about it,” said Shardy Camargo, Volunteer UCF’s hunger and homelessness coordinator.

During the “banquet,” guests draw tickets at random that assign each of them to a high-, middle- or low-income tier based on the latest statistics about the numbers of people living in poverty. Each income level receives a different meal.

Presentations will provide students with information about hunger and homelessness throughout the evening, and guest speakers will include聽Brent Trotter, president and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, and individuals who are or were homeless, such as Santos Maldonado, childhood hunger programs manager for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

organizers are requesting that people interested in attending bring two nonperishable food items to benefit efforts to feed the hungry in Orlando.

You can read about last year鈥檚 Hunger Banquet in the .

If you have questions about the event, you can contact vucf_hunger@mail.ucf.edu.