Athenian Newsletter of the Florida Region

October 2007

Dates to remember

2007 Florida Leadership Conference

October 5—October 6

University of Central Florida

Orlando

2007 Florida Regional Convention

November 9—November 11

Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront

St. Petersburg

2008 International Convention

April 3—April 5

Philadelphia, PA

Inside this Issue:

Xi Pi, Alpha Xi Eta Page 2

Nu Chi, Chi Nu, Delta Omicron Page 3 Omega Phi, Xi Pi Page 4 Beta Iota Mu, Chi Tau, Alpha Lambda Alpha, Page 5 Chi Epsilon

SAY “KEYS” Xi Pi Chapter

Polk Community College

Lora B. Lester, President

Say “KEYS” has become the replacement for “CHEESE” when it comes to taking pictures for the Xi Pi Chapter, and we

all know how many pictures Phi Theta Kappa takes. The Xi Pi chapter has implemented an interesting, innovative, and

profitable recycling program. In February the “Golden Key Recycling Project” wa. We are collecting and recycling keys

and other brass material and turning that money into scholarships for students attending Polk Community College (PCC).

Every dollar we collect is matched by The PCC Foundation. We have collected keys from individuals, apartment com-

plexes, construction sites and home improvement stores. We are fortunate enough to be partnering with the Polk County

Sheriff’s office to collect their empty shell casings for recycling. To date, we have collected over 600lbs of brass material, which is approximately $700. Once matched, that’s $1,400 in scholarship money directly available to Polk Community

College students.

Xi Pi is so proud of this initiative, and we hope to continue it indefinitely. This project is not only is about “Operation

Green” and improving our environment by promoting litter prevention but also about improving education though finan-

cial opportunities.

This is a project that we hope to see spread regionally and even internationally. Please contact our chapter President Lora

B. Lester at lb0443@hotmail.com to learn more about your golden key to a bright future. This project will have your chap-

ter saying “KEYS!”

October 2, 2007: Honors Satellite

Seminar How to Win A Cosmic War

Reza Aslan, Presenter

October 16, 2007:

Honors Satellite Seminar #2: America and China: Raising the

Barricades?

Zanny Minton Beddoes, Presenter

October 30, 2007: Honors Satellite

Seminar #3: Afghanistan after the Taliban

Tamim Ansary, Presenter

November 13, 2007:

Honors Satellite Seminar #4: American Theocracies

Kevin Phillips, Presenter

Alpha Xi Eta Participates In International Coastal Clean-up By Jodi Verkleir, President

St. Johns River Community College, St. Augustine

The Alpha Xi Eta Chapter from St. Johns River Community College arrived at Vilano Beach bright and early on Sat-

urday September 15th to participate in the International Coastal Clean-up. The chapter members combed the beach

collecting cigarette butts, aluminum cans, fishing line, bottles, and other debris. Things heated up quite nicely as

members had a chance to bond and share in the clean up of our beautiful Florida coastline.

Our next clean up project involves adopting a highway.

Nu Chi: Working to Promote Literacy

Working to promote literacy among community children, Nu Chi enlisted the assistance of Florida children's author, Paula Stark. Nu Chi members contacted Mrs. Stark about a project in which she would visit local elementary schools to speak with the children, and Nu Chi members would accompany her. After she generously agreed to work with Nu Chi, members got busy organizing the project. They con-tacted all 17 elementary schools in the Chipola College five county district, inviting them to participate in the pro-ject. Fifteen of the schools eagerly signed on for the au-thor visit. Wanting to make reading a fun experience for students, Nu Chi created a power point that made visible all the pages of Mrs. Stark's book Abra-ham the Alligator while she read the story to the students. Nu Chi members also dressed in character as Abraham the alligator and frogs from the story; they interacted with the students while Stark autographed copies of her book for interested children. Stark donated one week of her time to this project, visiting all fifteen schools and over 3,000 students with Nu Chi members. A huge thank you goes to this author for her dedication to making reading fun for children everywhere, but this time in the Panhan-dle.

Florida Chapters Dive into Action for International

Coastal Cleanup By: Michael Huggins, President

Delta Omicron Chapter

Early morning on Saturday, Septem-ber 15th, four chapters, representing from all across the Florida region, rose out of bed to go out and participate together in the Keep America Beautiful and Ocean Conservatory’s Interna-tional Coastal Cleanup. Out of an ex-pected sum of 180 people, 320 showed. The four chapters, including Xi Pi, Alpha of Florida, Tau Zeta, and Delta Omicron, were a part of this mass of volunteers that got to work cleaning the Tampa coast at 8:00am. Within a matter of only a couple of hours, Delta Omicron and aiding chap-ters had assisted in cleaning the entire coast, collecting scraps of glass, metal, wire, and other harmful materi-als to the environment and its crea-tures. It was a perfect display of com-radery, volunteerism, and just plain fun. After the cleanup, the chapters enjoyed a day of swimming and pic-nicking in celebration of a job well done.

On the same account, Delta Omicron participated in a Lake Worth location of the International Costal Cleanup, making an effort to extend a helping hand on both the East and West coasts of Florida at the same time. The Lake Worth coastal cleanup was a success as well, as community members and Phi Theta Kappans joined forces to clean the local beaches. Overall, the members en-joyed giving back to the community while spending a day in the South Florida sun and ocean breeze.

Chi Nu: Student Leadership Institute By: Jennifer Montgomery (Vice President of Leadership)

Brevard Community College

The Chi Nu Chapter is off to an astonishing start this year. For the first time ever, Brevard Community College held a two-day Student Leadership Institute at the Chi Nu Chap-ter’s home campus. This event started out as an invitation to meet to all the student organizations on campus by our Dean. However, in the end, this idea turned into an effective and profound way to embrace leadership qualities with our stu-dent body.

The two day workshop consisted of a string of pres-entations including one conducted by speaker and educator, Del Suggs. Mr. Suggs is a native Floridian singer/songwriter, and speaks at colleges throughout the U.S. and the Carib-bean. His signature presentation is titled, “Truly Leading, Per-sonal Leadership Development, Real World Actions Created and Tested to Maximize Your Organization, and How to Do Any-thing”. Needless to say, by the end of the workshop, we all felt as if we could very well do anything.

Overall, I am pleased to say, the event was a huge success. About 25 to 30 clubs showed up to soak up the free gift of knowledge. I certainly cannot speak for the school officials, but something tells me that we have started a new tradition here at Brevard Community College.

International Coastal Cleanup

Omega Phi

Sarah Santos

Broward Community College – North Campus

It is a beautiful and sunny Saturday morning when all

of us Omega Phiers head to Pompano Beach to participate in the

International Coastal Cleanup. We are excited and motivated

because not only are we committed with the well-being of our

community we also know that our contribution will guarantee

the preservation and maintenance of our coastal areas.

Arriving at 9:00am with our gloves in hand and the

plastic bags on our shoulders we split into smaller groups and go around collecting garbage. From cigarette butts to bottles, to

diapers, we make sure nothing is left behind. It is amazing to see

how some areas, especially near the bushes, house the greatest

concentration of bottles, cans, and all sorts of bigger garbage.

We are convinced that although we strive to do our

part, greater awareness and change of attitude of the community

are necessary. At 11:00am we analyze the results and to our

surprise in two hours we have collected more than 70 lbs. of

garbage.

The day ends with a refreshing swim in the ocean and a volleyball game. Returning home, everyone was proud of par-

ticipating in the international coastal cleanup.

“Good Morning Hillsborough County!”

By Chelo C. van Leeuwaarde

Senator of Fellowship

Xi Pi Chapter at Polk Community College

Winter Haven, FL

Saturday, September 15th 2007, was finally here! After months of planning and back and forth emailing, came the day

where Xi Pi bundled as one with Alpha of Florida, Delta Omicron, and Tau Zeta to participate in the 22nd International

Coastal Cleanup. The cleanup site was Cypress Point Park in Hillsborough County, Tampa. Around 6:00 am, yes…nice, bright, and early, the chapters headed out their doors to meet up at the Park around 8:00 am for the sign-in. The cleanup

officially started at 8:30 am and because of the overwhelming turnout, it was completed before the sun even got a chance

to show us its great big smile. According to Alan M. Donn of the Coastal Cleanup Committee, 180 people were pre-registered but 349 actually showed up that morning. How awesome is that! A total of 3,500 lbs of trash was collected all

together! A few unusual items included an autographed

baseball, a saw blade, and a computer keyboard. Also, 25

live oak trees were planted thanks to Ye Mystic Krewe of Nautilus. After the cleanup the Phi Theta Kappa chapters

headed to Fort Desoto Park for a nice picnic at the beach.

Once again, we succeeded in keeping America Beautiful while fellowshipping at the same time!

Thanks again to all the participating chapters for making this an unforgettable event!

Beta Iota Mu Valencia Community College

Winter Park Campus Beta Iota Mu is gearing up for a busy and rewarding semester. With a new set of offi-cers, we have teams participating in the American Heart Association’s Greater Or-lando Heart Walk and the ACS’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. We have teamed up with the Student Gov-ernment Association and the Student Devel-opment office for many of our projects, Bet-ter World Books and Project Graduation among them. Beta Iota Mu is proud to report that we re-cently donated the proceeds from one of our fundraisers to “Pet Rescue By Judy,” a local shelter for abused and neglected animals. We are looking forward to the regional con-vention in St. Pete and hope to join with many of you in fellowship there!

Relay for Life: Phi Theta Kappa Style

Alpha Lambda Alpha Hillsborough Community College – Brandon Campus

The American Cancer Society has called on The Alpha Lambda

Chapter to again serve as the “Survivor Committee” and

“Luminaria Committee” for the 2008 East Tampa Relay for Life to

be held from Friday April 18 – Saturday April 19.

In the past four years, the Alpha Lambda Alpha Chapter has

served as the “Survivor Committee” while having fun fielding a

team also to take part in the Relay for Life events and raising

over $8000 for the American Cancer Society. In addition to rais-

ing money, the Alpha Lambda Alpha has won the “Rookie of the

Year” and the “Heart of the Relay” awards.

This year and under the leadership of Alpha Lambda Alpha, Hills-

borough Community College, Brandon, will field four teams: Phi

Theta Kappa, the Honors Institute, the Health Pre-Professional

Organization, and the Student Government Organization. We

hope all other Phi Theta Kappa chapters will do their best in this

International Service Project while having fun at the same time.

Chi Tau: Movie Night

On April 2nd, 2007, the Chi Tau chapter watched the action packed feature “The De-parted.” Despite the crude language, this movie was a spectacular portrayal of a strug-gle for power between good and evil. Jack Nicholson played Frank Costello, a mafia style villain, who had connections with Colin Sullivan (played by Matt Damon) a local de-tective who won the trust of all he encoun-tered. Bill Costigan (played by Leonardo Di-Caprio) was accepted by the mafia because of his family ties but was actually a mole for the police. The battle between good cop and bad cop took place in split roles the good cop hung out with the bad people while the bad cop hung out with the good people. Costigan was forced to live a life he vowed not to live to bring down the man he grew to hate, Costello, while Sullivan lived the life of an honored police officer and secretly worked for the mafia. The many twists in the plot keep you guessing whether good or evil will win all the way up to the final scene. Even then, you are still not sure.

Chi Epsilon: R.O.C.K. Weekend 2007

Chi Epsilon’s calendar is always action-packed with hallmark activities.

One of the biggest service/leadership initiatives we accomplished

this year was attending the American Cancer Society’s R.O.C.K.

(Reaching Out to Cancer Kids) weekend. This is an annual event organ-

ized by the American Cancer Society. Over this past Labor Day

Weekend, families that have been dealt the blow of having and loving

a child diagnosed with cancer were able to come out and forget about

their problems, if only for this one weekend. The American Cancer

Society facilitates this by separating the children and adults for a

good part of the weekend and leading activities focused on each per-

son’s thoughts and feelings about cancer and what it has done to

their lives. ACS also added some fun with art projects, silly singers,

and even a chance to paint t-shirts, provided by our chapter. It was

an experience everyone involved will not soon forget.

Chi Epsilon not only volunteered to be with the kids, but took the ini-

tiative to call the director of the program and ask her if there was

anything else we could do to help prior to the event. We began send-

ing donation letters and approaching t-shirt vendors to create t-

shirts for a signing event Chi Epsilon sponsored. We were able to

gather donations, get the shirts made, and execute a highly success-

ful event.