UNF will soon be the home to Sigma Lambda Beta, the first multicultural fraternity in the university’s history.

It is the largest multicultural fraternity of its kind in the nation with more than 120 entities. The fraternity is expected to be on campus by the end of this academic year, said Luis Montanez, alumni adviser for the fraternity.

Montanez, a former brother from Florida State University, will oversee its completion. Last fall, he approached Greek Life Adviser Tyler Young about expanding after noticing the fraternity’s absence
at UNF.

A new wave of freshmen enter the ranks at UNF every fall, their experience in high school quickly washed away in the wake of financial aid, registration and college coursework.

In many cases, the 12 years of grade school education is in preparation for a college career, but recent studies show many students have no idea what is expected of them when entering college.

Diploma to Nowhere, the report released this year by Strong American Schools made a shocking statement.

According to SAS, 70 percent of all eighth grade students are not proficient in reading, and most will never catch up.

If bailing out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, IndyMac and Bear Sterns did not provide enough liquidity into the banking system, why is the Federal Reserve bailing out AIG to the tune of $85 billion and laying out plans to infuse “hundreds of billions of dollars,” according to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at a press conference Sept. 19?

The government’s unprecedented, unconstitutional and inefficient intervention has not worked, yet the politicians and the political operatives continue to tell the American public to hang on – it will only take a few more hundred billion dollars.

Twenty years have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and during that time, the United States has enjoyed the spotlight of being on top of the world stage.

But this could change.

The United States might soon be replaced and outshined by a new actor on stage. However, it is not China or India. Instead, it is a familiar actor with a familiar face – Russia.

Being a Floridian for nearly 20 years, I have grown accustom to the over-dramatization each hurricane season by the local news and have become desensitized to the straight-faced talking heads as the “apocalypse” draws ever so near.

During the years, I have continued this practice, and the coverage of Hurricane Ike was no exception. Nostalgia set in as the alarmists haven’t let me down yet.

In the days leading up to Hurricane Ike’s arrival, we were shown images from meteorological professionals “predicting” where the storm would hit.