Nearly 75 students were already lined up at the Student Union awaiting the free test. Anyone who wants to get tested can go Student Union.

“Most STDs are easily diagnosed and treated, but they often have no symptoms and go undetected. When not found or treated, the disease continues to spread and can impact the health of others,” said Dr. Kevin M Sherin, Director of the Orange County Health Department.

The Health Department has set up several other free testing location this month. Check out the rest of the locations below:

April 11, 2012 from 9:30am – 2:00pm- La Esperanza Apartments, 5900 Park Hamilton Blvd.Orlando
April 12, 2012 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm- L.A. Fitness, 1560 E. Silver Star, Ocoee
April 14, 2012 from 9:00am – 3;00pm- Walgreens, 2550 N. Hiawassee Rd. Orlando
April 18, 2012 from 4:00pm – 6:00pm- YMCA, 870 N. Hastings St. Orlando
April 21, 2012 from 9:00am – 3:00pm- Sam’s Club, 7810 W. Colonial Dr. Ocoee
April 25, 2012 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm- Timberleaf Apartments, 5435 Timberleaf Blvd. Orlando
April 28, 2012 from 9:00am – 3:00pm- Walmart, 2500 S. Kirkman Rd. Orlando

Orange County Animal Services and the local office of Fish and Wildlife Services said that this is a very common situation around buildings with glass windows, especially in the nesting season of some species of birds.
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Several birds were found dead outside of the music building at the Performing Arts Center on UCF’s campus. A student found about seven dead birds while walking through and reported the situation to KnightNews.com.

The student, who told us the birds had no apparent physical trauma, was worried an environmental factor could have caused the deaths. (See the video the student shot himself and sent us, below.)

KnightNews.com contacted UCF’s Environmental Health & Safety Coordinator who said that UCF does not believe, based on initial information, that there is any threat to the UCF community.

“After talking with some of the departments in Facilities and Safety, the preliminary information we have is suggesting that the reason for the death of the birds is not related to an unsafe situation that could affect the UCF Community,” Noel Crespo told KnightNews.com.

The mystery still remains however, as to what caused these birds to die.

“I am still in the process of gathering information before getting to a final conclusion,” Crespo added.

We will continue to follow this matter and report any other mysterious animal deaths around campus.

KnightNews.com is currently checking into additional tips of bird deaths elsewhere on campus viewers sent us after this story broke.

If UCF can find out what caused these birds to die, KnightNews.com will let you know.

Below are pictures sent into us from the student:

UCF just agreed to spend $15 million on land next to its medical school, where UCF could build its own hospital. The land buy itself was controversial, because it appraised for less than what UCF agreed to pay in this down market, and prominent university trustee Harris Rosen criticized the deal as too expensive.

Now, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel, two local hospitals that have invested millions in Medical City are not pleased with UCF’s plans to build yet another hospital on the east side of Orlando. Its purpose would be as a teaching hospital, UCF said.

As far as UCF’s partners Florida Hospital and Orlando Health are concerned, the plan was to have UCF med students train at the existing hospital’s facilities, in order to avoid duplicate costs.

“We had a clear vision when we put the partnership together,” Florida Hospital President Lars Houmann told the Sentinel. “That vision is changing. … The university has been very honest with us by telling us: That original vision does not appear to be workable.”

The dean of the college of medicine, UCF VP Deborah German, originally told the Sentinel she wasn’t even aware of the concerns being raised, and that she wants to keep having students using the partners’ facilities as well as the new UCF hospital.

“The point is students need to have the experience of all the varieties of medical environments,” German told the Sentinel. “Our students need to have every experience. They need a breadth of experiences. We would still need them to do what they do today.”

When the medical school is fully built, it will serve almost 500 students, German told the paper.

The new health care center will be the closest off-site emergency health care center to campus.

On top of treating non-life threatening illnesses, the center is also equipped with labs and x-rays.

View Larger Map
The center will accept all major credit cards, and operate Weekdays 9:00am to 9:00pm and Weekends 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Take note that the free screenings and lunch are on a first-come-first-serve basis, so make sure to get there quick!

The show is hosted by sex columnist Dan Savage, who has been touring other universities across the nation for his planned MTV show, Savage University. He set up a Facebook page about his trip to UCF, which states, “MTV and Dan are coming to UCF and are interested in your stories, questions, tips & ideas when it comes to students, sex, dating, relationships and hookups.”

Savage and his producers are looking to find out what makes UCF special when it comes to sex and relationships. He’s also advertising that he’s trying to uncover the “sexual pulse” of UCF, what students believe is “too much” or “too little” sex, whether students are settling down or hooking up, and if UCF students “sexperiment.”

The advertisements make it clear “no topics are taboo” and welcome all views and perspective. Savage set up a twitter page for the UCF event, where he posted a picture of a flier promoting the event containing the logos of UCF’s Student Government Association and Campus Activities Board.

The flier says filming will happen from Nov. 14 – Nov. 17, both on and off campus. It asks students who are interested in appearing on the MTV show about sex to send a recent photo, name, phone number, along with a relevant question or story to mtv.ucf@gmail.com.

Information that some sort of a bacterial infection caused Hefferin’s death was communicated by UCF administrators to Greek leaders this afternoon, KnightNews.com has learned.

Ann Hefferin on Homecoming Court

The medical examiner’s office has so far declined to release the full autopsy report, telling KnightNews.com the full autopsy report is not available at this time.

The medical examiner’s statement indicates toxicology testing confirmed a “trace” amount of alcohol was detected in her fluids, along with the drug naproxen (it didn’t specify if it was the prescription drug or an over-the-counter version) and caffeine within her blood.

ALCOHOL BAN ALMOST LIFTED IN RECENT VOTE AT GREEK COUNCIL

We’re working to gather much more information and reaction from the Greek community as to how this could impact the unprecedented ban on alcoholic events in Greek Life. KnightNews.com has obtained public records that show half of the councils sitting on the board recently voted to lift the alcohol ban during a Sept. 9 meeting.

Greek Council Almost Lifts Alcohol Ban, Read 9/9 Minutes

In a Sept. 12 email Greek Student Involvement Director Anthony Perry sent to his colleagues, he discussed push-back over the alcohol ban from minority councils in the Greek community.

“I don’t consider this a legal matter, but the legal concepts of ‘disparate treatment’ and ‘disparate impact’ exist on some level with this,” Perry wrote in the email. “Some students may be headed that way based upon what I’ve seen and heard.”

On Sept. 23, minutes show the Greek Council hosted another meeting where major changes to the moratorium were made. A vote passed unanimously which authorized organizations to now seek permission to host alcohol events, which would then be evaluated on a case-by-case basis before OFSL approval is given.

Check back for more details as soon as we get them.

Read the press release from the Medical Examiner’s Office on the next page.

If you know of a story we should check into text us at 407-5-Tip-UCF. Also, make sure you like us on Facebook.com/knightnews.

UCF President Hitt in Courthouse

See more testimony video in the Ereck Plancher trial and watch the closing arguments and opening statements.

Check back to KnightNews.com for continuing coverage of the fallout from the verdict, as well as for updates on the progress of UCFAA’s appeal.

KnightNews.com talked with several UCF students who attended the Electric Daisy Carnival, known as EDC, and confirmed the drug use was widespread among UCF students. While many admitted they used it off the record, none agreed to have their name attached to it on the record, for obvious reasons.

“People smuggled them in their bras. The guys smuggled them in underwear,” a student who attended EDC told KnightNews.com on the condition of anonymity.

“Everyone is taking this drug for the first time, I swear,” the student, who admitted taking the drug, told KnightNews.com. “They want to experiment, try something new.”

KnightNews.com learned some UCF students got their supply of “Molly” from South Florida.

Most were not aware of the side effects. KnightNews.com researched MDMA and learned there are dangers that can be deadly. Sasha Rodriguez, a 15-year-old girl who attended EDC in Los Angeles last year, died of an overdose from MDMA.

According to the LA Times, “the ingestion of the hallucinogen caused Sasha to lose oxygen to her brain, leading to inactivity and death.”

She arrived to the hospital in a coma, after an ambulance ride where she had seizures. She also had abnormal heart rhythms before tests showed she had no brain activity and she was pulled off life support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUicv2RMvVc

“We have looked at what happened in other cities and taken measures to ensure they don’t happen here in Orlando,” Heather Fagan, Mayor Buddy Dyer’s press secretary, told the Orlando Sentinel.

The students KnightNews.com talked to confirmed security was tight, but admitted it didn’t stop them from sneaking in MDMA and consuming multiple doses throughout the night. And when the rave ended downtown, many students came back to the UCF area for after parties.

This flier was made in LA after an MDMA death at EDC

It’s not yet clear if the spike in MDMA/Molly use among UCF students will die off now that EDC has left town, or continue now that students have tried it.

In LA, officials published a controversial flier acting as a guide on how to avoid complications with MDMA. It came under fire for giving tips on how to minimize risks while using MDMA, such as by avoiding combining caffeine and other stimulants while taking MDMA. The flier does point out the best way to stay safe is not to use it at all, but that advice wasn’t the most prominent.

EFFECTS, DANGERS OF MOLLY/MDMA

KnightNews.com researched the findings of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which states: “MDMA can cause a dangerous increase in body temperature that can lead to kidney failure. MDMA can also increase heart rate, blood pressure, and heart wall stress. Animal studies show that MDMA can damage specific neurons in the brain. In humans, the research is not conclusive at this time; however, a number of studies show that long-term, heavy MDMA users suffer cognitive deficits, including problems with memory.”

Other side effects can include: nausea, chills, sweating, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping, and blurred vision. The institute reports that MDMA overdose can also occur, which include symptoms like high blood pressure, faintness, panic attacks, and in severe cases, a loss of consciousness and seizures.

Even if you avoid the initial side effects, more can come over the course of the week following “moderate use of the drug,” according to the institute. Many MDMA users later report feeling emotions ranging from anxiety, restlessness, irritability and sadness that in some cases can be as severe as true clinical depression, the institute reports.

Research is unclear on whether MDMA is addictive, however, data indicates it can be in some cases. If you have an addiction you’d like to talk about, the UCF Counseling Center is available for free to answer any questions. The number is 407.823.2811.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told KnightNews.com that together with the International Drive Resort Area
Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Children and Families, the groups will meet with Beard to “recognize her for her quick thinking and heroic actions in saving the life of a 1-year-old.”

Beard will get a medal of merit for her actions on the night of April 21, 2011, where officials say she saved the life of the child who, after clinging from the railings of a fourth story Econolodge hotel balcony, fell to the ground.

“Mrs. Beard showed unusual instinct and initiative when she exited from the swimming pool area and was able to catch the child as she fell, thus saving her from extreme physical injuries and/or death,” an Orange County sheriff’s spokesman said.