Today, Friday, April 5, Stetson’s duPont-Ball Library will celebrate 125 years as a federal depository library. Everyone is invited to join in the festivities from 3-5 p.m.

The School of Music has many exceptional programs scheduled throughout the month of April. This upcoming week alone features a concert tonight, Friday evening, April 5, highlighting the works of Stetson’s student composers, and Stetson will host Saturday’s Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion on April 6, followed up with a percussion ensembles concert next Saturday, April 13. The University Symphony Orchestra will perform next Friday evening, April 12. And, this Sunday, April 7, Piano Professor and Steinway Artist Michael Rickman will perform in a celebratory concert commemorating his 30^th anniversary at Stetson. Check out Stetson’s full cultural calendar for this semester here.

Sunday evening, April 7, everyone is invited to Movie Night at the Ballpark. Come join in the outdoors fun and bring a chair or blanket to claim your spot in the outfield at Melching Field at Conrad Park to watch the award-winning film, “Angels in the Outfield.” The event is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted and will go toward Stetson’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s (SAAC) Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society.

Speaking of films scheduled next week, “The Music Never Stopped” about the health/memory benefits of music therapy. Psychology professor Camille King and students, Susan Moore and Molly Moses, will answer questions about how the human brain responds to music therapy.

Students are reminded to register on Monday and Tuesday, April 8 and 9, for summer session and the fall semester.

Religious freedom is the topic of the Shurden Lectures, scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday, April 9-10. Brent Walker, special guest speaker, will speak on “First Principles: God-given, but government protected” on Tuesday. Wednesday’s lectures include “First Freedoms: Accommodate religion, but don’t advance it” at 3 p.m., and  ”Religion and Politics: How did we do in 2012?” at 5 p.m.  Everyone is welcome to attend free of charge.

Transaction Day, Thursday, April 11, is a day of engaged dialogue between students, faculty, staff, and community members on gender, gender roles and a full range of gender identity issues.

Taco Bar is open to students on Thursday, April 11 at 11 p.m. in the Commons. Support Zeta Tau Alpha’s Philanthropy Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. Catered by Moe’s.

Don’t forget to nominate your favorite professor for Stetson’s McEniry Teaching Award by going to the online nomination form. The deadline has been extended to April 11. This award will be presented at Commencement.

On Saturday, April 13, Stetson will welcome approximately 1,200 special guests, including 385 potential Hatters and their families to Hatter Saturday.

Earth Day at Stetson will be celebrated Saturday, April 20. Everyone is invited to the “Keeping it Green” Earth-friendly activities and environmental education for all ages planned for the day.

Be sure to check out all Stetson University events on the online calendar on Stetson Today. Keep up with all Hatter Athletic schedules at GOHATTERS.COM.

As a culmination of the year’s work, the choir will be performing a variety of sacred and secular repertoire with the most recent material taken from their 2013 Spring Tour through the states of Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.

The 90-minute program features music by composers including Palestrina, Mendelssohn, Copland, Whitacre and Russian choral master composers. The choir is conducted by Dr. Timothy Peter, director of choral activities, who is completing his first year in leading the Stetson University School of Music choral program.

General admission is $10; $8 for seniors; and $5 for area students. It is free to Stetson students, faculty and staff with ID, and for concert series card holders. For tickets and information, contact Stetson’s School of Music at (386) 822-8950, or www.stetson.edu/music. To see Stetson’s full cultural calendar, click here.

Michael Rickman, Steinway Artist and professor of piano, will celebrate his 30th anniversary at Stetson University at his celebratory recital Sunday, April 7, 3 p.m., in Lee Chapel.

Hailed by the New York Times, Daytona Beach News-Journal and newspapers around the globe for his brilliance on the piano, Dr. Michael Rickman, Steinway Artist and Professor of Piano, will celebrate 30 years teaching at Stetson University with a much anticipated recital on Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m.

Upon entering his studio in Presser Hall at Stetson, one might feel slightly intimidated by the two grand pianos that sit side by side or the numerous diplomas and accolades that grace the walls. Instead you will find the presence of a worldly, knowledgeable man who is personable, well studied and a master of his instrument.

With roots in Asheville, N.C., he completed his degrees at Mars Hill College and the University of North Texas. The many influential teachers of his profession, of whom he speaks so highly, included the late Grace Potter Carroll, Richard Cass, Jack Roberts, and Karen Shaw.

Before beginning his current post at Stetson University in 1983, he served on the faculty of William Woods and Westminster Colleges in Fulton, Mo., and at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. It was at the suggestion of colleagues, Dr. and Mrs. Rich, who felt Rickman could make a substantial contribution to this private, central Florida university that he, with some trepidation, applied for the position at Stetson. It was during the interview phase, when he witnessed the level of student achievement and the professionalism of his future colleagues, that his decision came with ease.

Over the years, Rickman’s contributions to not only the University but also to his profession, have been more than substantial. In 1990 he received the Homer and Dolly Hand Award for Creative Activity and Research and, in 1995, was the recipient of the most prestigious faculty award granted by Stetson University, the William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. One of his most significant achievements came in 2009 when Rickman was named to the prestigious roster of Steinway artists, consisting of approximately only 1600 pianists worldwide.

With international performances in Latvia, Chile, Bolivia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Toronto, London, and Paris as well as in Miami, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Louisville, Kansas City, Sacramento and at the Alice Tully, Bruno Walter and Carnegie Halls in New York, Rickman’s performances have received exceptional praise from audiences and the media worldwide. Rickman and his students have impressed audiences for the past seven years at the Orfeo (formerly Schlern) International Music Festival in Northern Italy.

As he approaches the milestone of teaching 30 years at Stetson, he is grateful for the many students whom he has seen excel and who have themselves created magnificent careers. His face lights up when he speaks about teaching Master Classes during which students and the general public witness Rickman’s teaching of other students. His passion for the piano, for music making and for the continued success of his beloved students is obvious.

With thoughts to the future, Rickman’s greatest desire is to see a first-class performing arts center on campus. He looks to the skills of the new dean of the School of Music to help develop this dream and envisions a time when students, alumni and members of the community will enjoy outstanding music in this new center.

As he approaches his milestone recital on Sunday, April 7, he is excited about the works he chose to include, which took great consideration. Rickman’s Faculty Recital, featuring his celebrated skills on the piano, will take place in Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall at 3 p.m. on Stetson’s DeLand campus, 421 N. Woodland Blvd.

Tickets are free to the Stetson University community with ID, and concert series card holders. For more information, contact the School of Music at www.stetson.edu/music, or call the Ticket Office at (386) 822-8950.

Click here to enjoy the Schubert posthumous Sonata in A Major, one of the works Rickman plans to perform at his celebratory recital April 7. Rickman was also interviewed live on WSBB Radio on Tuesday, April 2, AM 1230 and AM 1490.

The Class of 2013 formed their class year in this photo taken at Orientation Day four years ago.

Happy Spring! The beginning of April at Stetson University traditionally means the time when Stetson students, especially seniors, are working hard to complete final projects as deadlines approach. The 2013 Showcase of research and creative arts, scheduled this year for April 16, will feature the greatest number of projects since the program debuted in 1999. To enable students to attend, classes will be cancelled that day, and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Hatter baseball and other sports are in full swing. All home games are included in the calendar below. Be sure to check out all Hatter sports at GOHATTERS.COM. For more of what’s happening in Hatter Country this week, check out the calendar below:

Music Concerts:

• University Chamber Orchestra – Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m., Anthony Hose, conductor, Lifepoint Community Church, DeLand
• Music by Student Composers- 7:30 p.m., Lee Chapel

Friday, March 29

• GOOD FRIDAY – University Holiday
• Softball vs. Northern Kentucky- 1 p.m., Patricia Wilson Field
• Baseball vs. Kennesaw State- 6:30 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park

Saturday, March 30

• Habitat for Humanity Build- 8 a.m., Meet on CUB Steps
• Women’s Tennis vs. USC Upstate- 10 a.m., Mandy Stoll Tennis Center
• Softball vs. Northern Kentucky- Noon, Patricia Wilson Field
• Baseball vs. Kennesaw State- 1 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park
• Men’s Tennis vs. USC Upstate- 2 p.m., Mandy Stoll Tennis Center

Sunday, March 31

• Easter Sunday Chapel Service, 5:30 p.m., Lee Chapel
• Francophone Movie Night – The Silences of the Palace-6 p.m., Sampson 129

Monday, April 1

• Cardio Yoga- 12:15 p.m., Hollis Center Dance Studio
• PRIDE Week: Juicy Justine- 8 p.m., Stetson Room

Tuesday, April 2

• Gentle Yoga- 5 p.m., Nite Lights – Above the bookstore
• GPS: Guide for Proactive Success- 5:15 p.m., Sage 257
• Habitat for Humanity Meeting- 6:15 p.m., Hollis Center Classroom
• Catholic Campus Ministry Meeting- 8 p.m., 103 Allen Hall
• PRIDE Week: Juicy Justine- 8 p.m., Stetson Room

Wednesday, April 3

• #Politics: The Social Media Revolution in Putin’s Russia, 4 p.m., Rinker Aud., LBC
• Sand Volleyball vs. North Florida- 2 p.m., Sand Volleyball Courts
• APVMA – Representative from Ross University- 6:15 p.m., Sage 221
• Gays in the Military: Why the All-Volunteer Force- 7 p.m., Library 25L
• Stetson Speakers Bureau Meeting- 7 p.m., LBC 220
• Cheerleading Clinic- 7:45 p.m., Hollis Gym / Rinker Fieldhouse
• PRIDE Week: Prayers for Bobby- 8 p.m., Cross Cultural Center

Thursday, April 4

• DUI Promise-  4 p.m., Rinker Auditorium
• Screening of – Brother-  6 p.m., Russian Studies Center
• Trilogue of the Abrahamic Faith- 6:30 p.m., Allen Hall
• Tournees French Film Festival- 8 p.m., Rinker Environmental Learning Center
• Poetry at an Uncouth Hour- 9 p.m., Nite Lights
• PRIDE Week: Rocky Horror Picture Show- 11 p.m., Lee Chapel

Friday, April 5

• duPont-Ball Library Federal Depository 125th Anniversary -3 PM, Library (Main Floor)
• PRIDE Week: Gay Prom- 8 p.m., Allen Hall

Ongoing exhibits:

• Digital Arts Senior Exhibition continues through April 5, Hand Art Center
• Oscar Bluemner’s Germany: Juxtaposing Jerichow – Hand Art Center. Runs through April 29.

by Shelby Scraper and the Stetson Today Team

“Stetson teacher-scholars facilitate transformational learning in our students,” said Provost Elizabeth Paul, who made the announcement Wednesday, March 27. “They are themselves passionate lifelong learners who, through their scholarly, creative and professional engagement, make important contributions to the advancement of knowledge, disciplines and society. And they are leaders of the continual progress of Stetson University in realizing our important mission. Each and every one of these individuals exemplifies teacher-scholar excellence. I celebrate their accomplishments and thank them for their inspiration and impact.”

Cindy Bennington – Promotion to Professor of Biology

Bennington

Dr. Cindy Bennington has conducted ecological research in Alaska, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida.  At Stetson, she teaches courses on ecology and botany; she actively engages students in research on arctic and temperate plant species. Central Florida’s dry, sandy, nutrient-poor soils, coupled with a rich diversity of animal attackers, provide ample opportunities for her to pursue long-standing interests in plant adaptation to stressful environments.  She also regularly involves Stetson students in environmental service-learning projects both on and off campus.  Currently, she and Dr. Karen Cole, Director of the Gillespie Museum, are working to develop the Volusia Sandhill Teaching Landscape, a project adjacent to the Museum where visitors can learn about the longleaf pine ecosystem that historically dominated the sandhills of central Florida.

David Bjella – Promotion to Professor of Music

Bjella

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cellist David Bjella has had a multi-faceted career as a teacher, chamber musician, orchestral player, and soloist. He directs the Chamber Music program at Stetson and is Co-Principal in the IRIS Chamber Orchestra.  He is also a member of the Inman Piano Trio. One of the featured IRIS chamber musicians for the Naxos-released CD “Music of Stephen Hartke,” chosen by the New York Times as a “Top 10 Classical Recording of 2003,” Bjella has held appointments as Visiting Associate Professor of Cello at Florida State University and Professor of Cello at the University of Central Florida. He has also taught in the Valade Master Teacher program at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan.

Debbi Dinkins – Promotion to Professor and Associate Dean of the duPont-Ball Library

Dinkins

Debbi Dinkins, Associate Dean of the duPont-Ball Library, works closely with the Dean of the Library on administration and planning.  She is responsible for all aspects of Technical Services, including acquisitions, cataloging, periodicals, and computer systems.  Dinkins manages the library’s materials budgets and operating budgets.  She oversees the acquisition and cataloging of the library’s collections, which include over 300,000 volumes of books and bound periodicals, more than 70,000 electronic books, and access to over 64,000 electronic journals.  Management and maintenance of the 46 public computers in the library are also her responsibility. Dinkins’ research and professional interests include patron-driven acquisition of eBooks, library collection evaluation, and cataloging.  Her articles have been published in such journals as College and Research Libraries and The Journal of Academic Librarianship.

Tishia Dunham – Promotion to Associate Professor of Legal Skills

Dunham

Tishia Dunham teaches legal skills and is Director of Bar Preparation Services.  Prior to joining Stetson’s faculty, Professor Dunham practiced law in the areas of employment law, commercial litigation, and real property with an emphasis on community associations.  Dunham teaches and writes primarily in the area of state constitutional law. She is the co-author of Florida Constitutional Law: Cases and Materials (Carolina Academic Press, 2013).

Glen Epley – Awarded tenure as Professor of Teacher Education

Dr. Glen Epley has been a sportswriter for a metropolitan daily newspaper, a high school history teacher, a professor at three universities, a deputy superintendent of the Volusia County Schools, and an executive with Brown & Brown, Inc., one of the premier insurance brokerages in the nation and world.  Since joining Stetson, Dr. Epley teaches primarily in the graduate program for educators who are pursuing masters’ degrees in educational leadership.  His specialties are school law and school finance.  He also teaches a seminar on the legal rights of students in public schools.  Dr. Epley’s research focuses on constitutional jurisprudence as it affects public schools, and he has published in NASSP Bulletin, Phi Delta Kappan, Education Law Reporter, Kappa Delta Pi Record, and The Clearing House, among others.  He is a frequent presenter at national conferences on school law and school finance.  His current research project involves the legal concerns for school officials when they attempt to regulate student speech off school grounds on the internet and social media sites.

Eric Kurlander – Promoted to Professor of History

Kurlander

Dr. Eric Kurlander teaches classes on modern German, European, and world history. His recent book, Living with Hitler (Yale, 2009), examines the ways in which German liberals negotiated, resisted, and in some ways accommodated the Third Reich. He is also author of The Price of Exclusion: Ethnicity, National Identity, and the Decline of German Liberalism, 1898-1933 (Berghahn, 2006). His articles have appeared in Central European History, The Journal of Contemporary History, The Historian, and other journals.  Kurlander has held fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Historical Institute, and other granting agencies.  He is currently at work on two additional book projects:  a textbook co-authored with colleague Dr. Kimberly Reiter, The West in Question: Continuity and Change (Pearson-Longman), and Nazi Monsters:  A Supernatural History of the Third Reich (Yale trade division, forthcoming).

 Lance Long – Awarded programmatic tenure and promoted to Professor of Legal Skills

Long

Lance Long joined Stetson after having taught legal research and writing at J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, and at the University of Oregon School of Law. Before teaching, Professor Long practiced with Morrison & Foerster in Orange County, California and Hill, Johnson & Schmutz in Provo, Utah. His practice focuses on appellate and motion practice in the areas of intellectual property, contract, and construction law. Professor Long’s scholarship currently centers on empirical analyses of language patterns in appellate briefs and opinions. His two most recent articles, “Does the Readability of Your Brief Affect Your Chance of Winning on Appeal?” and “Clearly Using Intensifiers is Very Bad—Or Is It?” were published, respectively, in the Journal of Appellate Practice & Process and The Idaho Law Review.

Brigid Noonan – Promotion to Professor of Counselor Education 

Noonan

Dr. Brigid M. Noonan, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC, ACS, chairs the Department of Counselor Education.  She has more than 19 years of clinical experience working with a range of diverse clients, with a focus on addiction, eating disorders and depression, disability, career issues, and sexual identity.  Her research focuses on international counselor education, advocacy and social justice, working with families, and sexuality and spirituality.  Her recent articles have been published in such venues as International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling and Professional Issues in Counseling.  She is also co-author of a chapter in Handbook of Counselor Preparation:  Constructivist, Developmental, and Experiential Approaches (Sage, 2011).

Jason Palmer – Awarded programmatic tenure

Palmer

Jason Palmer joined Stetson after teaching legal writing and oral advocacy at George Washington University Law School. Most recently, he worked for the Department of State, representing the United States in international arbitration cases before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. He also spent four years in Switzerland working as a claims judge for the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts, adjudicating claims of victims of Nazi persecution; for the United Nations Compensation Commission, coordinating review of Palestinian claims against Iraq as a result of its invasion and occupation of Kuwait; and for the Europa Institute at the University of Zurich, creating and teaching a course for Swiss lawyers on U.S. legal writing. Before working in Switzerland and at the Department of State, Professor Palmer spent several years in private practice in Washington, D.C., focusing on commercial litigation and international arbitration.  He is author of numerous articles on international law, and he has served as editor of several legal journals.

Leila Roach – Awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Counselor Education

Roach

Dr. Leila Roach coordinates the Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling Program. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an approved supervisor for Mental Health Counselors in the state of Florida and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). Dr. Roach has 22 years of experience counseling children, adolescents, adults, couples and families, including members of the Deaf community, in a variety of settings. She has advanced training in play therapy, couples counseling, and disaster mental health. Her research interests include wellness in counseling and counselor education, the personal and professional development of counseling students, and spirituality in counseling.

 Joshua Rust – Awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Philosophy

Rust

Dr. Joshua Rust is the author of two books, John Searle and the Construction of Social Reality (Continuum, 2005) and John Searle (Continuum, 2009). He is also a coauthor of several articles in empirical philosophy concerning the behavior of ethicists as compared to other academic professionals. On the lighter side, he has coauthored two essays (with Dr. Susan Pepper-Bates) at the intersection of popular culture and philosophy: one on True Blood and the other on Harry Potter. Areas of interest include metaphilosophy, explanation, social construction, and Wittgenstein. He is also interested in the history of 20th century analytic philosophy and ancient philosophy. Joshua is the secretary/treasurer for the Florida Philosophical Association, co-chair on the Values Steering Committee, and a member of the Social Justice Lecture Series Committee.

 Ranjini Thaver – Promoted to Professor of Economics 

Thaver

Dr. Ranjini Thaver, born in South Africa, completed her bachelor’s degree, with honors, in Economics at the University of Cape Town, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in Economics at the University of Notre Dame. She has taught at Stetson since 1992. She developed the first university-based microcredit program in the world, located in a poverty-stricken area in DeLand, and in Manio Village, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. She has partnered with local and national organizations to deliver economically empowering programs to the poor, such as personal finance education workshops, and volunteer income tax preparation (VITA). She is recipient of Stetson University’s McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has presented her research at international, national, and local conferences, and at universities such as Cornell, Notre Dame, and Mary Washington College.

Chris Tobler – Awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Finance 

Tobler

Dr. Chris Tobler teaches both undergraduate and graduate level course in finance and in the Executive MBA and JD/BMA programs.  His teaching interests include investments, corporate finance and risk-management.  His scholarship focuses on derivatives, asset pricing, and the role of overvaluation in mergers and acquisitions. He has published in various journals including the Journal of Finance and Accountancy, Banking and Finance Review and the International Journal of Global Business and Economics.

Louis Virelli – Promoted to Professor of Law

Virelli

Louis Virelli teaches courses in administrative law, civil procedure, constitutional law, and federal pretrial practice. He co-coaches two of Stetson’s moot court teams and is faculty advisor to the Freethinkers Rhetoric Society and the Stetson chapter of the American Constitution Society.  Prior to joining Stetson, Professor Virelli served as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  He also taught legal research and writing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he was named best oralist in the law school’s Keedy Cup moot court competition and served as articles editor on the Journal of Constitutional Law. Professor Virelli clerked for Judge Franklin S. Van Antwerpen of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Judge Leonard I. Garth of the Third Circuit.  He has written on constitutional interpretation, congressional power, the teaching of evolution in public schools, and the role of scientific information in the regulatory process. His articles have appeared in such journals as the Miami Law Review, the Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy, the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, and the Administrative Law Review. 

Becky Watts – Awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies 

Watts

Dr. Rebecca Watts’ teaching and scholarship centers on the application of rhetorical theory and criticism to public culture, including Southern culture, political culture, and popular culture. She is interested in organizational crisis rhetoric as well as internet communication as a way of increasing participation in public culture (in everything from political culture to sports culture).  Her book, Contemporary Southern Identity: Community through Controversy (University Press of Mississippi, 2008), applies rhetorical theory and criticism to Southern culture specifically and public discourse in general.

John York – Awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry 

York

Dr. John York has expertise in inorganic, organometallic, and biological inorganic chemistry.  His research focuses on using transition metal compounds to perform important chemical transformations.  He is especially interested in understanding how copper can function in both biological and industrial systems to bind with important organic molecules like alkenes and thiophenes. In this research, Dr. York utilizes both synthetic chemistry and computational chemistry methods.  He is also active in the field of chemical education and develops innovative techniques and materials for teaching chemistry to undergraduate students.

Four annual awards and honors will be presented at the end of the year and who receives them may depend on you. It’s time to nominate your favorite teacher or colleague, fellow students or even yourself  for one of the distinguished honors listed below. For more information on these and other awards, stay current with Stetson Today.

William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching

The Faculty Senate of Stetson University invites each student and faculty member to nominate a Stetson professor for Stetson University’s highest teaching award, the William Hugh McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. All full-time teaching faculty members on the DeLand Campus are eligible, with the exception of the following recent recipients:  Dr. Terry Farrell, Dr. Camille King, Dr. Noel Painter, Dr. Michael King and Dr. Eugene Huskey.

The criteria for selection include excellence in classroom teaching, professional growth, intellectual stimulation given to the academic community outside the classroom, and service to students and the university as a whole.

“This award serves to recognize a faculty’s impact not only from an educational perspective, but also from a humanistic mentoring and inspirational perspective,” said Associate Professor of Chemistry Harry Price, member of the nomination committee.

Final selection will be made by a secret 2013 McEniry Nomination Committee. The winner will be announced during the Spring Commencement. The nomination form is online. The deadline for nominations is 8 a.m. Monday, April 8, 2013. 

Josephine Field Davidson Award for Integrity in Journalism

Any current Stetson students who have published journalism on any topic, in any medium, including online or in The Reporter, are eligible to win $500 in the annual Davidson Award for Integrity in Journalism.

Stetson faculty and editors at The Daytona Beach News-Journal will select a winner based on which submission best exemplifies the integrity, accuracy, clarity, and unselfish concern for others personified by the late Josephine Field Davidson, editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal. (The award was established by Stetson alumni Bill and Sally Gillespie along with donations by friends, family and colleagues of the late editor of the News-Journal.) 

To enter:

• Choose up to three pieces of your best news, editorial, sports, or feature writing published during the past year, between April 1, 2012 and April 3, 2013.
• Submit original or legible copies (submissions won’t be returned) to Andy Dehnart via the English Department office (Flagler Hall room 224). If your writing is published online, you may submit links via e-mail to adehnart@stetson.edu.
• Include your name, 800 number, campus box number, e-mail address and phone number.
• Deadline: April 3 at noon.

Haven’t been published yet? Contact the staff of The Reporter (reporter@stetson.edu) to find out about contributing, and/or take JOUR 100 this fall to start learning about journalism.

Gender Studies Program’s Annual Ann Morris Essay and Creative Writing Contest 

The 2013 Gender Studies Program’s Annual Ann Morris Essay and Creative Writing Contest, with $500 in prizes to be awarded for Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Essays, Research, and Creative Non-fiction.  Deadline for submission is 3 p.m. on Monday, April 1.  Submit entries to Dr. Diane Everett, 221 Davis Hall.  Winners to be announced at the Annual Gender Studies Reception on April 18.

Contest Rules:

• Entries must in some way address the issues of gender, race, ethnicity, social class, and/or sexuality;
• Entrants must be currently registered undergraduate or graduate students;
• All entries must be typed, titled, and sealed in an envelope, with the contest name indicated on the front of the envelope;
• All entries should include a removable page with the author’s name, campus unit number, telephone number, email address, and Stetson University identification number;
• The Stetson University identification number should appear on each page of each entry, but no other identifying information should appear on the entry;
• An entry may be solely or jointly authored;
• An author may submit up to three entries (jointly-authored entries count as one); and
• An author should submit three complete copies of each entry.
• For more information, contact Dr. Diane Everett at ddeveret@stetson.edu.

Nominate senior speakers for commencement ceremonies 

For this year’s commencement ceremonies, three senior speakers will be chosen: one from the College of Arts and Sciences, one from the School of Music and one from the School of Business Administration. Senior Speakers typically are students with a solid academic record who have made significant contributions to the Stetson community through leadership and co-curricular involvement. They represent students who have fully engaged in the educational experience while at Stetson. The information provided within the nomination will be used to select 18 semifinalists (six from College of Arts and Sciences, six from School of Business, six from School of Music). The semifinalists for Senior Speaker will be notified and asked to submit an application which includes a description of the topic and a brief outline of their remarks. Nine finalists will be chosen to present their proposed speeches to a committee of faculty, staff and students for selection. It is acceptable for students to nominate themselves for Senior Commencement Speaker. Deadline for submission is Wednesday, April 10. Please use the following link to make your nomination: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H85K3T6.

The Women’s Basketball team soaks up the energy, enthusiasm and well-wishes at Stetson’s send-off party Thursday before leaving for Columbus, Ohio.

Week Ahead in Hatter Country, March 22 – 29

WE BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN – Stetson Campus Life and Athletics will host a Watch Party in the Hat Rack at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, to watch the Hatter Women’s Basketball team take on UCLA in the NCAA Championship game. Everyone is welcome. Hope to see you there!

Here’s a list of other things going on this week ahead at Stetson:

Friday, March 22

• Mid-Term Withdrawal Date and Last Day to Drop Course
• The Emotional Brain: Remembering with Feeling-12 p.m., Library 25L
• Daytona Beach Cleanup-2 p.m., Meet at Sage Hall parking lot
• Greek Week: Freedom BBQ-5 p.m.
• Stetson Alumni Night with the Miami Heat-6:30 p.m., American Airlines Arena, Miami (www.stetson.edu/alumni/rsvp), or call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 800.688.HATS)
• Baseball vs. Mercer-6:30 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park
• Carnival 2013-8 p.m., Rinker Fieldhouse

Saturday, March 23

• 

  Get ready to throw some paint at the annual Paint Party, Saturday night on Cummings Lawn.

  Habitat for Humanity Build-8 a.m., Meet on CUB Steps

• Softball vs. Mercer (DH)-1 p.m., Patricia Wilson Field
• Baseball vs. Mercer-2 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park
• Movie Night – “The Intouchables”-5 p.m., duPont Ball Library
• Paint Party Presented by: Hatter Productions-8 p.m., Cummings Gym Lawn

Sunday, March 24

• Baseball vs. Mercer-1 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park
• Softball vs. Mercer-1 p.m., Patricia Wilson Field
• Brass Ensemble-3 p.m., Lee Chapel, Elizabeth Hall
• Chapel Service-5:30 p.m., Lee Chapel
• Francophone Movie Night – Heading South-6 p.m., Sampson 129

Monday, March 25

• Cardio Yoga-12:15 p.m., Hollis Center Dance Studio
• Opening Reception – Senior Digital Arts Exhibition-6 p.m., Hand Art Center. Digital Arts Exhibit runs through April 5

• U.S.-Mexican Relations: Facts and Challenges - public talk by H.E. Alberto Fierro Garza, Consul of Mexico in Orlando, 5:45 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB, sponsored by WORLD: International Learning and Sigma Iota Rho – part of Stetson International Week

Remember, watch the Hatter News Flash video each week!

Tuesday, March 26

• Sand Volleyball vs. Florida Atlantic-10 a.m., Sand Volleyball Courts
• Heart Walk Informational Meeting-2 p.m., CUB 255
• Gentle Yoga-5 p.m., Nite Lights
• GPS: Guide for Proactive Success-5:15 p.m., Sage 257 “What your Facebook status says about you”
• Habitat for Humanity Meeting-6:15 p.m., Hollis Center Classroom
• Baseball vs. Florida A&M-6:30 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park
• Movie Night – For Colored Girls-7 p.m., Allen Hall
• Guitar Ensembles-7:30 p.m., Lee Chapel
• Tournees French Film Festival – Le Gamin Au Velo- 7:30 p.m., Nite Lights
• Catholic Campus Ministry Meeting- 8 p.m., Allen Hall 103

Wednesday, March 27

• Students Advocating Sustainability at Stetson- 5:30 p.m., Coffee Shop
• Women in the Workplace: Glass Ceiling Effect & It- 6 p.m., Stetson Room
• $tart $mart Workshop- 6 p.m., Sage 257 Sponsored by Stetson’s NOW Organization and Office of Career Development and Academic Advising
• Stetson Speakers Bureau Meeting- 7 p.m., LBC 220
• Cheerleading Clinic- 7:45 p.m., Hollis Gym

Thursday, March 28

• Men’s Tennis vs. East Tennessee State- Noon, Mandy Stoll Tennis Center
• Women’s Tennis vs. East Tennessee State- 4 p.m., Mandy Stoll Tennis Center
• Marine Geography Movie Night: Stolen Seas- 6 p.m., Sage 257
• Baseball vs. Kennesaw State- 6:30 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park
• Music Festival- 7:30 p.m., Rinker Field
• Poetry at an Uncouth Hour- 9 p.m., Nite Lights

Friday, March 29

• GOOD FRIDAY – No Classes; University Holiday
• Softball vs. Northern Kentucky- 1 p.m., Patricia Wilson Field
• Baseball vs. Kennesaw State- 6:30 p.m., Melching Field at Conrad Park

by Shelby Scraper

• 

  WE BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!   Photo by Lauren Robbins

Spring 2013 has sprung! Photo by Lauren Robbins

Post Newtown Public Forum: This is a reminder that Stetson University will host the second of two community forums on Wednesday, March 20, 6-8:30 p.m. in the Stetson Room. At the forums panelists will discuss issues that have arisen in the aftermath of the recent school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Topics including mental health services, safe schools and communities, and violence in public places will be discussed. Cultural credit will be given to Stetson students. Please watch Stetson Today for more information on this free, public community forum.

Senator Bob Graham’s public address on civic engagement, Friday, March 15 7 p.m., in the Stetson Room. All faculty, students, staff and the public are invited. Graham is the keynote speaker at Stetson’s 42^nd U.S. Model Senate, Friday and Saturday, March 15-16.

TEDxStetsonU- Friday, March 15, 2:30-7:30 p.m., Allen Hall Auditorium. The theme is Significance in Action: Inspired Learning. The selected presenters include: Stetson professors Andy Dehnart and Mario Rodriguez; students Luke Ford and Kai Eckenrode; and community members Ben Collins and Steven Carillo.

Annual Career Expo - Wednesday, March 20, 1 p.m., Rinker Field House

Music concerts this week:

• Friday, March 15, 7:30 p.m. Concert to honor memory of former Music Dean Paul Langston
• Sunday, March 17, 3 p.m. Early Music Faculty Recital featuring Ann Adams, baroque oboe; Boyd Jones, harpsichord; Christine Kyprianides, viola da gamba; Tammara Phillips, baroque flute; Lee Goodhew Romm, baroque bassoon; and Pro Deo et Veritate, Stetson’s Early Music Singers.

Stetson students bring you up to date on events in each week’s Hatter News Flash. This week’s episode includes an interview with blogger Philip Yang, whose Stetson life for the fresh(set) man blog on Tumblr offers a first-year student’s perspective on campus life.

Other campus events happening this week: 

Friday, March 15:

• Student Success Sessions – noon, 25L
• Decision-Making and Values – 2:30 p.m., LBC 124                                                           

Saturday, March 16:

• SU Admissions Open House 8:30 a.m., Office of Admission
• Science Saturday at Gillespie Museum – on brain awareness. Part of Brain Discovery Week 

Sunday, March 17:

• Stetson Farmer’s Market-10 a.m., Stetson Green
• Chapel Service-5:30 p.m., Lee Chapel
• Francophone Movie Night – Woubi Cheri-6 p.m., Sampson 129 

Monday, March 18:

• Cardio Yoga-12:15 P.M., Hollis Center Dance Studio
• Student Success Sessions-6 P.M., Library 25L
• NOW’s Women’s Week Movie-6 P.M., Elizabeth 319 

Tuesday, March 19:

• GPS: Guide for Proactive Success-5:15 p.m., Sage 257
• Intersections of the Asian Identity-6 p.m., Stetson Room
• Habitat for Humanity Meeting-6:15 p.m., Hollis Center Classroom
• Erin Brockovich Cultural Credit Movie-7 p.m., Sage 257
• Catholic Campus Ministry Meeting-8 p.m., Allen 103 

Wednesday, March 20:

• Speak Feast: An Ode to Women- 4:30 p.m., CUB – Faculty Lounge
• Burn-Out Series: Pull-Up & Hangs Competition- 6 p.m., Hollis Center Lounge
• Panel Session on Mental Health and Violence in Schools-6 p.m., Stetson Room
• History Department Colloquia- 6 p.m., Elizabeth 315
• Stetson Speakers Bureau Meeting- 7 p.m., LBC 220
• Tournees French Film Festival – The Artist -7:30 p.m., Athens Theatre 

Thursday, March 21:

• On-Campus Interviews-8 a.m., TBD
• Roberson Executive Lecturer, Gary Starkweather-4 p.m., Rinker Auditorium, LBC
• Brown and Brown – Information Session- 5 p.m., TBD
• Prozac Nation Cultural Credit Movie-6 p.m., Sage 257
• Suicide /Self-Harm/Mental Health Awareness Movie - 6 p.m., Sage 257-
• Screening of Start Andrei Rublyov-6 p.m., Russian Studies Center
• “Why Angry Birds Don’t Make for Angry Children: How Psychological Science Got Video Game Effects Wrong” -    7:30 p.m., Stetson Room
• Poetry at an Uncouth Hour-9 p.m., Nite Lights 

Friday, March 22:

• Mid-Term Withdrawal Date and Last Day to Drop Course
• 2013 Greek Summit
• The Emotional Brain: Remembering with Feeling-12 p.m., Library 25L
• Daytona Beach Cleanup-2 p.m., Meet at Sage Hall parking lot
• Greek Week: Freedom BBQ-5 p.m.
• American Composers Recital-7:30 p.m., Lee Chapel
• Carnival 2013-8 p.m., Rinker Fieldhouse 

For the Sports schedule, go to GOHATTERS.COM!

For news and events on the go, get the free StetsonU app on your smartphone!

Mark your calendars: commencement is May 11! In this photo the class of 2012 celebrates their accomplishments.

If you are graduating in May, or if you are a friend or relative of a graduating senior, you need to visit the Stetson Commencement Celebration website! As seniors busily wrap up projects and senior research, Stetson has created this easily accessible website for all the information you need regarding the commencement ceremony and other events for 2013. This commencement ceremony includes those who graduated in July or December of 2012 as well.

The website includes the schedule of events with dates, times and locations, descriptions of events and who should attend. The website also includes additional information on attendance, parking, seating and more for faculty, and family and friends.

Graduating students can visit the site to find information about arrival times, finding your place in line, ordering a cap and gown, ordering announcements, suggested attire, and other important details.

On Friday, May 10, there will be an Academic Awards convocation, reception, and baccalaureate. On Saturday May 11, the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences will begin at 9 a.m. The commencement ceremony for the School of Business Administration and the School of Music will be at 2 p.m. Both will be held in the Edmunds Center.

For more information, check out the Stetson Commencement Celebration website. The website will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

by Lauren Robbins

Stetson will host the first of two forums on school safety tonight in the Stetson Room. In this photo, first responders attend vigil for victims of shooting at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Conn.

Monday night, March 11, is the first of two post-Newtown forums that Stetson is hosting, both open to the public, 6-8:30 p.m., in the Stetson Room, CUB. Tonight’s forum will focus on Safety at Schools and Campuses. Panelists will include:

Candace Lankford, Vice Chairman, Volusia County School Board; Robert Matusick, Director of Public Safety, Stetson University; James Ramsay, Ph.D., Chair of the Homeland Security Department, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Bob Lambert, Lieutenant, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

The second forum, Wednesday, March 20, will focus on Mental Health and Violence in Schools, Campuses and the Community. Panelists will include:

Amy Hall, Ph.D., Volusia County District Counseling Specialist, Student Support Services; Ivan Fleishman, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist in DeLand, Fla.; Nancy Jacobsen, LMFT, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in DeLand, Fla.; Meghan Walter, Ph.D., Coordinator, School Counseling Program at Stetson University.

Although both forums are free and open to the public, space is limited and attendees must register prior to the events. To register go to https://secure.stetson.edu/forms/artsci/political-science/rsvp/index.php.

Senator Bob Graham, former Florida Governor, will be the keynote speaker Friday, March 15, 7 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB, at Stetson’s 42nd Annual Floyd M. Riddick Model United States Senate. The public is invited to attend.

Brain Discovery Week is this week at Stetson! This week’s events include:

• Monday, March 11 – 7 p.m. Dr. Michael King will take students on a tour of the brain.
• Tuesday, March 12 – 7 p.m. Guest speaker from Mayo Clinic on brain disorders
• Thursday, March 14 – 7 p.m. “A Beautiful Mind” followed by discussion on Schizophrenia
• Saturday, March 16 – Science Saturday at Gillespie Museum – on brain awareness

Music and the Arts:

• Tuesday, March 12 – 7:30-9 p.m. Broadway Revue – featuring Stetson music students
• Wednesday, March 13, 7 p.m. Public lecture by Dr. Susanne Eules, curator of Hand Art Center, on current Bluemner art exhibition. 25L, duPont Ball Library.
• Friday, March 15, 7:30 p.m. Concert to honor memory of former Music Dean Paul Langston
• Sunday, March 17, 3 p.m. Early Music Faculty Recital

Other campus events:

• Tuesday, March 12 – 6-7:30 p.m. – From Band-Aids to Pipelines: Black Perspective on the Education System
• Tuesday, March 12 – 7-8 p.m. – Show You Care, Be Aware (about breast cancer)
• Thursday, March 14 – 4:30-6 p.m., Book Feast: How the Garcia girls lost their accent
• Thursday, March 14 – 7 p.m., Movie – “Teens in Trouble”: A short film on homeless adolescents
• Thursday, March 14, 6-8 p.m. Color Me Mine family-fun social
• Thursday, March 14, 9 p.m. – Poetry at an Uncouth Hour
• Thursday, March 14, 6-9 p.m., Screening of “I am Cuba”
• Friday, March 15 – 2:30-7:30 p.m. – TEDx Power of Ideas Presentations
• Friday, March 15, 2:30 – 4 p.m. – Decision-Making and Values Program Presentation
• Saturday, March 16 – Admissions Open House for high school seniors – 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Check out what’s happening this week in Sports at GOHATTERS.COM!