This week Stetson is overflowing with exciting events and opportunities. This weekend Stetson welcomes family and friends of their students to our beautiful campus. Saturday’s Instrument Petting Zoo gives little ones a chance to stretch their musical fingers. Also on Saturday, three museums at Stetson, and six other museums throughout West Volusia are participating in the Smithsonian’s 8th Annual National Museum Day. Enjoy the fall weather and cheer on Hatter Sports: Women’s Soccer and Volleyball, and a Hatter Football scrimmage is set for Saturday. Music of many genres will be performed throughout the week, and enjoy a weekend of Improv by Stetson theatre students at their new location, inside the Museum of Florida Art! 

An Instrumental Zoo: Come to the Musical Instrument Petting Zoo on Saturday, Sept. 29, in Presser Hall, sponsored by the Volusia County Alumnae Chapter (VCAC) and Eta Pi Chapter, Sigma Alpha Iota. From 10 a.m. til noon, kids of all ages are invited to touch and learn first-hand about musical instruments.

Hatter Spirit: This week Stetson’s women athletes are hard at work! The Women’s Soccer Team will play in two home games. The first game is Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. against Northern Kentucky. Their second game is on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. against Lipscomb. Both games will be played on the soccer field next to the Athletic Training Facility. The Volleyball Team has a game against USC Upstate on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Edmunds Center. Come to the games and cheer the ladies on!

Hatter Football Scrimmage set for Saturday: The scrimmage, the fourth of the fall for the Hatters, is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, Saturday, Sept. 29, at the new Athletics Training Center.

A Symphony of Music: There are two great opportunities to enjoy fabulous music this weekend. The first is a Faculty/Alumna Chamber Recital, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, featuring Ann Adams, oboe, and Michael Rickman, piano. Free with Stetson I.D.  The second performance is the Faculty and Staff Benefit Concert, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29. General admission is $5, and students are $2. This concert will feature a variety of musical styles and genres. Both events take place in Lee Chapel in Elizabeth Hall.

A Hatter Welcome to Friends and Family Weekend: This is a time when all members of the Stetson community, their families and friends are invited to share in the Stetson experience and to discover DeLand.

Think On Your Feet: Come join the Stetson student improv artists at Stetson’s “Second Stage” inside the Museum of Florida Art, for An Evening at the Improv. There will be fun and games, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 30, at 3 p.m.

Celebrate the History: This Saturday, Sept. 29, is the National Smithsonian Museum Day, a celebration of all museums and what they teach. This year Stetson has three participating sites—the Hand Art Center, the Gillespie Museum, and the Natural History Museum in Sage Science Center. Be sure to check out these museums and the six other participating museums in West Volusia, as well.

The Rings of Saturn: On Monday, Oct. 1 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Dr. Josh Colwell will present a discussion on Saturn’s Rings as a Laboratory for Planet Formation. The Physics Colloquium will discuss discoveries made about Saturn’s rings through the eyes of the Cassini spaceship. Located in Sage, room 213.

Movie Night: There will be cultural credit available for those who wish to attend the showing of Alesandr Sokurov’s Mother and Son. The Russian Club will be watching this on Monday, Oct. 1 in the Russian Studies Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Also showing on Monday night, is Slumdog Millionaire in Elizabeth Hall, room 315 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Hindsight will watch the movie and discuss its impact on globalization.

Blast from the Past: Come meet Civil War re-enactors Ralph Epifanio and Robert Oliver on Tuesday, Oct. 2 and Wednesday, Oct. 3 on the lawn near Sampson Hall. Bring your lunch, your friend and your stories for the men, from noon til 2:15 p.m on Tuesday, and 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. They’ll share artifacts and stories of the Civil War. 

Imagine with Mr. Imagine: There will be a lecture on Oct. 2 in Presser Hall, room 132 with Jonathan Barr, the Co-Founder of the Imagination House from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.  Barr will discuss entrepreneurial skills necessary to thrive in an ever changing entertainment industry, and how he was able to achieve success.

Movies with a Cause: There will be a “The Line” Movie Event on Tuesday, Oct. 2 in the Stetson Room from 7 to 9 p.m. The movie is about the crippling poverty in the United States. There will also be an Oxfam Movie Night in the Library, room 25L from 7 to 9 p.m. Oxfam will be playing a documentary on sustainable living, and a discussion will follow.

Habitat for Humanity: The weekly, general meeting for Habitat for Humanity will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 2 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The group will discuss homelessness and affordable homes. This is a great opportunity for service hours, too.

Global Medical Brigades: The Global Medical Brigades will be having their general meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9 in Sage, room 218. The meeting is from 9:15 to 9:45 p.m. and they will discuss volunteer opportunities, workshops and global health.

Hut, Hut!: The Health Hut is back, and this time they are here to talk about drugs and alcohol. From 10 a.m til 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The Wellness Interns will be out in the Quad spreading the word on health and substance abuse.

Au Revoir: Ever wonder about Stetson’s Study Abroad program? Well on Wednesday, Oct. 3 there will be a Study Abroad Fair on the Quad from 10 a.m. til 2 p.m. Come learn about the different places you can travel as a student!

Market Day: On Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. til 1 p.m. in front of the CUB, the Market will be on campus. The day involves giving outside merchants a chance to display their goods and services to the Stetson community.

Student Entrepreneurship: Have any good ideas? The Joseph C. Prince Entrepreneurship Program is inviting all Stetson students who would like to use the new tools of entrepreneurship for creating a business or supporting a cause to a brainstorming session on Wednesday, Oct. 3 from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., in LBC. Make sure you confirm your attendance by emailing [email protected]. Pizza will be included!

Jazz it Up: There will be a Jazz Ensemble on Wednesday, Oct. 3 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Stetson Room. Come enjoy some smooth tunes and good company! Free with a Stetson I.D.

Foreign Law: This Thursday, Oct. 4,  Stetson will host Prof. Dr. Attila Andrade Jr., visiting lecturer from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Andrade is senior attorney with the law offices of Attila de Souza Leao Andrade Jr., which specializes in international law, business and corporate law taxation and international tax planning. Come to the Rinker Auditorium, LBC, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to hear his presentation, Brazil: The Giant Finally Woke Up.

Experience Reality: Ever wonder what it is truly like to homeless? On Thursday, Oct. 4, Habitat for Humanity and the Student Homeless Coalition will be part of Homeless for a Night, a nontraditional fundraiser from 9 p.m. til 7 a.m. on the Stetson Green. It’s only a small fee, and a cultural credit is available. 

Express Yourself: Poetry at an Uncouth Hourwill be on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Go to Night Lights for the event, which is giving students an opportunity to share their work with their peers.

The Stetson Today Team