www.stetsonreporter.com
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Hearts for Haiti Benefit Hopes
to Make A Difference
by Kaitlyn Schulz
On Saturday,
February 6th at 7:30pt
students, faculty.
and Volusia: County
community members
qathered.jn the Lee
effort to fa
Haitian n<
After an introduction from President Libby, the evening included performances by: Boyd Jones, organ;
David Bjella, cello; Stephen Robinson, guitar; Michael Rickman, piano; Jean West, flute; and members
of the Stetson University Concert Choir, directed by
Andrew Larson.
Among the excellent music performances, Chaplain
Michael Fronk reflected on the event, encouraging
listeners to aid Haiti and send prayers with hopeful
hearts and messages. Business lecturer Peggy Stahl
also delivered a brief speech on monetary donations
to Haiti. Haitian poetry was read in Creole by Annick
Bazile and in English by Kaitlyn Schulz, with selections provided by English professor Mark Powell.
The evening in Lee Chapel ended with a slideshow of
photos from the aftermath of the earthquake provided
by Marines in the Volusia County area, who provided
aid in Haiti. Following the main event was a concert
in the quad, celebrating life, with performances by
Stetson student Michael Slowey, and KG & The Band
(an originally Kenyan group, now based in Orlando).
All proceeds collected from the Hearts for Haiti
Relief Benefit will help aid the victims of the Haiti
earthquake. Those who chose to donate to the effort
were allowed to designate their choice between three
featured organizations to which to give their money:
Doctors without Borders, Oxfam, and the American
Red Cross.
A special thank you goes to all who participated
in the event, and those who donated to the fund. "I
know this is a small gesture, but it's our gesture. And
hundreds of colleges and universities across the US
are holding benefits and hopefully the result will be a
lot of money pouring into Haiti," Mark Powell said,
and that is exactly the hope of all who joined in the
benefit.
If you were unable to attend the event and still wish
to lend a helping hand, please contact the Cross Cultural Center, or local charities and church groups for
more information on how to donate. Keep your eyes
open for more Stetson events benefiting the victims of
the earthquake. Every little bit counts.
Opinions
A tired, curious
Christian
Page 5
Life
Da Vinci's
Re-opens
Page 9
Sports
Softball Slides
into Season
Page ii
Top Hats
Dance Team
Begins Season
by Natalya Jones
Top Hats, the university dance
team, kicked off its season with a
performance during halftime at the
basketball game Thursday.
According to Top Hats choreographer Lyndsay Fuller, the team has
been going through some changes
in direction, including changing
their name to Top Hats last year.
"Shannon Regans [dance team director] renamed them the Top Hats
last year," Fuller said. "She was on
the team for 3 years but then decided to make her own team."
The dance team will be performing during the basketball halftime
shows this semester. "We mainly
keep to popular music that crowd
pleasing because we perform at The
basketball games and [the dance
style] is mostly jazz," Fuller said.
Fuller said that having a dance
team is a real asset for Stetson. "I
think it's important," Fuller said.
"I've danced my entire life. I almost
went to Rollins because they have
a dance program and Stetson does
not."
According to Fuller, one of the
main focuses of the group is retaining membership throughout the
year. "The team traditionally has a
problem keeping up membership,"
she said. "Last year they had 25
members and now they are down
to seven, all freshmen and sophomores. A lot of members are lost
when they join sororities."
Improving technique is also a
focal point for the team this year.
"This year we've been focusing
more on jazz technique," Fuller
said. "We want to become approved
by the ADA [American Dance Association] so that we can be part of
Athletics."
The team does not plan on entering in competitions because of the
expense. "We discussed competitions but because of the economy
we decided against it," Fuller said.
"Competitions can get pretty expensive - as much at $200 per girl."
Fuller has other aspirations for
Top Hats performances though. "I
want them to perform around the
community, like the homecoming
^Please See "Top Hats/' Page 3
