The Stetson Reporter

The Pforida's Ofdist Cofkamtz thfawsmmr JL Florida'sOldest Colkgiate Ostgwspaper h iUiifc ffifc thm M5®T 4L7 SXStfi ■§&mm %)k£mm^mi SM^mi, fl«ii Wfejut !§%-Mlmim I Zaner faired^ search continues for two vacancies Deidre Michels The Stetson Reporter Difficulties seemed almost inevitable for the Campus Life staff as the academic year began, with two assistant directors of Residential Life vacancies and an assistant director of Student Life (and coordinator of Multicultural Affairs) opening. The Stetson Residential Life staff was bombarded last year with three resignations, two of which occurred late in the summer. . . Although many problems were anticipated, Vice President for Campus Life Dr. James Beasley explains that this year's opening has been the smoothest for the residential system in many years. "Notwithstanding Roscoe Gort, I think much of the creditgoes to our head residents. This is a very fine group of head residents we have this year/ and they really have done an outstanding job of giving stability and leadership to the program." This does, not mean that the search to fill these positions will come to a halt. . In fact, David Bergen,director. of Residential Life and Judicial Affairs, is pleased to announce that Kate Zaner will join the Stetson staff on October 10 as assis- tantdirector of Residential Life forthe East Area of campus. A recent graduate of Stetson, Zaner was the head resident of Stetson Hall for the 1993- 94 school year, and for Nemec Hall during 1992-93; she also worked as a resident advisor in Conrad Hall in 1991-92. " In addition to this, she served-as an officer in the Baptist Student Union and worked with the Market and Career Planning Institute, in addition to serving as a Senior Campaign Committee chair. Since her major was marketing, Zaner Bergen explains, "[we're] looking for something Kate could benefit from professionally. I have asked her to interview former [and] current residents and develop a marketing plan, to see if what we're doing now or have been doing is effective." On the drawing board are plans to work with current residents to offer additional theme housing, such as substance-free housing. Also, the offices of Residential Life are working diligently with the Student Government Association to institute a new room selection policy. "We like Kate a great deal, and we're real exdted about her arrival," says Beasley. Since Zaner's appointment is. only through May 31,1995, "we will be able to see how the next six months go, and mutually decide whether it would be beneficial for her to stay on in a permanent appointment" Bergen explains. "The student staff [composed of head residents and other students, who interview the candidates and rate them on leadership, productivity, knowledge, and effectiveness] was extremely pleased with her selection. Four current head residents were on the selection committee and they had great things to say." Though the appointment of Zaner will relieve a great deal of stress, two positions still remain vacant, and will likely remain in that condition for quite a while. "[We're looking for someone with] previous residence hall experience, preferably at a small, private, residential college. [We also] would prefer someone with a graduate and master's degree in college personnel experience [either as a] graduate assistant in hous ing or [one who has completed] an internship in housing," says Bergen. Both positions require a person who is a proven creative problem solver with strong communication and management skills. A successful candidate must also be committed to "enhance diversity" and have a "track record of high productivity and performance." These are the characteristics and prerequisites necessary for the duties involved in these positions. The assistant director of Residential Life lives pn campus in an apartment, and is responsible for supervising the head residents, programming, staff selection, training, in-service training, and judicial matters that are beyond what the Head Residents should handle. The candidate chosen for the position of assistant director of Student Life and coordinator of Multicultural Affairs would be required to serve as a counselor, advisor, and resource person to minority students. That person would also be responsible for the development and implementation of programs supporting nontradi- tional and commuter students, and would be instrumental in supporting the expansion of student organizations. •' . Although the administration is eager to fill these positions, they are more concerned with the quality of people than with the timing. "We have not let it become a knee-jerk reaction to a vacancy by filling it with just anybody. We want the right people in these positions. If we have to go another month to get the right person, then we will do that," Dr. Beasley says. Bergen is just as adamant on that point "I know it has to be frustrating for the residents, but we don'twant to sacrifice quality. We are looking for a correct match." Trustees welcome new members Two new members of the Stetson University Board of Trustees took their seats during the fall meeting Sept. 15 and 16. Both were elected at the spring trustees' meeting last May.. State Representative Richard A. McMahan, DeLand, is the founder and former owner of McMahan Commercial Construction and McMahan Construction Company. He serves on the board of Barnett Bank of Volusia County, the Board of Governors of the Halifax Club, and is a director of the Florida International Festival. He is a director and was founding president of Futures, Inc.; a director of the Volusia County Business Develop ment Corporation; and a member of the Volusia County Cultural Advisory Board. Both McMahan and his wife, Dinky, have served on Stetson University's Collegeof Arts and Sciences Board and received the university's highest volunteer honor, the Doyle E. Carlton Award, in 1992. He is vice-chair of the Trustee Buildings and Grounds Committee, and is a member of the Trustee Academic Affairs and Development committees. With Mrs. McMahan, he is a member of the Challenge Gift Program. Art Sullivan of Stuart is the president of Sullivan Automobile Group, which owns seven new car dealerships in Florida and Georgia. He has served on the board of many dealer associations over the last 20 years. He and his wife, the former Melissa Hammitt. of DeLand, worked together for many years after starting their firstdealership in Ocala. They make their home in Stuart, butmaintain a home in DeLand. A member of the 1962 class at Stetson, Sullivan is a longtime Hatter Booster and basketball supporter. He is a member of the Trustee Budget and Finance, Investment and Development committees. The Sullivans also participate in the Challenge Gift Program. Courtesy of Stetson University Press Release, Faculty adjust to the Stetson style Deidre Michels- The Stetson Reporter_ The Stetson University community welcomes two more new faculty members to the DeLand campus this fall. Though they are both sharing in the experience of being new faculty members, both come with diverse backgrounds and each brings along their own goals and visions for what they hope to accomplish in the years to come. Dr. Robert Sitler, assistant professor of foreign languages and an expert in Hispanic literature, comes to Stetson University from the University of Texas at Austin. He describes himself as a "fanatical" swimmer who really delights in exploring nature. As an envi- ronmentally conscious person, he hopes to expand people's awareness of the plight of planet Earth. "I feel very strongly that we are already living in a disaster area but are incapable of seeing it I don't think planet Earth is capable of sustaining the lifestyle that our society has adopted. I hope to set a better example in the way I am." Foremost in Siller's mind are his hopes to establish very unique study abroad programs in Latin America. He has grown to love the indigenous people of Mexico and Guatemala because^ as he explains, "They are alive, truly alive." Since he hopes to share these experiences with his students, he plans to gear his study abroad programs to "take [students] to areas where people are in a higher state of consciousness. We'll be out visiting in small villages, working for the people, participating with them in whatever work they do." He would like everyone to find the "basic sanity" that he has found with the world's indigenous people. Dr. Monique Forte, assistant professor of management, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of, Georgia and her doctorate at Florida State University. Forte has an intense love and appreciation for Stetson University. "I interviewed all over the country," she explains, "and I did not see another school that genuinely cared about its students." She was stricken with the strong sense of community here, and the intense spirit for the school—not for a football team. Her experience at a state university contrasts in nearly every way with the Stetson experience. As an undergraduate in a state university she found that students just did not communicate with their professors. "[There is] a lot more interaction with students, which I love. I love the way the students and faculty seem to work together. I'm having a blast!" Currently Forte is developing a course that may be offered in Winter Term in which students look at the ways that business decisions affect the environment, and vice versa. The bottom line is that Forte truly enjoys her job and her students. "Teaching is entertainment," she says. The friendly atmosphere of Stetson University has encouraged both professors to call it their new home. The Stetson Reporter editorial board offers its sincerestapologies to Dr. Sitler and Dr. Forte for their not being included in last .week's article, "New- faculty adjust to and enjoy Stetson life." Yearbook editor finally hired, search for staff begins Angela Furnari The Stetson Reporter. Informed students are wondering why the Hatter yearbook, which has been part of Stetson life for over 70 years, did not h^ve an editor until this past Friday. , In an interview on Wednesday, Darald Stubbs, associate director of Student Life and advisor for the Hatter, said, "The [previous] editor didn't return to school this semester. We're waiting to get names from the Organizational Fair, and then I the Publications Board will meet this Fijiday [Sept. 30] and select from the applicants that we have." Freshman Lyska Delacruz of Vero Beach was selected as editor-in-chief, and will be assisted by Keri Bell as assistant editor. . But why has'it taken so long to find an editor? Nancy Jones, director of Student Life said, "We've been trying to finish up on last year's yearbook, and we focused our attention on getting lastyear" s finished. We've been focusing in the last couple of weeks on getting applications in." y As to what qualities make a good yearbook editor, Stubbs commented, "We're looking for students who have some yearbook experience, being some type of an editor, whether that be as a section editor oriwhether they worked as an editor in jhigh school because • they've really got to know how to put together a booki" He added that students need to be! flexible, and that they must realize that the procedures for working on a university yearbook are different than those of a high school because there is no: set class time. College students must do all such work on their own time. ; To be editor of the Hatter, "You must be a person who can work with autonomy and provide structure. \t'i a lot of responsibility, " said Stubbs. Editors need to "make sure to balance their studies with their co-curricular activities, and be a good manager and motivator for the rest of the staff." . Although it has taken a long time to find an editor for the Hatter, there are many people who are interested in beingon the staff. "This year, more than any year that I've seen before, there is a lot more interest from new students who . want to be a part of the staff, a sincere ■ and strong interest. When I say sincere and strong, that is to say that they've been coming by the office checking to see when the editor will be picked and when they can get started," said Stubbs. Being a member of a publications staff brings with it opportunities and advantages, as well as responsibilities. While being on yearbook does require students to dedicate a great deal of their own time, Stubbs stated that it provides students with good leadership and time management skills. Students have the opportunity to learn more about the campus, and about how to motivate themselves and others. Will this "changing of the guard," however, affect the quality of the yearbook? Stubbs.said that the quality of the yearbook has increased over the years, - and that, just as in the past, more fund- inghas been approved for the yearbook. "It's not a revenue-producing book. It comes straight from the funds that are allocated." This might cause some to wonder . why a school such as Stetson, recently ranked second among regional colleges and universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report, has a yearbook budget of only $30,000, when even most high schools spend $40,000 - $50,000 on their yearbooks. Lisa Skurka, a former member of the Hatter staff, said, "We had enough money to make a nice book, but we didn't have enough staff. If there is a big enough staff this year, the quality will be fine, because people will pay more attention to detail." Jones stated, "Every year, we seem to have a struggle with the yearbook. Each year we struggle with people who start off strong, but they don't.get to see any of their work, so they're not reinforced. The problem is that it continues to be hard to find people who want to work on it and stick with it." "It always seems like the yearbook seems to have the most complications each year [of the Stetson publications], with consistency and keeping its staff and money. I wonder if people still really want the yearbook, and to what extent do people want it but they want someone else to do it." Despite certain problems, the Hatter will be undergoing some progressive changes this year to improve the publication. One such change will be the hiring of an adjunct advisor to come in and work with the staff for six hours each week. " We are looking at people who may be high school teachers that advise yearbooks currently, or people who have had some experience in desktop publishing, layout, design...we have a good lead at this point, but we can't say anything until that person makes up their mind about what they want to do," said Stubbs. <s; rlf;y. Planning for the.future Dawn Rodak (right), Director of Career Services, discusses planning for the future with a new student at the SOAR expo. Career Awareness Week is spotlighted in Campus Life, Page 4.