The Reporter

.ima S e e 1c i n s o e ruth A Stetson Universitv VdIuitie CXIX Issue 4 By Julie Antos percentage year's alum • Previously ranked 4th in the category of "Masters Universities in the South," by U.S. News & World Report, the university slipped in the 2007 rankings to 5th, due to a decrease in the amount of last giving. "A drop from 4th to 5th is not a meaningful change. However, in Stetson's case, it was a decrease in the average alum giving rate percentage," said Robert J. Morse, the Director of Data Research for U.S. News & World Report. Criteria used for U.S. News rankings include peer evaluations, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. "Stetson is proud of its long history of being included in a variety of national rankings, including the U.S. News and World Report. We pay close attention to information obtained through peer evaluations, which are conducted annually in each college and school, and to the periodic evaluations of nationally-recognized accreditation agencies, such as the Phi Beta Kappa, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and the National Association of Schools of Music, where we have achieved the highest standards for measuring academic success," President Doug Lee said. *-'v,rl^rA«5?%l fi M t'X.11 im LIT yj_-s$K& "vx^% *> *;K«ltfit-**«■*■' ^3^m>'Sh'-- ;SLs/ " 4^lm^Z;M9' • ■ rz $1i '«<■--- 'mrn$&»fflm£r<'--\ ■*-:."■;•■_** li--,--<5i\S''»»?-\. -. The university was also evaluated in regards to its financial aid package, placing fourth among master's universities in the south in the category "Great Schools, Great Prices," behind Rollins College, the Citadel, and Converse College. . According to U.S. News & World Report website, the criteria for establishing the "great prices" ranking are "ratio of [rank] to price, percentage of students receiving need based scholarships or grants, [and] average discount." The news about rankings elicited reactions from students and faculty alike. "That's pretty groovy," said senior music major, Chris Schroeder. "We are pleased to again be recognized as one of the top universities and colleges in the South. Academic excellence, 11-1 student/faculty ratio and increased academic selectivity continue to place us near the top of many national rankings," said Deborah Thompson, Dean of Admissions. The university has been listed as one of the South's principal colleges since 1985, when the U.S. News survey of colleges and universities was first published. Contact Julie Antos at [email protected]. Clifton Family Establishes-$50,000 Scholarship Program By Tori Gibbs The university has recently received $50,000 in scholarship money from a Daytona family. The scholarship is designed to assist Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC) students who wish to transfer to the university for their bachelor's degree. Ron and Gwili Clifton and their son, Ron Clifton Jr., all graduates of the university, agreed to provide two scholarships worth $2,500 each every year for the next ten years. Michael Langshaw of Palm Coast and Courtney Botzford of New Smyrna Beach were awarded the first two scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year.. "As an older, unconventional transfer student at Stetson University, the Clifton Endowment was exceptionally helpful in my pursuit of higher education. Maintaining the necessary GPA while working fulltime positions has become a challenge, but receiving such generous help makes this process a little easier," said Langshaw, a political science major. The scholarship is available for students planning to major in American studies, history, or political science, and preferably those participating in the student government association, athletic teams, or other leadership organizations. This is the only scholarship expressly intended for DBCC students, of which there are thirty-one currently attending the university. "Scholarships such as the Clifton can have a huge impact on student's decisions to attend an expensive liberal arts institution. Many times people think that it is out of reach and mark it off the list before full consideration. Scholarships like this one help students see that there are possibilities out there to help finance college. I think in the See CLIFTON, 2A CAMILLE BILLY / THE REPORTER MICHAEL LANGSHAW RECIEVED ONE OF THE FIRST CLIFTON SCHOLARSHIPS lursdoy, September 28,2 ettm 'ersona. ith A Head And By Caitlin Hughes Prior to the highly anticipated Heads vs. Feds debate on the night of Wednesday, September 20th, Steven Hager, editor- in-chief of High Times magazine and founder ofthe Cannabis Cup, and Bob Stutman, former Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A.) head of New York, shared their opinions on the legalization of marijuana. Speaking first with Stutman upon his arrival at Orlando International Airport, our interview commenced with his clarifying statement, "I have never done [illegal] drugs in my life." As a member of the D.E.A. for twenty-five years and a close friend of Hager's, Stutman has come to acquire what Hager describes as a "very enlightened attitude compared to most people in the D.E.A.," in concern with the legalization of marijuana. One resulting opinion of Stutman's attitude is the belief in the decriminalization of marijuana and other illegal substances, at least to a certain extent, "I don't think anyone should be thrown in jail for the use of any drug...[but] if you're making money on it and you know it is illegal, then you are fair game," stated Stutman. With the belief in partial decriminalization, why does Stutman possess such a strong belief against legalization? While Hager has five argumentative points, Stutman sticks with one: legalization will generate more marijuana users. Stutman voiced, "...if we legalize [marijuana] because of someone's recreational use, we .will have between six to ten times more users, and that is not worth the negative consequences that go along with it." Aside from interference with thinking and reasoning, the.impairment of abilities, such as depth perception, assisting in the causation of accidents, and a risk of causing cancer, marijuana's biggest consequence for Stutman is the risk of dependency. "I had always been afraid I-would like it [marijuana] if-1 tried it-.- - The problem with most people, including me, is that after they do something they like, they tend to do it again and again. Marijuana would be much easier if you could use it a few times and quit, but that is not the way it is," expressed Stutman. Steven Hager, on the other hand, first smoked marijuana at the age oi "Fifteen, sixteen - somewhere around there," while growing up in Illinois. Rediscovering his "counterculture roots" in 1987, Hager joined the High Times staff "because it was the last counterculture magazine left standing." Today, Hager's involvement in the culture of the National Rainbow Family acts as the basis for one of his five reasons in support of legalization. * "The most important reason personally, it is hard for me to talk about deals with my culture. It is the sacrament of my culture," stated Hager. Beyond his counterculture, Hager believes marijuana "is the perfect sacrament for the initiation into adulthood. We have intensely ritualized alcohol and we need to replace that with cannabis as a safer alternative. There is a lot more dev astation around alcohol than around marijuana." In addition to personal reasons, Hager believes marijuana should be le galized because, "it is good medicine, hemp is good for the environment, we need to stop expanding and privatizing prisons, and we need to stop funding corruption with prohibition prices." So where is the middle ground in a debate Stutman refers to as a "complex, intellectual issue" and Hager labels "a very complicated picture?" With America claiming statistics of 800,000 citizens arrested annually on charges of possession of marijuana, and 5% of the world's population repre' senting 25% of the worldwide prison population, it is no wonder decriminalization and the privatization of prisons are concerns of both Stutman and Hager. Both men are also proponents of responsibility when dealing with substances, as Hager refers to marijuana as "a very powerful mind altering substance that needs to be respected." If individuals do not exercise responsibility, See DEBATE, 2A Bright House Brings Digital Cable To University By Laura Loveday Bright House Networks, a local cable provider, is offering a new service for university students living on campus during the 2006-2007 academic year. For $14.94, plus additional tax per month, students can lease a digital cable box from Bright House. A one hundred dollar refundable deposit is required to pick up a box at the Bright House office. The university is not affiliated with Bright House, so billing will have no effect on student accounts. All transactions and technical support will be handled directly by Bright House Networks. The current cable setup in a residence hall room provides just over seventy channels. A Bright House digital cable box offers over three hundred channels, as well as pay per view sportscasts and movies. It also includes forty digital music stations varying from classical to heavy metal rock. . One of the perks of having a digital cable box is being able to view commercial-free movies on premier movie channels including HBO and Showtime. Freshman political science major Rachel Batten is enthusiastic about Bright House's offer. "No commercials are the best thing since chocolate chip bagels!" she said.. The. box also has some smaller networks that have recently become more popular, for people to either be introduced to or catch up on. If a channel customers watch is not on the standard package, they have the option to receive a different package at an alternate rate. The Bright House offer is already generating a buzz on campus. "I think it's a great idea, especially for college students who love to listen to music and watch movies," says freshmen elementary education major Cate Shea. Shea is not sure whether she will buy a cable box, but remarks, "The price isn't too bad." Others are not as positive about Bright House's offer. "I think Bright House is a waste of money," says sophomore English and Russian double major Rebekah Schlottman. "It reflects America's rampant consumerism." Regardless of whether students think it is a waste of money or a great opportunity, the campus is anticipating the change. Bill Penney from Information Technology says, "We pushed for several years to make this happen. We want to make the student experience not only academically successful, but as enjoyable as possible." For more information: The Bright House office is at 1195 S. Woodland Blvd in Deland. The phone number is (386) 775-7300 and can be reached Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm, and Saturday from 9 am to 1pm. Contact Laura Loveday at lloveday@stetson. edu Thursday's Forecast: Partly Cloudy High 91 Low 67 Weekend Forecast: Friday: Mix of Sun and Clouds Saturday: Mostly Cloudy Sunday: Mainly Sunny Hi's: Upper 80s Low's: Upper 60s -ar '** g* Nicole Forbes gives suggestions for sticking around our area. PAGE C1 Opinions Sean Barth reports from Hong Kong. PAGE B1/B2 Sports Katherine St. Clair spotlights Rebecca Orzechowicz in Hatter Profile. PAGE D1