The Stetson Reporter

ome artscr to era "Neither! nor the faculty would be happy to say, 'just go over and watch videotapes. My ultimate job is to uphold the integrity of Stetson. We expect students to take responsibility." by andy dehnart | Of the 51 people slated to graduate in December, seven still have cultural events to complete, the registrar said. "There will be people who have a number to do at the last minute," Registrar Jim Barbour said. Most of the seven have only two or three credits remaining. However, according to the registrar, there are a few students with double-digit numbers remaining — and one December graduate still needs 22 cultural event credits. According to the Bulletin, all Arts and Sciences majors are required "to attend three cultural events each semester," for a total of 24. December's graduating class marks the first mid-year class to graduate under the new rules. Summer graduates also had to meet the new requirement. If the requirement is not met, just as with all graduation requirements, students would be prevented from graduating. "So far, that's not been a problem," Barbour said. Barbour said that December graduates were sent degree audit sheets — which include the number of cultural credits earned — the first or second week of classes so they could see how many cultural credits they had remaining. May graduates were sent the same information later in the semester. In "a couple of cases there were bookeeping problems," Grady Ballenger, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said. He said he encourages students with questions about the requirement and records to verify attendance with his office. Attending 24 events in four years "is really...not a horrendous requirement," Ballenger said. "I don't see it as an unusually burdensome requirement." He said the cultural arts credit requirement "strongly encourages people to look at things they haven't before. [There is] a full range of events that are offered, he said. It "stands as every graduation requirement does." While the requirement is designed to "build a culture of cultured people" at the university, Ballenger said that, as a "measure of last resort," some students may be permitted to view videotapes in the library to make up unearned credits. However, that's only considered for "extraordinary circumstance[s]" and there are "no guarantees — you're responsible," he said. Students must have the approval of the dean to fulfill remaining requirements in this way. "Neither I nor the faculty would be happy to say, 'just go over and watch videotapes,'" Ballenger said. "My ultimate job is to uphold the integrity of Stetson. ... We expect students to take responsibility." The registrar's office sent letters sent to students, their adviser and dean, detailing incomplete graduation requirements. "[We're] trying to make sure that everyone involved knows what the situation is," Barbour said, by giving "as much advance notice as we can." Ballenger said he and a faculty committee are looking to add cultural events to the docket in the DeLand and Daytona Beach areas, in part to facilitate access for non-traditional students. - Andy Dehnart is the editor-in-chief of The Reporter. :Last issue of the year ' This is our last issue for the 1998 semester. Deadlines for contributions for next year's first issue — on the stands Jan. 13, 1999 — will be the -Friday before publication. ' Advertisements must be received one week be- Tore publication. Good luck on finals and enjoy your break. We'll see you next year. —Andy Dehnart ignorance and isolation. Teachers need to be open and must continue to be students. - Barbara Omolade, Thurman lecturer. KNOWLEDGE; Barbara Omolade spoke to students and faculty concerning the master narrative and the need to reform this piece of history, photo by julie gowan by julie gowan | On Thursday, the last of the five lectures for the 1998-99 Thurman lecture series was given by Barbara Omolade in the Stetson Room. Omolade spoke on "The Teaching and Learning in the Midst of a Knowledge Explosion and Social Transformation." "My goal here tonight is for you to learn how to cope with the ever-increasing — but often wrong — mounds of information that confront education in the late 20lh century," said Omolade. "All who are teachers are challenged by the difficulty of teaching and the situations that evolve. All of us are propelled by the explosion of knowledge," said Omolade. Omolade said that there were only a handful of texts that were available on African-Americans when she was growing up. Now, there are shelves and shelves of these books not only about African- Americans, but Asians, Latinos, and other groups that have faced and are still experiencing oppression from white culture. "The increase of these books on the shelves is an astounding explosion and gives us hope," Omolade said. "The American society has been involved in a cultural war now for a great amount of time. The underlying issue to this war is that the Western value system is oppressive to not only African-Americans, but Asians and Latinos as well," said Omolade. Omolade believes the value system that is held in the Western society grew out of the master narrative, brought and written by "white, powerful, radical men." "These narratives came out of a culture valuing oppression, hierarchy, and dominance of one class. Out of these narratives the construction of slave, slavery, and master were developed, and academic life mimics this social construction," said Omolade. In order to build and to change the community under these narratives, Omolade believes "students and faculty need to build an authentic community within the academy between each other and rid the academy of the master narratives that reinforce the hierarchial structure based on race." "Race will always be a critical issue. We are compelled to examine our social selves through family, gender, and heritage. To look at these more deeply, we need to use feminist models engaging in and examining racism and diversity. We need to deconstruct the separated, segregated societies," Omolade said. "We need to systematically look at and examine the pieces of the puzzle that created our history. Because these pieces make up our history, they weigh heavily upon on the development of society and the teachings in academia. We need to recognize the basic humanity of others, and recognize we all share a common pain," said Omolade. Academia needs to broaden and teach new knowledge. "It is possible for academia to change and overcome ignorance and isolation that has been instilled in them. Teachers need to be open and must continue to be students, and teach without need or control," said Omolade. "She is a teacher, scholar, author, and sociologist, and she is also a social reformist. Her intellect is unsurpassing and she gives a rising song to the African-American woman, and will share her personal testimony with anyone who is willing to listen or read her words," said President Doug Lee. "It was in her collection of essays in her book, The Rising Song of African-American Women, where I found where she deeply understood the American culture and knew what authentic knowledge was. It was in this collection that I found the theme — the core thought, the mission statement of the Howard Thurman program at Stetson," said Reverend Jefferson Rogers, director of Howard Thurman lecture series. Omolade earned her bachelors degree at Queens College in 1964 then joined the civil rights movement after graduating. "College bored me. It made me doubt myself. However, this changed in 1962, when the civil rights movement began and empowered me to speak. The movement taught me to think," said Omolade. Omolade worked in the New York office of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, a group that was formed in the early '60s. Omolade is now an assistant professor of sociology at the City College of The City Univeristy of New York. Julie Gowan is the news editor of The Reporter. LECTURE: President Doug Lee introduced Barbara Omolade, the last of five Thurman Lecture speakers for the 1998 semester. PHOTO BY JULIE GOWAN Traffic court offers a Students hypnotized look at judicial cycle i ~ BY jayme WIGGINS 11 went to "traffic court" this afternoon to appeal an erroneous parking ticket. More significantly, though, I went to introduce myself to the judicial process at Stetson. Prior to my appointment, someone had remarked that the court consisted of a small panel of students and administrators. Neat, I thought — young adults practicing a juvenile form of law along with informed, nonpartisan public safety officers. The students could learn a bit about justice, the presiding officers could deliberate on the arguments of the appellants and use that information to perhaps ameliorate the devastating parking situation, and I could have the opportunity to defend my position and save twenty dollars. [ read this story in Forum, page 4a ] DRIVIMG*: Students hypnotized by lorn DeLuca believe they are driving a brand new Ferrari and passing friends and cops, photo by julie gowan [ see photos in Life, page 2b ] Lady Hatters lose to gators in basketball by chris tunno | For 25 minutes, the Stetson women's Basketball team hung with the 20th- ranked Florida Gators, but in the end our neighbors from Gainesville pulled away with a 98-76 victory. Audrey Kull played a strong game for the Hatters, posting a career high 21 points in the best offensive game of her collegiate career. The sophomore from Altamont, 111., seemed at home taking charge in a big game situation. "I feel that at the beginning of the year I was kind of timid to step up," remarked Kull. "But. with Angie [Ryan] out early [in the season], and Marsha [Harrison] out now the coaches told us that we had to step up, and I'm willing to take that leadership." [ read this story in Sports, page 4b ] vtiiMaxJltfi^