The Stetson Reporter

ffcB I issue c. I volume 114 Florida's Number One Private College Newspaper LIFE: Senior art show opens at Duncan Gallery page ib OPINIONS: Russian government vs.. Catholic Church page 4a Curriculum for accounting to change in fall •By Julie Farricker' /associate news editor " Students who are currently graduating with an accounting degree and searching for jobs in the dismal market will soon see other undergraduate students reaping the benefits of a proposed change in the business school to switch the accounting program to include information systems in-the degree. Accounting tracks and reports on the financial aspects of business and governmental and not-for-profit institutions. Accounting information is a key element for managers making business decisions. External parties such as stockholders and creditors use it to evaluate financial performance and credit worthiness. Governmental agencies use accounting information in the regulation of businesses and taxation. The new proposed degree, expected to be implemented in the fall, will not only give students the advantages of studying accounting, but with adding information systems, more job opportunities with higher pay will be available. According to Dr. Vince Brenner, chair of the accounting department, "[The change] will create opportunities in consulting, corporate accounting and public_accounting,'xsaid_Brenner. The accounting program is one of only 140 programs in the U.S. that are accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). "It has been a. trend nationally to switch the degree," said Brenner. "Schools like Arizona State and Virginia Tech have only had positive feedback and effects from the new combined degree." At the university, accounting courses are required for all business . tudents because it is seen, according to the university's accounting information sheet, "that .to be successful, any individual who will own or be employed see MAJOR, page 2a ^Reporter C ORRE CTIONS K=iSXSS!^SZ==SZS^^JS^a.— 1. "Asian Heritage Week" LIFE, Issue 20. In the article the judo class was mentioned to have been cancelled "due to lack of student interest." Dr. Brady took a leave of absence from the university for two years and the judo classes stopped for the time. 2. "PETA column is misleading propaganda" OPINIONS, Issue 18. The author of the article, Kaiya Lang, is not enrolled at the university. 3."Hatters spank Gators" SPORTS, Issue 21. Jorge Mondaca's tag line mentioned that he was a "member" of Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity, but he Is a "pledge." 4."Hatters spank Gators" SPORTS, Issue 21. In the article, Adam Blair was referred to as Andy Blair. Contact Us 421 N. Woodland Blvd. #8409 DeLand, FL 32720-3751 386.822.7224 FAX 386.822.7233 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] advert ise<8> stetson.edu Construction projects on schedule this year By Amy Rigdon news editor After refurbishing the Holler Fountain, redoing the exterior of Chaudoin Hall, and restoring the main entrance to the university, the university and Facilities Management still have forthcoming projects. Vice President of Facilities Management David Noyes said that over the past eight months, the university spent $570,000, including a grant for $370,000, repainting and bricking the exterior of Chaudoin Hall in order to seal it from the elements. The sidewalks near Chaudoin Hall have also been redone, but more sidewalks are undergoing construction soon, such as those around DeLand HalL The main entrance to the university was also restored. A new seal was installed, the brickwork, gates, and lights were refurbished. The new construction projects on campus include renovations to three university halls and creation of a soft- ball field. The most current undertaking of these projects is the restoration of DeLand Hall. "About three to four years ago, we put a plan together that recognized the priorities on campus. Part of that plan was to take advantage of the fact that we have a historic district on our campus, and there was a real need to pro tect its exterior from the elements," said Noyes. The university received two grants towards DeLand Hall,, the first for $25,000 to provide construction documents and the second for $350,000 to restore the building, along with the university's contribution of $200,000. "[The money that 'university contributes] is strictly money that has been put into a pool for maintenance and is not from the operating budget," said Noyes. "Quite frankly, if that [maintenance fund] wasn't available to us, it is likely that work wouldn't be done." The renovations of DeLand Hall are divided into two phases. The first phase involves all exterior restoration and the second phase will renovate the inside of the building. The entire exterior wood, roof, gutters, doors, and the brick foundation will be repaired or replaced in phase one. "We are also removing all the windows...to be reworked, restored, completely rebuilt and operable, and put them back in at another time. The windows are removed at night...so there is no disruption because everyone is gone," said Noyes. "We are also rebuilding the inside of the steeple, which was hit by lightening several years ago see CONSTRUCTION, page 2a Concert choir prepares for Europe By Wesley Sun EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Several members of the Concert Choir will be. touring Europe this summer under the direction of Dr. Duncan Couch, professor of music and the director of choral "activities. ■."" This tour will be the second European tour the Concert Choir has taken. The last tour, which was in 1996, started in England and moved on to the continent. This year, the tour will begin May 15, when the students board a plane headed for Paris, France. From Paris the group will travel to Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Salzburg and then Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Lucem, France; and then return to Paris before finally boarding a plane to return home on May 31. "Dr. Couch announced [the tour] at the end of last year," said Lindy Eller, a junior music major with an outside field in communication. "I knew immediately that I wanted to go." Other students knew the trip was meant for them as well. "Before I came to Stetson, Dr. Couch sent out a letter detailing the trip," said Kelly Klauber, a first-year music education major. "I didn't know anything about the Concert Choir or anything. I just knew that I wanted to get exposed to what Europe had to offer me as a musician," The tour will r——~~—— include several formal and informal concerts along the way. Dr. Couch was careful to make sure the students also had plenty of leisure time in between ' ""* practices and concerts. "The first time I took a tour, several years ago with another university, I scheduled way too many concerts," said Dr. Couch. "We sing concerts here. We go to Europe to see Europe...We really have only seven performances and the rest of the 16, 17 days are just Europe-based." According to Dr. Couch, the determining factor in student participation was financial. In the end, 35 students from the Concert Choir were able to afford the trip. "The tour complete with the company that we're going with is $2,700," said Dr. Couch. "Dean Woodward and the School of Music is helping considerably with that cost...He also allowed us to take all REHEARSE: The university's concert choir warms up under the direction of Dr. Couch before performance, photo by wesley sun "We will be seeing places where the people that we sing...Hved, worked, and died, and that's an important and powerful thing." of our income from our Christmas Candlelight Concert, which is substantial, and we've had a couple of little fundraisers. So all in all, they're going for at least $1,000 less than [$2,700]." Eller said, "It's a very inexpensive trip when it comes down to it. There's scholarships that have- been given, things like that, which is really wonderful. The community has.been really supportive. In the fall we have a Choral Clinic where high schools come from all over the state of Florida and we sold T-shirts and we sold water bottles...All the proceeds from that went directly to the ==^=i=— tour as well." The choral students are all eager to participate in this tour and visit other countries. "For most of us, myself especially, we're most excited about performing in Austria, the birthplace • _ of Mozart," said Michael Sutherland, a junior voice performance major. "We're looking forward to going there .more than anywhere else right now." Eller said, "I've never been to the Czech Republic. Of the countries we're visiting, that's the only one I've never been to, so I'm really looking forward to going to Prague." Klauber has purchased tickets to operas and passes to museums located in Austria while the group is there. "The thing I'm excited most about is Vienna, because I have been doing some research online about it," said Klauber. "For musicians, Europe is our tradition, it's where our music came from," said Dr. Couch. "We will be seeing places where the people that we sing every day lived, worked, and died, and that's an important and powerful thing. Plus many of these students are performance majors and hope to make a living as performers and therefore many of them will start their performing careers in Europe." Last Friday, April 19, the Concert Choir performed in the Elizabeth Hall chapel. There the choir performed many of the pieces they will be performing on their European tour. "Dr. Couch is a phenomenal conductor," said Hannah Pettingill, a junior vocal performance major who will be participating in the European tour. "He knows music so well." Dr. Couch is confident that his students will find this experience worthwhile. "They're not quite -aware of this yet, but this will be one of the events that they remember for a very long time as being a high point in their college life," said Dr. Couch. "I just kind of believe every stu dent should travel somewhere when they're in school, preferably for a semester or a whole year. There's no better educator than travel." Wesley Sun can be contacted at [email protected]. ^y^%^vxr~-y-1 LEADER: Dr. Couch conducts the choir, photo by wesley sun iMii-raKirawwi EM______S______!______E__a_ M»Pi«tiiW*arE?i' wmmmmi irniEEMraiw B-UHftll