The Stetson Reporter

liV_.E_ R. S. I T Y OUR With the affirmation of faculty, a university committee is almost finished with its mission possible BY JEFF hamrick | Members of the SACS Institutional Purpose Subcommittee recently released a proposed final draft of the university's new mission statement. Diane Everett, co-chair of the committee, also announced that the university faculty affirmed the new mission statement at a faculty meeting last Friday. Everett said that the committee still hopes to receive affirmations from the Student Government Association and the Quality of Service Council, although she noted that "the Board of Trustees has the final say on the statement." "The faculty does not have to approve the mission statement," said Everett, "although we [the SACS Institutional Purpose Subcommittee] felt that we didn't want to have a mission statement that the faculty didn't endorse." The revision of the university's mission statement has caused some controversy among some members of the university community. Some members of the faculty were concerned about the growing H I- w a. UJ > 111 UJ de-emphasis on the university's past relationship with the Baptist convention, while other faculty members were not pleased with the lack of direct comment about the content of a Stetson education. The Reporter has received additional off-the-record comments from members of the faculty who are displeased with the emphasis on specific values' commitments and who feel that there is still too much emphasis on the university's previous connection to the Baptist convention. These faculty members de- clined'to go directly on the record, stating that they did not want to appear to be confrontational. . Dr. Karen Kaivola, associate dean ofthe College of Arts and Sciences and one of the principle writers of the mission statement, said that her work with the committee "provided an opportunity to consider over an extended period of time some very important questions about who we are and who we want to be." Everett said that President H. Douglas Lee instigated the revision of the mission statement last year by asking the Faculty Senate to review the statement. "He did not mandate that we change the mission statement, but simply that we examine it in light of institutional changes," said [ see MISSION, page 2a ] "The faculty does not have to approve the mission statement. Although we [the SACS Institutional Purpose Subcommittee] felt that we didn't want to have a mission statement that the faculty didn't endorse. UJ (5 < a. h- Z O BZ u. life | Video games: a mindless past time that can take up numerous hours of ones time. What better way to procrasinate from doing homework, dealing with life, or just hanging out with friends, than to'sit down and battle lifes struggles in a video game. Reviewed this week are: Lego Racer and Grand Theft Two. [ cover, section B ] wed nov99 issue 10 volume 112 Habitat looks forward to new Droiect BY JULIE GOWAN | Habitat for Humanity's goal is to eliminate poverty housing from the world. The Stetson chapter is helping with this goal by conducting fundraisers and aiding the West Volusia chapter, but the group is looking forward to breaking ground on the first Habitat project ever sponsored by Stetson. The Stetson Chapter has begun efforts to lead the Stetson Community, "As we make the largest contribution we can, doing our part to making the dream a reality," said Brian Mistier, president ofthe Stetson chapter. The dream Mistier is referring to is that the group is hoping to raise $40,000 in order for the Stetson group to build a house close to Stetson without help from the West Volusia Chapter. Already 12 campus organizations and many Greek affiliates have pledged their support, offering time, money, and planning to cosponsor events. "That's really important because we don't have a huge group of people who consider themselves actual members of the chapter; this project will only work because the whole Stetson community is able to come together and make it happen," said Mistier. [ see HOUSE on page 3a ] Mr. Boombastic comes to DeLand MR. LOVER, LOVER: Shaggy rocked Melching Field Stadium Saturday night where he played to the Stetson and DeLand community. PHOTO VALERIE FUTCH [ $66 LIFE COVer 1 Partners receive benefits, no insurance BY JULIE GOWAN | Domestic partners of faculty and staff can now receive non- economic benefits, the vice president for finance announced in a Nov. 4 memorandum. "It is the right thing to do—and at this point in time, it's hardly a radical thing to do," said Karen Kaivola, associate dean of the College or Arts and Sciences. "Stetson's inclusion of partners in non-economic benefits is consistent with the university's non-dis- BENEFITiSI Non-economic benefits were awarded to domestic partners of faculty and staff. Benefits include: Use of DuPont Ball Library Use of the Hollis Center facilities Bookstore benefits Entry to athletic events All advantages of an employee ID Economic benefits have not yet been awarded. According to Kaivola, the Board of Trustees is still considering this option. -i o crimination statement and with its commitment to become a more inclusive community," said Kaivola, who is also chair of the Women's Council. The benefits package includes use of duPont-Ball Library, Hollis Center, the bookstore, and access to athletic events—the same benefits provided by employee ID cards. The university has not yet developed a rigorous definition of a "domestic partner." ^ "The ex panded use of the ^ ID card benefits to M a larger group of < people presents a both an advantage and a disadvantage," said Terry Gordon, director of Human Resources. At this time the Board of Trustees is only willing to offer non-economic benefits, said Nancy Vosburg, director of the Women and Gender Studies Committee. President Lee has stated that we will continue to explore the possibility of offering additional benefits in the future, both Kaivola and Vosburg said. Part of the problem resides in the definitions imposed on us by outside agencies, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the I.R.S., which have very limited definitions of "spouse." Some faculty are pleased-that Stetson has taken this step toward building a more diverse community and has followed in the footsteps of other schools. T see PERKS, page 2a ] WGS: Preparation for next semester already begun valerie futch | The Women and Gender studies Department has many informative events planned for the rest of the year. One of the largest events they have planned will take place in March. Rebecca Walker, daughter of renowned author Alice Walker, will speak on Third Wave Feminism. They will co-sponsor this event, which will address the issue of cultivating young women's leadership and activism. Along with guest speakers, WGS is also planning workshops and roundtable discussions. Two roundtable discussions in the spring will feature Stetson students Kevin Snipes and Diane Holmes-Curtis. Both of these students received Stetson Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) grants. The department is also planning to co- sponsor a speaker with the Russian Studies Program. In February, Martina Vandenberg, the European Research Associate for Human Rights Watch's Women's Rights Division, will present. She will address such issues as rape as a war crime, discrimination against women during post-war reconstruction programs, and trafficking of women for forced prostitution and forced labor. WGS is already preparing for Women's History Month in March. One of the main topics they want to address the student body with is the question "What is feminism?" Nancy Vosburg, coordinator of WGS com mented that "we are tossing around the idea of asking students to respond to that question outside the CUB one day that month, so we can find out more about what students know or don't know about this topic." This past Tuesday, Dr. Bonnie Strickland gave a lecture in the duPont-Ball Library entitled "Coming out ofthe Confed- [ see WGS, page 1a] i ■,] D fl B •?1 tin n University hosts first teleconference in lab BY EUGENE HUSKEY | Fifteen Stetson students stare at a darkened monitor in the basement of the Lynn Business Center. Over a thousand miles away, three scholars from Kyrgyzstan sit at an anchor desk of the Radio/TV Building at Indiana University. The date is Nov. 4 and a little Stetson history is about to be made. After a handshake between computers in DeLand and Bloomington, and a few minutes of audio-only introductions, an image fills the monitor, and Stetson's first computer videoconference with a panel of scholars from another university begins. For the next hour, faculty and students in the Ethnicity and Politics class query the scholars from a small, Central Asian nation about [ read this story in News, page 2a ] i n s il i D N 1. N S I D £ n /:. J B- n I L'TjJT-? 'Anywhere But Here' a story for all moms BY AMY traugh | Some people's lives are so full of misery that it's hard to imagine anything could go right. There seems to be nothing going right {W% for Adele (Susan Sarandon) and her daughter n Ann (Natalie Portman) in Anywhere But Here, /a '■ Adele and Ann move from Bay City, Wisconsin, to Beverly (Ttyy Hills because Adele doesn't believe that Ann is a "small town girl." fM^-q This is the beginning of the road to hell for Ann, who loves her *~r^v friends, her relatives, and her life in Bay City. In fact, the journey //"y, begins quite tellingly when Adele kicks Ann out of the car on a ^ - desert road and drives away. Ann wonders (along with us) if her mother is actually coming back or not. Well, Adele does come back, and we've' got ourselves a movie, folks! Basketball begins £<H!&.IhSi:»&.uJ [ read this story in Life, page 2b ] ({//! LOOKING FOR AN OPEN SHOT: Ladies basketball started their season off winning the exhibition game, photo by valerie * FUTCH [ read this story in Sports, page 4b ] xinfensoreddiscyssi^