Stetson Reporter

ight Teachers Promoted, Four Receive Tenure Eight Stetson faculty members were promoted and four received tenure this Fail, it was announced Thursday at Convocation by school president Pope A. Duncan. Promoted from instructor to assistant professor were Dr. Hertha Berry of the department of foreign languages and Dan A. Gunderson of the art department. Four teachers were promoted from assistant professor to associate professor: Dr. William Wayne Dickson and Dr. William C. Johnson of the department of English, Dr. Charles B. Vedder of the sociology department, and Dr. Raymond J.. Cannon, Jr., of the Math department. Two faculty members were promoted from associate professor to professor, the highest rank a teacher may achieve at Stetson. Dr. Gareth Williams of the math department and Dr. Neal B. Long of the economies department received such a promotion. In addition, four of the eight faculty members who were promoted received tenure as well: Dr. Dickson and Johnson of the English department, Dr. Vedder of the Sociology department, and the Math department's Dr. Cannon. Dickson, 35, came to Stetson in 1968 after teaching at Gardner-Webb (N.C.) College for one year. A former Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he received his B.A. from Stetson in 1964, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University. Dickson specializes in American Literature and English Education. Johnson came to Stetson in September, 1972, after serving as instructor of English at the University of Denver. Originally from Oregon, Johnson received his B.A. from Whitworth College in 1967, his M.A. from SUNY at Stoney Brook in 1969, and his Ph,D. from the University of Denver in 1972. cont'd, a, 4 Volume 90 Nur-ber 2 Stetson University DeLand Fla. September 16, 1977 Forest Convocation Opens 95th School Year The faculty and student body of Stetson University welcomed new students, commended seniors and wished their new president a Happy Birthday during the traditional Convocation Service Thursday morning. The service, held in the Forest of Arden on the Stetson campus, marked the official opening of the 95th academic year of Fiorid'a oldest university. Dr. Pope A. Duncan, newly elected as the 7th president of Stetson, celebrated his 57th birthday Thursday and recalled "I started to school on my birthday; I was elected President of Georgia Southern College on my birthday; I am eonvocing the first year of my Presidency at Stetson University, on my birthday. I see this as a good omen!" Dr. Duncan welcomed new students to Stetson into "one of the truly pivotal and hopefully creative periods" of their lives. Assuring freshmen that they are "an indispensable part of Stetson University," Duncan urged that they apply themselves and "develop your adult sense of respon- siblity." Addressing new seniors, Duncan warned that "yours is a very neavy responsibility. It bears with it the obligations . of academic integrity, throughness in searching any issu«. a mind open to truth and closed to error and shoddy President Duncan convoked the 95th school year on his birthday fast Thursday. Duncan is flanked by Deans Chauvin (left) QjndJ;gr^ton_(center), and by Dr. Walker. thinking." In setting a tone of the new Stetson year, Duncan noted that the Stetson community had five basic qualities, niversity Fire Insurance Changes By Frank X.McAloon . According to information released by Mr. H. Graves Edmondson, vice-president of finance, the new insurance underwriter for Stetson's fire protection is Contential Insurance. "A change of carrier is simply a routine thing," said Edmondson. "As a private institution," stated Edmondson, "it is our practice to take a careful look," at the fire protection available, and it is, "normal (to have) three year contracts." Apparently, the new insurance underwriters came up with a proposal that was more acceptable to the university. Continental's requirements, however, "were not markedly more stringent than other underwriters," stated Edmondson. Some of the changes around campus include new fire procedures for fee men's dorms, after-dark emergency lights in a number of university buildings where large numbers of people could be caught in a blackout and improved fire escapes in the womens' dorms. In the newly renovated Flagler Hall, where 1977 fire prevention requirements must be mei, the university has installed automatic lighting smoke detectors, to name a few. Another correction has centered in the return flow in the air conditioner system to assure the elimination of smoke in the event of a fire. The extended coverage for all of the buildings on the DeLand campus exceeded 27 million dollars. This in addition to the 7.5 million in coverage for the Law School makes the total for the school over 34 million dollars. The school is required to Tsure fer the full, value. Of interest to the students is the fact that all personal property is not covered in the insurance. "Our personal possessions are not covered," Edmondson stated in reference to office staff possessions, professors possessions in their offices and students belongings in their rooms. In case of a fire, "the insurance company and the university would have nothing to go on except the students good faith and honesty," stated Edmondson. "The central problem is how to inventory something that is lost," he continued, "we have to consider age and condition, etc." "There simply is no effective way; our insurance does not cover students," Edmondson said. The only recourse for the student is to check with his parents''insurance coverage and check to see if he is still covered as a student not living at home. The last occasion where there was a fire on the Stetson University campus was eighteen years ago in the south end of the Student Union Building. The equipment malfunction of the air conditioner behind the student lounge lead to a fire. "Fire and water damage was several tens of thousands of dollars," said Edmondson: Mr. Edmondson wished to express his hope that the students would be concerned about safety. It seems that of the past four instances of small fires which were caught in time, all of them were the result of carelessness with a cigarette. It is hoped that the students utalize good safety procedures when handling electrical equipment and smoking. ' " " V.V.V "■' : academic, enterprising, expanding, Christian and op- tomistic. "Stetson is a community in which truth and scholarly activity is prised where agape abounds, a community in which each seeks the best interest of the other, one supports the other, a caring and thoughtful community where each individual is respected and treated so." Stetson, he summarized, is an "optomistic, positive, happy" communitv,? "on the road to somewhere." Sixteen presideniial scholars were recognized at the ceremony for having maintained a A average throughout their academic careers at Stetson. Duncan announced that eight professors were promoted, with four receivng tenure. In The News... Computers Invade Commons...p. 4 Feature Photo Page...p. 7 Volleyball Outlook...p. 10 Committment 77...p. 12