Stetson Commons 1991-3-1

Fall 1991 Volume III No. 1 ^^ ^} -^|p- ^^^^^ r 1 J | \ J ... --IwMi : .8, * Moving day! Campus welcomes 687 newcomers Stetson is welcoming 687 new students to campus this fall, 473 as freshmen and 214 ttansferring from othet colleges. Academic standards remain high. Dean of Admissions Linda Glover said 81 percent of this year's freshmen ranked in the top third of theit high school classes, compared to 76 percent in 1990. Thirty-six percenrhave high school grade point averages of at least 3.5, compared to 35 petcent last year. Eighty-one percent of the new students are Floridians. Women outnumber men, as they have for the past three years. Ten percent ate ftom ethnically diverse groups. The distribution of subjects: those planning to majot in elementary education, math, psychology, and instrumental music performance are up significantly. In the School of Business Administration, more students are choosing a nonspecific program. Freshmen need time to decide what they want to do with theit lives, English Professor Mike Raymond rold parents in an orientation session. Don't pressure students to choose "pte-law, pre-med, pre-rich," he said; encourage them to "learn how to learn." "College is a great place to explore, to try things, to reach beyond one's grasp, to make decisions about values and lifestyles, to test choices, to get a sense of self," Raymond said. " You need to start letting them go." Don't expect too much of collegians, Raymond warned. Parents need to understand that at Stetson, which "takes pride in holding down grade inflation," a C grade means average work. Students may have gotten through high school successfully by using only part of their brains, he warned, "but you are paying us big bucks to test them." Fund honors Dr. Colwell A memorial scholarship fund has been established in memory of English Professor Carter Colwell. It will provide a need-based art and sciences scholarship for minority students, pteferably from Volusia County. Dr. Colwell, who died from cancer August 23, was the 1980 winner of the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching. Donations to the fund should be sent to: Catter Colwell Scholarship Fund, Stetson University, Campus Box 8279, DeLand, FL 32720-3777. Stetson ranked #3 in South by U.S. News Stetson is ranked in the top three universities in the south, and first in Horida, in the 1991 U.S. News & World Report list, "America's Best Colleges." Stetson tied with Berea College in Kentucky for third place, behind Wake Forest University (1) and University of Richmond. The rankings are the tesult of a study of over 1,000 schools that combined statistical data with the results of a U.S-. News survey of academic reputations. Statistics, provided largely by the schools themselves, measured selectivity of the student body; financial support for a high-quality, full-time faculty; overall financial resources; student satisfaction as measured by the school's ability to graduate the freshmen it admits; and standardized test scores. Stetson has been included in every U.S. News ranking since the survey began in 1985. It was fourth last year, behind Berea. Campus Life programs Help new students 'connect' With 'rush' by Greek organizations postponed until the end of January, Stetson has taken the second major step in a program designed to help new students better connect with all phases of campus life. The first was the Stetson Experience course begun last fall. "Deferred Rush supports a solid unification of the Greek system, and an elimination of the pressures usually encountered by new students faced with the need to make an eatly decision about Greek affiliation," explained Dean of Campus Life James Beasley. "It permits new students to experience the whole tange of social opportunities on campus before making commitments to a specific organization. It also promotes participation in, and identification with, the all-campus program of co-curricular education." Rules were developed with the help of representatives of fraternities and sororities. For your calendar Fall "91 Semester Fall Phonathon Parents Weekend Thanksgiving Yule Log Lighting Fall Commencement Christmas Winter Term Homecoming Spring '92 Semester Spring Break Sept. 4-Dec 13 Oct 747 Oct. 25-27 Nov. 28-Dec. I Dec 3 Dec. 15 Dec. 15-Jan. 5 Jan. 6-29,1992 Jan. 17-19 Feb.3-May 14 Mar. 16-22