HatChat

Homecoming Weekend!!

2011-03-28T14:04:00.002-04:00

Back to reality on this gross, rainy Monday! With all the alumni in town this weekend, I felt like I time traveled back a few years. There were so many events and fun activities, I completely lost track of time and remembered this morning that I have 2 tests and a project due this week! Come on professors, now that's just mean :) (just kidding).

Homecoming kicked off with a dance at Club Karma, which I find absolutely hilarious! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Stetson's school spirit is getting better each day, but a dance at Club Karma, really?? Let me explain.. Karma, some might remember it as the P-Lounge (at least that's what it was when I first got to Stetson), is located in the Putnam Hotel next to JR's, and not exactly the finest establishment in Downtown DeLand. It's definitely the place to go if you want to dance on Thursday nights, but not exactly my first choice for a "semi-formal" event! Granted, I ended up going a little later, and it turned out to be a good crowd. So congrats to the group that hosted it!

Then there was the baseball game on Friday which I couldn't attend because I had to work, but from what I hear it had a good crowd as well! On Saturday there were numerous luncheons and alumni vs. student sporting events as well as the silent auction supporting people in Japan, during the day, then at night the Block Party, which of course was a hit. It was my first alumni weekend in the 3 years I've been at Stetson that I didn't have to work and could actually attend these events, and I had a blast! It was neat to see the school as a whole having fun together, and so interesting to hear the amazing things alumni have done after leaving Stetson.

I have to say, DeLand is definitely a small town and way different from where I grew up (Arlington, Texas), and it was quite a culture shock when I first got to Stetson (which has fewer people enrolled than my highschool did), but each semester I'm here I find so many more reasons to love it!

Guess I've procrastinated long enough, time to hit the books!
Nina

Just another Monday...

2011-01-24T14:37:00.003-05:00

While scrolling down my newsfeed on facebook, noticing all the statuses of friends in other states involving the freezing weather they're experiencing,I take a look outside to see students walking to class in t-shirts and flip-flops, and remember why I chose to come to school in Florida! Though the weather has been temperamental lately, and relatively cold for us southerners, today has turned into such a beautiful spring-like day!

As mentioned earlier, Superbowl XLV teams were determined yesterday in two interesting games. Being from Arlington, Texas (where the Superbowl will be held this year :) ), I'm a Cowboys fan, and didn't really care who won since my team didn't even make it to playoffs! But I still watched the games, mainly so I could join in on the numerous conversations I knew would take place today concerning the results, and I thought it was crazy how similar both games were. They started out with one team dominating the whole first half, then a major comeback from the underdogs in the second half making it really come down to those last few minutes. Definitely great games to say the least! Goodluck to all you Greenbay and Steelers fans, it should definitely be a fun game to watch!

Speaking of Superbowl, forget about the football part for a min and let's talk about what most people actually watch it for: the commercials! What companies are going to step it up this year and create YouTube favorites? Lately the Geico commercials-- "Could Switching to Geico Really save you 15% or more..."-- have been my favorite! So I'm definitely excited to see what they bring to the table. It's funny though how the Superbowl is one of the only times I'm excited for commercial breaks, while the rest of the year I depend on DVR and OnDemand where I can fastforward through the breaks and get back to my shows!

NFL

2011-01-24T10:20:00.002-05:00

Out of the Steelers and the Packers for Superbowl, my vote is for the Packers!

2011-01-21T10:04:00.003-05:00

So, how many people believe our personalities change based on the stars? The earth's rotation changed does that mean we are all different zodiac signs now? Maybe we are all born with personality traits based on the cosmic, but we grow beyond those over time? I don't think anyone really believes in astrology. The horoscope of the day is so vague it could be used for any particular sign. We can all identify with it.... Ok.. ok I'm a girl. I certainly love astrology just because it's fun. I do fall victim to the idea that certain signs have certain personality traits. I know it's not really true, but it's still fun to read and look up. Now the rotation changes in the earth, I can only dream that will only effect the new borns under those signs personality traits. There is still an internal conflict of to believe or not to believe.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/13/horoscope-hang-up-earth-rotation-changes-zodiac-signs/

Bandtoberfest

2010-10-04T09:32:00.000-04:00

Be on the look out for news on Bandtoberfest October 23rd!

Another goodbye post

2010-04-28T12:38:00.004-04:00

Hey guys!
So I'm here to add another goodbye post. Today is the last day of my internship (sad face). It's really been a pleasure working here. The people I've met have made this job worth having. I've met Max Cleland, head baseball coach Pete Dunn and the President... of the University of course. Also the staff has made the experience wonderful. I've enjoyed working beside them as well as our brief chats. Finishing this internship leaves me with a since of gratification. I have had the stories I've written and pictures I've taken published on the Stetson public website, our econnect website, and the Daytona Times (my biggest accomplishment!). It feels nice to know that I wasn't just doing busy work. I was writing stories that would reach an audience far beyond this office. Granted I was writing for the New York Times or the Washington Post but it still made me happy to know that someone outside of the office is reading my work. Anyway It's been one great semester and I'm sad it's over.

~ Aja P (STETSON ALUMNI!!!)

2010-04-28T10:29:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,
I can not believe this is my final post! I feel like just yesterday I was sitting in this same chair contemplating what I was going to blog about all semester. Needless to say my time at Stetson's Office of PR has been nothing less than wonderful. I learned about the vast world of public relations and marking; I met so many amazing Stetson faculty and staff; and I was able to broaden my circle of friends (and comfort zone!) by interviewing a few of Stetson's awesome students. I officially have 3 days left in my semester. I only have to take one exam, which is a nice thing, but it is also a reality check that in 72 hours I will be a senior! Crazy! If I can give you any advice it would be to love every day at Stetson. This university is absolutely amazing and your time here will fly by! Good luck with your final exams.

Sincerely, Kate

Exam week

2010-04-26T13:02:00.004-04:00

Hello all!
So the time is quickly approaching. We have 2 days left of class!!!.... and then the dreaded exam week. I personally think that I'm going to have an easy breezy exam week. I technically have four classes but I only have one exam. One of my classes is Senior Research and my final paper for that is due the 28th. I have a group presentation the 28th, there is no final for internship which leaves me with one exam during exam week. It's my Business Finance final. I've done pretty well in that class the only thing I'm worried about is the exam is cumulative so that means I have to go back and refresh my memory on everything we've covered all semester. I'm the lucky one though because all of my friends have 3 or 4 exams. So while I'm relaxing in the quad or by the pool or in my room they will all be studying for their finals. Granted that means they can't hangout with me because they will be studying however it will give me time to pack up my room. That brings me to my next point. Graduation is 12 days away! Yikes! I just realized how close it is. I've been avoiding the countdown because I didn't want to know how close graduation was. I wanted to just wake up one morning and be surprised it was May 8th. Lol. I'm just really going to miss being at Stetson. I love this place! I don't love the work but the people I've met, the activities I've participated in and the bonds I have made will always remind me that I was right in my choice of choosing Stetson. Honestly if I had to do it all over again I would choose Stetson. Hopefully I'd work a little harder if I had a chance to do everything over but that's just a personal side note. Anyway I just want to say Good Luck! to everyone on their exams :). As my DS 280 (statistics) teacher Dr. Thorne likes to say "Study hard, study smart, and have fun"!
P.S. Congrats to all the graduates of 2010!!!!

~ Aja P

2010-04-08T08:34:00.007-04:00

Good morning!
Yesterday was SURCAS here at Stetson and the campus was full of so many talented people and there were so many wonderful presentations. I'm not sure if I told you all the background of the symposium. It was started in 1999 and features presentations of undergraduate course work from Stetson. The presentations include oral style paper presentations, poster presentations and art exhibits. As I told you in an earlier post, I presented my paper on Disney and I thought it went well! I had a small glitch with my powerpoint and some of the pictures did not show :( but over-all I felt good about it. Plus, it's always good to get practice presenting!! It's so nerve-wracking (did I spell that correctly??) and the more I practice the less nervous I feel. My experience with SURCAS was a great one and I would strongly encourage everyone to think about presenting before you graduate!

~Audrey

Senior Research

2010-03-30T14:34:00.006-04:00

Hey Guys!

So tomorrow the rough draft of my Senior Thesis is due.... yikes! It is a project that I have been working on for about a semester and a half. In the first semester of my senior year we came up with our topics and wrote a proposal to gain approval for out topic. This semester I actually did the research. My topic is, "Is she really a she?”: Frame Analysis of Caster Semenya in the New York Times and the Cape Times. Caster Semenya (pictured above) is a South African runner who has been in the spotlight lately. At the World Championships in Berlin this past August she blew past her competitors in the women’s 800 meter race. A cloud of suspicsion surrounded her win. She was forced to submit to a gender test. In most cases when a female athlete's gender is questioned it is kept quiet. In the case of Semenya however, it became national news. The topic is really interesting but the project is slightly stressful at times. I'm just ready to finish it and then enjoy my long Easter weekend!

~Aja P

2010-03-25T08:53:00.000-04:00

Good morning!
Its bright and early and I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know about a wonderful academic seminar that we have here at Stetson - SURCAS. That stands for Stetson Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Symposium and this year I will be presenting! I present at 1:50 in the afternoon and I have to admit that I am NERVOUS! I have never been one to love presenting and I always get really anxious so wish me luck!!! I hope that some of you will be able to go....the title of mine is....

"From Snow White to Miley Cyrus: Can Postmodernism and the Progression of Third Wave Feminism Make Peace With Disney?"

~Audrey

2010-03-24T11:23:00.005-04:00

Hello on this beautiful Florida day,

I never got a chance to tell everyone about my experience at President Libby's inauguration. To sum it up in one word, amazing. The entire day was wonderful. It was picturesque, not a cloud in the sky. The professors, deans, and delegates look great as they lined Woodland Blvd. wearing their academic regalia. The academic procession was led by an extraordinary bagpiper. The Edmunds Center was packed with people of all ages. President Libby's family was present, friends of the University and Volusia County, current students, staff and alumni. Everyone was there to welcome and cheer on President Libby! Emilie Pitts '12, VP of the Jewish Student organization, gave the invocation. It set the tone for the rest of the inauguration. The greetings to the President focused on diversity, love for the community, and love for Stetson. Ultimately everyone wanted to wish President Libby the best of luck and let her know that we are excited to see what she has in store for our beloved Stetson University.

-Kate

(Picture Above: Dr. Libby at left; Photo Credit: Stetson's Office of PR, www.stetson.edu)

2010-03-23T15:55:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone
So this past weekend was the inauguration of Stetson's ninth president! The activities started bright and early and by 10:40 the procession had begun to the Edmunds center. After the ceremony (that ran beautifully) faculty, staff and students were invited to Dr. Libby's house for a lovely picnic. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was so warm as people exchanged smiles and laughter. Stetson is such a great university and I know that Dr. Libby will only make it better!

~Audrey

*photo credit: Stetson.edu (Dr. Wendy B. Libby during inauguration)

2010-03-15T16:18:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone!
It has been a crazy two weeks! Two weeks ago was Spring Break here at Stetson and wow the campus was so empty! I had to stay put and just do day trips because I am rushing to finish up my senior research! I know I have said this before, but I can NOT believe that I am a senior! Anyway.... after Spring Break I was gone for a week with the Stetson Women's Chorale. We were invited to sing at the ACDA Southern division in Memphis...that's right...where Elvis is from. Although I didn't get a chance to see Elvis' house I had a lot of fun! The picture at the top is the Spring 2010 Stetson Women's Chorale ....I'll bet you can guess which one I am on the right side......

~Audrey

2010-03-09T14:28:00.003-05:00

Welcome back from break!

I can't believe we are half way through our spring semester. Coming back from spring break isn't the most thrilling time of our year so I decided to see what is going on the next two weeks. It turns out there is so much to do around campus! Two sororities are holding philanthropic events and next week is Homecoming!
Here is a little blurb of what you can get involved in... This week Alpha Xi Delta is holding their Philanthropy Week benefiting Autism Speaks. They have their Xi Man competition on Wednesday, Hot Dog & Chili Cookout Thursday late night, and AmaXing Challenge: Football FrenXi on Friday! All of the events will include information on Autism Speaks and how you can help change the future for those who struggle with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pi Beta Phi is having their Semi-Annual Speed Read competition on Wednesday benefiting First Book. The 'First Book' organization helps children with literacy.

Next week is Homecoming and Alumni Weekend!!! President Libby will be inaugurated!

So don't worry... even though spring break is over there are tons of awesome events around campus to keep us occupied.

Hope to see you there,
Kate

2010-02-09T14:51:00.004-05:00

Hello on this rainy and cold February day!

Today does not depict our typical sunny and warm FL weather. Could you imagine if all of this rain was snow? I am from Baltimore, MD and that area of the United States is currently experiencing insane amounts of winter weather! My hometown had 24+ inches over the weekend and is preparing for another 15+ inches over the next 48 hours! I grew up in the North and experienced snow every winter... even though I love the sunshine in FL, sometimes I do miss getting snowed in! I can't imagine never experiencing snow like many of you Floridians. I attached a picture taken over the weekend in my home town so you can see what it is like!

Hope you can stay warm and dry,

Kate

2010-02-04T16:04:00.005-05:00

Hello hello!
So it's almost the weekend for me but before I run on out of here I have to tell you all about some of my weekend plans. The most important thing that I have planned this weekend is to attend the Haiti Relief concert that Stetson is putting on this Saturday from 7:30-11 P.M. The tragic events that struck Haiti on January 21st are going to be remembered this Saturday through music that will be held in both Elizabeth Hall and the quad. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Haiti relief efforts so I hope that I will see you out there!

Interview with a Baseball Coach

2010-02-04T13:31:00.004-05:00

Hey Guys!

So yesterday I got up super early in the morning to go interview Stetson's Head baseball coach Pete Dunn. I'm not exactly what you call a morning person but somehow I managed to get up and get down to his office at Melching field. When I was originally assigned the story I was kind of nervous to call him. Coaches seem stern and intimidating so I thought he would be like that. The funny thing is it was exactly the opposite. Coach Dunn was very kind and welcoming. My nerves just went away. We talked about the team we have this year and the directions it's going. After the interview he took me through and showed me the offices, players and coaches locker room, the players lounge and the field. Throughout the tour he told me interesting stories about the stadium's building process and former players. Not only did my time with Coach Dunn make me want to go out and watch Hatter Baseball but it also made me realize how much I love my internship. I can truly say you meet the best people here. That goes for the staff as well as the people I interview. Looks like it's going to be one awesome semester!

~Aja P~

Melching field:

2010-02-02T16:59:00.008-05:00

Hello everyone!
I know that I already introduced myself but there is something else about myself that I cant help but mention (probably because it is almost dinner time). I absolutely love lobster rolls and crab cakes! I am not really sure what that has to do with Stetson per se, but if I could have three wishes I think that two of them would be that I could have crab cakes and lobster rolls in endless supply here at Stetson. How awesome would it be if you could just walk into the commons or the hat rac or the convenient store for that matter and order crab cakes or a lobster roll whenever you wanted??? Pretty cool I think, unless you don't like crab cakes or lobster rolls...
So I want to wish you all a happy day filled with your favorite foods!
~Audrey

photo credit: {http://www.thefruitcompany.com/catalog/gourmet-crab-cakes-T701}

2010-01-28T15:29:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!
Its almost the weekend! It is hard to believe that in college many of us enjoy a three day weekend...every weekend. I don't really know how I will adjust to not having Fridays off and not being able to go home until after five almost every day. During the summers when I am not in school I work (usually in a law office) and I am always impressed by the fact that school always seems like kind of a break after the summer. Is it strange that school almost seems less intense and more freeing than my summer jobs??? Geez I really hope not! Maybe it feels like that because Stetson creates such a welcoming environment that allows for endless creativity and intellectual growth that anything less is just well, less. Stetson has done an amazing job preparing me for the future...whatever that may be...more school, a job?? But until the real world hits I am enjoying long weekends and friends and the beautiful Florida weather! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
~Audrey

2010-01-28T14:47:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! It's Kate. I hope you had a good week. I will be on weekend-time in less than two hours, so I am very happy! This weekend is the annual 'Gasparilla' event in Tampa, FL. My first Gasparilla experience was last year and it was a day full of excitement to say the least. A lot of people don't actually know the history behind the day or what they are even celebrating. What does "Gasparilla" even mean? The name "Gasparilla" came from the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, "last of the Buccaneers," who terrorized the coastal waters of West Florida during the late 18th and 19th century. Little is known about the life of Gaspar, but his personal diary boasts the capture and burning of 36 ships during his first 12 years as a pirate. This year the Gasparilla ship will dock at the Tampa Convention Center at 1 p.m. For more information check out http://www.gasparillapiratefest.com/

2010-01-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

Good morning good morning!
i don't think I have formally introduced myself yet... my name is Audrey and I am a second semester senior communication studies major here at Stetson and I am currently one of the three interns here in the Public Relations office. I love it so far and am so excited about how much I am going to take away from this internship and my time at Stetson. As you can probably tell by now and my early-morning posts that I tend to be what you would call a "morning person" so you will probably hear from me bright and early! For now I hope you have a wonderful day and try and stay warm!

2010-01-26T15:01:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone! Last week Aja, Audrey, and myself were given the opportunity to meet Max Cleland. Cleland is a Stetson alum, US army veteran, and American politician from Georgia. He loves his alumna matter and came back for a book signing of his latest release "Heart of a Patriot: How I Found the Courage to Survive Vietnam, Walter Reed, and Karl Rove". I have yet to read the book, but we only heard wonderful reviews. Cleland spoke to everyone about the quality of Stetson. He said, "Stetson is class... Stetson teaches students to live great lives." I thought this was a remarkable statement that made me think about all of the opportunities I have been given during my time here. Stetson truly is an amazing school that gives its students countless opportunities for leadership, learning, and to become well-rounded citizens. I highly recommend meeting Cleland or reading his book if you get the chance!

2010-01-25T11:17:00.003-05:00

Hey! My name is Kate. I am one of the three new interns this semester. I've only been working in the office a week, but so far I love it. While working on an assignment I asked students what they like to do on the weekends. I heard more complaints than compliments with the available weekend activities. I made it my mission to explore a weekend in DeLand! Saturday was a picturesque day in Florida, sunny and warm. I decided to walk downtown to the Third Annual 'Taste of DeLand'. Guess what? It was so much fun! Every food vendor on Main Street was present giving samples of their cuisine. Indiana Ave. was filled with people of all ages eating, dancing, and relaxing. At the end of the day I thought about all of the festivals and events DeLand hosts. If you get the chance to explore this neat, little town that is home to our amazing university I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

2010-01-25T08:21:00.003-05:00

Hi guys!
Its bright and early here at the Public Relations office. Its chilly and rainy outside today and a busy busy day for me just waiting for graduation. I'm not really sure what I will do in the months following my departure from Stetson but I do know that I will always be glad that I chose to come to the oldest private university in Florida but until then.... I am just going to take it one day at a time and try and stay out of the rain.

{photo credit: http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/blog/2008/09/you_call_this_rainy_season.html}

Graduation

2010-01-20T14:23:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! This is my first blog ever and I'm excited. Anyway I applied for graduation yesterday. It is all starting become so real. If you haven't guessed I'm a senior here at Stetson and this is my last semester. Applying for graduation made me think about a lot of things. It feels like just yesterday I was an eager freshman ready to make my mark. My roommate put it best. She said college is like a weird science experiment. They stick us all together and make us get along with one another and then it's over. Your four years are up and it's time to leave this world that you know and love. I am ambivalent about graduating. First I'm happy that I made it and kind of ready to get out of here, but then there is the fact that I don't know if I'm ready for the real world and I don't want to leave all my friends. You work so hard for four years so that you can make it to this point, but never in that time do you think about how hard it will be to leave. In the end I know I'm truly happy. I mean I can't stay in school forever neither do I want to. All I'm going to say is make the best of your time at Stetson because before you know it, it will be over and time to move on to the next phase in life.

~ Aja P

2010-01-20T09:16:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! I am so excited to begin my second day interning at the Public Relations office here at Stetson and so far so good...knock on wood. Yesterday I learned that this office is actually the oldest building on campus...how cool is that?!?! It is owned by the Allen family and as you can tell it has changed a little since it was built but I think it still has so much character.

2009-12-04T21:47:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,
Today is the last day of my internship at the Office of Public Relations and Communications. I hope you all have enjoyed reading about my life at Stetson. Next week is finals week, then it's finally Christmas vacation for a month. I am completely finished with my French Cinema class and I found out that I will be getting either an A or A- in the class, so I'm pretty excited about that. I got Senior Research Proposal rough draft back on Wednesday, and fortunately I don't have too many corrections to make on it. My grades in Health Communication and Senior Research are still up in the air, but I'm not too worried about either one.
I spent most of the day in the library finishing up stories for my internship and working on my senior research proposal final draft. The weather has finally started to clear up a bit, which I'm happy about because it has been pouring here all day. Hopefully the weather will be nicer next week so I can go to my exams without getting soaked
Well, I'm off to get something to eat and watch The Jay Leno Show later because Taylor Swift is going to be on it. I will have graduated by the time some of you come to Stetson, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

2009-12-01T21:20:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,
I'm sad to say that this is my last week of blogging. I hope you've all enjoyed reading about my life at Stetson. This is the last week of classes, then next week is finals. It's been quite a busy week, as always, but the end is in sight. It was nice getting a few days off for Thanksgiving, but now it's back to reality. Today is my last French Cinema class, and tomorrow are my last Senior Seminar and Health Communication classes. Before class, I went to the coffee kiosk and hung out with my friend Alicia for a while. The kiosk has some excellent holiday drinks such as cinnamon vanilla chai, which I strongly recommend trying. I'll post my last blog on Friday, so don't forget to check it out!

2009-11-12T14:48:00.002-05:00

The end of the semester is approaching, yet it still seems far away. Between now and December, I will be hosting a movie night with ADA and OSAPE, turning in my Senior Research Proposal, my Health Communication project, and my French project, and working on my internship. Yesterday, my Senior Research professor talked to us about our research proposals, and it would be an understatement to say that we're stressed about it. I took some time to destress last night and watch the Country Music Awards. As a huge Taylor Swift fan, I was excited to see her win all four awards for which she was nominated, including Entertainer of the Year. I'm currently in the library listening to Bon Jovi on my iPod and getting ready to work on some assignments before going to a cultural credit event tonight about the website, PostSecret. That's one of the best things about Stetson- we have all kinds of unique events on campus ranging from speeches to movies to discussions, and it's always great to meet the people who have influenced us in some way.

The Importance of Being Earnest

2009-11-12T13:26:00.002-05:00

Opening night tonight for The Importance of Being Earnest!

We've been working really hard for the last month and a half to put on Oscar Wilde's witty comedy, and it's coming together really well. I've had a great time working with the cast, and Jack has been a really fun role to get into. There are lots of memorable Wilde quotes to throw around, and even though it may seem like a "serious comedy" at first, it really is about "trivial people." The set too, has been a monumental undertaking--we have hundreds of tissue paper flowers adoring some greenery in the second and third acts. I know I probably won't want to ever fold a paper flower again, and by the time the weekend is over, I may be disgusted by just the sight of an English muffin! Be sure to make time to come see it, Thursday through Saturday at 8:00, and Sunday at 3:00 in Stover Theatre, across Woodland from Chaudoin where the old tennis courts are.

2009-10-29T16:11:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone,
This has been quite a busy week on campus. This weekend, the music fraternity on campus, Phi Mu Alpha, sponsored Bandtoberfest, an event featuring student and faculty bands. I had no idea that some of my professors were in bands! It was a nice break from studying and the free popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy were really good too. Who can argue with free entertainment and free snacks?
Aside from Bandtoberfest, I've been organizing events for ADA and working on assignments for my classes. The work is starting to pile up, but I'm not in over my head yet. If there's one thing I've learned in college, it's time management. That's something that most people have problems with during their first year of college because it's a whole different experience than high school. My advice would be to talk to your professors. They want to help you and they want you to succeed. On that note, I'm going to go get something to eat.

2009-10-22T18:53:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone,
We are well into the semester and things have been really hectic at Stetson. Next week, we're signing up for classes for the Spring. It's hard to believe the semester is more than half over.
I'm currently working on several different projects for my internship such as feature stories, news stories, faculty interviews, student interviews, and press releases.
In my Health Communication class, we are working on a group project where we have to come up with an original program to present to the Health and Wellness Center on campus. Throughout the semester we've been learning about patient-doctor interaction and reading health narratives written by people who have had an illness, and the project is the capstone of the class, where we can combine everything that we've learned to come up with our own health program.
The theme for my Senior Seminar class is "Sports Communication", so we are reading different studies that have been done on that subject, as well as working on a concept paper. As a Communications major, you get a choice of doing either a Rhetorical or Qualitative research project, then in Senior Seminar you have to research a concept or theory about your chosen research method (if you're confused, don't worry because I was too!)
Finally, in my French Cinema class we are watching movies on World War II and writing research papers every other week.
It sounds like a lot, and it is, but by the time you become a senior you've become used to the hectic college life and you will actually miss it during the summer.

2009-09-29T11:26:00.002-04:00

As the sun went down on Yom Kippur last evening, I was reminded of the lecture that took place last Thursday in Lee Chapel. The speaker was Art Spiegelman, the famous, Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the graphic novel Maus. Part of his lecture, Comix 101.1, dealt with the aforementioned novel specifically and what inspired him to publish the piece. Sadly, most of the story behind Maus isn't a happy one, but talks mainly about the oppression his parents survived before leaving Auschwitz.
Of course, Spiegelman isn't a one note kind of guy, his focus for the lecture had been more to the tune of comics through the ages - from "Katzenjammer Kids" by Rudolph Dirks, to Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, to Edu-Manga (http://www.amazon.com/Edu-Manga-Anne-Frank-Edu-Manga/dp/1569709742). Thank god he talked about Edu-Manga, because I don't know how I'd ever have learned about Anne Frank otherwise.
He also discussed imagery and context as according to the comic form. Artists like Lichtenstein and Warhol were mentioned as not having done anything for comic form and Campbell's Soup, respectively. Rather, these two artists exploited the capitalistic idea of reproduction and marketing to sell their "genius." (Cough)
What can I say? I love Art Spiegelman. If you missed the lecture, that's okay, but please read some of Spiegelman's work, and reread them because "rereading is funnnndamental!"- Art Spiegelman, September 23, 2009

-C Hann

Roger Crawford Cultural Credit Event

2009-09-10T22:23:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone!
Tonight, my organization, Association of Disability Advocates hosted motivational speaker, Roger Crawford, in honor of Disability Awareness Week. He has given more than 3,000 speeches all over the world, had a story published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, and been featured on Good Morning America and Inside Edition. Being a relatively new organization on campus, we weren't sure how many people would show up. Needless to say, the event was a much bigger success than we had anticipated. Roger was one of the most charismatic speakers I’ve ever heard and he was just as friendly when I met him before his speech. People seemed genuinely interested in hearing what he had to say, which is not always the case at these events. Stetson requires you to go to 24 "Cultural Credit" events before you graduate, so sometimes the students at these events end up being seniors who are trying to do all 24 Cultural Credits in their final semester.
I've seen quite a few changes on campus over the last few years that were mainly due to student involvement. Plus, studies have proven that the most successful students are the ones who participate in extra-curricular activities, and it's a nice break from going to class or studying in the library. Trust me, after spending a few hours freezing in the library, you'll want an excuse to take a break. On that note, I'm going to get something to eat. I'll talk to you all later!

Organization Fair

2009-09-01T22:51:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone, my name is Julie and I'm a new intern at the Office of Public Relations & Communications this semester. As I write this, I'm taking a study break in my dorm room and watching Step Up.

Here are some facts about me:
-I'm a senior Communications major and Journalism minor
-I'm co-president of Association of Disability Advocates
-I'm also a member of OSAPE (Organization for Students Actively Pursuing Equality)
-My favorite shows are American Idol, Friends, and The Big Bang Theory (I think Sheldon is hilarious).

I just finished e-mailing everyone who signed up to be in Association of Disability Advocates last night at our annual organization fair. The organization fair is a chance for all new students to learn about the organizations on campus and sign up for the ones that interest them. Members of every organization display a colorful poster board filled with pictures and descriptions of the exciting events they put on each year. Some of the clubs even play music and give away candy. One of the fraternities was blasting NSYNC and Backstreet Boys songs - it was like a flashback to the 1990s.

Stetson has a wide variety of clubs ranging from religious groups to advocacy groups to service groups to Greek life. I strongly recommend going to the organization fair to find out about everything that Stetson has to offer. But don't expect to have time to be active in eight different organizations. While it would be fun to be involved in everything, realistically, most people commit their time to two or three organizations because classes are still the No. 1 priority at Stetson. Well, my study break is over. Bye for now!

And the chaos begins...

2009-08-28T22:05:00.002-04:00

With not even two full weeks of the semester yet complete, the busy-ness and chaos have began! I must admit that I have, for one, have been SO scatter-brained! I even cancelled a meeting for a class, when I didn't even have class at that time.

I must admit though, that despite all of the confusion, seeing the first year students fully adapting to their new surroundings and feeling right at home on campus is absolutely incredible! Seeing my foci playing card games and ping pong in the Hollis Center after class, or enjoying dinner in the Commons together makes it all worth it.

To top it all off, the Org Fair was a HUGE success! I think almost all of my FOCI were there and tons of current students were as well. To see all the first years signing up for Greek life, SGA, Night Cap, etc. and getting so excited about getting involved on campus was amazing! Being the president of SAA, I was completely awe-struck with a list of 25 potentially interested first year students! I have high hopes for our association this year, and even higher hopes for this new class - they seem like they are so excited to be at Stetson and to be getting to know one another & that is really what makes the difference!

Snapshots from FOCUS 2009

2009-08-27T13:27:00.001-04:00

Credit and thanks to Ali Aldrich, FOCUS AC, for the photos.

FOCUS in Review

2009-08-20T09:34:00.002-04:00

It is undeniable fact that the beginning of the Stetson school year is the most exciting few weeks of every students lives. But to experience it as part of the FOCUS staff brings so much enjoyment to all of our normally mundane lives. There are many organizations on campus that give students an opportunity to get involved and contribute to this awesome Stetson community. Very few organizations are as rewarding.

Over the last five days I have had the opportunity to talk to many new students and I heard one common theme. "The poeple here are so nice!" One student even told me we were so nice it was creepy. I could not ask for a better compliment. It made me wonder if we were faking it or if t is actually how we are here at Stetson. I realized that through my four years as a student here that we actually are "nice" and that is the one characteristics that makes Stetson so great!

As we wrapped up FOCUS last night all staff members shared their feelings about their experience. I looked around the room and recognized the diversity of the staff. I heard what they were saying and realized that somehow we were able to make an unbelievable connection with eachother. It is because of organizations like this one and people like Rosalie Carpenter, the director of the FOCUS staff, that students like me love being a Stetson student.

Why is this post so positive and why is it praising Stetson so much? It's not because I am faking it and want to give Stetson good PR. These feelings are real. The Stetson experience is real.

I will wrap up this post like we did our metting last night with a cheer.

"F" to the "O" to the "C",
"U" to the "S" to the "S",
"T" to the "A",
"F" to the "F"
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS STAFF!!!

Blue Springs!

2009-08-18T09:57:00.003-04:00

For our third FOCUS meetings, the staff decided it would be fun to continue the tradition to accompany our groups on off-campus trips. My partner, Nicole and I, took our group to Blue Springs. Some of the first years swam in the spring, some enjoyed throwing around the football and frisbee, and others played cards and mingled under the pavilion. It was so inspiring to see them all talking and getting to know each other (all of that long, hard training finally paid off!). Although Nicole and I were a bit disappointed that we didn't think to bring hamburgers and hot dogs to cook out at the Springs like other groups, we all decided to meet back at the Commons to enjoy dinner together. We were all having such a good time we lost track of time and realized abruptly that we had just a few minutes to make it to the BONK! Game Show CSA was sponsoring. It was definitely a riot with the FOCUS staff & all the students seemed to think so as well, so props to CSA for putting on such a successful event! (I must also add a little side note... props to Nicole and I's FOCUS group for having a great turnout at the event without it being mandatory - I'm so happy they're all eager to get involved and get to know one another!)

Although the torrential downpour has caught the staff a bit off guard this morning, we're making the proper adjustments for the day. We're all eagerly awaiting the Best Session Ever, a session that is sure to bring a great turn out!

Welcome to the Class of 2013!

2009-08-16T08:51:00.002-04:00

First and foremost, on behalf of Tyler and myself, the FOCUS staff, and the entire Stetson family, I'd like to officially welcome the Class of 2013!

(A little aside - for those of you who may not be familiar with the term FOCUS: it stands for Friends On Campus Uniting Students, the clever title for our first year orientation led by upperclassmen.)

After months of training, hard work, and anticipation, our new first year students finally arrived yesterday morning. It seemed as though they were just as excited to be at Stetson as we were to have them (especially those who arrived an hour early to check-in). Although yesterday was a very long day for faculty, staff, FOCUS leaders, and first years alike, the positive and upbeat energy continued to flow all day!

We, as FOCUS leaders, were up and at 'em at 6:00 A.M. in preparation for check-in at 8:00 A.M. From that point on we hit the ground running, manning info desks, directing traffic, helping with move-in, etc.

Finally, after much anticipation it was time for all of our very first FOCUS meetings. My FOCUS partner, Nicole Bracciale and I headed to Davis Hall eagerly awaiting the arrival of our FOCI. After quite a few rounds of "Shake Your Buns" (a cleverly titled "ice breaker" intended to help people loosen up and get familiar with one another), Nicole and I had a brief Q & A session. Although some of the material we had to cover was a little dry, there were laughs and smiles all around. A special little aside from a FOCI after the meeting expressing how fun we had made the meeting definitely made all the hard work worthwhile.

Playfair (a massively scaled "ice breaker") and the DJ Dance Party served as the perfect upbeat, exciting ending to a much similar day.

Now, only after having a few hours of sleep, the FOCUS leaders and myself are back at it again, anticipating the fun and excitement that awaits us and the new first years today! Here's to a great second FOCUS meeting and an even better school year!

So far, so good!

2009-06-04T11:30:00.006-04:00

With the first workshops of this year's Summer Leadership Institute underway, I finally have a few minutes to sneak away and blog about first impressions. All of our guests, students, faculty, staff, and community partners included, seem very excited to be in Florida. Not surprisingly, many have made plans for Disney and the beach :0). In the four days that we have their attention, however, we will be focusing on bigger issues, like homelessness, global issues, youth empowerment, community and economic development, environmental degradation, and education.

This morning at 9AM, a panel presentation was given, showing how different schools are partnering with community members to make gains in these particular six areas. Our very own Donna Banks from the Spring Hill Resource Center spoke along side Dr. Greg Sapp about the relationship our university has with the community. I could not have picked better representatives of our school. Having had the opportunity to get to know both Donna and Dr. Sapp, I am convinced that 10 minutes with either is a life changing experience.

At 9AM the campus was also alive with another kind of excitement. Anyone driving by at that time must have been surprised to see a collection of rental cars & mini vans taking fifty students to a few different service projects around town. As you're around town today and tomorrow, keep an eye out for our volunteers at either at the YMCA or Blue Spring. If not there, then maybe you'll encounter students painting the community center in Pierson or remodelling the amphitheatre in Spring Hill. Those participating in these projects are from all over the country. I can hardly wait to see how their experiences and expertise from doing service in other places shapes their approach towards service here.

Thankfully, it's time for lunch :0). Until next time ... B-Love!

Amanda Reece, Bonner Scholars Program Coordinator

Summer Leadership Institute 2009!

2009-06-02T11:32:00.006-04:00

Hello all :0)! My name is Amanda and I will be writing to you as a guest blogger from Stetson's very own Center for Service Learning. We are very excited to announce, from our side of campus, that Stetson is hosting, in collaboration with the Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, the 2009 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute! Tomorrow afternoon, 360 individuals from schools across the country will be arriving on campus to join us in discussion about all things social justice. Workshops, panel presentations, movies, and social events will provide us a variety of outlets to talk about homelessness, the environment, education, community and economic development, global issues, and youth empowerment.

Right now, the CSL is swept up in a flurry of excitement as last minute details are organized. Banners are being hung, posters are being painted, tabletoppers are being assembled, and beds in the residence halls are being de-lofted. It is an understatement to say that we can hardly wait for the festivities to begin! Despite the craziness in our office, we will make sure to send periodic updates. Keep an eye out :0).

For now, I'd like to simply end with our usual closing phrase ... Bonner-love!

Amanda, Bonner Scholars Program Coordinator

So long, farewell, auf viedersein, good-bye

2009-04-29T12:31:00.002-04:00

Hello friends!

So this is my last Hat Chat blog post :( I hope you have enjoyed reading about the things I've been up to this semester here at Stetson. The time has come, though, for me to leave the Office of Public Relations and start hard-core studying for finals. I have one on Friday that is going to be ridiculously difficult, another on Saturday that won't be TOO bad, a presentation on Saturday, a final 7-9 page paper due Wednesday and then a 5-7 page reflection paper due Wednesday, too. I ran into a freshman friend this morning at breakfast and he said that he was taking a multiple choice final today. I was INSANELY jealous; I haven't taken a multiple choice test in over a year! Man, I miss that.

Other than studying, I have to start checking residents out of their rooms. Last night was my final hall meeting of the year; it made me REALLY sad. I have INCREDIBLE residents, and I wish I could be their RA again. They keep telling me that next year's girls are going to be really great, too, but I am skeptical. And of course, I have to start packing up my room :( As much as I am excited for the summer to be here, I think I definitely am developing a love/hate relationship for this time of the year.

Hope to see you in the fall!

Erica

Parties and Procrastination

2009-04-27T11:51:00.004-04:00

Hello again!

Last week was a crazy hectic one. Holy moly. Tuesday night was that Campus Life banquet that I had mentioned; I was really disappointed that I didn't get RA of the year, but the person who did really deserved it. On the bright side, I did get a certificate for my work as a Head Resident AND my friend Kim and I got an award for our educational hall program, "Safe Sex and the City." That was a really nice surprise :)

Wednesday was an exhausting day - I actually fell asleep in my civil rights class, that's how tired I was. Kim had to smack my arm to get me to wake up. That's what happens when you spread yourself too thin in school. So don't make that mistake! After that little cat nap, I went to the library for a few hours to work on a project for my Qualitative Theories and Methods that I was turning in the next day (four days early - can you believe it!?). Once I had turned into a human popsicle (the library on this campus is FREEZING; my friend Laura and I won't go there unless we have on jeans or PJ pants and socks and a sweatshirt), I went back to my room to watch TV and go to a staff meeting.

I spent the majority of the day on Thursday in the libary. I worked from 8:30 til 9:30 and then took a breakfast break and worked from 10 until 12:45. Whew. I did finish my project though, so that was good. Then I had to go to class; afterwards, I sat outside with a book and read and then went back to my dorm so that one of my residents could use my oven to make macaroni and cheese for a Bonner Leaders banquet. Then at 5:30, my best friend Keri and I went back to my house in Port Orange for a very belated Passover dinner with my parents. The food was DELICIOUS and it was so nice to see the 'rents.

After Passover, Keri's roommate and I went downtown to Bill and Frank's and then ended up at one of the fraternity houses. We did the same type of thing the night after; we went to Nightcap's Spring Fling Luau, to Sigma Phi Epsilon's Bahama Blue party, and then to Pi Kappa Alpha's house to eat pizza and just hang out with the guys.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed myself, coming home so late really killed my productive plans for Saturday, and I ended up sleeping most of the day away (though I did take a lunch break to go downtown to Tony's Pizza for lunch with two of my staff members).

Yesterday was a SERIOUS library day. I got there when it opened at 10 and didn't come back to my room until around 4 or 5. And then I worked at my desk in there! Man oh man. I am going to be throwing a sizable celebration when this paper that I'm working on (Barbie Dolls: Positive Role Model or Feminists' Nightmare?) is turned in tomorrow and I can focus on other things. Like other papers and two final exams. Oh joy. Oh bliss.

Is it summer yet?

Everybody's working for the weekend

2009-04-20T10:55:00.010-04:00

Everyone, that is, but me!

This weekend was a really good one. I kicked it off by having a Disney movie triple feature hall program on Friday night after I got up from a humongous nap (I was trying to sleep off a terrible "finals are right around the corner!"-induced headache).

We started the program with Finding Nemo. Toy Story was next, and we wrapped up by watching Peter Pan. (There was really nothing else to do, since I was on duty. Luckily, though, it was my last weekend duty of the entire year!) The turnout wasn't stellar because there were other things going on around campus (a lot of girls went to the Gay Prom, as it was the big finale to GLBT week at school) and a few others went back home or to fraternity formals. I didn't mind too much, though, because I know that the girls who did show up enjoyed themselves.

Then on Saturday, my friend Kathleen and I grabbed breakfast in the Commons (they have THE best Belgian waffles EVER) and headed to the Mall at Millenia, which is an enormous mall in Orlando. It's a 40-minute drive that is WELL worth it. We did a bunch of shopping and then had lunch at P.F. Changs, an incredible Chinese restaurant. Then we stopped at Old Navy and came back to school to nap. (See picture above)

I was on duty again on Saturday night, so I invited my friend Tom to come over and watch Yes Man, which I HIGHLY recommend. It's HILARIOUS.

Yesterday my mom picked me up and we drove back home to Port Orange for a few hours so we could go to an art fair and Kohl's and Publix. I desperately needed a sundress and food. But not in that order.

I rounded out the weekend by spending a few hours in the library (aka the TUNDRA. Advice: Don't go in there without socks and shoes and a sweater. It is always numbingly cold). I was working on research for my last paper for Qualitative Theories and Methods, and let me tell you, I am going to celebrate when that gets turned in!

Now it's back to the grind. I anticipate that this week will be a rather stressful one, as I have that paper to work on and then another paper for my Gender in Communication class. The bright spot of the week will come tomorrow when all of the campus leaders (RAs, SGA people, Bonner leaders, other clubs and organizations) get together for the annual Campus Life banquet. I am hoping to get the award for RA of the Year - keep your fingers crossed!

That's all for now. Catch you later!
Erica

All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a SURCAS

2009-04-13T11:58:00.004-04:00

SURCAS?

Don't you mean "Circus"?

Nope. That's not a typo. I am talking about the Stetson Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Symposium, which is an annual event where select seniors present their senior research projects to a panel of judges and any students who want to hear them speak.

I had only ever been to one presentation before, for my friend Jeff who climbed Mount Everest last year and looked at altitude and breathing rates and air supply and all sorts of biological stuff. (He wants to be a doctor. Science is his thing) It was a really cool topic, and he had great pictures from his travels, but other than that, senior research presentations were a mystery to me.

The mystery was debunked last Wednesday when I went to NINE presentations. Yes, nine. I was originally going to go just the four that I was required to go to for my internship. Then I threw in two Communication Studies ones that my advisor wanted me to go to. And then I went to three more for good measure.

All of the presentations were really good. The first one was a rhetorical study of how Britney Spears has been depicted in the media over the last decade and the juxtaposition between her "I'm a virgin" message that she was famous for upon her debut and her racy clothes, photoshoots, and lyrics. I love Britney's music and was a pretty big fan of hers when I was in the 5th and 6th grade, so there was a personal interest there that made the project more fun for me as an audience member.

Other presentations that I went to were:

Constructing the Narrative Arc: Sarah Palin and Editorial Cartoons of the 2008 Election
An examination of medical efficacy and health ratings among insured and uninsured people
Hemispheric Differences in Identifying Emotionally Expressive Body Movements
Student Government Association Survey and Analysis
Are Stetson or Rollins Students Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?
Various strains of algae used for biodiesel
Music in Tanzania and its Influence on African-American Music: “A Give and Take Relationship”
The Millennial Generation: Emerging Trends in Student Civic Engagement and Corporate Responsibility

All in all, it was a very productive day, but I'm going to be honest - it was a little tiring, too! The first presentation was at 8:20 in the morning! That is FAR too early for me. On the positive side, though, the wheels in my head were definitely turning because I have to do a senior research project next year.

But for now, I have to focus on the present: A qualitatative practicum due tomorrow, a 7-10 page paper for Civil Rights due Thursday morning, RA staff bonding tomorrow night, filling out my Head Resident evaluation form, helping a resident with an English paper, writing two stories for my internship, reading for qualitative, and trying to keep my sanity.

Wish me luck!

Erica

Relaying for LIFE!

2009-04-06T11:36:00.015-04:00

Hello friends!
Several months ago, I received an email that said something like, "Want to help beat cancer? Then join the Relay for Life committee!"

"Heck yes I want to beat cancer!" I thought excitedly. I replied to the email and met with Mallory, a woman from the Volusia County branch of the American Cancer Society. I said I would be the Vice-Chair of the committee and was pretty stoked.

After the first committee meeting, though, I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to make the time commitment and so I resigned from my position.

Then, a few weeks ago, I got an email from one of the committee members. She wanted to know if I would be able to speak at the Opening Ceremony for Relay for Life. Another committee member invited me to go to the Survivor Dinner the same night. After rearranging a few things, I said yes to both opportunities.

The wheels in my head were turning, turning, turning all last week as I tried to piece together the perfect speech. Finally, on Wednesday night, I was struck with inspiration!

I arrived at the Rinker Field House on Friday afternoon at 5:00, thirty minutes before my speech was supposed to begin. The place was packed with students and their fundraising booths. The theme this year was "Las Vegas," and so there was a "Wedding Chapel" booth with cupcakes for sale, guys dressed up as Blackjack dealers, and a bunch of other festive things.

5:30 came around awfully fast, and sooner than I knew it, I was up on stage, TREMBLING like a leaf as I read my speech and tried my very hardest not to start crying my eyes out. (It was a very emotional speech, but I had stuffed my front pocket full of tissues, just in case) I am really surprised at how scared I was, considering that in the audience of about 125 people, 80 of them were friends of mine.

Giving my speech

Once the speech was over and everyone finished applauding, I got with the other three survivors so we could hold this huge Relay for Life banner and take the first lap around the gym. Everyone was clapping as we walked, which was really nice. The second lap was for survivors and caretakers. We didn't have to carry the banner anymore, so I got to give (and receive) a bunch of hugs from my friends who were either helping out or came to see me talk.

Before the Survivor's Lap

Relaying for Life with three other survivors

After three laps around the gym, I got out of the line to buy some desserts that the clubs were selling. I got a brownie from Alpha Kappa Psi (the business fraternity), a Krispy Kreme donut from the Nightcap crew, and a pina colada from the Bonner students. Everything was delicious, and even sweeter since I knew that the money I spent would be going for a great cause.

Me and Linh (one of my residents) at the Pina Colada booth. Yum!

After checking out the booths and decorating a luminaria bag, I headed back to Gordis to clean my room and go to bed early. From what I've heard, the rest of the of the night/morning (they started cleaning up all the Relay stuff at 4:30 a.m.) was a lot of fun. I will just have to find out for myself next year!

Your friend,
Erica

Creative Cups (New York Part II) and post-New York fun

2009-03-30T11:08:00.012-04:00

Hello friends!

When I last left off, I was in New York and getting ready for Creative Cups, the breast cancer benefit event that was the reason behind my mom's and my journey up north. Each hand-decorated bra was displayed in a very large room, and there was a sheet of paper in front of each one so people could write down their name and their bid (the minimum bid was $25). In addition to just attending the auction, I had been asked to give a speech at the event, too. That part was pretty cool, but the best part of the whole event was getting to see all of the "creative cups" that people made. Here are some of my favorites:

My bra, "The Colors of Cancer" (it sold for $100!)

My mom's bra, which she made from gum-paste flowers, beads, and silk ivy. It sold for $105.

"Party Bra"

Crocheting Bra

The day after the event, Friday, was spent inside (it was FREEZING out) working on my paper. Saturday was devoted to traveling back to Florida. The timing was perfect, actually, because I got to school a few hours before the annual Homecoming / Alumni Weekend Block Party.

The Block Party is my favorite Alumni Weekend activity, hands-down. The businesses and restaurants downtown keep their doors open and people kind of wander in and out. There's always a band, and clubs and organizations from school set up booths and sell baked goods and other little things. The Homecoming King and Queen get crowned (this year it was one of my favorite friends, Drew Glasnovich, and Alessandra Santos), and then everyone heads over to Bill and Frank's to catch up with their alumni friends (or if you don't know any alumni, your friends who are still enrolled at Stetson).

Some friends and me at Bill and Frank's

Other than that, it's just been same-old, same-old here at Stetson. Nothing notable happened last week, but the next five days are sure to be super busy. I have a HUGE exam tomorrow in Gender and Communication and I also have to go to my advisor to pick out classes for next semester (luckily for me, they changed the curriculum and now I can take three classes and still be a full-time student. SCORE!). I'm also in the middle of writing a speech for Relay for Life, an annual event that raises funds for the American Cancer Society. Thursday night is GreekSing, a dance show where all of the fraternities and sororities do routines to different songs. The theme this year is '90s music, so I think that will be a good time. Then to round out the week, I have to go to my brother's wedding on Saturday. Whew! I'm exhausted just THINKING about all of the things I have to do and places I need to go. That's college for ya!

New York State of Mind (Part One)

2009-03-23T12:21:00.012-04:00

Hello friends!

So I know that I JUST had Spring Break, but last week I took another week off from school to go to New York. But don't think it was all fun and games! (Okay, you're right, it was all fun and games)

The reason behind my trip was an event called "Creative Cups," which was held at Adelphi University. For the event, you had to take a 36C underwire bra and decorate it however you wanted, as long as the entire bra was covered inside and out. Then the bras were auctioned off as artwork, and all of the proceeds went to breast cancer reasearch and awareness.

Over the summer, I made a bra and so did my mom. We didn't actually have to go up for the event, but my mom's friend who was in charge of it asked me to give a speech, and really, how could I say no?

Other than "Creative Cups," Mom and I did a lot of really fun stuff around the Big Apple. And now, I present to you, the first part of my trip:

Saturday, 3/14: Mom and I woke up at an ungodly hour (5 a.m.) to get our stuff together and head to the Orlando International Airport for our 10:00 flight. If you've never been to OIA, you're missing out. It's a really nice airport, with lots of shopping opportunities and toursit traps like the one above. As you can see, I represent Stetson whenever and wherever I can! Once we got to NY, we hung out with my aunts, uncles, and cousins for the rest of the day. (And I squeezed a nap in there, too)

Sunday, 3/15: I spent the day playing Scrabble with my cousin Lisa and walking to Ralph's, an incredible italian ice place that they don't have in Florida. We had a family dinner, and after she left, I went upstairs to start writing a paper for my Civil Rights class. (Can you believe that I had to do a seven-page paper while I was on vacation? College professors really know how to suck the fun out of everything sometimes)

Monday, 3/16: CITY DAY! Mom and I took the train to the city to do a bit of shopping and meet up with Ramy Gafni, a makeup artist who had the same type of cancer I did and now has his own studio and line of cancer-friendly makeup. He was SO nice, and his studio was beautiful. But before we went there, we stopped at Empire Pizza for lunch. It was Heaven on earth. I'd never had pizza so delicious (or so HUGE) in my whole life.

Gigantic slices of pizza at Empire

In the studio

Ramy doing my makeup

Tuesday, 3/17: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Mom and I went to our friend Chris' house for breakfast. Then my aunt picked us up and we went on a trip down memory lane, which was basically a mini-road trip around Stewart Manor, Floral Park, Garden City, and Hempstead to see the house I used to live in, the house my mom lived in when she was growing up, my mom's first job, and her high school and elementary school. After our sightseeing, I went back to my aunt's and napped off a stomachache. It was dinnertime when I got up, so I ate and watched American Idol and worked on some school stuff (yuck).

Wednesday, 3/18: CITY DAY part two. On Wednesday, Mom and I went back into Manhattan to get tickeets for a Broadway show that afternoon. I also wanted to meet up with a friend of mine from high school who I hadn't seen since we graduated in 2006. While on the line for tickets, a man who worked in the ticket booth came up to us and gave us a brochure for "Guys and Dolls," one of the plays that was showing. On the cover of the pamphlet was Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai on "Gilmore Girls", one of my all-time favorite shows EVER. I was SO excited! We got tickets and a few hours later, saw the show. As the curtain was dropping, Mom and I ran to the backstage door because the actors usually come out to sign autographs. The first two actors who came out were people I wasn't too invested in, but then the door opened and out came Lauren Graham. In the flesh. I was SO excited that I actually started crying. She told the crowd that she didn't have time to take pictures with everyone because she had another show to get ready for. But my mom, the amazing lady that she is, told Lauren Graham, "This is my daughter, Erica, and she is one of your biggest fans, and I just wanted to let you know that your show got her through cancer. Do you think she could have a picture with you?"

Now I don't normally condone using the cancer card to get stuff, but Lauren Graham happily obliged :) It MADE my day/week/trip/year/life.

After that, we went back to Penn Station and took the train home. It had been an excellent day!

Next time I write, I will tell you all about the Creative Cups auction. But until then, have a great rest of the week!

Spring Break, the college way

2009-03-11T10:41:00.003-04:00

Last week was a much-needed break from classes: SPRING Break!

While a lot of people traveled around the state (or the islands surrounding it), I started my week off from school by going to New Smyrna Beach with Stacey and Kathryn to soak in the sun and start thinking of anything non-school related.

We really lucked out with the weather -- it was warm, but not too hot, and very sunny. Unfortunately, that was the only day of the week that was like that; it was chilly for the rest of my week off (which completely defeats the purpose of Spring Break, I think!)

Other than going to the beach that one day, I spent my time at home scrapbooking, catching up on sleep, watching TV, and working on a midterm for my Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement class. That was pretty awful; I hate doing work over a break. The midterm was five essay questions and took me about eight or nine hours. It was DREADFUL.

Now it's back to the grind again. This week is flying by, which is nice considering I am leaving here to fly up to New York on Saturday to go to a cancer benefit and visit with relatives. I'm very excited about taking a week to go to the Big Apple, but I am going to miss Stetson Idol (a yearly sing-off where Stetson students duke it out for the title of Stetson Idol) and have to work on a paper for, you guessed it, Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement. Unless I can get my professor to give me an extension. Hmm. We will need to chat about that today, I think!

That's all for now! Look forward to an update with lots of NY pictures soon!

My Spring Break in South Beach!

2009-03-09T16:07:00.008-04:00

This past week was Stetson's spring break and 5 of my girlfriends and I drove down to South Beach Miami on Sunday morning.

One of the girls and I went to South Beach my Sophomore year and had a blast, so we decided to go back, especially since it is a cheaper spring break alternative.

Many of my friends went to New York, Las Vegas, Mexico and the Bahamas, but since many students are on a budget, a lot of them travel within Florida. That is the great part about living in Florida. Students from other states come here for Spring Break and spend so much money on plane tickets and all we have to do is drive for a few hours and we are in the perfect spring break location.

So we booked a very nice apartment style hotel room, which had a kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom and bedroom and had a pull out couch in the living room. So we all fit comfortably and only spent $100 a person for four nights. And we also saved a bunch of money by having a kitchen and being able to make ourselves lunch instead of having to go out to eat every time we were hungry. The restaurants in South Beach can be very pricey.

Each morning we got up around 9:30 went down to the pool, went back to the room and made lunch around noon and then went down to the beach. The weather was gorgeous during the day and there wasn't a cloud in the sky the entire time we were there. It was really relaxing. Then around four we would either go back to our room or go shopping on Lincoln Road which is an open air mall that has tons of shops and restaurants. They had a Ghirardelli chocolate shop that served the best sundaes ever. They were so delicious, but a little over priced.

Then at night we would go out to dinner at one of the great restaurants they have down there. Eating out was my favorite part. The food was always so great! One night we went to a mexican restaurant on Espanola Way. It is the cutest street with lights strung across the buildings and lots of restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Another night we went to a place called Pizza Rustica that had the most amazing pizza ever. They had every possible topping you could think of.

Then we went and sang karaoke one night at a place right across the street from our hotel. Another night we met up with a bunch of girls from our sorority who were also staying there, and then another night we met up with some fraternity boys from Stetson. A lot of our friends were vacationing down there. One night two of the girls and I decided to stay in and watch movies, which was also really nice and relaxing and I was just so glad to get away from school for a little bit.

For the rest of my break I just stayed at home and hung out with my friends who had just started their break and went to the park for a bbq. It was just nice not to have to worry about anything. But now it's back to reality and time to finish my senior research!

I haven't uploaded my pictures to my computer yet, so there will be more up here soon!

~Diana

Valentine's festivities and Family Weekend

2009-02-23T10:54:00.006-05:00

Hello friends!
These past two weekends have been so much fun. Last week was okay; I had a project due for Qualitative Theories and Methods AND my first Gender and Communication test. I think I did well on both of them -- at least, I hope I did!

Anyway, as I said before, I am going to share some pictures from my Disney Princess Party with you! It was an excellent turn-out; I think eight or nine girls showed up. We had princess snacks and wore tiaras while we watched Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. We would have watched Pocahontas, too, but my TV broke as I was taking the Aladdin videotape out of the VCR :(

Pretty Pretty Princesses: Ashley, Linh, Ashley, me, and Jessica

The day after my Princess Party was Valentine's Day. At first I was dreading this holiday, but it ended up being an awesome day! I went to Orlando with five friends (Angie, Stacey, Kathryn, Turner, and Arthur) to celebrate Singles Awaress Day and Angie's belated 21st birthday. We began the evening at P.F. Chang's, an incredible Chinese restaurant that had portions of lo mein bigger than my head! After dinner, we walked around the downtown area until the IBar opened up at 9:00. Nobody was on the dance floor yet, so we sat outside and people-watched for a while. Once we got tired of that, we piled into Arthur's SUV and drove to Pulse, a club in Orlando. The music was wonderful and the company was even better :)

Me and the girls in front of P.F. Chang's

Turner, Arthur, Stacey, Kathryn, Angie, and me

And as if last weekend wasn't fun enough, this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was our annual Family and Friends weekend. There were a TON of activities going on for students and their families to enjoy, including four baseball games against Boston College (I went to two of them, but we lost ALL four. It was extremely disappointing), three opportunities to see the Opera Theatre's production of "The Bartered Bride," three opportunities to watch "The Vagina Monologues" (I went on Sunday - it was EXCELLENT), and Vertical Horizon and Sleeperstar in concert, brought to us by CSA (the Council for Student Activities).

That's everything that's been going on here. I have a sneaking suspicion that this week is going to drag on, as this Friday starts our Spring Break. Woo hoo!

Embracing diversity [and other things at Stetson this week]

2009-02-13T15:56:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!

Something I didn't know about Stetson when I came here was that we have seven core values (Environmental Awareness, Diversity, Gender Equity, Health and Wellness, Ethical Decision-Making, Community Service, and Spirituality). On Wednesday we had the day off so we could celebrate one of the core values, diversity.

Though there were some students I know who decided to "celebrate" diversity with hardcore partying (and having EVAC come to school and try to help them - no kidding), the real point of having Wednesday off was so we could go to different workshops and events on campus that had to do with social inequalities. I went to a movie about the image that white people have of black people. It was really interesting (and it scored me major brownie points with my Civil Rights professor), but kind of sad at the same time.

I also went to a keynote speaker who talked about prejudice and racial inequality. At one point, he held up his hands and said that he could never understand why people use the term "white" to descirbe Caucasians. "We aren't white," he said. "But then I realized that white is symbolic for pure, untouched, untainted." Woah. That's pretty powerful. When he said that, I felt bad for anyone who isn't classified as white because if you take his viewpoint, they are "impure." I hope that the rest of the people who went to this lecture had their consciousness raised (although I tend to doubt it; I surveyed the room a few times and saw people sleeping, talking, and texting).

There was even a workshop called "How Good is Sex?" which I was thinking about going to, but I figured I could get all the answers to that question through my subscription to Cosmopolitan magazine. I'm kind of sorry that I didn't go, though, because I heard RAVE reviews about how funny and awesome it was.

Other than that, it was kind of a quiet week here in Deland. I went to a basketball game last night and that was fun. We played Savannah State (yeah, I didn't know that was a college either), and won something like 62-50. Or was it 60-52? I can't remember.

Tonight I have a hall program with my residents. It's a Disney Princess party; we are watching Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. I bought tiaras for my residents to wear, and pink heart-shaped cakes and Disney Princess gummy snacks. The girls in the hall have been excited for weeks, so I am hoping it lives up to their expectations!

Speaking of RA stuff, the RA interview weekend on Saturday and Sunday went extremely well (minus the fact that I woke up late on Saturday morning and ended up bringing my toothbrush and toothpaste to the business center and brushing my teeth there). I am going to have three new staff members in Gordis with me next year, since Don, Dan and I are coming back. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be good!

That's it for right now. I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day! Look for pictures of my Princess Party next time you visit the blog :)

Coming to Stetson? Bring an umbrella, ella, ella.

2009-02-06T16:02:00.005-05:00

Hey friends!

So here is a tip from me to you: If you are coming to Stetson, bring three umbrellas.

"Three!?" You're thinking. "Isn't that a bit excessive? Surely I can get away with just having one."

No. No, you cannot. One will break when you are carrying it around with you and the harsh winter winds are whipping it around, causing the little metal arms to snap in half. The second one you will leave at a friend's room or in the car, and thus, you must have a third one for when baby hurricanes sweep through DeLand.

Luckily for me, I had my handy chocolate brown umbrella with me on Monday afternoon when it was torrential downpouring. I would have had my navy blue one, but I left it in my friend Parker's apartment from when I went over there last Thursday night. See? Good thing I had a stand-in.

Anyway, the drainage at Stetson is ridiculously awful and always poses a problem because you will have to literally ford streams to get to class. Perfect example: I had to cross the mighty Amelia River (the body of water that forms at the crosswalk walking from Gordis to Carson-Hollis), Sorority Row Stream, and the Crosswalk Canal going from the center of campus across Woodland to get to my 2:30 CN417 class in Flagler Hall. Yikes. The socks inside my sneakers were soggy, the bottoms of my jeans were sopping wet, and I was cold cold cold.

It was STILL pouring at 7:00 when I trekked to the Edmunds Center for a men's basketball game against the Belmont Bruins. It was totally worth it though, since we beat them by over ten points. (It was a very intense game. I thought for sure we were going to lose, but we made an incredible comeback. I was so excited that I actually stood up a few times, yelled, cheered, clapped, and did that DE-FENSE foot stomping thing.)

In other news, it has been a relatively quiet week here. Tonight I am going to the movies with Angie and Stacey to see "He's Just Not That Into You." There is a six-picture theatre about seven minutes away, on South Woodland that we are going to (though there's an infinitely better theatre about twenty minutes away in Orange City). The rest of the weekend is going to be spent in the LBC (Lynn Business Center) conducting R.A. interviews for next year. I am actually kind of excited about that because it means I get to spend time with my AMAZING staff (pictured below).

My amazing staff members! Back row: Don, John (I adopted him onto my staff because he was the only R.A. in Nemec Hall), Eric, and Dan. Front Row: Danielle, me, and Daniella.

That's everything from me. Hope you have a great weekend!

2009-02-02T16:06:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I'm back for another semester of interning at the Office of Public Relations and Communications and I will be continuing to update the blog along with Erica. This is my last semester of college and it's just so surreal. I feel like there are so many things that I want to do before I enter the working world and there is definitely not enough time to do them all!

This semester I am taking 16 credit hours and interning and I am also team development chair for Relay for Life. So far I love my classes and have been very interested in what I've been learning, but I'm not gonna lie I'm starting to get senioritis. I also just moved into the apartments on campus with three of my best friends and that is probably the reason I've been getting senioritis. I just want to hang out with them all day and having an apartment makes everything so much easier, but I get easily distracted living with three of my friends.

Since we have been living in the apartments, my roommates and I have been trying to teach ourselves how to cook. Most of the dorms have kitchens in them, but it's so much more convenient to have your own. So each night we trade off cooking a meal and so far we have done pretty well. I must say for beginners, we are pretty good cooks. Also, the apartments are a very convenient place to live because of the clubhouse which has a nice sitting area, pool table and flat screen TV as well as a room with computers and printers so you don't have to walk all the way to the library to get your work done. The only thing that I dislike about living there is that it is the furthest place from my classes, but it is definitely worth it.

I'm also very excited about the next few weekends. This weekend ten of my girlfriends and I are taking a trip over to Tampa, which is about two hours away, and we are going to stay the night and go to Gasparilla which is a pirate festival. I guess pirates used to come into Tampa Bay and every year they have a parade in honor of that time. Some of us went last year and it was a lot of fun. So I am very excited about going. People dress up in pirate gear and there is a huge parade. I know a lot of people around here that go. So if you ever get the chance, I would recommend it. Then next weekend is Valentine's Day and my sorority is having a little get together called The Crush Party. You invite someone that you like, get dressed up and we go to a cute venue in DeLand for appetizers and dancing. It's a lot of fun. And the weekend after that I am hoping to go to my friends condo in New Smyrna Beach for a nice relaxing weekend.

That's all I have for now. Next time I will give an update about things that are happening on around campus.

-Diana

So much reading, so little time

2009-02-02T12:30:00.009-05:00

Oh my goodness. I thought this was going to be a relaxing weekend, but to my surprise, it wound up being much more hectic than I had imagined.

This is something you will be bound to encounter when you get to college.

Anyway, it was my weekend on duty, which means that I have to be in my building from 7:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. and have the RA cell phone with me in case people get locked out of their room. I also have to go on "rounds" three times during the night (7:00, 10:00, and right before bed) and make sure that people are obeying quiet hours and not breaking any rules.

I figured that since I would be in my room, I would get a lot of work done. On the contrary, I spent five hours (no exaggeration) on Friday night cleaning my bedroom (it was a pigsty). It needed to get done, though, because I cannot work properly in a messy room. And no, I was not procrastinating. I was de-cluttering my workspace and, symbolically, my thoughts and life. (Symbolism - big fancy college word!)

On Saturday morning I went to the Commons for brunch (I HIGHLY recommend their crumb coffee cake; it's out of this world) and to read a chapter in my CN311 book, Qualitative Theories and Methods. It's no Harry Potter, but it's still somewhat enjoyable.

Afterwards, I went to the quad with my friends so we could do homework. I got some reading done for CN417 (Public Address in the Civil Rights Movement), but the packet is so thick that I had to set it aside for another time. Plus, I wanted to take some pictures for this blog and for my scrapbook.

I had more homework to do on Saturday night when I returned to the dorm, but I faced constant distractions from my residents who were coming to me for fashion advice before they went to the clubs in Orlando. Once they left, I was able to read for CN323 (Gender and Communication - my favorite class this semester).

I was perfectly tucked in at 2 a.m. and just about to fall asleep when the RA phone rang - it was a resident who wanted me to tell his next-door-neighbor to quiet down. I did that and then got back in bed, only to be woken up an hour and fifteen minutes later because a girl locked herself out of her room. Oy vey. Sometimes I think I don't get paid enough for this job, but I always remind myself of the good times that I have with the kids in my hall and it makes it all worth it.

On Sunday I was ready to crack down and work, work, work. But that fell to the wayside when I saw that one of my professors sprang two more reading assignments on us - all due in less than 24 hours! What in the world!? This made me very upset; sometimes I don't think that teachers take into consideration that college kids are busy. And not even 12-point regular font busy. I mean BUSY.

I have two other classes, an internship, my RA job (which isn't just limited to nights on duty; trust me when I say that it's a 24/7 deal), working in the ResLife office, and this little thing called a social life. And just when you think YOU'RE busy at Stetson, you will inevitably run into ten people who make your schedule look like a piece of cake. (Case in point: Our SGA president does that, is working on Senior research, is in a fraternity, is in the men's singing ensemble, and is a FOCUS orientation leader. And I think he is taking 15 credit hours. Whew!)

So I was a bad student and even though I printed the new readings, I didn't read them. I am pleading junioritis on this one!

And just note, baby Hatter, that freshmanitis is not a real disease. Only juniors and seniors have put in enough time to pull a lazy day every once in a while. Or once a week ;)

FRAS weekend in Miami

2009-01-26T11:50:00.013-05:00

Hey Hatters and Hatters-to-be!

So this weekend was an interesting one. Since I don't have a car on campus, I usually stick around the dorm, do homework, watch TV, hang out with friends. You know the drill.

But this weekend, I went to Miami with five other RAs for FRAS, the Florida Resident Assistant Seminar. I'd never been to Miami before (even though I've heard so many good things, thanks in part to Will Smith's late-nineties tribute to the sunny spot), so I was pretty excited to travel someplace new.

Melissa, me, and Tom on the way to Miami.

The first thing we did once we got to FIU was Roll Call, which is where every school does a skit that corresponds to the theme of the weekend. This year's theme was video games, so we picked Madden football. In our skit, Ryan was the RA All-Star and he had to "tackle" the responsibilities and incidents that come up during a night on duty. Each of us wore a sign with our incident on it and acted it out. I was alcohol, Melissa was a lock-out, Tom was an incident report, and Kameron and Lina were noise violations. We wore Stetson intramural jerseys and put black paint on our faces so we looked like football players (even though Stetson does not have a football team anymore).

After Roll Call, we went to Swap Shop, which is where you trade things from your school so you can get memorabilia from the other Florida schools. We ended up with two cardboard boxes FULL of t-shirts, plastic cups, pencils, and other odds and ends.

Saturday was spent going to different RA workshops. There were tons to choose from, but I ended up going to one about the Myers-Briggs personality test and how knowing your residents' personalities can help you resolve conflict between them, one about horror stories from older RAs, one about hall programs, one about how to create a student advisory board at your school, and one where we learned how to make a bunch of different desserts in the microwave. That was my favorite, especially since they gave out free samples of three-minute microwave chocolate cake!

Our final FRAS activity was the banquet and awards ceremony. Even though we didn't win any official awards, I am convinced that if there was a "Most Attractive Staff" award, we definitely would have received it!

All in all, I had an okay time. There was quite a bit of drama between staff members, but the carrot cake at the banquet and the five free t-shirts I got TOTALLY saved the weekend!

Stetson love

2009-01-21T12:11:00.009-05:00

Hey Hatters and Hatters-to-be! My name is Erica and I am the newest HatChatter on this blog. I am about to grab lunch in the Commons (our cafeteria) with my best friend but I wanted to introduce myself to you and tell you about some cool things that Stetson has to offer when it comes to hangout spots and things to do. Anyway, this is me in a nutshell:

I'm a Communications major and journalism minor
It's my junior year, but I have senior credit standing (thank you IB credits!)
I am the Head Resident for Gordis Hall, a freshman co-ed dorm (and reigning champ of 3 a.m. fire alarms going off)
I've been a copy editor and writer for The Reporter, a sister in Zeta Tau Alpha, and Executive Secretary of our Student Government Association
Sex and the City, Seinfeld, Gilmore Girls, Full House and Jeopardy are my favorite TV shows, but You've Got Mail is my favorite movie
And finally, I think Stetson is pretty much the greatest college EVER!

So if you're thinking, "but isn't Stetson in a teeny tiny little town in the middle of nowhere? How can I possibly have fun when there can't possibly be anything to do at night or on the weekends?", then you need to be enlightened right away! Stetson puts on different events all the time, and with Daytona Beach and Orlando each about 30-40 minutes away, there are plenty of things to do off-campus when you have some free time.

Here's just a few of the things I like to do on campus:

Go to Nightcap with my friends. Nightcap happens every Friday night from 10:00 until midnight. They've done movie night, karaoke night, a '60s night with tie-dye t-shirts and Beatles music, an '80s prom, Winter Wonderland, and much more! This picture was taken this past weekend when my friends and I went to an "American Express" themed night; there was American food, an inflatable rock slide, and a deejay. It was a lot of fun, but VERY cold out!

Go to philanthropy events and concerts. This is me giving a speech at Sigma Phi Epsilon's 8th Annual Rock Against Cancer. In addition to my speech, there was a raffle and a handful of bands played their original songs. Other philanthropy events that are fun to attend are Tri-Delta's pancake flip and Zeta's taco bar. But Greek organizations aren't the only ones that put on events here. CSA, the Council for Student Activities, brings concerts to us (Vertical Horizon and Matt Nathanson are coming next month) and Campus Movie Fest, too.

And of course, you cannot go wrong with grabbing a meal with friends in the Commons or the Hat Rack, or hanging out in your room or the quad (the grassy area around the fountain, by the library and Elizabeth Hall).

But a change of scenery is always nice! That's why I go downtown to Clay Pigeons (Diana, the HatChatter before me, has pictures of herself and her sorority sisters there) or Bill and Frank's (my favorite restaurant and Thursday night hangout spot). And like I mentioned before, Orlando is great for a theme park day, and Daytona Beach has a shopping mall and a Barnes and Noble (my favorite store of all time).

So that's it for me today. My stomach is literally GROWLING, so I am going to grab some grub and then head to my Public Address in the Civil Rights Movement: Rhetoric of the '50s and '60s class (it's CN417, which is a nice way of saying it's going to be VERY difficult. The higher the number, the harder the course). Catch you later!

:) Erica

Greenfeather Update

2008-11-17T13:54:00.007-05:00

So I told you all that I would update you on the results of Greenfeather. The winning organization had to do well in all of the different events that took place as well as raise the most money. The closing ceremony was on Friday and we all knew that it was a close call. We had no clue who the winner was going to be. We were all happy to find out that Tri Delta won 1st place out of all of the sororities and Phi Sigma Kappa won overall out of all of the organizations. Tri Delta also won Mrs. Greenfeather meaning that our very own Lizzy Bornhorst raised more money than any of her competitors. We are so proud of our chapter for doing so well and for raising so much money for great causes.

The closing ceremony for Greenfeather and our trophies

In the previous blog I talked about Clay Pigeons and how it is a great place to go with some of your friends. A bunch of my friends and I went there on friday and we had pizza and snacks and painted some really great pottery. It was nice to get out and do something different with a bunch of my friends. I would recommend going to this place to anyone. The staff is so friendly and helpful and even if you aren't very artistic, there are idea books, stencils, and stamps to help you out.

What is there to do in the small town of DeLand?

2008-11-10T15:04:00.010-05:00

Although DeLand may seem like a small town with nothing to do, there are so many different and interesting things always going on.

Downtown DeLand is very quaint and is filled with small shops and restaurants. I love walking around downtown on Woodland and going into the little stores to see what types of things they may have. There is a store that is called Downtown Divas that has great clothes for girls my age. There is also a shop called Lace and Accessories that has really great, inexpensive jewelry. Also, there is this store called Clay Pigeons, where you can go with a few of your friends and paint pottery. It is so much fun and they give discounts to Stetson students, which actually many businesses in DeLand do. You can just walk into Clay pigeons and there are tons of different types of pottery that you can choose from. There are mugs and plates and figurines and it really is a fun way to be artistic and it isn't too expensive. They make great Christmas presents too.

Some restaurants in DeLand that I would recommend visiting are Tony's, Penachos, Mainstreet, Oudom, and Brickhouse. DeLand has many different kinds of restaurants and the majority of them are relatively good. My favorite restaurant in DeLand is Oudom which is a Thai restaurant right downtown. The atmosphere in the restaurant is really nice and the food is really great. Tony's is an Italian restaurant and all of their food is so good and the people that work there are really friendly. The food is inexpensive and tastes great. Penachos is my favorite Mexican restaurant in DeLand. Mainstreet and Brickhouse have the same types of food like salads, burgers, pasta and great appetizers and are both very popular places among Stetson students. Buttercup Bakery has wonderful desserts and is really close to campus. That is definitely one of my favorite dessert places.

Another great thing to do in DeLand is to go to Blue Springs. You can go tubing down the river, see manatees and lots of wildlife. It's a fun place to get out into nature and just relax on the river. Also, the Old Spanish Sugar Mill at Deleon Springs is a lot of fun and very tasty. You go into this restaurant sit at a table with griddles on it and you get pancake batter and any mix-ins you want and you make your own pancakes. They have other things to eat there as well, but making the pancakes is fun and delicious. Also, you can walk outside and there are the springs. You can rent canoes and paddle boat and go out into the springs. It is a lot of fun.

It is also great that Orlando and Daytona Beach are not very far. So you can always go to the beach or theme parks and concerts in Orlando. In DeLand you can go to the movies or mini golfing. There are always fairs and festivals. The Volusia County Fair just ended this past weekend. They always have good concerts going on there. There are so many great and different things to do in this area.

Manatees At Blue Springs

Clay Pigeons

Sugar Mill

Outside of The Sugar Mill

Fall Formal

2008-11-10T14:32:00.004-05:00

This past saturday, my sorority had their annual fall formal. It is kind of like prom, but with a larger group of friends. About 114 people were in attendance. We took charter buses to a hotel in Daytona Beach where we rented a banquet room for our event.

There was dinner and dancing and it was so much fun and was sadly my last fall formal. The seniors had their senior dance and I know everyone had a great time.

My roommate is social chair and she planned the whole event and did such a great job. The table cloths and napkins were all in our colors and the place was really nice. It's great to get all dressed up and do something like this with all of your best friends. The food was great and everything turned out so well. I'm so sad that it is my last one, but at least I have spring formal next semester.

Airwaves

2008-11-10T14:12:00.009-05:00

In the previous blog I talked about Greenfeather at Stetson and one event in it called Airwaves. The event was this past Friday and was held in the Edmunds Center. Airwaves is always so much fun and is my favorite event of Greenfeather.

My chapter had been preparing for weeks for Airwaves and we were all getting so excited for it to finally arrive. All the dancers had their costumes and props all prepared. This event is so fun because it is great seeing the creativeness of all of the other organizations, especially the fraternities. By far my favorite performances by the guys were from Phi Sig and Delta Sig who always do such a great job. PHUN, which is a community service organization, also did a fantastic job and their performance was very entertaining.

When it came time for Tri Delta to perform, everyone was so nervous because the sororities that went before us did such great jobs. We wanted to win so badly. When we went up to perform, all of our girls did such a great job and we ended up winning!! We won 1st place for sororities and 1st place out of all the organizations. All of our hard work paid off and everyone is still so excited about our win!

Soon we find out what organization won overall Greenfeather and I hope it is us. I'll update you all when I find out.

Greenfeather

2008-11-03T14:15:00.005-05:00

Greenfeather is an annual event that goes on at Stetson where the organizations on campus get together to raise money for charities in DeLand. It is a great opportunity to get involved, help great causes and have a little fun too.
Greenfeather has very fun events that make students want to get involved and want to raise money. There are activities such as a rock a thon, Olympics, concerts, open mic, penny wars, a dance competition and so much more that make raising money fun.
Greenfeather does get very competitive though. Every organization wants to raise the most money and win overall. But it is competitive in a good way because the competitiveness ends up making each organization raise more money. The whole point of Greenfeather is to get everyone in your organization involved and to raise money for wonderful charities. There are events for everyone. If you aren't artistic then you can collect your change and use them in penny wars; If you can't dance, you can hold up posters at the dance competition called airwaves.
Airwaves is tonight and is one of the most fun parts of Greenfeather and is definitely very entertaining. Each organization works for weeks coming up with a dance routine that is relevant to the theme of Greenfeather, which this year is spirit and service. So each group chooses certain music, costumes and dance moves to make their performance the best and most related to the theme. I am very excited to go tonight and watch and participate in this event. I won't be dancing, but I will be holding up signs. This event is especially fun because the boys dance routines are always entertaining. I can't wait.
I'm also very excited to see how much money has been raised from Greenfeather. I believe that last year Greenfeather raised $27,000 and the goal for this year is $30,000. I hope that we go over our goal! This is really a great event to be apart of and is so fun too.

Tri Delta's Chalk Art

Tri Deltas at the olympics

Some of the girls at Brickhouse dinner night

1st place banner!

Doing chalk art in front of the CUB

Sorority Recruitment

2008-11-03T13:12:00.018-05:00

A few weeks ago the sororities on campus had their annual recruitment. This is a very stressful, exhausting, exciting, and fun time. Each sorority works year round to have the best recruitment possible. This was no different for my sorority. Everyone had their part in making the whole event successful and it was a great time to bond with all of my sisters. This was the last recruitment for the seniors and we were all so emotional about it. It was very bittersweet.

Recruitment is very different at other schools, but at Stetson recruitment doesn't start until October and is a four day long event. During this time any girl can go through and meet the girls of each sorority and decide where they feel like they belong and get a better understanding what each sorority is about.

It's nice that Stetson waits a few months to have recruitment because then you get to get to know girls from each sorority and you are more settled in with school and have a better understanding of what you want to do in college. I didn't go through recruitment my freshman year and I am very happy that I waited. My freshman year I got to know a lot of girls from different sororities and this really helped me see where I wanted to go. Joining a sorority was one of the best decisions I made in my college career because I always have someone to help me with my studies or with any other issue that I may have. If I get bored I can just go over to the sorority house and I know that someone would be in the chapter room to hang out with. It's nice that our chapter is so small, with only 60 girls, because I have gotten to know all of these girls so well.

Because it is my senior year, this recruitment was especially hard for me and I know it was for the rest of the seniors. When it came around to the last day of recruitment we were all so exhausted, but so excited to get our new sisters. We got a great bunch of girls and we are all so excited to get to know them and see what they do for our chapter. So far they have been so charismatic and excited to be apart of our sisterhood.

The process of recruitment is a very overwhelming experience for anyone going through it, but it is well worth it. Even if you don't decide to join a sorority, you meet so many people along the way so it is well worth it. I love that the sororities at Stetson are not your stereotypical kind like at big schools. I would have never joined a sorority at a big school because for me it would just be too overwhelming to try to get to know so many girls. The sororities at Stetson are so small that you truly get to know each girl in your sorority so well, not just a select few.

I would recommend joining greek life, even if it isn't in your freshman year, because you will get so much out of it and because of all the grade and community service requirements it makes you a well rounded person. I didn't think that sorority life was for me at all and now I believe that it was the best decision that I have made in college.

(Photos from top to bottom)
Delta Delta Delta chapter in front of the fountain with the baby deltas.
The seniors in the fountain which is a tradition.
Waiting in our house to get the babies
The chapter in front of the house for bid day pictures

The baby deltas in front of the house on bid day

Fall Break

2008-10-13T13:04:00.010-04:00

This past Wednesday 13 of my friends and I drove to Ellijay, GA where we rented a cabin for four nights for our fall break. Every year the university gives us a four day weekend in the fall, which many students take advantage of to go somewhere fun and relax with their friends.

I had been planning the trip since June and everyone involved was so anxious for fall break to come. When it finally came time to leave on Wednesday, none of us were looking forward to the eight and a half hour drive, but it went by fairly quickly. We didn't get to the cabin until about three in the morning and we kept on scaring ourselves because all of the fog and winding roads seemed like the beginning of a scary movie. So we made the boys go in first to check under all of the beds and in the closets. As we had hoped, the cabin was perfect. It was three stories with fireplaces, a hot tub, a basketball court connected to the building, a fire pit, a pool table and it was right on a river with great views.

All of us definitely needed a break from our hectic lives and it was nice to be able to sit on the porch in the hammocks and not have to think about a thing. Some of us went canoeing and fishing, while others just sat outside and read a book. Then we all got together daily and played games like cranium, taboo, catch phrase and charades. Charades became the game of our trip. We always played boys against girls and of course the girls beat the boys by double our last night there. It was a blast.

The day before we left we went to an apple festival. There were hundreds of tents there that were filled with everything from arts and crafts to every possible apple you could think of. We went on the Titanic slide, rode camels, saw the worlds largest rodent, ate caramel apples and won a goldfish. It was definitely an interesting experience.

I'm so glad that we planned this trip and that it worked out so well. There were some bumps along the way, but all in all it was a great experience. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people and I couldn't have asked for a better group. This was my last fall break and it really was a great one.

Intramural Sports

2008-10-01T12:57:00.005-04:00

At Stetson, intramural sports are a fun way to get outside with your friends and have a little fun. Intramurals are a big part of Greek Life and every sorority and fraternity takes part in them. We have everything from flag football to ultimate frisbee. Even if you aren't involved in Greek life, you can get a bunch of your friends together and make a team.

Although playing these sports is fun, they get very competitive and rough. On monday night my sorority had one of its biggest flag football games of the season. Ever since we first got back to school, we have been practicing and preparing to be the best team out there, like we were last year and the years before.

Last year we were the flag football champions out of the sororities and we won the c cup which means that we were best overall for sports out of all of the sororities. This is something that we are striving for again.

So on Monday we were all so anxious for the game. When it came time to play, the game turned out exactly how we were expecting it to be, intense. So many people were out there to support both teams, which made us want to win even more.

Our defense held the other team for awhile, but made a mistake which gave the other team a touchdown. This game was even more rough than we thought it was going to be. We all left with bruises and scrapes and even our quaterback got her shorts ripped in half, but good thing she was prepared with spandex on underneath. So in the end we lost 0-7, but we have hope for the playoffs because last year we lost the first game to this team but beat them in the playoffs. Hopefully history will repeat itself. We were undefeated until this game and no one scored a touchdown on us. But we are still doing well and are very optimistic.

Welcome!

2008-09-29T14:00:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

My name is Diana Hoskins and I'm a senior here at Stetson University. I'm a Communications major and Journalism minor. Also, I'm interning at the Office of Public Relations and Communications on campus for the Fall semester. I am a very active member of a sorority on campus, where I hold an office, and I am also active in other organizations. I love being involved with all of the things Stetson has to offer!

I want to give you an inside look at what it is really like to be a student at Stetson. Being a student here is challenging, yet rewarding, exciting and fun, and a life-changing experience. I have been here since my freshman year and I've experienced mostly everything that there is to try on this campus. Stetson gives its students so many opportunities to grow, learn and experience things other universities may not be able to offer. The small student body makes it very easy to meet people, and everyone is very friendly. You are very likely to see the same person more than once in a day.

I love how every year that I have been here Stetson's campus has been changing for the better. This year the campus is growing with additional buildings being built and the fraternity houses being redone. Stetson is pretty much getting a facelift this year. I love how beautiful this campus is and how historical it is, as well. Walking to class is actually an enjoyable experience. The campus is so full of plant life, and the brick buildings are really beautiful. I especially like the area around the fountain where you can sit between classes and talk to your friends and take in the scenery. I'm so glad I chose to spend my undergraduate years here at Stetson. I wouldn't have wanted to spend my time anywhere else.

I've already been getting emotional about leaving this place, and I still have a year left! But it goes by so fast and I'm going to try to take in every last experience I have here. Whether having lunch with a friend in the Hat Rack or going to the movies with my sorority sisters or sitting in the library for a late-night study session, each experience is important no matter how small. It all shapes your college experience and who you become.

Well, that's enough from me for now! If you have any questions about absolutely anything, ask me. I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can. You can contact me through Email at dhoskins@stetson.edu or just leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Thanks,
Diana

2008-02-21T13:11:00.002-05:00

Who is this crazy Alexa girl? Why, she is your newest blogger member for the Spring semester. I'm a senior here at Stetson University, with a theatre major and a journalism minor.

I'm very proud to see that Nic has updated about theatrical productions at Stover Theatre. Stover's a quaint theatre, but with our budget and resources we really do put on awesome productions. Currently, we are performing the farcical show How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn, who is a British playwright. It's really fast-paced, upbeat comedy about three married couples, infedelity, and the sharing of space and time. Tonight is opening night, and despite having the jitters, I'm extremely excited (and sad) to be performing in my last mainstage show at Stetson.

In other news, the Campus Movie Fest has been at Stetson and it's been a lot of fun. I've participated in one movie myself, and it's really amazing to see students get together and work off each other's creativity. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's flicks, and I'm crossing my fingers that our movie wins the competition.

All right, back to work! Work, work, work...

Rainy Days and...Tuesdays?

2008-02-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

In keeping with the spirits of crazy Florida weather: It's raining!

It's been pretty warm in the past few days, until it began to cool down yesterday.
Usually, it's a different pattern. It'll be cool, then it'll start to warm up, and because of the warm weather, we are mostly sure to get rain in the following days, which in turn bring in another cold front. Vicious, yet predictable cycle.
Well this time, it was cold yesterday, rainy today, and it's supposed to get warmer for Valentine's Day?

Who knows anymore.

Other than that, some exciting news: Campus MovieFest starts taping this upcoming Thursday!
I'm super excited about it, I got to write the press release for it and will get a chance to document the event (as much as I can and to the best of my ability, of course) as it unfolds. I really do hope the weather lets out so the students can videotape outside and not have to be restricted to indoor areas!

So anyway, Campus MovieFest (www.campusmoviefest.com) is this event that goes to various schools throughout the United States and the United Kingdom and allows students to create their own movie. They provide the camera, equipment, and editing software (along with a mac laptop) for a week, and provide support and assistance in editing. It's really a great idea, and this is the first year Stetson gets a chance to participate. It doesn't cost anything for the students to participate, it's being brought to the campus by CSA (Council for Student Activities), and they pay for them to be here, so we just get to enjoy it :). At the end of the taping week, the movies are screened at a movie festival-esque type thing that invites everyone to watch what all the groups that participated created. Pretty rad, I think. Like a mini award show in little DeLand!

Aside from that, it's been pretty animated around DeLand with the incoming race fans. The 500 race isn't for another week (February 17th, I think), but the fans have been in the Daytona Beach area since last week.

I should be able to post more stuff up as soon as Campus MovieFest begins to unfold on the campus, and hopefully pictures and videos of random things going on around Stetson to come as well.

I think it stopped raining...

...Nope.

Finally settling in

2008-02-04T14:02:00.000-05:00

Phew.

That's as much as I can say for the first couple of weeks (and, actually, almost first month) of Spring semester starting.

I'll take some time out to introduce myself, since the familiar bloggers have finished their semester and now it's up to me to keep you well informed:
My name is Marie, and I'm currently in my last semester at Stetson. I graduate May 10, 2008, and although Stetson has been a home away from home to me, I can't even begin to express how relieved I am that everything I've worked for in the past 3 and a half years is finally coming together.

The first few weeks of starting new semesters is always hectic. A lot of paper work has to be done, a new schedule to get used to, and trying to figure out work schedules and study time takes a while to get re-accommodated to. This semester I tried to keep it simple, but I should have known better than trust myself.

This semester I'm taking 4 classes and working at the Public Relations and Communications Office for my journalism internship. Aside from that, I have a work-study job at the Department of Residential Life and Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. I am also an RA (Residential Assistant) for Conrad hall, a first-year women's residential hall. I am currently the chairperson for the radio station on campus (WHAT Radio), and in the process of recruiting DJs and trying to get the station started back up. I usually also work at a restaurant on the weekends in Altamonte Springs, a city that's about 30-35 minutes from DeLand. So, in other words, I keep myself pretty occupied for the majority of my time :).

I, along with Alexa, will be taking care of the blog until the end of the Spring 2008 semester, and will try to update as much as possible with videos and pictures to share. I'll check the HatChat e-mail constantly as well to see if there are any questions or anything anyone would like to talk about.

I'll leave you with a lovely view of Elizabeth Hall, and I promise, most of the time it really does look that amazing.

Now, back to work :).

A HatChat Holliday

2007-12-03T10:22:00.000-05:00

(this is my very own little art creation, from me to the readers)

It has come to that time of year, when all the interns here the Public Relations must say good bye, and start wrapping up our final projects for work as well as for classes. I hope that you’ve found the blog useful and entertaining. I have even offered to stay on and write blog entries next semester when I am no longer working at the department.

Stetson tends to get very quiet during the holiday break, with all the students going home to their families within 24 hours after their final exams are over. If you do however, have any questions over the holidays, you will always be able to contact us here at HatChat. Ill do my best to check the blog as well as my e-mail regularly. I know it’s getting to be that time when many of you are submitting your applications to your select universities and I’d like to do the best I can in helping you make that decision.

It has been a pleasure and privilege being able to write for this blog. I hope to continue growing its success in the coming semester as we introduce you to some new writers. From all of us here at HatChat, we wish our readers happy holidays.

Nicholas van der Kwast

Only a week and a half left of classes! Is it almost over already?

2007-11-26T14:37:00.000-05:00

It seems that all semester, though you’re busy, is never has hectic as the last two weeks of class. Those last few classes before finals begin are always the worst—trying to fit in reviews and finishing up big papers and projects. Everything is always due on the same day, and once everything is turned in, then you’ve gotta turn around and start studying for finals. Take-home finals and tests, then packing and saying good-bye to friends. It’s so much!

The only advice I can give is first to make a list of everything that needs to be done, down to the little details. Categorize by what’s due first or what’s going to take the longest, and when it’s all due. Then make a game plan, and STICK TO IT. Don’t overload yourself; rather, start as early as possible and get a little bit done every day. Keep that list and mark things off as you finish them. You’ll feel accomplished, and it will motivate you to keep going. Also, don’t feel bad about taking breaks, as long as they’re not hours at a time. When it’s all done, you’ll be glad you weren’t up the entire night before writing a paper or studying for an exam.

Another piece of advice I can give is to keep your work. You never know when you’ll decide to write a paper on something similar to what you’ve done before and wish you’d had your works cited page or notes on a subject. So many times, I’ve written papers and essays on the same subjects or in a similar field. So keep everything, even if it’s backed up electronically.

Well, wish me luck for the next two weeks! After this, only one more semester till graduation… yikes!

Good luck to all of you as well! –Elaine

CARTEL LIVE AT SU

2007-11-20T10:05:00.001-05:00

A small clip from the show that took place at Stetson over the past weekend.

Bustling Stetson University

2007-11-20T09:53:00.000-05:00

So here we are at the end of the semester, I got tons and tons of work to do and what comes up, how about the busiest weekend ever!!!

During the past weekend Stetson hosted the Atlantic Sun Tournament for D1 soccer. I am a huge soccer fan and Stetson had a great season. They finished second in t he conference and played some terrific games, and every one thought they had a good shot to go all the way during the tournament. So Thursday night I went out to watch the green and white play. Only the truly loyal fans were out that night, I could tell because the cold night air was as unforgiving as Stetson’s opponents. Campbell University ran out 2-0 winners over Stetson in the Semi-final match. It almost brought a tear to my eye. I’m glad it did not, however, seeing as how it probably would have frozen to my face on its way down. Below is a video I took at the game just to show you what the atmosphere was like. Even though we lost it was a lot of fun, and I wish the team better luck next year.

The next thing on the menu was fraternity formal, which is probably the two most fun days every Greek student can look forward to at the end of the semester. This year my fraternity went to a restaurant at Downtown Disney in Orlando for dinner, spent the night at a nice hotel across the street from Universal Studios, and then spent the following day riding the rollercoaster’s at Islands of Adventure. Since Stetson is so close to Orlando it’s easy to plan a fun trip like this for formal events. We left the park at 4 on Saturday afternoon and were right back at Stetson at five.

That night, Stetson’s Council for Student Activities (CSA) put on a concert on campus in the Rinker Field House featuring the popular MTV band Cartel and special guest Copeland. The music was great and the crowd was very lively and a lot of fun. Now that I spent this past weekend attending sporting events, theme parks and concerts I think it’d be best if I get back to doing some school work. Before I go there, there is also a small clip I took at the Cartel show for you all to check out.

Nic (wish me luck, on my exams) van der Kwast

Greenfeather

2007-11-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

Hi all! Sorry it’s been so long… I’ve been swamped. After formal recruitment my sorority welcomed over 25 new members into our chapter, so I’ve been busy getting to know them as well as keeping up with school and everything going on here in the PR office. Thanksgiving is creeping up, and I’ve got so much left to do this semester!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you a little about Greenfeather, which is going on this week. Greenfeather is a campus wide event that helps raise money for local charities such as Hospice, Humane Society, Rape Crisis Center and other agencies around the DeLand area. I’ll be honest—it gets a little competitive, but in a good way! There are events every day of the week, beginning with a yard sale and including activities such as outfit and banner contests, penny wars, a rocking chair ‘rock-a-thon’ and lip sync competition. Many of the events collect donations, and additional pledges from staff and faculty help students raise a lot of money. Last year Greenfeather donations totaled over $25,000.

In addition to raising money and helping out local charities in need, I think Greenfeather is a great way to have fun with your fellow Stetson students. I always have so much fun going to all of the Greenfeather events. I’ll admit, it’s going to be a very very busy week, but an awesome one as well. When I’m not attending events, I’ll be decorating our banner or the rocking chair or practicing our dance routine for the lip sync competition. I’ll post some pictures next week so you all can see what Greenfeather is like.

Hope all is well!
Elaine

Romeo and Juliet

2007-10-25T10:28:00.000-04:00

So here is something some of you may have not know about me, I am a Thespian. And, no it’s not some weird disease; it’s a passion for art and expression. I have been living in the backstage wings and greenrooms of the theatre all my life. As a child my mother was the hairstylist for a local theatre and since she was not able to find a sitter, she would always take me with her to the shows. Even when she was able to find a sitter I would insist on going with her, because of how the life of an actor fascinated me, I thought to myself; these people get to play and pretend all day! I love playing and pretending.”

So here I am all these years later, a senior at Stetson University, with all the stress of school work. Every now, and then I still get to play and pretend. Currently I occupy the roll of Paris is Shakespeare’s famed Romeo and Juliet. Opening night is TONIGHT and although I am not nervous, I certainly am anxious however. The entire cast and crew has been working on the production very long and hard. Everything has been done to perfection, so I am certain people will enjoy the show. I’ll get back to you next week with a quick follow up, just to let you all know how it all went.

Besides using the blog as a source to plug my play, I wanted to use my experience with theatre as another example of the possible things to get involved with here at Stetson. I am not a theatre major nor minor, but I was still welcomed to audition and got myself a part at that. Though I have been involved with university shows since my freshman year, the competition for roles does seem to get tougher every year. So I am very glad I still get the chance to play every now and then. Any questions about the show or the university theater program, don’t hesitate to ask me!

Nic van der Kwast
nvander@stetson.edu

(Mercutio entertains partygoers with a tall tale which Tybalt stews over his hatred for the Montagues in “Romeo and Juliet” presented at Stetson University’s Stover Theatre, 535 N. Florida Ave., DeLand. Left to right: Daniel Roscoe and Greg Adams. Photo by Ken McCoy)

Where is the semester going?

2007-10-22T15:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry I have been a little delayed on the blogs, but that is because I am the only person who cannot seem to get on to the website and post anything. Nic has given me the password and the user name, yet it tells me that it does not exist and still works for him. Weird, this is why I have not been up to date recently. Oh well, I can include what I have done thus far…
Two weekends ago was our Fall Break, which came and went as fast as fall semester almost being over, we are now ¼ of the way done! That is very, very scary! Fall Break is a nice little break in the month of October; midterms are ending and we need time to relax, so four days off is really enjoyable. Some go home, some visit friends, others travel just somewhere to get out of Deland for a bit; this year, a few of us went down to the University of Miami and stayed with a friend’s friend from home. The weather was gorgeous; we went out on the boat and went to the Miami/Georgia Tech game, tailgating and all. It was great to see a big, city school and the game was intense, the number of fans in orange, green, and white jerseys was overwhelming. I can’t imagine being a player and having all those fans cheering you on, the adrenaline rush must be like no other feeling in the world. We left on Thursday, which was one of my best friend’s 21st birthdays, so we celebrated in Miami and another reason for our getaway. We left Sunday morning and headed back home to reality.
After a great weekend away, it is hard to get back into the grind of school work and projects. This is when the semester starts speeding up; we have Halloween to look forward to, which is a big deal here at Stetson. Then not too far off is Thanksgiving and once that holiday hits, it is basically all over except a few more days of classes then finals. I cannot believe how quickly this semester has gone by and how it is going to continue speeding up before ever slowing down. College flies by and senior year is here before you know it, then it’s over. Do I really need to start thinking about life after college?! I never thought that day would actually come…College is too much fun to have be over so soon, I am not ready to grow up!
Now, we are here, October 22nd, and the work load is starting to increase tremendously as well, I am writing more and more stories for the PR department and my other classes are getting more and more stressful. It seems like there is something to do every week, and just when I think it is time for a break something else comes along. I am realizing that October is nearly over as well. It is scary to think that November is right around the corner and we have Thanksgiving to look forward to before our big break in December.
Midterms have passed and so the stress has worn off a little; however, these next couple of weeks are time for registration for spring classes. I had my final advisor meeting today for the last time at Stetson and it was sad to think I won’t do that again here. I picked out my final classes for my second semester of senior year and the last ones before I graduate! It is scary! I also declared two minors: journalism and marketing, which I am very excited about. But hopefully my work load won’t be too bad for my last semester at Stetson. I need to get back to work, questions or comments? Email me!

SOAR’ing to new heights (photo special)

2007-10-18T10:43:00.001-04:00

This past fall break was anything but ordinary. Usually I just stay at school and hang out with some friends since it is too expensive for me to fly home to the Caribbean. This year however I decided to do something completely new to me. I went on a whitewater rafting, cave crawling, waterfall seeking adventure.

On Friday, Oct. 12, 20 other students and I packed our bags and stuffed them along with ourselves into three giant suburban cars for the long haul up to Tennessee. The entire trip was part of Stetson’s latest and greatest idea for student recreation. The SOAR program (Stetson Outdoor Adventure & Recreation), is a new program for the 2007-2008 school year, the program’s goal is “to make outdoor sports and recreation activities available to students at little or no cost!” The outdoor activities include hiking, biking, fishing, snow skiing, whitewater rafting, caving, canoeing, horseback riding and much, much more.

Once we got to Tennessee, we went straight into a cave. This particular cave happened to house the second-largest underground lake in the world, named the Lost Sea. Once inside the cave, we did the regular tourist tour and then later got on what was called the wild tour. During the wild tour, those who dared, crawled like worms through the smallest of rocky muddy tunnels and explored the deepest corners of the cave. At one point we even decided to try and find our way through with our flashlights off. My eyes have never seen such darkness before. Prior to this trip, I’d say that hot air ballooning was the craziest thing I have done. But, after feeling as though my shoulders would get stuck around every turn and keep me trapped hundreds of feet below the earth we walk on, I’d say this cave trip is right up there with hot air ballooning. To top off we spent the night sleeping in one of the larger rooms inside the cave, which was also an awesome experience.

The next day was unfortunately a bit disappointing. After waking up in complete darkness and realizing that we were still sleeping in a cave, we made headway toward our next adventure. Christian, the SOAR coordinator, took us on a beautiful hike in the Tennessee Mountains to see a waterfall. Unfortunately, when we got to the waterfall it was not flowing as hard as one may have liked. The reason for this was the drought going on in the area. I was, however, still having a great time and getting to meet some great people who had also signed up for the trip.

Later that afternoon we were penciled in for the main event, a whitewater rafting trip on the Ocoee River. After everyone had gotten their gear on, we were instructed on all the safety issues. We went to the river and put our boats in the water, I believe my boat made it about ½ a mile when we realized that we just kept getting stuck on rocks and that the water level was dropping substantially. We were then asked to step out of the boats into the cold river and bush-whack our way to the road and wait until the bus could pick us up. I suppose it was just meant to be one long day short on water. When we got back to the rafting company’s headquarters, they offered to take us out the following morning at 9 a.m. if everyone on the trip was OK with that. There was unanimous agreement that everyone wanted to go rafting. I myself did not travel nine hours to go home without at least hitting one good rapid.

We spent that night at a cabin, where we made a bonfire, played some old camping games and ate some s’mores. I also find it important to note that this was in fact the first s’more I had ever made or eaten and boy-o-boy was it delicious. The next day, everyone packed their belonging into the cars for the last time, and we drove back to the rafting site. This time we got to skip all the instructions and went straight to rafting. My guide was nuts: the water was freezing and he decided to go shirtless. Rafting was so much fun! The river consisted of class 3 and 4 rapids so it was pretty intense. Two of the people in my raft even fell out during the ride.

I am very thankful to Stetson and Soar for providing me with the opportunity of a lifetime. I am already making plans so I can attend another SOAR event, and see the Chargers vs. the Jaguars go head to head; a bit different but I am sure it will be a blast none the less. Remember if you have any questions related to SOAR or any other matter feel free to post a comment or shoot me or any of the other Hatchatters an e-mail. Thanks for tuning in.

Nicholas van der Kwast
nvander@stetson.edu

Tours make all the difference...

2007-10-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Two weekends ago I took my little sister, who is a senior in high school, to look at a college she is thinking about applying to. The tour reminded me of my first tour of Stetson, about 4 years ago when I myself was a senior in high school getting ready to decide on a school.

My tour of Stetson was definitely the deciding factor for me, at least to apply. The more I thought about how the campus looked, the coziness of a small student body, the location (just far enough away from home!) and everything the university had to offer, my choice became clearer and clearer. Stetson was where I wanted to be.

If you’re unsure about any school you’re thinking of applying to, I highly recommend taking a tour and getting a feel for campus and the general location (a 20 minute drive to Daytona Beach was definitely a plus when I was deciding), and asking about what the university or college has to offer academically, culturally, and socially. I did visit three or four other schools, two of them before Stetson, but once I stepped foot on this campus the others just didn’t compare. Hopefully a tour will make your decision as easy as it made mine!

The university frequently holds Open Houses for prospective students, but tours can be scheduled almost any day of the week. Make an appointment today, and see what Stetson has to offer—it definitely helped me!

Springs & Other Things

2007-10-09T09:32:00.000-04:00

In this week’s blog I’m going to tell you all about some of my favorite things to do in the small town of DeLand, Florida. DeLand maybe small, but it’s got a lot more than just charming downtown shops and restaurants. I really enjoy walking around the streets and looking at the old buildings and the impressive columns of the historic courthouse or the outside display of the Athens Theatre. But what I enjoy doing more then anything else on a weekend is spending a sunny afternoon lying in the grass at one of the natural springs.

DeLand has two beautiful natural springs that are part of Florida’s National State Park system. Blue Spring is my personal favorite because of its incredible surroundings. The park has a great walking trail high above the ground the goes through the green trees and all along the spring. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can catch a glimpse of the large manatees that swim around the area and if you are really lucky you will be in the water as they swim past you, though swimming with the manatees is not allowed, technically, but it can happen on occasion. ;)

DeLeon Springs is another great place to spend a couple of hours during a free weekend. You can enjoy a dip in the 72 degree spring water, go on a history boat tour, rent kayaks have pancakes or have lunch at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant and much, much more.

The Sugar Mill is one of the coolest places I have been to and a great place to bring a date or just to go to with some friends. The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant lets guests make their own pancakes at the table with an assortment of toppings and different batters, making for a highly enjoyable and tasty experience. I have been to the spring many times and have always had a great time. The best thing about these places is that they are no more then a 10-minuet drive from the Stetson University campus. I am sure I’ll will make a few more visits before I graduate.

Nic van der Kwast
nvander@stetson.edu

It's great to be Greek

2007-10-03T12:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Stetson’s five Panhellenic chapters will be holding the second Open House of the semester for any unaffiliated women who are interested in Greek Life. Open Houses are an excellent way for incoming freshman and other unaffiliated women to meet members of each chapter on campus and get a feel for what Formal Recruitment will be like, which starts October 18th and ends with Bid Day on October 21st.

As an active member of my sorority, I hope that many women come out tonight to show their interest in Greek Life. I always have so much fun spending time with my sisters, and I love to tell others about what our chapter brings to the table and show them the joys of sisterhood. And of course, it’s great to meet new people and get to know new Stetson students.

In addition to the Open House this evening, Stetson’s Panhellenic committee will also be hosting a barbeque tomorrow evening as another opportunity to learn about Formal Recruitment.

Aside from Recruitment-related things, philanthropy events have been filling the Greek Life calendar lately. Earlier this semester, Alpha Xi Delta held a marathon around campus to raise money for their philanthropy, Alpha Chi Omega hosted “Are You Smarter Than a Greek?” to as part of their Stop Domestic Violence Week, Delta Delta Delta held their Pancake Flip, and Phi Sigma Kappa held their 3-on-3 basketball tournament (see Nic’s blog below). This weekend, Zeta Tau Alpha will host their semiannual Taco Bar and Sigma Phi Epsilon will hold Rock Against Cancer to raise money for their philanthropies as well. Next week, Pi Beta Phi will hold a barbeque to collect books and donations.

Think that’s a lot? Wait until you see us get together and raise money for Greenfeather in November…

3 on 3

2007-10-02T09:52:00.000-04:00

What a busy weekend I had! It was so busy that I had to kick start things on Thursday, Sept. 27, with Phi Sigma Kappa & Stetson Basketball 7th annual "3 on 3 Coaches Challenge".

The event took place on the Phi Sig basketball court at their house. The entering teams had to pay a cover of $25 with all proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. The winning team now has a chance to play the Stetson Coaches for $150 at half time during the Stetson basketball opening night, at home with an exhibition against Florida Tech (Nov. 2). The event was a big success. It was sponsored by local bar and grill, Bill & Frank’s, as well the Daytona Wing House, who even brought some of their famous wing house girls to serve the wings. The event also included a wing-eating contest. The tournament came to an end with the victors being Stetson’s very own baseball team beating the brothers of Phi Sigma Kappa in double overtime.

Other events this past weekend included another day of community service where I went to a Habitat build and did some landscaping. The Pi Kappa Phi fraternity hosted the Stetson Strongman tournament, a battle of brawn between the biggest guys on campus trying to out muscle each other in various outdoor events. On Sunday I was busy with rehearsal for the upcoming play, “Romeo and Juliet,” which will be running the last weekend of October during family weekend. Tickets will be available at Stover Theatre.

All in all, the weekend was as fun as it was busy. Now, if I could only convince the university to make the weekends a little bit longer and allow me more time for assignments.

Nic van der Kwast
nvander@stetson.edu

Senioritis in September?

2007-09-24T14:19:00.000-04:00

Hey all, the homework load is beginning to increase and I am already feeling the signs of "senioritis!" Is it Christmas break yet?! I am sad to see the semester go by so quickly because the end is near. It is as though there is just so much to do in such little time. Not only do I have Senior Research to get through, but I also realized I have 10 cultural credits to attend before May! A word of advice for freshman: Get your cultural credits done LONG before your senior year! The work load increases immensely and it is not fun having to worry about getting cultural credits done too. Elaine spoke about the 'drunk sex' or date rape lecture, which I also attended last Wednesday. It was very interesting and sparked controversy of opinion with the audience members. Cultural credits, like this one, are interesting and the hour flies by because you are intrigued by the speaker. 14 down, 10 more to go!
Everything seems to be falling into place and fall semester is almost at it's midpoint: Fall Break! A nice little break from school where people go home or travel to visit friends. It is actually one of my best friends 21st birthdays, so a few of us are going down to the University of Miami for the weekend to celebrate and get out of DeLand to visit a big school; I am very excited and eager to experience a much larger university in the city. October brings a lot of excitement for Stetson, fall break, midterms, Fall Recruitment, Halloween - a big holiday for students, and much more.
This past Friday, we interns attended the dedication ceremonies for three present and upcoming buildings as well as renovations on Stetson's campus. It was interesting to see what goes into setting up these projects. I enjoyed watching the Alumni and Trustees, and see how much they truly care about Stetson and that the school lives up to its wonderful reputation. Their love, their generosity and their emotions speak to you, especially as a current student, when I heard each one of them give their speeches and give their thanks to Stetson; it was moving. The university is improving every year, and it saddens me that I will not be able to witness these new renovations as the years go by. I already look forward to Alumni weekend and to see how much Stetson has changed in a year. In the years I have been here, it is incredible to see where Stetson was when I started in August of 2004 to where we are today in September of 2007; I can only imagine the future for Stetson getting better with each passing year.
Stetson continues to grow with excitement, and as always we will keep you posted with the new projects, weekends and events that make up our timeline of our last year. Questions or comments? E-mail me: fbilodea@stetson.edu
Later guys :)

Only a month into senior year, and I’m ready for Christmas Break!

2007-09-24T11:14:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, well classes have been in session for about a month now, and already so much has happened. Between classes and homework, there are constantly places to be and people to meet. Because I’m involved in Greek Life, I’ve been attending many events in preparation for Formal Recruitment in October, so I’m meeting tons of freshmen women who are interested in joining a sorority. Also because I’m involved in Greek Life, I’ve been to several really fun social events as well. Last week, my sisters and I attended a heartbreaking lecture held by the university, which discussed the blurred line between ‘drunk sex’ and date rape. A sad subject, but an excellent presentation that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Stetson holds lectures and events like these practically every week, and usually they count for cultural credit (students need 24 of them—over the course of four years—to graduate). Though I can’t make it to all of them, I’m definitely glad I attended that one.

Nic and Francesca and I attended the building dedication and groundbreaking ceremonies with the Board of Trustees Friday morning. It was cool to learn about and meet people who attended this school so long ago and still, Stetson means so much to them—you can see it through their generosity. It was also exciting to see what’s in the cards for our new and improved university—I’m already looking forward to Alumni Weekends!

Over the weekend, I attended a social with a fraternity and went to a club in Daytona Beach for a sister’s 21st birthday. By Sunday, I was ready to settle down and do some homework all day—and boy did it take the entire day. This week seems to be a little calmer event-wise, but I’m not letting my guard down—October is going to be one hectic month—you should see my planner! From papers and projects, Fall Break and midterms, Formal Recruitment and registration for spring semester, I already know I’ll be busy from the 1st right through Halloween. But at least things move a little faster when your schedule is full… it will be Winter Break before I know it!

A Bright Future

2007-09-24T10:33:00.000-04:00

Since I’ve started working as an intern in the Stetson PR office, I have gotten to learn more about the inner workings of Stetson U. not to mention I get the hear the inside scoop about everything going on around campus. This past Friday, I may have gotten the best scoop of news I’ve heard since I have been at Stetson.

The University’s trustees strolled onto campus last week for more than their usual annual meeting. Stetson University is about to get a face-lift. I was asked to work as an usher at the dedication ceremonies taking place this past weekend, and as I stood there listening to the faculty, staff and trustees speak on and on about all the great new things to come, I found myself closing my eyes and wishing I were four years younger so that I to could have it all.

Within the next two are three years there will be several new impressive development projects going on around the campus. The Science building (Sage Hall) is being completely renovated as well as being increased in size by almost 50%. From the plans I have seen, the conceptual design looks amazing. (Image above)

Stetson also will be building a new art building (Hand Art Center) to house its rare collection of paintings by renowned artist Oscar Bluemner. Another impressive addition to the campus will be the McMahan Hall, which will be located adjacent to the current Presser Hall. The building will provide new facilities for the School of Music. A future Performance Center is also in the works in what is to become part of an impressive three-part music campus

Last but certainly not least are Stetson’s plans to build a new, much-needed fraternity row. I currently live in one of these existing houses, and the upgrade will be much appreciated by future residents. Word is that the plans for the ones to be built by fall 2010 look very impressive.

So as I sit here wishing that I were four years younger, and that I could do it all over again, I realize that Stetson will always be changing for the better. It has since I’ve been here and it will be long after I am gone. Stetson is a progressive place and I have no regrets about coming here when I did. I am just happy its going keep looking better every time I come back to visit as an alum.

That’s just a bite of the excitement to come here at SU. I’ll be back soon with more updates on all the happenings. Until then this has been Nic van der Kwast.

nvander@stetson.edu, hatchat@stetson.edu

CKI Returns

2007-09-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

I’m back and this time I've actually got something to tell you.

This past Saturday I attended the first Circle K event since the start of the 2007 fall re-chartering process. Circle K is a service-oriented college organization, focused on “leadership development, and friendship organization.”

Stetson has a tremendous amount of service-oriented organizations and Circle K is a great new addition to all the programs that Stetson already provides. This past weekend, the new members of Circle K went out to the DeLand Boys and Girls club and acted as supervisors for games of volleyball and touch football, as well as helping out with a little face painting. I also got to play a few games myself, not surprisingly the kids kicked my butt. I got to meet some amazing children; overall it was a great experience and a lot of fun.

I have been involved with community service since my freshman year at Stetson University and am very excited by the great start that Circle K International has had so far. If anyone has any questions about any of the Stetson student organization, or anything else for that matter, feel free to send me a e-mail at nvander@stetson.edu or hatchat@stetson.edu.

That’s all for today folks, This has been Nic van der Kwast, signing out from DeLand Florida.

Hat Chat Welcome

2007-09-17T09:18:00.001-04:00

Hey guys and welcome to the HatChat. I am eager to provide an opportunity to give you a look at life here at Stetson. First off, my name is Francesca Bilodeau and I am an intern for the Office of Public Relations and Communications. I am a senior, majoring in Communications with a double minor in Journalism and Marketing. I am from Massachusetts and Stetson is a far trek from home; however, I adapted to the Florida lifestyle quite quickly, and would have never gone anywhere else.

Stetson is exactly what I wanted and I could have never been happier these past three years. Sadly, this is my last year and I cannot believe it is almost over. It is the beginning of the end, and I cannot help but wonder what it will be like when I no longer have to pack up my car and drive down the east coast, all 1,800 miles, to where I have spent the most amazing and influential years of my life.

The beginning of the year allows for much excitement and much work. It is scary to think I have finally reached the year of senior research; nevertheless, it is not as bad as I imagined. I love my topic and cannot wait to get started!
I look forward to continuing my internship and giving you all the information you need to get acquainted with Stetson and learn my expertise and experiences through our blog. Feel free to ask any questions, we have all been here three years and know this university backwards and forwards!

What Life Is Like

2007-09-17T09:12:00.000-04:00

17 September 2007

Hello all! My name is Elaine and I’m a senior at Stetson University. I’m a Communications major and Journalism minor. This fall, I began an internship at the Office of Public Relations and Communication here on campus. I am also taking four upper-division classes and will soon have an off-campus job as well. As busy as that sounds, I also hold a position for my sorority and am involved in a service organization called Rotoract and a Communication Honors society, Lamda Pi Eta.

Basically, I’m here to tell you what life is like for a Stetson student. Let me tell you, when you get to your last year it can be VERY hectic. Hectic, but also sooo much fun. Meeting new people is almost inevitable, though definitely welcome, and it seems like there’s always something going on—only rarely am I bored. I have wonderful memories from every semester of my college career. For me, though, each year has seemed substantially different, and the adjustments I constantly make have taught me so much. As with everything in life, change happens and you just have to get used to it. Fortunately, I’ve learned to manage my time very well, though I’ve developed an obsessive listing habit as a result.

So, if you have any questions for a senior, a Comm major, a student who has taken nearly every gen-ed course, an active sorority member, a commuter, a girl who likes to go out and have fun once in awhile, a Florida native or a full-time student who also holds a part-time job, I’m a good source of information. Just ask: ejahnsen@stetson.edu

More to come; like I said—there’s always something going down at SU!

A Big Hello

2007-09-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

Greetings and welcome to the new and soon to be improved HatChat Stetson blog. This project started off as more of an experiment last year. This year we are really looking to make it an interactive and informative place for incoming students to gather useful information and have their questions answered. My hope is to have it up and running by next week. Pleas check back with us soon.

Nic van der Kwast