Stetson University in the News, Aug. 24-Aug. 31, 2018

Stetson Professor Chris Ferguson
Christopher Ferguson

Top Stories:

  • Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Stetson, wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Daily News on Aug. 27 entitled, “Can we once and for all retire the ‘video games fuel violence’ myth?” He wrote, “The answer to the question of what evidence exists to link shooter games to mass shootings is simple: None, and there’s quite a bit of evidence against such beliefs.”
  • Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology, was interviewed for a story that aired multiple times on Spectrum News 13 in Orlando and appeared on its Facebook page Aug. 27, entitled “Gamer reacts to deadly Jacksonville shooting.” Ferguson said no data can tie together video games and mass shootings. “It’s unfortunate that this particular shooting happened at a video game competition, but there’s no really nothing particularly crucial, that it happened to be a video game competition that makes it any different from all the other shootings in schools, churches or other places,” he said.
Students sit at tables eating in the expansive new Commons dining hall.
The new Commons Dining Hall inside the renovated CUB.
  • Stetson’s Carlton Union Building was featured in The Daytona Beach News-Journal on Aug. 29 in the story, “Inside Stetson’s new and improved $32 million student center.” Stetson students and twins Jenna and JT Algieri said they like the design. “I think it’s a big change, but it’s very much a similar vibe,” JT Algieri said. Jenna Algieri said she likes the dining area and the funky chairs scattered throughout the student spaces. “If they were going for an eclectic vibe, they certainly captured it,” she said.
  • Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy wrote the Aug. 23 The Conversation article, “There’s a dark history to the campaign finance laws Michael Cohen broke – and that should worry Trump.” Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy is quoted in the Aug. 24 CBC News article, “Did Trump break laws with hush-money payments? Here’s what legal experts are saying.”
  • Stuart Michelson, Ph.D., Roland and Sarah George Professor of Finance, and Chair of Finance, was quoted in “Why the Stock Market Hasn’t Crashed Alongside Trump’s Political Crisis” on TheStreet on Aug. 26. “Yes, politics do affect the market, but the primary reason for the political effect of the markets is when politics are economically related, for example when the tax cuts were announced, it was positively related to the markets,” he said.
  • Stetson University was included in “20 Florida Schools Make Forbes’ Top Colleges List” on Patch.com on Aug. 23. Forbes ranked colleges based on “things like alumni salaries, college debt and retention and graduation rates.” Stetson ranked number 441.
portrait in uniform
Coach Steve Trimper
  • Stetson Head Baseball Coach Steve Trimper was interviewed by the Times Daily in Florence, Alabama, for the Aug. 29 story, “At Stetson, baseball provides key national exposure.” “We try to build off our tradition,” he said. “We are trending up. I feel strongly about the program that we are one of those few mid-majors that can compete nationally on a consistent basis.”
  • Stetson was mentioned in “Volusia County colleges post solid enrollments as classes resume” in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on Aug. 26. Stetson “projects to have 3,080 undergraduates, including about 1,000 new students,” according to the story.
  • Clay Henderson, executive director of the Stetson Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, was quoted in an article, “Water, waterways key Florida campaign issues in 2018” in The Daytona Beach News-Journal on Aug. 27. Henderson said this year’s election is “a watershed moment” and he hopes a new report, “Trouble in Paradise, Six Key Issues to Tackle Florida’s Environmental Challenges” will spur action.
  • T. Wayne Bailey, Ph.D., political science professor emeritus with Stetson, was quoted in a story, “Voters’ rejection of judge Brian Iten expected to ‘shake up the judiciary’ ” in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on Aug. 29. Bailey noted judges are generally considered “immune from opposition if they handle themselves without scandal.”
  • Law Professor Peter Lake is quoted in the Aug. 23 The Daily Progress, “Heaphy, author of Aug. 12 report, hired as UVa’s legal counsel.” Professor Peter Lake is quoted in the Aug. 29 Chronicle of Higher Education, “DeVos’s Rules on Sexual Misconduct, Long Awaited on Campuses, Reflect Her interim Policy.”

Other News:

  • Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology, was mentioned in an article, “Madden Esports Tournament Shooting Thrusts Competitive Video Gaming Into Mainstream News, Leaves Two Victims Dead” on Casino.org on Aug. 27.
  • Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Stetson, was mentioned in “Just one more time: Binge-watching and the brain,” in NZ (New Zealand) Herald on Aug. 25 and The World News in New Zealand on Aug. 26 about the possible effects of marathon-watching TV shows.
  • Jason Evans, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental science and studies at Stetson, will address green infrastructure projects at the Volusia County Low-impact Development Workshop from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, at Lyonia Environmental Center, 2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona, according to a Volusia County news release.
  • Sara Meghan Walter, Ph.D., assistant professor of counselor education at Stetson, was mentioned in “Why Your Family Should play Table Games Together” on Mom Blog Society on Aug. 28. She said table games encourage input from each family member, promoting cohesion and also increasing resilience in children’s life.
  • Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., professor of psychology, was mentioned in the article, “Here’s A Simple Way to Control Screen-Time of Kids Without Annoying Them” on Aug. 30 on PARHL, a website devoted to promoting Pakistani talent and “liberating Pakistani youth.”
  • Law Professor Rebecca C. Morgan wrote the Aug. 29 Elder Law Prof Blog, “Reforming Social Security – Child Caregiver Credits?” Professor Morgan wrote the Aug. 28 Elder Law Prof Blog, “More on Family Caregivers.”  Professor Morgan wrote the Aug. 27 Elder Law Prof Blog, “Micro-chipping Grandma?” She wrote the Aug. 26 Elder Law Prof Blog, “A Different Approach to Dementia in the Netherlands.”
  • K.C. Ma, Ph.D., CFA, director of Roland George Investments Program, was quoted in an article for MSN Money and U.S. News & World Report on Aug. 28 about Portland General Electric (POR), which provides service in Oregon.
  • K.C. Ma, Ph.D., CFA, director of Roland George Investments Program, wrote two articles for Seeking Alpha this week, “Maybe Elon Musk Should Take SpaceX Public Instead?” on Aug. 27 and “Intel, AMD, Nvidia: A 3-Way Valuation” on Aug. 30.

Alumni News:  

  • Alumnus and Rev. Daniel M. Bell Jr., Ph.D., a scholar, author and ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, will be the featured speaker Sept. 13 in Hickory, N.C., according to “Lives Worth Living series offered at Lenoir Rhyne University,” published in the Hickory Record on Aug. 28.
  • Alumna Stacey Morris, director of Energy Research at Alerian, wrote an article for Seeking Alpha, entitled “MLP Distribution Coverage: How And Why It’s Changed” on Aug. 29. Morris graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Stetson.
  • Stetson Law alumna and Republican Attorney General nominee Sue Hatfield is quoted in the Aug. 23 NBC Connecticut, “Hatfield Questions Tong’s Attorney General Qualifications.”
  • The Aug. 24 The Ledger reports that Stetson Law alumnus Lee Adam Cohen is running for Circuit Judge of the 10thJudicial Circuit in Group 10.
  • The Aug. 25 Florida Politics reports that Stetson Law alumna Megan Dempsey and Law alumnus Ed Narain were appointed to the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.
  • The Aug. 27 Herald Tribune reports that Stetson Law alumna Michelle Rowe is now a partner at the Law Offices of Lobeck and Hanson, in Sarasota.
  • The Aug. 28 Catholic Herald reports that Stetson Law alumna Denise Rutledge is the new principle of St. Joseph School in Herndon.
  • Stetson Law alumna Roxanne Fixsen is quoted in the Aug. 28 Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, “Pinellas and Pasco judicial candidate Roxanne Fixsen’s history with the LGBT community.”
  • The Aug. 28 KCWY13 reports that Stetson Law alumnus Matt Snyder is the new General Manager of the Casper Horseheads.
  • The Aug. 28 Florida Politics reports that Stetson Law alumna Rebecca Kapusta will become interim secretary of the Department of Children and Families.
  • The Aug. 29 Tampa Bay Times reports that incumbent State Rep. James Grant won the Republican nomination for Florida House District 64 against first-time candidate Terry Power.
  • Stetson Law alumna and Republican candidate for Attorney General, Ashley Moody, spoke with the Aug. 29 The Global Dispatch, “Florida Elections 2018: Ashley Moody beats Frank White in GOP race, will face Sean Shaw.”
  • The Aug. 30 Florida Weekly reports that Stetson Law alumna Judge Mary Evans will lecture at the Florida SouthWestern State College Critical Thinking lecture series.
  • Troy Henninger, the new principal of Brunswick High School in Brunswick, Maine, earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from Stetson University, according to The Forecaster in Maine on Aug. 29.