Hey Campers!

This issue of the Reporter truly tells many stories. Within the pages you’ll find the story of the very first collegiate graduate of Stetson University, tips for commuters, and words of reassurance for incoming students. If you read even closer, however, you’ll find the story of this year’s Reporter staff coming together to work as a team and prepare for the Fall 2023 semester. 

The theme for this issue is “camp” which feels like a uniquely perfect theme for the season of life that we all find ourselves in. For new students, camp-us can truly feel as vast and full of potential as a camp-site. Returning students might not be as wide eyed, but I’d encourage returning Hatters to take on a camp counselor role, keep meeting new people and making them feel welcome. 

The camp theme can be perfectly understood as an ode to summer camp, but any suckers for hidden meaning would be wise to read the Drag Queen article to get educated about the second meaning of camp. 

• Looking Camp Right in the Eye,

Carlye Mahler

To all new students: Welcome! To all returners: Welcome back! This is the orientation issue of The Reporter, our student newspaper. It’s geared towards incoming freshmen, but all Hatters regardless are welcome to read this issue and hopefully learn something new. 

My name is Cas Bradley. I’m a senior in the Honors program, double-majoring in psychology and digital art, a coxswain on Stetson’s Women’s Rowing team, and the Editor-In-Chief of Hatter Network, our student media collective. We welcome and encourage creative expression from all students through our newspaper, The Reporter, WHAT Radio, our literary magazine Touchstone, and Touchstone’s open-mic night every Thursday, Uncouth Hour.

Here are the four things I personally did to ‘set up camp’ and make Stetson feel more like home:

1. I made at least one friend in all my classes. This was a great way to meet new people, and it allowed me to reach out for help (and help others) when we missed class or were struggling with assignments. 
2. I got to know the people I kept seeing around. Stetson is a small school, so I started saying hello to people I had seen before and putting names to faces. Now, it’s almost a guarantee that I will run into someone that I am friendly with just by walking across campus. 
3. I got involved. I started doing design work for The Reporter my freshman year. I started taking photos for Hatter Network my sophomore year. I wrote my first piece junior year. I’m now the Editor-In-Chief of Hatter Network. Make sure you take your time and commit to only the things you actually have time for.
4. I became myself. This one is still a work in progress, but this is what college is really for. It’s a place for you to learn about the world and about your place in it. Having everyone like you is impossible. By being your genuine self, you allow others to get to know you, and you give them a chance to like you. 

But… who are you? What do you like? What do you want to do? If you don’t know these answers yet, it’s okay; you will slowly start piecing them together as you go along. If you do know the answers to these questions… Get ready for that to change. 

Welcome, Hatters, to The Reporter’s fall 2023 Orientation Issue.

GO, HATTERS! 

Cas Bradley

Dear Reader,

Ready or not, the 2023 school year has officially begun. After some time off, the feeling of returning to school might not be highly anticipated. For some, there’s added pressure as bundles of anxiety accompany the students experiencing their first year at Stetson. I felt like that last year as I packed up extra slowly to prolong my first trip to my new home away from home. 

As a Freshman, one thing I didn’t get to do was read the Orientation Issue of the Reporter released last year. I was too frazzled and tongue-tied to go the extra mile to look for such things that Stetson had to offer for Freshmen. So, we here at the Reporter took that extra mile for you this past summer. We worked vigorously through emails and the maze of social media to spread the word of this Orientation Issue, so you can catch a glimpse of our written stories that are filled to the brim with reassurance and camp wonders– some added with a little bit of spice. 

In addition to welcoming new Hatters to the Steston family, the Reporter is also graced with a new team of Executive members. Through this Issue, we’ve gotten to know each other a bit through our writings, ideas, and ambition, and for a writer, that’s enough to envision a future filled with camaraderie and adventure. For now, enjoy these following few pages that offer a new meaning to camp– one that’ll have you excited for Stetson to become your new campground. 

Happy Reading, 

Alis