Stetson University
EN-3: Student Life

The Stetson Environmental Club is dedicated to engaging the hands and minds of the Stetson community by tackling environmental and sustainability issues on and off campus. We are best known for semesterly beach clean ups on our adopted stretch of the Daytona Beach. We take great care to interspace our volunteering events with outings to some of Florida's wonderful parks and recreation areas so students can help the environment while learning, relaxing, and having fun. Last year the club participated in the International Coastal Cleanup and collected over 10 pounds of trash. As a thanks to the student's great work and dedication we visited Silver Springs national park and learned about manatees, turtles, and alligators on their famous glass-bottom boat rides. We also welcome club sports, fraternities, and sororities to our clean ups as a way for them to earn their own volunteer hours.

"Hatter Harvest" is a student club in which student volunteers practice organic gardening techniques to grow foods such as corn, broccoli, and leafy vegetables. Students in the organization weed and water the garden as well as fertilizing the plants with non-chemical fertilizers. Some things used in the garden as fertilizers include vinegar, and coffee. Each month Hatter Harvest students run a farmers market on campus where local farmers sell organically grown produce to promote both local farmers and organically grown foods.

Approved by the Student Government Association and the Board of Trustees with oversight by the Environmental Working Group, the Stetson University Revolving Green Fund is a student fee and cost offset reinvestment combination fund that provides a consistent and expanding flow of resources for campus efficiency and sustainability enhancements. Student fees provided baseline revenue for the fund annually and cost offsets from fund-supported projects are returned as well. With each new project, cost avoidance revenues will grow, eventually outpacing fee revenues.

When Jacek Smolicki was named artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts’ Soundscape Field Station at Canaveral National Seashore, “I was imagining that I would be in the middle of this pure, amazing and pristine soundscape,” the Polish-born artist, researcher and educator said at a panel discussion on “acoustic ecology” held Wednesday, March 22, in Rinker Auditorium at the Lynn Business Center at Stetson University.
See: https://www2.stetson.edu/today/2023/03/acoustic-ecology-panel-kicks-off-international-conference-on-soundscape-studies/

Stetson University and the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience are partners on the ShORE Symposium, which stands for "Sharing Our Research with Everyone" and provides opportunities for undergraduate and high school students to showcase their research that pertains to the health and conservation of the Indian River Lagoon, an estuary of national importance on the east coast of Florida. https://marinediscoverycenter.org/shore/

On Earth Day 2023, the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience will host a panel discussion, incentivized for student attendance through the university's cultural credit program, on the topics of climate change and resilience.
https://www.facebook.com/events/171574615714569

On Earth Day 2023, a musical composition will be performed and a mural will be unveiled at the Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center. The musical arrangement is both composed and performed by students in the Stetson School of Music. The piece, entitled A Jeaux D'eau for Lake Beresford, was composed for Earth Day, and will highlight the nature of water through use of layered motion and stillness. The mural, designed by local artist Johnny Dame, has been implemented in part by Stetson students and pays homage to the history of the site, and to the indigenous cultures and peoples who have called this environment home. This event will be incentivized for student attendance through the university's cultural credit program.

Stetson Outdoor Adventure Recreation (SOAR) - SOAR plans ahead and prepares by planning trips at the beginning of the semester, we research the area, read and watch videos about what to expect and usually even travel there ourselves before we go their with students. SOAR informs all participants on what they will be seeing while on a trip so that they can be ready for what may come ahead. When conducting overnight trips, we only camp at sanctioned camp sites and then we make sure to pack all trash out or find a trash can. SOAR enters spaces with the mindset of we are going to leave this place better than we found it, we will clean up trash we find while also making sure it looks like we were never there.

Stetson's Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience (IWER) pays students to complete special projects, such as the mural, creating signage, or putting on events for the Aquatic Center. Additionally, student employees are regularly paid to complete bi-weekly water testing of Lake Beresford and doing water nutrient analyses.
https://www.stetson.edu/other/iwer/assistants.php
Also, the Environmental Sustainability Fellows are compensated for their work as campus sustainability leaders.