Spring 2026 Issue II
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Ampersand
The Guts and Glamour of Entertainment Podcasting with TheMogulMason
What's That Sound
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To Have and to Have Not Another My Favorite Old-Timer Drinks
Letters From Our
EDITORS Old Hollywood signifies new beginnings and success. Where have you found success lately? What chapters are closing this spring? Or those opening next fall?
Well, this is it, I guess –– my last magazine cycle in The Reporter, and what a way for us to finish off the year. Old Hollywood really does describe how everything is closing out for this chapter of my life. I couldn’t be happier with how everything has turned out, and I look to the future with excitement and anticipation for what’s to come. By the end of summer, I’ll be off in New York City, doing my journalism thing and figuring life out far from home. To quote Frank Sinatra: “These little town blues are melting away, I’m gonna make a brand new start of it in old New York!” But even though I’ll be so far away, I hope that all of my Reporter family knows how much I love them and that I am only a phone call away — don’t text, I’m super bad at answering those. Now I just have to figure out how to get Reporter issues forwarded to me in NYC. EXECUTiVE EDiTOR NiCO ALONSO '26 2
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What a stroll down the Boulevard it has been. The Reporter, like Old Hollywood, seems incapable of picking one identity –instead undergoing a metamorphosis from one year to the next. Regardless of these changes, it has made space for each individual to find their voice, and it has been my honor to be a part of the melody. While I am exiting stage left, I am sure the show will go on…and hopefully I will get some tickets in the mail! MANAGiNG EDiTOR DE'VANESE JOHNBAPTiSTE '26
Man, if there was ever an issue that deserved some limelight? It’s this one – maybe even a star on Hollywood Boulevard (right next to Lucille Ball’s, preferably). For some of our lovely staff, this year’s end marks curtain-call for their time in The Reporter’s newsroom. But for me the ‘Golden Age’ has yet to come – as your incoming executive editor next fall, there are new chapters unfurling and blank pages still to be penned. Pitches to plan, powerpoints to give! How bittersweet it is to prepare goodbyes and welcome the future’s fresh air all at once – and that goes for all of us. Readers, I’ll catch ya in the fall. MANAGiNG EDiTOR BREANA GERGEN '28
Photographer, Indya Mckoy '26
S This year, we took The Reporter to technicolor. Our newsroom was vibrant with designers directing literal artwork on the stage of each page and journalists writing– and do read this in a transatlantic accent– “what is real, what matters, and what is next” for the Stetson University community. What better theme than “Old Hollywood” to shine a spotlight on The Reporter’s year of glitz, glamour, satire, and confrontation of the corrupt? As much of our staff takes a bow with this school year’s final edition, those still on the silver screen promise to write their names in the stars… Until next semester! MANAGiNG EDiTOR NATALiE REESE MCCOY '28
My chapter of holding the title of Photo Editor is closing, as a new window of opportunity is opening. This year has been an emotional whirlwind, but we all got the job done. Anywho, this last magazine is like a grade finale for us all! Bye Bye. PHOTO EDiTOR iNDYA MCKOY '26
Dear Guys and Dolls, When I first took the position of creative director I was prepared for a montage of Singing in the Rain and strolling down Sunset Boulevard, only to find myself Gone With the Wind in a state of Vertigo. To give the puns a rest for a minute, each issue we brought to you this year was a labor of love at every step of the way. Considering the sleepless nights and InDesign bugs, I oughta be thrilled to leave it all behind. And yet, I know that when the credits roll on my time at Stetson, I’ll be leaving a piece of my heart behind in the pages of the Reporter. So In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night! CREATiVE DiRECTOR MARiA LATOUR '26
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Editors Sara Ward Editor-in-Chief
Nico Alonso Executive Editor
Maria Latour Creative Director
De’Vanese John-Baptiste Managing Editor
Breanna Gergen Arts & Culture Editor
Katie Eudy Copy Editor / Fact Checker
Natalie Reese McCoy Web Editor
Indya McKoy Photo Editor
Michaela Hawthorne News Editor
EDITORS 4
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The R E T R O REP the “golden age of If you could time travel to thing you would do? hollywood,” what ’s the first Save the thylacine from extinction
Staff
Sara Ward, Editor-in-Chief Burger Maria Latour, Creative Director Indya McKoy, Photo Editor Nico Alonso, Executive Editor De'Vanese John-Baptise, Managing Editor Steal Marilyn’s Write, compose, and Michaela Hawthorne, News Editor “Happy Birthday Mr. more ethically direct Katie Eudy, Copy Editor & Fact Checker President” dress The Wizard of Oz Breanna Gergen, Arts & Culture Editor Natalie Reese McCoy, Web Editor Don a pinup dress; Jomar Rosado, Staff Writer pet the swans at Nathan Pyle, Staff Writer Belair Hotel Joshua Weaver, Staff Writer & Photographer Marissa Stanley, Staff Writer Michael Terezazakis, Staff Writer Parker Moore, Spread & Graphic Designer Riley Cate, Spread & Graphic Designer Kayla Lewis, Spread & Graphic Designer Kiara McNeil, Photographer Francheska Tellez, Photographer Visit my great grandma's bakery Ash Miller, Photographer Jett Scheingoltz, Photographer Sully Sullivan, Social Media Director Buy a zoot suit
JOINING US
When it comes to joining Hatter Network, we are never not excited about someone wanting to join our ranks. If you want to write, The Reporter is the place. If you like to appreciate art, music and writing, Touchstone Literary Arts Journal is where it’s at. If you want to create your own podcast, or learn how to use the tech in our radio station, WHAT Radio is there. Hatter Network is an extacurricular media program run by students, for students, to provide them with the information we think they need to know, or an outlet for their creative endeavors. If you’re interesed in getting involved, please email our Editorin-Chief, Sara Ward, at sward@stetson.edu or apply on Engage.
ABOUT US
The Reporter, as part of Hatter Network, is the oldest collegiate magazine in the state of Florida. We publish four times per year, twice per semester. Florida Sun Printing prints 300 copies per issue on 8.5 x 11 inch, 80# Gloss Test. Most body text is set at 11 point Adobe Garamond Pro or Times New Roman with 13 point leading set with a combination of regular, italic and bold. All pages are designed using Adobe Creative Suite Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign. For additional information please visit hatternetwork.com. Questions or concerns can be mailed to 421 N Woodland Blvd. Deland, FL 32723 or emailed to hatternetwork@hatternetwork. com. the reporter
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Photographer, Indya Mckoy '26 Model, Nicole Van Esselstyn '28
Contents 08 11 15 18 22 27 30
Reading in the Rain
Leisurely Reading Habits Amongst Stetson Students
Ampersand
The Guts and Glamour of Entertainment Podcasting with TheMogulMason
Hollywood's Calling Again
A Kazakh International Student Pursues Filmmaking as an Alumnus Earns Oscar Recognition
Photostory
The Reel Hollywood with Jett Scheingoltz
A(lumna)ttorney General Pam Bondi Under Friendly Fire What's that Sound? To Have and To Have Not Another My Favorite Old-Timer Drinks
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Reading in the Rain Leisurely Reading Habits Amongst Stetson Students Story by Nathan Pyle Graphics and Layout by Riley Chapman
Are you familiar with Little Free Libraries? A non-profit organization that started in 2009 with the purpose “to share good books and bring communities together”, Little Free Libraries are birdhouse-esque book depositories, which are free to the public and open 24/7. Seventeen years after the organization’s inception, there are now more than 200,000 of these Little Free Libraries across 128 countries, ensuring the barriers that restrict book access are torn down. Non-profit organizations such as Little Free Libraries are especially important in this day and age, where reading as a leisurely hobby is not nearly as popular as it once was. A study done by the
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University of Florida revealed that reading for pleasure amongst Americans has fallen by nearly 40% within the last 20 years. There are numerous reasons that this could be the case, primarily that there is so much competing for one’s attention including social media, video games and other digital forms of media. It should be clear that there is nothing wrong with healthily engaging in these forms of media, but nonetheless, reading is great for one’s health. Primary among these benefits is how reading enhances brain functions, including memory and relaxation. When one reads at a young age, it helps the brain age more gracefully, as it greatly reduces memory decline later in life. Additionally, a study from Sussex University claims that
reading reduces stress levels by up to 68%. To further discuss this topic, I interviewed Dr. Joel Davis, the Head of the English Department, and conducted a survey where Stetson students could explain their own reading habits. In this survey, when asked if they enjoy reading for leisurely purposes, every single participant voted yes. There is clearly an interest to read amongst the student body of Stetson, yet when asked how many books these students actually read as a hobby during the previous year, the highest number answered was five. The disconnect between interest and practice can be explained by a number of reasons, which often stem from a common difficulty for a student to balance stress with pleasure. Of the answers listed for the survey question “What is stopping you from reading more?”, which include “too much work” and “I’d rather engage in other media”, amongst a few other answers, the most frequently selected reason was quite simply “not enough time”. The average college student faces
around 20-25 hours of work each week, as reported by the Manhattan Institute, a number that greatly varies between majors. Additionally, this number doesn’t take into account any outside activities, like clubs, jobs or sports. During our interview, Dr. Davis identified this very issue regarding leisurely reading habits. As an English Professor, he discussed “the challenge [to get] students to slow down enough to read carefully… if [a student] has 500 pages to read this week, why would [they] read slowly?” For many majors, much of the 20-25 hours of work they get each week is often complicated reading, and the sheer quantity of the reading, as Davis said, inspires students to glance through rather than read carefully. As such, there is less of a desire to read outside of class, since this workload prompts the act of reading to be something to get over with as soon as possible.
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It goes without saying that this workload inspires a sizable amount of stress within most students. Understandably, when a stressed-out student has a moment to relax, something that requires a significant amount of brainpower to engage with, like many books, may seem unattractive. This is reflected in the survey, as the genre of book most frequently mentioned to be a leisurely favorite was comic books/manga. While comics/manga are certainly not a lesser form of literature (I’ve recently been reading Chainsaw Man for leisure myself ), they are much easier to read than, say, something by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dr. Davis expressed a similar notion, since the stress of a professor’s workload draws him to leisurely reading that he finds easier to process than those that are challenging. In his free time, he personally enjoys reading nonfiction and, in his words, “juvenile sci-fi stuff”.
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The reason Little Free Libraries were brought up earlier is that I intend to build a few around campus in an attempt to help Stetson students read more for fun. This project cannot really fix the lack of time that students have for leisure, but it can certainly make it more convenient for students to get books. Another reason that reading struggles to beat digital media as a hobby is because, quite simply, it is a lot more convenient to access one’s phone than it is a book. However, building a few free book depositories around campus, especially in areas where students tend to relax, would make access to literature much less of a hassle. Additionally, the books are free to keep, so one can spend as much time as they’d like reading them.
d n & s r e Amp The Guts and Glamour of Entertainment Podcasting with
T h e M o g u lM a s o n Story by Michaela Hawthorne Graphics and Layout by Parker Moore
I sat down with New York native, Mason Chang ‘29 (stage name, TheMogulMason) to discuss how a love for Hollywood led him to “Mason’s Musings.” The sit-down, spill-all podcast features entertainment royalty from pop culture phenomenons like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “The Traitors.”
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Q : Walk me through recording the first episode. Was it always you interviewing other people? How did it start?
A: Oh no, so see, this is when I got in
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trouble. So the first episode, it started I think in the summer of ‘24. I had a really big falling out with a friend of mine and so I was like, “you know what? It’s the perfect time to enact on this. This is gonna be a podcast. I’m gonna recap this entire thing.” It was an hour long and it was just pretty much me putting my friend’s business out there. Well, it was my business too, because I was part of it, but they ended up hearing it. How? I don’t know, but they’re like, “you need to take this off Spotify, that’s not cool. Why would you post this?’ And her family was like “You shouldn’t post this, you put our daughter’s business out there, what’s wrong with you? Who does this?” I got [in] a lot of trouble for that. It was just me and my best friend on an iPad. The audio was so terrible. It was just like voice memos on the iPad, and my FaceTime, it was so bad. But that’s how it started. I was like, “damn.” I learned. Never again.
of mine, and she was like, “You know what? That’s so funny that you mentioned this Mason, my dad’s brother’s friend works at Spotify. He’s the one that helps people[and] starts their podcast. He does promo and stuff. And I was like, “this is really interesting, do tell.” So I got in connect with the dad’s brother’s friend, and he kind of coached me through it, and, “Oh, this is what you do.” So I started talking to him, and he gave me all the rundown. It’s completely free to do at first. If you want to do it at all, it’s just Spotify for Creators App; you download that, and from there on out, it’s your own game.
Q : How did it go from that drama podcast,
that was more personal, to you interviewing notable figures and celebrities?
A: In New York, it’s just really network
Central. You really have to network your ass off. We were doing this in high school, we put [our] names out there because it’s good to know, because it really is the gift that keeps on giving. Because you’d be like, “Oh my God, wait—Something that you did when you were 18 could follow you into your 40’s.” It just happens. So I was talking to a friend
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Q : What was it like securing that first celebrity guest, and how did you get there?
A: My first celebrity guest was Anita Wigl’it
from “RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under” and Ru Paul’s “ [Canada’s Drag Race] vs The World” season one. I emailed her in the summer of ‘24. After I had released the first episode, I was like, “Oh, I kind of want to work with celebrities. Because this little iPad is not gonna pay the bills.”…I emailed her, and she was like, “Hi, I’d love to do this, but I’m booked until November.” And I was like, “November, that’s crazy.” So I had to wait three or four months for that, and then once I got it, I was so happy, I was over the moon. Because what do you mean [it’s] this person that I watched on my TV screen?
Q : Was it sort of a chain reaction from there; Was it easier to book more guests once you booked that initial one?
A: Sometimes it is. I’m not gonna lie, a lot
of people are just greedy. It’s just greed. Do you know Janice Dickinson? She was this judge, horrific judge on America’s Next Top Model, and she was known as the world’s first supermodel. That was her thing, and I had reached out to her. I was in the beginning phases, I was just reaching out to as many people as I could. I was like, “I’d love to have you on, da da da.” And she replied, I have the email because this email is insane. This is wild. I literally just screenshotted it today. “Hello Mason. Your project sounds interesting and fun. However, at this time, my team and I are only doing in-person interviews with the visual slash filming component to it.’ I wasn’t doing filming at all. That’s a whole other case of worms, I just did audio. And she was like, “Via TV, YouTube, film, podcast, socials, etc. With that said, a budget of $5,000 or more is also needed for my time and knowledge. Would love to work with you in this range in the project. Let me know your thoughts, XOXO, Janice.” And I was like, “ma’am, I’m 17.” I was like, “What? $5,000, Where am I gonna get this from?” A lot of people, they’re like, “We need thousands of dollars, like “Love Island.” I will never do Love Island. They want like $30,000 and I’m like, “No, just no.”
Q : In the media landscape nowadays.
There’s so many celebrities going into interviews where the interviewers have a list of questions they can’t ask. Do you get those?
A: I’ve gotten plenty of those. Yeah, the
publicists are always like, “Hi. So this is exactly what I”— Okay. I’ve had some crazy
emails. I’ve gotten ones where it’s like, “This interview can only be centered around this specific topic, you cannot go into this.” And I’m like, well, this is what they’re known for. So I feel like it wouldn’t make sense to [not] talk about what they’re known for. For me, it’s like, no one wants to hear about, oh, I’m doing this really small GoFundMe for clean water. I’m sorry, as much as I love children getting free clean water, I want my answers. I’ve gotten tons of like, “You can’t ask these questions. Don’t ask them.” I’ll ask maybe two just to not be greedy. Because then people get mad.
Q : What celebrity gave you the most tea? A: Any drag race contestant, they always
break the NDA. They’re still not supposed to, but they break it. I always never liked when people were like, on reality TV, “Oh, they didn’t show you the full thing.” I kind of get it now, because what you’re hearing wasn’t the full conversation..But I love, I love when they tell me, oh yeah, at this time we showed up to this hotel, and then we filmed at 5am. I love when I get told details because I guess I want to feel like I’m actually on the set.
Q : What’s the most sour experience you’ve had with a guest?
A: [The] most sour experience is an episode
that I didn’t air because we kind of got into it, not really, but it was passive aggressive and I’m not passive aggressive, I’m just full on aggressive. Don’t be passive. I don’t know
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why, but never again. It was another one of the Jersey girls from “The Real Housewives.”
Q : Who was your favorite podcast guest and what made that experience so enjoyable?
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A: I interviewed this contestant from Netflix’s show “Million Dollar Secret.” So this came out last year, and I was like oh my God, I need to hop on the show. And what’s funny is I actually managed to book the interview for her. She was my favorite person on the show, Sam…I recorded with Sam and the finale had not aired yet of the show, so we don’t know who the winner was yet. The idea was that, obviously this episode will come out after the show airs—and she spoiled the winner for me. That’s when I was audio only. So I had to act like I wasn’t like, fully, “Oh my god, she just broke the NDA.” She said, Netflix, screw the contract, I’m gonna break it all. And I was like, oh my goodness. She was so fun, though. Amazing, amazing conversationalist. Q : Your branding, especially on your Instagram, it feels very glamorous and your name—”TheMogulMason.” Tell me a little bit more about that.
A: I’ve always tried to make it like that to a tee, because for me, branding is everything. What’s the one quote? It’s like, “Dress
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how you want to be seen in the world,” or something like that? I’m such a big believer in that. I remember my mom would always tell me that as a kid. This was my mom— We’d go to Wegmans the grocery store, and she’d be wearing heels and a really nice dress to the grocery store. It rubs off on you. She was like, “You never know who you’re gonna meet.” That’s a big thing for me. So I’m like, yeah, what is my brand? And then when I think about it, I want people be like, “Oh, that’s glamorous. Oh, that’s nice.” So that’s kind of how it caught on to me.
Q : I think something that holds people
back from following their passions often, especially in entertainment, is the thought that they’ll unlikely ever see success. What do you think about that?
A: I don’t think about that. You can’t. You’re not supposed to think about that. Because I like to think of anything I do as, this will be the next big thing. Even if it doesn’t, well, it was the next big thing to me. If you’re not gonna think about yourself, you’re not gonna uplift yourself. Nobody else is gonna do it for you…When I first started this, Oh, you should’ve seen me. I was passing out flyers at [high] school. I was like, “Scan this QR code.” I was like, “Yeah, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, get it everywhere.” I was working my ass off. Because I was like, I want people to see this hard work.
Story by Marissa Stanley Graphics and Layout by Kayla Lewis
HOLLYWOOD’S CALLING AGAIN:
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Stetson University is a hotspot for up-andcoming filmmakers, and some students have gone on to great success in the film industry. One such alumnus is Clint Bentley, director of the Oscar-nominated film “Train Dreams”. Bentley got his start at Stetson. He graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and has garnered significant attention for his writing and directing abilities. Since then, other members of the Stetson community continue to have aspirations of success in the film industry. Nurdaulet Myrzabekov is a junior here at Stetson with dreams of creating his own films. Myrzabekov is incredibly down to earth, but he wastes no time advertising his video production skills. “I’m a third-year international student at Stetson University Stetson University and a filmmaker/
videographer,” said Myrzabekov. “I produced narrative and commercial work, and am currently developing a short film for festivals titled ‘Family Ties’.” Clearly, videography has become a part of Myrzabekov’s identity, going beyond just a hobby. Speaking to his interest in filmmaking, “It happened in 2020, when I was working as an administrator in the Art Cluster, Dom36, and the big film crew rented out our location to film a movie ‘Kiss-In’, that’s when I met Eldar Shibanov, who became my mentor,” said Myrzabekov. He described this moment as being the one where his passion started to look like a viable career. He poured himself into videography. “In [the] 6 years [since then], I founded Myrza Production, which has generated over 2.5+ million dollars in client revenue across Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic and the USA, with 30M+ total views across online platforms.”
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Myrzabekov is originally from Kazakhstan, and he learned a lot about film before ever stepping foot on Stetson’s campus. He explained the influence Kazakh filmmakers have had on him, saying “In Kazakhstan I was so lucky to work with exceptional filmmakers such as, Eldar Shibanov and Askhat Abzhanov, who created many amazing award-winning films and art projects.” But above all, one stands out above the rest. “My greatest inspiration and role model has always been, and will always be, Zack Snyder. He’s an extraordinary visual artist who doesn’t simply make movies, he creates cinematic works of art,” said Myrzabekov. “You could pause any frame from his films and hang it on a wall like a painting. One day, I aspire for people to say the same about my work.” Myrzabekov arrived at Stetson with more experience than is typical for others his age. Alongside his past and current education, Myrzabekov fills his spare time studying films. “I graduated from three film schools, two in Kazakhstan and one in the Czech Republic,” said Myrzabekov, “But my biggest teacher is visual literacy. I watch a lot of films and analyze
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everything. I also write down what I want to use in the future.” Myrzabekov acknowledges that his understanding of Kazakh culture can benefit him when creating films for American viewers. However, studying here at Stetson has also given him new insight into what it takes to be successful as a filmmarker. Myrzabekov explained “No matter how talented or hardworking I can be, if I have a short contact list on my phone, I’ll end up broke and alone. So, I’m trying to connect with as many people as I can.” Since coming to Stetson, Myrzabekov has had even more opportunities to hone his skills in the field. “Technically, I’ve pushed myself to become as best as possible in videography and editing, working under high expectations and in very high-pressure environments, including my work as a camera operator for ESPN,” said Myrzabekov. It is not just the people of Stetson, or the opportunities in the United States, that have helped Myrzabekov. It is the classes themselves. “The project I would like to highlight most is my new short film, which I created specifically for film festivals. What makes it special to me is that
the script for it was written in one of my classes at Stetson — Dramatic Writing,” said Myrzabekov. “At some point I realized that if I was already writing a screenplay, I might as well write it in a way that I could actually film it.”Myrzabekov is aware of the legacy some Stetson alumni are creating. “I know that many Stetson graduates have found themselves in the film industry. One person I especially want to highlight is Clint Bentley, whose “Train Dreams” received an incredible four Academy Award nominations,” said Myrzabekov. Obviously, Clint Bentley’s films capture my attention, and as someone who is deeply passionate about cinema, I actually discovered that he was a Stetson graduate only after I had already become familiar with his work.” While he shares in Bentley’s dreams of filmmaking, Myrzabekov’s Kazakh background gives him a secondary purpose. “I’m proud to be Kazakh and will always tell you about it,
but I do not feel any responsibility to represent Kazakhstan. I do feel responsibility though for people to know about my beautiful country with beautiful and kind people that live there. I want to “UnBorat” Kazakhstan in the eyes of American people.” Myrzabekov offers some advice to other international students like him. “Get out of your comfort zone and do as many things as you can. Try to fit everything in your day and make yourself really busy. If you do, the growth will happen.” But, above all, Myrzabekov hopes to look back on his career knowing that he made a difference in the life of at least one person, somewhere. “Fifty years after my death, if an old man in some small village in Kazakhstan decides to watch one of my films, I’ll be happy. Because for a brief moment, for those two hours, I’ll be alive again.”
“Fifty years after my death, if an old man in some small village in Kazakhstan decides to watch one of my films, I’ll be happy. Because for a brief moment, for those two hours, I’ll be alive again.”
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The
Photos by Jett Scheingoltz Layout by Maria Latour
Reel Hollywood
With JettScheingoltz
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Story by Breana Gergen Graphics and Layout by Riley Chapman
A
lumna ttorney
General Pam Bondi Under Friendly Fire Disclosure: Since the time this article was written, Pamela Bondi was terminated from her post as Attorney General. President Donald Trump confirmed this in an April 2, 2026 press release.
Heat on Capitol Hill (and Campus, too) Just over a year into her term as the 87th U.S. Attorney General of the Trump administration, Pamela Bondi, an alumna of Stetson Law School, has recently fallen under scrutiny – both from Capitol officials and current Hatters – in the wake of her Feb. 11 testimony at the Epstein hearings. Though Bondi has surmounted the top rung of the judicial ladder, her performance during the hearing riled onlookers, whether they watched the Cable-Sattelite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) from a phone screen or witnessed it from the bench. Countless lawmakers have since called for her resignation and criticized her apparent ‘deflections’ when asked about file redactions, even accusing her of “lying under oath,” as did Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. In recent weeks on campus there have been stirrings on Yik Yak, the student-beloved chat thread modeled after X, with Hatters refusing to identify themselves with the Attorney General. One anonymous commenter claimed it was an “embarrassing time to be pre-law,” and another asked to “petition the school to take away pam 2222
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Story by Marissa Stanley Graphics and Layout by Kayla Lewis
bondis law degree atp.” Responses to the latter thread argued that “She couldn’t answer one question,” and that her strategy was to “Deflect, insult, and blame the media.” These reactions, of course, were just a cherry-picked sampler from the Yak’s slew of Bondi insults, most of them containing the words “underqualified” and “disgrace.” Many have begun to question the merit of the law program altogether because of its high-profile alumna on Capitol Hill.
A Look at Madame Attorney General’s Resume In 1990, Bondi graduated with her juris doctor degree from Stetson, going on to become a Florida prosecutor in Hillsborough county, where she tried domestic and capital cases for the next 18 years. She then, notably, secured the position of Florida’s 37th Attorney General as the first woman to hold that office in the state’s history. During two consecutive four-year terms spanning from 2011 to 2019, Bondi’s work as Florida Attorney General focused largely on extinguishing the state’s reputation as the ‘pill mill capital,’ invoking legislation which
shut down 98 oxycodone-dispensing medical practices that had been distributing wrongfully. Passionate about drug prevention and treatment, Bondi was also appointed to President Donald Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. Attorney General Bondi held human trafficking as another primary agenda during her tenure for Florida – she championed efforts to strengthen state laws and offer resources for victims. It was under her name that the Florida Statewide Human Trafficking Council was formed, of which she served as Chair until the close of her second term. Sworn in on Feb. 5, 2025, as U.S. Attorney General, Bondi has since spearheaded numerous law enforcement investigations in the first year of her term as the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Amid her testimony during the Feb. 11, 2026, court hearing, Bondi listed statistics in her favor: “In 2025, we saw the lowest murder rate in 125 years…That’s nothing short of historic… The FBI arrested over 1,700 child predators, a 10% increase from 2024. We also located 2,700 victims of child exploitation and shut down 3.8 million dark web pedophile accounts.” In similar statements made by Judiciary Committee Chair and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the DOJ’s accomplishments over the last year have also resulted in “murders [being] down nationwide by 20%, D.C. violent crime is down by 28%...and the recovery of sixteen missing kids.” Ohio Rep. Jordan praised Bondi for these accolades, claiming that “Under Attorney General Bondi the DOJ has returned to its core missions: upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys and keeping Americans safe.” He closed his time by thanking the Attorney General for “her great work in the first year on the job.”
Redactions and Reactions This past year, after a long-awaited six-year period since American financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s death in his Metropolitan Correctional Center cell in New York, President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Transparency
Act, or H.R. 4405, into law on Nov. 19, 2025. The act ordered the Department of Justice to release a sum of about 6 million files, images and email conversations between Epstein and his accomplices to the public eye. In her Feb. 11 testimony, Bondi professed that she “came into office with the goal of refocusing the DOJ on its core mission after years of bloated bureaucracy…keeping the American people safe.” On the Epstein file releases, the Attorney General claimed “more than five hundred [of my] attorneys…spent thousands of hours painstakingly reviewing millions of pages to comply with Congress’s law,” said Bondi. Behind her sat a considerable group of victims who had survived Epstein’s island and family members of late victims. Bondi reminded these survivors that she had been a “career prosecutor and…I have spent my entire career fighting for victims” and was “deeply sorry for what any victim…has been through, especially as a result of that monster,” Bondi said. In their opening statements, though, multiple Congress members fired criticism towards the Attorney General. Many insulted her Department’s execution of the file releases and failure to redact many victims’ names, thereby rendering them fully visible to the public. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was the first to make these allegations, claiming that she “ignored the law,” in a “complete corruption of the justice function,” and that her Department’s “performance screams cover-up.” He began his time at the mic by acknowledging the group of survivors – men and women – gathered behind Bondi’s podium, introducing them by name. “You still haven’t met with these survivors… Madame Attorney General,” said Raskin, claiming she had been, up to that point, “siding with the perpetrators and ignoring the victims.
“[I] came into office with the goal of refocusing the DOJ on its core mission after years of bloated bureaucracy… keeping the American people safe.” Pamela Bondi, ‘90
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That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change course.” Regarding file redactions – the blacked out names peppered throughout the files available on the DOJ’s website – he accused Bondi of redacting “the names of abusers, accomplices and co-conspirators apparently to spare them embarrassment and disgrace, which is the exact opposite of what the law ordered you to do,” Raskin said. To indicate contrast, Raskin addressed Bondi when he shared, “you’ve shockingly failed to redact many of the victims’ names…even with over 100,000 employees at your disposal, you acted with some mixture of staggering incompetence, cold indifference and jaded cruelty.” Rep. Raskin pleaded with the Attorney General to not repeat her performance in her Oct. 4 Senate oversight hearings from the previous year, in which she deflected criticism suggesting that she had weaponized the DOJ to combat President Trump’s political rivals. In reference to the 2004 film “Mean Girls” and its blonde protagonist’s choice of weapon against her high school nemeses, “This isn’t a game. In the Senate, you brought…a ‘burn book,’ a binder of smears to attack members personally for doing the people’s work of oversight. Please set the ‘burn book’ aside,” Raskin said. Adopting the same critical tone, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., utilized the redacted version of file EFTA00666117 as visual supplement to her statement, otherwise known as the email containing the phrase “I loved the torture video.” As Rep. Raskin did, Rep. Jayapal continued the string of accusations against Bondi for being in “violation of the law…redacting the names of powerful predators,” and that it was “only after members of Congress demanded [it] did the world learn the name of this individual, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem,” said Jayapal. Challenging Attorney General Bondi’s testimony where she positioned herself as defending victims, Rep. Jayapal claimed quite an opposite
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truth. “This release does not provide closure, it feels like a deliberate attempt to intimidate survivors, punish those who came forward and reinforce the same culture of secrecy that allowed Epstein’s crimes to continue for decades.” She then asked the victims seated behind Bondi to stand, and to raise their hands “if you have… not been able to meet with the DOJ,” Jayapal said, to which every single survivor raised their hand – attesting that none of them had been personally approached by the Department or the FBI to further investigate their cases. As tensions grew, the hearing quickly turned to a congressional stand-off reminiscent of Bondi’s Oct. 4 Senate hearing, as Rep. Jayapal requested a direct apology from the Attorney General to those victims: “You apologized to the survivors in your opening statement for what they went through…will you turn to them now and apologize for what your department has put them through?” A request to which Bondi silently remained seated and facing forward. When the time was given to the Madame Attorney General to respond, she did not address the victims but claimed “I’m not gonna get in the gutter for her theatrics. This woman…she’s doing theatrics,” Bondi said.
Stetson Law Alums Call ‘Erroneous’ Stetson Law Alums Call ‘Erroneous’
In the weeks following the hearing, Bondi’s alma mater has taken notice of her conduct. Stetson Law graduates have penned open letters to the Gulfport campus, requesting the university to issue a public statement in defense of the program’s prestige despite recent opprobrium. In response to The Reporter’s own inquiry for comment, Stetson Law Communications replied, “Because we must follow the principle of institutional neutrality on political matters, we have no comment.” Yet prominent Stetson law graduates – including attorneys and judges – have not slowed their attempts to lobby the
institution from which they earned their degrees. Johnny Bardine, an attorney and graduate of Stetson Law, is the author of the open letter sent to the College of Law on Feb. 23, 2026, – not even two weeks after Bondi’s hearing. In his letter, Bardine expressed “grave concern” about the Attorney General’s conduct, requesting Dean Benjamin Barros and the Board of Trustees to issue a public statement re-committing the school’s founding principles to the rule of law and to declare “formal disapproval” of Bondi’s actions. “When an alumnus of Stetson University College of Law ascends to the office of Attorney General of the United States, it should be a source of profound pride for the institution and its graduates,” said Bardine. “Instead, recent events have transformed what should have been a moment of distinction into a source of embarrassment and dismay for many within the Stetson Law community. The conduct displayed…has reflected not the highest ideals of our profession, but a troubling departure from them.” As the first law school founded in the state of Florida, Stetson’s College of Law has long pioneered values of integrity, transparency and decorum within the legal profession. Prestigious judges, politicians and federal officials have made up its graduates such as Louis DeJoy, who served as the 75th U.S. postmaster general and Julia Nesheiwat, the 10th homeland security advisor. These alumni have served numerous consecutive presidential administrations. Upon Pamela Bondi’s confirmation, the law school proudly named her as their first alum to ever take the office of U.S. Attorney General.
“The conduct displayed…has reflected not the highest ideals of our profession, but a troubling departure from them.” Johnny Bardine, alumnus
Yet the open letter goes on to admonish Bondi for “the moment in which she wouldn’t turn around and acknowledge the Epstein survivors and the sort of glib look on her face…which is… immediately antithetical to the Florida oath of attorney which requires we handle ourselves with ethics and candor,” Bardine said. Bardine’s letter amassed more than four hundred signatures, and that number is still growing, he told Bay News 9. “In a perfect world, I think the Dean makes a statement that says, ‘This is not who we are.’”
Pre-law Premonitions On the Deland campus there have also been student responses stirring post-hearing. Alejandra Echavarria, ‘27, is a pre-law student who expressed both her respect for Attorney General Bondi’s testifying strategy as well as suspicion towards the current federal administration’s merit. Her undergraduate law studies enabled Echavarria to assess Bondi’s tactics from a technical lens. “She often re-framed questions…and narrowed them down mostly to the legal procedure, rather than engaging with the broader implications. And from a pre-law perspective, we talk about how lawyers and attorneys do try to control the framing of an argument,” said Echavarria. To the laity, this strategy may have communicated deflection, Echavarria explained. “As someone who values transparency in government, it was kind of like, ‘Hey, she’s redirecting rather than fully addressing,’ which can sometimes leave us as the public feel like we’re not getting a clear answer,” Echavarria said. In her testimony, Bondi relied primarily on statistical evidence when advocating for the DOJ’s accomplishments of 2025. When questioned on the superiority of statistics versus execution method in the assessment of government ‘performance,’ Echavarria recommended a combination of both. “Statistics can show outcomes, like how many cases are prosecuted or resolved, but numbers alone can’t tell you whether justice was actually served,” Echavarria said. “The process just as much matters as the results. The methods…have to respect due
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process, fairness and transparency,” Echavarria said. After all, these principles were the foundation upon which the nation’s creed was set in parchment: those age-old words spelling “We The People.” Echavarria agreed. “In democracy, people need to trust that their government agencies aren’t just producing results [but] that they’re going to follow ethical and legal standards while doing it. You need to combine both to be able to get the true success of the DOJ,” Echavarria said. Tensions ran high when Bondi’s performance reached Stetson’s YikYak platform, the exclusive student chat thread which garnered an overall reaction deeming the Attorney General as “underqualified.” Despite
“numbers alone can’t tell you whether justice was actually served,” Alejandra Echavarria, ‘27
the public use of this term, ever since the passage of The Pendleton Act of 1883 under President Andrew Jackson’s administration, the federal government has appointed its employees through that of a meritbased system. “The merit system means that people in government positions should be hired and promoted based off of their qualifications, experience and their ability to serve the public. Not necessarily [what] their…loyalty to policy or their political… [or] personal connections can get them,” Echavarria said, adding, “When it’s working properly, it protects public institutions from becoming overly politicized and ensure agencies are staffed with people who have the expertise needed.” The genuity of this long-instated system has been challenged as of late by students, however, with Echavarria hearself included. “At the moment… it’s not being used to the extent it should be used. A lot of our high-up political officials are using… personal connections and political loyalty to get positions of power,” Echavarria said. “A lot of the appointments have been…kind of weird. Seeing McMann as the Secretary for Education, nobody expected that. That
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was out of left field,” Echavarria said. A similar pattern has planted itself in the undergraduate pre-law realm, Echavarria suggests. “Even now, we’re hearing as pre-laws, ‘Connections, connections, connections.’ Connections are everything, rather than ‘Hey, build your experience. Go get that internship right now’…because your connections are going to help you further than your experience,” Echavarria said. Being the daughter of two immigrant parents, and as one herself, Echavarria recognized the threat of the merit system’s gaps: “I grew up hearing that hard work and education are supposed to open doors and I think that’s what a lot of Americans want to believe: that [the] government works the same way. But… there’s growing skepticism [on] whether politics and connections outweighs merit.”
To Testify, or Not to Testify (Again) At the time of this writing, additional legislative hearings are to be expected on this issue. On March 17., Bondi was subpoenaed by Congress for another round of questioning on the DOJ’s handling of the files. Following a Republican-supported vote by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Attorney General is to appear April 14 for deposition.
What’s that
? d n Sou
eaver Story by Joshua W re ut by Parker Moo yo La Graphics and
Music has been an important staple at Stetson University since the opening of it’s School of Music in 1936. Stetson’s School of Music was the first collegiate music school in the state of Florida, and today it is home to over 200 students who have chosen to major or minor in music. Some of the music school’s students, and other unaffiliated student musicians, choose to share their talents with the Stetson community outside of the classroom. One such example, is Uncouth Hour, held every Thursday evening at 9:30 p.m., by Stetson’s WHAT Radio and Touchstone literary arts. This weekly open mic night event is often where students get their first chance to perform live in front of their peers. For John Young ’26, Uncouth Hour was a chance to hone his talents and test his technical skills as a guitar player. Since playing “Raining Blood” by Slayer at his first Uncouth Hour, his freshman year, Young has grown as a musician and now plays guitar for the death metal band Strait Jakit. While the band Strait Jakit has existed for a couple years now, it’s current members have only been playing together since
August of 2025. In that time, they’ve been able to meld together their different styles and musical tastes to create a sound that is uniquely theirs. “I think, in terms of music and…personalities, we [fit] really well, [and] we have great chemistry,” said Young. “We don’t have one unified vision for the band, but I think all of us have a very unique thing we want to [add to it],” added their drummer Caleb Alverez. After releasing their first Extended Play [EP], “Experimental”, their goal now is to book a show and perform live. “That’s a big deal for us,” said Adam Norton, their vocalist. They’ve been putting in long hours together, really trying to make sure their live sound hits just as hard as the studio version of their EP. Strait Jakit’s bass player, Esma Brazio even moved from Jacksonville to Astor to be closer to the other band members. “We are going to continue to make heavy [metal] music no matter what, and it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be proud,” said John Young. You can find their music on Spotify and keep up with them on Instagram @Strait.Jakit to stay tuned for their first show.
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For the brass band 407Groove, live performance is also especially important. “Music kind of seems to be a dying art, especially live music nowadays,” said their percussionist, Caden Martz ’29. 407Groove recently performed at Deland’s 17th annual Black Tie and Blue Jean Charity Gala presented by The Rotary Club of Downtown Deland. This night of New Orleans cuisine, and live music served to support the Halifax Health-Hospice Begin Again Children’s Grief Center and other Rotary charities. After opening with “When the Saints Come Marching In,” the band played “Do Whatcha Wanna” and other second line classics. A love for Jazz and second line music is what brought 407Groove together. “We’re just a ragtag bunch of people that happen to like and enjoy the same thing, and want to spread that love and keep it alive,” said Caden. They’re inspired to keep that love alive by the Preservation Hall Band and the Rebirth Brass Band, where they get most of their classic and contemporary music, respectively. Now they look forward to celebrating their one year anniversary in March and keeping the groove going. They can be found on Instagram and Facebook @407groove. Not all of our artists on campus share their music live, however. Some are more reclusive, like the experimental artist Indya Anaya. Drawing inspiration from her father, Indya Mckoy ’26 recently released her first EP on Bandcamp titled “Anaya’s House”.
She grew up playing music on the piano, but began making music digitally using software like MPC Beats. She now enjoys experimenting with many different instruments. “Every time I’m thrifting, or if I’m at a vintage store of some sort, I always look for instruments that I can buy because I just want to learn how to play everything, even if it’s just a few notes,” Mckoy said. Whether it’s on a guitar, ukulele, or cat piano, she is always channeling her musical talents and experimenting with new sounds. “I just kind of want to share my mind really, because every time I make music, it just feels right, in a way, like I know when a song’s complete,” Mckoy said. When asked who has been the biggest supporter of her music she said, “My dad, of course, he’s supported me this entire time. Yeah, he’s my rock.” They released their first song together, “Salvador”, also available on Bandcamp, under the artist name Symphony Underground. When asked what the song represents, Mckoy said, “It reminds me of the beauty of collaboration. My dad and I have different styles, but [we] were able to create something we both enjoyed.” She looks forward to future experimentation as well as adding more vocal tracks from her partner, Kris, and other artists. Mckoy also hopes to keep sharing her music with the world, not just her closest friends and family.
“It reminds me of the beauty of collaboration. My dad and I have different styles, but [we] were able to create something we both enjoyed.” ~ Indya Mckoy ’26
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Collaboration and love are also central values for the musicians Colin James ‘27 and Natalie Reese ‘28. “There’s nothing better than making music with your best friend,” said Reese. This couple and musical duo began making music together shortly after they started dating in high school. They recorded their first song “Buzz Buzz” on vinyl at Third Man Records in Nashville, which holds a historical recording booth. “In a way, it was kind of divine, because after that experience, it’s like, why hadn’t we been writing songs together this whole time?” said Reese. Reese and James both began making music in the church, sharing their love for Jesus and His love [for humanity] with their audience, this a guiding light for them as artists. Musically, they are inspired by composers like Jon Foreman and musical duos like She and Him, the Oh Hellos, and the White Stripes. Together they have put their different musical interests into creating a complete album titled, “One Two Three”, and a few singles like, “Little Old Me,” and, “Library of Your Love.” Their biggest challenge as a duo has been navigating moments when one person isn’t feeling as inspired as the other. “If I’m uninspired right now, it’s not to insult the lyricism, but, you know, maybe I’m just feeling uninspired because being creative is not something that you can just turn off and
on,” said James when discussing the music-making process. They overcome these challenges by leaning on their roots as spiritual musicians, and their values as Christians. When asked how they push through musical or creative blocks, “A lot of that comes from our shared belief that when we create our music, it has a greater purpose than just creating music,” said Natalie. “It’s greater than anything that we could create ourselves, but it’s also greater than our relationship. We just think that there’s this greater purpose to it.” Natalie and Colin plan to continue sharing their love for music, one another, and Christ as they release more singles and eventually, another album or EP. Their music can be found on Spotify under the artist’s name Colin James and Natalie Reese. For many students at Stetson, music is the purest form of expression a person can create. These students exemplify what it means to be an artist: dedication through challenges, cooperation even with different visions and clarity of purpose. No matter the inspiration, genre, or style, music remains an important thread in the cultural tapestry of Stetson. Sharing our talents with one another is one of the most important things we can do as students.
“There’s nothing better than making music with your best friend,” ~ Natalie Reese ‘28 the reporter
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To
HAVE Have Not Another My Favorite Old-Timer Drinks And To
Story by Nico Alonso Graphics and Layout by Maria Latour
If I weren’t so broke, I would channel my inner Sinatra, spend my afternoons at a table outside, sipping an Aperol spritz with a nice charcuterie board, dining al fresco, or spend my evenings in a smoky jazz bar in my best dress with yet another martini in hand. But, here I am, in DeLand, Florida, where I’ve grown rather fond of my beers and plastic cups at Byte and Davinci’s. I will say, though, I’m moving on up in the world. We (seniors) are all moving on up in the world. We need to
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start getting some taste and appreciate the finer things in life. I can’t move to New York City or go home to Miami and order my four dollar rainbow shot like I do here. So how do I fix this for all of us? Well, after some thorough research at the local bars and back home, I’ve developed new recipes on some old Hollywood classics for everyone (who is of age) to try as we go back home for the summer and as us seniors graduate into the rest of our lives.
“Starlight Lounge” Old Fashioned This quintessential bar classic leans into the decadent and moody atmosphere of a midcentury jazz club. An Old Fashioned can typically be hitor-miss, but rest assured that this spin will tantalize even the most staunch of dark-liquor skeptics. Inspired by the dark velvets of jazz club furniture, the orange origins of a regular Old Fashioned and the desire to seek something sweeter, this drink is the minimalist’s rendition of a chocolate orange. The addition of chocolate bitters transforms the profile from a standard, citrus and liquor forward drink into a rounded,
smooth digestif. On the palate, the warmth of the bourbon pairs well with the velvety notes of cocoa, sweetened by the syrupy sweet feel of the triple sec. By using triple sec –– which could be replaced with Cointreau or Grand Marnier, depending on the drinker’s palate –– you also get a nice and easy transition from the rounded warmth of chocolate and bourbon to the pick-me-up brightness in the orange liqueur and garnish. Serving this beauty alongside a high-quality piece of chocolate elevates the experience from a simple cocktail to a structured dessert course that I definitely recommend everyone experiences at least once.
In a stirring glass, add 3 oz. bourbon 0.5 oz of triple sec Add two dashes chocolate bitters One dash orange bitters Stir in cubed ice until cold Rim glass with expressed orange peel Strain into rocks glass over a block of ice Garnish with orange peel and serve with a nice dark or milk chocolate. Optional: Smoke with cedar or oak chips (if you got it like that).
Cuban Revolution
In a shaker, muddle two lime slices with 0.5 oz. of grenadine Add 3 oz. of white rum Add ice cubes and shake until chilled Rinse the bottom half of a collins glass with another .5oz of grenadine Pour shaker into glass, top with Coca-Cola Garnish with lime slices and a maraschino cherry on a pick
The Cuban Revolution is an homage to my heritage and to my senior research topic. This significantly moodier departure from its predecessor –– and my go-to drink at the bar –– the Cuba Libre, is a mid-century deconstruction that trades the simplicity of rum, Coke, and lime for a bit of theatrics and a history lesson. The original Cuba Libre was created during the Spanish American war in the late 19th to early 20th century, the name a battle cry for independence from Spain. The Cuban Revolution is named after the communist uprising of 1959 after a bloody, three-yearlong revolutionary war (19561959). A regular Cuba Libre tastes like a regular lime coke –– which I see has been making a surprising
comeback –– but the Cuban Revolution is a confectionary powerhouse. The muddled lime slices provide that sharp acidity to cut through the syrup of the coke and grenadine, and the white rum keeps the liquor muted. The grenadine rinse at the base of the glass creates a runny base of “blood,” topped by the coke, rum and muddled lime, leaving you with a botanical, pomegranate sweetness that lingers. The maraschino cherry and lime wheel gives it that festive, tropical flair that feels both free and refined. This sweet and strong pour, especially with that white rum muted by the mixers, is strong enough to sneak up and knock any authoritarian dictator on the seat of his pants –– so please, air on the side of caution when ordering these.
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"Playboy Repellant" Martini This martini is for my fellow savory divas who prefer to spend their time at the bar enjoying themselves and their friends’ company. This cloudy and formidable aperitif is nothing like your great-grandaddy’s three martini lunch; with a mix of olives, onions, pepperoncini, and cornichon, you’re sure to keep any pesky playboy –– and his unwanted whispers in your ear –– at bay. Just take a sip, blow in his face and you’re sure to keep him away for the rest of the night.
Now, this may not be for everyone, but those that get it, get it. The chilled martini glass, rinsed in vermouth already gives a beautiful foundation for this savory, all-over-the-palate experience. The pepperoncini and cornichone introduce a spicy, vinegary tang that pairs perfectly with the herbal gin or with the clean slate of the vodka. This aromatic beauty is best enjoyed as an aperitif; I would recommend before a steak or pork dinner to set a nice acidic foundation for the rounded, fatty flavor profile of your dinner.
In a shaker, add 8-10 sprigs of mint, and a few dashes of sugar (raw or turbinado) Add freshly squeezed juice and zest of one lime; muddle Add 2 oz. of white rum 1 oz. of Cointreau, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier (again, drinker’s choice) Shake with cubed ice, pour and strain over new ice in a Collins glass Garnish with orange and lime wheels and fresh mint
In a shaker, add three cocktail onions, sliced pepperoncini to taste Add 3 oz. of vodka or gin (drinker’s choice) 0.5 oz of olive brine Shake with cubed ice until thoroughly chilled Rinse chilled martini glass with vermouth Pour and strain Garnish with a pick, skewered with an olive, a pepperoncini slice and a cornichon
Miami Beach Mojito Another homage to my hometown of Miami, this spin on the classic mojito broadens the citrusy flavor profile while also aesthetically representing Miami’s official colors: green, white and orange. By incorporating orange liqueur like Cointreau or Grand Marnier, the drink has a deeper and more sophisticated pithy sweetness
that your standard sugar, mint and lime can’t reach on its own. The taste is incredibly refreshing but hits with more body than your typical mojito. The raw sugar also provides a caramelly undertone on the back of the palate that balances the drink perfectly, making it something you can drink in any setting.
Brandy Alexander Alejandro You might be thinking: “Nico, this is an awfully Latino drink menu you’ve come up with here.” To which I say, “Is that a problem?” This tropical twist on the Brandy Alexander is the answer to the problem I’ve always had with the original. I, personally, have never been a massive fan of dairy and liquor –– I’m a nurser and a sipper, so over time, the texture and taste changes and it’s not a super pleasurable experience.
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However, by subbing the original heavy cream with the with the luscious, fatty sweetness of coconut cream, the result is a drink that looks like coquito’s fancy-rich cousin who moved to New York. The blend of cognac and brandy provides a powerful punch that’s instantly mellowed out by the white creme de cacao. On the palate, it tastes like a sophisticated liquid Almond Joy, with that cinnamon sugar hit at the end to tie it all together with that spicy, aromatic touch.
In a shaker, add 3oz of cognac 1 oz. of Brandy 1 oz. of Coco Lopez 0.5 oz. of white creme de cacao SHAKE VIGOROUSLY with cubed ice Rim coupe glass with simple syrup and coconut flakes Pour, strain and dust with cinnamon sugar
The Red Herring Taking cues from both the Bloody Mary and Michelada –– two personal favorites of mine –– the Red Herring is a savory sling that is as complex to make as it is to decode its flavor profile. While a Bloody Mary sits heavily on the stomach, with as thick as it is, the Red Herring is thin and smooth. The tomato juice gives it a muted, opaque red hue, while the lager brightens it up to make that golden-clear hue. The palate is an absolute rollercoaster
and is sure to knock you down at any beachy bar you find yourself at. Starting with the smooth taste of the tomato juice, the herbal snap of the gin, smoothed out by the umami-spice of the worcestershire and tabasco and finished with the crisp and light carbonated beer. The few drops of olive oil add a shimmery and silky mouthfeel to every sip and the veggie accoutrements are a nice clean bite to cut through it all.
In a shaker, add 2 oz. of gin 1 oz. of lime juice 2 oz. of tomato juice Two dashes of worcestershire sauce Dash tabasco to taste Rim a sling glass with lime, salt and pepper Shake with ice cubes until thoroughly chilled Strain and pour into the sling glass, top with a lager Garnish with a cornichon, thin stalk of celery, black pepper and a FEW drops of olive oil
The White flag (a french 75, long island style) To a stirring glass, add 0.5 oz. of clear, dry gin Add 0.5 oz. white rum Add 0.5 oz. of vodka Add 0.5 oz. of lemon juice and 0.5 oz. of simple syrup Rim champagne flute with lemon juice and sugar Stir with ice, pour and strain into a champagne flute Top with dry champagne Garnish with a lemon rind and a maraschino cherry
Now this is the drink to end all drinks. Seriously, just one or two of these will get you cut off for sure. This is a spin on the classic French 75, but just like the French army, it’s absolutely going to have you waving that white flag. In the style of a Long Island Iced Tea, this drink goes past the original lemony gin taste of its inspiration with a clear-spirit base of gin, rum
and vodka. This hybrid drink is clear, sweet and tangy, and the bubbles will keep you awake as you down these. The tartness offsets the tang, which offsets the sweet, which offsets the liquor. Out of all the drinks I created, this deceptively dangerous drink makes the perfect celebratory beverage for any event –– even graduation.
Last Call For drinks As I look back on the past four years at Stetson, I remember a lot of great times with friends and great lessons learned. However, in terms of cocktails, I remember sticky floors at SigNu, jungle juice, cheap beers, BuzzBalls, etc. So as we trade the not-so-classy spots we’ve found ourselves in for the ‘real world,’ we owe it to ourselves to drink more intentionally. Here’s to a great four years and to whatever comes next.
Cheers to the next chapter. I’ll see you at the bar.
❤, Nico PS: I hope you take these recipes home over the summer and enjoy them! Should you order these at a bar or make them yourselves, take a picture and tag us on Instagram! @thereportermag the reporter
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Roll Credits!
Story by Natalie Reese Mcoy Graphics and Layout by Maria Latour
Scenes From Hatter Network’s Graduating Seniors As the credits roll on yet another year of The Reporter and Hatter Network, we wanted to shine the spotlight on these graduating seniors and their studies, roles, favorite memories at Hatter Network, and post graduation plans. Michaela Hawthorne Major(s), Minor(s): Communication and Media Studies Major, Journalism and Creative Writing Minors Starring As: News Editor and Staff Writer for The Reporter Featured Scene: “My favorite Hatter Network Memory is Drag Uncouth,” said Hawthorne. In Production: “My after-graduation plans are spending the summer studying abroad in New Zealand, then entering the workforce as a broadcast journalist,” said Hawthorne. De’Vanese John-Baptiste Major(s), Minor(s): Molecular and Cellular Biology Major, Creative Writing and Chemistry Minors Starring As: Managing Editor and Staff Writer for The Reporter Featured Scene: “Halloween Uncouth,” said John-Baptiste. In Production: “Genetic Counseling,” said John-Baptiste.
Maria Latour Major(s), Minor(s): Studio Art Major, Education Minor Starring As: Creative Director, Creative Staff Designer, and Touchstone Staff Featured Scene: “My favorite Hatter Network memory has to be when I finally got to hold the first issue of Fall 2025. That issue was my baby, having designed the vast majority of its pages on my own while studying abroad in Austria. In the end, I was so happy that I hadn't thrown my laptop off the Seegrube mountain peak,” said Latour. In Production: “I'm currently on the hunt for employment in the graphic design field,” said Latour. Sheridan Macon Major(s), minor(s): English Major, Creative Writing Minor Starring As: Executive Editor of Touchstone Favorite Scene: “Spring 2025 Drag Uncouth, without a doubt,” said Macon. In Production: “I’ll be taking a gap year to work around in Higher Ed, then going to get my MA in Theatre or English,” said Macon. Indya Mckoy Major(s), Minor(s): Psychology Major, Digital Art Minor Starring As: Photo Editor Featured Scene: “The cover shoot for the decades issue of The Reporter,” said Mckoy. In Production: “Taking a gap year to build research experience and (hopefully) become a research assistant in the field of cognitive psychology,” said Mckoy. Phoenix Medley Major(s), Minor(s): Environmental Studies Major, Creative Writing Minor Starring As: Associate Editor of Touchstone Featured Scene: “I've had the opportunity to be heavily involved in the making of two editions of Touchstone with Sheridan Macon. One of my favorite memories has to be spending a ridiculous number of consecutive hours in the Hatter Network office designing both magazines. Despite the late nights, it was always fun spending time with him and the rest of our staff,” said Medley. In Production: “This upcoming fall, I will very likely be attending Florida State University to receive an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning. After that, I plan to go into environmental urban planning,” said Medley. Kyra “Sully” Sullivan Major(s), Minor(s): Communication and Media Studies and English Majors, and Psychology Minor Starring As: Social Media Manager and What Radio Technician Featured Scene: “Post Uncouth Hour Waffle House,” said Sullivan. In Production: “Get a job in journalism while I get my Masters,” said Sullivan.
Old Hollywood
PLAYLIST Dos Gardenias - Buena Vista Social Club Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’) - T-Pain and Kanye West Giveon- Still Your Best Successful - Drake, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne Cater 2 U- Destiny’s Child Chapel of Love- The Dixie Cups A Sunday Kind of Love- Etta James Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend - Marilyn Monroe Caesar on a TV Screen - The Last Dinner Party Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland In the Cold, Cold Night - The White Stripes Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrew’s Sisters I Got Rhythm - George Gershwin Summertime - Lena Horne Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley Somethin' Stupid - Frank and Nancy Sinatra Stupid Cupid - Connie Francis Why Don't You Do Right - Peggy Lee Daisy Bell - Clinton Ford You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore La Vie en Rose - Edith Piaf
20 songs, 1 hr 9 min
Photographer, Indya Mckoy '26 Models, Nicole Van Esselstyn '28 Joshua Weaver, '26 Aviv Maddron, '26 Grace Stears, '26
the reporter
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