Winner of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence award
September 16, 2014
Fall, issue 3
Lockdown raises questions among students Rebekah Duntz Editor-in-Chief Alex Salter Staff Writer Tyler Richardson Staff Writer Two weeks ago today, a threatening phone call was made to Florida Tech, and as a result, campus security issued a code red lockdown. The following events prompted confusion among students and possible policy changes.
what happened On September 2, a man called Florida Tech Security and told them he was two miles away and was going to bring a high-powered rifle onto campus, according to a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) call report obtained from the Melbourne Police Department. According to the CAD call report, there was background noise that sounded like the suspect was driving. Security called MPD for assistance and issued a lockdown of the campus. A notification was sent out at about 3:30 p.m. to students,
faculty and staff, telling everyone to stay where they were inside the buildings. According to a comment on the CAD call, an officer on scene said the suspect told security he wanted “to die a martyr on campus,” and to “call MPD so we can make that happen for him.” The name given over the phone to security was a generic name, according to Melbourne Police. No gun was found by police during a search of the premises and no arrest was made. “From law enforcement perspective, there was no gun on campus,” said Kevin Graham, director of security. The lockdown lasted until about 4:30 p.m. Details behind the lockdown remain scarce. Florida Tech Communications has not officially commented to the campus community and security and Melbourne Police have declined to give any details. “As far as I know, the case is still under investigation,” said Vince Pryce, public information officer for MPD.
The Student Perspective What happened during the lockdown raised many questions among the students, and these questions were brought forth in the Student Government Association meetings on September 3 and September 10.
Some students expressed concern that they were not told more information about the lockdown. “Security has a policy where students will not know until after, specifically for press releases and so students can’t talk to media,” said Carla Deras, President of SGA, during the senate meeting on September 3. During the SGA meeting, a poll was taken as to how many students felt safe during the lockdown, and how many did not. Nine out of 25 students felt safe, while 16 out of 25 students did not feel safe. Freshman Aaliyah Thomas said, “I heard the red alert was for swatting, and I really wish the school would keep us [students] informed. I did feel safe, but I still wish I knew what was going on.” Many students said during the general meeting on September 10 that they did not get the notification from campus security, whether it was a phone call or email. Deras has requested that students update their emergency contact information online. During the general meeting, there was confusion as to whether the emergency contact meant someone to contact in the student’s family if there was an emergency, or the number a student gives in the event of an emergency on campus. Because of this, some students have said that they put down their parents’ numbers rather than their own.
“I felt relatively safe, but I didn’t take it serious at first because my roommates and I were walking back to the dorm and were passed by security officers who said nothing to us about finding a safe place. I feel that security could’ve shown more concern on behalf of the students,” said student Harley Dungee. The doors of the buildings were all locked, and rumors have circulated around campus that a group of students were locked out of the library and the Commons. Freshman Aaron Martes was in the library during the lockdown, and he said he felt safe, “The librarians tried to keep everyone upstairs, but people left anyway,” said Martes. “The school should have incident reports instead of pretending that nothing happened.” Rumors that were discussed at the SGA meeting have said that the library locked its doors, not letting students into the building. “The lockdown procedures call for a complete lockdown of all doors. This make a great deal of sense as you don’t know if any of the people you let in could be someone with a gun. People who commit acts of violence don’t always look crazy like the ones you see in the movies; many will look like you and I,” said the dean of libraries, Sohair Wastawy, in an emailed statement. This is the dilemma: what if you’re letting a possible shooter in?
SGA stated in a general meeting on September 10 that they are working with security to put together a plan for when there are students outside of the buildings during a lockdown. An emergency plan listed in a manual is available in the security office to faculty and staff. Currently, training procedures for faculty and staff are not mandatory. A faculty training program is in the works, according to Graham. Rodney Bowers, Dean of Students, said we all have a responsibility to keep each other safe in the event of a lockdown. “Each summer, the University Emergency Plan is updated by Campus Security and all departments are reminded to review and update their emergency plans for their area,” he said. “The key is not to panic but simply follow the alert’s directives and don’t worry about wanting to know more about the emergency situation before we act.” During a lockdown, every building that has a swipe system will be locked. Students can go into buildings that do not have a swipe system. Security is putting together a plan where students can go into a “sanctuary” and will be accompanied by two security guards, according to Deras during the general SGA meeting on September 10. v
Can nail polish help prevent sexual assault on college campuses?
photos Courtesy of undercover colors
Nichole Stone Guest Contributor Four students at the University of North Carolina have combined chemistry and fashion to help combat the prevalence of sexual crimes against women. The students released a plan for the production of a new, daterape-drug-detecting nail polish that is intended to reduce the rate of sexual assaults on college campuses. In an interview for Higher Education Works, the Undercover Colors team wrote, “With our
SAFC Funding results See page 5
nail polish, any woman will be empowered to discreetly ensure her safety by simply stirring her drink with her finger. If her nail polish changes color, she’ll know that something is wrong.” “I think the nail polish is a brilliant idea because in today’s society women can never be too safe,” said Melissa Chapman, President of Phi Sigma Sigma Iota Eta Chapter. “Having one more method of preventing sexual assault is never a bad thing. The nail polish isn’t going to stop the rape epidemic, but it can help, and even if one girl is protected, isn’t it worth it?” “It is my hope that a viable product will be developed and made easily accessible to
consumers,” said Sara Howze, Human Sexuality Professor for the Florida Tech School of Psychology and Liberal Arts. “Protection, consent and safety are necessary components to any healthy sexual encounter.” Howze was excited to broach the topic in class. While polling the Human Sexuality class, a lot of opinions were shared that created quite a debate. Of the males in the classroom, six out of nine thought the nail polish was an excellent idea that could “get the creeps off of campus.” They were all fervently for the protection and empowerment of women at Florida Tech and considered this product to be a great aide to college aged women.
iCarta speaker dock See gadget corner, page 7
However, the females displayed a mixture of opinions. Quite a few were disappointed that women on the Florida Tech campus need protection from rape drugs and felt this product promoted rape culture instead of diminishing it. To these ladies, this product places the responsibility back on the females of campus to protect themselves against rape instead of educating males on sexual violence. Others felt like the company just wants to make money off a product that is only partially protective. Still others were concerned about the chemical makeup of the nail polish and the possibility of contamination of the drinks. A few were excited at the prospect of being able to protect themselves from potential danger. One of the questions resoundingly raised by the ladies of the Human Sexuality class was the desire to know how many date rape drugs will be detected by the nail polish. According to Sophia Kerby, State Policy and Partnerships Coordinator for Advocates for Youth and columnist for Huffington Post, the nail polish is only designed to detect Rohypnol and GHB, which, while helpful, can lead to a false sense of security among women
wearing the product. Further research is needed to expand the types of chemicals detected by the product. Another issue brought up by the class was the statistical inferences of sexual assault on campus. According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, out of five women in an undergraduate program, one will be sexually assaulted. Additionally the Sentinel reported that a U.S. Senate subcommittee researched sexual violence investigations and found that 40 percent of the national sample of colleges conducted zero investigations over the past five years. This fact reinforces the idea of perpetuating rape culture on college campuses. Even with all of this in mind, Howze is still hopeful. “If the nail polish does work as an indicator of ‘date rape’ drugs that have been slipped into the drinks of unsuspecting victims, it should reduce the number of unwanted sexual attention and assaults, not only on the Florida Tech campus, but throughout the world,” said Howze. v
Football: Comment from key players CAto and Milton
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