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October 28, 2014
Fall, issue 6
Academic standards Academic requirements for admissions to stay at same level Alex Salter Staff Writer Recently, the academic standards at Florida Tech have come into question. Some students argue that the standards and requirements for admission aren’t that high. Some valid points have been made regarding who gets admitted into Florida Tech and who doesn’t. For instance, online at the Florida Tech admissions page, one requirement for admission is an essay; however, some students get admitted without having to submit an essay. Why is that? Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Michael Perry, spoke about this, “Some students write essays, but it doesn’t hold up the evaluation process, it’s just another potential for success. Research shows that if students write well in high school, they perform better in college.” In other words, a well-written essay would suggest that the student will potentially perform well in college even if their high school GPA is among the best. Although the admissions page on the Florida Tech website shows the minimum requirements for acceptance, Perry breaks down what the admissions staff actually looks for. “Admissions to Florida Tech vary from major to
major. If we get an application for a STEM program, students need to have a strong math and science background. We prefer a STEM major to have four years of math and science but their transcript holds the most weight.” When asked if the admissions staff make some exceptions to requirements for admissions, Perry said, “We don’t make exceptions for any types, but an international student isn’t required to take the SAT and ACT.” The average retention rate -the percentage of how many firstyear freshmen return to the same college their sophomore year -- for Florida Tech is 79 percent, which is about average. When asked why he thinks about 20 percent of freshmen don’t return their second year, Perry said, “The main reasons student don’t return is because of poor performance in the classroom and their GPA is low, and they might lose their financial aid and school might become unaffordable.” Justin Zaino, who was a freshman starting his first semester here at Florida Tech this Fall, dropped out. He spoke about his reasons for leaving Florida Tech mid-semester, “I’m from Connecticut so I was really homesick and I didn’t get along with my roommates. I didn’t like my math class because it was online, however my other classes were fine. The school was just too small for me and way too expensive,” said Zaino. As of right now, Florida Tech is ranked #173 nationally.
Photo courtesy of Fit.edu A poll was taken to see whether students would choose FIT or MIT, given the opportunity for both. Student responses were equal, as half said they’d choose FIT and half said they’d choose MIT. “I was accepted to both MIT and FIT and chose FIT simply because of location. Both are great schools and both are extremely expensive but because I have always wanted to live in Florida I chose FIT,” said student Joshua Alvarez. “MIT just because of the name and the connections. Better job opportunities for a business student,” said Asif Jassani. “I would’ve chosen MIT but only because I was blinded by the name and the prestige of it.
After visiting the campus, I realized it wasn’t a place that fit who I was,” said another student Zach Rubenfeld. So, although some people might choose MIT over FIT, it doesn’t seem like it’d be for the right reasons. Michael Perry spoke about why some students might choose MIT as well, “The age of the school and the international reputation might contribute, and they’ve been around a lot longer but MIT has a long outstanding reputation and FIT is just a younger university.” Although this university is still young and growing, it’s still a great school for any student, and 95 percent of students who
graduate from Florida Tech have a career within their field of study upon graduating. Also, according to Rich Griffith, who is an I/O psychology professor at Florida Tech, says that the I/O program is ranked second in the country. That’s impressive for such a young university. Are the academic standards at Florida Tech going to be raised anytime soon? Perry said, “We’re seeking to hold our standards because we think we’re good already, and we’re not looking to lower or higher our standards as of right now.” v
SGA President speaks out on Greek Influences Ebube Ubochi Staff Writer
Student Government Association at Florida Tech has always proved an excellent breeding ground for leaders of the highest caliber and as such, it is an organization filled with ambitious students of all backgrounds. It is no secret that Florida Tech’s SGA has a considerable number of students affiliated with Greek organizations on campus. This percentage however, seems to have raised an interesting mix of wonder and worry among students in recent weeks. SGA tries its best to address the needs and concerns of Florida tech students in all matters relating to student life and is known for doing a very good job. However,
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because of the recent speculation that Greek students in SGA make up a large portion of the organization, there has been slight concern of late as to whether SGA has an accurate representation of the entire student body. Carla Deras, the president of SGA, said, “I’m surprised that people are talking about this, but I’m not surprised about the numbers,” Deras said. “Greeks are always involved in things. It makes people feel more confident, come out of their shells and go for leadership positions when they feel like they have their brothers or sisters behind them.” All SGA meetings at Florida Tech are open to the public. The Greeks in SGA do not have more of a voice during meetings or otherwise. “It’s equal,” Deras said. “They don’t have more
of a voice. The fact is, it has always been an objective of SGA to have all people talk about things freely and have a voice.” Deras pointed out that there are actually less Greeks in SGA than people might think. Deras says that 16 out of the 35 members are either in a Greek organization
students in the organization: 11 members out of the current 35. The SGA executive board is comprised of four people, half of whom are Greek. Popular belief suggests that one advantage of having any number of Greeks in SGA is the increased ease of spreading the word about voting and raising awareness of the organization’s presence on campus. “It’s true, but I don’t think it makes a great difference. When I ran the first time, 800 people voted but Greeks number around 200 at most,” Deras said. Deras is quite passionate about what SGA does and is excited about the prospect of making a better school for the people coming in than the one she had. She pointed out that people should remember that the Greeks in SGA are sometimes SGA members before even joining their Greek organizations. She cites herself as an exam-
“I didn’t become Greek to be a leader; I became a leader to be Greek.” -Carla Deras or in the process of joining one. “This makes for 45 percent,” she said. “Four of these 16 are new members; without them, the Greeks would make up 34 percent of the organization.” Deras also pointed out that there are quite a few international
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ple. “I was actually the secretary of SGA when I got initiated into my Greek organization,” Deras said. “I didn’t become Greek to be a leader; I became a leader to be Greek.” The SGA president believes Greek Life is a good presence to have on campus. “People should join SGA instead of complaining,” Deras said. “SGA is a good example of Greeks being leaders and respectable people, and people should follow their example.” v
Carla Deras President of SGA
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