The official student newspaper of florida Tech
Fall, issue 4
October 1, 2013
Club approval committee formed to create new student organizations Rebekah Duntz Campus Life Editor There are 143 registered clubs and organizations at Florida Tech. To start a new club or organization in the past, all it had to have was at least 10 members and an adviser. But beginning this semester, the old policy dissolved, and it was replaced with a new application process. An approval committee led by Student Activities and Student Government Association will take all new applications, and decide whether the applicants can become an organization or not. The committee will consist of students: one representative from each class, and then three additional students from any background. “This has been on our radar for a very long time. This is what every university in the world has, and we really liked the idea of giving the power back to the students,” said Cat McGuire Carnley, director of student activities and Greek life. The criteria for becoming
a new organization is almost the same as before; the group must have at least ten members and an adviser to oversee them, have a constitution, advertise for and hold general meetings and create an executive board. But the organization’s mission statement has to be consistent with Florida Tech’s. First, the student must apply, and then the members will have to meet with the approval committee and go through an interview process. After the first meeting, applicants will wait up to six weeks to see whether they met the guidelines with satisfaction. “I truly highly doubt they would ever not approve an organization,” Carnley said. “The organization has to meet a need of the student body. It has to be significantly different from other existing organizations.” Many of the organizations on campus are very similar to each other, and they require separate funding. The objective of the approval committee is to make sure
See clubs pg. 3
Florida Tech leads in offering sustainability studies major
Photo by Efram Goldberg Many sustainability students work with Florida Tech’s botanical gardens.
Carlo Mencarelli Staff Writer Beginning this semester, Florida Tech joins a small group of universities that provides students an opportunity to earn undergraduate degree in sustainability studies. The degree is offered by the Department of Education and Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Science. While pursuing the degree,
students study various practices that allow them to increase output and efficiency without increasing waste. Morgan Wilson, a juniorworking on a bachelor’s degree in international business and marketing, is minoring in sustainability. Wilson is excited about the new major.
See major pg. 3
Get to know your SGA senators See SGA, pg 2
Florida Tech stands up for lagoon health
Photo by Kelsey McMullan Florida Tech undergraduate students, graduate students and professors stood on the causeway to support the Indian River Lagoon.
Kelsey McMullan Sci/Tech Editor Florida Tech students stood hand in hand on the 192 causeway alongside hundreds of local residents to show their support for the Indian River Lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon has been in the news recently because of the large warning signs of its declining health. Manatees, dolphins and pelicans have been dying in larger than normal numbers. There have also been more fish kills reported to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently. “I’ve been a grad student here for eight years,” said Kelli Zargiel, a PhD student in biological oceanography. “I’ve seen the decline in water quality, sea grass and dead fish.” Zargiel joined other undergraduate students, graduate students and professors from the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems for coffee and donuts before taking a trolley to the 192 causeway. Adam Collier was one of many people who joined Zargiel. “My teacher encouraged us to come. I have a project in the Indian River Lagoon. I’m hoping to support the IRL and that people will see our concern and help,” Collier said. “Most people don’t know that the impact they have on the land impacts the water.” Jennifer Thompson, an alumnus of Florida Tech and the City of Melbourne’s Environmental Program Coordinator hopes that this event makes more students and Brevard County residents realize their impact. Thompson said, “It doesn’t matter where you live, you are connected to that lagoon.” What is happening in the lagoon has been building up
for over 50 years. There are many problems contributing to the decline in health of the lagoon. They are large amounts of fresh water coming from Lake Okeechobee, algae blooms caused by large amounts of sewage in the water, pollution, a large layer of decaying muck, a loss in filter feeders such as oysters, a loss of sea grasses and, high amounts of nitrogen and nutrients in the water. Lake Okeechobee naturally drains to the south and east when there is too much water for the lake to handle. The Army Corps of Engineers controls the levy system around the lake and have been draining excess water after the large amounts of rain the area has experienced in the last few years. Because the lagoon has a unique mix of salt and fresh water, the influx of freshwater causes problems for the organisms that rely on the salinity and nutrients in the saltwater. Septic tanks, eroding sewer pipes and an influx of dogs are being blamed for the large amounts of nitrogen and fecal coliforms that have been showing up in water sample testing by the Environmental Protection Agency as well as other federal agencies and private research groups. Thompson explained that because of the population explosion that came with the development of the space program and Cape Canaveral builders were unable to create sewage lines fast enough for all of the homes. Builders determined that getting drinking water to the homes was the most important part of the infrastructure and that putting in septic tank systems would be sufficient for the homes. Now, 50 years later, we are seeing the effects of the septic tanks on the ground water, which feed into the lagoon. Because sewer pipes that run from the islands to the mainland have begun to erode, the sewage that leaks from the pipes combined with the septic water has built up a large
amount of nitrogen in the waters. Brian Lapointe, a marine environmental scientist from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute told Wired Magazine’s Nadia Drake that, “The Indian River Lagoon has become a toilet.” Lapointe also estimated that two million pounds of nitrogen are being dumped into the lagoon each year. Thompson also credits irresponsible dog owners for the increase in fecal coliforms in the lagoon. She said that along with the population boom came more dogs. “There are ordinances that you are supposed to clean up after your dog, but you hear the excuse ‘oh I didn’t have a bag’ or ‘I didn’t see it’.” Thompson would like to see more owners picking up after their dogs and disposing of their waste properly. The City of Melbourne has been handing out bag dispensers that owners can attach to their dog’s leash so that they can responsibly pick up after their pets. The large amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients from the wastes actually encourage algae growth. Thompson said that the proliferation of toxic brown algae in 2011 was triggered by a large amount of sewage dumped into the lagoon around Cocoa, Fla. that combined with a high salinity in the water and colder than usual water temperatures to create a superbloom. The superbloom was able to spread north to Titusville and as far south as Stuart. What could be the death blow for the lagoon is the loss of the bottom layer of its food chain. Large amounts of filter feeders and sea grass beds have been dying in the lagoon. If the bottom of the food chain is a loss, then every level of the food chain will be affected by that loss. Because the sea grass is the main source of food for manatees, the loss of the grass has caused
See lagoon pg. 4
Campus life............. 2 SCI/TECH.................. 5 OPINIONS................... 6 See watermelon pg 3 sports................. .....7
Lambda Chi Alpha presented the watermelon bust
2 -October 1, 2013
CAMPUS LIFE
The Florida tech crimson
Get to know your SGA senators There are 25 senators in Student Government. Get to know some of them in each issue.
Camille Bobiak Major: Ocean Engineering Graduation Date: May 2016 Future Career Aspirations: To be working for an ocean engineering firm specifically working with remotely operated vehicles. Other Organizations: FIT varsity swimming, FIT Buddies (president), MTS/SNAME, SAAC, Alpha Phi. Reason for Joining SGA: My reason for joining SGA is that I love being involved on campus. I thought that this would be a great way to not only get to know the school, but also make differences in it as well. What She Seeks to Accomplish: As PR committee head, I want to focus a great deal on awareness events and merging with other schools. A big project we are working on is to team up with the King Center and BCC and bring bigger artist to FIT. This school year I also want to bring SGA awareness and let the student body know that we are here for them and we will make their voices heard.
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Dylan Polasko Major: Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis Graduation Date: Fall 2014 Future Career Aspirations: I would possibly like to try and use ABA in dealing with criminology, such as creating an ABA program to alter criminal behavior, or possibly looking at children with autism that testify in court. I also wouldn’t mind working as a company consultant or having private practice for in home treatment of children with behavior problems. Other Organizations: I am the head of service for my sorority Phi Sigma Sigma. I also partially attend the Sailing Club, and I dance with the Belly Dancing Club. Reason for Joining SGA: I decided to apply to be a senator because Brian Thai insisted that I be a part of the senate. Last year I would come to him with problems that I saw and he agreed with what I wanted to see change. He then encouraged me to have my voice and opinion represent that of the school. I was elected by my peers to try and improve our campus further. What She Seeks to Accomplish: I have taken on the position of committee head for Quality of Life. There are several improvements I would like to see happen on our campus. Wi-Fiand Food Services will be my main focus. One of the most important improvements would be either faster or stronger Wi-Fi. I would also like to see the dinning services change via food options to accommodate health and religious food needs, hours of operation for places you can eat on campus, and possibly more effective meal plans.
CAMPUS LIFE
3 - October 1, 2013
Club approval committee formed to create new student organizations Story continued from Page 1 there aren’t any duplicate groups under different names. “We are trying to make sure that all of the organizations on campus are legitimate and that we are splitting the money fairly to people who are going to use it in the right way,” said Erica Richardson, coordinator of student activities. “Every other school does some kind of approval committee.” Though a seemingly tedious process, the approval committee will help new organizations be successful. “If you start an organization, tell us your future. What does your five year plan look like? Take it to the next level. Show us what you see developing from this,” Carnley said. “All student organizations need to have a plan.” The committee will help
advise people who are trying to start a new organization. “Right now it’s basically someone trying to do it all by themselves,” said Asim Conrad, SGA senator and senior class representative for the approval committee. The “Humans vs. Zombies” event now falls under Campus Activities Board, instead of being an organization, because it only takes place once a year. Other events are being planned under CAB this year as a result of not becoming a student organization, such as a wizard quidditch game. The already existing organizations will be grandfathered in, and no changes will be made. During meetings this semester, the approval committee may talk about whether the existing organizations will have to reapply every year. “The point is, how can we work together to make all of the organizations work better? The sky is the limit,” Carnley said. “There’s so much room. This campus has some phenomenal leaders and we need to hone them.”
Florida Tech leads in offering sustainability studies major Story continued from Page 1 “It’s highly adaptable and can be pair with any other major. The classes in the major are taken from a lot of different majors and are linked together with additional classes,” Wilson said. Currently, Florida Tech is one of only five schools in Florida to offer a degree in sustainability. There are less than 50 schools that offer this degree across the United States. Kenyon Lindeman presently teaches the Introduction to Sustainability and Applied Sustainability courses. At this time, Lindeman is researching sustainable coastal management and policy applications. Sustainability is a flourishing business with every sort of organization taking advantage of it. From the NFL to Starbucks, many companies are working to reduce its environmental footprint by becoming more sustainable.
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword for large businesses though. Local communications firm Harris, and even Florida Tech is working to be sustainable. Often the sustainable approach to a process, product or problem is the best solution for a company. It is usually the easier and more inexpensive solution as well which makes knowledge in sustainability a valuable commodity that businesses are scouting for. “It’s an interesting class, it’s really easy to get in to,” Diego Samper said about his Introduction to Sustainability class. Samper, a sophomore switched from mechanical engineering to marketing, but still wanted something involved with science. A minor in sustainability was his solution. Wilson has plans for the future of sustainability. “Opening an office of sustainability will be the catalyst for change, both for the university and the students pursuing the major,” Wilson said.
The Florida tech crimson
Lambda Chi Alpha presented the watermelon bust
Photo by Brenda Oliva Quesada
Brenda Oliva Quesada Staff Writer This past Saturday, Sept. 28, the watermelon bust took place by fraternity at Southgate Field at Florida Tech. It is a national philanthropy event that benefits the North American Food drive. It had been four years since the last time Lambda Chi Alpha had the watermelon bust event. “We are hoping to raise 2,000 pounds this year.” Brett Campbell, member of Lambda Chi Alpha. The event consisted of teams of five participants that competed in a series of sports, service and spirit. The sports that the teams had to participate were over/under race, seed spitting, greased watermelon toss, target throw, eating competition, watermelon crab soccer and tug-of-war. Each of the events had a maximum of five players that could participate from each team and a certain amount of
points would be awarded for the first place. The service competition involved all of campus community whether participating on the teams or not. The object of the service competition was to donate canned or 6non-perishable food items that would account for one point per item. The donations were received a week before the event at the sub and dining hall as well as at sign in during the event. Those who were non-team members that decided to donate items would choose the team they decided to award their points to. The spirit competition involved the best banners, enthusiasm, attendance, and t-shirt orders each team had. The spirit was broken down into t-shirt orders, second teams of same organizations, additional organization members not competing, spirit contest, sororities-watermelon carving, and sororities-banners/ signs. Each of the sections had a maximum numbers of points that would be given to the first place team and so on for the remaining teams.
Alumni member from the fraternity, Michael Smith of class 2001, explained how this event was used before as a rush event that provided a chance for freshmen to meet the Greek life on campus and in the same way raise awareness. They used to make two teams of four participants each that would use blankets to throw the watermelon from one team to the other. Each participant had to hold on to a corner of a blanket and work together to be able to throw the watermelon and catching it without breaking. Simon Titulaer, president of Lambda Chi Alpha Beta Nu Zeta Chapter, said “I’m very happy to get this event started and hopefully we get it happening every other year.” Rachel Peters, graduate student in conservation technology, attended the event. “We are fighting hunger by busting watermelons.”
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4 -October 1, 2013
CAMPUS LIFE
Florida Tech stands up for lagoon health Story continued from Page 1 many of them to starve to death. NPR’s Greg Allen recently reported that more than 120 manatees have died in the lagoon in the past year. The City of Melbourne and other organizations have attempted restoration projects with sea grass. Thompson said that, “The manatees are so hungry, they try to eat the grass we put back. We actually have to put cages over the grass to prevent them from eating all of it.” The loss of oyster bed is something that the Brevard County Zoo has been trying to tackle. The zoo receives grants for their oyster restoration projects in the Mosquito Lagoon, which is a small portion of the Indian River Lagoon. Oysters are natural filters of the lagoon. Each oyster in the lagoon can filter 50 gallons of water a day. They can also remove the nitrogen in the water that leads to algae blooms. Jody Palmer, the zoo’s oyster restoration project coordinator, says that they are working on getting more grant money to expand beyond the Mosquito lagoon and to start a sea grass restoration project. Without the grant money the zoo is unable to help repopulate oyster beds that have been destroyed. One thing that the City of Melbourne, the Brevard Zoo and all of the organizations sponsoring the Hands Across the Lagoon event want is more grant money. “The lagoon will get the attention it needs,” said Thompson. “The EPA has labeled the lagoon as ‘impaired’ but they don’t help us
a lot.” Grant money is something that is needed to help protect and restore the lagoons health. The Hands Across the Lagoon event was intended to be a movement to show the Florida Legislature that the residents of the five counties directly impacted by the lagoon care deeply about the health of the lagoon. There were eight locations spread between Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin County for residents to showcase their passion for the lagoon. Kate Beckett and Connor Gallagher attended the event because they wanted to show their support for one of the largest and most diverse estuaries in the world. Gallagher said, “I think that the most diverse estuary in the country should be sustained.” Besides the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems students from the Environmental Club, Alpha Phi Omega and other nonaffiliated students came to show their support. The students, faculty, staff and their family members arrived at the bridge just before 9 a.m. As they spread out along the causeway and waited only 2 brown pelicans, also victims of mysterious die offs, were flying overhead. Other residents pointed out the sting rays and jellyfish that could occasionally be seen in the water below, but there wasn’t a single dolphin or manatee to be seen. At 9:45 a.m. everyone on the 192 causeway began waving to the photography helicopter circling above them and suddenly a dolphin and her calf appeared under the bridge as if to say, ‘Thank you for supporting us! We need you all to help us!’
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Saudi Students’ Union holds Saudi Arabian national day event for students Paula Williams Staff Writer Florida Tech’s Saudi Students’ Union celebrated their annual Saudi Arabian National Day on Sept. 20. The group used this event to impart knowledge to Florida Tech’s students about their country and its culture. This enlightenment would help to absolve misunderstandings about Saudi culture due to popular misinformation. Vice president of the SSU, Khloud Shuqair, created an elaborate presentation for Saudi National Day. This presentation depicted “a day in the life” of a Saudi person-featuring common foods, daily vs. professional dress, cultural, and social norms. She stressed the significance of her presentation “helping students to understand that the Saudi Arabian people have similar relationship dynamics and concerns, they are just handled differently from a cultural perspective.” Shuqair expressed that the lack of attendance of other students, specifically American, was probably due to the apprehension Americans have about the culture in general. Many Americans, unlike students from countries closer to the Middle East, have very skewed ideas and opinions about Middle Eastern culture. One of the reasons she believes this has happened is Americans rely on US media coverage to give them an
understanding of what goes on in the Middle East. This is partly attributed to the fact that there are not many mediums Americans could use to acquire more information, like a Saudi movie, because they do not exist. Shugair states, “American media does not portray anything about Middle Eastern culture accurately, instead it focuses on specific conflicts, that are shown in such a fashion that make Americans believe it is ... of the countries” The realization of this is particularly disconcerting due to the fact that the US media is considered an unofficial fourth estate of government whose goal is to provide news objectively. The act of reporting objectively means journalists must remain uninfluenced by personal feelings and/ or opinions even with the innate bias evident in all humans due to different experiences. The goal of objectivity is especially significant in regard to US international affairs. However, it is becoming increasingly common for the US media to infiltrate biases into news coverage about international affairs the Middle East. The way the US media does this is by way of a popular media method- “American Framing.” By utilizing this tool, the US media relay news from an American perspective. Unfortunately, this frame omits facts by eliminating the dynamics of other countries, which would be necessary in order to create an objective view. As a result readers garner an ethnocentric attitude and also become ill-informed. American framing on International affairs involving countries in the
Middle East, like the current focus on Syria, create biased portrayals of the culture based off of conflict. Shuqair explains that American students have an international awareness advantage at Florida Tech that can enable them to be more correctly informed. According to Shuqair, “Florida Tech is the university out of many ‘international’ universities that Middle Eastern students have found to be the most proactive in accepting and then assisting international students.” Therefore, Florida Tech has become a more attractive university for a multitude of international students. The countries that make up the Middle Eastern student population at Florida Tech are Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen Syria, United Arab, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The population of Middle Eastern students at our school allow American students to have the ability to create relationships with students who can share an unfamiliar and unique culture. This will allow Americans to be free of such biased media influence and create their own perspectives about middle eastern culture through personal experience. Shuqair reiterates that all students should make an effort to come to Saudi Students’ Union events, like the previous Saudi Arabian National Day, because these events serve as reliable link between the cultures and create an overall more culturally aware student body.
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SCI/TECH
Top tools for programmers Chris Pangalos Staff Writer The process of writing program code can be long and arduous. From using correct syntax to format and indentation, it’s difficult to sit down and write a fully functional program without some assistance. Luckily there is a wide variety of applications that can make these tasks easier. Listed below are a few applications that may prove a big help to the aspiring programmer. Notepad++-(Free)-Not the standard Windows Notepad, Notepad++ is a basic text editor customized for writing program code. The advantage of Notepad ++ is its color coding system which lists commands in various colors based on their type, such as displaying comments in green, or integers in purple. While it doesn’t list errors specifically it helps to keep code in order which can make many errors more apparent. In addition it’s compatible with a very wide variety of languages including C++, Batch, HTML, Java, and many others that you’ve probably never heard of. There are portable versions available making it a good flash-drive choice to have available if needed. Overall Notepad ++ is perfect for quickly writing code if you don’t have time to start up an IDE like Visual Studio. Microsoft Visual Studio-( $350-$450 VS Pro 2010)- Pretty much everything you need, though at a high cost. Visual Studio is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It has all the tools to write, build, and run your code and is compatible with multiple languages including C++ and Visual Basic. While its interface isn’t the most user-friendly, performing basic tasks is fairly simple after a quick tutorial. Like Notepad
++ Visual Studio will highlight your code in various colors, but in much easier to follow manner. After a failed build Visual Studio will direct you to the specific errors in your code and why they failed to run, though these are often listed in technical language and may be difficult to follow. Overall Visual Studio is highly recommended for those that can afford it, but there are still cheaper alternatives. Eclipse-(Free)- Probably the best alternative to Visual Studio, the Eclipse IDE has most of the same features as Visual Studio including the ability to build code. Eclipse’s color coding system is somewhat inferior to that of Visual Studio, though it does list errors on an unsuccessful build. On the downside, Eclipse takes very long to start up and runs more slowly than Visual Studio. The base version of Eclipse is built for Java, but there are extensions for C++, Visual Basic, and other languages. There are also portable versions available, though they require the Java Runtime Environment. With an interface very similar to that of Visual Studio, Eclipse is a somewhat more awkward alternative available free of cost. Netbeans-Free- Another free alternative to Visual Studio, the Netbeans IDE has the same basic features as Eclipse. You can download a pre-prepared package for the language you wish to use, rather than attempting to search for the extension. There’s very little difference between the interface of Netbeans and the others, Netbeans seems a bit simpler but less sleek. Overall, Netbeans is roughly equivalent to Eclipse a bit faster to start up, but a bit more awkward when building code.
the Florida tech crimson
Gadget Corner Joseph Stoltz Staff Writer
Zafirro Iridium Have you ever wondered what kind of shaving experience you can buy with only a small $100,000.00? Well you’ll find out now by reading about the next generation of shaving equipment. Zafirro, a company that claims to have expertise from “rocket engine manufacturing” to “particle physics,” has developed the ultimate shaving razor one could buy; the Zafirro Iridium. The name may be horribly lackluster, but the mere fact that the body has a core made of the actual illustrious element iridium and all of its glory, should be more than enough to make you want the razor. This amazing element is able to keep its mechanical properties in temperatures approximately at, and somewhat above, 2912oF, and going the other direction, iridium becomes a superconductor at temperatures of about -459oF and below. Another extremely noticeable bonus for the razor would most definitely be its solid white sapphire blades, and as stated on the manufacturer’s webpage, the blades are “hypoallergenic, impervious to oxidation and corrosion, and an order of magnitude more durable than any other shaving blade.” These characteristics are quite handy, but when it comes to the fact that Zafirro uses ionized particles to sharpen the blade so acutely that they claim it to be “less than 100 atoms across,” or for us average people they so kindly stated that to be “5000 times thinner than a human hair.” Now you will never have to worry as to whether the blade will conform to your skin, because it will just peel the skin right off of you instead, making you the new face, or I should say victim, of a bad shave; at least you will not have to worry about shaving in the future. Sadly due to the rarity of the metal, a metal that’s mainly found in meteorites and their victims, and the fact that it’s one of the hardest metals to machine, the production of this lovely razor is limited to a total of 99 items.
Head-Up Display Now for a gadget that’s actually plausible for normal society, and in addition to that, this gadget may even make you feel better about your old clunker of a car too. The Garmin HUD, yet another lackluster name for a gadget, is an aftermarket device for displaying a heads-up-display on your windshield that will provide information taken from your wirelessly connected smart phone with Bluetooth functionality. The displays allows you to be able to view the speed you’re traveling, for those too lazy to actually look at the speedometer, the local speed limit, for those too lazy to look at the signs, turn-by-turn directions, for those that cannot handle a map, and your expected arrival time to your destination for your own satisfaction. If you watch the HUD for long enough, then you will occasionally get a lovely additional surprise of seeing your life flash before your eyes, and for a lucky few, you will get to see it multiple times along with others’ too. If you’re interested in this lovely little gadget that will make your old clunker look like an old clunker that’s being made to look technologically sophisticated, then you can acquire the Garmin HUD GPS from the Garmin store for $149.99; a small price to pay for a car being made to look like an expensive one.
OPINIONS
6 -October 1, 2013
CAPS PSA: Down in the Dumps Stephanie L Field CAPS Have you ever felt own in the dumps? Or have you had a friend or family member who seemed sad all the time and just wasn’t him or herself? Everyone is vulnerable to being sad, blue, or gloomy at some point, but when the intense sadness becomes overwhelming it can be cause for serious concern. On Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in 202 Evans Hall, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) invites you to an event, “Down With Depression.” Here we will learn about signs and symptoms of depression and suicide, how to tell the difference between clinical depression and “the blues,” how to cope, and even how to talk to a friend in need. Depression can be more difficult to identify than you may think. In fact, some folks may mistake anxiety and stress with depression, or even be suffering from both anxiety and depression symptoms! To learn more about how to cope with anxiety and stress, CAPS invites you to another event, “OMG, I Am So Stressed Out!” on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. in 202 Evans Hall, where we will discuss and learn about how to beat stress and anxiety, and engage in some relaxation training to help you reduce the pressure of midterms! So what is depression, anyway? Common signs and symptoms include depressed mood almost all day every day, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, feeling excessively guilty or worthless, indecisiveness and concentration problems, and frequent thoughts of death or dying. More visible signs that may be easier to identify include significant weight gain or weight loss (without attempts to diet), difficulty sleeping or lack of need to sleep almost every day, fatigue or energy loss, and appearing to move about in either an agitated and restless manner or in a slower manner. To help clarify things, let’s take some time to review common misconceptions and realities about depression and suicide: MYTH #1: Everyone who feels depressed wants to harm themselves or end their lives. FACT #1: There are different signs and symptoms of depression, and different levels of severity that people may experience. Although thoughts of self harm or suicide are more serious symptoms of depression, not everyone who experiences depression has thoughts of harming themselves. MYTH #2: My roommate’s not depressed; he’s just lazy because he sleeps and smokes marijuana all day! FACT #2: People suffering
from depression often have difficulty getting out of bed because they lack motivation to engage in daily activities. Also, they may prefer to sleep throughout the day instead of experiencing the pain and sadness of depression. People who are depressed also may turn to drugs, alcohol, or other mindaltering chemicals for multiple reasons (e.g. to have more control over emotions, to “get away” or “numb the pain,” etc.). So your roommate may appear lazy when he could actually be battling some intense emotional turmoil. MYTH #3: People who have suicidal thoughts or threaten to commit suicide really don’t mean it... they just want attention. FACT #3: Any and all suicidal threats should be taken seriously, no matter how often the person talks about it! According to the American Association of Suicidology, in 2010 someone in the U.S. committed suicide every 13.7 minutes. For people ages 15 to 24, suicide is the third ranking cause of death in the U.S. This is a serious issue! If someone threatens to harm him/herself, get help immediately! MYTH #4: If I talk to my friend about getting help for her depression, she will just think more about what’s bothering her and I will just make her feel more depressed! FACT #4: If you are concerned about a friend’s wellbeing, speak up! Showing that you care will probably help her feel better- not worse! Sure, it can be uncomfortable to talk about, but this also gives you the opportunity to be a reliable friend and change someone’s life. We hope these are some helpful hints; however they may not be enough for the support you need. So, CAPS can help! CAPS is right here on campus to offer assistance for the many challenges faced by college students. To make an appointment with a counselor, you are welcome to call (321) 674-8050 or walk in to the center. CAPS is located beside the Health Center, at the corner of Country Club Rd. and University Blvd. The CAPS website (www. fit.edu/caps) offers additional information regarding resources, services, and groups, as well as brief screenings for depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders, and alcohol use. We realize it can be intimidating to ask for help, but we hope you reach out when you need us. CAPS is just one of many resources at Florida Tech that supports maintaining a happy and healthy you! CAPS is looking forward to seeing you for our “Down With Depression” event on October 3 and the “OMG, I Am So Stressed Out!” event on Oct. 8 — both are at 7 p.m. in 202 Evans Hall!
A Church Community with a Heart for the World
We are a growing, energetic, Biblical, Anglican parish with members from more than twenty countries.
Everyone is welcome here.
An interactive map is on our website: www.oursaviorpalmbay.org.
Or call us at 321-723-8032 for more information. Sunday Services at 8am and 10:30am Wednesday Services at 10am and 6pm
the Florida tech crimson
SPORTS
7 -October 1, 2013
the Florida tech crimson
Women’s golf competes in nation’s toughest conference David Barkholz Sports Editor Team A is the No. 8 ranked NCAA Division II golf school in the nation, with a very realistic goal of competing for a national championship this season. Te a m B on the other hand, is only the sixth ranked school in its nine-team conference. Te a m A is the Florida Tech Women’s Golf team. Team B…is also the F l o r i d a Te c h Women’s Golf team. Despite receiving a top-10 national ranking in the most recent Golf World/WGCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Panthers find themselves in the bottom half of an extremely competitive Sunshine State Conference. “It’s very tough,” said Chris Saltmarsh, the team’s head coach, “but I look at it as preparation for the national championship to be honest with you.” With a total of seven SSC schools currently ranked in the top 14, “very tough” may be an understatement. The powerhouse of a conference is led by Lynn University, defending Division II national champions and the current topranked team in country. The school they edged out in nationals last season, Nova Southeastern – winner of the previous four national championship tournaments, comes in right
behind the Fighting Knights, followed by Barry University and Rollins College to round out an all-SCC top four. Florida Southern checks in at No. 6, and St. Leo Univer
good thing for us benchmark wise.” Where Florida Tech stacks up against, not just the top schools from SSC, but the top schools from other southern-
“We know that if we want to compete for a national championship, we’ve got to butt heads and beat these teams somewhere along the line to give ourselves that sort of mental edge,” Saltmarsh said. Somewhere along the line
Photo by aaron funk
based conferences in the South Super Regional tournament at the end of the year, is really what the season will boil down to for the Panthers. According to Saltmarsh, only nine teams are selected by an NCAA rating committee to compete in each of four regional tournaments. From there, only three teams from each of the four regions are able to qualify for nationals, which take place this May at Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, N.C.
almost came two weeks ago at the Lady Falcon Invitational – the Panthers’ first tournament of the season. Florida Tech managed to outscore Lynn by five strokes at the end of the first round before ultimately falling to the champs the next day. “We were leading the defending national champions by five shots,” Saltmarsh said. “Granted, we lost to them in the tournament and finished third, but we were right with them. I’m not saying they had they’re best two rounds of golf, but I don’t think we had our best two rounds of golf.”
sity appears as the final SSC ranked team at No. 14. But Saltmarsh says he and his team welcomes the challenge “We want to be able to play against those teams,” he said. “I think it gives us a challenge as far as our ranking goes, but by playing these teams week in and week out we can say, ‘Okay, how many strokes do we need to improve on in order to be where this team is at?’ So I think it’s a
Sophomore player Rachel Polson also thinks the Panthers can improve “We didn’t play to the best of our abilities in the first tournament, but we still played really well,” Polson said. “I think we have a really strong team this year.” Polson shot a 78 in both rounds of the tournament, good enough for a three-way tie for the second best score on the team with freshmen Guro Rambjoer and sophomore Felicia Leftinger. Freshmen Johanna Larsson led all Panthers over the weekend, finishing with a final score of 149, the fifth best of any player. Like her coach, Polson views the high level of competition in the SCC as a benefit more than anything. “Playing against top teams is always good,” she said. “It definitely makes me a better player.” The Panthers wrapped up their second tournament of the season this past weekend with another third place finish at the Lady Bearcat Classic in Hilton Head, S.C. The team finished with a record-breaking cumulative score of 298. “The girls fought hard,” said assistant coach Elrick van Eck. “I am really proud of them for breaking the school record.” Florida Tech will look to continue their success this weekend when they travel to Palm Beach Gardens to compete in the Guy Harvey Invitational.
SPORTS the Florida tech crimson
October 1, 2013
Florida Tech football drops two, now 1-3 David Barkholz Sports Editor Rarely does a football team walk away from a double-digit defeat with so much to look forward to, but that’s exactly what the Panthers did Saturday night. D e spite being outgunned in a 52-31 shootout to Gulf South Conference foe Delta State, Florida Tech showed great strides on the offense, shattering multiple school records, including total points (31) and total yards (461). T h e loss comes after the Panthers were throttled by We s t A l a bama on their own field a week before, losing 45-3 on national television. “There’s a lot of good things to take away from this game,” head coach Steve Englehart said after the Delta State game. “I’m not going to get down ever on these guys. They fight with tenacity and they fight
with passion. We’re getting better.” Yes they are. In fact, Florida Tech was able hang with Delta State through the majority of the night, matching the six-time con-
Vega got the start at quarterback for the Panthers, replacing the injured Sean Ashley. Other than throwing two interceptions – one returned for six points – Vega seized the
ference champs score-for-score through the game’s first three quarters. “We executed better this week than in the past on offense. I’m proud of the way our offense came out and really improved this week.” Fifth-year senior Bobby
opportunity by completing 38 of 51 passes for a school record 332 yards. He also threw for a touchdown. “Bobby played really well,” Englehart said after the game. “We opened up the offense a little bit and did some different things by throwing the ball quite a bit on bubble
screens.” Big numbers for Vega translated into another big game for receiver Xavier Milton. He finished with 12 catches for 124 and a score.
Photo by Efram Goldberg Fellow receiver Wayne Saunders caught 11 passes of his own for a total of 72 yards. Trevor Sand saw the majority of the carries for the Panthers after Jarvis Giles left the game the Florida Tech’s first possession with a leg injury. Like Vega, Sand made
his opportunity count, rushing for a school record 110 yards on 16 carries. But when it really came down to it, the first-year Panther defense just could not stop a fast-paced Statesmen attack that scored three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Delta State quarterback Travis Champion lit up Florida Tech’s s e c o n d a r y, throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns. “Defensively, we played a great offensive team,” Englehart said. “They put up big numbers against North Alabama and they have a very explosive offense. “ Things won’t get any easier for Florida Tech next week. They’ll hit the road once again to take on the No. 1 ranked team in Division II football, Valdosta State. “We have a resilient team,” Englehart said. “This team doesn’t believe that anytime they step on the field they can’t win. They’re going to believe it until the clock hits zero. I’m proud of them.”