Spring 2018 - Issue 1

RIMSON The Florida Tech

@FTCrimson @FTCrimson crimson.fit.edu

The Official Student-Run Newspaper•since

Issue 1

Our Mission: Live, discover and report the truth.

1967

Spring

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2018

Head bobs and good vibes

What's Inside

What are you listening to in 2018?

Mary Kozaitis \\ Editor - in - Chief "Music is important to me for many reasons. It keeps me motivated when I’m struggling, it can help me clear my mind when I need to relax and since there is a genre for every mood I can always find something to relate to. Some of my favorite songs are 'Bali', 'MIC Drop', 'Candy Paint', 'Man's Not Hot', 'Lonely Together', 'Man's Not Hot', 'MotorSport', 'Bartier Cardi', 'Slippery', 'No Limit', 'Stunting Ain't Nuthin' and 'Dan Bilzerian' -Chris Wille, senior studying electrical engineering from Tampa, Florida

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“I enjoy s ome c ou ntry music. Some good new artists are Lee Brice, Luke Br yan, Megan Morris and Jason Aldean. I tend to like older styles of country like Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton and George Strait. One of my favorite songs is ‘Friends in L ow Places’ by Gar t h Brooks.”

-Noa h Clana han, junior, studying construction management, from Dade City, Florida

Senior football player looks to - a future beyond football

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Pet policies tighten health standards in residence halls

Real Fake News:

7 - #NewYearNewMe 7-

The fast approaching future for college seniors

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Crossword and soduku

Continued on page 5 Photo by Chris Wille // Facebook

Photo by Noah Clanahan // Facebook

Tea time with Tea Time Florida Tech College Radio’s only student-run show

Ebube Ubochi first picked up a camera when he was about 11. His dad had a lot of digital cameras and video cameras around the house, so Ubochi started playing with them—and overtime, he learned how they worked.

Photo by Lindsay Isaac

Student Spotlight

Abeer Janakat \\ Design editor

Ebube Ubochi

—musician, photographer, student, CEO Lindsay isaac \\ Social media coordinator Flor ida Tech master’s student Ebube Ubochi is a musician, a photographer, a computer-geek — and more recently, the CEO of a student-run media company.

Ubochi’s media company — The Jilshock Group — is one outlet for his artistry.

The company offers media production services — photography, videography, cinematography, layout and graphic design and is expanding into screenwriting and apparel.

Music is another outlet for Ubochi’s artistry.

He started singing when he was three and playing piano when he was four. Now, Ubochi

also plays guitar, drums, bass and ukulele.

Master’s student Dylan Fleming first heard Ubochi sing in a Communication Theory class they took together.

“I had to go up to Ebube and tell him he could be on the radio or something,” Fleming said. “He had the voice of an angel — a deep-voiced angel.”

Photography is yet another creative outlet for Ubochi.

Ubochi first picked up a camera when he was 11.

“My dad had a lot of digital cameras and video cameras because he wanted to create home videos,” he said. “I started playing with them and over time learning how they worked.”

INDEX

Tea Time Radio members in the studio preping for a show.

Photo by Isaac Cook // Tea Time Radio

Initially, photography was a hobby for Ubochi — but when he got an iPhone and started taking more pictures, the way he thought about photography changed.

“I wasn’t sure I could make anything grand from it, but I thought it would be nice to start taking on bigger things,” he said. “That was how I came up with what is currently The Jilshock Group.”

Ubochi wanted to have a collective that was good at telling stories with simple tools.

“We started with photography and graphic design,” he

Continued on page 4

STUDENT LIFE PAGES 2-5

Did you ever wonder what it’s like to have your own radio show? Five Florida Tech students came together in 2015 and started their own, Tea Time Radio.

The show was recorded and broadcasted with the help of Florida Tech College Radio, FTCR — a club on campus that is underutilized according to Tea Time Radio member, Peter Zappella, an engineering management systems graduate student.

Zappella, a senior at the time Tea Time was established, is the only original member who is still a student here.

After the four other members graduated the show was put on hold due to lack of participating members.

This past fall semester the club was brought back to life by Zappella and six of his friends:

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 6

Isaac Cook, Lee Schmidt, Jack Mueller, Cameron Sanson and Zackary Eichholz.

Tea Time Radio was back on air in Nov. 2017. Every Wednesday from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. the six students came together and broadcasted.

This semester Tea Time is back and you can tune in at radio.fit.edu.

“We talk about anything and everything really,” Zappella said. Follow ing up, Mueller, an ocean engineering junior, said, “we talk about school news to our daily shenanigans.”

From flashing genitals on campus to cocaine washing up on Melbourne beach shores, Tea Time Radio talks about it all.

OPINION PAGES7-8

Continued on page 3

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JANUARY 9

Senior football player looks to a future beyond football

Brittany Bailer \\ Contributing writer “To live the life of private jets, yachts, foreign cars, millions of dollars. We were brought to this Earth to live like kings and queens,” football player and sports management major, Tityus Mitchell, said.

Hastings, Florida, a town of about 600 people, was the place where his dream of playing in the NFL was born, but his ultimate goals extend far beyond the sport. Mitchell’s self-proclaimed purpose is to positively impact lives and that purpose has led him to Flor ida Tech.

In the spring of 2015, after three years at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Mitchell sat down with his coach and told him that he wanted to leave the school.

“A 20-minute conversation turned into a two-hour conversation and I left with the world in front of me,” Mitchell said.

He emailed his highlight reel to a number of schools a nd t he c oache s at F I T responded almost immediately. While waiting a semester before he was accepted he faced personal challenges that changed the way he looked at the world and gave him new motivation to succeed.

“I had people that I loved dearly turn their back on me, tell me I made the worst mistake of my life. I remember sitting in my truck, crying, like I couldn’t breathe, asking God for help. There were times when I would be driving late at night just wanting to give up,” Mitchell said. “It was just me and that’s what

made me self-mot ivated.

That’s why I act the way I act. That’s why I don't care what people think about me.”

Florida Tech was appealing to Mitchell because he saw bigger and better opportunities for himself both academically

them to chase their dreams.

Charles Peeples, a childhood friend, said, “He’s able to influence others in a positive way, he’s a born leader in any situation. He’s always been the first to step up.”

The business has already

mates or anyone else for that matter, but what he learns from those experiences and how he applies them to his life are what make him impactful.

The desire to be great on and off the football field makes it easier for his team-

Mitchell wearing one of his original sweaters.

Photo by Tityus Mitchell // Facebook

and professionally. In September, he started a clothing business. He currently sells t-shirts with his motto “Stay Humble Stay Focused” on the front, reminding people to stay humble in the spotlight and focused through the darkness.

He doesn’t view the business as an avenue for making money but as a vessel through which he can lead others to suc c e ss a nd mot ivate

found success in the few months it has been in operation. Promotion through social media has allowed him to find demand for his product on the FIT campus all the way out to California. Mitchell is working on expanding his product line to pants, hats and possibly shoes.

Mitchell’s experiences and goals aren’t especially different from those of his team-

mates to believe in and follow him as their captain, teammate Adonis Dav is sa id.

He w a nt s to u se h i s plat for m no mat ter how small to encourage others to “dream in color.” He uses social media to show his followers that as long as they are patient and work hard, they can achieve their goals.

“A 20-minute conversation turned into a t wo-hour conversation and I left with the world in front of me.”

Photo by Tityus Mitchell // Facebook

STUDENTLIFE 3 ISSUE 1

Tea Time Radio on air during one of their shows.

"From flashing genitals on campus to cocaine washing up on Melbourne beach shores, Tea Time Radio talks about it all."

Continued from front “We also tell people about things going on on campus. I think it’s a nice outlet,” Zappella said. “Not a lot of people listen, but I think if more people listen it’s a good way to find out what’s going on on campus.”

The new members are working alongside Thaddeus Misilo, FTCR president and

JANUARY 9

Photo by Isaac Cook // Tea Time Radio

Florida Tech PhD. candidate.

Work i ng on mu lt iple things, Tea Time members along with Misilo plan to upgrade the website and possibly move to record at WFIT. Tea Time Radio’s main goal is to bring more attention to FTCR on campus and increasing its members.

The members are off to a good start. Cook, a sustainability sophomore, was contacted by three different students

interested in the club and starting their own shows.

“Whether it’s DJing or talking about sports and they just wanna interview a bunch of staf f members around campus and talk to them about their daily lives,” Cook said.

One of those students is Michael Milligan, a communication senior. “I want to talk about everything,” Milligan said, “like how old school wings are really good.”

The soundboard is one of many equipment pieces available for FTCR. Photo by Abeer Janakat

The studio desk was made by past members of FTCR and became a tradition to add to it.

Photo by Abeer Janakat

Some of the doodles, drawings and writings on the studio desk.

Photo by Abeer Janakat

The show is made up of segments.

One segment prepared and presented by Mueller is the “Netflix Pick of the Week.”

Mueller, a TV buff, picked this segment due to his interest in television.

Other members, like Eichholz, also talk about their interests.

Eichholz's segment is called 'Zustainability".

"I get my two minutes of fame talking about Zustainability," Eichholz said.

The segment includes a weekly fun fact about sustainability and sustainable solutions.

Other than the segments, Tea Time Radio get to use FTCR's studio and equipment to record their episodes — soundboards, microphones and headphones.

The club also gives its members access to sound equipment allowing them to put on live shows.

Those equipment include speakers, lights and an LED curtain.

Apart from the equipment, the FTCR studio is set up on a student-made desk.

The desk was made and put in by past FTCR members and slowly grew to an art piece.

On there you can find drawings, doodles and quotes from Florida Tech students over the years.

“I think it’s really cool.

You can’t do this after college,” Zappella said. “You can’t set up your own radio station.

The equipment in there is worth thousands of dollars.”

4 STUDENTLIFE ISSUE 1

JANUARY 9

Job Oportunities:

Business Manager Needed

Student Spotlight Ebube Ubochi

—musician, photographer, student, CEO U b o c h i pl ay s g u it a r, drums, piano, bass, ukulele and sings. He said all of these things have a way of expressing what music can be. For Ubochi, music has been the perfect place-holder.

The Florida Tech Crimson Newspaper has an open paid position for a business manager this spring. It is a part-time position, requiring approximately 10 hours of work per week.

Photo by Lindsay Isaac

Students can get paid with commission by a check at the end of the semester.

Position Responsibilities The position would entail soliciting outside companies for The Crimson, handling collections and billing for ads, communicating with our business partners and more. The position is open to all majors and class standings and would require dedication for the full spring semester.

— If interested, please send a copy of your resume to crimson@fit.edu.

Pet policies tighten health standards in residence halls

Drake, Dick's chocolate labrador.

Photo by James Dick // Instagram

The Jilshock Group started because Ubochi wanted to have a collective that was good at telling stories with simple tools. He mainly shoots with his iPhone 6 Plus and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3.

Photo by Lindsay Isaac

Continued from front said, “and we have evolved from there.”

Aaliyah Thomas, a Florida Tech student and friend of Ubochi, recently saw the Jilshock Group’s Instagram page — @jilshock.

“I didn’t know Ebube was a photographer,” Thomas said.

“I knew he did music and that he does computer stuff.

But, I didn’t know he also takes

photos,” she said. “Can you get any more amazing? How is that possible?”

According to Ubochi, what brings photography to life is the fact that it can tell stories.

Most of his photography is portrait style or street photography.

“I like the two extremes — either really zoomed in or really wide,” he said.

Ubochi is a storyteller, but he is also a self-proclaimed camera nerd.

He shoots with his iPhone 6 Plus, unless he wants depth of field. Then, he mostly uses a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3.

“The best camera is the one you have w ith you,” Ubochi said. “In that case, phones come in really handy.”

Abeer Janakat \\ Design editor

from Austria, said, “Often as a freshman you can feel alone and homesick, so having your own pet here will take your mind off of the negative stuff.”

“Hav ing my dog here already this year has h e l p e d w i t h h o m e s i c kness for sure!” said James Dick, a Florida Tech junior.

Dick also added, “One of the reasons I moved off campus was so that I get to bring my dog because I didn't want to miss four years of his life.”

The presence of the pet policy does not stop all students from having pets on campus, there are around five violations each semester, according to Gregory Connell, director of residence life.

Having a pet is always a big responsibility, adding school distractions and stress can become a major problem.

One of C onnell’s biggest concerns to having pets on campus is maintaining them, mainly over break p er io d s, e sp e c ia l ly w it h Florida Tech’s large inter-

national student population.

Even with students owning fish which fit the pet policy, Connell, says many fish are left behind in residence halls with notes asking to be fed.

Connell also shared an incident that occurred a few years back, where a dog was left unaccompanied over winter break at one of the Southgate apartments. The housing staff found the dog during end of w inter break inspections.

The dog was left in the bathtub with food poured in there for it. “The dog had fleas, and had a lot of health and behavioral issues,” Connell said.

Violat ions and incidents of similar nature are a strong reason the pet policy is put in place, as having a pet is a big responsibility.

“In general I think most of our students are responsible, most of our students make good choices but the few that don’t kind of ruin it for the others,” Hetherington said, adding to why she believes the pet policy was put in place.

Florida Tech's pet policy prohibits the domestication of any animal other than fish kept in fully enclosed aquariums of 10 gallons or less, as stated in the student handbook.

Students who violate this policy are subject to a minimum of a $50 fine and the responsibility to find a new home for the animal within 24 hours.

“A lot of the reasons we don’t allow pets have to do with allergies that somebody else in the building might have,” said Jacqueline Hetherington, residence life coordinator.

“We have a lot of central air conditioning systems, so if somebody has something in one room that made somebody else allergic it's all connected, so a lot of our buildings are not really conducive to have pets, that especially have dander.”

A s a l l f r e sh me n a r e required to live on campus, having a pet can relieve student stress and help with homesickness. Natasa Vukovic, a senior

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Head bobs and good vibes What are you listening to in 2018?

Continued from front

Photo by Cynthia Yingying Li // Facebook

“I always listen to the radio while I am driving. I personally don’t have a favorite song or artist, but listen to all different kinds of songs I like. I like ‘Cheap Thrills’, ‘Shape of You’, Let Me Love You’, Don’t Let Me down’, ‘Something Just Like This’, ‘Cold Water’, ‘Treat You Better’, ‘Mama’, ‘Starboy’ and ‘Despacito’, right now.” -Cynthia Yingying Li, senior studying aviation management, from China

Photo by Reed Antonich // Facebook

“A very good upcoming artist that gives some typical Florida indie trash vibes I feel, is Odd Elbow (Spotify is a good place to find them. One of my favorite songs by them is ‘She’. I suggest them for campus exploring and heading bobbing good vibes. If somebody is looking for music to just make them feel though, I’d suggest something like ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ by Morten Lauridsen. Nothing quite beats classical.” - Reed Antonich, junior, studying aerospace engineering, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Radio Stations in the area: 1. 107.1 A1A. The Space Coast's #1 Hit Music Station 2. KISS 95.1. Brevard's #1 Station For New Hit Music 3. 101one WJRR. Orlando's Rock Station 4. Lite Rock 99.3. Brevard's best music variety 5. NASH FM 102.7. Country for Life 6. Oldies 103.7. The Treasure Coast's Oldies Station 7. WFIT 89.5 Public Radio for the Space Coast

Photo by Noble Muyenzikazi // Facebook

“I personally like Christian music a lot. It’s relaxing and uplifting for me. An artist I would recommend is a rapper named Lecrae. His music is inspiring and talks a lot about real life, with some of my favorite songs from him being ‘I’ll Find You’ and ‘Blessings’. Another good artist is Stromae, who does french music. Like Lecrae, his music is based on real-life stories. I find my taste leaning toward artists that inspire and uplift me.” Noble Muyenzikazi (left), a sophomore studying aerospace engineering, from Kibagabaga, Kigali, Rwanda

Photo by Reed Antonich // Facebook

“I don’t know too much about the artists, but I do like the songs they make: Manila Killa, Gibbs, Odesza, Psymbionic or Jair Wolf. They’re more chill songs, since I sometimes listen to harder stuff.” -Worakarn “Pipe” Prasoprat, senior studying aviation management, from Bangkok, Thailand

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JANUARY 9

Find yourself twiddling your thumbs during the week?

WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU TO DO. Join the weekly Crimson meetings on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the newsroom (the back enterance of Grissom Hall) to snag a story and a slice of pizza.

OPINION 7 ISSUE 1

Satirical Section:

real fake news Fake News Inspired by Real Events

#NewYearNewMe students settle for less ambitious #NewHourNewMe Douge schoeller \\ COPY editor In the turning of the new year into 2018, some Florida Tech students that declared #NewYearNewMe have been reported to have settled for the less ambitious mot to #NewHourNewMe. Samantha Drexel reportedly changed her mind about #NewYearNewMe on January 2nd. “It’s really important to not just jump in to something new so quickly, you know?

You have to give it time. Baby steps,” said Drexel.

Drexel decided to abbreviate her hashtag into #NewMont h Ne wMe , he r f i r s t attempt to turn a new leaf on getting together an exercising routine. “I told myself to try this out for just a month, so it wasn’t so daunting to think of a whole year,” said Drexel.

“Un for t u nately, a mont h includes at least three Saturdays and when the first Saturday came around I was not having it. Saturdays are for me anyway.”

“Then I figured I could try one Saturday I suppose. That’s

not as bad,” said Drexel. That started the new grind of #NewWeekNewMe, which Drexel was able to successfully outline her schedule on a posterboard for the second week of the year. “I outlined the workouts I’d be doing each day during the week, but the amount of time it took to really organize it is really making this process inefficient.”

Drexel then resorted to #NewHourNewMe, which she said was the perfect amount of time to plan out her events in her head, but not feel as committed to act upon them. “It’s best to go through some positive thinking for an hour to get motivated. I didn’t really make time to do any of the workouts I was thinking about, but it’s nice to know my mind is in the right place. That should count for something.”

Alex Guthrie took a different, more direct path to reach #NewHourNewMe. Guthrie explained, “My new leaf was to not drink so much so I decided to tackle time by the hour.

Happy hour.”

JANUARY 9

The Fast Approaching Future For College Seniors Giovanni Carlesso \\ Contributing writer As the end of another academic year is on the horizon, graduation occurs with a flurry of mixed feelings, at the thought of the famed question “what do I do next?” For international students, employment is not only on the line, but their stay in the country is also at stake.

International students face stressful days, weeks and months prior and after graduation due to the pressure of their immigration status.

Graduated international students can only be in the United States without a job or being enrolled in a graduate program for 60 days. After this period is expired, they must leave the country. Some students apply for optional practical training (OPT) to extend their stay in the United States.

OPT is a period of time, typically one year, that international students are allowed to work in the United States in a field relevant to their major, often in an effort to eventually obtain long-term residence in the country.

Dar Raz, a Florida Tech senior from Israel, is one of many students applying for OPT. “I am currently applying for OPT. I really want to find a

job in the United States,” Raz said. Raz graduated in December with a degree in business administration.

Applying for OPT is very common option among the international student body at Florida Tech.

Elizabeth Ball, a senior from Venezuela, is another student applying for OPT. “Due to the current condition in my country, I am really hoping to find a job in the U.S.,” Ball said.

OPT creates the opportunity for international students whose home countries are in unstable conditions to seek their dream of having a better and more peaceful life.

Isra Al Harthi is a senior from Oman, graduating in May 2018.

“I would like to find a job in the United States after I graduate in May,” Al Harthi said. “I prefer to stay here.”

Among the reasons behind why so many international students are so interested in applying for OPT and finding a job in the United States is to be able to stay here and have a better-quality life than they would be able to have in their home countries.

Some of the countries many of our international students come from are undergoing severe political, economic, social and even humanitarian

crises; therefore, returning home after graduation is not a viable and reasonable option for them to peruse.

OPT Application Process Step one Complete the online Optional Practical Training (OP T) Work shop, which can be found online.

Step two Request an I-20 recommending OPT from ISSS. Step three Pick up the OPT I-20 at the ISSS office after 3-5 business days.

Step four Mail the OPT application documents to the USCIS Ser v ice Center which has jurisdiction over the address you listed on Form I-765.

For more information v i s i t : w w w. f i t . e d u / inter nat iona l-st udentand-scholar-services.

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Crossword Puzzle

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4. Sky-high 2018 dazzlers!

1. What people do at midnight

6. Bits of paper 3 scattered at festive occasions

2. Countdown terminology

7. Bowl Big game on January 1

3. Count backwards; before detonating a bomb, for example

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Y E A R

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5. Frequent New Year's resolution

10. December 31 drink

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9. Square New Year's Eve hot spot

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N E W M E

Sudoku Generator

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7. Bowl Big game on January 1 8. 00:00 10. December 31 drink

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4.Sudoku Sky-high Generator 2018 dazzlers!

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6. Bits of paper scattered at festive occasions

2. Countdown terminology

7. Bowl Big game on January 1 8. 00:00

3. Count backwards; before detonating a bomb, for example

10. December 31 drink

5. Frequent New Year's resolution

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9. Square New Year's Eve hot spot

SODUKU

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