The Florida Tech Crimson Issue 4 Fall 2018

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RIMSON The Florida Tech

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The Official Student-Run Newspaper•since

crimson@fit.edu Issue 4

Our Mission: Live, discover and report the truth.

1967

FALL

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

A Fan of Fireworks

Fireworks Lift spirits at Founders Day

emily walker // crimson

Florida Tech pays tribute to President Keuper during Founders Day emily walker \\ staff writer

Florida Tech celebrated its sixtieth anniversary by trying something it had never done before: setting off fireworks.

The Founders Day event took place on Saturday, Sept. 22 as Florida Tech celebrated its sixtieth anniversary.

The event was open to not only students, staff, and faculty, but also to the public.

According to Wes Sumner, a member of the organizing committee for the event, roughly 2,000 people from Florida Tech and the community attended the event.

The event kicked off at 6:30 p.m. on Crawford Green with a blow-up obstacle course, inflatable balls people could run around inside, and free food from Chick-fil-A. Florida Tech gave out free t-shirts and set up a tent where people could create their own laptop skins and stickers.

At 8 p.m., the fireworks began over the Olin Quad.

Sumner said they organized the event to include not just students, but also the community. According to Sumner, the biggest way they did that was through the fireworks, which Sumner helped organize.

“We wanted to do something that had not been done before,” he said. “We wanted to do something that would be a gift back. Something that would give folks an opportunity to come together and have a moment of joy in relation to Florida Tech.”

While the fireworks may have been the highlight of the night, the evening started with the free food, shirts, and stickers.

Ajeé Watson, a sophomore studying aerospace engineering, said the food was a big draw for her. “I heard about the free food, and I got tipped off that it was Chick-fil-A,” she said.

Brynn Doughty, a sophomore in ocean engineering, believed the activities were

Continued on page 6

Study days "fall" short

thomas handel \\ staff writer

As students trudge through the first half of the semester, with obstacles such as midterms and projects looming ahead, it may seem daunting to some that final exam study days have been removed from the calendar.

Monica Baloga, the Senior Vice President for Academics and Provost, described in an email statement how the decision was reached last spring by the university.

Baloga stated that due to the necessity of meeting credit hour requirements, administration, with the help

of SGA, conducted a poll for students on whether they wished to keep their study days or fall break. The students ultimately decided to keep fall break.

Adam Syndergaard, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, described how much has changed since then.

“Last semester I didn’t really feel it that much because my classes were super easy, but I feel like this semester it’s going to make a big difference,” Syndergaard said. “My classes got drastically harder.”

When asked about the decision that was reached, however, Syndergaard said he was content with the

outcome.

“I think it is nice to have the break halfway throughout the semester just to kind of break it up,” Syndergaard said.

He spoke about in addition to the fall break, earlier holidays such as Labor Day and Columbus Day make the difference as well.

Raghav Ringshia, another sophomore in mechanical engineering, was less enthusiastic, citing the importance of those final two days before final exams.

Continued on page 9

No more student directory annika sundquist \\ staff writer

Students everywhere no longer have the ability to look up other students’ emails on the Florida Tech website.

Florida Tech has gotten rid of the Student Directory in favor of other applications available on the website that they joint run with the marketing department in web services.

Curtis Robinson, Associate Director of IT Enterprise Systems, said, “IT has been evaluating a bunch of different custom applications available on the website. They have reduced the number that IT supports”, and the student directory is one of those applications.

Students have been upset about the lack of communication that the directory would no longer be available.

Connie Ammons, a senior in business and environmental studies, has a work study position on campus that she used the directory for a lot in the past.

Ammons said, “I’m an assistant

Continued on page 4

Parking problems on campus Tyler jones \\ staff writer

Taking five to ten minutes to find a parking spot, if there even are any left, have students disgruntled.

To many, it seems that it’s nearly impossible to ever find parking on campus, leaving students having to walk long distances to class or being late because they couldn’t even find a place to park.

Some students are left questioning why they have to pay for parking when the tuition per year is at such a high rate.

“I feel like it’s stupid, I already payed $50,000 why do I have to pay any more money just to park,” said,Jared Blanco, software engineer major.

Often times students end up arriving on campus much earlier than they want to just to allow themselves the time to find a place to park.

“I often spend 5-10 Minutes looking for a place to park,” said, Johnny Poret, computer science major.

The recent increase in parking prices hasn’t helped this situation either.

In an interview with the Chief of Security, Kevin Graham, to discuss the recent rise in frustrations regarding parking around campus.

“I do not set the policy as far as

Continued on page 9

pages 6-7 celebrating 60 years at the florida insitute of technology

2 OPINION ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

The Curse of the Overworked Panther:

Learning to Relax

Ryan Daniels \\

CAPS Outreach Columnist As young Panthers grow to be independent, they begin to figure out their own personal ways to get by.

While this may start out by going to sleep a little later to get things done, it can quickly escalate to three day all-nighters, driven by energy drinks and desperation to get that paper in by the 11:59 p.m. deadline.

This is the curse of the extremely motivated, but over-worked, Panther.

We all are driven to succeed, that’s what got us here!

However, when striving for perfection takes the place of self-care and relaxation, that’s when we may find ourselves in trouble.

Stress can be a powerful motivator, but we do our best work when we are calm and worry-free.

Success in college is not easy, and the pressure to get good grades, make new friends, and learn to live on your own can get overwhelming quickly.

Here are just a few tips to help us R-E-L-A-X:

Rest

It’s never a bad time for a break.

While it may be hard to think about rest when there are deadlines on the brain, try to incorporate intermittent breaks into any stressful task you are completing.

Even a short five to ten minute break from something you’ve been working on all day can help restore and reenergize your mind and get you back on track.

The secret is, these breaks

Corrections

will actually make you work more efficiently, and in the end, you will likely finish earlier than you would have if you worked straight through!

So remember this the next time you feel the need to finish that last sip of coffee and relentlessly push through.

Excersize

Hear us out!

While, at times, this may feel like an additional task to put on your to-do list, prioritizing physical activity in your daily routine can help keep your mind and body active, healthy, and on task.

Exercise is an excellent stress reliever and mood lifter.

Can’t make it to the gym?

No worries!

Just take a quick jog or walk around campus, or even just bust out some push-ups in your room to reap the rewards of a healthy lifestyle.

Keep it simple!

stress in the long run, so don’t feel guilty about letting loose once in a while.

You deserve it!

Accept

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we can’t control everything.

Some nights a personal hardship or life stressor will take priority over schoolwork, and that’s okay.

The important thing is to accept that we cannot control every aspect of our lives, and learn to treat those unexpected events as manageable “bumps in the road” or even exciting challenges or adventures.

Do your best to change the things you can and accept the things you cannot.

This will lead you toward feeling more relaxed and confident in your ability to tackle each day!

Let loose

With all the stress that goes into being a productive and successful college student, sometimes you just need to throw those papers out the window and start dancing the night away.

Okay, not really…but remember that college isn’t all about papers and exams.

While getting your work done should be priority number one (it is why you’re here in the first place, right?), don’t be afraid to take a night off to hang out with friends and clear your mind.

We recommend making a simple rule: “no school talk during relaxation time.”

Again, taking some time to yourself will help reduce

At The Florida Tech Crimson, it is our policy to promptly correct errors within our publications. If you find any factual errors, please contact Design Editor Kevin Boodoosingh at kboodoosingh2015@my.fit.edu Here are the corrections for the last issue:

Exhale

When feeling particularly overwhelmed or anxious, try taking 10 deep belly breathes.

This simple tool can help reduce the body’s response to stress.

First, place your hand on your stomach.

You should feel your stomach expand when you inhale, ensuring you are breathing deeply from your diaphragm.

Next, remember to breathe slowly.

To assist you in this, try to remember this technique: “5 second inhale, 5 second hold, 5 second exhale”.

Repeat this as many times as you need to feel calm and relaxed. * To get some more tips and learn about coping with collegiate stress, please join

us at our “How to Cope Like a Panther” event taking place on Wednesday, October 3rd from 7:00-8:30pm in Evans Hall, Room 202.

For a more thorough discussion on managing stress and preparing for both personal and academic success, consider joining us at our Wellness Wednesdays Group that meets from 11:00am-12:00pm at CAPS. If interested, call CAPS (321-674-8050) to schedule a meeting with our Group Coordinator about joining this group!

Success and achievement in college is important, but remember that your own health and well-being is always a top priority.

Don’t let the outcome of one difficult test or essay lead you to forget something very important: maintaining your physical and mental health.

3 OPINION ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

Are you getting enough sleep? ashley letendre \\

social media coordinator College consists of three primary components: eating, sleeping and studying.

Yet for Florida Tech students in particular, the only factors that students care for are eating and studying.

As a technical school, the majority of students here are engineering majors that are related to STEM, which means Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

A recent poll was taken of the Florida Tech population which focused on students’ activities, majors and sleep schedules.

This poll resulted in about 256 responses from students, a majority of the students that took the poll were Freshmen, approximately 59.4%.

However around 70% of the majors that took the poll were STEM, the second most students with majors were Psychology majors at 7.8%.

The third question of the poll asked, “What clubs/ activities are you in?” and the following answers were, Sports team, Club, Work or 2 and more of the above.

About 39.1% of the students answered “Club,” 37.9% answered “2 or more of the above,” 14.5% said “Work” and 8.6% of students answered with “Sports Team”.

An additional question was about how many credits students were taking.

The highest percentage of this question was 32% of students taking 16 credits followed by 30.1% of students taking 17 or more credits.

Most universities usually only allow students to take only 15 credits, yet due to Florida Tech being filled with STEM students and other majors requiring a larger credit load, students usually take more than 15 credits per semester.

The final question of the poll asked students about how many hours of sleep they got each night during the school week.

Around 32.4% of students claimed they got six hours of sleep every night meanwhile 7% said they only got four hours or less of sleep.

For some students, not having enough time in the day is what correlates with lack of sleep.

Mike Foster, a sophomore in Aerospace Engineering, said he is not with his sleep schedule.

“My workload for school usually occupies multiple hours of my evening after school,” Foster said. “This combined with holding a high position in my fraternity and early commitments for work leave me with very little margin for sleep.”

For students in multiple activities, similarly in the poll, there is not much time for them to achieve their prime number of hours to get some rest.

“I usually get about four to five hours of sleep most weeknights, up to seven on a really good day,” Foster said.

Although when students don’t sleep for over four hours, they are more prone to getting sick especially in the Fall when Flu season begins.

One Florida Tech Professor who used to do research on sleep, Mark Harvey, looked at sleep patterns and, “Used Polysomnography: measured brain waves (EEG), movements of facial muscles (e.g., jawline / chin) and eye movements” to study them.

Harvey is currently in the Undergraduate Applied Behavior Analysis Program Coordinator and has experience with this subject.

“Sleep is important for everyone,” Harvey said.

“Teens and college-aged students require slightly greater durations of sleep than older adults. Researchers hypothesize that sleep helps consolidate information learned during the day.”

“Some studies support the hypothesis that certain sleep stages (e.g., REM sleep) are more important than other sleep stages (e.g., stage 1 or 2…known as light sleep) for optimal learning. Some studies in the late 21st century found a correlation between REM sleep and IQ – higher average REM sleep equated to increased IQ scores,” said Harvey.

Additionally, Harvey explained that everyone has their own “sleep needs.”

“Some do well with 6 hours of sleep; most do well with approximately 8 hours of sleep,” he said.

Yet some more advice that Harvey wanted students to know more about was that cramming for tests is not the optimal activity for memorization.

“It is better to get a good night's sleep than “cram” for tests,” he said. “Spaced learning (learning smaller units over an entire semester) is associated with better test performance when compared to late night “cram sessions”.

Cramming sessions that include drugs, including caffeine, further diminish subsequent recall during exams.”

Another piece of advice about sleep activity that Harvey explained was specifically about how to get to sleep faster and feel more rested.

“Avoid alcohol / drugs – while many purport that having a drink helps them fall asleep, sleep quality is affected

by alcohol (i.e., you “fall asleep” but the sleep is not as good as sleep you would get without alcohol),” said Harvey “Drugs to help you sleep should NOT be used long term – drugs also alter sleep patterns affecting sleep quality. Side effects of sleep drugs should be monitored as well as changes in circadian

rhythms. Transient sleep problems should be expected (e.g., change in sleep patterns related to changes in time zones / travel), but long term sleep problems should be investigated (e.g., Insomnia trouble falling asleep, waking and unable to get back to sleep).”

A final word of advice

regarding sleep was for students to limit their screen time.

“In the evenings – light from laptops, televisions, and cell phones affect sleep hygiene.”

Panther may want to power down from high tech to only a human touch at night time.

Napping in between study sessions doesn't count as a "sleep schedule"

Eleanor Mathers // crimson

4

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

CAMPUSLIFE

Student voices needed for timely repairs Christian martinez \\ staff writer

Florida Tech has been around for 60 years, but not all utilities and facilities on campus are as sturdy as the buildings themselves.

Certain utilities that get heavy use, like elevators and air conditioning units, are what get the most maintenance orders on campus.

The specific elevators that were reported broken were in Roberts Hall, Evans Library, Crawford Tower and the parking garage behind the Panther Dining Hall.

Because of their high use, these four different elevators on campus have broken down within the last month.

The elevators in Roberts Hall and Evans Library were quickly repaired after being reported, while Crawford took over a week.

The elevators in Crawford were built by a company that has gone out of business, so Facilities Management is looking to have bids out on new elevators for Crawford within the next few weeks to replace the current installation.

Facilities Management said it is a priority as it is the main utility on campus that gets the most repair requests, with students using it most of the week in large groups to move up the tower’s seven floors.

The equipment tends to be out of service from time-to-time said Dewey Yeatts, Director for Facilities Management at Florida Tech.

Yeatts also said that Facilities Management has a contractor on-call to fix broken elevators and other facilities on campus.

Actions like holding the doors open for long times, overloading the car with too many passengers and overuse are the damaging factors for these machines.

Current facilities on campus has computer software to request a maintenance order if something goes wrong.

But the software cannot catch all faults in the machines. Students can report broken facilities by calling 321-674-8038 or emailing facilities@fit.edu.

As stated by Yeatts, the more repair requests that are put in, the more of an urgent

fix these are seen in Facilities Management and Facilities would rather be flooded with requests than to not have any at all.

“Submit a service request online or report any out of service event to Security on evenings and weekends,” Yeatts recommends so that the facilities can be serviced early or on low-use days.

SGA and the Qualityof-Life Committee have been working with Facilities Management to address this issue and how to empower students to make reporting broken facilities easier.

One suggestion brought up was to have a QR code by the elevators that students can scan to file a pre-made facilities request.

“There are no limitations for what we can do as a student body,” Said Jace Petrowski, SGA President.

Petrowski said students should be informed of issues like these, especially if it affects their day-to-day.

“I thought it was kind of inconvenient,” said Gerardo Rivas-Leal, a freshman studying computer engineering, in reference to an elevator in Roberts Hall being

out-of-order.

This rings more true to other residents of Robert Hall who live on the fourth floor and up, as they have to use the elevator multiple times a day to go out for classes or to eat.

Among the guys in Roberts Hall, it’s a joke where to say that the left-hand elevator will just break on them and they’d have to miss class.

The Roberts’ elevator and the one in Crawford shares the feature of having an expired operation certificate, with the Robert’s Hall elevator being expired since Aug. 1, 2018.

But not all students seem to mind the inconvenience of walking multiple flights of stairs.

Students like Justin Tomlin, 20, computer engineering major, said that even though it’s a hassle, he appreciates the walk.

Some students are used to parking garage elevator being

broken, seeing it as a waste of time to wait and see if it’ll open up compared to just taking the staircase to where they parked their vehicles.

A person in a wheelchair or on crutches need to use the elevator if they have a class not located on the ground floor since the school doesn’t have many access ramps.

A student would greatly benefit knowing if the Crawford elevators were broken, so they could plan accordingly to leave early and not be late to class.

To curb inconveniences, students should report broken elevators and any other problems they see on campus in order to bring attention to the appropriate source.

This not only guarantees the problem is acknowledged, but that it can be solved faster the sooner the request is sent in.

Entering roberts hall elevators can be a roulette for which breaks next Chris Martinez // crimson

Continued from front in the office of student affairs and it has affected me because it is difficult for me to communicate with students when we need to get ahold of them for any reason.”

She said that they still haven’t found a way around the problem and communication with students from their office is struggling because they have to have faculty in the office look up student emails with their school system that isn’t available for students.

Robinson and the IT department are aware that students are now confronted with problems like these and are trying to come up with an alternative solution by making the Google directory available to students in the future.

Right now, they are struggling with FERPA problems that prevent them from publicizing that information.

Some students were not even aware of the existence of a directory at all. Alex Winstead, a Florida Tech senior, was not aware of the existence of the directory.

Winstead said, “I think it would be helpful to get in

touch with specific students, but ultimately it doesn’t bother me that it’s not available because I would want my personal information kept away from the public.

Robinson said, “We haven’t received any backlash for cancelling the directory, but I have had around 5 students reach out to me [about the fact that it had been removed].”

But there are students still unaware of the fact that this application has been shut down.

Hannah Vest, a junior in chemical engineering, said, “I was not aware that it was shut down. As Panhellenic president, it didn’t effect me because I get all of my emails that I need from Cat (Director of Student Activities and Greek Life).”

So while some students were not aware of the problem, others were greatly affected by the cancellation of this application. The IT department is aware of the problem and is trying to find a future solution, but for now students will have to take down emails the old fashioned way, with a pen and a piece of paper.

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

5

6

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

photo compilation // florida tech archives

0 6 Years of Ad Astra Per Scientiam jesse villaverde \\ staff writer

Celebrating 60 Years of Florida Tech The Florida Tech motto “Ad Astra Per Scientiam”, or “To the stars through science”, reflects on the drive of technological and space advances that grew the spirit of the university.

60 years ago, Dr. Jerome Keuper and four his engineering colleagues formed Florida Tech as “Brevard Engineering College”, a night school for NASA’s engineers, or “misslemen.”

This paved the way for the school to form and grow with the space giant that fueled its beginnings, and sparked moments in its history ranging from professional to ludicrous.

The history of Florida Tech is wrapped up in scientific advancements, student shenanigans and successful staff, some of which can be seen at the Student Organizations exhibit in Evans Library, courtesy of the University Archives.

Some faculty members have been a part of Florida Tech since nearly the beginning, such as Director of Athletics Bill Jurgens.

Jurgens has been here for nearly 50 years, starting in 1969 as head coach for the men’s rowing team at age 22.

He eventually became the athletics director in the spring of 1976, and retired as coach in 1988.

During his time as both positions of athletics director and coach, Jurgens “has seen the program grow in many different ways.”

In 1963, Florida Tech started baseball as its first sport, and, according to Jurgens, had well-known professional players such as Andy Seminick and Randy Muns.

In 2000, the Clemente Center was built by a donation from Florida Tech Trustee Mr. Charles Clemente, his wifeand the F.W. Olin Foundation.

“The older gymnasium we had was the older butler-type building,” said Jurgens.

“When they built the Clemente Center, it

was just a spacious area with nice offices and beautiful weight rooms for the students.

It just shows that Florida Tech continues to grow.”

Jurgens also recalls the moment where as a high school student, he used to go to the first building on campus for a youth social activity program and “ended up coming back here because it’s a perfect spot to see the shuttles from the nearby space industry.”

In his tenure as athletics director, as well as when he was a coach, Jurgens has met with many students that are driven by motivation and sportsmanship.

“I have been very fortunate to work with every president at Florida Tech and enjoyed their dedication to everyone,” said Jurgens. “That is what makes Florida Tech special to me.”

“I have always felt appreciated for the work that I did. I feel that I could contribute a lot to the university and as much as I can all the time, and I find that extremely rewarding.” said Jurgens.

Along with Jurgens, some professors have seen the changes throughout the history of Florida Tech.

Dr. Gordon Patterson, a history professor in arts and communications, joined Florida Tech in September of 1981 and had a curiosity of preserving the records of the university.

“When I first came here, I realized that no one assembled the school’s history or kept records,” said Patterson. “Something should have been done.”

Patterson has helped establish the collection of scrapbooks and documents of Dr. Keuper in the library, which was then turned into the Harry Weber Collection in 2010.

The university established the Harry Weber Archives in Evans Library in memory of Professor Emeritus Harry Weber, the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1966.

In addition to the Weber Archives, Patterson, with the help of University Archives and Ad Astra, the marketing organization of Flor-

"When I first came here, I realized that no one assembled the school’s history or kept records,"

Continued from front inclusive for students and local community members alike. “The activities are always nice,” she said.

“I know a lot of people participate in them.”

While students enjoyed the free food, t-shirts, and stickers, frustration mounted as the food and t-shirts ran out.

Doughty said that even though there are perks to including the community, it can take away from the students.

“Chick-fil-A ran out within two minutes,” she said. “We showed up at 6:35, and they were already out.”

Watson expressed similar frustration when she was unable to get a shirt in her size. “I got here at 6:30, but everything was gone.”

Despite running out of food and shirts on Crawford Green, the next part of the evening went off flawlessly, according to Sumner.

At 8 p.m., the fireworks display

began.

As a part of the fireworks display, lights were set up to color the surrounding buildings, and the Florida Tech logo was projected on one of the walls.

A structure made of lights was set up on the lawn to spell out “60th Anniversary.”

Sumner said while they were planning the fireworks demonstration, they discovered a coincidence that made it feel even more perfect for the school’s anniversary.

“We’re told by the family of Jerry Keuper that he loved fireworks,” Sumner said, referring to Florida Tech’s founding president. “He used to have fireworks at his home on his birthday.”

Ryan Capozzi, a grad student new to Florida Tech, said he loved the fireworks, too.

“I’m always interested in fireworks, and it’s cool to see the whole campus kind of lit up in the colors,” he said.

Sumner believed the event was a success because it was fun and different.

“Bottom line, I think people had a good time, and that’s what we really wanted,” he said.

“We wanted something where folks could come out and enjoy the evening.”

Sumner believes events like this are important to the school and that they will help it continue to prosper.

He said events like this help build comradery between the faculty, staff, and students.

"from a night school for misslemen for cape workers to the internationally respected and diverse university that it is today."

“Those kinds of feelings that can be engendered by events like this are very worthwhile,” Sumner said.

As the night came to a close, some students reflected on what the school’s anniversary meant to them.

For Cappozi, it was a time to look to the future.

“I think it’s a good stepping stone,” he said. “The school’s still young as far as school’s go, so there’s plenty of time for it to grow and make a name for itself.”

Doughty said that even though Florida Tech may be newer than many schools, she believes this milestone helps show that gap doesn’t matter.

“I think it’s exciting,” she said. “I think it shows that we’re here to stay.”

Sumner, who has been with Florida Tech for ten years, is excited with how it has grown. He reflected on how Florida Tech has expanded from a night school for cape workers to a diverse university. “I think it’s also an opportunity to look forward,” he said.

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Florida Tech

7

To The Stars Through Science

ida Tech, started the Secret History of Florida Tech collection this summer.

While Florida Tech has both housed guest speakers like Barack Obama and soon to be astronauts like Sunita Williams, it’s also been the setting for thrilling experiences, like a Jimmy Buffett performance in 1985 and a massive streaking event led by students in 1974, both of which are mentioned in the Secret History collection.

“We want to entice students with the fluctuating past of Florida Tech,” said Patterson. “Although we had physical formats such as books, the most effective way for readers was online these days.”

Patterson also loves the overall spirit of the school and its energetic student body.

“The school spirit has been the thread through everyone in the school for the past 50 years and stimulates a ‘can-do’ type of energy,” said Patterson. “It drives everyone to do anything and take a role of a leader with their hearts and minds into place.”

Patterson recalls multiple times where graduated students have come back and reminded him the impact left on their lives.

“At a graduation commencement in the past, when a student gave his commencement address, he mentioned my name as one of three people who made an impact in their life,” said Patterson. “It made me proud that I made a difference on someone’s life.”

Patterson describes himself as a people’s person and enjoys hearing his students succeeding in life.

“As a teacher, I can’t imagine having a better job than one where you can make a long-lasting difference. You can make a difference sometimes in ways that you don’t realize.” said Patterson.

Florida Tech underwent many changes to its infrastructure over the years, such as the addition of the F.W. Olin Foundation buildings as part of the $50 million

grant in 1997 and the million-dollar Crawford Building in December 1968.

Erin Mahaney, the university archivist, has been contributing in collecting historical documents and items from the school over the years.

Mahaney joined Florida Tech in August 2014, and has worked in science archives in the marine research lab.

In the early days of Florida Tech, Dr. Harry Weber, head of electrical engineering in 1966, said that “we were so busy looking ahead that we didn’t look back.”

This brought the formation of the Harry P. Weber University Archives, which tells Florida Tech’s story.

In addition to the archives, the Exhibition Room was first opened in 2014, a subsection room in the library made to visually showcase various documents and artifacts of the school’s history.

“I really love working with the collections and making these archival resources available for research,” said Mahaney.

“That’s the point really; to preserve the historical records and make it available.”

Over 60 years, Florida Tech has grown to offer more than 200 degrees in disciplines ranging from mechanical engineering to communications, and has kept focusing on expanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) core program.

With about one-third of its student body coming from more than 100 countries around the world, Florida Tech has been consistently ranked as a Tier 1 Best National University in U.S. News.

What started out as a 37 cents donation to Dr. Keuper has now sprunged into a comprehensive national research university that is recognized worldwide for its excellence in preparing students for careers of the future.

"Something should be done so that we can look back on how far we've come."

Pleasantly lingering jesse villaverde \\ staff writer

There are a few members of the Florida Tech staff that have lingered on campus for well over 30 years, becoming a part of the history that has molded the institution’s image and influence.

One of those members is Rosary Pedreira, a faculty worker in the mailroom in the Student Union Building.

Born in Puerto Rico on November 11, 1948, Pedreira moved to Florida 22 years later, joining the Florida Tech faculty later in 1987.

“I have met wonderful people here, and had the pleasure of meeting all of the presidents of the school,” said Pedreira. “Such that I had a personal connection with [most of] them.”

Pedreira also worked in the Copy Center for 28 years, starting from 1987, when it was located on the first floor of the Ray A. Work Administration building.

“When I first came here, there were only five buildings on campus and some of the classrooms were in the Annex trailers by ROTC,” said Pedreira.

“The library and Link building were here too, and most of the student administrations were on the second floor of the Ray A. Work building.”

Working for the Copy Center allowed Pedreira to meet much of the faculty and students, including Jacqueline Saunders, her co-worker who joined Florida Tech as a faculty member, later than Pedreira.

They both were notorious as a duo, according to Pedreira, though they split ways a few years later.

She worked in Shipping and Receiving after her job at the copy center, and Saunders worked in the mailroom.

It wasn’t until this year where they both worked in the mailroom simultaneously.

“This is the first time in years where we have worked together,” said Saunders. “And it brings a smile to my face to see an old friend again.”

Although Pedreira and her brother, who lives in Maryland, are the only surviving members in her family, Pedreira was treated like a part of one big family in Florida Tech.

Pedreira said Margie Richardson, faculty of the Academic Support Center, was a very close friend of hers while at Florida Tech.

Richardson retired in 2013 and currently lives in Satellite Beach, according to Pedreira.

“We were together very often such that you often saw us walking together on campus,” said Pedreira.

“She was like a sister to me.”

Currently, Pedreira is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, a medical condition where the lungs tissues are damaged, and has to carry an oxygen tank to work.

“Smoking at a young age was my biggest regret in life,” said Pedreira.

“It hinders my physical health and reduces my chance of living.”

Throughout her time here, Pedreira has seen the faces of many new students, some of which are related to her previous work study students.

“It amazes me to see the children of my fellow work study students come back to Florida Tech all grown up and have families,” said Pedreira. “Cecilia Knoll is a dear colleague of mine where her two daughters graduated her and now his grandson is attending.”

Pedreira also remembers the special guests attended Florida Tech for lectures or small events.

“One time, we had the owner of Wendy’s, Dave Thomas, and his daughter come in and do a lecture on how he started his business,” said Pedreira. “We also had President Obama with his campaign, Bill Nelson, senator of Florida, and Bill Nye. We had interesting people.”

Pedreira is proud of how the school has blossomed into the big dream had by Dr. Keuper and his four engineering colleagues.

“It’s wonderful to work here at Florida Tech and be part of a big community,” said Pedreira. “Though there are still a few of us left from the small family we were, I show pride and honor everywhere I go to show that I am from Florida Tech.”

8

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

REVIEW

Romance of War A Casual Review of ‘Valkyria Chronicles 4’ xiao liang \\ staff writer

I have spent about 15 hours playing the game after its release on Sept. 25.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega, like its prequels, the story is set on the continent of Europa, where the Second Europan War is fought, between the Atlantic Federation and the Eastern Imperial Alliance.

In the game, you play as commander Claude Wallace and his fellow soldiers of Squad E as a part of the 32nd Armored Ranger Corps, your mission was to venture deep into enemy territory and capture the imperial capital, which will possibly end the war.

Unlike many other games within the genre, the game is not about how realistic the war is or how violent the battles were fought.

Like I stated above it is very romantic, and it is what made this game so special.

The romantic aesthetics of the game was made possible by its CANVAS Graphics Engine, which made the entire game looked like it was handdrawn, it is almost like the entire game is an interactive painting.

Gameplay wise, it is quite simple, there are a certain number of actions you can order your soldiers to do, but to effectively use all of them is tricky, the levels were carefully designed for the players to explore the best combination of units, and can be very punishing for those who do not plan wisely.

There are also many other actions you can do outside of missions, such as developing new equipments and train the soldiers, you can also choose to talk to your friends and subordinates to develop new tactics and find out their personal stories.

In addition to that, there is a skirmish mode which allows you to earn extra funds and experiences outside of the story.

My favorite part of the game is that all of your soldiers matter, they each have unique traits and personalities, and they are very memorable.

In fact, if you keep sending a certain group of soldiers on missions, you’ll eventually unlock a special section of the game which allows you to explore further into their personal stories and gain access to special missions.

From the intense combat at the frontline to casual conversations in the base-

valkyria chronicles 4 cover

staff writer

The nun movie poster able to be involved in the storyline.

All three main characters allowed the movie to progress forward at a rapid pace while also leaving room for the terrifying nun to be working in the background the entire time.

photo by // sega

For those who are looking for new games to play, here is a list of upcoming games I recommend looking into:

The Nun

annika sundquist \\ Spooky season is upon us.

Halloween is just around the corner and there are plenty of hair-raising and unsettling movies coming out this season.

In a plan to watch all of the scary movies that come out this year, the first - which I initially saw the trailer for a couple months ago - was The Nun. I was so excited to see it because the trailers and commercials all made it look so horrifying.

This movie was supposed to be terrifying enough to be removed from television commercial rotation, removed from YouTube, and to make people cry. Parents were warned to seriously not take their children to see this movie.

When the experts are called to investigate the suicide of a nun, all I can see are Violet from season one of American Horror Story, Taissa Farmiga, as a young nun who has not taken her vows yet, and Esteban from Weeds, Demián Bichir, the father in charge of cases of the paranormal.

I was expecting to be distracted by their previous roles the entire movie, but to their credit they are both versatile actors and I was still

camp, I love everything about this game, it is not the best game of the world, but it certainly stands out amongst most of the recent releases.

With all that being said, I would strongly recommend this game to those who loves a good story, and people who like strategy games, the game has loads of content, and does not require a high-end setup to play for my friends who play on PC.

photo by // warner bros.

I was expecting the nun to make surprise visits the entire movie that were jump scares and popping up as her spinechilling self, but instead she spent the whole movie playing her long game and messing with the minds of the main characters.

This movie did not disappoint getting right to the thrilling aspects as the first night falls quickly when they arrive at the abbey.

However, the entire time the movie is playing, I am waiting for the really scary story to start happening. This

was a let down because of all the advertisements for how completely alarming this movie was supposed to be for viewers.

There were several jump scares and M. Night Shyamalanesque mind explosion moments, but I was expecting it to be really unbelievably unsettling.

I wanted it to make me afraid to turn off my lights to go to sleep when I get home or to make my friend sit in my lap because she couldn’t handle it and she needed the support.

While that is not the way this movie went, it was still a great storyline.

The Nun started off strong, but soon faded away getting lost in discovering the storyline and driving the plot forward.

For being a part of The Conjuring movie series, it does them justice.

This movie was a great addition to the family and even manages to tie them back in to the main storyline with the Warren family.

This movie was not all it was advertised, but it was still a great way to spend an evening and worth the ticket price.

I highly recommend this movie to all my Halloween lovers and scary movie fans.

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

CAMPUSLIFE study days continued “I just like having some extra time before the exam just to go over everything,” Ringshia said.

Ringshia also tsaid the weariness and exhaustion many students go through at the halfway point.

“I feel like when October starts people start getting tired of studying, so it’s a good thing to have a break in between.” Ringshia said.

Both said they wouldn’t change the outcome of the poll.

Loriza Hasa, a junior in astrophysics, said she is less eager about the preservation

of fall break.

“We need the study days so we can prepare ourselves for the exams,” Hasa said.

“People say you have the weekend, but you also need time to relax since everyone gets stressed. If you don’t have those study days, you don’t know what you’re going to do, study or sleep.”

Hasa voted on the issue, electing to keep the study days.

Originally from Albania, Hasa spoke about the differences between her home country and Florida Tech.

“It’s more important for us to have those two days before

our finals That really affects our final grade,” Hasa said.

“We have Thanksgiving here in America. You don’t need any more breaks in the middle of the semester.”

In hindsight, Hasa said she would once again vote get rid of the fall break in favor of the study days.

Baloga said she is confident in the decision that was reached.

“As both Provost and the Accreditation Liaison for the university, I stand by the decision.” Baloga stated

Reduce, Reuse but what can we Recycle marc kanneh \\ staff writer

Florida Tech has undergone major changes in its recycling process.

“This summer we experienced a crackdown by our debris vendor, Waste Management. They’re reacting to the crackdown China is putting upon us, they’re the ones that purchase our recycling,” Holly Chichester, Head of Grounds at Florida Tech, said, “We had incurred an exorbitant contamination fee.”

Chichester said in response to this, she worked with Dr. Linderman, head of the sustainability program at Florida Tech and ResLife to come up with a solution which

was streamlining the entire process.

Resident Director Alexis Miller said, “As a resident director part of my responsibility is to make sure that my area is upkept pretty well so when we noticed students aren’t recycling properly or aren’t bringing their waste to the proper are we try to help inform them.”

Miller said their goal at the start of the year was to inform students and let them know how to recycle properly.

To combat contamination, the large recycling dumpsters by dorms were replaced with new cardboard only dumpsters.

The outdoor recycling bins were fitted with new covers

with a 6-inch hole and they only accept plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Indoor bins take plastic bottles aluminum cans and sheet paper.

Chichester and Miller both stressed on two mistakes that students were making while recycling. Glass and plastic bags are not recyclable on campus.

“For the most part we have seen significant improvement,” Chichester said, “I’m getting questions directly from students asking about it.”

If you have any questions or ideas about on campus recycling, please feel free to contact Holly Chichester at hchichester@fit.edu

photo courtesy of // Holly Chichester

9

STEM lab moves solely to Shepard seamus burns \\ staff writer`

Starting this school year, STEM education majors will no longer be able to use the lab they had previously been provided by the school.

The lab, located on the other side of the MAC in the academic quad; building 405 room 107, will be changed to be a Chem lab.

The STEM education majors are now located in the Shepard building on the bridge by the library.

The classroom environment is less popular among students, as Senior Katie Maiello said, “I loved being in the lab.

Not only did we have access to computers and more space, but we also had direct access to all the teaching materials we needed for out on the field. Now they are way less accessible.”

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

The STEM education majors specify in teaching these subjects to students learning with english as a second language.

parking continued the cost of parking, it has been relatively the same as they were back when I started,” said Graham. Graham said if students didn’t want to spend the money on a parking decal, they could use the trolley system instead. “If you don’t agree with the parking on campus or the price of the decal you can use the great trolley system we have.”

Graham states that the money from the parking permits help keep the facilities in good shape, such as plumbing, lighting, and other functions throughout all the buildings.

The money from the permits also helps contribute to the funding of new buildings.

“Do you want a beautiful science building, or a place to park your car?” said Graham The only parking problem Graham admits to having here on campus in at Nathan’s College of Business where there are multiple departments in such a small space, however he suggest that you

engineering street parking

The department makes trips to the Palm Bay Magnet High School occasionally to help teach.

Junior, physics and STEM education major, Merrick Lavinsky said, “The lab was a good warehouse for our equipment. It is hard to teach project based instruction without a lot of the materials in front of you.”

From what the students understand, the lab is closing due to lack of wanting to fund the program.

This is disheartening to the STEM education majors that are invested in the program.

“I think it’s super sad to see an amazing school lose the opportunity to create high achieving teachers.” Said Maiello.

Chemistry major Antonio Gentilini said, “I think being a chem major, the curriculum gets really hard and nothing really could have prepared me for how difficult I thought it was going to be, so I appreciate any help the department gets.”

park in the abandoned bank parking lot right next to the college of business.

If you park anywhere besides those two areas you run the risk of being towed.

Graham did have some helpful tips for parking around campus, he suggested that you get to campus early and find a spot to park for the day, in the mornings parking is available all throughout campus.

However, if you find yourself making it to campus later in the day Graham said in all the years the parking garage has been here the top of the garage has never been full; he also says the parking garage is in the center of campus making it easy to access all of your classes.

Although Graham isn’t responsible for coming up with solutions for these problems he does attend any SGA meetings when invited, so if you have any suggestions or concerns about parking you can either talk to Graham to pass on in the meetings or attend the SGA meetings yourself.

Tyler Jones // CRIMSON

10

ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

CAMPUSLIFE/SPORTS 11 ISSUE 4

Pedestrian safety

McKenzie Rafferty hired as new women’s lacrosse head coach marquise lewis \\ staff writer

one site prone to congestion, the wooden bridge is frequented by bikers and long-boarders

Xiao liang \\ staff writer

Bicycles and Skateboards are popular choices among college students to traverse around the campus faster, not only because they save a lot of time, they are also easy to obtain.

However, skateboarders and cyclists can be dangerous to other students, especially in areas that are crowded or confined when students neglect to pay attention.

“I know we have rules here for skaters and cyclists, but I don’t think people know or follow them very well,” said Henry Daniels, a freshman student. “I can’t recall how many times I’ve seen bikes flying pass me from behind, some were nice enough to tell me they were behind me, but most of the times they don’t say anything, and that is scary.”

There were only two records of major bike accidents that were reported to the security office this semester, and no skateboard accidents were found.

Chief Kevin Graham, Director of Security of Flori-

kevin boodoosingh // crimson

da Tech, said that in order to enforce the rules and prevent accidents from happening, the security officers patrolling around campus would stop those who cycle/skate recklessly and issue them tickets if needed.

While there’s no perfect solution to deal with the danger of reckless cyclist and skateboarders, but there are certain ways to improve the situation.

“I don’t think we should limit or stop people from using bicycles or skateboards, but I think making people more aware of the rules would help a lot, and be nice is generally a good tip,” senior David Saldanha said. “People that are moving fast can be impatient about others sometimes, I can understand that but they should still be careful.”

Chief Graham said that he thinks courtesy is contagious.

“If I treat you with courtesy, you’ll also treat me back with courtesy, and that can be little things like giving the right of ways to people on bikes or giving people a heads up before getting around them,” Graham said.

OCTOBER 2

Bill Jurgens, Florida Tech Athletic Director, announced the hiring of McKenzie Rafferty as the new women’s lacrosse head coach. Rafferty becomes the second head coach in program history.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to take the program to new heights,” Rafferty said.

Rafferty was a former assistant coach at Regis University for the past two years, helping the Rangers to two back to back trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

In her first season with the Rangers, Rafferty helped the team reach their best overall record in program history with a 17-3 record. Ended their season ranked No. 9 in the nation.

In her second and final season with the Rangers, Rafferty again helped the team to another great season with a 17-5 overall record.

The team went into the NCAA Tournament semifinals which is the first time in women’s Regis University’s lacrosse history.

Rafferty said the transition from her past program to this program is settling in quick thanks to the team and the administrative staff.

“We’ve welcomed her with open arms! She’s very relatable to us and has already brought a lot of different drills into practice,” said Cristina Marani, a senior attacker for the Panthers.

The team has already kicked off their training, practice programs and meetings to set their goals on and off the field.

Rafferty said that the interest to the Crimson and

Gray head coaching job came down to the opportunity to coach on the east coast due to being a Philadelphia native as well as the chance to coach players who are playing for a nationally known program and are obtaining an exceptional education.

The prowl continues with a new sheriff in charge.

“Our goal is to play with intensity and passion every time we take the field.”

Rafferty said.

The last two seasons, the Panthers have had two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Coach Rafferty and the players are looking to exceed past that point.

“I think our team has a lot of drive to reach the goals we all have set as a team,” said Bayleigh Keator, a sophomore defender for Florida Tech.

“With a new coach to give us new insight, hopefully we can accomplish that.”

rafferty ready for the upcoming lax season.

marquise lewis // crimson

midfielder luca campanini lines up his shot for a penalty kick.

photo by // matthew lanoue

Ups and downs for Florida Tech Soccer marc kanneh \\ staff writer

Florida Tech’s men's soccer team defeated Eckerd but lost to Nova Southeastern in a lopsided week.

The Panthers played the Eckerd College Tritons on Saturday, Sep. 22, ending in a 4-2 win for the Panthers.

The Panthers quickly kept the pressure on the tritons to begin the match.

After being awarded a penalty, senior forward Luca Campanini scored the first goal of the game in the first five minutes..

Junior forward Per Henrik Nag gave the Panthers their second goal close to the end of the first half.

With five minutes left in the first half fireworks erupted from the nearby Florida Tech

Founders Day celebrations.

The Tritons made a second half comeback with goals from Francisco Anaya and Agustin Pertusso.

The Panthers broke the draw with a goal by junior forward Guillermo Segovia Marcos assisted by graduate forward Solomon Wheatley.

Once again Segovia Marcos, assisted by Campanini would score a goal for the Panthers, cementing the victory.

“It was scrappy today,” Head Coach Robin Chan said, “Sometimes you’ve just got to grind out results and we did.”

Chan praised his players for being able to bring back the game after giving the Tritons a chance to come back.

Chan said, “We’re still

learning more about each other. A lot of new faces, still understanding how we react in different situations as a group.”

The Panthers would go on to lose 0-1 to Nova Southeastern University on Sept. 26.

12 SPORTS ISSUE 4

OCTOBER 2

The Panthers Pounce Back After First Loss

Starting quarterback Trent Chmelik (right) and running back John Padgett (left) look towards their coaches on the sideline against Delta State. photo by // matthew lanoue

A blocked kick ensures the win for Florida Tech

david thompson \\ managing editor

Coming off their first loss of the season against West Georgia on Sept.

22, the Panthers narrowly defeated the Wingate Bulldogs 26-23 a week later.

Trailing 24-17, the Bulldogs marched 75 yards down the field and scored on a 16-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver J.T. Stokes.

Wingate now only trailed by one point, 24-23, and all they needed was to successfully make the PAT to tie up with the Panthers.

When the ball snapped, Florida Tech defensive back, Tryone Cromwell, got around the right side of the line and blocked the Bulldog kick.

Safety John McClure scooped up the ball and ran it back to the endzone, adding two points for the Panthers and solidifying the victory.

Florida Tech now stands at 4-1 overall and 3-0 in non-conference regional play. In a press release from the Florida Tech Athletics department, Head Coach Steve Englehart said it was “a heck of a game.”

“I'm proud of our guys,” Englehart said. “Proud of how they played, especially at the end of the game.”

Before the exciting finish, the game started slow for both teams. They were scoreless after the first quarter.

The first scoring play happened early in the second quarter after the Panthers offense was given nice field position because of McClure interception that he ran back 13 yards to the Wingate 15 yard line.

On the following play starting quarterback, Brent Chmelik found tight end Max Linder for a touchdown.

The Bulldogs answered just over three minutes later with a 23-yard running touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.

Wingate kicked in a 20-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the first have to give the Bulldogs a three point advantage at halftime.

After over 13 scoreless minutes into the third quarter, wide receiver Romell Guerrier scored a

69-yard receiving touchdown to put the Panthers up 14-10.

Wingate quickly answered with a running touchdown from Nijere Peoples, giving the Bulldogs a three point lead heading in to the fourth.

Gurrier scored his second touchdown of the game during the next possession. Now the Panthers led 21-17 with a little of 14 minutes to play in the game.

Coach Englehart said Gurrier’s first touchdown really changed they game for them.

“Romell [Gurrier] just made play after play for us today," Englehart said.

"He turned a simple play that should have been a six or seven-yard gain and he spun back and outran everyone up the sideline for the touchdown.”

With 5:47 left in the game, Florida Tech kicker, Trey Schaneville, knocked in a 20-yard field goal to give the Panthers a seven point cushion.

This lead to the aforementioned Wingate touchdown and PAT block and return by the Panthers to

Cross Country places top 10 at Mountain Dew Invitational david thompson \\ managing editor

On Saturday, Sept. 22 the Panthers traveled Gainesville for the annual Mountain Dew Invitational. The men’s team finished in 9th place in the 8K race and the women's team placed 10th.

Junior runner, Malte Stockhausen, was the first Panther to finish the 8k with a time of 26:41.48 despite battling an injury (iliotibial band friction syndrome).

“I took the week before the race off,” Stockhausen said. “I was afraid it would negatively affect my performance, but instead I ran a personal record.”

He placed 26th out of 113 runners competing in the 8k race.

“The first half of the race was a little faster than the second one, but this was mainly due to the field going out very fast,” Stockhausen said.

Junior athlete, Joseph Berg, finished four spots behind Stockhausen with a time of 26:46.95.

Followed by freshman Alexander Bugielski and junior Lucas Harbour who finished with times of 27:05.49

and and 28:02.51, respectively.

For the women's team, junior runner Genevieve Lucas led the Panthers, finishing the 8k in 19:12.24 placing her 27th among the 138 female competitors.

Sophomore Lia Hanus finished in 53rd place with a time of 20:11.21.

Volunteer assistant coach, Matthew Pogorelec, said the team’s performance was a significant step from where they were two weeks earlier at the Florida Tech Invitational.

“The training is built in a way that they’re only going to get better,” Pogorelec said. “There’s still a ways to go before either team is where they have the potential to be but they’re moving in the right direction.”

Stockhausen said he agreed with Pogorelec that the team has improved a lot since the Florida Tech Invitational.

“Five [runners], including me, ran personal records despite a hard course,” Stockhausen said. “This is a great motivational boost and makes everyone confident.”

The University of Florida welcomed nearly 30 collegiate teams

give them the 26-23 victory over the Bulldogs.

The Panthers defense played well, totaling 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one interception, four pass breakups and the game-clinching blocked kick and return.

Coach Englehart said his defense was able to put a lot of pressure of the Bulldog quarterback.

"We really got to him quite a bit,” Englehart said. “The pressure wasn't just coming from the defensive line but also blitzing linebackers.”

Redshirt senior, Adonis Davis, made history Saturday night. His one sack in the third quarter was the 19th of his career, vaulting him past J.J. Sanders who had previously held the record with 18 career sacks.

Chmelik had a career night, throwing for a career-high 273 yards and three touchdowns.

The Panthers return home this Saturday, Oct. 6 to take on Gulf South Conference opponent, Mississippi State, at 7 p.m.

The men's cross country team gets ready for the race to start at the Florida Tech Invitational on Sept. 8. to compete in the Mountain Dew Invitational, according to University of Florida’s athletic department.

Florida State University, University of Florida and University of Miami all competed in the invitational.

Stockhausen said competing against strong Division I schools really makes you push yourself.

He also said that going to

photo by // matthew lanoue

Gainsville is a great experience.

“Traveling is great for team bonding and there’s a lot of fun involved,” Stockhausen said. “Besides, hotel beds are way more comfortable than the ones in Harris [Village].”

The Panthers will next compete in the Disney Classic on Oct. 5 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.