SGA senate discussing the impeachment of their current president during Wednesday, Oct. 11 meeting. Photo by Mary Kozaitis // Crimson // ELEANOR MATHERS MANAGING EDITOR Formal charges have been presented against Daniel Ata, Student Government Association’s president, in favor of impeachment. Senator, Quinn Duffy, head of the Academic Committee (one of the several committees in the organization that handle different responsibilities and requests across campus) and a senior in civil engineering, drafted a document of
impeachment Sept. 30 and presented it at the Oct. 11 student senate meeting. The charges passed with a two-thirds vote from the student senate, which is required in order to present a case to the judicial branch of SGA. Ata was charged with gross negligence in office of six counts and for violation of the student handbook of one count. The violation of the student handbook charge is “distribution and supervision of alcohol
consumption to a person under 21 years of age” and the gross negligence in office charges are “breaking the Student Government Constitution of three counts, abuse of presidential power of two counts, and violation of the SAFC document of one count.” Within the SGA Code of Laws, the impeachment procedure requires a formal consideration of charges to be initiated during a senate meeting where “precisely worded charges” will be formulated against the
accused. The charges will then need to be conferred on by two-thirds vote of the student senate and these will be submitted in writing to both the student court and the accused within three days after being conferred. The student senate will choose a prosecutor and “an impeachment hearing will be held by the student court no later than two weeks after charges are conferred” and the CONTINUED ON 4
Student town hall influences change
SGA treasurer, Victoria Pavsic, asking president McCay questions during the townhall meeting on Oct. 12. Photo by Ebube Ubochi // Crimson //AUDREY GANGLOFF COPY EDITOR The space was reduced to standing-room only as students waited in anticipation for their chance to go one-on-one with the guy in charge of orchestrating Florida Tech’s future. A meeting that began as quiet and pedantic evolved into an open discussion about student concerns, dotted with moments of relaxed laughter as students warmed to the good-natured, sarcastic persona that is Florida Tech's President, T. Dwayne McCay. McCay began the session with a brief introduction about recent improvements
in the university’s standing, with Florida Tech now ranked as the 151st Best National University by U.S. News and World Report. Our 20 spot leap is the biggest year-to-year improvement by a single school in the last decade. McCay said the strategic goals of the university are to be ranked in the top 100 of all doctoral schools in the U.S. and to be a top 50 engineering school. “The truth is, we are already in terms of quality,” McCay said. “We just gotta get a little more credit for being as good as we are.” Notable changes that McCay believes will help move our university toward those goals include first and foremost, a new
research laboratory building in the Olin Engineering complex, more full academic scholarships being offered to attract top students and the possibility of introducing a tenure system for professors. “I think our biggest issue right now is aging infrastructure,” McCay said. “The number one goal is for you to have the machines and the computers, and the things in your laboratories and in your writing areas that you need to get the quality of education that will make you the best student there is.” The overall strategic plan for the university seems to be to improve the quality of facilities and then create systems to attract the best “cream of the crop”
students and faculty in order to boost our university up to a dominating engineering school. Part of this plan involves a five-year plan to slowly decrease the number of full athletic scholarships available for athletes from 150 to 109. These scholarships are currently distributed among 230 student-athletes, resulting in scholarship recipients in total paying about 6-7 percent of the tuition that would have been collected originally. In light of the lack of strong support that the student body as a whole has for Florida Tech athletics, McCay said 150 full athletic CONTINUED ON 6
The Florida Tech Crimson
Petition to impeach SGA president
Issue 5 October 17 Fall 2017
ISSUE 5
OCTOBER 17
Satirical Section:
// DOUG SCHOELLER COPY EDITOR
Student’s body requiring food becoming a burden on budget In an interview with reporters, business student Devin Matthews discussed
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OPINION real fake news Fake News Inspired by Real Events
that his body requiring a continuous amount of food was “taking a toll on his budget.” “I don’t understand, it just keeps needing food every couple of hours and I have to keep spending money to keep it satisfied,” he explained. “And what does it do with it? By the next day it’s used up, the
nutrition is taken away, and the value of the food diminishes exactly 100%. It’s the most inefficient investment I make three times a day.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture and basic facts of existing, nutrients in food are required to sustain life. “That blows,” said
Matthews. “If I didn’t have to spend on food, I wouldn’t even need a high-income job to live luxuriously.” “I was looking at my payments over the last month and aside from rent, food is responsible for my largest bill. I’m trying to be more responsible with my money but it seems I can’t make a cut on the thing
that sustains my existence,” Matthews went on to say. At press time, Matthews says he’ll be looking into not buying a textbook for a class as the next available option to save money. He says paying for rent and food will continue to be his primary motivations for getting a job in the future.
First all-women's club team // ANNIKA SUNDQUIST STAFF WRITER Erin Casellas, a sophomore at Florida Tech, has started the all women's Ultimate Frisbee Team on the FIT campus. She has loved ultimate frisbee since she started playing her sophomore year of high school. She was her high school's team captain for two years, so when she came to Florida Tech in 2016 as a freshman, she was happy to join the existing team, even though she was the only girl. She took it upon herself to sit down with the team captains and the coach to tell them she could feel that something was missing. While she didn’t mind being the only girl member on the team, after meeting with other members, they determined a woman’s team was possible. "It will create a healthy competition between the two teams [male
and female], but more importantly a greater community that will attract more players,” Casella said. “Hopefully this club will set the tone for other club sports becoming more open to having both men and women players and women looking to get involved in club sports will be more confident in joining.” The men’s ultimate Frisbee team was established at Florida Tech in 2002 and have steadily gained players and diverse talent since their inception. They have had women play for the team since it began, but never attempted to have a team of all women. Even though Casellas has just started the team, they already have 11 confirmed members and even more women interested. They are the only all-women’s team on campus. “Although there are some societies exclusively for women, such as
the Society for Women Engineers and varsity women's sports teams, the FIT Women's Ultimate Frisbee Club creates a different kind of place for any woman at FIT,” Casellas said. “Being a part of a club sports team is entirely different. This club creates a positive environment for women to learn the game of ultimate, meet new people and stay active.” Casellas explains ultimate frisbee is a sport that is quickly growing all over the US and the world. She says one of the most important aspects of the sport is gender equality. It is one of the few sports where women's games get a similar amount of media coverage as men, as well as regional developmental programs dedicated to women. Many leagues and ultimate organizations have mixed gender teams, including the US National Pro Team. Last year was the
first year Florida Tech had enough people on the ultimate team to have a competitive and a developmental team and Casellas was determined to do more. “The other three captains, e-board members and two coaches have all come together to support me in starting this team, helping me recruit women, run practices and get the team off the ground,” Casellas said. “I'm beyond excited to captain this team and so happy that others have shown interest. I've
fallen in love with the sport of ultimate and really hope that I can share that with others and they will too!” The Women's Ultimate Frisbee team has joined practices with the men’s team on Tuesday evenings at 6:15 p.m. at Southgate Fields, Wednesdays evenings 8-10 p.m. at Palm Bay Regional Park and Sundays from 9:45 a.m. -1 p.m. at Southgate. The ultimate team plays pickup games every Friday at 5 p.m. at Southgate Fields and the club extends an open invitation to anyone interested in playing.
Photo by Florida Tech Ultimate
Mary Kozaitis Editor-In-Chief mkozaitis2014@my.fit.edu
Ted Petersen Advisor tpetersen@fit.edu
Eleanor Mathers Managing Editor lmathers2014@my.fit.edu
Doug Schoeller Copy Editor dschoeller2013@my.fit.edu
Audrey Gangloff Copy Editor agangloff2013@my.fit.edu
Annika Sundquist Sports Editor asundquist2014@my.fit.edu
Abeer Janakat Design Editor ajanakat2013@my.fit.edu
Nathaniel Ashton Photo Editor nashton2015@my.fit.edu
Elin Svensson Business Manager esvensson2013@my.fit.edu
Lindsay Isaac Social Media Coordinator lisaac2015@my.fit.edu
Sean Moroney Distribution Manager smoroney2014@my.fit.edu
The Florida Tech Crimson is a student-run newspaper published every two weeks during the academic year, with the exception of breaks and holidays, by the students of Florida Institute of Technology. General circulation of the paper is approximately 1,000 copies per issue. The Florida Tech Crimson is a service for Florida Tech students, staff, faculty, alumni and the general public. The Florida Tech Crimson strives to inform the public and to use its editorial sections as open forum for debate on campus issues. The Florida Tech Crimson welcomes input and opinion pieces submitted by students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Florida Institute of Technology. Published letters may be edited without notification for length, libel, good taste or other reasons at the discretion of our staff. The opinions expressed herein The Florida Tech Crimson and our website do not necessarily represent the student body, staff, faculty, alumni or Florida Institute of Technology or its partners. Images and stories submitter to The Florida Tech Crimson and their derivative works become the intellectual property of the Florida Tech Crimsons. Depicted works of art and or product may be subject to copyright to their respective owners. Advertisers may contact the Florida Tech Crimson for sizes and pricing at crimson@fit.edu. All contents copyright The Florida Tech Crimson unless otherwise notedp. All rights reserved. No part of the Florida Tech Crimson may be reprinted without the written consent of the Editor-In-Chief. The Florida Tech Crimson is always looking for new writers, columnists, photographers and designers. Contact us at crimson@fit.edu for more information.
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OCTOBER 17
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OCTOBER 17
STUDENT LIFE
Cyberbullying // Lisa Stewart, M.S. & Gabriela Gonzalez, M.S. Outreach Coordinators (CAPS) Has someone ever passed an embarrassing picture around of you on social media? Have you ever been the target of an anonymous user that is making fun of you? Ever gotten in a heated argument on a message board? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone! In fact it is estimated 22 percent of college students have been victims of cyberbullying, while 15 percent have reported being victims of traditional bullying. There are various types of cyberbullying and college students can be victims of multiple types at a single time. Here’s a list of the most common forms of cyberbullying that college students may experience:
Flaming usually occurs on message boards and entails a group of bullies attacking an individual for their views or comments. These attacks often include harsh images, cruel language and even threats. Exclusion happens when a bully singles out an individual, leaving them out from chats or ignoring them on message boards. Cyberstalking involves one or more bullies gathering as much information as possible about a single person, following them around social media and potentially crossing the line to physical stalking. Outing is when bullies maliciously release private
information about someone, usually with the intent to embarrass or humiliate the person. The outing may take the form of a video or screenshot, pictures and rumors about someone’s personal life. Masquerading happens when a bully created a fake identity in order to harass someone anonymously, or impersonates someone else, such as pretending to be a significant other. The bully may even masquerade as the victim themselves, creating a negative image or reputation for the victim. We all interact through social media. This means we are all vulnerable to cyberbullying. However, if you notice any bullying
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behaviors going on… STAND UP. Save the evidence. Talk it out. Always report their actions. Never retaliate. Delete and block them from social media. Use available resources: contact the school or law enforcement. Protect your profile by customizing your privacy settings so that your information is secure.
Want to know more?
ALL panthers are invited to attend the event #PanthersStandUp, being held Thursday, Oct. 26 from 7-8:30 p.m. in Evans Hall, Room 202. We will join forces to discuss solutions and tips on how to combat cyberbullying in our campus!
Petition to impeach SGA president (cont.) CONTINUED FROM FRONT The senate voted to appoint Duffy as the prosecutor for the case. “I believe it was because of my passion for student leadership and neutrality since I’m new to SGA,” Duffy said. He also said that he believes the decision was based on the fact that he does not have anything to gain from Daniel’s impeachment because he cannot become president and cannot have an influence on who becomes president. According to Article V Sec. 6 of the SGA Constitution, “if the office of President shall become vacant, the Vice President shall assume the office of the President.” Ata said he has felt blindsided by these events because he was only told of the charges after the SGA general meeting (which
takes place before the senate meeting) and then asked not to be present during the procedure. “There’s no regulations on if someone has to be notified about the charges beforehand and whether they’re allowed to be in the meeting,” Ata said. “But the meeting was completely one sided, led by Quinn Duffy and I was not given a chance to defend myself or correct anything that was falsely charged.” Ata also feels that this will harm SGA’s internal relationships and affect the way the student body views their organization. However, some students feel as if SGA will progress just as well as it has been. “There will be some communication problems between the boards of the school and the student council, I suspect, but I believe they’ll be fine,” Maxime Verachtert, a junior in chemical
engineering, said. “There are some great people on the executive board, like the Vice President [Rebecca Candelaria] and the Treasurer [Victoria Pavsic], who can manage the organization just as well.” Verachtert also believes that although the negligence charges may be warranted in some cases, Daniel is a passionate leader. “He has a hard time listening, so I understand why some of the negligence charges were brought against him, but when he gets passionate about something, he gets things done in order to achieve a goal,” Verachtert said. “He got his presidency without any serious competition, but at least he took the job and tried leading in his own way.” Alexis Miller, a graduate student in interdisciplinary sciences, attended the Senate meeting and was understanding of the
procedure to keep Ata out of the meeting, but believes there should be amended procedures. “I understand both sides because there is an emotional side to things that a person wants to bring up and defend themselves, but you run the risk of undermining the procedure in order to keep professionalism,” Miller said. “There could be the option of giving the prosecution a chance to bring the charges up and their reasoning and then giving the accused time to defend themselves, almost like a talking stick and afterward the accused leave so they don’t influence the votes by being there.” Duffy says SGA has been planning on developing a new constitution and code of law documents, so procedures and document templates are more accurately covered and represented, so situations
like this are clearly outlined in order to provide clarity where the current documents are lacking. Ata says that although he will plead guilty for the violation of the student handbook, the grievances of negligence were never brought to him before the proposition of impeachment and he feels they’re unwarranted. “I feel like I'm an approachable person. If someone has a problem with me, I will talk to them,” Ata said. “None of what they're accusing me of was ever brought to my attention.” Ata is looking into pushing for a revote on the charges in order for him to have a chance to bring his side of the argument to the senate. More information will be released after the deciding factor of the hearing, the date of which has not yet been released.
If students have concerns, they can meet with an SGA member during their office hours. Photo by Eleanor Mathers // Crimson
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Nine-figure grant comes to Florida Tech // MARY KOZAITIS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Siemens has given Florida Tech a product lifecycle management (PLM) software that values more than $246 million for commercial value. The grant, which was formally announced at an event held in the Hartley Room on Oct. 5, provides for a software used by more than 75 Florida companies and 140,000 companies in the global manufacturing industry. Northrop Grumman, who had representatives at the event, is a fan of the software and is offering Grumman engineers to mentor students. It allows students to model, simulate, design, engineer and make equipment. Since it is used by local companies, it makes Florida Tech students more
Students Vincent Besompes and Benjamin Buisson used Siemen’s software to analyze the vibrational modes of unmanned aerial vehicles for their senior design project. Photo by Florida Tech Marketing and Communication qualified for certain careers over other students. “I wish I had the technology they had when I graduated,” said Florida Tech Alum and current Northrop Grumman Vice
President, Jeff Grant, who attended the announcement event along with President McCay. Thirty-five percent of Florida Tech graduates stay in Melbourne. This
technology is likely to increase that amount and be advantageous to the community. This type of hands-on learning is expected to better equip students working in a variety
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of STEM fields. “Lots of students can say they understand 3-D printing, but students need to know more about it, not just monitor it,” Tony Hemmelgarn, President and CEO of Siemens PLM Software, said. “Engineers can be more valuable because of it. It is an additive that takes them to the next level.” Michael Grieves, Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design (CAMID) executive director and professor, explained that this is a transformational gift that will change the lives of students. The software plans will be incorporated into coursework across the university for both undergraduates and graduates. He said that it is likely to be one of the greatest engineering marvels built in history and we are lucky to have a huge role in it.
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Mastadon bones found on campus in Florida Tech’s botanical garden
The Melbourne mammoth is mounted next to an Irish Elk (extinct and from Ireland) and a mastodon, which Johnson said looks like a flat-backed mammoth. Photo by Dr. Kirk Johnson // Director of of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
// LINDSAY ISAAC SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Over 12,000 years ago, mastodons and mammoths used to roam what is now Florida Tech’s botanical garden. This lush landscape — also known as the Jungle — was the site where American paleontologist Frederick B. Loomis uncovered fossils belonging to these extinct animals in the 1920s. Melbourne’s rich paleontological history makes the city a perfect home for Dr. Gordon Patterson — Florida Tech professor and history buff. Patterson has always
been interested in fossils. Years ago he spent part of spring break prowling through the botanical garden and the tributaries of Crane Creek looking for the location where Loomis worked. “There is a lateral feed to the creek running north underneath the two bridges of the Shepherd Building, which I explored,” Patterson said. “I found evidence of the railroad that ran through campus in the early 20th century — Union Cypress Railroad. I was looking for mastodon bones.” According to Patterson, a spear point found in one
of the mastodon bones excavated during the 20s stirred controversy and intrigue in the area. “That raised the question of the role of human beings in the mass extinction of the large herbivores,” he said. “The debate continues.” Patterson remembers a time when Bob Gross, a graduate of Melbourne High who went on to study archaeology at University of Florida, showed him a mastodon tooth that Gross had pulled out of Crane Creek. “For a while, I would take my students to the Jungle and we would
screen the sediment in the tributaries of Crane Creek running through the Jungle for fossils,” Patterson said. “We had quite good luck with raccoons and other small animals.” Most fossils found in the Melbourne area have been divided among the Smithsonian, the Beneski Natural History Museum at Amherst and the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Dr. Kirk Johnson, the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (SNMNH), is especially interested in the city’s fossil record.
“Frederick Loomis was an Amherst professor and James Gidley [who worked alongside Loomis during excavations in Melbourne] was a Smithsonian paleontologist. Since I went to Amherst and now run Gidley's museum, the Melbourne connection is of great interest to me,” Johnson said. According to Johnson, Florida has an amazing fossil record and much of it has to do with the ice ages when sea level varied quite a bit. In fact, Florida Tech’s botanical garden isn’t the only place where fossils have been found in Melbourne. In the 1920s, archaeologists found human and extinct animal bones at the site of the current Crane Creek Reserve golf course off U.S. 192 in Melbourne. Johnson said the site seems to be around 12,000 year old. “The fossils from the Melbourne golf course include a whole suite of ice age characters including mammoth, mastodon, ground sloths, bears, dire wolves, saber-tooth cats, horses, camels, deer, tapir, giant armadillos, peccaries, bison, beavers and even squirrels,” he said. “The entire cast of the ICE AGE movie was found at the site on the golf course at Melbourne.
Student Town Hall Influences Change (Cont.) CONTINUED FROM FRONT scholarships are more than a school our size can afford. Only four full-ride academic scholarships were available to non-athlete students this past year. The cost of the 41 fullride athletic scholarships detracted from the athletic department will be offered instead as a monetarily equivalent 60 academic scholarships to attract more strong, non-athlete applicants. Despite the changes in budget size for the department, McCay said that right now no sports were being cut. Tenure was also a
hot-button topic. Student concerns revolved around misconceptions that tenured professors may be able to take advantage of their position to get away with bad teaching without fear of oversight or discipline. The reality of tenure is that we are the only school in the top 200 that does not have it and our university is in a unique position to put a system in place that is detailed to the needs of both students and teachers. McCay said he is a proponent of tenure, but his only goal right now is to educate students and faculty about what it would mean for our university. Professors would not
be able to fail in their responsibility to properly educate without impunity and it is likely that every professor would not be on a tenure track anyway. The purpose of tenure would be to attract faculty that would not consider a position without tenure, as they are often the best of the best in their fields. These types of faculty members would continue to improve our standings as a research university. It was clear as questions returned again and again to certain topics that students cared most about issues regarding budgetary allocations to their departments and improved
quality of their education, but McCay was also questioned about safety and meal plan problems. One student had the problem of being required to pay for an on-campus meal plan as a freshman, but always being off-campus for academic commitments. Another, an RA, had the opposite problem of always being required to be on campus, but was not supplied with sufficient ‘swipes’ at campus dining facilities throughout the day to stay fed. McCay showed himself to be understanding and reactive to these issues, immediately considering changes to meal plan
policies in order to accommodate for these student’s struggles. A common safety concern expressed by several students was jaywalkers across Babcock Street and if there is a plan for a bridge to be installed for student’s use. McCay confirmed that there is a plan in the works, but it is being stalled by red-tape bureaucracy. He is dealing with issues of getting approval from different state, county and city agencies, as well as disability access requirements. A long, very low grade ramp or an elevator would have to be included to provide wheelchair access. Both options would significantly increase the cost of the project.
STUDENT LIFE
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Survey shows student support for food vendors on campus
// ASHLEY LETENDRE CONTRIBUTING WRITER Florida Tech features a variety of different foods at its on-campus dining services. However, the one thing this campus does not feature is food vendors. Panther Dining Hall offers a large amount of food held buffet style for students and the SUB has food that ranges from soups to sandwiches. However, the most notable distinction between Florida Tech and other universitie's food
systems is the lack of official food vendors. Larger universities and campuses across the U.S. accommodate to a bigger crowd of students. Due to the number of students, they offer a diverse selection of food from their own dining halls and local or commercial vendors. Some campuses, for example Virginia Tech and Florida State University, offer vendors like Au Bon Pain and Tropical Smoothie on campus. SGA’s Quality of Life
Department Head, Baylee Keener, said, “I think students are open to the possibility of outsourced food vendors on campus. I think they’re actually welcome to it. I’m not sure how open faculty would be. Although other schools across the country do it. From large scale schools to small scale schools and even the outside vendors accept their version of payment method. For example, flex cash or panther cash for money.” She also said that if any
students are interested in the idea, they can ask SGA about the possibility of having vendors on campus. A fellow FIT student, sophomore, Isaac Cook, added his opinion in reference to having a food vendor on campus. Cook explained, “I feel like it opens up more options than the current three and would be really beneficial to everyone on campus.” Students on campus had the chance to participate in a Crimson survey to share their voice on this particular
Find yourself twiddling your thumbs during the week? WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU TO DO. Join The Crimson on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the back of Grissom Hall to snag a story and a slice of pizza.
subject. About 92.5 percent said ”yes” about having a food vendor on campus. Then, 76.9 percent added that they would be willing to pay for a food vendor. As a choice on what vendor they would be interested in, 47.5 percent of students said they wanted a Chickfil-a and 15 percent of students said they wanted a Subway. About 40 students participated in the survey and the majority of them were interested in having the possibility of a food vendor on campus.
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CAMPUS LIFE
Interactive Hmong textile and photo exhibit opens at Ruth Funk Center
The exhibit features photographs of contemporary Hmong women and children in traditional dress by local artist, Peter Kastan. Photo By Lindsay Isaac // LINDSAY ISAAC SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR A few stray dots are placed well-outside of the world map that is adhered to a wall in Florida Tech’s Ruth Funk Center. As visitors leave the center’s newly opened exhibit, Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles in America, they are asked to stick two different colored dots on the map — one for where they are from and one for where they are going."We've already gotten a lot of responses so far," Keidra Navaroli said, curator of the Ruth Funk Center. “But I don't know what people meant when they put those dots there — maybe they want to be astronauts,” she said with a smile. To Navaroli, the stray dots and other visitor contributions are part of what makes this interactive exhibit real and intriguing. “With this show, we've integrated activities from beginning to end,” she said. “Ideally, where you start might be altered by the time you end, as you learn about the Hmong, their culture and essentially input your own personal stories of travel, immigration and culture as you go from
gallery to gallery.” The exhibit, which will remain on display until Dec. 16., features 28 Hmong flower cloths and embroidered story cloths
are literally raffling each of the photos off between now and the end of the show.” The exhibit focuses on themes of diversity, immigration, travel and culture, because the Hmong
Vietnam, Laos and Thailand because of war, political conflict and pressure to assimilate. According to Navaroli, the biggest impact on the culture happened after
The interactive endpoint activity at the Ruth Funk Center’s new exhibit— Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles in America.
Photo By Lindsay Isaac
and is supplemented by a photo exhibit. The photographs of contemporary Hmong women and children in traditional dress are from local artist Peter Kastan. “We are actually doing regular raffles for the photos,” Navaroli said. “Throughout the exhibition, people can buy a raffle ticket at the front desk, and were
are a diaspora community — which means that they’re essentially displaced. “Their name ‘Hmong’ literally translates to ‘free people,’ and the way they asserted that independence was in what they wore,” Navaroli said. The Hmong originated in China and gradually moved into southern China,
the Vietnam War. “The experience left the Hmong destitute as a people, but the women continued needlework in the refugee camps,” Navaroli said. “Someone encouraged the women to sell their needlework, and that began an economy for the people.” The Hmong flower and story cloths depict these experience and the group’s
ethnic identity through color and symbolism. “You'll see a triangular border in so many pieces, because it is supposed to symbolize mountains and teeth — things to protect the textile,” Navaroli said, pointing to a vibrantly colored flower cloth. The Ruth Funk Center’s galleries have been painted blue and green for the exhibit. “The Hmong culture is very colorful, so we wanted to make sure the galleries reflected that,” Navaroli said. In addition to the new Hmong exhibit, the center is celebrating the birthday of late benefactor, Ruth E. Funk, with a large-scale book giveaway. There will also be a collaborative event on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in the Hartley room, where Florida Tech professor, Wanfa Zhang, will speak about the commercialization of Hmong — called “Miao” in China — and their art and culture in the province of Guizhou, China. The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
Life and death are represented in the exhibit through funerary textiles — a funeral coat, left, and funeral square, center — and a baby carrier, right. The baby carrier would have been made by an older person for a child, while the funeral coat and funeral square would have been made by a child for her parents for the after life. These textiles were meant to show family affiliation, or in the case of the funeral cloth with the really intricate maze pattern, to be a wayfinding for the soul Photo By Lindsay Isaac to guide it back to the ancestors for rebirth.
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Employee quality of life draws Tell us what you attention over university ranking want to see next issue
// DOUG SCHOELLER COPY EDITOR
“Let’s give credit for being as good as we are,” President McCay said, a recurring theme of his opening monologue that received skepticism from some faculty and staff. The president hosted a town hall faculty meeting in Gleason Auditorium Oct. 10, as part of his promise to be “open and to communicate as best I can.” He discussed the current state and future goals he has set forward for the university. In his vision for the future, McCay reinforced throughout his monologue that he wanted to be in the Top 100 Universities in the National University Rankings and in the Top 50 in Engineering. “People thought I was crazy,” McCay said. He explained that now it seems more plausible with the recent jump of Florida Tech’s rank of 20 spots from 171 to 151, putting an emphasis on academics and research as his two major recipients of investment. However, this bullet point in his speech was overshadowed by the conversation of the current quality of life at the university.
McCay made a case for the current “pretty good living” for the faculty and staff at the university, referencing the vacation and healthcare policies for employees. He talked about future plans including putting back “some fraction of the 403(b),” a retirement plan similar to a 401(k), that is available for employees of tax-exempt organizations. Of the nine members of the faculty and staff that asked questions in the nearly 45-minute question and answer session, five of the faculty members raised concerns about their salaries and compensation. “UCF had offered me $1,000 more per course, but I taught here to be with my granddaughter,” adjunct psychology professor, Virginia Savage, said, in her question to McCay. Savage asked about equitable pay, made a claim that there hasn’t been a raise for adjunct professors for 30 years and in concluding her time at the microphone, left the contract she signed 10 years ago along with a list of 54 classes she has taught on the stage. “I’ll talk to Dr. Bologa. We’ll consider it,” McCay briefly replied. When asked about summer salaries and compensation, McCay said
it was a discussion between deans. “There was 1.7 million dollars over revenue for graduate work in the summer. There has to be some modification,” he said. A faculty member showed concern in advertising for positions at the university, saying that the pay rate is the reason for the lack of applicants. When asked by McCay if the faculty member could name the department he was asking for, the faculty member said, “I can’t name the department.” “It’s an issue from person to person, department to department,” McCay summarized. The subject of tenure was the last to be brought to the floor, at the mention that Florida Tech is the only university in the Top 200 Universities that does not include it. McCay is personally a supporter of tenure and said he is presently working on an informational presentation to the executive committee. “The board has to agree. It’s been preached to them that it’s a bad thing.” He intends on asking for a vote from the board. “I wouldn’t ask for a vote unless I thought I could win,” he said.
OCTOBER 17
Our 6th issue is coming out on Halloween and we need the help of our readers! We're looking to put in creepy, spooky and fun games, puzzles and cut-outs. We want the opinions of Florida Tech students to keep you entertained! If you have a knack for creation, send your ideas to crimson@fit.edu: • Crossword Puzzles • Creepy Riddles • Chilling Stories and Legends • Craft Ideas We're going to have mask cutouts, polls on your favorite costumes, and of course student-inspired and student-led articles. Have fun getting ready to trick you neighbors and treat your friends!
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ISSUE 5
OCTOBER 17
SPORTS
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Photo by Florida Tech Athletics
SPORTS
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Soccer stunned on senior night //DAVID THOMPSON STAFF WRITER Men’s soccer lost 2-1 Saturday, Oct. 14, against the previously 1-5-2 Barry University Bucs. The Panthers snapped a 6-game win streak Saturday, this was also their first lost from a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) opponent. The loss came on senior night, a night for the fans to celebrate the the senior players time competing for Florida Tech. Redshirt senior goalkeeper, Christopher Page, said the loss didn’t have anything to do with soccer. “[The loss] had everything to do with us getting in our own heads and letting our emotions get the best of us,” Page said. “Once we let our emotions take over we stopped playing the way we know
how to play.” The Panther’s lone goal of the game was scored by sophomore forward, Italo Ramos, with 1:44 left in the first half. Ramos said the opposition's goals were because of the Panther’s mistakes. “We could play much better,” Ramos said. “We played better than them and I think those mistakes cost us the game.” It was a physical match featuring 31 total fouls and four yellow cards. The Panthers accounted for 13 of those fouls and one yellow card. Ramos said the officiating has been weird the last few games. “It’s something you have to deal with and just get over it and just play your game, do what you can do,” Ramos said. With only four games remaining before the SSC
Tournament kicks off for the Panthers Tuesday, Oct. 31, Page said they can’t let one game affect their season. “One game doesn’t define who we are, every team is going to have one bad game,” Page said. “The most important thing for teams that win is how they bounce back from a loss.” The Panthers the will look to get things back on track Wednesday, Oct. 18, against the 9-1-1 Lynn University Fighting Knights. “I think great teams have the attitude to bounce back and if we are a great team, which we think we are, we’re going to bounce back in a great way,” Ramos said. The game will be hosted by Florida Tech at the Rick Stottler Field at 7 p.m. You can follow the game live by visiting floridatechsports. com/live.
ISSUE 5
OCTOBER 17
Soccer team congratulates Josh Thomas after his senior game.
Photo by Josh Thomas // Florida Tech Athletics
ISSUE 5
OCTOBER 17
CAMPUS LIFE
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