ISSUE 8 MARCH 22
SPRING 2016
Photo by Nathaniel Asthon Representatives of fraternities and Week for Water showed up on Sunday to clean up the beaches. The inaugural Week for Water took place this week, where student organizations came together to try to make a difference in clean drinking water initiatives. These events were to help raise money to purchase water filter kits for people who do not have access to drinkable water. From a jelly bean guessing jar, to a raffle, to a whole surf competition, the Week For Water team raised awareness about this issue. The Week For Water team includes multiple fraternities, The Florida Tech Surf Team, Student Government, and the International Student Services
Organization. On March 18, these organizations partnered with Tijuana Flats, which gave part of the evening’s revenue to charity. The goal of Week For Water is to purchase 20 filters to send where they are most needed, recruit students to send the the filters where they’re needed, and raise awareness about this issue in the FIT and Melbourne communities. On Saturday, the surf competition was held, and the winners of the raffle were drawn. The day started of with clear skies and an expected turnout of over 70 surfers, with sponsors like Florida Discount Mu-
sic and Catalyst. All different types of surfers, men and women, longboarders and shortboarders alike, prepared to hit the waves. The contest started at 9 a.m. and continued throughout the day until around 2 p.m. Dark skies and rough surf started at about noon, making for large but not very consistent waves. The contest raised money through contestants admission fees, but it was free and open to public spectators. “There is a large problem with clean water all around the world,” said Jean-Paul Martes, president
of the Florida Tech Surf Team, and co-founder of Week For Water along with Daniel Ata. “And everyone can help by just being more conscientious.” This week is the first Week for Water, and the team hopes that it will not be the last. “I would love it to be an annual event; it’s a great way for our school to give back not only to the community but the whole world,” Martes said. Martes chose filters made by a company called Waves For Water, and they can be purchased at a cost of about $50 each. He chose them because of their lifespan. Properly maintained, these filtra-
tion systems can filter one million gallons of undrinkable water into bacteria and contaminant free, potable water. Sunday, all fraternities had representatives walking up and down the beach, along with the rest of the Week For Water team, for a clean-up. Monday is Menchie’s Monday, where part of the revenue will be donated to charity if you register online, and Tuesday is World Water Day, where they’ll host a round up party at Old School Pizza and announce a total of the revenues earned.v // NATHANIEL ASHTON STAFF WRITER
Ryan Jones accepts position in NCAA D-II Governance Florida Tech Athletics Director Bill Jurgens announced on March 14 that Ryan Jones will be leaving Florida Tech to work as the Associate Director for all of NCAA Division II Governance. His last day in Athletic Communications is April 27. “It’s going to be a different experience working in a national office,” said Jones with a smile. Jones is excited at the thought of moving on to the next step in his career, and he believes he’s leaving Florida Tech in capable hands. He begins his new position overseeing athletic communications at the national level with NCAA on May 9.
In his time at Florida Tech, Jones dedicated long hours and hard work to the marketing, promotion and publicity of Florida Tech’s 22 varsity sports. Sitting in his office filled with sports memorabilia, newspaper clippings and papers stacked high, Jones talked about what it was like to work at Florida Tech, but not before sending another couple emails first. “I definitely pride myself on a positive attitude,” he said. “Someone who’s always smiling, who’s always encouraging, who’s always willing to help anyone any way that I can.” He helped plan and coordinate most of the Athletic department’s
major events, while also helping launch FloridaTechSports.com, and making live streaming capabilities possible. He built a digital presence with the university’s athletic accounts, launching multiple Twitter and Instagram pages for every men’s and women’s team, and also worked the home football games that were broadcasted over ESPN3. Those are just a few of the things Jones was able to achieve in the six years he spent here as a Panther, with the help of his department behind him. “The close-knit, family environment that we have here, how supportive we are at the university, it’s wonderful to be a part of,
and that’s something that I was looking for when I was interviewing with the NCAA,” Jones said. “And I was curious about that family work environment. But at FIT, we have that here. And that’s one of the things that makes FIT so great is that strong, family supportive environment, where people know you. And that’s what I love about FIT.” He mentioned how he’ll be overseeing the social media for all of Division
II, as well as coordinating with the media and selecting what is newsworthy to promote as national news. He’ll also be the primary liaison to the National Division II Student Athlete Advisory Committee. There are 500 employees in the national division, so he said it might be a big change.
Continues backpage // REBEKAH DUNTZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In this issue The Spectrum: inclusive to all Aerospace with ambition: Sharkbait ResLife group proposes community garden
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