The Reporter: Issue IV, Spring 2022

THE

EPORTER SPRING 2022 ISSUE IV

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The History Behind the War

How the Ukraine crisis began and where it is now.

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Inside Look

Domingo Arias: An up-close look at one of Stetson’s most popular janitors.

08 A Safer Stetson

Students and staff seem out of sync when it comes to safety concerns. Just how safe is Stetson really?

VOL. CXXIX

letters.

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Where do I even start? It all feels so surreal and bittersweet, but suddenly I’m here, writing my last letter, even though it feels like just yesterday I was writing my first letter of the year to you, dear readers, thinking that this moment felt so far away.

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I’m not quite sure there’s any way I can put into words just how much the past three years that I’ve been a part of this team have meant to me. Years ago as a freshman, our own outgoing editor-in-chief, Ruby Rosenthal, gave me a healthy dose of peer pressure. She encouraged me to join The Reporter despite all my hesitations, telling me to imagine myself running the organization one day. I decided to follow her advice and joined in my sophomore year, but even then, I never imagined myself as moving past anything more than a writer.

Yet here we are, and cliché as it sounds, if you had told me back then that this is what my time here would amount to by the time I graduate, I truly never would have believed you. Not only was I lucky enough to discover a passion I never knew existed, but I’ve gotten to do so with the most amazing people by my side who have made this whole experience worthwhile.

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To Ruby, who has believed in me every single step of the way, never ceasing to encourage me throughout all of my doubts and what-ifs. To Izzy, who has been a constant during each moment of this whole process, every late-night proofing session, and who I truly could not have done this without. To Emily, who has been with me through it all this past year, not only as my roommate but as a truly incredible managing editor, as a source of support during my craziest moments, and as a friend. And to Andy and Crystal, who have been the most amazing and unwavering sources of inspiration and guidance, and who have taught me everything I know.

It feels so incredibly strange to think that I’ll never have quite the same presence here again, but I could not be leaving it in more capable hands. To our next Executive Editor, the wonderful and talented Carmen Cruz, and to all the other incoming editors as well as every single writer, photographer, and designer, I can’t wait to see what wonderful things you all accomplish.

Absolutely none of this would have been possible without you all working so hard by my side.

To watch time after time the thing you’ve put so much work into turn into something tangible, something meaningful, something so full of passion, has been the most rewarding part of my time here at Stetson. I leave you, dear readers, with this phenomenal issue—our final one of the year and one full of stories that I feel are truly worth writing and reading about. I’ll try not to shed too many tears, but in the meantime, good luck with finals and happy reading!

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Calista Headrick, Executive Editor

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Where three years went, I don’t know. What do I know is that I have a ridiculous amount of thank-yous to give.

To Izzy: We were freshmen with wildly ambitious dreams, wanting to create a magazine that would be just as good as the ones we read for fun. And we really did it. In the beginning, we spent so many long hours in the office together and later on Zoom, trying to figure it all out. Your creativity and problem-solving abilities never cease to amaze me, your dedication to design inspires me.

Thank you for always staying true to who you are and sticking to your artistic vision. So much of The Reporter’s growth is because of you.

To Calista: I am so proud of you. You are one of the hardest working people I know. Your skills as a journalist, writer, and an editor impress me every single day and have grown so much since I asked you, oh-so-casually, “What are your top 10 dreams, goals, and plans for the future” when we were freshmen. The Reporter would not be where it is without the work you have put in to make it great and I know that we will work (and pay too much for rent) in New York together in the future — there is no one I’d rather do that with!

To Xanthippe: You are going to make such an incredible editor-in-chief. Your innovation with Touchstone and your insane intelligence and grace will guide you in this position. I am so excited to see what you do, where you go, and who you’ll be.

To Crystal and Andy: I am unbelievably grateful for your support throughout these past three years. I had no idea what I was getting into, where it was going to go, and whether or not we were going to get sued. But being in this position has been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life, and I would not have been able to do it without you guys, thank you for everything.

Being editor-in-chief of Hatter Network for these past three years has been the greatest honor of my Stetson career. Enjoy this issue and to the graduating seniors: we did it! To everyone else: I know this is so cliche, but college will go by so fast. Enjoy it while it lasts; Stetson is a wonderful, wonderful place to be an undergraduate.

Ruby Rosenthal, Editor-In-Chief

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Three years later, and this is my first and last letter in The Reporter.

Surprise! What a bittersweet moment. I swear it was just yesterday that I sat in the Hatter Network office, dreaming about what I could do in the years I spent devoting my hard work and time. And here we are now, three years later, and I’ve managed to do just about everything I wish I could’ve done and more. None of this would have been possible without the people who joined our team over the years. But like Calista and Ruby, I have to pay a few special thanks to some people who have kept me intact the last few years.

Ruby, we really did that, huh? It seems like just yesterday we sat in a circle in our old Reporter meetings, joking about what could be.

Without you by my side, this magazine would not be what it is today.

You’ve taught me to believe in my craft, to pursue bigger and brighter things, and to continue striving for more. New York is a long way away from Florida, but if you get homesick, come back because I will always have a place for you. I hope in the near future we find our way back to each other to create our own publication, so for now, it’s just a see you later.

Calista, I’ve been dreading the day we have to say goodbye for a while now. To think about the truly countless hours we’ve spent proofing, editing, and practically locking ourselves in the office to get this done by our deadline, I’ll miss it all, almost wishing we could do it all over again. I can make the design look pretty, but I’ve always admired your dedication to writing and editing. Despite the odds, you pushed through it all, right by my side to produce a beautiful publication that has only seen growth since you’ve joined the team.

To Crystal and Andy, who’ve been lighthouses when we felt like we had sunk the ship one too many times: you’ve stood by our sides, guided, and supported us despite backlash or comments. Andy, your effort to mold us into extraordinary journalists did not go unnoticed.

While you might be “graduating” with us seniors, you’ll always be a part of this staff. The people you’ve helped, the work you’ve done, and the support you’ve shown me and so many others will be cherished as we all follow our new paths and go our separate ways. Crystal, you have always been the glue that held us all together. You’ve dealt with the crazy, the backlash, and all the emotions you could ever think of. Simply put, Stetson’s student media just isn’t the same without you making sure our heads are screwed on right.

Time and time again, this team has shown up and delivered such amazing work that seems to surprise me every time. The hours spent brainstorming, writing, and editing is unbeknownst to our readers, but to me, it’s everything I looked forward to over the last few years. Hatter Network has been the pinnacle of my college career, allowing me to experience new environments and meet new people, but I will always cherish the simple moments that have turned into some of my favorite memories. Once upon a time, Ruby and I would say to each other when in a rut, “What Would Distraction Do?” But I think as we publish our last issue as seniors, we can finally begin to ask the question, “What Would The Reporter Do?”

Isabel Solorzano, Creative Director THE REPORTER

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editors.

Ruby Rosenthal

Calista Headrick

Emily Derrenbacker

executive editor

managing editor

Isabel Solorzano

Jillian Semmel

Vivianne Skavlem

A Wilson

Ihsaan Fanusie

editor-in-chief

creative director

arts & culture editor

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photo editor

sports editor

copy editor

Jay Stearman news editor

SPRING 2022 ISSUE IV

REPORTER THE

Graduating seniors!

What will you miss most?

staff

Those unproductive late-night study sessions with friends and hammocking in Palm Court.

Ruby Rosenthal, Editor-in-Chief Calista Headrick, Executive Editor Living close to my friends.

Isabel Solorzano, Creative Director Emily Derrenbacker, Managing Editor Vivianne Skavlem, Copy Editor The moments that turned into Jillian Semmel, Photo Editor memories I’ll never forget.

Jay Stearman, News Editor A Wilson, Arts & Culture Editor Ihsaan Fanusie, Sports Editor Walking around campus and getting recognized by so many people that I feel important.

Jackie Maze, Multimedia Editor Nkosi Watts, Webmaster Bella Steiert, Social Media Director, Designer, and Arts & Culture Writer Natalia Jimenez, Photographer Cassandra Bradley, Designer Zoe Boykin, Designer Mia Scott, Designer Chase Berger, News Writer Carmen Cruz, News Writer Julian Navarro, News Writer - Web Kaelyn-Rose Miranda, News Writer - Web Erica Lucio, Arts & Culture Writer Alexis Diamond, Arts & Culture Writer Anuket Goins, Arts & Culture Writer – Web The sun shining through the stained glass in Lee Chapel, campus trees during fall, Luke McClatchy, Sports Writer and the Muscovy ducks.

JOINING US

When it comes to joining The

Reporter, we’re not picky.

Whether you’re interested in writing an article, designing a page, taking photos or creating some graphics for us, we want to hear what you have to say. The Reporter is an extracurricular, volunteer operation made for students, by students, and we aim to cover the full spectrum of student life here at Stetson. If you’re interested in getting involved or have any questions, comments or concerns, email our editor-in-chief, Ruby Rosenthal, at rrosenthal@stetson.edu or apply on Engage.

CORRECTIONS

As an official media outlet for students on campus, we push ourselves to be constantly improving our standards and correcting our mistakes. We care about accuracy and providing you with the most accurate information we can give. If there are mistakes, let us know by emailing us at hatternetwork@gmail.com.

ABOUT US

The Reporter is the oldest collegiate

publication in the state of Florida.

The magazine is produced six times per year, three a semester. Florida Sun Printing prints 300 copies per issue on 8.5 x 11inch, 80#Gloss Text. Most body text is 11 point Adobe Garamond Pro with 13 point leading set with a combination of regular, italic, and bold. All pages were designed using Adobe Creative Suite CC software InDesign with photographs and artwork handled in Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator. For additional information, please visit hatternetwork.com. Questions and comments can be mailed to 421 N Woodland Blvd., Unit 8416 DeLand, Florida 32723 or emailed to hatternetwork@gmail.com. We plan to forge a media group that meets our own high standards of excellence and integrity through expression in print and online. Ultimately, student media at Stetson University will be a representation of just that: the students. And because we are serving our peers, we will be honest in the stories we tell. Because if we don’t tell them, who will?

THE REPORTER

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content 08

A Safer Stetson

Students and staff seem out of sync when it comes to safety concerns. Just how safe is Stetson really?

Model: Shay Figueroa ’22

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ISSUE IV

nts.

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A Safer Stetson

18 20

Placing History Into the Future

Students and staff seem out of sync when it comes to safety concerns. Just how safe is Stetson really?

Will Stetson’s ode to history be a success despite setbacks? Only the future can tell.

Ampersand: Artist interview with Olivia Vardy

I sat down with Olivia Vardy ’23, a junior digital arts major with a minor in marketing, to talk about her photo editing.

24 30 34 36

The History Behind the War

40

Unpacked

How the Ukraine crisis began and where it is now.

Inside Look

Domingo Arias: An up-close look at one of Stetson’s most popular janitors.

In Review: Euphoria

Season 2 of the hit series “Euphoria” is out in its entirety, let’s talk about it.

The Right to Ignorance

Examining the implications of the “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop WOKE Act” and Florida’s war on learning.

Alijah Santos, Hatter Production’s Executive Director.

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A SAFEER STETSON Students and staff seem out of sync when it comes to safety concerns. Just how safe is Stetson really?

Written by Carmen Cruz Photos by Jillian Semmel Design by Isabel Solorzano

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ISSUE IV

With the removal of the blue lights, the gap between professor and student opinion is noticeable, indicating a larger problem. Many people believe that the removal of the blue lights indicates a general disdain for student safety.

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s incidents occur on Stetson’s DeLand campus, students have turned to social media platforms like Yik Yak to help warn others of potential dangers.

With suspicious characters afoot dubbed “Black Sedan Guy” or “Spinna the Killa,” students have resorted to anonymous messaging as a means of supplementing delayed or incomplete safety warnings from the school itself. In addition to this, students frequently call out their peers on these platforms for misconduct to either warn others or to hold them accountable in lieu of sufficient institutional intervention.

But what led students to feel compelled to do this in the first place points to some troubling trends amongst the student body, which starkly contrasts administration’s perception of the problem.

REMEMBER THE BLUE LIGHT SYSTEM? Just last summer, Stetson officially got rid of the blue light system that had previously been posted throughout campus.

According to Francisco Ortiz, director of Public Safety, “They were just not working.” He noted that most of them were out of service for the last three years of their use and that it would have cost the school around $100,000 to replace them, also indicating that this would be a foolish investment given that the technology is being outmoded anyway. Rather, the department of Public Safety worked in conjunction with the SGA to implement a digital version of this service via the Stetson Safety app. But student sentiments largely contest the alleged superiority of this repositioning.

Julia Davis ’23, a resident assistant and the vice president of recruitment for Pi Beta Phi, said that at “every campus that my friends go to they have physical blue lights for situations where some people don’t have service.”

Her fear is that not every student in a crisis will have access to a working cell phone, which may result in a far more serious outcome due to the delay in emergency response. She went on to add that she was upset to find that most of them were out of order for several years before they were removed, stating that this false sense of security could be even more dangerous than not having them there at all.

believing that this is a sufficient measure. He also asserted that Stetson is a very “safe” place generally speaking, adding “I know by the grace of God, we’re safe, but we do it together.”

Director Ortiz believes that the work that Public Safety does in conjunction with the DeLand police department has paid off in a big way, claiming “not that we’re a crime free campus, but we’re just about a crime free campus.”

The disconnect between faculty and student opinion is striking, and is indicative of a deeper issue. Many feel as though the removal of the blue lights hint towards a more general disregard for student safety.

“That’s like a metaphor [for Stetson],” said McCarter. “Oh, hey, guys, look how safe Stetson is with their blue lights? But don’t click them. They don’t work.”

THE ISSUE OF UNDERREPORTING According to the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, Stetson’s DeLand campus reported 97 safety-related incidents involving students on or near campus in 2019, amounting to 21.90 incidents per 1,000 students. Conversely, both Stetson’s Gulfport and Celebration campuses each reported no safetyrelated incidents that same year. The Annual Report put out by Title IX for 2020-2021 reported 44 incidents of misconduct, and this was during a significant period of near-total lockdown due to the pandemic.

Lyda Kiser, Executive Director for Title IX, added “I do expect that we’ll see at least 60 reports for this academic year,” which historically is more on-par with pre-COVID numbers.

Both she and Director Ortiz noted that underreporting is a huge problem within their respective departments, and so these numbers may be far lower than what is actually occurring.

This sentiment is echoed by Leah McCarter ’24, intern for P.A.C.T. and social director of Pi Beta Phi.

Most of the students that I have spoken to believe that Stetson is far less safe than officials seem to believe. The general consensus appears to be that students simply do not trust Stetson as an institution to have their backs, so to speak, thus adding to the massive problem of underreporting. This gives officials and those with an outside perspective the false illusion that crime rates are exceedingly low.

“It bothers me and every fucking woman I’ve talked to.

What if someone’s coming home from the bar, or they’re being followed, or they’re drunk, right? And they forgot their phone?

Or like, their phone is dead? Or, you know, they don’t have fucking service?” she said. “Isn’t that fucking ridiculous?”

“Sadly enough, I’ve been assaulted every semester that I’ve been on campus, except for these last two semesters… I was assaulted before I was even in a sorority,” said Davis. “I was one of the lucky ones where I did have proof in my situation.

Without any proof, they can’t do anything.”

Director Ortiz doesn’t believe that this is an issue, stating that most students have access to a working cell phone, and

When faculty members seem vexed at the gross underreporting on campus, this is what they need to

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understand: students are overwhelmed not just by the arduous process ahead, but at the futility of it all without tangible evidence. “That’s my number one thing, I’m like, not everybody’s gonna [report it] because everybody feels like they have to have proof,” Davis added.

For Lisa Jordan ’23, she believes that “It’s hard for someone to come forward if they feel like they’re not going to be heard or taken seriously,” adding that “It’s honestly very disheartening. I think that the victims definitely have a right to privacy, but I don’t feel like the perpetrators or abusers are punished enough, especially when it’s coming from specific organizations. If it’s a recurring problem in a specific organization and Stetson’s not handling that, I think that’s really messed up. And that’s a glaring issue that we need to address.”

McCarter concurred with these sentiments, adding “I think Stetson doesn’t want to acknowledge that they’re not the perfect campus that they portray themselves to be. And I think it’s easier to keep that image [if they]… you know, limit their options, make sure that they don’t have an opportunity to talk about it.”

Director Kiser noted that without proof, they are very limited in what they can do: “Let’s say that we get reports of a certain fraternity drugging women’s drinks. Well, we need real evidence to do that [investigate]. If we don’t get real evidence, we can still talk to that fraternity and say, so you know, everybody says this, and have that, but that’s really hard because if nobody’s gone to the ER, where they’ve done a toxicology, and we know that that’s what happened to them. But it doesn’t mean that it’s not an important issue that we have to address. It’s just sometimes there isn’t enough to go that way,” she added.

Lynn Schoenberg, Dean of Students and Co-Interim Vice President of Campus Life & Student Success, said in response to student sentiments about the felt suppression of victims voices “I just absolutely hate that that is how students feel. It certainly is not the intent by any means.”

She went on to add that “we’ve got some really caring staff who think they’re really helping and doing what they need to do, but also they have to follow the federal guidelines.”

She also emphasized that she will be hosting a panel with other directors and interested parties to discuss Title IX concerns with students in response to similar feedback.

But some students feel as though simply talking about problems isn’t sufficient, that visible action is the only appropriate solution. But McCarter questions the feasibility of this solution, claiming that “if they start taking a stance on real issues, they’re going to lose money.”

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She believes that Stetson sweeps issues under the rug in favor of shifting focus to frivolous cosmetics, all the while spending more time and money on recruitment than on the wellbeing of already established students.

When asked about her thoughts in response to this concern, Schoenberg said “I don’t feel that that is the case, I feel like the money we have is being well used. But I get why it feels like that.”

“Their image that matters more to them than the mold that is inside of the dorms,” said McCarter, noting that this mentality applies to many aspects of the true Stetson experience.

Tahiyya Khan ’22, an RA on campus, has heard numerous complaints about mold in the dorms, adding that “once it starts, it spreads within days and gets hard to control.”

Now, no one is asserting that money is inherently the problem. However, letting it influence everything else is undoubtedly problematic. It’s good to be a well-funded institution because in theory that gives students more resources, more opportunities, and more possibilities.

However, when it becomes more essential than “doing right by” current students, then that becomes a far bigger issue.

Students feel as though there is a severe lack of investment, both emotional and financial, in the wellbeing of existing students. And the lack of transparency leads them to assume this serial abandonment to be insidious.

When asked about assault concerns on campus, according to Ortiz, “Our office here has a small role. We very seldom receive those, most of those come directly to the Title IX office,” he said. “It’s still one of the most underreported events in the world, in the country, and certainly in colleges and universities. And those that are reported? We’ve gotta get that right.”

But often, they don’t get it right. And when pressed with this reality, with the possibility that Stetson might be doing harm as opposed to helping, Director Ortiz deferred to his colleagues more directly involved in the issue, seeming concerned but uncertain about how to solve it.

ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY Among DeLand’s student body, there seems to be a perceived lack of accountability within the institution.

When asked if she believes students who committed assault were adequately held accountable at Stetson, Khan said, “No, they’re not. I mean, they might be if they’re POC, but if they’re white, I’m pretty sure they’re not.”

Model: Shay Figueroa ’22

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An overwhelming of students spoken with belief that Stetson is significantly less safe than officials appear to assume. This creates the false impression among officials and individuals with an outside perspective that crime rates are extremely low.

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Many believe that students of color may be held accountable more harshly, on average, than their white counterparts due to internalized racism within the Stetson community. This belief, along with four years of experience at this institution, even led Khan to conduct her senior research project on the topic of internalized racism.

This working theory is echoed by Davis, who added that “predominantly white institutions are run by predominantly white people. Everything is performative, and everything is more of like, let’s paint a nice picture.

Let’s paint over what’s going on. For lack of better words, paint the grass greener. So that we don’t look as bad as we actually are.”

Kiser seems to believe that discrimination in this form is certainly a problem within our nation, but it doesn’t exist at Stetson in the way it’s being perceived. She noted that “I think that the vast majority of reports that come in, are white males,” and claimed that the end result in terms of numbers might result from our demographics as a whole. She went on to add that active accountability for the accused is largely in the hands of the victim, so it’s less an institutional problem and more of a case-bycase scenario, adding “you really can’t group it overall, like that.”

But the fact remains that students at large feel as though attackers aren’t held sufficiently accountable.

Some of them turn to other demographics to explain the issue further.

“Frat boys have the money to think that they’re untouchable,” Julia Davis said. “Athletes have the popularity and the backing of their coaches to think they’re untouchable. I think every football player can get away with everything and anything except for a drug test.”

McCarter agrees that male abusers at Stetson think they are untouchable, adding that much of the time, their extensive involvement on campus makes them believe that the rules don’t apply to them.

“I’ve talked to quite a few men on campus who have been accused of sexual assault [to understand why this may be happening so often], and I think it’s their involvement on campus, and also their lack of awareness of what sexual assault is, and their lack of care for it.

How are they supposed to hold themselves accountable when they’ve been taught that everything they’re doing is fine? Eventually the women start thinking it’s fine,” added McCarter.

An additional issue is the perceived lack of transparency on the part of Stetson as an institution.

Students feel as though Stetson doesn’t do a good enough job of keeping them informed of potentially dangerous situations and are concerned about the larger messages that are being conveyed as a result.

Public Safety Director Ortiz noted that all safety notices that Stetson puts out are in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Safety Act, which legally mandates that all institutions that receive federal funding must issue timely warnings and emergency notifications in the event of an incident. When discussing the parties involved in sending out these warnings, Ortiz said that “you have the Dean of Students involved in that, marketing is involved with that as well. So it’s not a decision that I make individually,” he said. “It’s made collectively.”

When asked why marketing was involved in this process, according to Bruce Chong, vice president of marketing and communications, “Our role is to keep information flowing to the Stetson community and allow Public Safety to address immediate health and safety needs or support and direct emergency or law enforcement personnel.” However, this did not answer why this particular department over all others is involved in the announcement process of safety notices before they are sent out to students.

When asked why more safety notices aren’t sent out to students, Director Ortiz said “I don’t want to give them so many messages that they tune me out,” noting that sometimes it’s important to save things for when they’re especially important. Kiser noted as well that “you have to balance that out about being fast and being right,” pointing out that at times it’s prudent to wait until officials have more accurate information than to incite a panic with fragmentary information.

For some students like Zipporah Warner, a freshman this year, this can be true: “I’ll be honest, when I get the emails, I don’t read it all. I read, like, the first three sentences.”

She added that she appreciates the service, but easily gets fatigued when they are especially lengthy for a seemingly mundane incident. She went on to note that she can see why Stetson might not want to tell students everything that occurs, given that “most of the things that happen I don’t tell my parents because they would literally flip out like, ‘oh, somebody got robbed, you coming home.’”

But some students believe that the university puts their public image before student safety, and this frustration is seemingly felt most in marginalized communities who experience more incidents on average than their cis, white counterparts.

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“Yeah, they definitely try their very best to hide and make it seem like it’s [safety threats] not their fault. And it’s very angering, especially like, for anyone who’s a POC on this campus,” said RA Khan.

She felt that whenever a racist or antisimetic hate crime happened on or near campus within the past several years, Stetson’s main concern was avoiding blame of any kind. That lack of support or inclination to defend the affected students really impacted her.

PERVASIVE SEXUAL ASSAULT When McCarter was assaulted twice during her freshman year, she spoke about her experiences with some friends, but they brushed it off like it was normal. “It took me a year to come to the conclusion that I was raped… I think it speaks volumes on like, what the culture is on campus,” she concluded.

McCarter was brave enough to report one of the assaults, but she swiftly grew discouraged due to feeling like she was largely dismissed by the Title IX department. “I think they’re also used to hearing about this stuff just so often, they’ve also normalized it,” she noted. McCarter couldn’t come up with ample proof for her case since she was blackout drunk at the time of the incident, so the Title IX department said that there wasn’t much of anything they could do for her.

“They were just like oh, well, you know, you could do a no contact order, but you know, the other party has to consent to it being a no contact order. And if they don’t consent, then it’s not going to happen,” said McCarter.

When asked why safety notices aren’t sent out for these types of safety concerns, Director Kiser said that notices are typically only sent if the assailant is a non-community member, and rarely if they are also students. Part of the reason why is to abide by FERPA laws, which protect the privacy of students in specific (but not all) scenarios. The Jeanne Clery Safety Act also dictates when a university must send out a notice to the student body, and not every incident falls under those specified scenarios.

Another reason why reports aren’t made public is to protect the will of the victim. When asked why some students feel as though victims of abuse are largely silenced at Stetson, Kiser surmised that it might be the case that people are not putting victims voices and desires before their own, thinking of community wellbeing as greater than individual wellbeing, whereas Stetson’s protocol is to consider the opposite.

“The need to know of the entire university is only one component. The most important component is the well being of the person who’s been harmed,” said Kiser.

However, this line of reasoning breaks down when individuals and victims don’t feel safe, heard, nor helped. In McCarter’s case,

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If you have ever had strong feelings about how Stetson handles safety concerns, I encourage you to speak up. If the administration is out of touch, it is our obligation to educate them on the actual Stetson experience.

she took issue with the fact that Stetson gave her abuser the opportunity to refuse the no-contact order, and she’s not the only one.

While some of these policies are regulated by the government, like privacy procedures under FERPA or Title IX regulations which stipulate which incidents fall under their jurisdiction and when, many of these policies are Stetson specific. Stetson’s status as a private institution affords it many liberties, perhaps the biggest of which is how it deals with violations/incidents in terms of punishments.

“Because we are such a small campus, administrators should be able to provide a sense of security more than the police have, because systematically speaking, the police have never been on the side of righteousness,” McCarter asserted. “By having a campus that could provide a sense of security, and then not doing it, I think it hurts a little differently, because it’s your campus. This is your home. You know, you have to walk across the courtyard and see your rapist walking to class. Like, you should be able to comfortably go to the Title IX office and know something is going to happen.”

“I think it’s an institutional problem,” she went on to add. “I’ve talked to staff, because I try to acknowledge that staff are people, and come to find that the people who are hiring them aren’t taking care of them. [They] are making their lives extremely difficult and limiting social interactions with students and not providing them all the equipment necessary in order to keep us safe.”

According to Title IX Director Kiser, a contributing factor for the expansiveness of this issue of sexual assault on campus could be a lack of sex education.

“Florida students who’ve gone through K-12 in Florida didn’t get sex ed, so if they learned anything, they learned it from movies and TV, and those aren’t really good sources. So they kind of come at a disadvantage, and that’s why the P.A.C.T. group works so hard,” Kiser said.

DIFFERING SOLUTIONS While Director Ortiz noted the many routine things that the officers do to promote the wellbeing of the community, he also seems to believe that safety, in large part, is the responsibility of the students: “If you protect yourself and protect your property, that’s gonna go a long way…it’s a shared responsibility. You know, you need to protect yourself,” he said.

This perspective is echoed by the tone in safety messages sent out to students, with statements urging them to secure their belongings, buddy-up at night, and to remain aware of their surroundings. But many students believe that this line of reasoning places all the responsibility onto them and off of the institution.

RA Khan believes that the safety messages are largely unhelpful: “In the emails, they say like, ‘Oh, hey, we have been receiving reports about a suspected individual here and here are things that you can do to keep yourself safe.’ None of them have an active plan. A lot of them are just more on like, the basics, like things that everyone knows already,” Khan said.

She also believes that RAs might receive more training than Public Safety officers given her frequent interactions with them, adding “I think we receive a lot more [training] because we get a sample of what their training is during staff meetings. I feel like we apply it a lot more than Public Safety, because we usually handle the situation ourselves.”

When asked if she agrees with these sentiments, RA Julia Davis said “I would 100% believe that, because a lot of situations that they train us for should not be the responsibilities of RAs.”

“by having a campus that could provide a sense of security, and then not doing it, i think it hurts a little differently, because it’s your campus. this is your home. you know, you have to walk across the courtyard and see your rapist walking to class. like, you should be able to

comfortably go to the title ix office and know something is going to happen”.

- LEAH MCCARTER ‘24 She added that during incidents, Public Safety officers often try to make RAs take the lead despite the fact that protocol requires the reverse to occur. “We’re just supposed to show them the room and they’re supposed to initiate everything else.”

This makes their job infinitely more difficult because when serious incidents occur, they feel as though they lack the necessary support to handle it properly.

When asked about the training that P-Safe officers receive, Director Ortiz said that “we provide what’s called CSA training, because we’re campus security

THE REPORTER

15

“Do you not realize that you yourself hold so much power?

Like if you were to take a stand so much would happen.”

Leah McCarter ’24

16

ISSUE IV

authorities,” adding that officers are trained on report writing and on the geography of the campus.

“They do interviews, they do reports, they do some investigations, but we let the police do police work. So when our students or faculty or staff or visitors want the police involved, we call the police for them. We always do that.

And then we work with Residential Living and Learning and on-call pro-staff to provide the resources that our students need and deserve. Once a day, we will check a residence hall and an academic building. [We] look around, and then we do our inspections. Does the door need to be replaced? Is a lock working correctly? Is everything working? If not, we’re going to put in a school dude,” said Ortiz.

Schoenberg mentioned that a possible cause of this perception is the historically poor retention rate of Public Safety officers: “​​Public safety has been hit particularly hard because they are hourly workers, they’re not on salary,” said Schoenberg. This constant rotation of new hires might have made it harder for officers to fully grasp Stetson’s guidelines and procedures, although Schoenberg noted that this has only been an issue for the last year or so. Director Ortiz has since advocated for officers to be paid the federal minimum wage, which wasn’t set to kick in for a couple of years. They are hopeful that this will solve the poor retention rate of officers.

Khan also believes that self-defense classes should be more readily offered for students and especially for student leaders who tend to be expected to walk alone at night and handle serious situations. Her two cents? If Stetson is going to put all the responsibility for you to be safe onto yourself, they should at least equip you with the tools to be able to do that.

“If you have some defense training, you can at least fight back, you can at least take control of yourself in spite of the other person [attacker],” added Khan.

For McCarter, she views things differently. When Student’s Against Sexual Assault tried to push for a self defense initiative last year, McCarter thought it was an absolute joke, adding “SASA is supposed to be a program that helps support women. And by teaching women self defense, you are teaching them that they hold the power to let that happen to them or not.” She concluded with her belief that we should teach students not to assault each other rather than teaching them how to defend against assault.

In her view, while self-defense courses may offer a sense of power and control back to people who deeply desire it, the underlying message being conveyed by this action, without the addition of educational initiatives and proper accountability for perpetrators, is that personal safety is your responsibility alone. This message is reinforced by the

language in safety notices and the lack of action taken by disciplinary committees. No one can control their lives 100% of the time, often things happen that are beyond our control to no fault of our own. So yes, these classes may help some, but they might cause even more guilt and shame in victims of assault.

This is why McCarter joined P.A.C.T. in the first place, given that the organization sets out to educate students on exactly that. There, she creates programs to raise awareness about sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. She partnered with Sigma Nu for her latest event, The Power of Story: Learning From Survivors, which took place on March 30 and allowed students to ask survivors of sexual assault questions in order to educate and de-stigmatize the issue.

However, she agrees that even though this is a great step, it’s not enough for Stetson to rely on their students to educate each other on these problems: the administration should be doing more.

Still, a great and distinct fear of speaking out against Stetson as an institution exists. Many students expressed how they had been personally affected by various departments’ mishandling of their respective situations, but were terrified that if they spoke up about it, Stetson might retaliate by withholding their diploma, firing them from their on-campus jobs, or otherwise harassing them for their comments.

Perhaps some of this should be attributed to goodold-fashioned human nature, but perhaps some of this fear should be attributed to a type of indoctrination that students experience wherein they realize that to challenge an institution and make others aware of its imperfections, is to challenge their bottom line, which might be far more pressing than their individual wellbeing.

If Stetson truly cares about student safety as they claim, then they should encourage discourse that might challenge their perceptions. They should spend more time listening to student concerns and stories, and less time dictating how they should feel. In most instances, it’s less about actions and more about how those actions are interpreted. If the lines of communications are closed at either end, then there can be no hope for change.

If you have ever felt strongly about the manner in which Stetson handles safety concerns, then I encourage you to speak out about it. If the administration is out of touch, then it is our responsibility to familiarize them with our true Stetson experience.

“Do you not realize that you yourself hold so much power?

Like if you were to take a stand so much would happen,” said McCarter.

THE REPORTER

17

Will Stetson’s ode to history be a success despite setbacks?

Only the future can tell.

PLACING

History INTO THE FUTURE

Written by Chase Berger Graphics by Zoe Boykin Design by Isabel Solorzano

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ISSUE IV

In February of 2020, the idea of a Stetson time capsule was conceived by Dakota Figaro and other members of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. However, due to COVID-19, it remained an idea until almost two years later, on the society’s 80th anniversary. On Oct. 15, 2021, the Phi Alpha Theta History announced its plans to compile a time capsule and bury it under the new construction of the Cici and Hyatt Brown Hall for Health and Innovation and set it to be opened 50 years from now, in 2072. This was a perfect and unique opportunity for the Stetson community to be a part of the university’s history and help fund the honor society.

The announcement stated that the entire Stetson community was welcome to purchase tickets. There were two different colors—one for students and the other for non-students. Each ticket holder had the chance to bury an object in one time capsule and a message in the other adjacent one. With their announcement officially published, the honor society waited in anticipation for ticket sales to roll in.

They sent out a reminder on Oct. 16, 2022, urging faculty members and students to participate. By Nov. 15, after a second reminder announcement was posted almost a month later, they were still waiting.

“We had a really big promotion program on this,” Dr. Kimberly Reiter, the advisor of Phi Alpha Theta said. “We wrote to alumni, we wrote to trustees, we wrote to students, we wrote to faculty, and it failed. We had 25 participants with all of that promotion.”

Despite the small number of participants, Dr. Reiter is adamant that it will be a worthwhile experience for the 25 who bought tickets. “For the 25 who participated, it wasn’t a failure, because their legacy will be there 50 years from now when they open up the capsule.”

Nicholas Dieux ’25, one of the 25 participants, is excited about the time capsule and considers it a personal success: “I chose to participate in the time capsule project because I want to come back after many years and remember why I love this school so much,” he explained. “About two months ago, I lost one of my best friends to liver cancer. I’m going to write a letter to him and put it in the time capsule, as well as a letter talking about my life right now, where I want to end up, and just some things I look forward to.”

Though the ceremony will be much smaller than originally anticipated, there will be what Dr. Reiter described as a “very quiet burial” during the summer when all participants will be invited to attend. It will go beneath a designated plaque in the garden of the new health sciences building. The ceremony’s date will be determined once the garden is planted. The time capsule is going to be the last thing to go in, the final piece of a yearlong construction project.

While there were only a handful of people who bought raffle tickets, the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society did successfully reach its financial goal of funding the Phi Alpha Theta State Conference. For the first time in two years, the conference will take place, with students from around the state congregating at Stetson University to present their papers on various history topics.

“We’re really, really excited,” Dr. Reiter said. “We’re generating the enthusiasm that will take us to an even bigger regional conference… Stetson said enough [waiting around], we’ve got to do this. We have gotten kudos from seven or eight schools that are sending students and another couple of schools that are sending advisors… I think that we have stirred the pot, and it’s going to be a fun day.”

While she questioned why people might not have cared about participating in the time capsule, Dr. Reiter hopes everyone would take away something from it: “I hope that the current generation of Stetson students takes away from this, that their lives here are ephemeral,” Dr. Reiter explained. “If you just record things on Instagram, or Facebook, or whatever it is that you’re recording things on now, those photos, those memories, they disappear.”

She urges students to “start making physical photographs, physical mementos, keep them in a box for heaven’s sake, but make copies of everything because one of these days, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 50 years from now, you’re going to want your own time capsule. You’re going to want to remember the friendships you had going on, remember the successes, you’re going to want to remember all the stupid crazy goofy things you do. And it won’t be on your phone.”

She also has hopes for those who open the time capsule 50 years from now: “I hope they get a wonderful snapshot of what you all were like in 2022. The pains that you’ve had to go through, the COVID, the anxieties about the world…They will get an idea of the triumphs that you’ve had, the ability to work through the challenges, and to come out glad that they had a Stetson experience… But won’t it be kind of cool to put a little ourselves into a capsule and wonder what those who can come back will think about this? What will their grandchildren think of them? What will the people they meet here think about 2022? For you, everything is here and now.

Imagine opening something from 1972. What would those students say to you?”

Whether you consider the time capsule project to be a failure or a success, a unique piece of Stetson history will be placed in the ground, only allowed to be opened 50 years from now. This is the university’s ode to our history, to our current generation. What it will say to those who open is yet to be written.

THE REPORTER

19

20

ISSUE IV

Ampersand I sat down with Olivia Vardy ’23, a junior digital arts major with a minor in marketing, to talk about her photo editing.

Interview by Vivianne Skavlem Photos by Jillian Semmel Design by Isabel Solorzano

What got you into photo editing?

I’ve been very drawn towards the camera.

When I was younger, my parents put me in photography classes. In high school, I found my dad’s old camera and picked it up. I’ve never really had access to Adobe so I’m very grateful that Stetson gives us access to the software for free. It opened the world of editing to me.

Do you find yourself photographing anything specific?

My advisor actually talked to me about this after my last project. I really love to do one singular person so I can control their poses. He liked my work, but said I needed to push myself outside of just doing people. So I’m trying to push myself to work more with people.

What would you say your style is?

I love more of an editorial style with a twist with my editing, and graphic design skills I add a little bit of spice to it. I want to take pictures that are different and funky and combine weird purple colors and neon lights and double exposures, not something you would see in a normal boring picture.

What does a typical photoshoot look like for you?

It’s taken me a while, but I’ve got a pretty solid routine. I have a conversation with the model and ask them to send me a few photos they like. Then I tell the girls, ‘bring a duffel bag and three to six outfits. Bring things that are fun, that are colorful, that you wouldn’t normally wear.’ Then we go into the studio, and lay out all the clothes, and I play stylist and put all the outfits together. We have good music going, because it’s awkward to be in a studio in silence. I think music also makes the model feel more comfortable. Then we take all the pictures.

What are your favorite parts of the whole process?

I have two. I really love to edit photos. I can watch Netflix and edit on the side.

I think it’s really enjoyable and I love figuring out something new that I haven’t done before. It’s very exciting to edit something and to be very satisfied with the result. But I also love to make people feel beautiful. I want to make people feel comfortable in the studio and when they get their pictures back and are like, ‘oh my gosh, I look so good!’ I love that. That makes me feel really good.

THE REPORTER

21

Can you give me a brief overview of the four pieces?

Do you see yourself wanting to go into high fashion?

So the blue one was taken on a shoot that I really hated. We went into this field and the model had on such a beautiful long dress. But this was the only picture I liked. I took a bunch of blurred photos and created a double exposure out of my failures. I was very dissatisfied with this shoot.

Honestly, I like the idea of being a photographer, but not for a full time job.

Hopefully that’ll be a forever side gig.

The next is the neon one. I had to take these for my photography class. I think it was called ‘out of this world editorials.’ I took a very common magazine pose and was like, ‘How can I make this look like an alien type or weird x-ray vision?’

The next one is a picture of my poor boyfriend. I make him pose for pictures all the time. We had a lighter in the car and a cigarette, (we’re not smoking them!).

I was practicing flash photography and made some edits like changing the opacity and putting one on top of another. That’s probably unlike all my photos.

I was actually really satisfied with this tongue or lollipop picture. I think its details are pretty cool. We had an assignment where we had to use masking and copy a human in a picture that we took a picture of another thing.

What do you find to be most challenging about what you do?

*Photography by Olivia Vardy

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I think it’s hard to find your own style, and I’m still working on that. I’m sure I’ll always be working on that with whatever art I’m doing. I want to have my own work where people are like, ‘that’s Olivia’s work. She did that.’ And I would also say I think adding money is scary because it adds a pressure of if people are going to be satisfied by putting their trust into you.

I’m trying to find my worth and value in my work, money or not.

What are your socials for your photography?

I’ve started to make a little bit of money from photography. I’m trying to grow my platform, so I can keep doing that over the next few years. When people reach out, they’ll say ‘hey, I want this, this and this, can you create this for me?’ And so it’s cool to be able to create people’s visions.

It’s @oliviadigital.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is just starting out in editorial photography?

Don’t be embarrassed! I was so embarrassed to post stuff or to ask my friends to take weird pictures or do something different. In high school, I felt weird about posting anything, and I wish I’d created a cool art account way sooner.

But I think also practice and if you enjoy it, just do it a lot.

Is there anything else you want to tell the world about art?

Support your friends, support your friends who are artists and who are starting a business and working on that. I think it’s really important to support your friends, your passions, and other people’s passions. ​​ I’ve really appreciated how supportive my friends have been. They’ll repost like crazy, you know, like, ‘go follow, support.’ And that makes my heart so happy. It makes a really big difference in my confidence, and I am trying to do that for other people as well. So just support your friends and support your artists.

Every Day With You is a

Fiesta join our party @hatternetwork

THE REPORTER

23

THE HISTOR BEHIN THE W

ORY ND WAR.

How the Ukraine crisis began and where it is now.

Written by Alexis Diamond Design by Isabel Solorzano

THE REPORTER

25

War has begun between Ukraine and Russia, resulting in the unjustified Russian invasion of a smaller nation. As a result, millions of lives have been uprooted, innocent civilians have been hurt, and an era of confusion and turmoil has commenced. In order to better understand the crisis, we need to explore the history of the two nations involved. I interviewed three professors with differing perspectives and insightful context to better analyze this situation: Elizabeth Plantan, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science; Michael Denner, Ph.D., professor of Stetson’s program in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies; and Mayhill Fowler, Ph.D., associate professor of history, and director of Stetson’s program in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies.

While some believe this current invasion marked the beginning of the war, that is untrue. Each of the professors I interviewed marked 2014 as the start of it all, the year Russia annexed Crimea—a peninsula which belonged to Ukraine, situated in the Black Sea. Dr. Fowler described this as “a violation of territorial sovereignty.” Dr. Plantan had a similar perspective and described the incident in more detail, stating that “Russia annexed Crimea by invading it with unmarked soldiers.

They occupied Crimea, and then had a referendum to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.” Global observers objected to the validity of this referendum due to it violating Ukrainian and international laws that prohibit violation of the borders of other states. Despite protest, it was successful. The referendum marked Crimea’s return to Russia after 60 years apart.

LIFE IS FILLED WITH COMPLEXITIES, BUT ONE THING IS CERTAIN: “THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS .

JUSTIFIED VIOLENCE AGAINST ANYONE.”

- Dr. Michael Denner

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ISSUE IV

The history of Crimea’s transition to being a Ukrainian territory was meant to be a peaceful one, and for context, Mark Kramer, director of Cold War Studies at Harvard University, explained that “the Soviet government transferred Crimea from the Russian Soviet Federation of Socialist Republics to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954.” Before then, it belonged to Russia but was merged with Ukraine due to territorial reasons and celebratory purposes to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the peaceful reunification of Russia and Ukraine. But if this moment of transfer was meant for celebration, then why was it taken over in 2014?

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the annexation was a protective measure to keep the ethnic Russians safe from “far-right extremists” whom he believed overthrew former President Yanukovych of Ukraine. Despite abundant evidence to the contrary, Putin has maintained this rhetoric, INews reports.

Putin’s distaste for Ukraine began in the 1990s when they voted to secede from the Soviet Union. Ukraine’s successful independence, Dr. Fowler states, began the perception of Ukraine as a “thorn in the Russian side.”

Their economic and political trajectory was pointed away from Russia, and for some time before this current invasion, they were “a fairly functioning democracy, with a democratically elected president, with fairly functioning courts, and markets.” Their system worked very differently from Russia; Dr. Fowler described Ukraine as a place where “you could protest, you could criticize the government,” and this freedom had grown to cause issues because “Ukraine successfully emerged from the Soviet Union and Russia did not.”

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was in immense turmoil. What was once a place of immense infrastructure became something different under the former rule of President Boris Yeltsin who removed price controls on many items in 1992 in hopes of pushing the nation towards a market-economy. While their immediate goal was met, massive inflation was sparked as a result, which devastated many. Economically, Russia was on the decline, while Ukraine flourished as a newly independent nation. This became a point of contention because an agreement (the Budapest Memorandum) made when the Soviet Union collapsed ensured Ukraine’s safety.

TIMELINE 1954

From 1783 to 1954, Crimea was a part of Russia, when the Soviet government moved it from the Russian Soviet Federation of Socialist Republics (RSFSR) to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UkrSSR). The transfer of Crimea to Ukraine was publicized in the Soviet press in late February 1954.

1990s

EARLY

Ukraine declares independence from the Soviet Union. On Aug. 24, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR passed the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. Ukraine's state independence was reinstated as a result of the Act.

1994

In the early 1990s, Ukraine's leadership made what now appears to be a fatal decision: to disarm the country and surrender those terrible weapons in exchange for signed pledges from the international community insuring its future security.

The decision to disarm was described at the time as a measure of preserving Ukraine's security through agreements with the international community, which was placing pressure on the country, rather than the more economically and politically costly course of retaining its own nuclear program.

2014

President Vladimir V. Putin regained Crimea as part of Russia, rectifying what he called a historic wrong perpetrated by the Soviet Union 60 years ago and shrugging aside international censure that might isolate Russia for years to come. In February and March of 2014, Russia mobilized its soldiers to grab control of Crimea.

2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in a speech that a “special military operation” will commence in Ukraine. Several news outlets reported explosions in various places as well as evidence of large-scale military actions taking place across Ukraine.

THE REPORTER

27

Another result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union was that nuclear weapons were scattered across the four newly formed states—Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Greg Myre, national security correspondent and editor for NPR, stated that Ukraine later renounced their arsenal in 1994 with a promise from Russia and others that their borders would not be violated. This agreement did not last, obviously. Now,the question remains: what is the real purpose of the current invasion? Power? Land? Money?

Dr. Fowler sets the stage by stating that Ukrainian cities Donetsk and Luhansk are two Russian-dominated, separatist republics with Russian military and financial backing.

Putin has claimed that the ethnic Russians living in these cities are being persecuted by the Ukrainian government, stating on Feb. 24, 2022, that “We will seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation.”

Regarding the validity of this concern, each professor that I spoke with agreed that Putin’s characterization is untrue and unfounded. Why is Putin rationalizing the war this way? All three professors I interviewed had their own perspective on the end goal, so let’s explore their ideas.

“Lenin always used to say ‘the worse the better,’” Dr. Denner stated, “and he meant that for Marxism, and the Bolsheviks in particular, the worse the Russian economy and state experienced, the better it was for the Bolsheviks. And it was right, it culminated in 1970.” Regarding Putin, he must believe this because “the more Putin loses, the more sanctions that we impose, the more isolated Russia becomes,” Dr. Denner told me. “It’s one of those classic heads I win, tails you lose, and Putin knows it.”

Russia has become a largely isolated nation with few international ties, and in the coming years, Dr. Denner hypothesizes that “Russia will be more isolated, much poorer, and much more Russian than it is today, which is exactly what Putin wants.” Putin is influenced heavily by the Soviet Union: he was a former KGB officer working as a foreign intelligence officer for 15 years with a high ranking and significant political intel. He is a man with a mind that has never left the Soviet Union, and Soviet ideals have influenced his actions up to this point.

The invasion is founded on deceit and misinformation.

News outlets and many other online sources have debunked claims made by Putin. It is important to keep in mind that media control is at an all-time high in Russia, so much so that major news outlets and social media apps such as Facebook have been completely blocked. This leaves room for misinformation to spread more easily among Russian citizens and many others worldwide than before, which is harmful for those wishing to educate themselves on the crisis. I have asked each professor for their advice on how to garner good information on the situation, as well as how we can help.

When asked, Dr. Fowler leaped at the question with a confident answer: the best thing to do is to always “keep Ukrainian voices front and center.” We must remain attuned to their thoughts, ideas, and statements, for they are the ones experiencing the war firsthand. You can seek out these stories on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and continue to ask “what did Ukrainians actually want? What is the story of actually what’s happening to these people?” Also, look at sites such as Meduza, which is a Russian, independent journalism publisher, all written in English that promises to talk about “The Real Russia, Today.” Websites such as these give insightful and factual information that can prove helpful when researching what is happening day-to-day in Ukraine.

Dr. Plantan, who is Russian, states “It’s important that we understand what the [Russian] state is doing, but also to understand that the people aren’t the government, and unless you’re talking about someone who supports the war, or is a part of the regime that supports the war, there’s no need to cancel the Russians as a whole.” I completely agree with this statement, and so do many others. We need to recognize the full complexity of the current situation and be cautious when placing blame.

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ISSUE IV

The history between Ukraine and Russia is a long, tumultuous one rocked with discrepancies, conflict, and battles. Do not let the Ukrainian people go unheard; keep their voices at the forefront, and remember that according to Dr. Denner, “there’s no such thing as justified violence against anyone.”

TOUCHSTONE

Literary Arts Journal 2022

OUT NOW. THE REPORTER

29

Domingo Arias, a janitor at the Hollis Center, is widely regarded as one of Stetson’s most recognized and cherished employees by many students. Domingo began working in custodial services at Stetson in 2005.

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ISSUE IV

Inside Look An up-close look at one of Stetson’s most popular janitors.

Written by Ihsaan Fanusie Design by Isabel Solorzano Photos by Jillian Semmel

“Score’s 13-14, game point.”

Three students line up on the inside of the three-point line. On the outside of the line, three other players line up next to each other, ready for an offensive possession.

It’s around 7:00 p.m. on a cool March evening, and, like most days, Stetson’s Hollis Center is holding a pick-up basketball game. This one isn’t too serious, though some days, five-on-five competitions can draw crowds of a dozen or more and runs can last for hours. Here, only a few students watch in the bleachers.

A student passes the ball to a short, middle-aged man dressed in work shoes and the blue Stetson janitorial outfit.

He dribbles thrice to the left, fakes a pass to his right, then lifts the ball behind his head in a shooting mechanic that would give an AAU coach fits and shoots a three-pointer.

Swish. Nothing but net.

“On fire,” he says with a grin, fanning off imaginary flames from himself. His teammates cheer and congratulate him, exchanging handshakes with the other team after the game. It’s a heartwarming moment between students and staff, but not an uncommon sight for those who frequent Stetson University’s student gymnasium.

Domingo Arias, a janitor who works at the Hollis Center, is one of Stetson’s most respected and valued employees to many students. Domingo started working at Stetson in custodial services back in 2005.

THE REPORTER

31

The Hollis Center underwent a substantial refurbishment in 2013 and has seen a number of incremental updates to workout equipment since then. One constant has remained in Stetson’s ever-changing student sports and leisure facilityDomingo Arias.

His job required him to clean floors, windows, gym equipment, bathrooms, and the basketball courts, but his role has become much larger.

Throughout his time at Stetson, Domingo has become a key figure in Stetson’s pick-up basketball scene.

If you stop by the Hollis Center, the first thing you’ll notice is the pristine gym floors, wellmaintained basketball court, and the general cleanliness of the facility. Domingo, who is one of several custodial faculty who are responsible for cleaning Hollis, certainly plays his part there. Yet his relationship with students on the court is much more fascinating than one might assume.

He typically works weekdays during the afternoon.

Later in the afternoon, especially after 4:30 p.m., students will come and play basketball in the Hollis Center and run pick-up games. After he finishes working (he made sure I understood this in our interview), Domingo will often watch the games and sometimes play in them.

“Sometimes, I play when I’m on break, they want me to play,” he said. “[If ] they need one [more person], I’ll play. I want to make the students happy, too.”

He has a son named Dominique, who is now 17 years old and in high school. “I want to get my son an opportunity to go to college,” Domingo said.

Emigrating from the Philippines, Domingo sought out opportunities for his son in the U.S. and found Stetson University. 17 years later, he has seen thousands of students pass in and out of the Hollis Center’s doors and hundreds more graduate and move on. “[There have been] a lot of moments, beautiful moments, from students like you guys,” he said.

“That’s why I don’t get stressed. I only get a little sad when they graduate. That’s how it goes. Everybody’s gonna go.”

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Even so, he said with a laugh, new students come along and he gets to make “new friends.” Occasionally, some students have come back to visit the school and see Domingo, too. “I love being with you guys, students,” he said.

Likewise, the student population loves Domingo.

“Domingo, he’s relatable, he’s always kind hearted,” said D’Angelo “D’lo” Brown ‘22, a senior who has been playing pick-up basketball in the Hollis Center for four years. “He’s very down-to-earth, he gets us and he fits right in with the crew.”

From a bird’s eye view, Domingo certainly seems like ‘one of the crew’ at the Hollis Center. He can often be seen giving players feedback on their performances in or after games, too.

“Go to the post,” he told one basketball player at a pick-up game who, despite being taller than other players, liked to shoot instead of drive. “Too many threes!” he would often chide.

young men and young women that can say the same thing, who go in the Hollis Center or wherever he works, who see him and would have that impression as well.”

“

“He was one of the first staff members on campus who actually embraced me and my friends,” Brown said. Brown recalled a pre-COVID incident when Domingo invited him and two other Stetson students—both of whom have since graduated—to his house for a celebration for Dominique’s birthday.

There, the students met Domingo’s son and the rest of his family and enjoyed plenty of food.

“He’s always trying to be present in my life, specifically,” Brown said. Domingo has asked many of the seniors who have frequented the Hollis Center about graduation over the past couple of years, including Brown.

“When we had our intramural championship game, he was like, ‘Bro, let me know the date, the time, I’m gonna make sure I’m there’,” Brown said.

“At halftime I’m looking over, guess who that is over there? Domingo.”

I’m still the same.

Nothings changed, I’m still young.”

Though the past two seasons of intramural basketball had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the school restarted the tournament this spring. Men’s Basketball is by far the most popular intramural sport on campus, and this season’s tournament consisted of more than twenty teams of 5+ players. Players from Stetson’s Division I football team entered several teams in the tournament, while other teams were composed of soccer players, ROTC members, fraternities, and friends who enjoy playing together.

This year, an exciting playoff tournament mirrored the closely-fought games of the actual NCAA March Madness tournament. Several games were decided by only one or two points, and lower-seeded teams were able to pull off stunning upsets against some of the higher seeded teams.

“A lot has changed [since I started working here]” Domingo said. “I started when Dr. [H. Douglass] Lee was president.”

Domingo is a constant presence in Stetson’s intramural basketball scene. Even though there is no longer a staff team that participates in the tournament, he will often stop by to make conversation with the players and watch parts of the game.

Over the past decade, the Hollis Center underwent a major renovation in 2013 and has been subject to a series of minor improvements to workout equipment since then. There has, however, been one constant in Stetson’s ever-changing student sports & recreation facility.

“Times like that made me feel special,” Brown said.

“I would kinda say [Domingo is] like a father figure to me here on campus. And [there are] so many other

“I’m still the same,” Domingo said with a smile.

“Nothing’s changed, I’m still young.”

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Written by Erica Lucio Design by Isabel Solorzano Photos Courtesy of Eddy Chen/HBO

Euphoria IN REVIEW:

Season 2 of the hit series “Euphoria” is out in its entirety, let’s talk about it.

The second season of “Euphoria,” the show that took social media by storm, is out. If you plan on watching “Euphoria” and don’t want spoilers, do not continue reading. For those who have been biting their nails and screaming at their screens, welcome. Let’s peek through the doors of the psychedelic, colorful, and maddening world of “Euphoria’s” second season.

On January 9, 2022, Season 2 episode 1 “Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door” of “Euphoria” premiered and sent social media— especially Twitter— users into a frenzy; creating memes, stating show theories, and complaining about how badly Barbie Ferreira’s script was written (justice for Kat!)—even the beloved actor who plays Fezco, Angus Cloud, joined in on the Twitter train: “My manager doesn’t let me watch the entire season, so I’m watching in real time along with y’all lol.”

Much like season 1, HBO aired one episode of “Euphoria” each Sunday from the start of the first episode’s release date. Like the vast majority of those who are ingrained in the culture of binging an entire season as soon as it drops, it was agonizing to wait an entire week after each episode was released, more so for season 2 rather than season 1 in my opinion. However, the one episode a week tactic is rather clever because it engages the audience and creates more buzz, leaving us wanting more while the creators, production, and distribution companies of the show maintain relevance in the media.

With the magnitude of the show’s content and massive following, according to Variety magazine, “The Euphoria Season 2 premiere, which first aired Jan. 9, has drawn 13.1 million viewers across multiple HBO and HBO Max to date, with Episodes 2 and 3 tracking similarly, per HBO. That is close to +100% the 6.6 million average audience size that was drawn by Season 1 episodes in-season during summer 2019.”

One of the most highly discussed topics of “Euphoria” is if high school is the best setting for these characters and the content they deal and interact with. Some Stetson students have their own opinions on this topic. Emma Fernandez ’23 states “I do not think Euphoria reflects real-life high school. I do think that college would be a better setting to be more realistic but it would honestly not make that much of a difference.”

“There is a lack of believability that comes with witnessing high school students have such strong actions and emotions when it comes to sex and drugs. While there are those things present in high school, it is not usually to the extent of what is portrayed,” Tiffany Williams ’23 says.

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Jenna Wolbers ’23 agrees: “I believe ‘Euphoria’ does not reflect real-life high school. If there is any association, it is extremely dramatic. I think college would be a way better setting, considering college is the time where most people figure out themselves and experiment, sometimes for the better or worse.”

In this latest season, we continue following Rue’s battle with substance abuse while navigating her relationship with Jules and newcomer Elliot, played by Dominic Fike. Sam Levinson, director and writer of “Euphoria,” gives us an intimate look into the lives of characters such as Fezco (Angus Cloud), Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow), Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney), and Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), and even partners some of them with other recurring characters you’d least expected to ever interact together on screen.

First things first, the pairing of Cassie Howard and Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) was absolutely excruciating to deal with. Anytime these characters interacted in each episode, it was a cacophony of screaming and endless sex, but it made for an explosive and infuriating performance by Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi. In regard to Cassie, her storyline in Season 2 didn’t live up to how her storyline ended in the Season 1 finale. Cassie states “I think I’m going to do everything in my power for at least, like, the next three years to not fall in love” and to “intervene and fucking destroy it” if she does happen to get into a relationship. Having her written to fall for Nate seems implausible and forced, however, what does work about their relationship is how it brings out their characters’ darkest and haunting traits.

Their individual trauma and personal issues, especially their issues with their fathers, collide. Nate deals with the trauma of finding his dad’s personal sex tapes when he was a kid and living up to the societal expectations of being a manly man, molding into an exact replica of Cal but more monstrous, violent, and emotionless. Cassie, on the other hand, struggles with the trauma of her dad leaving her family behind and slowly becoming a substance abuse addict.

Of the other character couples, I genuinely root for Lexi and Fexco, Fexi if you will. Maybe it’s because I resonate with Lexi’s quirky and observer personality, but it’s nice to see Fezco be able to find some hope and love in another person, something so pure and wholesome that gives his character contrast from the world of dealing drugs and violence. It’s not to say that Fezco needs a girlfriend or that Lexi needs a boyfriend, however, it’s their kindred spirits that make their relationship seem like a world on its own, filled with possibilities.

However, as most viewers saw in episode 8, “All My Life, My Heart Yearning for a Thing…” or on your Twitter feed, Fezco was arrested and wounded by law enforcement when his home was raided, leaving the Fexi relationship on a cliffhanger.

As for the lead characters, Rue Bennett (Zendaya) and Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), their relationship is constantly challenged by their personal conflicts, and third-wheel friend, and Jules’ love interest, Elliot (Dominic Fike). At the core of what is hurting their relationship is their lack of communication and disconnect; their minds and priorities are elsewhere. Throughout most of Season 2, Rue is constantly on the search for drugs and goes to the length of acquiring a $10,000 suitcase of drugs from a teacher-turned-drugdealer. However, Rue is also confronted with the fact that she hasn’t grieved her father’s death in a healthy manner. Rue resorts to the high that she gets from drugs because it makes her “happy” and allows her to bury the emotions and feelings she has.

In episode 4, Rue explains that the main reason she does drugs is that it’s the one way she is able to be with her dad again, to be near him, and to feel him. In the “I’m Tired” sequence, we see Rue walk the aisle of a church and go up towards Labrinth, the musical composer of “Euphoria,” who is singing the “I’m Tired” track. Churches signify the celebration of life and death. What

can be perceived from this sequence is how her high allows her to metaphysically be in a purgatory-like realm. Her body is alive in reality while her spirit drifts to visit death (Labrinth), who embraces her and turns into her father. She cries and confesses all her worries to her dad. It’s an emotionally raw, painful, and vulnerable moment where the audience sees a side of Rue that she doesn’t show other characters.

In a sense, you grasp why she takes to drugs. It’s because the extent of how she feels about the loss of her dad is unimaginable and excruciating. For her, there are too many feelings and thoughts that she doesn’t know how or where to start in grieving her father’s death in a healthy manner.

Though Season 2 was filled with complex storylines, overall the script was underdeveloped and underwhelming, specifically for characters such as Kat, Ethan, Maddy, Cal, and even Rue. It felt like the show focused more on the Cassie and Nate storyline, losing track of the lead character, Rue. Not only this, but it felt scattered.

“The main thing that I didn’t like was the lack of Kat’s storyline.

There was so much potential for her story, especially after last season,” Wolbers ’23 shares. In Season 1, Kat balances different facets of her life. She’s a fanfic writer with a massive following, does live cam sessions for money, and is also a high school student embracing her confidence and sexual desires as a plus-size girl. However, in Season 2 she has a very minimal storyline in which she is struggling with her mental health and even resorts to gaslighting Ethan to break up with her.

As for Maddy, the show does not provide background as to why Maddy’s boss, whom she babysits for, is recording her while she is trying on her boss’s luxury clothes. It’s peculiar and adds to the show’s long list of portraying the non-consensual recording of a minor. The script isn’t perfect, but in some ways it resembles the imperfections of the characters and their lives. Perhaps that’s what Levinson was trying to convey, but it didn’t come through clearly to viewers.

Being a film and television fanatic, I marveled over the cinematography and film references used in Season 2. Throughout the season, lighting is used to show a scene as a photograph, most prominent in episode 1. The bright flash of the light and focus on the subject creates a 90s-like clear yet grainy moving image. The photograph technique is used to resemble a camera capturing a moment in time of a scene before chaos ensues. Another way it’s used is to get a behind-the-scenes focus of the image being captured which can be seen when Rue and Jules make up and kiss in the first episode.

Season 2 of “Euphoria” is visually impeccable and stunning, and the music captures your soul, but the story leaves you feeling cringey, angry, and questioning the creators’ motives. I’d give it a solid A-.

With the uncertainty and open ends left in Season 2, we are bound to get an impactful and riveting Season 3 that answers some of our questions and concerns— hopefully something with an optimistic and redemptive storyline for Rue, a condemnation of Nate, a revival of Kat, and, as Suze Howard puts it, “a fucking exorcism” for Cassie.

“Euphoria” Season 3 is confirmed, but we won’t see anything until sometime in 2023 or 2024. In the meantime, look out for Labrinth’s “Euphoria” Season 2 Official Score on its April 22 release date to relive and enter the sounds of “Euphoria”.

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THE RIGHT TO

Ignorance.

Examining the implications of the “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop WOKE Act” and Florida’s war on learning.

On Monday, March 28 at Classical Prepatory School in Spring Hill, Florida, Senate Bill 1834 a.k.a the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. The bill amended teaching codes, effectively banning discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-3. The bill has stirred up a tremendous amount of controversy and scrutiny.

Student walkouts across the state, mass protests, condemnation from President Biden, moments of silence on ESPN, balking from Disney’s CEO, and outrage on America’s favorite shouting arena—social media—have all surrounded two recent bills entitled ‘Individual Freedom’ and ‘Parental Rights in Education.’

Unassuming names are added to these bills since they aren’t actually brand new laws being passed, rather a series of amendments to statewide educational and workplace standards.

Governor Ron DeSantis has made a point of his administration to craft his rhetoric against threats to conservative interests.

These debates are often recoded into less conspicuous words like “family values” or reframed entirely, for example bills limiting the freedoms of transgender people being branded as equality in sports. These two bills aim specifically at curbing two rising trends in our education system and workplaces: close inspections of how racial biases and systemic oppression affect minority communities and the growing acceptance of non-heterosexual relationships as well as a slow-but-sure welcoming of transgender and nonbinary people into our collective consciousness.

Through examining these bills, one can see that they are designed to be partisan fuel for the polarized culture war we seem to find ourselves in. Put plainly, the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ and ‘Individual Freedom’ bills are crafted to show the people who feel that everyone has an equal shot at the “American dream” regardless of ethnicity and who want to roll their eyes when they see someone including their pronouns, that republicans are taking a meaningful stand against threats to more familiar ways of life.

FIGHTING GAYNESS The ‘Parental Rights in Education’ itself, often dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, says that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade three

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Written by Jay Stearman Design by Isabel Solorzano Graphics by Mia Scott

or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

Looking at the text, it certainly doesn’t sound like the word ‘gay’ is banned from classrooms, but don’t think that this bill’s passage won’t have wide-ranging ramifications.

This bill is essentially about giving parents the ability to control the narrative by allowing them to sue schools and teachers if their kids learn about topics they don’t like, namely, non-heterosexual relationships. Curiously, though, discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation are not currently included in teaching curricula for these grade levels.

Jim Defede, a Miami-based investigative journalist characterized this bill on CBS as “a solution in search of a problem.” He went on to add that the main sponsors of the bill, Representative Joe Harding and Senator Dennis Baxley, introduced this legislation as they were uncomfortable with the amount of young people coming out as gay and wanted to know why. Their solution was to legislate explicitly against young kids learning about gender identities in the classroom, a ‘problem’ which wasn’t there in the first place.

“There’s a fantasy going on that children are being indoctrinated,” said UC Berkeley Professor Judith Butler in response to this bill. “Parents and communities want to exercise forms of censorship to stop their children from knowing about how the world is being organized and how different people are living their lives,” she told CNN. DeSantis and Senate Republicans make the assumption that schools brainwash kids into believing extreme views when there are already several measures in place at school boards which tightly review curriculum and required lessons. They conflate the presence of books about children questioning their sexuality in school libraries as forced indoctrination of our youth, and they assume that schools should conform to the way of life parents want them to grow up into, rather than challenge their existing belief systems. They refrain from acknowledging that so much of the learning a kid does is done through family, friends, and media.

Kids are curious and ask questions. The only difference now is that kindergarten through third grade teachers can’t answer questions about why two men or two women are getting married in a TV show. And if they do, they might be at risk of losing their job as the parents could sue them of the school if they don’t like the teacher’s answer. Even kids beyond third grade might be affected by the bill as it also amends teaching codes to add that instruction on sexuality and gender cannot be done in “a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” The phrasing is deliberately made vague enough to make the letter of the law more favorable to the prosecution rather than the defendants: teachers and schools. Now there’s a serious risk that classroom instruction will lose its seeds of inclusion as teachers and schools fear the political and legal scandal that might arise if teachers don’t tiptoe well enough around why both da Vinci and Michelangelo never married and why some of the most famous works from Shakespeare and Walt Whitman take on a less-thanfamily-values tone.

Let’s remind ourselves that at the end of the day, teachers are the ones who are professionals at educating people of all backgrounds in an objective way. They may not be perfect all the time, but elementary teachers are not the enemy and are not the sole reason why our society is attempting to become more inclusive of non-heterosexual relationships and of trans and nonbinary people.

“I’m disgusted,” State Representative Angie Nixon of Jacksonville told MSNBC. “My Republican colleagues have done nothing to address the housing crisis we are in. But sure, let’s create culture wars and erase kids.”

Young students who feel like they don’t fit the ‘norm’ of being straight and cis-gendered are vulnerable children who need support and inclusive discussion, not further marginalization by way of removing discussion on this difficult topics entirely.

According to the Trevor Project’s 2021 report, “42 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.” Emily Bloch from the Florida Times-Union noted, too, that “BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth made up the highest percentage of those who attempted suicide.” We have to ask if one group’s right to not have certain topics discussed in elementary education is worth the further harm it might create for our LGBTQ+ youth— the same youth that will become the next generation and face difficult years ahead of them in high school and college.

Spare a thought for the self-censorship teachers will certainly endure, especially teachers who are not white or not straight and cis-gender. Bloch also points out that teachers were celebrated as heroes when the pandemic settled deeply into Florida, but now face substantial scrutiny from the right as Republicans craft their narrative reasoning and anti-woke slogans. The American Psychological Association warned that the “Parental Rights in Education” bill stigmatizes and marginalizes children “who may realize their difference at a young age” as the bill would prevent

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teachers from hosting discussion on these subjects. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who was raised in Miami, said that the Parental Rights in Education Act “shuts down dialogue instead of nurturing healthy conversation.” This practice of healthy conversations is exactly what professionals and programs here at Stetson advocate for. The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill tries to stifle these practices at the earliest ages possible.

After Disney CEO Bob Chapek first stayed silent in the wake of the bills passage in the Florida House stating that remarks from corporations “do very little to change outcomes or minds,” he eventually supported his many spirited employees who opposed the bill and spoke out against it–pledging to stop donating to politicians in the state, too. Governor DeSantis pushed back saying that policies should support the “best interest of Florida citizens, not on the musings of woke corporations.”

DeSantis and his supporters have framed the legislation as being proparents rather than anti-LGBTQ+.

“You have companies, like at Disney, that are going to say and criticize parents’ rights,” said the Governor. “They’re going to criticize the fact that we don’t want transgenderism in kindergarten, in first-grade classrooms.” DeSantis’ readiness to criticize one of the largest employers in the state might suggest, too, that he is appealing to supporters beyond just Florida.

But the danger here lies not in the power of companies to somehow infiltrate school boards, but in the governor’s attempts to polarize Floridians and the country further, by stoking the fear and discomfort of his base towards anyone who is not straight and cis-gendered. He pits parents against school teachers and conservatism against “woke” culture.

Despite overwhelmingly critical statements from organizations of teachers and students, walkouts in schools in every corner of the state, and public pressure across the country, Florida’s Republican lawmakers kept their noses high. And unfortunately, the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is just one of the pieces of legislation which seeks to undermine progress in our attempts to be inclusive.

FIGHTING WOKENESS Concerning the ‘Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees Act,’ or commonly known as the Stop WOKE act, DeSantis characterized critical race theory, based on the idea that laws in this country have not been and are not neutral when it comes to race, as “state sanctioned racism” that teaches kids to “hate our country” and criticized employee training that includes critical race theory as “indoctrination.” But is it really about cutting back supposed indoctrination or is it about having white people feel more comfortable about our nation’s history, a nation built largely by enslaved Africans on land already inhabited by indigenous people?

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Rather than face the fact that we forced people off their ancestral homeland and supported a system of brutally enforced labor of African people, we’d rather just not discuss it at all? Granted, I learned about slavery and the Trail of Tears in my middle school, but it was framed as an unfortunate but necessary evil so that the fledgling American nation could progress. Along with misconceptions that most slaves were not abused and that the Civil War was fought over states’ rights, not expressly slavery, my education in elementrary and junior high certainly prioritized being comfortable to white people. The ‘Stop WOKE’ bill doesn’t strike any topics about slavery or indigenous people from school

curricula, but even still, many Floridians had to relearn, if at all, in high school or college about the gaps in our history books.

The bill itself prevents teachers from creating discussion that makes any student “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race.” The bill also stipulates that “[a]n individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, does not bear responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.” Crucially, this bill also extends to the workplace as it prohibits this type of education in employee training as well. Topics like white privilege, systemic racism, and racial biases could be too risky to discuss if certain people start to feel uncomfortable from their training. Companies could face lawsuits for mentioning these topics in mandatory training.

EACH US THE RUTH

Mark Harper for the Daytona News-Journal defines critical race theory as “acknowledging [that] race is a construct used by majority groups to oppress others and that racism in the United States is normal and embedded in government and other power structures.”

Lawmakers in Florida believe classrooms and workplaces which teach about critical race theory, systemic racism, and white privilege violate individual freedoms of workers, students, and parents.

Again, we must ask ourselves if the right of white people to not feel uncomfortable when learning about our nation’s history or the reality of race relations is more important than the right of our society’s most oppressed groups to learn and work alongside informed, socially aware people.

State senator and sponsor of the ‘Individual Freedom’ bill, Manny Diaz, worked as a teacher and assistant principal. He said that as a teacher, students should not know their politics and that teachers should not force students to adopt a certain viewpoint.

“You should never know where I stand on these issues because my job is to provide you with the knowledge of what occurred,” Diaz said.

State Senator Kelli Stargel of Lakeland also spoke out in support of the bill saying “The message today that we of white privilege are supposed to feel guilt and shame, I don’t subscribe to that. I don’t think we should be teaching a certain race is better.”

Now not everyone may agree with this worldview shared by Senator Stargel, but banning its discussion in the classroom and workplace completely is contrary to the original stated intention of the bill in the first place. The antidote to indoctrination is pluralism—contrasting theories and views which inform civil debate. Simply banning educational topics that a political party doesn’t like is definitively anti-democratic.

State democrats and civil rights groups see the bill as censorship and thinly veiled historical revisionism. As several corporations spoke out against the bill, seeing it as a limitation to anti-bias training, the Florida Anti-Defamation League released a statement saying “we teach history, including the painful or difficult portions, so that we learn from the past, and understand the danger and ramifications of such behavior.“ Dr. Jerry L. Picott, who formerly worked as a principal in Volusia County Schools, spoke at a school board meeting this

January: “Let us all be reminded that some aspects of America’s truth can be painful for most of us. Our kids need the opportunity to learn history and understand the details, investigate critical moments and analyze their own thoughts and conclusions.”

A reality where parents can choose between conservative leaning curricula which does not include teaching on systemic racism and critical race theory and non-straight relationships, and schools with progressive curricula which does include these lessons is not one that would benefit anyone. Instead, students would find themselves in very different places after middle school, and the teachers and parents would follow suit into the polarized categories. A recent report from PEN America, a freedom of expression advocacy group, noted that Florida schools suffered more book bans and challenges between July 2021 and March 2022 than all but two other states.

The Associated Press also relayed that the same report warned about Florida’s continuing trend of passing legislation which “makes it easier for parents to challenge books and instructional materials they don’t approve.”

The problem is that Florida isn’t alone in designing and passing legislation in reaction to inclusivity and critical analysis of race relationships. “All these proposals” that Republicans are trying to pass into law “make it harder for certain Americans to be who they are, which is counter to the idea of parental rights or individual freedoms,” wrote Zachary Wolf of CNN. Georgia, Idaho, and Tennessee all currently have bills restricting discussion of sex and LGBT topics in their congresses. Remind you, these are not topics that commonly come up in first grade classrooms, but for young kids who may feel like they don’t fit into conventional gender and sexual categories, they may be barred from receiving the inclusive and objective discussion they so crucially need at this early point in development.

Forbes reports that Alabama issued a rule with similar phrasing to the ‘Stop WOKE’ bill prohibiting “indoctrination” of kids, and Georgia is seeking to ban the teaching of “divisive concepts” and requirements for K-12 schools to “engage or observe” discussions of public policy. Arizona has a series of bills “barring the promotion or advocating of certain ideas and concepts related to gender or race” while Iowa lawmakers are looking to forbid negative comments regarding the Pledge of Allegiance and ban teachers from discussing “any controversial issues” in the classroom or risk disciplinary action. And still the list goes on. Clearly, there is a coordinated push in Republican controlled states to react to progressive ideas by shielding kids from controversial, dangerous topics like teachers discussing a gay person or white privilege.

Dialogue and diversity is the strength of education and exactly what prevents extremism and indoctrination. We need to be introduced to ideas and perspectives we might not readily agree with in order to solidify our beliefs and put our integrity and civility to the test. We need to continually improve our acceptance and awareness of other kinds of people in our workplaces and classrooms. Our democracy hinges on consistent learning and earnest conversations with people from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Conservatives don’t want a brainwashed population that all thinks the same, but that is exactly what they are voting into law.

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E

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ED UNPACKED UNPACKED Alijah Santos ‘23, Hatter Production’s Executive Director, unpacks his most cherished items. Alijah is highly organized, significantly prepared, and a stylish fashionista. His lifestyle and unique personality can be seen in these few items he carries every day.

Interview by Anuket Goins Design by Isabel Solorzano Photos by by Anuket Goins Photo Editing by Jillian Semmel

Hatter Productions Merch

“Starting off with the most recent Hatter Productions merch is the ‘Hatter Productions After Dark’ cap in purple.

HP (Hatter Productions) means a lot to me because I'm the executive director. I'm out here doing all the HP events, and I love HP. It is definitely my favorite thing that I've done pretty much my entire life. I love planning all the events; I love being there with students, seeing students have fun, and bringing vibrancy to campus. So, I hold HP very dear to my heart, and I always try to hold at least one item in relation to HP. I like to have HP near me at all times.”

iPad Pro

“I would say the second most important thing is my iPad. I use my iPad for everything. For my notes, for YouTube, for fun; it's like recreational, school, and everything in between. Does that mean that sometimes I watch Netflix during class? Maybe. But I'm still passing and that's what matters.”

Jewelry Bag

“This is my jewelry bag. This is supposed to be an antitarnish bag, so when you put it in the bag, it's supposed to prevent your silver from tarnishing. I obviously love my jewelry, my jewelry is everything, but sometimes, not gonna lie, I wake up late. I'll wake up and I’ll have like two minutes to get to class, and because I have so much jewelry, I don't have time to put my jewelry on. So, I will always have this in my bag because I go to class late every single morning and don't have time for my jewelry. I just pick up the bag, put it in my bookbag, and then put on my jewelry in class. So yeah, that's why I will always have it and I appreciate it for existing because if it didn't exist, I would have to throw my jewelry in my bag. Love you jewelry bag.”

Two Umbrellas

“Now let's talk about the insane amount of pens. I have electronic notes. Yet, for some reason, I have a million pens. I have no use for a pen. Not one. I have an iPad with an Apple pen. I can write everything and anything on my good notes app. And I still have like 17 pens. I don't know why. Most of them are from Stetson. I mean, I pay them plenty, so, I'm gonna take their pens. My favorite is the gray Bic one; round, thin. The simplest one, I like it, even though I don't use it much.”

“There is nothing in the world that can prepare you for the craziness of Florida’s weather except for two umbrellas.

You got to have two, I'm telling you, you need two. With the way Florida’s weather acts up, you need two umbrellas.

Sometimes, the wind goes crazy, and one breaks. What are you gonna do? Walk in the rain. No, you can pull out your second umbrella. Let's say you're walking with a friend, aka my friend Karen, who never brings an umbrella. She doesn't have an umbrella. I'm like ‘girl, get under mine,’ and she doesn't want to. Then, I'm like ‘girl, take it.’ Now, I started bringing a second umbrella and I always have a second umbrella and that's on period. I make sure that I'm always dry and anyone that's with me is going to be dry too.”

TI-89 Calculator

Pins/Brooches

Pens

“I am a math major, so, I’d be rocking my TI-89, nobody has a TI-89 like I do. I love it so much. It does what I need it to do. It has a lot of functions, a lot of abilities. I love it, and even though I'm not taking math classes right now, I still find reasons to use it because I love it so much. I used to have a TI-84; it could not compare to my TI-89.”

“Finally, my beautiful, amazing pins. I love my pins so much. I mean, the bag is plain, but you can't tell me these pins don't stand out. When you see me, you see the pins on my bag. They're all gorgeous. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

They're all cute and I think they add a nice little element to my bag.”

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WHAT

are you listening to?

Stream Stetson’s best (and only) radio station live on hatternetwork.com Or download Radio.Co to tune in

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FIND THIS PLAYLIST ON HATTER NETWORK’S SPOTIFY @HATTERNETWORK

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@hatternetwork

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