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International students adjust during COVID-19 restrictions

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by Brianna Forte

Due to the complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic, international students at Florida Tech had major decisions to make when it came to their travel plans and method of learning for the fall semester. 

International students were faced with a series of options for this fall semester as travel restrictions, visa issues, and COVID-19 precautions were taken into consideration. 

When classes switched to online in March, some international students decided to return home. 

“First, I planned to stay until the end of the semester, but when our government announced that they will close the borders of Hungary [my family and I] decided the best for me was to go back home,” explained Liza Lutter, a junior majoring in biology from Budapest, Hungary.

Since returning to their home countries, some students now have to deal with the global travel restrictions that have been installed in response to COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, travelers from China, Iran, European Schengen area, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, or Brazil are prohibited from entering the United States.

Students who cannot return to in-person classes for the fall semester have been able to attend online classes synchronously or asynchronously. 

Brian Ehrlich, vice president of enrollment management, reported that as of Aug. 28 there are 381 international students across all levels of learning that have requested remote access.

“I decided to take classes online because I want to see how Florida Tech can control the COVID-19 situation,” said Lutter.

The only issue Lutter has encountered so far is with her internet connection, “but the problem is with my internet usually so it’s not the school’s fault.”

Nicole Rautemberg, a sophomore majoring in business from Asunción, Paraguay shared her difficulties adjusting to online learning. 

“For me it’s hard to understand english, and I feel like I learn more in a classroom setting because I can ask questions and I won’t be afraid of speaking out,” Rautemberg said.

Although Florida Tech has provided many options for international students, there is a decline in enrollment among international students from this fall semester compared to the fall semester of 2019. 

According to Ehrlich, the number of enrolled international students for this year is just over 1,300, which is close to last year’s number of approximately 1,500 students. Ehrlich emphasized that official university numbers don’t come out until the census in September, meaning the numbers may vary.

“I’m positive and encouraged by the number. And I think a lot of that has to do with the offering remote access to people that couldn’t get here,” said Ehlrich.

In addition to those adjusting to online learning, there are also international students who opted to stay within the United States this summer so that they could attend in-person classes. 

Over the summer, junior Marcello Mattei explained that he wanted to go home to Caracas, Venezuela but could not because the COVID-19 pandemic lead to the Venezuelan border being closed. 

Gregory Dunn, a sophomore majoring in aeronautical science with flight from Kingston, Jamaica explained the difficulty of deciding to stay in the United States over the summer.

“That decision to stay in the U.S. means I won’t be able to see my family and friends back home until December and that’s only if the pandemic eases up. This is one that has been made by many other international students as well,” said Dunn.

Another huge issue that international students are running into is obtaining a visa interview among the rising freshmen class. In order to conduct a visa interview, prospective students must go to a U.S. embassy, many which were closed during the summer due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“A number of students that have been admitted are not able to complete the embassy interview process, which is a critical component of receiving a visa,” Ehrlich explained.

Admitted students unable to obtain their visa were instructed to defer their entry into the U.S. to spring 2021, according to Ehrlich.

Erin Graham, from Johannesburg, South Africa, had to defer her entry.

Graham had a visa appointment scheduled for July 6, which was then cancelled and moved to July 30, before it was cancelled again. 

The cancellation “made it impossible for me to make it on time for my fall semester,” Graham said.

Graham explained that COVID-19 may have also affected the attitudes of some international students. 

“I think COVID-19 has made international students a lot more cautious in the idea of going to study abroad, as many of us will have even less time or chances to visit our families due to flight restrictions,” Graham said.

Florida Tech fails to acknowledge reports of rape required under federal law

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By: Emily Walker, Olivia McKelvey, Kevin Boodoosingh

Florida Tech failed to acknowledge multiple reports of rape within the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports under the Clery Act.




  • The Campus Crime Statistics lists zero sex offenses have occurred in the in the past three years. If there have been cases of sexual assaults that were not included in the crime statistics, then that is a violation of the Clery Act. 

Two students have come forward with accounts of rape and how they reported their cases through Title IX and Security.

Their cases did not appear on the Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, which is in violation of the Clery Act.

What is the Clery Act:

In 1986, Jeanne Clery, a student at Lehigh University, was raped and murdered in her residence hall.

Four years later, the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 was established in order to create accountability for reporting violent crimes and providing transparency on campus crime statistics.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act—the Clery Act— is a federal law requiring United States colleges and universities to disclose information about crime on and around campuses.

Due to the fact that Florida Tech receives federal funding, it is required to publish an annual security report for both students and employees every Oct. 1.

What is included within the Clery report:

Florida Tech’s Office of Safety and Security prepares an annual report in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies such as Melbourne Police Department, Palm Bay Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Other university departments also work in collaboration with compiling crime reports and statistics such as the Title IX office.

The report is required to include data from the past three years on the following crimes:

  • Criminal homicides such as murder and non-negligent manslaughter and negligent manslaughter
  • Sex offenses such as rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape
  • Arrests and judicial referrals for liquor law violations, drug abuse violations and weapons law violations
  • The “other” category, which includes robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson
  • The Violence Against Women’s Act—VAWA—is an amendment within Clery that expands the rights to campus survivors of sexual assault and includes the following crimes:
    • domestic violence
    • dating violence
    • stalking
  • Hate crimes, which include offense definitions relating to hate/bias-related crime, larceny, simple assault, intimidation and destruction/damage/vandalism of property

Clery cites that the following individuals on campus are Campus Security Authorities—also known as mandated reporters— a term created by the Clery Act that encompasses groups of individuals and organizations at Florida Tech:

  • Dean of Students
  • Director of Security
  • Security Department
  • Title IX Coordinator
  • Senior Vice President for Academic Administration
  • Chief of Staff
  • Athletics Director
  • Athletic Coaches
  • Office of Student Life
  • Director of Student Housing
  • Other Campus Security Authorities that have a “significant responsibility for student and campus activities.”

Clery geography:

Another factor Clery examines when categorizing data is geographical location of a specific crime.

Clery includes both on-campus and non-campus locations within the report.

An on-campus location is defined as any building or property owned or controlled by an institution, such as an academic building or dorm.

Non-campus geographic location can refer to any Florida Tech owned entity that is frequented by students.

The non-campus definition also includes campus leased or rented spaces for an event that was sponsored by the university or any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution.

How Florida Tech violated the Clery Act:

In the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports, all sex offenses, including rape, were cited as zero for the past three years.

According to definition in Florida Tech’s 2019 Annual Safety and Fire Report, rape is defined as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

An anonymous student has gone on record and said that her rape, which occurred in 2018 on campus, was not included in the Clery report.

“I went into the Title IX office because I wanted this put down on record,” she said. “I wanted them to know that women are being assaulted and raped on this campus.” 

The student went to the health center and Counseling and Psychological Services, neither of which are mandated reporters.

She later went to Linda Jancheson, the Title IX coordinator, who reports to, as listed in Florida Tech’s organizational chart, VP/General Counsel.

“I spent 20 minutes waiting in the Title IX office, five minutes in Jancheson’s office and I left with three extra papers that I didn’t know what the hell meant,” the student said.

The student later talked to another Campus Security Authority and discussed her options with Security.

She ultimately decided not to take action against her rapist and no charges were filed in this case. 

Despite the student not taking action, according to Frank Iannone, director of security, whether or not a victim decides to pursue charges, a report is made regardless of the outcome.

When asked how many cases of rape have been reported to Jancheson for the past three years, she said, “I do not know the exact numbers.”

When asked how many Title IX reports Jancheson handed over to Security to include within this year’s Clery report, she said, “I do not know.”

The Title IX coordinator was asked these same questions two times, in two separate interviews, and responded with “I do not know,” in each instance.

Jancheson went on to say that she was not in the Title IX coordinator position when reports were made last year in 2018, though her start date was February of 2018.

Another anonymous source was raped in 2017 on campus and reported her rape to Security in 2018.

The student went through an investigation and disciplinary hearing, which took over one year and resulted in disciplinary action for her rapist. 

This student’s rape was also not included within this year’s Clery data. 

“Sitting down with two security officers not once, but twice to relive the details of my rape in depth and on record was anything but a warm environment as a victim,” she said. 

After her initial report, the student heard nothing for five months regarding the investigation and the scheduling of the disciplinary hearing.

“It was the worst experience of my life,” she said. “The process of reporting it was nearly as bad as my actual rape.”

It is not immediately known whether or not campus security filed these two reports of rape with local law enforcement.

Both sources will remain anonymous. The Crimson does not disclose the names of sexual assault survivors.

Repercussions for violating Clery:

According to a press release from the National Association of Clery Compliance officers and professionals, as of February 2019, the new amount that the U.S. Department of Education can impose for noncompliance with the Clery Act is $57,317 per violation. 

In 2016, Penn State was fined 2.4 million dollars for having been “out of compliance” for 11 serious cases dating from 1998 to 2011.

In 2018, the University of Montana was fined $966,614 for “inaccurate and misleading crime statistics” from liquior law violations to cases of rape between 2012 and 2015. 

Two anonymous students at Florida Tech have come forward to discuss their rapes in 2017 and 2018 and how they reported it to Security.

Those cases have not been cited within this year’s Clery report. 

Iannone said that from the statistics that are provided within this year’s Clery report, he feels the numbers accurately represent the campus.

If you have made a report to Security or Title IX and feel it has not been handled correctly, visit endrapeoncampus.org/the-clery-act to file a complaint.

As a student-run newspaper, your voices are extremely important to us.

If you feel you have experienced something similar as described in this piece and would like to speak with us, please contact us at crimson@fit.edu.

National Sexual Assault Hotline -1-800-656-4673
Women’s Center Counseling 321-242-1526

The death of the Newseum in the era of fake news

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The Newseum stands tall for the last months of the year as its closure looms Photo // Newseum

It’s been two weeks since our editorial staff attended a college media conference in Washington D.C.

We left the nation’s capital with an arsenal of tips for better reporting, but also deeply disappointed to see one of journalism’s biggest odes to the industry to be uprooted by the end of the year.

Since opening day in 2008, the Newseum has dedicated itself to increasing public understanding of the importance of a free press and the First Amendment.

“In all of the 30-plus years I spent in broadcast journalism, I would’ve never expected something like the Newseum to ever exist, anywhere,” said Paul Littman, a retired PBS broadcaster who has spent his early years of retirement volunteering at the engaging and interactive museum of news. “I was born and raised in D.C. and to see something as great as this close down will leave me heartbroken.”

As young and aspiring journalists, to walk through five floors of history and see how journalism captured every part of that left us awestruck.

One of the most visually impactful exhibits was the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery.

To see a vulture preying on a starving child in Sudan is devastating.

But to then read that the photographer later took his own life because of the trauma and grief he felt for neglecting that child portrayed the harsh reality of reporting in third world countries.

  • A piece of the Berlin Wall showcases the contrast of freedom of speech between West Germany and East Germany. Crimson // Kevin Boodoosing
  • A piece of the Berlin Wall showcases the contrast of freedom of speech between West Germany and East Germany. Crimson // Kevin Boodoosing

Standing in front of chunks of the Berlin Wall that once separated communism from freedom was eye-opening to the freedom that we currently take for granted.

A glimpse at the civil rights movement exhibit showed that while many people turned a blind eye to the horrible things that were happening, journalists reported on the deaths of African American people, the brutal ways they were treated and the efforts they were making to gain more rights.

Walking one floor up, we entered the Stonewall exhibit, where the first Pride flag hung on the wall.

The Newseum illustrated how rights for LGBTQ people have changed and progressed throughout the years.

As in the civil rights exhibit, this was an area of history where many people were ignoring the mistreatment of the LGBTQ community or viewed them as bad people and deserving of punishment.

Meanwhile, journalists worked to uncover the truth and report it.

In another showcase—and perhaps the most emotional— newspapers from around the world covered a singular wall, each reporting on the events of 9/11.

A piece of the antenna from the North World Trade Tower stands in front of a wall of newspapers from around the world that covered 9/11.
Crimson // Jesse Villaverde

This exhibit highlighted Bill Biggart, a photographer and the only journalist to lose his life covering 9/11.

His gear was preserved in the Newseum, his photos having been recovered after the events of 9/11.

While we were in awe of the archives and galleries around us, other museum-goers were also drawn in by the history of news and value of free speech.

“This museum shows how the First Amendment is a gift to the world,” said Tim Neary, a professor from Worcester University in Massachusetts who was in town for a Georgetown Alumni celebration.“It’s a damn shame this place is closing. It seems like there has to be a solution.”

In a time when the Trump Administration has launched an attack on news media and criticized journalists for reporting “fake news,” the Newseum tells an important story.

It shows the way reporters have given their lives in pursuit of their craft.

It shows how history has been influenced by the news: When reporters do their jobs and report the truth, people take action and promote change.

In a survey of the Florida Tech community, we asked how reliable people believe the news is.

The survey is not reflective of the entirety of students, staff, faculty and alumni; rather a small portion—55 respondents—helps illustrate trends within a small section of our community.

The biggest takeaway from the survey is that 40 percent of respondents believe that the news is somewhat reliable and a little more than 38 percent believe it is mostly reliable, but we live in a time when the idea of fake news is broadcast and spread on social media constantly.

A display at the museum describes the significance of the First Amendment in a school setting. Crimson // Jesse Villaverde

Pew Research Center released a report this past June in which 68 percent of Americans, which is nearly seven in 10, said that the creation and spread of fake news is causing significant harm to the nation and needs to be stopped.

There are many people with their own agenda, but a good journalist reports facts in an unbiased way.

It is a hard job without stable hours. Many countries do not have the freedom of speech that we enjoy, and journalists risk their lives and are sometimes captured, tortured or killed as they pursue a story.

According to the journalist memorial at the Newseum, 2,344 reporters, editors, photographers and broadcasters have died doing what they loved.

These people dedicated their lives to giving marginalized groups a voice, even when others were not willing to listen.

What left us shocked in D.C. was to learn about the closing of this display of journalistic excellence.

This map compares the freedom of the press in various countries.
Crimson // Emily Walker

According to the Newseum’s website despite more than 11 years of service and nearly 10 million visitors, continued operations are no longer financially feasible.

It’s a shame as student reporters to have to wrap your mind around the fact that journalists are being torn down by the current administration in office with their jobs and the entire industry on the line.

More worrisome is the fact that no benefactor has stepped in to save this museum.

What will happen to those pieces of the Berlin Wall?

The preserved Articles of Confederation on display?

The piece of the antenna that remained from the top of the North World Trade Tower?

These are the questions reporters of our generation have now.

#TeamTrees takes root on YouTube and social media

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A new campaign on YouTube has been spreading like wildfire and has caught the attention of famous entrepreneurs: all with the purpose of planting trees.

#TeamTrees, a campaign with the purpose of planting 20 million trees run by YouTuber Mr. Beast and the Arbor Day Foundation, has been gaining traction online for the past few weeks.

The campaign started in May of 2019 when Jimmy Donaldson, known on YouTube as Mr. Beast, was challenged by his YouTube subscribers to plant 20 million trees in celebration of hitting 20 million subscribers.

With the help of Mark Rober, a fellow YouTuber focused on science and “do it yourself” creations, Donaldson launched the campaign on Oct. 25, 2019.

Each dollar donated is equivalent to one tree being planted. The trees will be planted on public forest lands managed by government agencies, at areas where trees are needed the most.

On the week of Oct. 25, many popular YouTubers promoted the campaign on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Donaldson’s video currently has 32 million views, with the first 1,600 trees already planted.

To date, the campaign has planted 14,500,000 trees and top contributors donated thousands of dollars, from people like Elon Musk; Tobi Lutke, the founder of Shopify; Marc Benioff, the owner of TIME magazine and Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube.

Donaldson went forward with the campaign due to many forest fires and deforestation happening in the past few months.

News outlets such as National Geographic and Reuters posted articles about fires occurring around the world, from California to Lebanon.

“We only have one earth and it’s important that we take care of it,” Donaldson said in his video. “Recently, lots of not-so great things have been happening to forests and people just keep making fun of our generation for retweeting activism and not actually doing something.”

Florida Tech’s Student Organization for Sustainability Action said they are happy to see a campaign like this making waves online.

“It is amazing to see what influencers such as Mr. Beast can accomplish on such a large scale,” said Allyson McCarron, vice president of SOSA. “If #TeamTrees were to happen on campus, we would have to collaborate with Facilities to choose the right trees and places to put them on campus.”

Florida Tech has been recognized as a Tree Campus USA certified campus by the Arbor Day Foundation for over eight years.

Florida Tech is one of 377 schools recognized, and one of the 15 schools in Florida.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, being a Tree Campus USA campus shows dedication to helping the university’s environment and engaging with the student community.

According to McCarron, every year around Arbor Day, Facilities plants trees in celebration of Florida Tech being a certified Tree Campus.

At the previous Arbor Day event in January, trees were planted near the president’s office with the help of SOSA, Residence Life, Florida Tech Grounds and the Indian Harbor Beach Garden Club.

According to the TeamTrees website, the trees will be planted from January 2020 to no later than December 2022.

Donations can be made at teamtrees.org, Donaldson’s YouTube channel, TeamTrees Facebook fundraiser or #TeamTrees Tiltify fundraiser and will be sent directly to the Arbor Day Foundation to fund tree planting.

“It’s awesome that people of such prominence are actually using their platforms to promote positive environmental change,” said Taylor Greene, president of SOSA. “People in entertainment have become increasingly vocal about issues that matter to them, and that opens the eyes of their fans who may have never had an interest or known about said issue. It’s a beautiful domino effect.”

Pay to play for Bahamas relief

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Florida Tech volleyball representatives posing with their prizes from the volleyball game. A participant in the event caught a shark. Picture // Ashley Letendre

With Hurricane Dorian devastating the Bahamas and leaving the country in need of funding for repairs, Florida Tech’s Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society hosted a Bahamas relief fundraiser.

According to Ashley Letendre, the president of Phi Eta Sigma, the honor society has previously hosted activities and events to help benefit the community and the school.

“We have done community service events before,” Letendre said. “We help bring emotional support dogs to campus during finals week. We hope to find ways to help students every day.”

This time around, Phi Eta Sigma sought to get the student body involved and raise money for the Bahamas.

“We wanted to do a fundraiser that we knew a lot of students would come to,” Letendre said. “Volleyball was our choice for an activity because most people can play that sport.”

Ashley Faubion, the advisor for the event, said teams paid ten dollars to play while individuals paid five.

The tournament was held at Southgate, with pizza being donated by the Civil Engagement office.

The volleyball tournament had first place, second place and third place winners, with prizes being awarded to podium winners.

Representatives of the Florida Tech Volleyball Club took first place, while Gabe Quinn and Spencer Somes from Residence Life placed second.

Third place went to representatives of SGA. Eric Hu, representative of the volleyball club, took home a pair of wireless bluetooth speakers as his winning prize.

“It felt nice to play for a good cause,” Hu said. Letendre said the fundraiser was able to raise 120 dollars.

Phi Eta Sigma plans to donate the money to the Salvation Army, which has a direct link to the Bahamas relief effort.

Letendre said the event was a lot of fun, and it was great to see people come out and support a good cause.

From Coffee Hour to International Night

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Aromas of dark roast coffee and cultural chatter of the middle east filled the first floor of the Evans library on Sept. 20: International nights have officially arrived.

With a turnout of about 40 to 50 students, the United Arab Emirates Student Association began their presentation with a video on the culture and heritage of their home country.

This was followed by a PowerPoint presentation that covered a variety of topics in the UAE about geography, politics, the economy and more.

Khaled Alsamri, the new president of the UAE Student Association, gave the presentation and ended it with a quick round of trivia during which he gave out three pairs of movie ticket vouchers to students who answered correctly.

Khaled Alsamri presents his culture in the library. Crimson // Christian Martinez

As the presentation came to an end, the event’s participants were dismissed for food and drinks from Panera Bread.

The food items served included traditional dishes from the UAE, balaleet and gaimat, juices and coffee.

Balaleet is described by Alsamri to be sweet and similar to spaghetti, while gaimat is fried bread balls that are sweet and covered with honey.

International Night will be the new name of last year’s International Coffee Hour.

With cultural presentations, foods, coffee, brochures and more, Alsamri likened the change to an “evolution of the Coffee Hour.”

The UAE Student Association was restarted this semester after disbanding in 2014 due to a lack of participating members, Alsamri said. The group now has 13 members.

Alsamri, a senior in mechanical engineering, restarted the UAE Association as he realized that “no one was delivering this culture to the campus.”

“Anyone is welcome to join the club so we can share the culture,” Alsamri said. Alsamri stated that the UAE Student association was approved by the school this past Tuesday.

As he is also a part of the International Student Service Organization, Alsamri organized the event with both organizations to share the culture of the UAE with the campus.

He had prior experience helping to organize the latest International Festival and being a part of about nine Coffee Hours.

Participants in the event, like Dominic Zaio, a freshman in mechanical engineering, said he enjoyed the event.

“It gives me the chance to try foods I might have never had,” Zaio said.

Zaio also said that he’d rather have the event focus more on the culture and less on statistics in the presentation.

Another freshman in chemical engineering, Md Tahmid Islam, expressed similar thoughts, saying he’d like for the event to “be longer and have some cultural activities be added.”

While it is unknown what culture will be presented, Corq currently has the next International Night, which has yet to be updated from International Coffee Hour in the app, listed to take place on Friday, Oct. 18 from 5:00-8:00 at Evans Library.

SOSA takes part in Orlando climate strike

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Protesters hold signs about climate change outside Orlando city hall.
Photo by Florida Tech SOSA.

This past week millions of people participated in the global climate strike.

A small fraction of those striking were Florida Tech students, demanding a change to protect and preserve the planet.

Nearly two weeks ago, Florida Tech’s Student Organization for Sustainability Action sent four of its chapter members to Orlando to attend a Friday’s For Future climate strike outside city hall.

“The energy was amazing, and seeing 200 people plus unite for a cause that they are equally, if not more, passionate about than I am was an unforgettable experience,” said Taylor Greene, SOSA president.

The Friday’s For Future is a movement started by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, which so far has activated weekly student strikes in 150 countries.

Participating Orlando organizations and activist groups included IDEAS for Us, the Sunrise Movement Orlando, Fridays For Future USA and Fleet Farming.

These groups encouraged participants to wear green and raise their recyclable homemade signage high in the sky, reflecting the climate action they would like to see in Florida.

Guest speakers included Florida democratic state representative Anna Eskamani as well as others raising awareness for climate change.

“One of the things that resonated the most with me was when I heard Anna Eskamani preach that she didn’t run for office to talk about what was impossible, rather to fight for what is possible,” Greene said. “That was something that really spoke to me and demonstrated that there are people out there trying to do good.”

Tagging along with Greene were fellow SOSA members Jack Weaver and Jeffrey King, both of whom are juniors majoring in ocean engineering and minoring in sustainability.

Both students described attending the strike as “being a part of history and fighting for something our generation believes in.”

“I think some people believe that climate change doesn’t affect us,” Weaver said. “But people are dying as a result all around the world.”

According to Weaver, climate change goes beyond affecting the animals, it has repercussions on a human level that the majority of society should care about.

While Florida Tech’s SOSA chapter and other environmentally conscious activists rallied in Orlando, the scene in New York City was amplified.

World leaders, corporate executives and activists gathered at the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

A collaborative effort was made to turn promises into reality in hopes of global warming and rising CO2 emissions.

Topics such as the benefits and use of renewable energies were debated as well as setting a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, and yet, I’m one of the lucky ones,” Thunberg stated as she addressed presidents, prime ministers, and other diplomats. “People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.”

While there has been tremendous outrage and protests globally with frustration for the destruction of ecosystems, there has also been distress and efforts on a more local note.

For example, the same day as the strike in Orlando, there was also a rally and march held that night at the Eau Gallie Causeway hosted by young Brevard teens.

When she wasn’t marching along side community members with decorated signs covered from head to toe in green attire, Florida Tech senior and marine biology major Erin Casellas was trying to get signatures for the Florida Climate Pledge.

Casellas works as a campus ambassador for CLEO Institute, a Miami based non-profit that strives to educate and promote climate action.

By obtaining signatures Casellas was gaining support from those who want to protect Florida’s biodiversity.

“I think that a lot of people see how beautiful a place like Melbourne is, and we have these amazing ecosystems, but people don’t understand how fragile they are,” said Casellas when asked why some may not believe in climate change.

After a week full of awareness for the environment, the invaluable resources it provides us and the necessary action society needs to take for future generations, SOSA wanted to close their week of insightful environmental mandates and motives to “stand for what we stand on” with a tree planting ceremony on the Crawford Green.

Students planting the Gumbo Limbo tree in front of Crawford. Photo by Francesco Isaza.

A Florida Gumbo Limbo Tree, also known as the iconic south Florida tree, which is expected to grow up to 60-feet tall, was planted in a ceremonial atmosphere.

“Today, Friday, September 27, 2019, we set the roots for a better future,” Greene said as she introduced her final words of wisdom.

Perhaps the most simple and powerful statement came from a sustainability professor and faculty advisor for SOSA, Ken Lindeman left students with this lasting remark: “You got to come back and look at this tree in 10 years, this thing is going to be epic.”

Florida Tech helps Bahamas in relief missions

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CSA receives tremendous donations, such as home supplies and money, to send to the Bahamas after the Hurricane Dorian disaster. Photo by Francesco Iseza.

Since Dorian hit the Bahamas two weeks ago, Florida Tech has proved to be a united front, sending thousands of supplies over on countless relief missions.

The university’s College of Aeronautics alumni group was the first to spring to action by coordinating relief missions out of the Orlando Melbourne International Airport as early as Thursday, Sept. 5, just four days after the hurricane made landfall in the Bahamas.

Issac Silver, the associate dean of the College of Aeronautics, was one of the pilots that flew supplies over via Florida Tech’s Navajo Chieftain Piper aircraft.

“When we first landed in Abaco, it was basically like a post-apocalyptic movie,” Silver said. “There were virtually no people, maybe one or two here and there, but everything and everyone was practically gone.”

So far, Silver has made eight trips to multiple locations on the northern Bahamas island of Abaco, including Marsh Harbor and Sandy Point.

In addition to flying the Navajo, Silver has also been flying a C-47— Tico Belle.

Tico Belle was used during D-day to drop allied paratroopers over France.

The plane now serves as a memorial plane at Valiant Air Command, a warbird museum located at the Space Coast Regional Airport in Brevard County.

So far, approximately 4,000 pounds of supplies have been flown over on the Navajo Chieftain and an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 pounds on the Tico Belle.

A cart pulls a wagon of supplies to the plane. Photo // Adam Lowenstein

Silver also touched on the fact that the relief missions have evolved over the past week and will continue to do so with the possibility of future relief missions.

The first time the wheels hit the ground in the Bahamas, the goal was to provide water and food to the hundreds of people waiting to be evacuated.

However, as more and more people escaped the aftermath and devastation, that quickly changed.

“Our next mission will actually be a mobile field hospital, but there is still a huge need for humanitarian support,” Silver said.

From Boy Scout troops to local churches, numerous organizations have been volunteering alongside Florida Tech students.

The community outreach has been tremendous based off of testimonials from Alex Coultroup.

A graduate student majoring in aviation human factors, Coultroup was one individual who took a different perspective on the types of donations she wanted to send.

“As someone who cares a lot about women’s issues, I wanted to collect things like tampons and pads, diapers and wipes to fulfill those needs,” Colutroup said.

Raising awareness through her extensive updates on social media, Coultorup also brought attention to the value of cash donations, citing that for one round trip to fly Tico Belle it costs $4,500 for oil, fuel and maintenance.

Volunteers and students packing supplies to send on planes. Photo // Adam Lowenstein

Working beside Colutroup, Florida Tech alumni Marteen Edwards also devoted his time to loading up supplies onto planes.

A recent graduate with a masters in aviation management, the Barbados native explained how growing up in the Caribbean made him understand how powerful and damaging a natural disaster like this could be.

“It’s knowing the type of destructive power and knowing what a hurricane can do to your country that when you see it happen to someone else you’re inclined to give them a hand,” Edwards said.

In the midst of loading supplies onto the Tico Belle and other Florida Tech Navajo planes, Edwards heard many tales of what the islands now looked like.

“The most common thing I hear from pilots coming back is that the devastation is tremendous, and it looks as if a bomb had just gone off,” Edwards said.

The bottled water, hygiene products, batteries, cans of tuna fish and other perishable food items that Colutroup and Edwards have been loading onto planes have been coming from numerous student organizations on campus.

For example, Florida Tech’s student athletic advisory committee recently partnered up with the women’s soccer team at their first home game on Sept. 7.

“One of of SAAC’s main purposes is to have a positive influence on the community,” said Vanessa Rubio, a senior on the softball team and the president of SAAC. “After seeing the devastation in the Bahamas, there was no way we could just stand by and do nothing,” Rubio said.

Another student organization partaking in supply drives was the Caribbean Student Association.

Florida Tech’s CSA chapter has multiple Bahamian students.

All of them reported that their families were safe on the island; however, some of them have friends and others they are waiting to hear back from.

Malika Forbes, the vice president of CSA and native to Nassau, said that they have raised $700 in cash donations and collected roughly 500 pounds of supplies.

“What we keep trying to say is yes, it happened to the Bahamas, but it could happen anywhere,” Forbes said. “As Caribbean students, we need to step up and take action because if it was any other island we would be doing the exact same thing.”

To date, 13,000 people are missing in the Bahamas, 15,000 are in need of shelter or food based on reports from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and 50 are dead with that number expected to rise according to reports from CNN and USA Today.

Florida Tech’s president T. Dwayne McCay elaborated on how the university’s diverse student body—representing over 125 countries—demonstrates how a global and connected campus can lead to strides in humanitarian efforts.

“We see firsthand how compassion knows no borders,” McCay stated in an email. “One of our goals as a university is to help develop global citizens, and part of achieving that is to demonstrate through our actions the love and concern we have for those who may be struggling.”

Furthermore, Dr. McCay said this was not the first time Florida Tech has participated in a relief mission.

When hurricane Michael hit the panhandle last year, and when Maria slashed into Puerto Rico in 2017, Florida Tech was there, aiding in supply deliveries and evacuations.

“We got lucky this time when the storm stayed off our coast,” McCay stated. “At some point, when we are not as lucky, someone will help us. Human beings must take care of each other, and this is a way we can make a difference.”

Tips on surviving through Hurricane Dorian

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Hurricane Dorian has been announced by official weather sources to hit the east coast of Florida. To prepare yourself for the storm, here are some essential tips to follow when a hurricane approaches:

  • Fill your bathtub or buckets with water in case your house water goes out, along with the electricity.
  • Keep batteries and electronics charged, such as your phone and flashlight in case of a power outage.
  • Bring all light-weighted materials such as clothing, empty boxes, chairs, and light tables and especially outdoor plants from your outdoor spaces to inside your home.
  • Close, lock, and board up (if necessary) all doors and windows that lead to outside spaces with shutters or plywood.
  • Unplug heavy electrical equipment such as televisions, small appliances and computers.
  • Know where the closest emergency shelter is located if you unable to stay in a weak infrastructure
  • Stay up to date through the radio (and only the radio) for updates from official sources. Phone service will most likely be unavailable at all during the storm.
  • Stock up on food that you can eat without a fridge, stove, or microwave, such as sandwiches and fruit salads.
  • Keep your car full of gas 2-3 days of when the storm is announced to hit at your home state or location. It will be difficult to find any open gas stations on the day before, days of, and days after the hurricane. Remember, some outside resources will be destroyed or disconnected from power.

And most importantly, keep yourself, family, friends and pets safe during this weather catastrophe.

Evacuation shelters available during Hurricane Dorian

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As Hurricane Dorian approaches, Brevard County Emergency Management’s website states that in the event of an evacuation, shelters will open.

Brevard Emergency Management also stated on their website that shelters are to be used as a last resort and only in the event of an evacuation.

Those seeking an evacuation shelter will need to bring their own bedding, nonperishable food, medications and medical equipment, personal hygiene items and entertainment.

Florida Tech’s Security Department states online that there are evacuation centers intended for Florida Tech residents at Meadowlane Intermediate Elementary School in West Melbourne and Riviera Elementary School in Palm Bay.