At eleven p.m., The National Hurricane Center announced Hurricane Dorian has been upgraded to a category two hurricane.
Florida Tech stated on their website that class/university operation cancellations will be announced by 4:00 p.m. Friday.
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Facilities prepares for Hurricane Dorian
Florida Tech Facilities will be installing hurricane shutters Friday afternoon, and all emergency generators will be tested and ready to go, according to Dewey Yeatts, director of facilities management.
Yeatts also stated that Facilities is working to support dining services during the hurricane, and sand bags are being delivered to buildings that need them.
Tropical Storm Dorian becomes Category 1 Hurricane
According to an update posted by the National Hurricane Center at two p.m. on Wednesday, Tropical Storm Dorian has become a category one hurricane.
It reached hurricane-force winds near St. Thomas.
Florida Tech has issued no further announcements regarding the continuation of operations and classes.
Breaking News – Florida Tech Monitors Tropical Storm Dorian
Tropical Storm Dorian is twenty-five miles southeast of the island of St. Croix as of eleven this morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters predict it will turn into a category 3 hurricane as it approaches the US. Experts say it will make landfall on Florida’s coast late Sunday or early Monday.
At 10:30 Wednesday morning, Florida Tech announced they are monitoring Tropical Storm Dorian. Currently, classes and university operations are proceeding as scheduled.
Administration stated that if cancellations or evacuations occur, Florida Tech community members can find information through Florida Tech’s website, email, Security texts/calls, social media, WFIT-FM 89.5 FM, local media, or an emergency information line (888-820-4636).
We will post updates as the Tropical Storm Dorian develops and Florida Tech releases new information.
Venezuelan immigrants’ impact on Trinidad
Over the past two years the situation has worsened in Venezuela to the point that Venezuelans have been fleeing the country in the masses to get away from Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship.
Under Maduro’s leadership, the country has faced hyperinflation, food shortages and political chaos.
According to statistics posted by the U.N., 3.6 million Venezualens left the country between 2015 and December of 2018.
As one of the surrounding countries, Trinidad has acted as a safe haven for over 60,000 Venezualens.
Keep in mind that Trinidad’s population is 1.3 million, excluding the Venezuelans.
With most Venezualens not having documentation or passports, they must seek creative ways to sneak onto the island.
“Private boats is the go-to method for many,” said Erich Koch, a Venezualen migrant who is now a citizen of Trinidad.
Koch has been in Trinidad since 2005, but he has been around the world and traveled back and forth to Venezuela for many years before finally settling in Trinidad.
Koch made his way to Trinidad after the Trinidadian government showed interest in a building technique that was being used in Venezuela. Through Koch’s expertise in this field, he became a manager at Macon Trader Co.
Because of his position in the construction company and him being a Venezuelan native, he finds himself helping a lot of the Venezuelans find jobs and places to live.
“My labor team consists of eight to 12 guys who are registered in Trinidad,” Koch said.
In the early part of 2019, Trinidad’s government decided to register illegal Venezuelans and grant them a one year legal status to the island. This status allows them to work, have banking privileges and even have driving permits.
In this process, only the Venezuelans with clean background records were allowed to register. For the individuals who have records, they were either sent back to Venezuela or kept in immigration facilities.
While Koch said the registration of the Venezuelans was a good step for the government, he also said that there are a lot more issues involving the Venezuelans in Trinidad.
“About 75 percent of the Venezuelans that have come into Trinidad are people who were already involved in crime and have come into Trinidad looking for avenues to practice what they know [crime],” Koch said.
The crime in Trinidad has gotten to a point that people are afraid to leave their houses.
The gang violence has gotten unbearable and the drug and human trafficking have only increased since the illegal migration of criminal elements from Venezuela, according to the OSAC Trinidad and Tobago 2019 Crime and Safety Report.
“Everyone already knows how bad the crime is in Trinidad and the criminals from Venezuela have found their way into it,” Koch said.
Koch said he believes that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, or TTPS, are not capable or equipped to handle these gangs.
Human trafficking is also one of the major acts taking place in Trinidad, especially involving teenage Venezuelan girls.
“It is the easiest way for them to make money,” Koch said. “They don’t speak English so it is easy for them to work in bars or casinos and make money doing [sex work].”
The Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, said in multiple interviews that he is taking the increase in crime very seriously.
In an interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew, Griffith said he already has a 78-point plan and is ready to reform the TTPS all in an attempt in the fight against crime.
Koch said he believes that this is good, but because of Trinidad’s government’s lack of involvement or concern to the increasing crime, he said he is concerned the condition of Trinidad will worsen.
“I have seen Venezuela go through the process, and Trinidad will soon end up like that,” Koch said.“The same thing that is happening in Trinidad was happening in Venezuela.”
Citizens of Trinidad are continuing to express their frustration to the government and police but minimal efforts are being taken.
Business owners are now having to take matters into their own hands by having more security at businesses and even creating police-community task forces.
One task force is the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council.
They act in the city of Tunapuna and have been a voice between both the people and the police.
Since the year began, 16 people were killed in the area of Tunapuna of which 4 were killed in one week.
While crime has always been a problem in Trinidad, Koch said he believes that it has escalated due to the influx of criminal elements from Venezuela.
Not only has crime increased, but the form of crime has broadened, from drugs to human trafficking.
While citizens like Koch are skeptical, he hopes that the police service and the government try their best to show some sort of combat against this surge in crime.
Community mosque holds memorial for New Zealand shooting
More than 300 people of various faiths gathered inside the Islam Society of Brevard County (ISBC) on March 23.
Buddhists, Catholics, Jews, Baptists, Muslims and others gathered to honor the 50 lives lost in the mosque shootings that took place in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15.
Many leaders from the community such as a rabbi from Viera, a retired Brevard County judge and others attended to lead prayers and speak at the service.
Amongst those attending were Florida Tech juniors Natalie Tria, a forensic psychology major, and Bayan Saleh, a biomedical engineering major.
Both Tria and Saleh are members of the ISBC.
“It was truly a ceremony of cultural inclusion to demonstrate that the community can come together for a greater cause despite our differences,” Tria said.
After numerous prayers were said, the mosque invited people from the crowd to come forward and share their thoughts. Tria was one voice that stepped forward.
“I spoke because I wanted to let people know that I study offenders and criminals when they’re at their worst,” Tria said. “I stand by the motto ‘by the people, for the people,’ and I wanted them to know that there is hope, and there are others like me that want to make a change to try and prevent these tragedies from happening.”
The Atlantic reported that this was the worst terrorist attack to take place in New Zealand’s history, leading New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to react immediately.
Within six days of the shooting, Ardern was backed by legislative support from her country in banning all assault rifles within New Zealand.
In a live television announcement addressed to the nation, Ardern said, “The guns used in this attack had the power to shoot continuously. The times for the easy availability of these weapons must end. And today, they will.”
In addition to changing gun laws, Arden has also helped pay for the funeral costs of the victims and honor the cultural traditions in which people of Islam faith be buried immediately.
Ardern and investigators returned all the victims’ bodies immediately after autopsies were completed just five days after the shooting happened so their families could hold funeral services.
When asked about how they thought the prime minister of New Zealand was handling the aftermath of the shooting, both Tria and Saleh strongly agreed that Ardern has been responding swiftly and respectfully.
“She compares to no other world leaders who have also faced mass shootings within their own country,” Saleh said. “Almost six months ago the U.S. dealt with a similar shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburg. Yet, why is it that New Zealand was able to change laws within six days while this nation has not been able to do so in six months?”
Saleh, like Tria, said she was also in awe of the amount of support outpouring from the community.
“I think the terrorist wanted us to be broken and hate each other, but what I saw was quite the opposite,” Saleh said. “At the memorial, you couldn’t tell the difference between a Muslim woman wearing a hijab or a Jewish woman wearing a hijab as a sign of respect, and that was something that I thought was really beautiful.”
It has been nearly four weeks since the shooting, and people everywhere are still showing support, even in Brevard County.
A week after the memorial service was held at ISBC, Saleh described a husband and wife that came in during Friday prayer with whiteboards that read, “We will keep watch while you pray.”
Saleh said that her heart was touched, and knowing that this support was felt here within the community was something that left her speechless.
Florida Tech Endgame – Thanos targets athletics
After Thanos acquired the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped away half the population, he decided to endeavor on a new quest: getting rid of Florida Tech’s athletic teams.
The Mad Titan arrived on campus in Februrary.
The men’s and women’s tennis teams and the women’s golf team have already fallen victim to his scheme.
While Thanos’ exact plans remain unclear, he has revealed that he is working closely with the athletic department to take out certain teams.
He said with help from the inside, soon the department will have just the right number of programs.
“When I’m done, half of athletics will still exist,” Thanos said. “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.”
The discontinuation of the tennis and women’s golf teams has taken away the fun for many student athletes, as they worry they’ll be turned into dust next.
For Thanos, this wasn’t a concern when he made the decision to snap them out of existence.
“Fun isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe,” he said. “But this does put a smile on my face.”
A group of athletes who wish to remain anonymous said they tried fending off Thanos.
However, their efforts proved futile.
When athletes began hurling various types of balls and other equipment at him, Thanos reportedly dodged them easily.
One athlete threw a football at his chest, but Thanos simply brushed it off and said, “You should have gone for the head.”
Before leaving the scene of the battle, Thanos told the athletes they were strong but warned them that he could snap his fingers and they’d all cease to exist.
The athletes said they won’t give up fighting, although they plan to begin working with engineering students to create a new weapon. They are calling themselves “The Revengers.”
Bill Jurgens, the athletic director, declined an interview, stating he had “greater goals to accomplish.”
Suspicious jars full of dust have begun to collect in his office.
Thanos said in his quest to balance the athletic programs, he has received quite a bit of backlash.
However, he said this will not deter him from his quest.
“I know what it’s like to lose,” he said. “To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives. Or should I say, I have.”
While he doesn’t regret his decision to begin removing certain teams in his pursuit of balancing the athletic programs (and the universe), he said of the teams he has sacrificed, “I hope they remember you.”
Distress in the Air: Florida Tech’s take on the Boeing 737
Within the past five months, Boeing has had two 737 Air Max 8’s crash.
Most recently, the Ethiopian airline crash that killed all 157 members on board caused a worldwide grounding of the Boeing model.
Carlos Obregon, a junior majoring in aeronautical science with flight, has been discussing the components of flight failure in the classroom and relating them to the crashes of the Boeing 737’s and how they are relevant to his field of study.
“In my advanced aircraft systems class we talked about how flight systems and controls can cause malfunctions and enroute flight problems,” Obregon said. “We debated on how the software stalling function and overriding features on the model and learned that this could have been the potential reasoning for the planes to crash.”
Pat Spangler, a junior in aeronautical science with an associates degree in air traffic control, was concerned about the safety dilemma that these crashes have drawn attention to and how aviation management is handling it.
In Spangler’s opinion, the Federal Aviation Administration and President Trump could have handled the situation better, but the aviation industry is still the safest mode of transportation and he stands by it.
“Safety is obviously one of the top priorities in the aviation industry, as it should be,” Spangler said. “One protocol put into place by the FAA that I think is essential to the job is a computer test every air traffic controller is required to take on a recurring two-month basis to remain updated on safety and eligible for the job.”
The FAA is responsible for regulating aviation and promoting safety.
However, in recent light of the situation the administration has been criticized by many as the United States was one of the last nations to decide not to fly the 737’s.
Aviation safety regulators in the European Union, China, Australia and the U.K. made the call to not fly the planes ahead of the U.S.
According to prior reports from The New York Times, the delay in the call for Trump to ground the Boeing models was deemed as “a bit too late” by many passengers and pilots.
It’s not just current aviation students that are especially affected by the grounding of the 737’s but also alumni that have entered the industry.
Jared Goodlaw graduated from Florida Tech in 2017 with a degree in aviation management with flight.
He has worked for a regional airliner in the past but is currently flying private jetliners.
Goodlaw stated that the FAA has released no private statements or reports to any licensed pilots in regards to how the situation is being handled nor any other investigative details.
Goodlaw had expectations of announcements directly to all private and commercial licensed pilots from Boeing or the FAA in wake of both incidents.
However, both organizations have failed to communicate if there are any plans underway requiring pilots to complete more training and/or simulations before anymore 737’s are cleared to take off again.
The consensus amongst Spangler, Obregon and Goodlaw is that they all feel their training and studies regarding flight emergencies and preparation is well documented in the Florida Tech aviation curriculum.
All three stated that they still feel safe to work in the industry as it is a very reactive field.
Incidents like this are thoroughly investigated, responsibility is held accountable for and updates and corrections are made as soon as possible.
Pilots are not the only people concerned about the Boeing 737’s.
CBS News reported that approximately 8,600 flights use the Boeing 737 Max 8 in a typical week of travel.
Furthermore, Boeing released an announcement saying that models will be grounded for at least three months.
Travelers may experience more travel and flight difficulties than they expected.
Charles Bryant, a business professor and the manager in charge of Florida Tech’s study abroad program to Spain, is one example of these worried travelers.
“With the Boeing 737’s being grounded, myself and those participating in the Spain study abroad program are having to look at different airport destinations within Spain,” Bryant said. “For example, instead of flying out of a smaller airport in the country like Malaga as we had originally planned, we are looking at other options that have more flight availability in bigger airports like Barcelona. Yet, this adds more planning and financial stress as the travel date in early June arrives closer and closer.”
Bryant draws attention to another issue: If he is having troubles finding flights for a group of roughly 20 or so people, it will likely be hard for the immense number of international students on campus to find flights home at the end of the semester in early May.
The Boeing 737 investigations are still underway and officials have stated they are doing their best to remain honest with the general public as they are well aware of the pressing matters and concerns at hand.
Venezuela Asylum: Escaping Maduro
In the fall semester of 2014, 18 Florida Tech undergraduate students claimed Venezuelan citizenship.
As of 2018, only one remains. Numerous organizations, such as the Council on Foreign Affairs, have declared the South American country’s economic and political landscape as rapidly deteriorating.
As a result Florida Tech has taken a heavy hit in regards to Venezuelan enrollments.
Current president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has been in power for six years, and his reign has been criticized by many.
Amnesty International, a London based human rights organization, has labeled Maduro’s actions as destructive towards the economy, and marked his military legitimacy as abusive wrongdoings against the opposition lead by Juan Guaido.
In early January Guaido officially became head of the opposition-held parliament, the National Assembly.
Since then, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Colombia and several European countries have all recognized Guaido as interim president of Venezuela.
With no food, no money and no definite sign of improvement under Maduro’s regime, Venezuela has currently been deemed as the worst humanitarian crisis in the western hemisphere according to the U.N.
In 2017, The New York Times interviewed 21 Venezuelan doctors who encountered nearly 2,800 cases of child malnutrition due to the food shortage and hunger crisis in the nation.
By the end of the year, The International Monetary Fund IMF has projected Venezuela’s inflation rate to reach 10 million percent, forecasting one of the worst hyperinflationary crises in modern history.
Jose Coiman, a junior in chemical engineering, is a native from Caracas, Venezuela.
He describes Maduro as a force that has lead his home country into complete ruin.
Coiman came to Florida Tech in the fall of 2016 while his father left Venezuela nearly four months later.
His mother and sister soon followed in the summer of 2018, fleeing the nation in hopes of a better life in Manaus, Brazil.
In 2015, during his third year of high school, Coiman started to notice just how bad the situation had gotten.
“I didn’t go to school for almost three months,” Coilman said. “I couldn’t even get to school because of the protests, it was so dangerous to leave home. The national guard and protesters were constantly occupying the streets.”
Coiman believes that with support from the U.S. and other European countries, Guaido and the opposition offer a sign of hope for the people of Venezuela.
However, he does not think the country will reach stability for the next 10-15 years.
Freshman Antonella Merola is studying chemical engineering as well, but her journey from Venezuela to Florida Tech is a bit different than Coiman’s.
Merola was born and raised in Caracas until her family relocated to Panama just under two years ago.
When she found herself in the process of applying to colleges in the U.S., Merola worried it would be very challenging to obtain a Venezuelan student Visa.
Merola took advantage of her dual Italian nationality and is attending Florida Tech under an Italian student visa.
Marivi Walker, the assistant director for International Admissions at Florida Tech, said that she has had plenty of experience working with students like Coiman and Merola.
“Four to five years ago it was very different with the Venezuelan students,” Walker said.
Four to five years ago, the Venezuelan government had an agency that administered legal currency exchange in the country called Comisión de Administración de Divisas (CADIVI).
CADIVI essentially determined what money got to leave the country and at what exchange rate you could buy U.S. dollars.
Therefore, they were also in charge of granting or denying applications for students to send tuition payments abroad to the U.S.
“I started to notice two years ago [during fall 2016 applications] little by little, that CADIVI had started to disappear,” Walker said. “The agency simply ran out of money.”
Towards the end of CADIVI’s downfall, the situation reached a turning point for Venezuelan undergraduate seniors in the spring of 2017 as they were trying to finish their degree programs.
“During the collapse of CADIVI, we had Venezuelan students who were graduating but could not get funds from Venezuelan banks to pay for their remaining spring semester,” Walker said. “The university literally had to grant them emergency funds stating that those individuals could graduate, but must eventually pay their tuition back.”
With students no longer able to pay their tuition using money from Venezuelan banks, it put a significant taint on being able to attend a college in the U.S. at all.
All Venezuelan students now have to rely on money they have already managed to send over to the U.S.
Moving forward, Walker has faith that the opposition led by Guaido could turn things around for the country which in return could boost Venezuelan enrollment at Florida Tech to what they once used to be.
“I truly think that we are at a make-or-break point,” Walker said. “When you hear Guaido speak, it will bring tears to your eyes because you will think, ‘Where did this man come from?’ He shows more of a genuine concern for finding peace within the country rather than trying to seize its leadership, and that is what signifies hope for the people of Venezuela.”
Merola, as well, vocalized her opinion in regards to Guaido’s intentions as leader of the opposition.
“When people hear about what is happening in my country I don’t want them to think the opposition is an invading power-hungry force,” she said. “Their sole purpose is to put the countries best interests before corruption and self-interest.”
A universal theme amongst Merola, Walker and Coiman is that the people of Venezuela are not going down without a fight and they will receive the justice and humanitarian rights they deserve one day.