All-Stories

Passing the Torch (Fall 2019)

December 1, 2019 by Emily Walker Leave a Comment

Running a college newspaper can be difficult.

We attend not only a school where technology is the focus, but we also live in a world that encourages people to pursue careers in STEM and discourages those who want to do something outside of that. Working at the student newspaper when many people at Florida Tech don’t even know we have communications majors can be frustrating. It’s disheartening being turned down again and again and again by administrators when we ask for comments for articles we’re working on.

Visiting the Newseum and attending the National College Media Convention helped remind me and my writers how important our jobs are. We don’t write for ourselves; we write to provide information for others, to share stories and to shed light on the truth.

With that being said, uncovering the truth can be difficult. Some of the topics I’ve explored since I joined The Crimson have taken a year of investigation before anyone could write a story about them. When you look into issues other than typical campus activities and sports, people become uncomfortable. If you’re lucky, administration will dance around your questions. If you’re not, they’ll turn you down for an interview or ignore your requests entirely. Getting necessary information can be nearly impossible, especially since we are at a private university and that keeps us from having access to many of our records.

As we’ve come to the middle of the school year and the end of the fall semester, we at The Crimson have realized we no longer advertise the school, we report on it. We have started to report on issues we’ve been hesitant to touch on before. The process has been grueling, but we believe sharing the truth we find as reporters is important above all else.

Olivia McKelvey has been someone I can only describe as intensely hungry for knowledge and driven to report. She has found difficult stories and pursued them to completion; no matter how much pushback she has gotten, she has always fought to get her stories written and written well. As an editor-in chief-and reporter, I was inspired by her to keep working to find the truth and not back down when people made getting information extremely difficult.

While I am excited to be graduating, I am sad my time at The Crimson was not longer. However, I believe in her capability as both a leader and as a reporter and cannot wait to see how she improves The Crimson with every issue.

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

November 24, 2019 by theCrimson 21 Comments

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

November 18, 2019 by theCrimson Leave a Comment

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.

Breaking News – Florida Tech Monitors Tropical Storm Dorian

August 28, 2019 by Emily Walker Leave a Comment

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.