• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Staff
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Multimedia
  • Sports

The Crimson

The only student-run newspaper at Florida Tech.

You are here: Home / Archives for education

education

A final farewell: What I have learned as editor-in-chief

May 7, 2020 by Olivia McKelvey 7 Comments

The following is an opinion/editorial piece. 

Being an editor-in-chief is not a job for people pleasing. You do not obtain the position so you can hold hands and become friends with everyone on campus. You are an editor-in-chief because you are there to shed light on the truth, hold people accountable, be an outlet dedicated to informing the Florida Tech community and so much more.

This past semester has been an unprecedented time. I have reported on everything ranging from sexual assault on campus to the COVID-19 pandemic and more. As you read this, I submitted my last final ever at Florida Tech just two days ago. In the absence of classes, I have had time to reflect on the madness and whirlwind constance of news that surrounded me this past semester. This is what I learned:

I have learned what it’s like to be told you’re wrong, over and over again. Voices are powerful, so I have taken in stride criticism and people’s opinions, but over the past four months I had to learn to back myself and trust the facts. When you speak the truth you need to stand by it. People have a right to opinions, but people also don’t always want to accept that truth carries power.

Asking the questions that no else will — this is something I have valued since first getting involved with The Crimson, and have really put into practice this past semester. There’s a balance between being compassionate and knowing when it’s time to ask what no one else has. I expect very few people to understand what it is like to conduct interview after interview with rape survivors. First of all, I applaud those women and their bravery for coming forward, but I also acknowledge that sometimes I myself crumbled. I felt as though I had to count myself lucky to not have to go through something like they did, but also enraged that women have sometimes been told to worry about “what they were wearing when they went out,” or “if they were drinking too much that night.” Consent is powerful, so don’t undermine it. It’s reassuring to know that there has been so much change and support made for those that have been sexually assaulted, but there’s still a lot more work to do. The point here is that I feel for those women. I had to walk a fine line to be supportive of them, but also make sure I got the facts right.

There are times when you want to pick and choose a side, but as a reporter it’s your job to remain in the middle — objective, unbiased, willing to put beliefs and emotions aside to portray a factual and fair story. This is hard, harder than some may think at times, but it also is what I believe can define a good reporter. I strive to live up to those qualities to this day and continue to do so, and I stand by the fact that I have so far.  

 Since becoming editor-in-chief,  I’ve sat in rooms for important meetings filled with typically all men, many of them seeming to be above the age of 50, and nearly all white. At first, it is intimidating, then the shock hits. To live in an educational environment for the past years where I have been taught that companies and organizations need culture and diversity and it is a changing age, but then to witness the complete opposite of that in reality; it’s disheartening. I’ve learned that some things result to old regimes, even when I thought they didn’t. We are a STEM university and it is still so male dominated, why is that? I hope this changes.  

I also have learned that I cannot do everything on my own. Shocker right? My skills solely cannot capture all the breaking news or follow up on every single lead while also being a full-time student. My backbone has been my extremely amazing and supportive staff. We are small but mighty as I like to say, and I wouldn’t be able to accomplish what I have so far without them. 

I leave Florida Tech incredibly proud of the education I have received. Yet, also a bit disappointed and ashamed by some of the things I heard, some of the things I have been told and some of the things I have witnessed. I’ve come to acknowledge that there are views and opinions on this campus that I thought only a prehistoric world held, yet they still seem to persist in my generation —the supposed generation of acceptance and inclusiveness.

When I viciously slap the buttons on my keyboard as I type, I’m not doing it because stories with my name on them are going to get me a good job or because of a popularity contest; I write and report because I care. I care about the industry and the civic duty that journalists have, I care about free speech and the right for people to know what is going on in the environment around them. I poured my heart and soul into The Crimson, and I leave proud of the work I did and honored to be a part of such an amazing newsroom. With my send off I have one wish— that the paper continues to report on the school, not for it. May its legacy live on. 

Filed Under: Local, Opinion Tagged With: COVID-19, editor in chief, education, newsroom, op-ed, pandemic, sexual assualt, the crimson

Students cope with switching from face-to-face instruction to online only classes

April 16, 2020 by theCrimson 1 Comment

By Arianna Schuck

As of March 23, Florida Tech has canceled face-to-face instruction for the remainder of the semester because of COVID-19, causing many students to adjust to online platform learning methods. 

A Florida Tech student works on a discussion board on Canvas for one of his online classes. Photo// Arianna Schuck

“I was sad because I wanted to continue going to class,” said Rosalia Antinarelli, a freshman majoring in forensic psychology. “However once I noticed every other school closing I realized it was for the best.” 

According to Antinarelli, attending online lectures are the easy part; it’s the assignments, discussion boards and reports that are starting to pile up.

“I feel as though it’s harder now without the on campus resources I’m used to,”  Antinarelli said. “Although we have online tutoring it still makes things more difficult to manage.” 

Another freshman that is getting accustomed to online classes is Rene Amaya-Ayala, an aerospace engineering major.  Amaya-Ayala believes that the switch to online classes was necessary for students’ safety, but said it’s an unconventional style of learning.

“I’m especially struggling with my labs,” Amaya-Ayala said. 

According to Amaya-Ayala, it is hard to concentrate and engage with the material online. The structure that traditional classroom lectures bring helps naturally allocate a working schedule and without it, it’s hard for Amaya-Ayala to engage in material and learn.

Other students, such as Mark Iacobino, saw the switch to online classes coming. “I was expecting to switch to online classes,” Iacobino said.

A senior majoring in civil engineering, Iacobino said that his online classes are not as bad as he thought. 

“The most challenging part has been keeping up with group assignments when there are members of the group all around the world,” Iacobino said. 

Upperclassmen alike to Iacobino are also having mixed feelings about the transition to online classes.

“I was worried,” said Mike Foster, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering as well as the External Vice President for the fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha. 

“Online courses have cheaper registration than in person classes, so it is implied that the quality will be worse.”

According to Foster, when the decision to switch to online instruction was made, a lot of information was being sent to students through email and canvas announcements causing confusion for some. At first this made scheduling difficult, but it is now becoming manageable for Foster. 

“As professors are getting used to this new platform of teaching, organization is getting better,” Foster said.

Foster stated that the tool that has been most helpful to him is the Panopto recording. According to Foster, Panopto makes it easier to see the work visually, and is the most similar method to a traditional lecture. 

“The lack of active participation deters from the motivation to learn and retain information,” Foster said. “This is where living with my fraternity brothers helps greatly. Many of us are in the same classes so we can work together to stay on task.” 

The transition from face-to-face instruction to online instruction has been an adjustment for many students. 

On April 6, Florida Tech announced that online classes would continue throughout the summer, and face-to-face instruction would resume in the fall 2020 semester. 

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: canvas, coronavirus, COVID-19, education, face-to-face instruction, florida tech, labs, online classes, panopto

Students struggling with online lab instruction

April 2, 2020 by theCrimson Leave a Comment

By Arianna Schuck

When Florida Tech announced that the university would be switching to online class instruction for the remainder of the spring semester on Mar. 12, many questions were raised, especially regarding the curriculum structure for lab instructions.

“We have made some adjustments to the ground rules for field and lab work in order to maintain social distancing,” said Richard Aronson, department head of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences. This includes having fewer people in a lab at a time. 

Florida Tech instructors have said that online lab instruction is not ideal, but students are still receiving a good education under the current circumstances. Photo// Florida Tech Research page

On Florida Tech’s Coronavirus updates page, under the frequently asked questions section, Florida Tech administration responded to a question regarding how labs would be taught saying; “there are several solutions to be implemented to support laboratory classes. At this point, we are finalizing the plans to convert all laboratory courses online.” The FAQ page also stated that additional details on specific laboratory requirements will be provided by the professors. 

According to Aronson, the research labs will continue to take place, but there have been some changes to adapt to the current circumstances. 

“We are carrying out our lab exercises through video demonstrations, through the use of data from previous years’ labs and through the purchase of software,” Aronson said. 

While some faculty such as Julia Grimwade, program chair for biological sciences and chemistry, have said the switch to online lab instruction is necessary for students and faculty members safety in light of COVID-19, some students’ perspectives have varied. 

Alexander Datillo, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, feels that lab instruction needs to be done in person.

“Understanding the results of a lab should be made easier by switching to online,” Datillo said. “But the lack of hands-on experience will make it difficult to learn from mistakes that could be made during the experiment had it actually been performed in a lab setting.”

Other students such as Katherine Johnson, a junior majoring in general biology, said that her workload has become more taxing since switching to online instruction. Out of all of Jackson’s classes and two labs, the only instruction through Zoom is one of her labs. 

“The lack of uniform structure is taking a toll on my education,” Jackson said.“The point of labs is so they are hands on ways of learning and practicing lab protocol, simply posting data is inadequate.”

Grimwade stated that the situation for online lab instruction is not ideal, however she believes students are still receiving a very good education. 

Aronson also added that given the current circumstances, lab instruction is “quite good” at the moment. 

“What matters is that we are maintaining educational outcomes,” Aronson

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: campus changes, coronavirus, COVID-19, curriculum structure, education, labs, online classes, public health, research, students, virus, zoom

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Florida Tech confirms seven student cases of COVID-19, recommends students get vaccinated
  • Mindfulness Mondays in March
  • Conversations with a Holocaust survivor
  • Florida Tech introduces new esports director
  • Remembering Alan Rosiene

Categories

  • All-Stories
  • Arts
  • Business
  • Clubs
  • Colleges
    • College of Aeronautics
    • College of Business
    • College of Engineering and Science
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Funny
  • Health
  • Local
  • Music
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • World

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in