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Homecoming wraps up the week with carnival

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This year’s carnival offered free beer, food and entertainment to the Florida Tech community.

Food trucks gathered in front of Crawford Green on Oct. 26., offering SMAC and El Cubanito, frozen chocolate bananas, and Meg O Malleys, a new addition to this year’s carnival.

Cat Nanney, director of student involvement, said she was pleased with the turnout of the event.

“It was the best year of homecoming we’ve ever had, even with the new beer garden for parents to join in on the fun,” said Nanney. “We decided this year to put more money toward merchandise that students can walk away with but still wanted to bring those fun carnival games.”

A homecoming shirt and a cloth bag were given out to students for free, as well as food tickets for the food trucks on the field.

Other than typical carnival games run by Residence Life, a new addition was a laser tag tent across from the beer garden.

“A lot of people showed up at this event this year,” Nanney said. “There were over 700 students that checked in, and we had to stop for a while due to the overflow of people.”

Families and parents were invited to the carnival due to Florida Tech family weekend occurring.

Alexandra Abova-Volkova, homecoming chair, said she had a good experience organizing the event, as well as the other events that occurred during the week.

“This is a larger turnout than it has been in the past years and the addition of a beer garden might have contributed to it,” said Volkova. “Although the activities at the football game were rained out, all the other events went smooth, even the talent show.”

The homecoming royalty winners were announced near the end of the carnival, as well as winners of a raffle.

Campus Activities Board and Phi Sigma Sigma won the royalty in first place, Alpha Phi and Baseball Club won second place and Delta Tau Delta and Residence Life came in third place.

Students such as Ivan Hernandez, a sophomore in computer science, won a Nintendo Switch for winning in the raffle.

“I didn’t even know how to react about it because I never win anything like that,” Hernandez said. “I had a really fun time hanging out with my fellow drumline members, and by far the best moment last night was the picture booth since we got to keep those memories.”

Even with the variety of food stations, some students like Erisa Hasanl, a Florida Tech alum, said they wanted more activities to take part in.

“It was much better last year,” said Hasanl. “There were more bouncy houses and games, but now there’s a lot of food for a lot of people. It felt like an actual carnival before.”

Hasanl also mentioned that the grass on the fields were very wet and difficult to walk across due to the rain earlier in the day.

Despite the mixed reaction, Volkova said it was a great experience for her to help run the homecoming events this year.

“Even though I’m graduating next semester and won’t be able to stay on the committee, I’m excited to see what Sam will do for next year,” Volkova said.

Florida Tech recognizes outstanding alumni at homecoming gala 2019

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Bino Campanini presents the Jerome P. Keuper Distinguished Alumni Award to Chip Perry.
FITV // Aayush Kapar

With over 60,000 alumni scattered throughout the globe, the Florida Tech Alumni Association has made it a priority to honor and recognize the legacy past students have left behind.

On Oct. 26, more than 500 people—including professors, faculty, alumni, and organizations that play a vital role in providing aid to Florida Tech—gathered at the 2019 Alumni Awards Gala to recognize outstanding alumni in various majors.

Award recipients included those with vast experience in their career fields as well as a continuous commitment to their alma mater.

Bino Campanini, vice president for Alumni Affairs, served as master of ceremonies and introduced the especially distinguished alumni of the evening.

“This event is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with colleagues, and a brilliant way to instill the spirit of the school and reinvigorate interest in each program,” said Robert Salonen, a 2019 Florida Tech graduate and the current director of Government Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the university.

Others in the crowd agreed with Salonen that this was a special night that allowed individuals to return proudly to their alma mater and reminisce on past memories, but also learn about the future of the school and the growth it has seen in recent years.

After cocktails, photoops and dinner, Campanini continued as MC with lighthearted jokes as he welcomed each award recipient to the stage.

The first of five recipients was Jason Terreri, a 2001 Florida Tech undergraduate, awarded on behalf of the College of Aeronautics.

“The best advice I can give is to find someone who has the same desire and passion for your industry, and take them under your wing,” said the previous senior executive director of Syracuse Hancock International Airport. “Become a mentor, and give them an opportunity to be successful.”

While all award recipients mentioned how honored they were to be given recognition for their work and thanked the university for what it provided to them, each took on their own unique twist for their speeches.

One of the quirkier speeches came from the College of Engineering and Science awardee, Don Woodrow.

Woodrow is a distinguished 1986 Florida Tech undergraduate who is the president of Woodrow Construction LLC and also an advisory board member of civil engineering and construction advisory board at Florida Tech.

After cracking jokes about Bill Jurgens’ gray hair and poking fun at Campanini for his British accent, Woodrow concluded by asking the audience to stand up, enjoy the night and give their best impersonation of Elaine dancing from Seinfeld.

Others that received awards at the alumni gala were Monique Picou on behalf of the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business, Sherri Acanfora Ruohomaki on behalf of the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts and Gretchen L. Kelly on behalf of the College of Engineering and Science.

Picou, the senior vice president of flow and fashion for Walmart, compared Florida Tech to an ivy league university, and put emphasis on the fact that “it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”

Acanfora Ruohomaki, a former Florida Tech cheerleader and now the owner of K9 Kampus—a luxury dog daycare and boarding facility—concluded her speech with words of reflection: “Look at the growth and development that Dr. T. Dwayne McCay, and previously Dr. Catanese, have cultivated,” Acanfora Ruohomaki said. “It makes me want to come back here as a young collegiate and enjoy all the amenities that they have now that we didn’t have before.”

President T. Dwayne McCay stated that the alumni are “our strength” and “prove that the university did a good job.”

“Florida Tech teaches our students to work with people in teams, and in collaboration,” T. Dwayne McCay said. “Curriculum such as the senior design prepares our students to enter the workforce after graduation in a few weeks, whereas at other schools, it’s six months.”

The ceremony came to a close with the presentation of the Jerome P. Keuper Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest award bestowed upon by the Alumni Association.

Honored with such an award that remarks a reflection of a legacy of excellence was Chip Perry.

A former design engineer for Texas Instrument and founder of a top tier internet streaming service later bought out by Yahoo!

Perry was portrayed as a highly successful and memorable student from Florida Tech.

He took the guests down memory lane and recapped his journey from Florida Tech to where he is now.

Perry gave a special thanks to Ed Jonas, the designer of the Keuper statue in front of the President’s Office as well as the designer of all of the gala awards for the past five years.

“It was a true honor for Florida Tech to involve me in the design process,” Jonas said. “Although I am not a Florida Tech alumni, Brevard will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the hometown of the love of my life and it was one of the places where the last thing my father saw me accomplish was the sculpting of the Keuper statue.”

The night wrapped up with dancing and a continuation of celebrating Panther pride.

Record participation in homecoming 5k

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People gather, waiting for the 5k to begin. Crimson // Joe Gundzik

Hundreds of runners gathered outside Meg O’Mally’s Irish pub in Downtown Melbourne on Oct. 24, setting a record for the number of participants in Florida Tech’s homecoming 5k.

“We’ve been doing this area, Downtown Melbourne, since 2012,” said Stephanie Bacon, the race director. “I am proud to say that we are going to have probably over 600 runners, which represents the largest race we’ve ever had.”

The route of the race ran through Downtown Melbourne with several turnarounds to minimize the blocked off area.

Bacon said the route has stayed the same through the years, with runners beginning at Waverly Place, moving down Melbourne Avenue, Bignonia Avenue, and them coming back to Waverly.

While a look at Florida Tech’s admission data shows that undergraduate admissions have steadily increased year by year, this does not necessarily mean that student participation has increased overall as the race remains open to the public.

Many non-students and faculty members also participated in the race. Ryan Schwieterman, a non-student participant, said he ran for his team, and that he expected to be exhausted afterward.

Team competitions, although informal, account for some of the increase in participation.

Yet, much of the 5k’s participation comes from members of Brevard County.

“I came here to win,” said Grant Poirier, a Florida Tech student and experienced runner. “I am going to win first 100 place.”

Poirier said he has been running since he could walk.

“Most of it was not of my own free will, but I learned to love it eventually,” Poirier said. “I’ve loved it and hated it for most of my life. Mostly hated it, but still loved it a little bit.”

Poirier went on to say that he ran for three years in middle school and one year in high school.

“After that one year in high school, I realized that running distance in high school was a terrible life decision,” Poirier said. “So I re-evaluated my life and played golf.”

While Poirier has an “unusual” liking for running, others were spotted crossing the finish line with smiles due to personal bests, or looks of fatigue, celebratory highfives with friends, teammates, professors and more.

If anything, Florida Tech’s homecoming 5k showcased all levels of runners, various types of participants, but all united for one fun event.

Athletics stay busy during homecoming week

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To begin the week, the volleyball team fell to the Embry-Riddle Eagles on Tuesday night.

The Panthers lost in straight sets but kept each set close. Each set was lost by only five points or fewer.

They finished the match with 33 kills, 33 assists, five service aces, four blocks, 64 digs and 63 total points. Soccer continued the week on Wednesday night, both taking on Rollins College.

The No. 6 ranked men’s team was undefeated entering the game with a 9-0-1 record.

Their game against the Tars was the Panthers second of the season to go into overtime but this time they came up short, losing 2-1.

Guillermo Segovia scored Florida Tech’s only goal of the evening, tallying his goal total for the season to a team-high seven goals.

The women’s team had similar results at home against the Tars, losing 3-0.

Maria Munoz, Brittany Etrick and Alexis Sheely each challenged the Rollins goalkeeper, putting a shot on goal.

The football team wrapped up homecoming week Saturday afternoon as they took on the West Florida Argonauts.

This game was not only the homecoming game but the fourth annual Coastal Classic rivalry game between Florida Tech and West Florida.

The winner gets to keep the Coastal Classic Trophy for the full year until they face off the next season.

In last season’s game, the Panthers overcame an 18-point deficit and beat the Argonauts 30-28.

This year, Florida Tech fell to West Florida 38-14, making their overall record 1-3 in the rivalry game.

The 24-point difference was the greatest so far of the four-year rivalry.

Similar to last year, the Panthers found themselves down early, trailing 17-7 at halftime.

After falling down 31-7 in the third quarter, it was too great of a deficit for them to overcome this year.

Freshman quarterback Mike Diliello was featured in both of Florida Tech’s touchdowns.

The first was a 91-yard run by Diliello that at the time brought them within three points of the Argonauts.

The second and final touchdown scored by the Panthers was a seven-yard pass from Diliello to tight end Kenny Hiteman late in the third quarter.

The trophy is now back with West Florida but the Panthers will have their chance to reclaim it next season.

Florida Tech began their season 3-1 but have now dropped four straight games, leaving their record at a 3-5 with three more games remaining in the regular season.

They next take on West Alabama at Panther Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Street Dance Club wins talent show for the third year in a row

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Street Dance Club dancing on stage as the last performance of the talent show.
FITV // Brett Twery

Florida Tech’s Street Dance Club was spotted not once, but twice on this year’s homecoming talent show podium stage.

Taking home gold in overall performance was the Street Dance Club’s individual performance, but they also came in second place for lip-sync through their partnership with Lambda Chi.

Beating SDC and Lambda Chi in the lip sync competition was Campus Activity Board and Phi Sigma with their satirical piece to songs from Moana, Aladdin and Lizzy McGuire.

They highlighted changes that have occurred since the founding of the university, such as the rebranding.

They also poked fun at landmarks such as the atomic toilet and the Crawford Tower.

On Oct. 24, 11 groups of students and organizations put on a show for their peers, showcasing their talents, performing lip-sync or both.

“I don’t usually come to events like this, but I very much enjoyed it,” said Samir Kazi, a senior. “Everybody is just having fun, and it really brings the homecoming spirit out of us.”

A wide variety of talents were seen throughout the show, such as the exotic performance by the Belly Dance Club, acapella take on The Pina Colada Song from the Players in Harmony and jazzy swing dance brought by the Swing Dance Club.

Alpha Omega Tau and the cheerleading team perform on stage. FITV // Brett Twery

“It’s really interesting to see people you know performing on stage,” said George Rodney, a senior. “You really don’t know what tricks they have hidden up their sleeves when in school, and I’m glad that they can have opportunities like this to express themselves and have fun at the same time.”

Other group performances also stood out as many greek life organizations paired with other clubs or athletic teams to best address the theme of “Bringin’ It Home.”

Some pieces featured “International Love” by Pitbull performed by the women’s swim team and Chi Phi, as well as “Promiscuous Girl” performed by Pi Kappa Alpha and women’s volleyball.

Furthermore, Alpha Tau Omega and the cheerleading team had a mixed musical, ballet and cheerleading along with their lip-syncing performance to hype up the crowd.

Anthony Roberts, a sophomore, said, “I wish that the show was a little longer and more people would participate. It’s really entertaining to watch and I almost can’t get enough of it.”

While the talent show was the sixth event of homecoming week, it allowed students to come out and support each other as well as provide comic relief for some and showcase the talent of others.

Homecoming committee aims to bring community together

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Alex Volkova, a senior in astronomy and astrophysics, and Sam Gallion, a junior in forensic psychology, are running homecoming for the first time this year.

They have made some changes to homecoming in order to make it inclusive and exciting for all who wish to participate.

Both Volkova and Gallion have made changes to homecoming in order to make it inclusive and exciting for all who wish to participate.

“The theme this year, we feel, is something that everyone can relate to,” Gallion said.

Gallion said last year the two of them had worked actively with Marianne Amundsen, last year’s homecoming coordinator.

They feel this gave them the experience they need for this year. Volkova and Gallion said they have a clear image of what they want this year’s events to look like.

Gallion said that she wants students to learn more about each other and work together in a way they wouldn’t have before.

One of the major changes is the Royalty competition, both in changing its name from King and Queen to Royalty, and also in preventing Greek organizations from working with one another.

Homecoming has always been a platform for organizations to come together, and Greek Life has been especially active and involved, according to Volkova.

She said that they wanted to use the successful homecoming platform to inspire organizations other than Greek Life to participate as well, encouraging organizations who have not worked together in the past to come together now.

“All organizations on campus make it a great place, so what better way to show it than to unite different types of organizations in doing things together,” Volkova said.

Likewise, the name for the competition was changed to make things more inclusive.

“There’s never really been a rule that says you need to be male and female to do this,” Volkova said.

Gallion agreed, saying that changing the name would make it more appealing to those who identify with something outside of the gender binary and could encourage organization pairs with a same-sex pairing.

Beyond the Royalty competition, Gallion and Volkova have also added a new event called Big Night Out 2.0, which will take place before a soccer game and reminds Gallion of a high school football game.

“You’d get food, you’d hang with your friends,” Gallion said. “It’s really about school spirit and making sure that people go to events that our athletes work so hard to put on for them.”

Alumni Affairs and the Florida Tech Alumni Association are also putting on events for alumni, students and the local community to encourage this theme further, said Cindy Berger, the director of Alumni Marketing and Communications.

“There’s a little bit of something for everyone,” Berger said, who’s planning her second homecoming. “It’s a chance for student activities and alumni activities to all come together.”

While the talent show for students is Thursday night, Alumni Affairs is having a 5K event during the day.

Meg O’Malley’s is serving as the meetup location as well as the location of the post-race party.

There’s also the signature concert event on Friday as part of Homecoming Fest in Downtown Melbourne.

“A free concert with great music is good for students, good for family and friends and good for the community, so we’re really proud to be a part of that,” Berger said.

On Saturday, the football game will kick off with tailgating, and alumni can attend the black-tie Alumni Gala Awards at night during the carnival for students.

According to Berger, one distinguished alumni will be awarded the Jerome P. Keuper Award in honor of Florida Tech’s founder and first president.

Berger said that they are trying to make sure the students have great experiences and that they feel engaged so when they become alumni, they are proud to have a good relationship with Florida Tech and Alumni Affairs.

“Homecoming is a great opportunity for student focused fun and a reason for graduates to come back and look upon their alma mater fondly,” Berger said.

According to Gallion, the reason homecoming is so important is because it brings people together.

The most important thing, she said, is enjoying the events together and being able to put that unity to good work.

Gallion said that the organization they are donating the raised funds to is HeadKnowles for the Bahamas hurricane relief. Both Gallion and Volkova agreed on the purpose of homecoming: bringing people together and helping people in whatever way possible.

Volkova said, “We’re all family and we want everyone to feel happy.”