• 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 iannone

iannone

New findings and changes as a result of Clery investigation

February 13, 2020 by Olivia McKelvey 1 Comment

In light of the recent reporting on Clery Act violations at Florida Tech, updates have been made campuswide, and requests regarding local law enforcement records have been received. 

Records requests

Records obtained from Brevard County Sheriff’s Office show that Florida Tech has not requested Clery crime statistics from this law agency since at least September 2018. 

The Clery Act requires federally funded campuses to gather information from local law enforcement when compiling data for the annual security report.

According to Florida Tech’s 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety reports, the university works “directly with various departments at Florida Tech as well as the Melbourne and Palm Bay Police Departments and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to collect all of this information.”

BCSO stated that their information requests only include one fiscal year; hence, records could not be obtained to see if Florida Tech made requests for Clery crime statistics to BCSO in 2016 and 2017.

“Moving forward, all of the local agencies, county agencies, state agencies and federal agencies that might have any jurisdiction or fall within any of our Clery geography will be contacted appropriately,” said Frank Iannone, director of security at Florida Tech. 

External consultant

Another update regarding the on-going Clery Act investigation is the selection of an external consultant. According to Patrick Healy, general counsel at Florida Tech, the law firm Husch Blackwell has been appointed as the external consultant. It is expected that their review will be completed within no more than 90 days, according to Michael Grieves, Florida Tech’s executive director.

President T. Dwayne McCay told The Crimson in December that the purpose for the external consultant will be to provide expertise and clarity. 

Husch Blackwell will also be responsible for re-examining the internal review of crime statistics conducted by Iannone. McCay emphasized that the external consultant will also add external validity to the process.

Title IX
Fanak Baarmand was announced as the new title IX coordinator on Jan. 13. 

Baarmand was appointed when the previous Title IX coordinator, Linda Jancheson, was removed from the position.

“The Crimson Clery articles raised our awareness of the fact that the university may not have demonstrated the appropriate empathy for some of the students who sought assistance with Title IX issues,” Healy said.

Healy, whom Baarmand reports to, said that someone in the position of Title IX coordinator should be capable of managing conflict and have a working knowledge of Title IX as well as some familiarity with Clery, the Violence Against Women Act and other areas of discrimination law.

“I am confident that Fanak has the requisite knowledge and demeanor to be an excellent Title IX coordinator,” Healy said. 

According to Healy, over the past 30 days, Baarmand has completed the online Title IX coordinator training course offered through the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He said she has also completed the Title IX coordinator and administrator level one training and certification course offered through the Association of Title IX Administrators.

“We anticipate that in the coming months, Florida Tech’s Title IX training and procedures will be significantly strengthened under Fanak’s leadership,” Healy said. 

Since starting her position as Title IX coordinator, Baarmand has aided at least one student who said she was sexually assaulted in 2017.

The sexual assault victim stated that she had a class with her assailant this semester and “was panicked” when she saw him on the first day of classes.

“I went to my professor and asked what to do, and they told me to go to the Title IX coordinator,” she said.

Shortly after going to Baarmand, her assailant was removed from the class, and a no-contact order was put into place.

“She was super helpful and made sure I got what I needed,” the sexual assault victim said. 

Crime logs

Another change that has been implemented since the Clery investigation is the process of obtaining crime logs from the department of security. 

Previously, crime logs were sent daily to The Crimson via email and were accessible if requested. As of January, Security has implemented a new process that requires students to come into the security office to view the crime logs. Authorized security staff supervises the viewings of the crime logs. Students are also not allowed to take videos or pictures of the logs, although they may take notes.

Grieves said that he was the one responsible for the change in the crime log policy.

“Could I basically say to you that in the past, we had 60-day crime logs that were up-to-date and viewable? I can’t say that,” Grieves said.

Grieves added that he can now confidently say that with the new policy that Iannone has implemented, crime logs are up-to-date and available for inspection to comply with the Clery Act. 

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: BCSO, clery, crime logs, external consultant, Grieves, Healy, Husch Blackwell, iannone, records, sexual assault, title IX

Sexual assault victims identify issues beyond reporting errors

February 10, 2020 by Olivia McKelvey 10 Comments

By: Olivia McKelvey and Emily Walker

Five female undergraduate students said they were sexually assaulted between 2017 and 2018 and all reported their sexual assaults through various departments at Florida Tech. While their statistics have now been corrected in the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety reports, they expressed concerns relating to the process of reporting sexual assault on campus and how survivors are treated.

“To think that all three of us are standing here with the commonality that we were all raped,” one Florida Tech rape survivor said. Photo//Quang Dinh

“I feel better now that my rape is a recognized statistic,” said Nicole Farnsworth, a former Florida Tech student who reported her rape in 2018.

Farnsworth said that as a rape survivor, she felt Florida Tech did not provide her the adequate resources in areas such as counseling and Title IX services.

Other survivors also cited issues within Security, the Student Life Office and Greek Life. 

CAPS
Four out of the five rape survivors sought help at Florida Tech’s Counseling and Psychological Services. The four survivors all said they felt as though CAPS was not properly trained to help victims of sexual assault. 

Dr. Robyn Tapley, director of CAPS, noted that there are three licensed psychologists on staff and five students in doctoral practices that also see patients. 

When these victims of sexual assault sought help at CAPS, they said they felt as though the discussions they had with their counselors—who are confidential reporters and not mandated to report rape unless there are signs of child or elder abuse—were irrelevant and not helpful.

“We ended up talking about my family,” said one rape survivor. “I just wanted to understand what was happening,” she said.

Farnsworth said that she experienced something similar.

“After a few sessions at CAPS, it just got so repetitive and redundant to the point where I felt like it wasn’t helping,” Farnsworth said. 

Tapley explained that victims of sexual assault are treated the same as other patients in terms of gathering information. 

“That first appointment is helpful for establishing goals and providing coping mechanisms on a very individualized patient-by-patient basis,” Tapley said. 

Another issue that the survivors spoke of referred to a generalized treatment plan of “blanket coping mechanisms.”  

“It should not be one shoe fits all,” said one rape survivor.

Another survivor of rape stated that she went to CAPS multiple times, but later stopped going. 

“I don’t put blame on the therapist, I just think there are things at CAPS that can and should be improved,” she said. 

Security

One student who said she was raped in 2017 initially reported to Title IX in 2018 and had a disciplinary hearing seven months later. 

When she reported her rape to two security officers, she said she was asked questions about what she was wearing and if she was drinking alcohol the night that her rape occurred.

“Especially during my hearing, the fact that I was drinking was constantly brought up,” she said. “It was degrading to my character to hear that over and over again.”

“The process of reporting my rape was nearly as bad as the rape itself,” said one Florida Tech rape survivor. Photo// Quang Dinh

Erin Robinson, the press secretary for RAINN—the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network—explained that depending on how the victim interprets them, questions regarding what the victim was wearing and whether or not they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs is potentially re-traumatizing.

“That type of language does not suggest that the survivor will have a greater level of comfort talking about what happened to them, or make the reporting process any easier,” Robinson said. 

Frank Iannone, director of security at Florida Tech, said it is not typical for these questions to be asked during an investigation of a rape.

“To my knowledge, no security officers have asked those types of questions,” Iannone said. 

Iannone has been director of security at Florida Tech since the spring of 2019. He was not working at the university during the time in which all reported rapes mentioned by the above students took place.

Title IX

Two women who reported their rapes in 2017 stated that they had positive interactions with the Title IX coordinator at the time, Joni Oglesby.

“She made me feel comfortable and made me aware of all my options,” said one rape survivor.

Oglesby left the university in 2018, and Linda Jancheson took her place that February. As of January 2020, Jancheson has been removed from the position of Title IX coordinator. 

“I won’t believe for a second that Linda Jancheson received proper training,” said one student who reported being raped in her dorm in 2018. “I was handed some generic papers and told to be on my way.”

In August of 2019, Jancheson told The Crimson that she specifically had a Title IX certificate, but was unsure if it was mandatory, deeming it “helpful.”

“The most important thing is that I’m up-to-date on any federal regulations or laws in compliance with Title IX,” Jancheson said.

Another rape survivor said she had a positive experience with Jancheson.

“She even helped me avoid running into my rapist by giving me security clearance to the back door of the building I had classes in and where my rapist also worked as a student employee,” she said.

In the time since Jancheson was removed from the position of Title IX coordinator, she has not commented despite multiple efforts made by The Crimson.

Office of Student Life

One student who said she was sexually assaulted in 2017 went to Cat Nanney, director of student involvement, and Dean of Students Rodney Bowers for help. 

“The guy that sexually assaulted me was a brother from PIKE [Pi Kappa Alpha],” she said.

She added that she went to Nanney and Bowers to see if there was anything they could do, whether it be kicking him out of the fraternity or providing other consequences. 

“Both of them told me there was nothing they could do,” she said. “I was told that they have no control over chapter membership and that was it.”

According to Nanney, if a student comes to her with a report of sexual assault in Greek Life, it is dealt with on a student basis, not a fraternity basis. 

“I can’t hold the entire chapter accountable for one particular member,” Nanney said. 

Nanney also added that in the past she has gone directly to the fraternity national headquarters to notify them of the particular sexual assault report. 

Bowers also stated that he cannot remove members from Greek Life. As a mandated reporter, he must report cases of sexual assault to campus security and let them carry out their investigation. 

“Temporary measures” are an option that Bowers also mentioned. Referred to as interim measures in Florida Tech’s Title IX policy, such actions include access to counseling or mental health services, an order of no contact, residence hall relocation, adjustment of course schedules or work-study employment, a leave of absence, transportation arrangements or reassignment to a different supervisor or position.

Bowers said he “could not recall” if any “temporary measures” had been taken in the past three years.

Nanney said that she has not had to take any “temporary measures” within the past three years because those types of sexual assault reports have been passed onto the fraternity’s national organization for further review.

The student who said she was sexually assaulted by a member of Pi Kappa Alpha later was black-listed from the fraternity house and was told it was because she “was a liability.”

Two of the five students who have come forward said they were sexually assaulted by two different members of Florida Tech’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter in 2017. 

President of Florida Tech’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, Robbie Fraser-Caris, sent The Crimson the following statement:

“If any allegations of sexual misconduct arise, the chapter leadership places the accused member on administrative suspension pending the outcome of an investigation by the university or related authorities. The chapter supports any person who may have experienced sexual misconduct in reporting it to the appropriate authorities and/or to seek counseling and other forms of support services provided by the university and local organizations. For Zeta Sigma Chapter, the care, safety and well-being of our members and guests remain our top priority.”

Fraser-Caris also emphasized that all members of Florida Tech’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter have completed sexual assault prevention and intervention training and stated that “treating all persons with dignity and respect is critical” to the chapter. 

Response from President McCay

Changes have been made at Florida Tech in light of the university under-reporting certain crimes such as sexual assault from 2016 through 2018. Women’s self-defense classes on campus have begun, student athletes have recently received their annual Title IX training and programs such as writing love letters to rape survivors have been organized by Florida’s Tech student life office.

In the faculty senate meeting held on Jan. 14, President T. Dwayne McCay discussed the Clery Act. 

The faculty senate meeting minutes read: “McCay explained that there are lots of nuances when it comes to reporting.” He also said that there were six rapes within three years. He then “reiterated that all six cases involved alcohol, and all were between people that knew each other.” 

In a phone call to The Crimson, McCay said he felt it was necessary at the senate meeting to discuss the risk of drinking.

“When you drink too heavily and become inebriated, it can lead to problems,” McCay said.

According to a 2007 campus sexual assault study published by the U.S. Department of Justice, alcohol consumption by the victim is a major risk factor for sexual assault.

“One’s decision to drink or not to drink does not give someone the right to rape,” Farnsworth said. 

“My sexual assault continues to be minimized,” Farnsworth said. Photo//Quang Dinh

According to statistics published in the 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Department of Justice, eight out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. 

“You know rape to be violent and aggressive from what we were taught or what was shown on TV, when in reality that is not always the case,” one Florida Tech rape survivor said.

“I wanted to dismiss any fears that some may think we have rapists running around on campus,” McCay told The Crimson. 

He said he wanted to emphasize in the faculty senate meeting that Florida Tech is a safe campus and students’ safety is a top priority to him.

With the topic of sexual assault being dicussed at the faculty senate meeting and on the agenda for the upcoming town hall, McCay spoke of the nature of rape itself.

“Rape is horrifying, but murder is worse,” he said over the phone.

McCay then emphasized that this situation is being addressed and necessary measures are being taken to ensure campus safety. 

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: Bowers, CAPS, dean, greek life, iannone, mccay, Nanney, office of student life, Pi Kappa Alpha, PIKE, rape, security, sexual assault, survivior, victims

Daily Crime Log Procedure changes in wake of Clery Act violations

January 28, 2020 by Olivia McKelvey 2 Comments


By: Olivia McKelvey, Emily Walker and Kevin Boodoosingh

Florida Tech has changed their policy regarding the availability of daily crime logs held in the security office. In the past, crime logs were available via email upon request. According to the updated policy, the crime log is available to anyone upon request during the department of security’s business hours. This change now requires individuals to request and to view the crime logs in person at the security office. According to Florida Tech’s security website, hours of operation are 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

The crime log contains details such as what type of crime occurred, when and where it happened, the time and date the report was made and the disposition of the report. 

As stated on Florida Tech’s website, “Any person may have supervised access to the crime log, whether or not they are associated with Florida Tech.”

This policy change comes in the wake of the recent Clery reporting, in which the crime logs were essential to discovering under-reported crimes between 2016 through 2018 that were cited incorrectly in the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports. 

Crimson reporters went into the security office to request to see the crime logs on Friday, Jan. 17 and Tuesday, Jan 21. A security administrative assistant informed both reporters that all supervisors of the crime log were not available due to the fact that they were either at lunch or in meetings. 

At this time, it is unclear who all the supervisors of the daily crime log are. Frank Iannone, director of security and Amy Meyer, the business manager for Florida Tech’s department of security, have been confirmed as two supervisors that have the authority to supervise a viewing of the crime log.  

In an email sent to The Crimson, Iannone stated, “With the new records management process in place we no longer send crime logs.”

The new policy states that Florida Tech may temporarily withhold inspection or copying of any crime log containing confidential information, or in cases where there is clear and convincing evidence that the release of the information would jeopardize an ongoing investigation, jeopardize the safety of an individual, cause a suspect to flee or evade detection, or result in the destruction of evidence.

The daily crime log can now be viewed at the department of security’s office during normal business hours with supervision; handwritten notes are allowed, photographs of the log are not permitted. 

“We are following the policy that was enacted by Florida Tech in January 2017,” Iannone said. 

Clery Act Rules for institutions

The crime log for the most recent 60 day period must be open for public inspection, free of charge, upon request and during normal business hours. 

Security cannot require a written request.

The daily crime log must be accessible on-site.

Compared with other universities who must also provide a daily crime log under the Clery Act, such as University of Central Florida and Rollins College, they continue to make their Daily Crime Logs available online.

Currently, Florida Tech’s daily crime logs are not available online. It is not federally required for the logs to be posted online.

While Florida Tech is abiding by Clery Act regulations, not being able to photograph the crime log is concerning to S. Daniel Carter, president at Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, LLC who also worked with the Department of Education as a key individual in writing federal regulations for the Clery Act.

Carter stated that it is generally regarded that public inspection does not allow limits to be placed on the inspection of the daily crime log. 

Iannone explained that the reason they are not allowing the daily crime log to be photographed is to prevent the release of confidential information that may jeopardize an ongoing investigation or jeopardize the safety of an individual. 

“That makes no sense,” Carter said. “If there is any material that they are electing to keep confidential, which there are provisions in the statute and regulations for them to do that, then they shouldn’t be letting you view it at all.”

Carter also stated that Florida Tech’s discretion is very limited. “There are very limited circumstances where they can withhold information from you and that is to be disclosed in the log,” Carter said

Iannone stated that the university is looking into the policy and updating it and the technology as they go along. 

Filed Under: Local Tagged With: clery, crime logs, florida tech, iannone, security

New Director of Security hired

March 26, 2019 by David Thompson Leave a Comment

Frank Iannone was hired as the newest director of security on Feb. 28, but will not begin working until April 1.

Iannone was the director of college safety and security at Ocean Community College in Toms River, New Jersey.

The former director of security, Kevin Graham, retired on March 1 of this year.

Due to Iannone accepting the offer the day before Graham officially retired, Iannone gave his current employer a 30-day notice before coming to Florida Tech.

During the month of March, Security Lieutenant Barry Cobb has taken over most of the director responsibilities.

Cobb said he has accepted the responsibility of running the security department until the new chief comes in.

He said the biggest difference between his new responsibilities and those of his normal position is “the day-to-day decision making.”

“Before, I was kind of the behind-the-scenes guy,” Cobb said. “I would help Kevin [Graham] make decisions on what we should or shouldn’t do, where now it falls solely on me.”

Cobb said he had no input in who would be hired as the next director but said he wouldn’t have wanted any and is excited for the new director.

“New blood’s always good,” Cobb said. “Come in with some new ideas and hopefully they’ll all be positive for everybody in the university.”

After Graham announced his retirement earlier this year, Chad Shoultz, vice president for facilities operations, headed the search for finding his replacement.

After Human Resources filtered through all of the applicants, a list of about 60 prospective replacements was given to Shoultz.

This initial process by HR was intended to eliminate all applicants that didn’t reach their minimum requirements, according to Shoultz.

From there, Shoultz created a panel that included himself, the dean of students and associate vice president for student affairs, Robert Bowers, and assistant vice president of business and retail operations, Greg Graham, to help narrow down the candidates.

Shoultz said the reason he chose Bowers and Graham was because they have both had a lot of experience with the security department and it was important for both of them to be represented on the panel.

Bowers said in hiring processes like this “they usually select a panel based on people’s involvement directly with that particular position.”

The panel was able to narrow the list down to 10 candidates that stood out based on their resumes and how they fit the open position job description.

According to Shoultz, the panel was able to narrow the candidates down to five that separated themselves through their work history and experience.

After interviews with the five candidates, the panel decided on three finalists that would each have a full-day interview at Florida Tech that Shoultz called more thorough and in-depth.

After the in-person interviews, on Feb. 28, Iannone was hired as the newest director of security.

According to Schoultz, the thing that separated Iannone from the other finalists, who Shoultz said all “could have done the job and done the job well,” was his excitement for the position.

Shoultz said the job opening was posted on Dec. 1, 2018, but it took longer than expected for the hiring process to be finalized.

“My timeline was a bit of an aggressive timeline,” Schoultz said. “When you’re factoring in the holidays and coordinating the panels.”

Iannone is set to begin at Florida Tech at the beginning of next month.

Graham had been the director of security for the past 15 years.

Filed Under: Crime, News, Politics Tagged With: cobb, director of security, florida tech, hired, iannone, security

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