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Florida Tech confirms seven student cases of COVID-19, recommends students get vaccinated

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Sonja Michaels | Editor-in-Chief

Florida Tech confirmed seven new cases of COVID-19 among students this week, with no new cases among employees.

“The first half of Spring Semester is behind us and I remain pleased that things are going well overall—thanks to our ongoing precautions and vigilance.” Florida Tech President T. Dwayne McCay stated in the weekly update, “The last thing any of us would want is a surge in COVID-19 cases across our campus community.”

According to the update, four of the students are isolating on campus, with three isolating off-campus.

Florida Tech also recommended students to get vaccinated as soon as possible, through a message from the Pandemic Response Team.

“While there is no federal or state mandate to receive the vaccine, Florida Tech recommends all Panthers to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible,” the email stated, “In addition to protecting each recipient against infection, it is essential that a large enough percent of the populations receives the vaccine in order to achieve “herd immunity” to prevent the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on COVID-19 vaccination on their website.

Florida Tech announced virtual commencement for spring 2021 earlier this week, due to COVID-19 precautions.

Mindfulness Mondays in March

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Life

Florida Tech’s Student Counseling Center welcomes you to join us in the practice of “being in the now” and sharing in the experience of mindfulness. 

Every Monday in March, we will be providing information about what mindfulness is and how you can practice it, as well as offering a brief mindfulness activity for you to engage in throughout the week whenever you want to check in with your body and mind, notice what is coming up for you (thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations), and offer kindness to whatever your experience in the present moment.

You can find these activities every Monday on the Student Counseling Center Instagram.

Mindfulness is defined as the “awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and nonjudgmentally” by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of mindfulness-based stress reduction. 

Mindfulness can help us cultivate the ability to be more attentive to the present moment, both internally and externally, in order to reduce the amount of time we spend in the past and/or future. The present moment is all we have right now, and mindfulness can help us be more in tune with ourselves and engaged in our lives. 

For example, have you ever checked the time at the end of the day and said to yourself “Wow, where did the time go and what have I been doing all day?” 

I guarantee you, the majority of us, if not all, have had this very relatable experience called “living on autopilot.” 

Autopilot is normal, and sometimes very helpful, especially when we have a lot to get done in a short amount of time. However, can you imagine what it would feel like to look back on your life when you are 80 years old and think the same thought? Scary! 

Thus, mindfulness allows us to notice what we are experiencing in the present moment. We might be experiencing thoughts such as “I am going to rock this test,” “I am not good enough,” or “I miss my family” and feelings such as excitement, anxiety, and sadness. 

This could also be bodily sensations such as increased heart rate, steady breath, or teary eyes and even outside experiences such as the warm sun, beautiful palm trees, and loving people around you. Whatever your experience, it is okay. This greater awareness provides us with information on how we might want to live our lives in the most meaningful way possible, in this very moment. 

A major way to practice mindfulness is through regular meditation practice. Typically, meditative practices include sitting or lying down in a comfortable position, closing one’s eyes, and bringing attention to internal experiences, like breathing, for a few moments every day. 

However, there are many additional ways to practice mindfulness and we encourage you to try them out and choose the best way for you! To learn more about mindfulness, follow the Student Counseling Center throughout the month of March where we will be sharing different mindfulness meditation practices via our Instagram page every Monday: instagram.com/fltechstudentcounselingcenter


If you find yourself in need of additional support, please reach out for help! The Student Counseling Center is here for you! Our center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information about our services and support, as well as resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Social distancing leads to social disconnection

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Juliana Gonzalez | Staff Writer

Students were welcomed back to Florida Tech’s campus two weeks into the spring semester, but many students are attending remotely. For some, it has become more difficult to make social connections. 

“COVID is the life sucker of everything,” Cat Nanney, the director of student activities and Greek life at Florida Tech, said. “It’s really changed the human experience and the college experience.”

Nanney said she believes that students are exhausted from constantly seeing screens and feel the same way about virtual events.

“We’re sitting in front of a camera and it’s more exhausting than being in a classroom. It comes easier when you are around people,” Nanney explained. 

Now that the COVID-19 response team at Florida Tech has given the go for in person events again, Nanney and her team have been working on getting students as involved as possible. 

Nanney explained that Student Involvement looks to the students to voice what they are comfortable doing as far as activities. 

She explained that her team takes student response seriously, whether the feedback is positive or negative. They encourage students to reach out to them for activities or event ideas.

Natalia Velásquez, outreach coordinator for the Student Counseling Center, explained that students may be choosing to stay remote since there is a lot to consider about safety.

“People are really concerned about their safety and figuring out what they feel the most safe with and what other people feel the most safe with,” Velásquez said. “While we are trying to socialize, we also have to keep in mind the community and ourselves.”

She explains that there has been a notable increase around the country in students seeking services from counseling centers.

“A lot of counseling centers have increased in the amount of students who are coming in with different things,” Velásquez said. “Whether it’s depression or anxiety, relationship difficulties or socialization difficulties.” 

Aaliyah Thomas, the Greek life coordinator at Florida Tech, explained that it is simply harder to have that “in-person” connection in the current situation. 

“Some people aren’t able to connect as well through a computer screen,” Thomas said.

Yet, Thomas explained that the Greek life at Florida Tech had successful recruitment among remote interaction. She said that Greek life members can communicate their most authentic selves over a screen.

Velásquez provides ways to socialize while maintaining distance, such as multiplayer games, Zoom yoga, and taking “walks” together over the phone, in a previous Crimson article.

Mindful Eating for a Healthier You

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Life

From our humble beginnings, our bodies have known how to survive by understanding when they are hungry versus full. It is essential for us to be aware of and connect with both the physical and emotional aspects of our bodies so that we can be more intuitive and intentional in our eating habits. This is called “mindful eating.” 

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, mindfulness is the “awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, nonjudgmentally.” 

Being able to increase our nonjudgmental awareness of our internal and external experiences just as they are, without trying to push them away or cling onto them too strongly, allows us to use our thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations as information for what we might need at any moment. In this case, this would mean specific foods, water, body movement, and so on.

Our ability to mindfully eat starts with us acknowledging all of our senses while we eat – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – and the emotional, traditional, and cultural ties we have with food. 

This practice helps us to honor our body’s natural hunger and its satisfaction cues in order to nonjudgmentally choose foods for a variety of purposes. These purposes can include nourishment, social enrichment, and enjoyment. enhances our intuitive eating skills, overall. You can practice mindful eating here: Mindful Eating Exercise

When food is seen as a source of stress/anxiety, the natural relationship between the body and mind can be disrupted, especially in a society that emphasizes “diet culture.” This can influence disordered eating. Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that are influenced by a variety of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors and can cause consequences for emotional, physical, and social health.

Eating disorders affect a diverse spectrum of individuals with approximately twenty million women and ten million men in the United States developing an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Although eating disorders are complex mental/physical illnesses, 60 percent of individuals with eating disorders make a full recovery with psychological counseling.  It should be noted that the earlier a person with an eating disorder seeks treatment, the greater the likelihood of recovery. 

If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties with their eating, weight, and/or body, please consider taking the free eating disorder screener available on the Florida Tech Student Counseling Center website at: https://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/floridatech. This eating disorder screening will consist of answering a brief questionnaire about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding food consumption, eating habits, and weight regulation. Afterwards, you will receive an explanation about your eating behaviors, as well as additional information about what you can do to help yourself and how to get professional help. For additional information on eating disorders, please visit the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, and Eating Disorder Hope websites. 

National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA): https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

Eating Disorder Hope: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/

If you find yourself in need of professional help after taking the screener, please reach out for help! The Student Counseling Center is here for you! Our center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information about our services and support, as well as resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

New COVID-19 cases at Florida Tech decline

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Sonja Michaels | Editor-in-Chief

New COVID-19 cases at Florida Tech declined last week, according to the university’s weekly update.

Three new cases were reported among students, with no new cases among employees.

Three new cases were reported among students, with no new cases reported among employees.

So far, 37 students and 15 employees have tested positive in the spring semester. Of the 37 students who tested positive, 18 were on campus students and 19 were off-campus students.

Some heightened restrictions are currently in place at Florida Tech, such as the suspension of in-person events.

Students can report symptoms through CampusClear and this form.

Spread Love to All (Including You)

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Student Counseling Center

As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, many of us begin to reflect on the significant beings in our lives that we love very much. This may include a partner, close friend, family member, pet animal/plant, and even ourselves (yes, don’t forget yourself!) with whom we would like to share feelings of gratitude and love. 

Many times during this holiday, we focus much of our thoughts/emotions on romantic love and lose sight of platonic, familial, and self-love; therefore, we encourage you to reflect on both those in your life with whom you would like to share a kind gesture towards, as well as yourself! 

Although this holiday only comes once a year, we challenge you to practice offering yourself and others gratitude and love this Valentine’s Day (and everyday), as this is a great way to enhance your and others’ emotional well-being. Please take a moment to practice checking in with yourself and how you want to spread love to many this year!

For partners, close friends, and family members, you may feel that typical greeting cards, candy, and flowers is the move; however, we encourage you to offer significant others the gift of true connection in conjunction with fun holiday traditions. This may be something like cooking a nice meal, going on a nature adventure, or engaging in another mutual self-care activity. You may put your phone away for the day and share with others at least three things about them for which you are grateful (e.g., their calm presence, humor/laughter, energy, beautiful mind) and why it means so much to you. 

For pets, set your intention to buy a gourmet dog cookie, a can of wet cat food, or a new toy. as Enjoy a meal/play break with your fur babies as you tell them how much they mean to you. For plants, set your intention to buy special plant food, new fertilizer, or an additional plant friend and enjoy tending to the beings that bring you and the world life as you thank them for everything they do (have you heard that talking to your plants keeps them strong?!).

Advertisement | Campus Dining

Please don’t forget yourself! Practice offering yourself feelings of love and compassion by writing down at least five personal strengths or self-affirmations (that you believe in!) in a creative way, such as coloring in a dot journal or arranging photos in a collage. Hang them up somewhere you will readily see them. 

Using one of these strengths/self-affirmations, practice giving yourself a hug while you remind yourself (out loud!) how amazing you truly are! And remember, if you start having unhelpful thoughts during this exercise (e.g., “I don’t deserve this,” “I am not good enough,” “This is lame.”), notice it, take a deep breath, watch the thought float away as if it were a stream on a river, and get back to the work! You might be pleasantly surprised by how you feel after doing this every day for a week, a month, or even a year.

If you find yourself in need of additional support, please reach out for help! The Student Counseling Center is here for you! Our center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information about our services and support, as well as resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Testing and Training: Panther Athletes Return to Practice

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Elena Ciulli | Staff Writer

Students have made their way back to campus, among them student athletes looking to get back to training.

The athletic department outlines the strategy for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 to guarantee the safety of student athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers. Florida Tech implemented a sport-specific phased resocialization approach for each team, starting with the arrival of student athletes at the beginning of spring semester. 

The priority was to get student athletes traveling back to campus safe and healthy. In order to be allowed to return to campus, student athletes have been required to submit a negative COVID-19 test. Testing has been double-layered, with follow-up tests acting as the green light for team practices. 

“I have been very impressed with all of the measures that the university has taken as a whole.” Luis Velez, head athletic trainer at Florida Tech, said. 

Once competitions start, athletes and staff will be subjected to different protocols, depending on potential transmission risk factors as outlined by the NCAA. 

The nature of the sport and whether it is played indoors or outdoors are determining factors. Based on these guidelines by the NCAA, as competition approaches athletes and staff will be tested regularly starting the week prior to competition and throughout the season and postseason.

 “I want to also thank Brittany Collins from the Health Center, Krishna Patel from the PRT for their help, our athletic administration, and our athletic training staff for their assistance in creating and implementing our policies,” Velez said. “Our coaches and student athletes have done a great job communicating with me and my staff if any concerns arise.”

Players and coaches are expected to strictly adhere to COVID-19 protocols throughout the semester.

John Reynolds, head coach of the women’s basketball team, says that he is following the protocols to a “T.”

“This is the best way to create as safe a practice environment as possible, and I have complete trust in the precautions that we have instituted,” Reynolds said.

Valued Resolutions for a Happy New Year! | Student Counseling Center

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator || Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Life

This past year was filled with many changes, some incredibly challenging and others quite exciting. While many of us have likely experienced both of these extremes and many more in between, I think most of us can agree that we were ready for that refreshing feeling associated with the beginning of a new year. 

Typically, people often take this time to reflect on the previous year and resolve to make some kind of change in the new year; however, many times resolutions are difficult to initiate and maintain throughout the year. One way to produce meaningful change in your life is to 1) clarify your values, 2) create small goals towards your values, and 3) commit to actively living by your values on a daily basis, despite unhelpful thoughts/emotions that may arise.

Values are like a compass. They can help guide you towards your own unique meaningful life. Values are a direction that you choose to go in based on what you care about most in your life; therefore, there are no “right” or “wrong” values and everyone’s values will be different. They are about action and how you want to “be” and “act” in the world, not how you want to “think” or “feel” on a daily basis. Values are not a destination you want to achieve. 

Think about values as yourself wanting to travel west. West is not a place that you can reach; but, you can travel in that direction. From Florida, you can go to Texas, then California, then Hawaii, then Japan, then Spain, etc. and you will continuously be traveling west. 

Hence, whether you are prioritizing self-care (e.g., exercise, study breaks, pizza nights), challenging yourself to be more assertive of your needs/wants with others (i.e., “I feel [insert feeling word] when you [insert a specific description of your needs/wants]”), or offering yourself greater compassion (e.g., “I am doing the best that I can in this moment, and that is good enough”), try your best to align your resolutions with the direction of your identified values.

If you find yourself swaying from your values from time to time (or traveling north instead of west), non-judgmentally acknowledge it and guide your intentions/actions back to your valued path. 

For example, I personally value connection. However, I am also an introvert, so sometimes talking with people causes me anxiety. Although these thoughts and feelings may arise and I may want to hide out in my room alone, I still choose everyday to live by this value by checking in with friends and family, creating friendships with new people, greeting people at the grocery store, and helping clients in therapy. 

For more information on Valued Resolutions, including Values, SMART Goals, and Committed Action, click here.  

On behalf of the Student Counseling Center, we wish you a Happy New Year and a successful start to the new semester! If you find yourself in need of additional guidance, please reach out for help! We are your counseling center and here for you in providing a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website to find out more about our services and resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be! 

‘Tis the Season to Share Compassion

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

In times when we might feel disconnected and divided from others more than usual, it can be helpful to practice compassion for ourselves and those around us.

Compassion involves 1) noticing the suffering that you or someone else might be experiencing, 2) responding to the pain (the word compassion literally means “to suffer with”) with feelings of warmth/care and a desire to help in some way, 3) offering understanding and kindness when you or others’ make mistakes rather than judging or criticizing harshly, and 4) realizing that suffering (e.g., failure, imperfection) are part of the shared human experience. If the latter reality is denied, suffering tends to increase and manifest in other forms, such as stress and anxiety, whereas if this reality is accepted with kindness, greater emotional calmness has a greater chance of being experienced. 

On the other hand, self-compassion begins with the acceptance and awareness of your present moment experience, as it allows you to intentionally provide kindness to yourself during times of perceived inadequacy. The self-accepting view is that your “negative” thoughts and emotions are just another part of your experience and maybe even signify that you have gone/are going through tough times. Self-acceptance involves taking a broader view of yourself and works towards a kinder, more compassionate position in which you accept a difficult part of your history and/or current experience. 

This helps to provide stability in life, as self-acceptance is not based on your perceptions of successes or failures but rather a value of how you might aspire to treat yourself and others. Therefore, rather than fighting the difficult experience in a desperate attempt to feel better, practice choosing to make room for it, accepting that it’s there, and moving towards what would make your life meaningful. 

With that said, self-compassion can be very challenging for many of us, even more challenging than having compassion for others at times. Having compassion for yourself means that you accept your humanness, as things will not always go as planned, and that’s okay. The more you practice opening your mind and heart to this reality instead of struggling with it, the more you will be able to feel compassion for yourself and your fellow human beings in the experience of life. 

Self-compassion involves 1) accepting that difficult life experiences are inevitable and offering gentleness, warmth, and understanding towards yourself during these times rather than self-criticizing, 2) recognizing that suffering and personal inadequacy are part of our common humanity rather than being something that “only happens to me,” 3) being willing to non-judgmentally observe your negative thoughts and emotions with mindful awareness rather than ignoring the pain or over-identifying with the thoughts/emotions. 

Thus, self-compassion encourages you to be kind to yourself in the midst of pain, such that you might ask yourself “What do I need right now?” and actually listen/act on whatever that might be in the present moment. For example, due to the current pandemic, many students might be experiencing the inability to go home or be with family during the break/holidays, which may lead to greater stress/anxiety, disappointment/sadness, and loneliness/isolation. If you find yourself experiencing similar difficulties, this is the time to practice extending compassion to yourself and others! 

To cultivate self-compassion, practice the following steps: 

  1. Pause without reaction.
  2. Take deep breaths for approximately 30 seconds.
  3. Notice judgmental thoughts and associated feelings.
  4. Provide a positive self-affirmation (i.e., “I am doing my best in this moment”).
  5. Ask yourself: “What do I truly need in this moment”? This could be:
    • Taking a break from constant homework/studying during finals week. 
    • Scheduling a virtual pizza night with a friend/family member. 
    • Snuggling your dog/cat while you watch a movie. 
    • Planning a whole day of self-care during break.  
    • Cooking/Decorating for the holidays and scheduling a Zoom tree lighting. 
    • Or whatever else comes to mind (remember, no judgement)!

To cultivate compassion for others, practice the following steps: 

  1. Start with yourself! Regularly provide self-compassion. 
  2. Actively listen to others (e.g., be present and validate their feelings) in difficult times without imposing your beliefs or trying to fix the difficulty for them. 
  3. Offer a gentle touch, such as holding a hand or giving a hug (if appropriate).
  4. Affirm others by providing praise and encouragement, highlighting strengths/talents you see in the person, and offering support and comfort in difficult times.
  5. Show kindness through your actions without expecting anything back (e.g., giving a compliment, making a donation, volunteering, helping someone advocate their wants/needs in a challenging situation, and/or paying for someone’s meal behind you in line). 

If you find yourself in need of additional guidance, please reach out for help! Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is your student counseling center and we are here for you! CAPS provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information on how to request services and find resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Florida Tech confirms 12 COVID-19 cases | Nov. 20 update

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Florida Tech reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 among students and one employee case in the Nov. 20 weekly update.

“I’m pleased to report that we are doing far better this week than previous weeks, with a dramatic decrease in COVID-19 cases.” Florida Tech President T. Dwayne McCay said in the email update.

This week’s number is a substantial decrease; the total number is just over one third of last week’s reported spike of 35 cases.

McCay once again encouraged students who are traveling for Thanksgiving to complete the remainder of the semester remotely.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that the safest plans for Thanksgiving take place at home, with your household.

The CDC has provided guidance for those who do travel, stating that measures such as outdoor gatherings, refraining from sharing food or utensils, and keeping guests to a minimum can make things safer.