March 27, 2018 VOL.19 | #14
Free Speech BREAKS Free
Protests will no longer be confined to the Free Speech Lawn thanks to a recent Florida act. But students and professors are split on how much will change in the long run.
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UP STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Kerri Covington MANAGING EDITOR Katrina Scales CREATIVE DIRECTOR Celeste Andrews WEB EDITOR Richard Finkel BUSINESS MANAGER Ryan Lynch NEWS EDITOR Alexander Rodriguez FEATURES EDITOR Hope Dean 2 03.27.2018 University Press
FAU’s Boca campus Free Speech Lawn in front of the Social Science Building. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor
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PHOTO EDITOR Joshua Giron COPY EDITORS Asuka Takahashi, Alexis Wilt DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Benjamin Paley STAFF WRITERS Nate Nkumbu, Cameren Boatner SENIOR DESIGNER Ivan Benavides CONTRIBUTORS Kevin Carver, Matt Brown, Alex Liscio, Daesha Reid, Violet Castano ADVISERS Neil Santaniello, Ilene Prusher, Michael Koretzky
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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NEWS
News Briefs
The UP’s top news stories from the past several weeks. NEWS
Building a Dynasty
After lingering in the design process for more than a year, construction of the Schmidt Family Complex is now in full swing.
Free Speech Breaks Free
Students and professors weigh in on a recent Florida act allowing protest throughout college campus grounds, instead of small slices called “free speech zones.”
GALLERY
Second Fly On Music Fest Takes Off
The March 16 event featured performances by country music artists Hunter Hayes and Haeley Vaughn and hip-hop/pop cover artists JamieBoy and Matthew Schuler.
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In the Business of Business
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A Frustrating Fairytale
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NEWS
OPINION
FAU Business Services doesn’t prioritize the health of students with chronic illnesses seeking meal plan exemptions. How do I know? I’m one of them. And so are Ashley Stevens and Tracey Tobkin. OPINION
The school’s spirit department takes itself too seriously. Instead of a feature on the life of a university mascot, I was given half truths and tall tales.
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”
FEATURES
FAU students take part in larger conversations regarding gun control, the cause of gun violence, and recent legislation six weeks after the Parkland shooting. 03.27.2018 University Press 3
News Briefs SECOND SPRING FLY ON MUSIC FEST TAKES OFF The event featured performances by country music artists Hunter Hayes and Haeley Vaughn and hip-hop/pop cover artists JamieBoy and Matt Schuler. Cameren Boatner | Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Jacqueline LaBayne and Kyle MacDonald's GoFundMe page
FAU’S NEXT STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT KICKED OUT OF OFFICE The two violated a “major” Student Government rule by campaigning early. Benjamin Paley | Distribution Manager and Nate Nkumbu | Staff Writer
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wo Facebook posts cost Jacqueline LaBayne and Kyle MacDonald the most powerful jobs in Student Government. Those posts asked students to donate to their GoFundMe page 10 days before they were allowed to campaign ahead of the Feb. 27-28 election, a “major violation” of SG statutes. Runner-up presidential candidate Marianne Alex brought the violation to the Student Court, whose four justices rule on election issues and SG statutes’ “clarity and constitutionality.” Alex is the House of Representatives speaker under current President Emily Lawless and VP MacDonald, who will continue overseeing SG through the end of this semester. LaBayne is the Council of Student Organizations Boca director. After an hour of deliberation March 14, the court ruled 3-1 against LaBayne and MacDonald, disqualifying them from their future positions. Following the court’s decision, MacDonald asked,
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“We won by 1,000 votes and you’re going to try to disqualify us for a Facebook post?” In actuality, LaBayne and MacDonald received 833 more votes than runner-up Alex and her VP Edward Perez. Now, it’s up to VP for Student Affairs Corey King to decide whether or not the decision stands. If he supports the court’s ruling, one of two things will happen, according to Alex: • Presidential runner-up Alex and VP Perez will take over next year. • A special election will be held before the end of the spring semester to elect a new president and VP. But if King disagrees with the court, LaBayne and MacDonald will take over as president and VP for the 2018-19 year, Alex said. The University Press reached out to King March 16 for comment on when and how he will announce his decision, but has not received a response as of publication time.
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ore than 850 students—mostly decked in cowboy boots– filled the center rows of the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium March 16 for this year’s Fly On Music Fest. Hosted by FAU Program Board and Owl Radio, the show featured Grammy-nominated country singer Hunter Hayes and three other B-list music artists. Owl Radio’s DJ A-Roy hyped up the incoming crowd before introducing the first act of the night: 22-yearold hip-hop/pop singer JamieBoy, whose YouTube channel boasts nearly 327,000 subscribers. The audience clapped and sang along to his rendition of Rihanna’s “Wild Thoughts.” “I never thought this would actually be real. Up on stage in a big auditorium like this,” JamieBoy said to the crowd. Haeley Vaughn, a country singer from Nashville, appeared next on the auditorium stage. She got her start on Season 9 of “American Idol.” The next featured artist, Matt Schuler, was a contestant on Season 5 of “The Voice” and opened with “Here’s to You,” an original song, and carried the set with covers of Fall Out Boy and Young the Giant. As Schuler left the stage, Kathleen Rozz, promotions director at Owl Radio, with the help of DJ A-Roy, pepped the crowd for the headline act, Hunter Hayes. When he finally appeared on stage a little after 10 p.m. with his electric guitar, the crowd went wild. He opened with his original, “I Want Crazy,” as the audience sang along. As the set moved into his song “Invisible,” a student near the front row began to cry as she recorded video of his performance. Hayes was sick, and apologized for the quality of his voice, to which a female audience member responded, “you sound beautiful!” According to Assistant Director of Student Activities and Involvement Richard Mahler, 859 students attended the event. • SEE PAGES 10-11 FOR PHOTOS •
News Briefs
FORMER MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH FIRED, NEW COACH HIRED Athletic Director Brian White makes his first major personnel decision. Matt Brown | Contributing Writer
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ust two days after being introduced as athletic director, Brian White made his first big move and fired head men’s basketball coach Michael Curry. This comes less than two weeks after the Owls 83-72 loss to UAB March 7 in the first round of the Conference USA tournament. They ended the season on a three-game losing streak and lost 10 of their last 13 games. While Curry didn’t produce many results on the court, going 39-84 in his four seasons as head coach, he did help the team get off academic probation by raising its Academic Progress rate. “Michael is a wonderful person and very well liked throughout the university and the community at large,” White said in an FAU press release. “I have no doubt you will join me
in wishing him every success for the future, and to thank him for his dedication and commitment to FAU.” A week later, Dusty May was officially announced as the ninth head men’s basketball coach. May steps into Curry’s shoes after spending three seasons as an assistant at the University of Florida, where he helped the Gators reach the NCAA tournament twice while accumulating a record of 6937 overall. “Dusty was my number one choice, and I am thrilled to have him lead our men’s basketball program,” said Brian White in an FAU press release. “This hire is a clear demonstration of the ambition we have for our basketball program, our athletic department and our university. Dusty will bring tremendous passion, determination and work ethic to this position. The
future of the FAU men’s basketball program is bright.” “The opportunity to recruit in such a fertile region, the momentum this university is enjoying and the enormous potential here are ideal starting points,” May said in the release. “We will be winners here, and we will play with tremendous passion and energy,” he said. “The vision of President John Kelly, the board of trustees and the athletic department under the leadership of Brian White made this move an easy decision. I can’t wait to get started.” The terms of his five year deal were not released. The University Press requested the conditions of May’s contract, but has not received them as of publication time.
FLORIDA POLITICIANS VISIT FAU TO DISCUSS MENTAL HEALTH, OPIOID ADDICTION The College of Nursing hosted the Boca campus forum. Alexander Rodriguez | News Editor
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lorida politicians met with faculty and students to discuss various hot-button issues and legislation impacting the state March 19. Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie opened the College of Nursing forum by talking about job prospects in Boca Raton and other improvements like the new I-95 southbound exit to FAU. “We are building a city for you. So when you graduate from college you can stay and have a wonderful job,” Haynie said. Florida Democratic Senator Kevin Rader then answered questions posed by several students. Vice President of the FAU Student Nursing Association and senior nursing major Christopher Demezier asked Senator Rader how the House Bill 21 — which puts limits on pain relief prescriptions — will help reverse the effects of the opioid crisis.
“Best part of this bill is that it limits prescriptions to three opioids,” Senator Rader said. “You were getting 30 day supplies but now it’s three.” Assistant professor of nursing Lucy Wiese asked Democratic Senator Bobby Powell about how to Baker Act an individual when they are deemed a risk to the public. The act gives citizens the right to admit an individual for a psychological evaluation and examination against their will if they are a danger to either themselves or others. “It’s not as easy as you may think to Baker Act someone. It becomes a little difficult,” Senator Powell said. “If they have not been diagnosed then you can’t prove they have an issue.” Boca Raton Councilwoman Andrea Levine O’Rourke also weighed in on the question by saying the police reports she oversees are mostly made up of “Baker Acts and overdoses.” The last topic covered during the forum was Florida
Law SB 7026, which addresses gun rights on school grounds. Both Powell and Rader voted for this bill and worked together with their constituents to get it passed. One nursing student asked the senators if they would regret passing a bill like this since it allows instructional school staff to carry firearms. “This is a state that we passed Stand Your Ground. First time it passed in the Senate, majority of the senators voted for it,” Powell said. “Then they try to undo it. “We just don’t know what is going to happen.”
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News
Building a Dynasty After lingering in the design process for more than a year, construction of the Schmidt Family Complex is now in full swing. Alexander Rodriguez | News Editor
Construction workers stand on the future site of the Schmidt Complex next to the FAU Stadium. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor 6 03.27.2018 University Press
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he future site of the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence is finally occupied by cranes and construction works, as supervisors work quickly to meet deadlines. The complex will benefit student athletes from FAU’s athletic department, as well as students in all academic programs. Construction was supposed to begin last summer, according to FAU’s flight plan released back in October 2016. But a Feb. 2 tweet from FAU President John Kelly declared “construction was underway” at the beginning of 2018 for the new facility along with pictures of workers on the site just west of the stadium. DPR construction is in charge of assembling the 121,000-square-foot building, which will include classrooms for the MBA sports management program, offices for coaches, study lounges, and weight training rooms. For more than a year, the new facility was in the design and pre-construction process. “This is a phased project and we are on schedule to deliver phase one later this summer as planned,” said Beth Hernandez, regional communication
leader for DPR construction. “The next phase is scheduled to begin right after phase one is complete.” Phase one consists of the renovation currently underway at the FAU Stadium. According to the DPR construction website, that phase will be completed this year. Phase two includes building offices and practice rooms next to the stadium. This phase will also integrate the first floor of Parking Garage 3 into the facility. The DPR construction website states that additional master planning for the indoor practice field will be conducted in the future. “The project was changed to [a] phased plan to minimize disruption,” FAU spokesman Joshua Glanzer said. “Phase Two will include the practice fields, and it should take about a year to complete Phase Two. It should start in the late summer/early fall of this year and should wrap around the same time [summer] in 2019.” President of the Schmidt Family Foundation Richard Schmidt said he is constantly updated on the construction progress of the new facility. “The delays are a natural result of plan revisions as the project is continually improved from the original concept,” Schmidt said. “I would estimate the final completion to be delayed about [a] year from the original plan, which is about normal for projects of this size.” The new athletic facility is named after Richard and his
The final design of the training room that will be located inside the new Schmidt Family Complex. Courtesy of HKS Architects
A ground view of the complex. Courtesy of HKS Architects
wife Barbara Schmidt. The Schmidt family donated $16 million to FAU for the new project, which is the largest single donation FAU has ever received. Along with the Schmidt family donation, two other financial institutions will pay for the new facility: the FAU Foundation, which has raised $33.5 million, and university funds, which set aside $6.5 million for the project, according to the original plans. According to a major project status report, the project’s budget was revised on March 14, now listing the the complex’s construction budget at $45 million, $5 million more than previous estimates. While the new facility is under construction, athletes and staff will continue to utilize the Tom Oxley Athletic Center, located on the west side of the Boca campus which has served the 21 sports offered at FAU since 2001. The rapid growing athletic department at FAU has outgrown the Oxley center, making the new, larger facility invaluable and attractive to prospective student athletes. “We hope that the academic performance of student athletes will be enhanced,” Schmidt said. “As the athletic prowess of the Florida Atlantic manifests itself and raises the quality of the college experience here on all levels.”
A design of the renovated locker room inside the FAU Stadium. Courtesy of HKS Architects
An ariel view of the complex located between Parking Garage 3 and the FAU Stadium with two practice fields in the back. Courtesy of HKS Architects 03.27.2018 University Press 7
Free Speech BREAKS Free
Features
Students and professors weigh in on a recent Florida act allowing protest throughout college campus grounds, instead of small slices called “free speech zones.� Cameren Boatner | Staff Writer
The FAU Free Speech Lawn in front of the Boca campus Social Science Building. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor 8 03.27.2018 University Press
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rotesters will no longer be confined to the small area on the Boca campus deemed the “Free Speech Lawn.” The Campus Free Expression Act, signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott earlier this month, will eliminate the areas on public college campuses where protests are quarantined. Starting July 1, protests can take place on virtually all outdoor campus areas. Members of FAU are split on whether or not the act will be positive in the long run. Adjunct communications professor Glenn Singer worries the legislation will encourage some groups to frequent the campus to recruit student support. “Opening up an entire campus to potential protesters, instead of limiting them, might encourage more white supremacists or nationalists to use the campus as a base,” Singer said. In February 2017, white supremacist group Identity Evropa flyered on the Boca campus. The organization supports racial segregation and deportation of immigrants. Although, he doesn’t think this act will drastically change the state of the university. “I don’t think all of the sudden we’re opening the floodgates to all sorts of protesters,” he said. And while Singer doesn’t see much change for the future of protesting on campus, he does believe the new act will encourage civil discourse and free speech amongst students, faculty, and administration. He’s been at FAU for 30 years and has “seen this place grow.” In the past, he said he’s had his Public Opinion students organize and protest an issue on campus, adding that his students’ demonstrations have never been shut down by FAU. He believes that even if they were outside the free speech zone, the university wouldn’t attempt to stop them. FAU College Democrats President Sophie Siegel said she’s had similar experiences. The 20-year-old political science major maintains that FAU is lenient in its policy. As part of a global movement, Siegel coordinated a SlutWalk in 2017 and 2018 to promote body positivity. Though she didn’t have university permission to lead the walks around campus and out of the Free Speech Lawn, no one attempted to stop her. “[FAU is] very supportive of students exercising their First Amendment rights,” Siegel said. And former professor James Tracy said the university’s policy isn’t always carried out. “FAU’s free speech policy is fine as written. The problem is that it’s not fairly enforced across the board and is contradicted by other university [policies] and regulations,” he said via email. Tracy was fired in 2016 and sued FAU over what he insisted was a free speech issue. And because he values the First Amendment,
he sees these zones as directly limiting free speech on college campuses. “The legislation is good in that it abolishes the poorlyconceived and anti-free speech ‘Free Speech Zones’ on campus,” he said via email. “The law is unhelpful, however, in that it seeks to enforce free speech limitations on the university community through the threat of legal action from anyone who believes their First Amendment rights have been violated.” He’s referring to the act’s legislation stating people who believe their free speech rights have been interfered with may sue the university. The conspiracy theorist was fired in 2016 for failing to report outside donations to his blog, though he claimed it was over his controversial post stating the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a government ploy to promote gun control. He added that he doesn’t think the act will have much of an impact as most students work several jobs off campus and commute. “The last I checked FAU students and faculty are not very politically active or engaged,” he said. “There are exceptions to this, such as in 2013 when the
“I don’t think all of the sudden we’re opening the floodgates to all sorts of protesters.” - Adjunct communications professor Glenn Singer
FAU community took a principled stand against FAU’s affiliation with the GEO Group. Still, the elimination of the ‘Free Speech Zones’ will set the groundwork for such engagement if it’s rekindled.” Tracy was referencing the 2013 student protests against FAU’s football stadium deal with a private prison group under fire for human rights violations. Students and faculty dubbed the stadium “Owlcatraz” in protest of the university’s then-decision to name its stadium after the group. After, the group withdrew the
$6 million offer, stating the ordeal had become a “distraction” for both parties. Political science professor Marshall DeRosa has always had a problem with free speech zones and thinks they’re “somewhat ridiculous.” He said the university is giving its students “the wrong idea” by restricting free speech to one area of the campus. DeRosa added that there is a preference for left-leaning opinions on campus, with very few conservative professors and administrators. “There’s a chill that’s been thrown over the campus that only certain opinions are ‘acceptable,’” he said. The only way the act will change the climate of free speech at FAU, DeRosa said, is if the students utilize the tools that are now provided to them. “Is there a remnant of students out there that take First Amendment rights seriously, and that goes from the left to the right to the center, do they respect opinions with which they disagree?” DeRosa asked. Meanwhile, College Republicans President Brandon Walker believed in the act before it was passed. He said his group considers the legislation a “great victory” overall, adding that they supported its passing. The College Republicans rallied for the act over social media and urged their followers to call Gov. Scott’s office and encourage him to sign the legislation. “[The Florida Federation of College Republicans] got us all involved in a huge push to urge [then] Senator Rick Scott to sign the bill when it hit his desk,” Walker said. Siegel said that the College Democrats support the act as well because they are passionate about the public’s right to free speech. And although the College Republicans don’t participate in many protests, Walker plans to “test the waters” of the new free speech policy that must go into place at FAU. “[It wouldn’t be] to cause any conflict, but just to see how far we can go without FAU trying to clamp down on us,” he said. The University Press reached out to administration for comment on the integration of the act’s statutes into current FAU policy. Joshua Glanzer, assistant vice president for Media Relations and Public Affairs, replied with the following statement on behalf of FAU. “The University is in the process of reviewing and updating any and all policies [affected] by the Campus Free Expression Act. During that review, which will be completed in the shortest possible time, all University policies will be implemented consistent with the new statutory requirements.”
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Gallery
Second Fly On Music Fest Takes Off
The March 16 event featured performances by country music artists Hunter Hayes and Haeley Vaughn and hip-hop/pop cover artists JamieBoy and Matt Schuler.
Hunter Hayes performed his hits in front of over 800 people in the Kaye Auditorium. Violet Castano | Staff Photographer
Hunter Hayes performing his song “I Want Crazy” to a cheering audience. The 26-year-old came on stage nearly two hours after the start of the show. Kevin Carver | Contributing Photographer
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Haeley Vaughn, a season nine contestant of “American Idol,” was the second guest artist of the evening. Her countrypop style was popular among the crowd waiting to see Hunter Hayes. Kevin Carver | Contributing Photographer
25-year-old Matthew Schuler sang renditions of pop songs and well-known ballads. Schuler entered the national spotlight after his run on season 5 of “The Voice.” Alex Liscio | Contributing Photographer
Music artist and YouTube sensation JamieBoy sang covers of popular songs like Rihanna’s “Wild Thoughts.” The 22-year-old thanked FAU on social media after the concert. Alex Liscio | Contributing Photographer
Haeley Vaughn had the audience on their feet as she sang original songs and joked about her passion for tequila. Alex Liscio | Contributing Photographer
Hunter Hayes was energetic on stage despite his confessed cold. After performing a song with his band, he sat down at a grand piano to perform one of his original songs. Alex Liscio | Contributing Photographer
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Opinion
Ashley Stevens
In the Business of Business FAU Business Services doesn’t prioritize the health of students with chronic illnesses seeking meal plan exemptions. How do I know? I’m one of them. And so are Ashley Stevens and Tracey Tobkin. Kerri Covington | Editor in Chief Headshots courtesy of Ashley Stevens, Joshua Giron, and Tracey Tobkin
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ureaucratic nonsense. Unnecessary stress. Lack of empathy. Those three phrases summarize what FAU Business Services subjected me to my freshman year. I had just been diagnosed with a chronic (i.e. lifelong) digestive disorder, gastroparesis, which limits what I can eat as most foods cause me severe pain. And because I lived in the freshman dorms, I was required to purchase a meal plan for the fall 2015-16 year. Instead, I applied for a meal plan exemption, knowing the dining hall wasn’t an option. Over the course of several weeks, I dealt with administrators who couldn’t care less that I was sick or worried I’d be forced to pay for a meal plan I wouldn’t use. I grew more and more frustrated over the extensive paperwork required to prove I had an illness preventing me from eating at the dining hall. And while I was eventually approved for an exemption my freshman year, despite threats that I would still have to pay for a meal plan, I never wanted to repeat the process again (which is why I moved off campus the second I could). But I wasn’t the only one.
Finding common ground
Tracey Tobkin 12 03.27.2018 University Press
Sophomores Tracey Tobkin and Ashley Stevens went through eerily similar experiences. Both women are full-time students at the Jupiter campus. And because they’re required to live in the dorms their first two years, they also had to purchase a meal plan. Tracey, a bio major, was diagnosed with gastroparesis in December 2015 as well, quickly realizing she would need a meal plan exemption. The exemptions only last for one academic year, despite her having a lifelong condition. Enrolling in FAU fall 2016, she first submitted paperwork to the Business Services office that November, getting rejected because her paperwork didn’t fit their standards. Fulfilling their process is tedious at best.
If a student wants a meal plan exemption, they have to submit: 1. A personal statement detailing why they require an exemption, as well as how they will obtain, store, and prepare their meals every semester. 2. A doctor’s letter (on an official letterhead) detailing why the dining hall doesn’t meet the student’s dietary needs, and if food intolerances are involved, a list of all foods the student can’t eat. 3. Copies of dated tests performed that back up the student’s condition. 4. A diet the student will follow, including a three-day sample menu with meals and snacks. Two lists are also required: one of foods the student can eat and one of foods that need to be avoided. The plan has to be provided by a doctor. While Tracey applied again in spring 2017 and was approved for the fall 2017-18 year, the process wasn’t easy on her mental and emotional state. “The fact that the documentation required for the meal plan is so very specific and so very difficult to get because they seem so very nitpicky about it, makes it all the more stressful,” she said. “I don’t have the time, I don’t have the emotional endurance for that. I’ve been battling with them ever since I got here. And it’s obviously still a problem.” When I spoke with Tracey, we were blown away that we faced the same mistreatment, each thinking we were the only ones. We both faced multiple rejections, meal plan charges being applied to our accounts when we couldn’t eat anything from the dining hall, and a lack of understanding from Business Services. Not to mention the stressful and expensive process of explaining to our doctors why they kept needing to rewrite letters for us.
If you’re not part of the solution... This sort of mistreatment is supposed to be avoided under the Student Accessibility Services office, which ensures students with disabilities and illnesses receive equal treatment at FAU. Both Tracey and I are registered with the office. And while Business Services Manager Katarzyna Kielbasa said their office “works with multiple offices within the university including SAS,” Michelle Shaw, SAS director, told a different story. When I asked Shaw if SAS has worked with Business Services in the past to ensure the fulfillment of students’ exemptions, she replied with a one-word answer: “No.”
...then you’re part of the problem. As a follow-up, I questioned if Shaw believes Business Services’ process causes students unnecessary stress. “No, students have to provide documentation to register for their academic and Housing accommodations. Providing documentation for a food waiver is no different,” Shaw said via email. And it’s unclear how many of us have experienced this sort of treatment. Kielbasa provided a cryptic answer when I asked if Business Services has received complaints relating to this process. “When we receive a complaint, we address it on an individual basis,” she said via email.
And the required meal plan hurt her in more ways than one. “With that, my family is not well off financially, and losing the extra couple thousand dollars in my account from the meal plan is not helpful, especially when I have to resort to certain dietary needs,” she said. “I have to go on an all liquid diet and those are certain fees I can’t afford in addition to the meal plan.” Unfortunately, the treatment for gastroparesis is pretty limited. There are drugs that are supposed to help with digestion, but their positive effects are minimal and their psychological effects are dangerous. All we can do is avoid food that causes us pain and eat small meals. So Tracey’s freshman year, a time she had looked forward to her entire life, was spent sick and angry at a system she was paying thousands of dollars for. “It’s a daily struggle because it hinders my academic work and I can’t tell you just how devastating it is know that I’m still dealing with this … To try and be a student, something I feel very passionate about, I’m a very fond learner,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be in the situation that I’m in now and I really can’t pursue it to the degree that I should. I experience many hours a day with pain and just trying to keep my body alive essentially, day by day.”
A turn for the worse And while Tracey said she’s the happiest and healthiest she’s ever been, she wasn’t always that way. Before she was diagnosed, she was bedridden and at one point, weighed only 70 pounds as she couldn’t keep any food down. Even getting up to shower and brush her
teeth proved to be too difficult most days. “I was pretty much left without treatment through and through, and unfortunately we just didn’t make any progress throughout it all, and I ended up suffering,” she said. “My body was kind of deteriorating at that point because my ability to eat just diminished over time and so I lost a whole lot of weight. I was in a lot of pain. I was pretty much bound to my bed. I was in critical condition, my body was wasting away and there was no way to really address it.” The semester before she started college, she was checked into a hospital. Her condition had regressed to the point where she wasn’t able to get the nutrition she needed. “I took a turn for the even worse, and I ended up being checked into a Miami hospital and what I did get was a feeding tube … That was actually very helpful because I was able to get nourished for a little while,” she said. “But then the gastroparesis symptoms still continued and I still had the extreme nausea and everything. And what actually happened is that I ended up vomiting out the tube. So that was out the window.” Right now, she’s on an almost all liquid diet, occasionally being able to digest nut butter, fruits, and vegetables. She tries to eat only once a day in the evening. That way, she can sleep off the pain. Eventually, she hopes to go into medical education. And while she finally was approved for an exemption, she agrees that it only made her situation worse.
$3,260 down the drain Because we both have gastroparesis, Tracey and I experience extreme bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and exhaustion. While Business Services works with FAU Student Health Services in assessing submitted paperwork, we only spoke with Business Services members, who weren’t exactly compassionate during the process. We both had numerous calls and emails with staff members who insisted we would have to pay for the meal plan because our paperwork wasn’t enough. And it’s not as if the plan is affordable. The cheapest comes in at $1,630.50 per semester. And because Tracey’s exemption was rejected her first year, she paid $3,260 for food that made her sick. “There were too many hurdles. I ate in the cafeteria but I was sick every day,” she said. “I would go home to my dorm, lie down in my room for several hours, and hide away. I couldn’t focus on my school work.” The FAU Business Services office on the Boca campus. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor 03.27.2018 University Press 13
Apathetic and unethical
“bureaucratic nonsense”
Pre-med bio major Ashley was diagnosed with celiac disease in middle school. Her condition, caused by an extreme gluten intolerance, leads to nausea, pain, fatigue, malnutrition, and rashes. But once she cut out gluten, she went back to living a “a normal life.” “A few months after I stopped eating gluten, my parents and I went on a 20-mile bike ride, that was nothing,” she said. “[Then I realized,] I was just really sick.” That was when she could control her diet. However, once she enrolled in FAU in fall 2016, that option vanished. Her first semester, she avoided going through the exemption process for one reason: the test “proving” her condition required that she eat gluten for two months. So for almost half of the semester, she would need to be in constant pain, just to prove that she couldn’t eat at the dining hall. “I refused to go through that test that’ll take two months out of my life, plus recovery time so three months. I don’t have three months out of my life to do that,” she said. “It’s not like I can do it over the summer, I have an internship, I have stuff to do … I have responsibilities.” Because of this, she ended up paying over $1,000 for the meal plan her first semester, even though she never once ate at the dining hall. Toward the end of the semester, she spoke with Angie Gifford from the FAU Office of the Ombuds. The department works as a neutral party if someone believes they’ve been mistreated or a process has failed them. Ashley explained her situation, and Gifford said she would do what she could, eventually crediting the money back to Ashley’s account. When Gifford called Ashley, she said, “I’m supposed to check if the school is being fair to you and this is incredibly not fair.” When Ashley grew tired of paying for the meal plan, she attempted to get an exemption a year later, submitting a letter from her doctor saying she can’t eat gluten and requires a dining area completely free of the substance. However, her exemption was still denied. “That should be proof enough for them. They were not caring,” she said. “They didn’t give a shit.” Ashley added that she doesn’t understand why students with chronic conditions have to submit paperwork every year “proving” their illness. “Do you want my body to check to see if it still has [celiac disease]?” To this day, she still pays for the meal plan every year and eats in the dining hall as little as possible, saying she doesn’t have any other options. This is despite the fact that she’s constantly worried about cross contamination at the various food stations.
Tracey and Ashley met in their Latin I class earlier this year, becoming fast friends and bonding over their respective conditions. “She was trying to get a meal plan exemption because the gluten options were especially bad before 2018,” Tracey said. “There is a lot of cross contamination and she literally never knows if she’ll be sick after eating in the dining hall. She’s one of the greatest people I know and she’s having to deal with this bureaucratic nonsense as well.” Tracey said the only reason why her exemption was eventually approved was because she reached out to Ombud Gifford. But without her, Tracey said she was tempted to give up applying. Ashley said that she still resents the way Business Services treated her.
14 03.27.2018 University Press
“I don’t have the time, I don’t have the emotional endurance for them. I’ve been battling with them ever since I got here. And it’s obviously still a problem.” - Tracey Tobkin on applying for a meal plan exemption through FAU Business Services
“You also have to understand that the people who live here, they pay to go here, they have a stake in what you’re doing,” she said. “It’s like if [FAU] had stock, they’re completely ignoring the shareholders.” And despite promises that the dining hall would have gluten-free options, Ashley said they’re few and far between. “They assured me they would accommodate glutenfree food and they have gluten-free buns. That’s it … and then they said, ‘We have this new vegan bar that should be gluten free,’ and half the time it’s pasta.” Ashley added that it isn’t all bad, saying the kitchen
staff try to let her know when certain foods have gluten. “The staff [in the dining hall] is fantastic, the people in charge are not.” And while she greatly appreciates the accommodating kitchen staff, she said they don’t always know what’s in the food. “I’ve been a lot more tired, very under the weather lately, but it doesn’t feel like I’m getting a cold. So I think overall, it’s just the build-up of having gluten, because there’s no way it’s completely gluten-free in the dining hall, it’s just not possible,” she said. “They can’t always tell me what’s in the seasoning or what’s in all of anything so I can’t always trust anything they say so I just have to go for it and hope.” And it doesn’t help that the Jupiter campus food isn’t labeled allergen free. Foods with gluten, peanuts, and soy are mixed in with everything else, leaving it up to chance whether or not someone will get sick from what they eat. One of my last questions to Business Services Manager Kielbasa centered around whether or not her office would be willing to change their process and remove the yearly requirement to submit exemption paperwork. Here’s what she had to say: “We are always open to improving the process and certainly will consider it. Our goal is to provide a meal plan program that can serve the needs of our student population. The exemption process is a very small part of the overall program. We are consistently looking at improved nutrition, meeting the needs of our vegetarian population, introducing gluten free options and the like. The goal is about ensuring wherever possible we can meet the nutritional needs of our student resident population.” But as of right now, Tracey, Ashley, and I aren’t holding our breaths.
Opinion
A Frustrating
Fairytale The school’s spirit department takes itself too seriously. Instead of a feature on the life of a university mascot, I was given half truths and tall tales. Katrina Scales | Managing Editor
Katrina Scales. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor
Owlsley. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor 03.27.2018 University Press 15
I
magine you’re a 21-year-old college student surrounded by adults trying to convince you that the Easter Bunny was a living, breathing rabbit. That’s how it felt reporting this story about FAU’s mascot, Owlsley. I decided to pursue this when I noticed an instagram post from @fau_owlsley asking students to “join his team.” Essentially, the mascot asked students to apply for his job, which I did in the hopes I would learn more about the tryouts. There are three basic criteria a student must meet to qualify for the job, according to FAU’s website. You must be a full-time student enrolled in 12 credits or more, your GPA must be 2.5 or higher, and you must swear to keep your identity a secret. But that’s all I know. With each source, I asked harmless questions about the job — its pay rate, costume features, and responsibilities — but would continuously hit dead ends. After getting no response for days from the mascot’s current manager, I decided to reach out to former Owlsleys, who are mostly graduated students and alumni. And while I did get some feedback, I realized the answers all had something in common. They were phrased as if Owlsley was a real-life burrowing owl. I shit you not. Don’t believe me? Here’s part of my exchange with former Owlsley Joshua Puchferran, who worked as the mascot from 2013 to summer 2017, according to an FAU News Desk press release. I asked questions that most students at FAU probably wonder themselves. Me: How did [the costume] work, were there cooling fans? Puchferran: “Owlsley is a very fun loving character with many unique qualities including
big wings, a large beak, great eyebrows, and a plethora of outfits for every occasion. Unfortunately Owlsley doesn’t molt like most birds so he is usually quite hot.” So...maybe I wouldn’t get an answer about the costume. Fine. I had other questions. Me: What made [you] want to be Owlsley? Puchferran said via email: “I was hesitant at first because people talk a lot and owls don’t. So, that was culture shock, but once I saw how much joy I could bring people by being a giant, goofy, loveable owl, I figured this is a pretty good gig.” It was at this point that I began to lose my mind. How could he keep this show going and not break character? He’s graduated, any obligation he has to FAU to keep Owlsley a mystery is gone. Thankfully, the University Press has reported on Owlsley in the past when FAU’s football stadium was still under construction and tradition or team spirit wasn’t exactly at an all-time high. Back then, the press received straightforward answers to their questions about the feathery mascot. The person who volunteered to be Owsley in 2010, a student named John Saxton, told the editor about how tough the job could be. “I was always exhausted, so I didn’t want to go to the gym,” said Saxton. “I just wanted to sleep.” The story also mentions that three students were hired to be the mascot: two senior and one junior. The senior mascots would earn $2,208.70 per semester and the junior would earn $1,112.80. That’s about $18.88 an hour. The money comes from Activity and Service fees, paid by students and managed by Student Government, which then budgets it for student organizations and oncampus events. It’s the same money that pays members of Student Government. These days, being Owlsley pays about the same as the 2010 senior mascot. According to the 2018-19 A&S budget, the mascot is paid $9 per hour and works 15
President John Kelly sits at a university basketball game with Owlsley. Photo courtesy of Mohammed F. Emran hours a week. That’s $2,025 per semester. Jamie Ortiz, the adviser to Owlsley, told me the job comes with “tuition benefits,” which could mean the students’ FAU bill is fully or partially reimbursed while serving as mascot. Alas, my dreams of becoming the next university mascot were cut short when I received an email from the Owlsley team saying mascot tryouts had been cancelled “due to the lack of response.” So here’s what I know: there are at least two students who wear the mask. I stumbled across the name of one copied in the tryout cancellation email (who refused comment and whose social media hints to their position as Owlsley) and the other was confided to me by a mutual friend of the student. When it comes to school spirit, I couldn’t care less. But I get why the students’ identities are secret. FAU is starting to climb the ranks in athletics and overall recognition. And when the leaders want its people to be patriotic, the smiley spirited facade is protected at all costs. But that shouldn’t mean virtually all aspects of Owlsley’s job are kept from the public. I never asked for the students’ names behind the mascot, I just wanted to detail what their day-to-day life looked like. Owlsley is FAU’s “biggest fan” and it’s clear no one wants me to uncover any logistics of the mascot team. I’ll conclude with a final quote from the man, I mean, the bird himself: “On a real note, I know what you’re trying to get at with this story, and your curiosity is based in a question that I think everyone asks: “Who is Owlsley?” The answer must remain no one because only then can it be anyone. A lot like Batman in the dark night, Owlsley is a symbol of what it means to be an FAU student.” *Anthony Spataro contributed to the reporting of this story.*
Owlsley. Alexander Rodriguez | News Editor 16 03.27.2018 University Press
Features
ENOUGH�IS ENOUGH
“
FAU students take part in larger conversations regarding gun control, the cause of gun violence, and recent legislation six weeks after the Parkland shooting. Hope Dean | Features Editor Photos by Joshua Giron | Photo Editor
A student wipes away a tear during a Parkland shooting vigil held on the Boca campus March 16. Joshua Giron | Photo Editor 03.27.2018 University Press 17
I
t’s been a month and a half since the shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and in that time, a glimmer of hope has emerged that something will change. People are flocking to the streets in protest — an estimated 1 million students took part in a national school walkout March 14, according to the Wall Street Journal, and hundreds of thousands participated in the March for Our Lives March 24. The marches honored the shooting victims and spread a message about gun violence in America: “enough is enough.” “After Sandy Hook … why haven’t we learned our lesson?” asked Madie Tolchin, a senior sociology major who marched to the Boca campus Free
College Democrats President Marina BraynonMoore Speech Lawn March 14. “I’m more ready to get things changed than ever.” The Free Speech Lawn was also utilized on March 22 for a “die-in,” where people laid on the ground as if dead in a form of protest. And in less than a week, a panel of local candidates will discuss the campus carry debate and recent legislation April 4, said President of the FAU College Democrats Marina Braynon-Moore. According to a poll conducted by the College of Business, the Business & Economics Polling Initiative (BEPI) found that 70 percent of Floridians were in favor of stricter gun laws. The poll surveyed 800 people in the state between February 23-25. In response to the shooting, Gov. Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 7026, otherwise known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act on March 9, said CNN. The $400 million bill is the first successful gun control act in Florida in over 20 years, as reported by the New York Times, and the nicknamed “Gunshine State” seems to be on course for further change. The bill tightens gun control but will also 18 03.27.2018 University Press
arm some teachers throughout the state. This gradual change, however, does not come without its fair share of debates, and many narratives are at the forefront of the national conversation.
Mental Illness The new bill has set aside more than $69 million to bolster the mental health counseling budget in schools, mirroring the overlying opinion that mental illness is largely to blame for most mass shootings. According to the BEPI findings, 24 percent of those polled believe that mental healthcare is sorely lacking in Florida, greatly contributing to the now-chronic issue of gun violence. Robert Cierro, a junior communications major, believes that the situations are definitely tied together. “I believe a mentally healthy person would never, ever think about going out and killing tons of people … If we’re going to have an atmosphere where this thing can happen because you don’t want to take care of people who are mentally sick in the proper way, then we have to have gun regulation,” he said during the FAU walkout. It goes beyond that, though — for him, the consumerist nature of media and advertisement have a “huge effect” on people’s mental states, heightening depression while the already poor treatment levels stay the same. The issue is also “more or less what we value in the country.” College Democrats President Braynon-Moore agrees that mental health is a piece of the puzzle, but not the defining factor of the issue. “We shouldn’t be denying that people who are willing to hurt other people and take their lives, they have some issues that need to be dealt with by a doctor. That should be included in a background check get a gun … But that doesn’t take away from the fact that our lax gun culture in America is also what causes this almost constantly,” she said. And to some, mental health isn’t the issue at all. Take Tolchin, who says that people with mental illnesses are more likely to be a victim of gun violence than to cause it. “I think people mistake mental illness with it being a white male problem. It’s white men who are typically doing these mass shootings. I think it’s these men [that] feel entitled and are frustrated, and the shooting at Stoneman Douglas was a white nationalist … Yes, I agree, let’s have a conversation about mental health, but this isn’t what’s causing it,” she said.
video games. Geoffrey Stephen, a biology major and FAU High School student, is a resident of Parkland, Florida. He was an acquaintance to four victims of the shooting and thinks violent video games do play a part in the national epidemic. “Gaming and TV has a lot to do with current society. It has the capability to morph a person’s mind — the younger you start, the more wired you become … The more violent the game is, the more violent their [thoughts are],” he said. “What makes this even more of danger is how easily accessible the weapons they see on these games [are].” Others, however, are not convinced. BraynonMoore is one of these individuals. “If that were true, then the countries that buy the most video games would have the most gun deaths,” she argued. “China buys the most video games, but they have some of the lowest gun deaths in the whole world.” Olivia Hemmingway, 15, is another FAU High student turned activist when the recent shooting killed one of her best friends. She immediately became involved, attending seven vigils and a protest at the Broward Courthouse Feb. 17, where Stoneman Douglas student Emma González delivered her now-viral speech. “It’s really a big closure thing, and also just knowing that you don’t want that to happen to anybody else, the pain. We felt so broken,” Hemmingway said. She argues against Trump’s video game argument as well, calling it an “easy way out of the solution.” To her, it shows that he “really doesn’t want to change the gun laws … which makes me kind of sick, because people have passed away miles away from my house and nobody is doing anything about it.”
Contagious Violence President Trump met with video game executives, Congress members, conservative leader Brent Bozell, and a Parents Television Council member March 8, to discuss the theory that video games and other violent media is desensitizing young people, linking exposure to aggression. BEPI pollsters found that 18 percent of participants believed that a growing trend in shootings can be attributed to graphic violence depicted in TV shows and
College Republicans officerTyler Gidseg
Hemmingway’s ideas on the legalization of weapons have tightened since the shooting. “The whole argument that you need the AR-15 to protect yourself or to engage in recreational activities, I think it’s really the value of: are you going to value your gun, or are you going to value a child’s life?” she said.
Arming Educators
College Republicans President Brandon Walker
Background Checks & Semi-automatics Though Senate Bill 7026 addresses multiple concerns, two things it doesn’t do are ban semiautomatic weapons and improve background checks. Within the BEPI results, the ban of assaultstyle rifles are preferred, voted for by 69 percent. Tyler Gidseg, a College Republicans officer, is in favor of strengthening mental health testing, but believes that the background check already in place is a “pretty comprehensive process,” and “substantial in terms of vetting someone.” “I actually do own a gun, and I’ve been through the process of obtaining it... You go into the dealership, you pick out the gun you’d like, and, in order to buy it, you need to fill out a 4473 form, which of course you have to answer everything correctly,” he said. If anything is incorrect on the form or if a felon is trying to purchase a weapon, they can spend up to 10 years in prison. The new bill calls for at least a three-day waiting period between requesting a gun purchase and actually receiving the gun, and “During that time, they’re going to be looking at you and determining whether or not you can qualify to purchase the gun,” Gidseg said. The dealer calls the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI to get a National Instant Criminal Background check on the buyer as well, he said. Gidseg argues against outlawing the AR-15, saying that pistols kill six to seven times more people than AR-15’s do, according to the Wall Street Journal. Knives and blunt objects are also tools used to murder far more people than semiautomatics, he said. “I think what they’re doing is cherry picking an issue that doesn’t necessarily hold salience as compared to all those other things,” he commented on the idea of banning the weapons.
A controversial portion of the recently signed bill is its “marshal” program, aptly named the “Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program” after the coach who died saving students from a barrage of bullets with his body. This program trains and arms some teachers, such as librarians and coaches, if the local school district and local sheriff’s department are involved. The BEPI poll found that 31 percent of voters support the arming of teachers. “If that football coach would’ve had something besides his body to protect the students … He died a hero, but he could’ve possibly been a little more effective with more means of protection,” said Brandon Walker, president of the College Republicans. “[Teachers] are already on campus, so they can get there a lot quicker than anybody else can and they can take care of the issue.” “Israel does have a program in case where they do have teachers that are armed … you don’t see or hear of any school shootings over there,” added Gidseg. Braynon-Moore, however, argues that we already have police officers on campus, which should be “more than enough.” “Teachers, their job is supposed to be to teach students. How is a student supposed to learn and ask freely and feel comfortable when their teacher is armed?” she said. She also pointed out that minority students are more likely to be harshly disciplined than white students, so, “What happens when you add a gun in a classroom?” “I don’t think the solution for gun violence is by providing more guns,” Stephen also said. “If you want to deal with violence, you don’t want to create more violence… If you look at Ghandi, or if you look at Martin Luther King, these people made the most difference. You could set out in the old fashioned way, an ear for an ear, and eye for an eye, but that’s just going to leave you with two people without ears and eyes.”
Braynon-Moore believes that it creates a harmful “us v.s. them” mentality in which both sides dehumanize the other, sticking to their radicalization of politics instead. “It doesn’t help either side, because without our counterpart across the aisle, we can’t get anything done,” she said. “That means we have to work together and find common ground to save and protect our children, and just regular Americans.” In an attempt to combat the divisiveness, College Republicans and College Democrats will occasionally play a game of kickball together, striving to see each other as peers instead of rivals.
Going Forward Life is different for Hemmingway and thousands of others whose lives have been changed by the Parkland shooting. “One of the biggest images that will stick with me is seeing my best friend’s casket being carried away, and knowing that because of someone’s senseless acts of violence that could’ve been prevented, that she’s never going to be able to live out her full life,” she said. “What I want people to know is that our generation is going to be the one to … make them understand that it’s not just an issue between your party or your family’s beliefs, but it’s really an issue of life and death.” For the everyday hero, Tolchin has a suggestion: get out and vote in both local and national elections. “If you care about these issues, become politically engaged.”
Political Polarization Rates of political divergence are higher than ever. According to findings from the Pew Research Center, Americans with consistently Republican or consistently Democratic views have doubled from 10 percent to 21 percent over the last two decades. Negative views of one party to the other have also more than doubled, causing heavy disagreements on important issues, like gun control. “It’s very divisive. You turn on the news, and you have some fringes that are created from this… I think both sides want the same thing, of course, we want this to end, we just have different paths of getting there,” noted Gidseg.
FAU High student and Parkland resident Geoffrey Stephen
03.27.2018 University Press 19
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