ISSUE 1 JAN. 12SPRING

Photo by Audrey Gangloff

Meznah Albaqami, Florida Tech student from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Muslim students reveal the truth behind Hijab

Muslim women on campus are an enig-ma to many students at Florida Tech.

Most noticeable are the Muslim women that wear hijab, the cloth that covers their head and neck.

Within Muslim culture, the purpose behind this style of dress is part religious, part custom and is a completely normal part of everyday life. Non-Muslim students at Florida Tech are accepting of the women who wear hijab, but they seldom ask ques-tions about these women who appear to be so guarded.

“I don’t know how they feel about their religion. I don’t want to make them feel un-comfortable by approaching them or over-stepping some boundary that I don’t know, so I usually just steer clear,” said Timothy Christopher Jr., a chemical engineering student.

Middle Eastern Muslim culture is gener-ally seen by Americans as strictly religious and male-dominant in nature. As a result, a common misconception about hijab and other Islamic dress is that women do not have a choice in the matter.

In reality, this could not be any farther from the truth.

“This thing, it’s just between her and God,” said Meznah Albaqami, a Saudi Arabian native and biomedical engineering student. “It’s only my sin, and my choice.”

Florida Tech student Omar Alshehhi pointed to scripture to help clarify the rule.

In the Quran, the Prophet Mohammed relayed to believers God’s word on how a proper Muslim should dress. The Prophet Mohamed said women “should let their headscarves fall to cover their necklines” and “make their outer garments hang low over them.”

“We believe that there’s another life when we die, so this life is for us like the test,” said Albaqami. “I have to be a good person and do good things. There are rules to be a good person, so this is one of the rules.”

As much as hijab is based in religion, Al-baqami said it is a purely personal decision.

“Look at your five fingers, not all of them are the same,” Alshehhi said. “We are 1.7 bil-lion Muslims, and not all of us are the same.

Christians, all of them follow the same Bible, but they all follow the same rules exactly? No. That’s also how it is in Islam. So some women wear hijab, some of them not.”

Merfat Hammad does not wear hijab be-cause it makes her too uncomfortable when people stare, and no one can recognize her. Instead of wearing hijab while at school, she

chose to ‘Americanize’ herself.

Albaqami said that sometimes she feels like people are nervous to talk to her because of how she is dressed.

“Some people think because we wear hijab,

we are not friendly or we don’t want to talk to anyone,” said Hammad. “Men, usually. I feel bad, but it’s okay. I just want to say we are normal girls. We can talk, laugh, do any-thing, it’s okay for us.”

These kinds of reactions from their class-mates are the hardest part for Florida Tech students who wear hijab.

“I can excuse them because the media talks the wrong way about hijab, and also because they don’t try to contact girls who are wearing hijab correctly,” said Hammad. “They don’t ask questions. Maybe because of that, they think hijab is wrong.”

Despite the social barriers, wearing hijab has some definite advantages for Muslim women. Besides hijab being comfortable, it’s also not as hot as it looks.

Thin summer material wicks away sweat and the thicker winter cloths help to keep your ears and neck warm when it gets windy

during the Melbourne winter.Perhaps most importantly, wearing hijab

is spiritually fulfilling.“When I wear hijab, I feel happy and

at peace because I am doing what my god said to me,” said Albaqami. “So it’s a good thing. I wake up every morning and I feel at peace.” v

I just want to say we are normal girls. We can talk, laugh, do anything, it’s okay for us.”

- Meznah Hammad

Albaqami (left) and Hammad (right), are both biomedical engineering students and have many of the same classes.

Star Wars sets records

//AUDREY GANGLOFFSPORTS EDITOR

Publicity for the newest Star Wars movie The Force Awakens has gotten fans, new and old, talking.

What makes the latest film stand out from the rest is the time gap — 39 years of waiting.

The original “Star Wars” movie was produced in 1977. Many would argue that the original, older movies in any series tend to be better. But “Star Wars:

The Force Awakens” (2015) is now the highest grossing film of all time at the box office, making almost $800 million, even surpassing James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) which brought in $760.50 mil-lion.

The movie also holds the record for the biggest opening day at the domestic box office, making $119.1 million.

Based off of ratings, the past three Star Wars movies, “The Phantom Men-ace” (1999), “Attack of The Clones” (2002), and “Revenge of the Sith” (2005), have been a little bit of a let down com-pared to older ones.

All received a rating of 7.7 or lower out of 10 from IMDb.com, which is not bad based off of other movie standards. But it is important to note that the Star Wars movies from the 70s and 80s, “Star

Wars” (1977), “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), and “Return of The Jedi” (1983), all received a rating of 8.4 out of 10 or above.

“The Force Awakens”

(2015) has brought the series ratings back up, with a solid 8.5 out of 10. Take that for older movies being better.

In this issue

3578

MAKING A MURDERER

GUN CONTROL

SPRING 2016 SURVIVAL GUIDE

WINTER SPORTS RECAP/ SPRING LINEUP

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

OPINIONS 2

Start now, not on New Years Day

MAKING A MURDERER: In case you haven’t

heard of it in the month that it’s been available, you need to see the Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer.”

The documentary comes in 10 one-hour episodes, and essentially details the life of a man named Steven Avery and his various, at times, unbelievable legal troubles in the small Wis-consin county of Manito-woc.

What sets “Making a Murderer” apart from other documentaries is its depth. It was produced over the course of 10 years and was assembled meticulously with detailed interviews of family members, lawyers and citizens of the small town.

//WILL HENDERSONSTAFF WRITER

Making New Year’s resolutions are part tradi-tion and part motivation to accomplish one’s dreams and to get in New Year’s mode. Many people make lists of goals they have wanted to reach for some time, and what could be a better option than having a head start at the beginning of a new year?

But is it really necessary to wait a whole year to start working for what you want to do?

Talking for myself, I have never been a fan of New Year resolutions. Of course I fully encourage people to set goals for the

coming year and do their best to fulfill them, but at the same time if you really want to do something why would you waste time wait-ing for a new beginning?

In my opinion these res-olutions are like planning to start a diet on Mondays. At that time it’s not Monday yet and you are probably really dedicated to starting a new chapter of your life.

Eating healthy and maybe exercising a little bit sounds like the most excit-ing step you’ll take for a better version of you at that point. Then Monday comes and you suddenly lose your motivation and postpone

your change in lifestyle to a day that might never come.

At least this is the scenario I’ve heard from my friends and many other people who are trying to lose weight. If you really want to start a diet, start immediately.

Don’t even wait for to-morrow, don’t give yourself the chance to enjoy your last day by eating exces-sive amounts of junk food just because you won’t be eating them for a while. On the exact moment your next goal comes to your mind take a step and start work-ing for it.

Starting is half the bat-

tle, continuing is the rest.New Year resolutions

might be a good kick-start to plan expectations and wishes for the next year but they are not always nec-essary to actually put up a fight for one’s own dreams.

As a person who could be called fairly ambitious I would encourage anyone who reads this article to not set the same goals each and every year just because they lost their motivation throughout the year and ac-tually get up, be dedicated and do their best to achieve their goals.

With 2016 already started and the next semes-

ter just around the corner, I hope everyone makes the best of it and feels accom-plished at the end of both by completing each and every goal they had for themselves. Good luck! v

//SU ORHONSTAFF WRITER

Without giving away too many details, the results of the Steven Avery trials are the subject of much con-troversy. In fact, massive movements and petitions were put in place within two weeks of the release of the film, prompting action from the Governor of Wis-consin and even President Obama.

The film highlights as-pects of the United States’ criminal justice system, including DNA evidence, coerced confession, treat-ment of minors, and worst of all, a crooked police department.

The film sparked large discussion across the inter-net, with articles appearing in many major online news outlets discussing filmmak-

ers triumphs, as well as what they have left out.

With the ethics of the justice department and po-lice departments around the country coming into ques-tion; i.e. Chicago, where a prosecutor has just resigned following an uncovering of his hiding evidence, the film comes at an appropri-ate time.

As 2016 brings a pres-idential election year, the film allows viewers to make their own judgments and apply the information they learn about in the trial to modern events and even candidates.

In fact, recent presiden-tial dropout Republican Governor Scott Walker has already refused a pardon in the James Avery case,

along with refusing pardons to any criminal in the state of Wisconsin.

All politics aside, “Mak-ing a Murderer” is simply must-see TV. It received a 97 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 9.3 rating on IMDB, so if you don’t have a Netflix

account, it might be time to call in some New Year’s favors and ask a friend to borrow theirs! v

wiki.com

Netflix’s binge-worthy foray into true crime

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12

OPINIONS 3WHY DO 16GB PHONES STILL EXIST?

//EBUBE UBOCHISCI-TECH EDITOR

Despite what anyone says, 16GB phones are a problem.

Okay, I’m getting slight-ly ahead of myself. Wheth-er or not a 16GB phone is worth anyone’s time and money depends on their lifestyle; a culmination of their finances, their prefer-ences, their data consump-tion, their media tastes, their priorities. People who prioritize storage space on their mobile devices are naturally prone to avoiding tiny hard drives, but the thing is: everyone should.

Chances are you’re a fulfilled individual, un-aware of the problem and perfectly content with your 16GB device, but you’re reading this and wonder-ing why I’m so dead set on ruining it for you. I’m sorry, but I’m going to do it anyway.

Allow me to to start with the fundamentals: 16GB of storage space is too small. We could argue about this for days, but it really is hard to deny the fact that devices with mem-ory of this size are less than equipped to handle most of the operations that are characteristic of the current era.

Unless you’re a kindly grandparent — bless your heart — you probably do a lot more with your cell phone than make calls, send texts and take the occasional photo.

These days, phones are capable of many things that require a lot more space than 16GB: downloading and storing large files kept in cloud storage, main-taining an ample supply of on-device music, taking large videos without hav-ing to delete or move them after three weeks, housing more than 30 applications at a time that include a game or two.

Some of this may sound slightly far-fetched, but these are all real, specif-ic tasks I’ve found very difficult to accomplish with devices that feature device storage smaller than 32GB. I kid you not,

I have never been able to tick all of those boxes at the same time with a 16GB device, even with a sizeable microSD card. Not to my tastes, anyway.

Heck, I’ve even had trouble updating operating systems on 16GB devices. Yes, I’m talking about a so-called simple software/firmware upgrade. Just last week, I literally had to fight an uphill battle with my Android tablet, which I only won by sacrificing six apps that were important to me.

I honestly almost decid-ed to forego the update just to avoid casualties. Some of those apps were so big that I wasn’t even sure I’d have enough space for them afterwards. Which reminds me: if you’ve never played Badland, Leo’s Fortune or Lara Croft GO, you really need to do something about it.

I can just delete the apps and re-download them after the update, you say? Yes. Of course I know that. But why on earth should I have to willingly plan for some-thing so tedious?

The truth is the times are changing and so is technology. Bob Dylan was on to something. It is ex-tremely difficult to find an 8GB phone on the market today and when such de-vices were popular, 128GB mobile devices were hardly conceivable. (Unless we’re talking about the Heav-en-sent iPod Classic, which we aren’t. Because it’s been discontinued. Because life is anything but fair. It was an act of the Devil himself, really. But I digress.)

With all this, it’s slightly baffling that manufactur-ers — especially those with loyal customers like Apple and even OnePlus — would pack their devices with state of the art features without enough storage space for users to harness them to their full potential.

It hardly seems fair that the starting configuration for a device be 16GB with 64GB and 128GB being the only other options.

Users are being offered two opposing ends of the spectrum with hardly any middle ground.

It’s understandable that someone would not want a phone with as much as 64 gigs of storage space, but what if they don’t want something tiny either? Peo-ple are continually forced to spend money that they shouldn’t have to, and there has to be a better way.

Take Apple, for exam-ple. On Sept. 25, iPhone 6S and 6S Plus became avail-able for purchase. Shortly before this, on Sept. 9, they announced a large slew of updates and features for the device that I can’t even be mad at.

Said features are impres-sive and actually warrant a bit of applause for innova-tion and creativity, even in terms of implementing not-so-new concepts that are simply new to iOS devices, such as 4K video. But you see, this is where I start to get mad.

How on earth do you put so much work into crafting a device with a 12 megapixel camera that shoots video of such ridic-ulously high quality, and then make it all but impos-sible to keep enough of it on the device to actually enjoy?

The 4K videos contain over 8 million pixels per frame. Do you know how much space one minute of

one of these videos takes up on average? 375MB. And that’s at 30 frames per second. Thirty! I can promise you that the deluxe version of your favorite artist’s most recent album will require less space.

I know you’re capable of doing the math, but please hear me out. You would only need 40 min-utes of 4K video to fill up the entire 16GB. That’s eight five-minute videos on average. Eight! And this is assuming that there is noth-ing else on the phone: no apps, no music, no photos, no data at all. So realistical-ly, it’s safe to conclude that 20 minutes is the real limit here.

Apple’s situation is especially aggravating, as their line-up was 16-32-64 for years. It all changed with iPhone 6, their biggest phone release till date by a long shot. The success of that device, coupled with a whole bunch of other things that I seriously can’t get into right now, made them think they could do whatever they want.

For many devices, users are at the mercy of their retailers. Sometimes the 16GB version is all that’s available at the time of purchase. But instead of just going with it, it really is worth waiting or sav-ing up the extra money to buy something worth-while. Something that

won’t be annoying you in six months.

The manufacturers aren’t particularly helpful either. Why not simply keep the 64GB and 128GB versions, but start the series at 32GB instead of 16? Samsung and a few other companies have done this and it seems to be working out for them, to say the least.

Customers have proven themselves considerably loyal and we’re talking about a replacement here, not just an elimination, so it’s not as if a change like this would bring about a massive drop in sales. This premium pricing game needs to end.

And one can only hope that it will. Till then, we’ll just rummage and scout for devices that best suit our needs, like we always have. It’d just be nice if more of our beloved manufacturers started to make it easier for a changes. v

It hardly seems fair that the starting configuration for a device be 16GB with 64GB and 128GB being the only other options.

“”

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12

NEWS 4

At a school with a huge focus on the sciences, many students at Florida Tech have seen the newest movie of the cherished classics. Their opinions resonate with the positive feedback the movie has received.

“I definitely enjoy the movies of old, but appre-ciate the work and new direction the films are tak-ing,” Brian Finnell, a junior majoring in aeronautical science said.

“Overall fantastic movie,” said Ezra Perry, a sophomore in computer science. “Good amount of time put into each character development and visual ef-fects, which paid off. It also includes a couple references to the past movies as well, which were hilarious.”

And the excitement does not stop there. Dis-ney bought Lucasfilm, the original company that produced “Star Wars,” back in 2012. With Disney in charge of production, three more movies are already on their way.”Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, “Episode VIII”, and “Episode IX”, are in store for 2016, 2017, and 2019 respectively. Disney plans on possibly creating even more after that.

“If the people at the Walt Disney Company, which bought Lucasfilm for $4 bil-lion in 2012, have anything to say about it, the past four decades of Star Wars are merely prologue,” a writer for the online newspaper “Wired,” Adam Rogers wrote. “They are making more. A lot more.”

And people will be watching more. A lot more.

“I’ll be definitely going to see the movies as they come out,” said Finnell.

“I think they were successful with this movie, and if they continue to do what they’re doing, it’ll stay a hit,”agrees Emily Dorsey, a sophomore majoring in forensic psychology.

As long as people are willing to watch them, Disney is interested in pro-ducing them. It appears the Star Wars series will flour-ish into something much more than a trilogy, and fans will be able to see their favorite classics continue with a modern twist. v

CES is an annual trade show demonstrating the latest consumer electronics from around the world. Businesses range from startup inventors to multi-national companies which use the opportunity to show off their latest products.

This January’s event kept up the tradition show-ing a wide range of cutting edge prototypes.

Recon Instruments

showed how to bring the virtual gaming feel to real life with their Empire EVS smart paintball mask show-cased at CES.

According to their press release, the masks inte-grated head up display can deliver real time informa-tion such as ammo count, maps and teammate loca-tions. The data is displayed just under the wearer’s right eye and is intended

//MARY KOZAITISSTAFF WRITER

STAR WARS, FROM FRONT PAGE

to mirror the info displays you would typically see in video games.

LEGO introduced their own educational robotics kit at the show. The LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 is intended to introduce chil-dren to robotics and pro-gramming. The kit supports the creation of a simple mini robot with an app to go along with it. According to Engadget, The kit comes with 280 pieces and runs $160.

No longer are multi-cop-ters limited to small un-manned vehicles.

The Ehang 184 is a four-foot tall multi-copter complete with an enclosed cockpit for human trans-portation. According to Engadget, a prototype was displayed at CES but they were informed it could not be shown flying for unspec-ified legal reasons, raising some questions to its full functionality.

Ehang says it’s able

reach a top speed of 62 mph, height of 11,000 ft. and can carry a person of up to 260 pounds.

The Ehang 184 flies autonomously and the des-tination must be pre-pro-grammed with a smart-phone app. The passenger only has limited control such as emergency landing.

According to Engadget, the Ehang 184 is slated for release this year and is expected to sell for around a quarter-million dollars, making it a bit too pricey for the average consumer to replace their car just yet.

With regards to auto-mobiles, CES showcased a couple new electric vehi-cles.

According to Cnet, the Volkswagen BUDD-e electric van utilizes control from touch, voice, and hand gestures to perform basic functions such as opening doors, it has 3 large info display panels for vehicle status and navigation, and it

is also possible to remotely control lights and air condi-tioning from a smart phone.

The BUDD-e can travel 233 miles on a single bat-tery charge and has a top speed of 93 mph. Volkswa-gen expects that by 2019 the battery will be able to charge up to 80 percent in 15 minutes.

While the BUDD-e is a proof of concept that may or may not ever be avail-able for purchase, Chevy unveiled their own Bolt EV which is scheduled for production this year.

According to Engadget the Bolt can charge up to 80 percent within an hour and features it own tough screen infotainment display allowing drivers to create and access a customized set up with via a synchronized smart phone.v

The Ehang 184 Transportation Multi-Copter

CES 2016 showcases some of this year’s newest gadgets

//CHRIS PANGALOSSTAFF WRITER

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12

5NEWS

where once available,

they’ll require all

handguns sold in NJ to be smart guns in

30 months.But there has

been much push-back from many states in terms of gun reform, including Florida, where an open carry law is currently in the pro-cess of review in Tallahassee.

In the state of Florida, people 21 years and older can obtain a concealed weapons license and carry a firearm on them as long as it’s hidden from sight, except in government build-ings and bars. The bill, HB-163, is now in the judiciary committee.

“I have kind of mixed emotions,” said Doug Torpy, the co-owner of Frogbones, a popular gun range located on US-1. “On the subject of open carry, I’m fearful of what people will do to just kind of show off an open carry. I also think that open carry can make you a target, where concealed carry no one knows who has a gun.”

Torpy’s employees already open carry in his business because of safety.

“We open carry in here because it’s a show of force that somebody can react if somebody were to try to rob us in an armed robbery situa-tion,” Torpy said.

In Florida, hunters and fishers can already open carry when going to and from their fishing trips, according to the law, Torpy said.

Florida Tech graduate student David Reger said guns have always had an effect on his life.

“Both of my parents were police officers so I grew up around guns,” Reger said. “I try to go target shooting at least twice a month because I carry a handgun for self defense.”

And people also have strong opinions about the controversy taking shape on gun reform, es-pecially after Obama’s recent outspoken efforts toward more thorough background checks.

“No new laws have been implemented, no new requirements have force of law, the most controversial ones will be challenged in courts as exceeding the lawful meaning,” said Mat-thew Groom, Florida Tech security guard. “This is a series of clarifications of existing rules and procedures more than it is a sea change of how enforcement will be conducted.”

Despite the controversy of the president's recent efforts and articles suggesting these new actions the ATF is taking might not change any-thing, they actually aren’t executive orders, and “none of what he writes changes laws or moves money around,” according to Glenn Kessel, a political reporter from the Washington Post.

The fact sheet states at the bottom: “Con-gress should support the President’s request for resources for 200 new ATF agents and investi-gators to help enforce our gun laws, as well as a new $500 million investment to address mental health issues.”

The memorandum states that a strategy should be laid out within 90 days for research on smart-gun technology, and it will be up to other entities to help in his gun reform efforts. v

//REBEKAH DUNTZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Administration poses tighter restrictions on gun controlPresident Barack Obama announced

executive actions to take steps toward gun reform, and on the controversial subject of gun control in America. Many people are rejoicing, many are outraged — but the point of it all is that the actions so far aren’t enforceable.

“On Tuesday, I announced new steps I am taking within my legal authority to protect the American people and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people,” Obama wrote in a New York Times Op-ed on Jan. 7.

As part of these guidelines, the Admin-istration announced several things: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tightening its requirement of li-censes and background checks as well as fi-nalizing a rule to require background checks on people trying to buy dangerous weapons. The Attorney General also has sent a letter to States about the “importance” of report-ing mental health and domestic violence records, as well as other criminal activity.

The Administration is also trying to in-crease mental health treatment and reporting to the background check systems, as well as proposing a $500 million investment to increase access to mental health care. The Department of Health is finalizing a rule to “remove unnecessary legal barrier prevent-ing states from reporting relevant informa-tion,” about people potentially prohibited from owning a firearm for mental health reasons.

The White House fact sheet stated “Be-cause we all must do our part to keep our communities safe, the Administration is also calling on States and local governments to do all they can to keep guns out of the wrong hands and reduce gun violence,” according to the WH website.

The White House also released on Jan. 4 a presidential memorandum promoting the research and development of smart-gun technology. This would include the use of fingerprint sensors and other smart technolo-gy in firearms.

According to an NPR article published on Jan. 8, some law abiding firearm owners are wary that the development of this new technology would become mandated once fully manufactured, especially after the 2002 New Jersey "Childproof Handgun Law,"

Catch a typo? Join the Crimson and become an editor. We need good eyes

just like yours. Our meetings are Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the back of Grissom Hall. Come hungry.

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12

FEATURES 6SPRING 2016 SURVIVAL GUIDEHere is a collection of tips and advice from Florida Tech students for having a successful spring semester. Read about favorite places to eat and study on-campus, dorm room essentials, locations to visit in Melbourne, items you should not walk around campus without, helpful on-campus resources, fun activities to do around campus and more.

Jessica WidmarkElectrical EngineeringSeniorFavorite places to eat on/off campus (favorite thing to order)

The sub — When the sub has their made-to-order salads, they are the best! Also, hurry over there whenever they’re making their buffalo chicken wraps...Best places to study on campus

The ACC (Applied Computing Center) has a lot of computers and you also won’t feel depressed struggling for hours, ‘cause there’s always someone else studying around you. If you are struggling with math, visit the MAC (Math-ematics Advancement Center) — they have tutors for all math class-es, and you can find other students to study with.Essential dorm room supplies

A mattress topper. Trust me. One of the best things I’ve bought for my dorm room throughout my four years.Best piece of advice to start the semester

Get ahead from the start. Hav-ing a good average on homework

and quizzes will put much less pressure on you on the midterms and final exams.Is there an item you always carry with you?

Student ID. Don’t forget it — EVER!What do you do to have a successful semester/ to prepare for the semes-ter?

Get books and notebooks set before classes start. That’s an extra task you can easily avoid having to deal with during the first weeks of classes.Favorite/helpful on-campus resourc-es

Anywhere, really. Everyone is so friendly; if you need help, just ask for it.

Fun things to do on campusHave a walk through the jungle

(botanical gardens). It’s really pret-ty and a surprisingly good stress reliever.Favorite places to visit in Melbourne

The beachhhh! Also, the Man-sion is a really cool restaurant with a nice view, as is Squid Lips (a little further up North). My favor-ite restaurants Downtown are The Dove and Matt’s Casbah.A word to describe Florida Tech

Diverse. There are people from all over the world at FIT. I will leave with so many connections and different people and places to visit after I graduate.

Name: Austin Taft Major: Aerospace Engineer-ing Class Standing: SophomoreBest places to eat on/off campus (favorite thing to order)

I LOVE burgers, so my favorite place is Red Rob-in. Usually I'll get the Big Tavern with an extra patty and take advantage of the endless fries.Best places to study on campus

When it comes to studying, I usually hang in my room with a bit of mu-sic and some soft lights.

Essential dorm room sup-plies

I don't know what I'd do without my tools. I fix something at least once a week it seems, so it's worth having a couple screwdrivers and some pliers.Best piece of advice to start the semester

Make sure you start the semester with a plan, some course of action as to how you will study, take notes and keep yourself orga-nized. It's much easier if you have a method to get things done accurately and

on time.Fun things to do on campus

A fun thing to do on campus for me is to go to the Clemente Center. You can work out or play sports, it's a nice mental reset which allows me to focus more on my work.Favorite places to visit in Melbourne

The nice thing about Melbourne is that the beach is so close. I'll occasionally drive over in the early hours of the morning to watch the sunrise, it really makes a difference in your day. You

feel a bit more connected to the world if you start to become stressed out with work or school.One word to describe Flori-da Tech

In a word, Florida Tech is home. It may not literally be home, but the amount that I've learned and the connection to plac-es and people I've made here almost makes it more home to me than the place I grew up at for the first 18 years of my life.

Name: Gabrielle Leesman Major: Systems Engineering Class Standing: Graduate StudentBest places to eat on/off campus (favorite thing to order)

One of my favorite places to eat on campus is the SUB Cafe. They make some really great soups and sandwiches. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the Santa Fe and toma-to bisque combination. My true favorite part about the SUB though is the coffee stand. I can’t resist the iced white chocolate mocha with an extra shot of my favorite holiday flavors like pumpkin and peppermint.Best places to study on campus

I continue my appreciation for the SUB because both the cafe and the 2nd floor lounge are great study areas. The 2nd floor is better when you need some peace and quiet, but if you are like me and like background noise, the cafe is usually filled with constantly changing people and, once again, coffee!Essential dorm room supplies

Rarely have I found anything that is more helpful than my smartphone, and my connection to google. The school provides a free google account which helps you keep track of your e-mail, and I like to take full advantage of google calendar and the feature "Google Tasks" to help me stay organized around the clock.Best piece of advice to start the semester

After 4 years of college, I can safely say the best two tips I've ever received should have been self explanatory, but yet, I needed to hear them.

1. Start the semester strong. You will feel much better if you are struggling with the later more complex parts of your courses if you didn't skip out on the "easier" beginning.

2. Break large tasks into smaller ones. If you have a 5 page pa-per, tell yourself to start with the introduction today and go in small chunks from there. It's much less painful than sitting and writing it

all at one time. You will also find yourself getting ahead with your homework when you do things one step at a time.Is there an item you always carry with you?

Item I always carry with me — go back to my phone.Helpful on-campus resources

My favorite on campus re-source is CAPS. CAPS is often misunderstood. You don't have to be "crazy" to go and talk to them. Going to CAPS can be for some-thing as simple as being homesick or feeling stressed out and not get-ting enough sleep. Plus, with a few exceptions, you can request that no one knows that you even visited.Fun things to do on campus

This may sound weird, but one of my favorite things to do for fun is to go and enjoy the Clemente classes. I love to go to the yoga classes, and I'm thinking of trying one of the Zumba ones next. It's something to do that's healthy, gets you out of your room, and is just plain fun.

Favorite places to visit in MelbourneMy favorite place to visit in

Melbourne is probably Paradise Beach. You will find plenty of peo-ple and plenty of space to just go and enjoy the beach. Even if you aren't going for a swim, you can always just bring a good book.

If you're looking for something a little more artsy, I also recom-mend Get Fired Up. It's a place where you can go and paint pottery or gifts for others in downtown Melbourne. It's decently close to my favorite bakery too! Guilty Pleasure Baking Company is also downtown, and they have the best cinnamon rolls!

//LINDSAY ISAACSTAFF WRITER

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12

FEATURES 7SENIOR SEMESTER BUCKET LISTFor many Florida Tech students, this week marks the beginning of their last semester of college. “Real” adult life is just around the corner, but until then, you can follow these tips to beat your senioritis at its own game and add to your college memories.

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Attend a game or race for each sport.

Get together with friends and cheer for the Panthers at a home (or away!?) game. Between men’s and women’s teams, there are 22 differ-ent types of events for you to watch. Showing school spirit might sound corny on paper, but give it a try and you may be surprised how much fun you have. And if you’re already an athlete, supporting your classmates who play other sports is a great way to spread the love.

Wear the most creative graduation cap.

Show your love for your major with a tricked-out cap at commencement.

Pros: Looks great in photos. Will inspire the ad-miration/jealousy of less-artsy peers. Is a fun piece of mem-orabilia to display next to your oh-so-boring diploma.

Cons: None. Craft supplies cost like $3.00.

Go to a bunch of free campus events.

Let’s be honest: the most important thing about campus events is organi-zations use food and/or T-shirts to lure students. But campus orgs are also great places to meet people who share your interests. Bonus points if you do this early enough in the semester to foster meaningful friendships.

Re-connect with a friend from freshman year

Speaking of friendships, remember that one student from your intro to composition class that you always joked around with? Shoot them a text or Facebook message to say hey and offer to get together for pizza before you graduate. You may find that you still have a lot in common.

Apply for a job you think you won’t get.

Look up your ideal job at your dream company, then send in a resume and cover letter. Rejection is never fun, but you never know what may happen. At best, you land an amazing job. At worst, you learn something.

Eat at all the nice places in Melbourne.

Ask around your friend group or go on Yelp to discover some of the town’s most savory culinary offerings, and hit up one every few weeks. Tell yourself you’re just trying to plan the perfect dinner for when your family comes to town for graduation.

Last but far from least, make sure your resume is ready to go! Spell-ing? Grammar? An eye-catching format? Make sure the paper version of you is everything your future employer ever hoped and dreamed of reading.

Brush up your resume.

JUST DO IT. DON’T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS.//ALEX COULTRUPSOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12

SPORTS 8SPORTS WINTER RECAP

For some athletes at Florida Tech, the fall season doesn’t end with finals. While other teams had a break from rigorous athletic schedules, men’s and women’s basketball and swimming were still practicing and competing for a conference championship.Spring sport athletes returned to campus Jan. 11 ready to practice hard the next month before their own competitions start.

BASKETBALLThe Panthers kicked off their

winter break with a win against Flagler for both the men and wom-en’s teams. The men won three out of seven games, winning one out of two in conference play.

The women fared better, win-ning four out of six games, only losing to No. 4 Drury University and Palm Beach Atlantic. The loss against PBA ended the Panthers’ six game win streak for games played on the road. Both teams have conference play Wednesday night against Rollins at the Clem-ente Center.

"The strength of the Florida Tech Panthers this year is not any one individual, it is depth," said head coach Billy Mims after the men’s win at Flagler. “If we’re going to win this year, we’re going to win as a team.”

FUN FACTThe last time the Men’s team

started with a 3-1 overall confer-ence record was in the 2011-12, when they won the program’s first, and only, SSC Conference Cham-pionship.

Men’s Basketball StatsNo. 1 shooting team in confer-

ence Randy Echols ranked in the

top 10 in DII for three-point field percentage

Pat Anderson ranks second in conference with 1.9 steals per game.

Corbin Jackson received his third SSC Defensive Player of the Week honor

Women’s Stocking Stuffer StatsTiesha Flagler recorded the

team’s first double-double against Flagler

Only one conference loss on the season (4-1)

SWIMMING The women just missed out on

an early holiday bonus with a close loss against DI Georgia Southern. Both teams resumed competition after the New Year against Okla-homa Baptist. The two saw great competition, winning four out of eight total races. The Panther men and women will finish out January with three conference meets at home before the SSC Champion-ships in February.

MEN’S SWIMMING STATSNo. 24 in the nation, first time

being ranked in program history29 NCAA B-Cut times 11 broken school records

WOMEN’S SWIMMING STATS2 broken school records

SPRING SPORT LINE-UPJan. 29 – Baseball at Rollins – conference playJan. 29 – Softball – Panther Invitational Jan. 30 – Men’s Lacrosse – at Mercer in Macon, GA. – named No. 13 in preseason rankings Feb. 7 – Women’s Golf – World Golf Invitational in St.AugustineFeb. 8 – Men’s Golf – at Florida Southern in Lakeland – conference playFeb. 12 – Men’s and Women’s Tennis – at Valdosta in ValdostaFeb. 17 – Women’s Lacrosse – at home against Roberts WesleyanMarch 10 – Men’s and Women’s Track and Field – at USF Invitational in Tampa

all photos by Amanda Stratford

ISSUE 1 JAN. 12