December Edition 2024 - PantherNOW

FIU faculty oppose volunteering on anti-Semitism committee reviews

Aniela Cabrera Staff Writer

The State of Florida has been an epicenter of academic issues and obstructions, and now, these issues are making a new home at Florida International University.

The FIU Board of Trustees and administration, directed by the Florida Board of Governors, has asked faculty to volunteer on antisemitism review committees for a targeted list of courses and their corresponding textbooks. The courses selected are directly related to Judaism and Middle Eastern studies.

Certain faculty are now responding with a petition and pending legal action.

Florida legislator Randy Fine has publicly taken credit for proposing a committee following the result of an incident at FIU earlier this summer, involving quiz questions for a Terrorism and Homeland Security Course.

Fine is a Jewish republican representative who became enthralled by the matter on “X” and publicly lashed out at FIU administration. The

context of the questions used didn’t go against the examples of antisemitism listed in section 1000.05 of the Florida Statutes.

According to the statue, “criticism of Israel that is similar to criticism toward any other country may not be regarded as anti-Semitic.”

FIU has already faced the gutting of the D.E.I department, censorship of sociology courses, and post-tenure review.

Earlier this semester, the Board of Governors issued a request for course descriptions and syllabi with the following keywords: Israel, Israeli, Palestine, Palestinian, Middle East, Zionism, Zionist, Judaism, Jewish or Jews.

Faculty then received an email on Nov. 1 from Provost Elizabeth M. Béjar and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Ofcer Noël Barengo of the FIU Faculty Senate.

It contained a fnalized list of courses selected for antisemitic review at FIU from the BOG.

The courses are as follows: Politics of the Middle East,

Terrorism and Homeland Security, International Relations of the Middle East, Judaism after the Holocaust, Politics of Western Europe, and Religion and Society of Israel/Palestine.

Bejar didn’t respond for comment and Barengo redirected his comment to another faculty member involved with the petition.

Ronlad Cox, a professor in the Politics and International Relations Department, said that this “policing” of faculty is an infringement of academic freedom highlighted in the FIU Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Written in the contract, faculty have the right to choose the course material used in class to the best of their judgment. Professors at higher-ed institutions have scholarly expertise as well as the judgment of other scholars within their department to help guide them.

“If this committee review follows through, it will severely undermine professors and their integrity. It would open a door to more censorship at the state level, which in the State of Florida, has appeared to be very biased,” said Cox.

Martha Schoolman, a Jewish English professor, helped work on the petition and wrote an op-ed in regard to the anti-Semitism scare over the summer that Fine got involved with.

Schoolman said, “The frst level of resistance is to say [faculty] are not helping with the reviews.”

The committee email stated it will need “groups of 5-7 members” and asked that at minimum the committees be “composed of a core set (2-3) of faculty directly familiar with the course/discipline.”

FIU alum killed in private school bus accident

Persaud was transported to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital before succumbing to her injuries.

22-year-old FIU alum Anjali Persaud was hit by a private school bus and killed on Nov. 20, 2024. The collision happened on Southwest 109th Avenue and Second Street — just three minutes away from MMC. The bus was turning right onto Third Street before making a fatal impact with Persaud. No stop sign is present for northbound trafc.

Persaud had graduated from FIU in the summer of 2024 with a degree in Business Administration.

It is unclear if Persaud was attempting to cross the road or if the driver will face any charges. The bus was transporting nine children. None were injured.

A memorial of roses has been started at the scene of the incident.

CORRECTION: In our November edition, the article about Global First Year claims that David Lecon stated that amenities are one-time costs and not recurring. This is incorrect; Lecon never made this claim and this error has since been changed in the online version.

Former football captain accuses Coach MacIntyre of verbal abuse, throwing chair at player

Adrian Benitez Staff Writer

Former FIU football linebacker and team captain Reggie Peterson has made several allegations against Head Coach Mike MacIntyre, including verbal abuse and assault. He also describes the program as a “Ponzi scheme” and “a team built of lies.”

Peterson had retired from the team before the start of the 2024 season, citing politics as one of the main factors.

These allegations were made public in a post to his X account Thursday afternoon, Nov. 21. Regarding players, Peterson said that MacIntyre is “scared to hurt their feelings” and alleged he was making false promises regarding NIL money and playing time.

Peterson says the players “were absolutely vexed to the point they couldn’t even cheer.”

son said that MacIntyre told a defensive player “You suck, you suck. Worthless, you suck as a player.” Peterson said the player is still on the team today.

Among his other allegations, Peterson also alleges that MacIntyre threw a chair in the locker room during halftime of FIU’s match against FAU in 2022, which inadvertently hit a player, as well as “tossing someone’s helmet at practice telling them to go get it.”

In an exclusive interview with PantherNOW, Peterson described the situation in the locker room during the FAU game.

“So halftime, he instantly just started cursing from A to Z and started fipping tables and kicking chairs,” said Peterson. “He was totally upset, like 10 out of 10, like 100% upset. So he’s cussing and his words, word for word, he says ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I can do this. I gave you guys an amazing game plan, but you don’t want to do it. I should have never took this head coaching job.’”

Peterson alleges that he was moved down the linebacker depth chart by MacIntyre during the 2024 ofseason despite “grading out the highest in multiple practices,” as well as being lied to about NIL payments.

Peterson said the following about MacIntyre‘s response to his grievances: “I was verbally abused, my religion was thrown in my face, and I listened how terrible I was on and of the feld, he tried to belittle me, like my concerns were invalid.”

In another allegation of verbal abuse, Peter-

“He threw a chair and the chair ended up hitting a player named Caleb Lynum who on Twitter yesterday admitted that Coach Mac did hit him.”

Peterson then says that the locker room erupted, with a player and MacIntyre needing to be held back.

“Julius Pierce, our former center who transferred to Middle Tennessee, he was held back because he was arguing with Coach Mac and Coach Mac was being held back. Pierce was like ‘I don’t care what you say, you just hit a player!’ Coach Mac was like ‘No I didn’t, no I didn’t!

Former FIU football ofensive lineman Lyndell Hudson II added context to the chair

throwing allegation in a quote tweet, saying “buddy damn near hit me with the chair during halftime when we were playing FAU 2022.”

Peterson alleged that MacIntyre made the following speech before a game against Western Kentucky in 2022: “They’re bigger than us, Stronger than us, Faster than us, Quicker than us, but we are smarter. Go out there and kick some butt.” The Panthers lost the game 73-0.

Another former player, Samuel Hill, alleges on X that MacIntyre asked him to reschedule the funeral of a family member so Hill could be available for a football game.

“One day November 2022 my grandmother had passed away. The week of her funeral Coach Mac asked me ‘Is there anyway you or your family could change the date of the funeral so I could play that Weekend’. I was so distraught by the question I honestly didn’t know what to do.”

PantherNOW received no response from Carr or MacIntyre after repeated attempts.

A representative from the university’s media relations team responded via email with a statement.

“The FIU administration is aware of issues raised surrounding the football program. They are being taken very seriously. The matter is being addressed following the university’s standard procedures; therefore, we have no further comment at this time.”

Scan the QR code to read PantherNOW’s exclusive interview with Peterson.

SLAM JAM.

Men’s basketball aims to replicate start of season success

Brian Olmo Editor-in-chief

FIU men’s basketball’s frst game of the season at home was more of a dunk con test than an actual competitive match. The team’s starters took turns doing their best Vince Carter impressions, fying high over the FNU Conquistadors for all kinds of athletic dunks. One-handed slams, two-handed rim grazers, reverse dunks, you get the gist.

But since then, the Panthers have been in a rut, dropping three of their last four games in November. To give the team credit, all losses have been close. Their largest margin of defeat was only fve points against Howard.

What exactly is it that’s going wrong for FIU? The numbers point to the team’s ofense, which ranks as the third-lowest, averaging 74 points per game, and three-point shooting.

Junior guard Jayden Brewer has been leading the team with 14.4 PPG and 5.6 rebounds per game, but his three-point efciency of 21.1% and turnovers suggests ample room for improve-

ment. The three-point struggles aren’t Brewer exclusive, FIU as a unit has been the worst three-point shooting team in the Conference USA, averaging a dysmal 26.8 3P%.

To compensate for this, the Panthers either need to fnd a way to put the ball through the hoop or play elite defense.

Liberty is a perfect case study of why defense

The team is the lowest scoring team in CUSA, only averaging 74 PPG. But they hold opponents to a conference-best 61 PPG. Liberty is currently 7-1.

FIU should be able to get back into the win column sooner rather than later with some adjustments and better shooting. The team faces of against FAU at home on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The Owls are a team that’s only a little over a year removed from its miraculous Final Four Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament. In their last matchup against FAU, FIU was blown out 94-60. If the team wants to avoid the same fate this time, it’ll need to play some of its best basketball of the season.

Top Scoring Teams in CUSA (PPG AVERAGE AS OF NOV. 26)

CASH IT IN.

Women’s basketball needs to improve shot effciency

Jon Gonzalez Staff Writer

Missed shots and poor shot selection. If there’s anything to say for why women’s basketball has started out on the wrong side of .500, it’s missed shots and poor shot selection.

As a team, they haven’t shot higher than 50% from the feld since their record-breaking win against FNU, and haven’t even gotten back to 45% in their four losses since then.

This team thrives when its best players can work in their spots on ofense, driving through lanes for layups or taking jumpers from the elbows.

But when the opposing team can make those shots and make them more efciently, the Panthers stall out.

They don’t have another move to turn to. They refuse to shoot from beyond the arc, and it’s hurting them. They’re too comfortable throwing out the same ofense every game against defenses who know the Panthers aren’t at full strength.

That strength, being efective on both ends

of the court, hasn’t shown consistently so far and it’s because of their shot selection. Without the three to pull opposing defenders away from Panther ball-handlers, they’re pushed into making tougher shots or passes from tighter windows. It’s unnecessary, they’re forcing a stagnant ofense with no alternatives.

The only way this team gets anywhere is through fring on all cylinders at all times, they have to be perfect to even stay in games. None of this is for a lack of trying.

Junior guard Paris Atkins has put the Panthers on her back through multiple games by brunting most of the scoring burden.

She’s not alone, every player on the team is putting in their best efort but they’re only human.

They can’t help having of-nights. There’s plenty of time left in the season to turn things around, but if the Panthers don’t change their ways not much else can be helped.

If they’re going to miss shots, they might as well take them from further away.

The election results are in:

Donald Trump has won and while some see this as a victory, we need to be ready to adapt to a signifcantly more conservative education system.

Let’s start with the rumors of Project 2025 beginning once Donald Trump is inaugurated— if this is true, none of us are safe from the disastrous impact it will cause.

Written by members of Trump’s frst administration and published by The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 is the 900 page extremist conservative blueprint with 735 proposed policies.

Some of these policies range from restricting reproductive rights, start mass deportation, strip away transgender rights or any gender

afrming care and attack higher education.

And though Trump has consistently claimed that he is not associated with Project 2025– despite having direct ties to the writers and foundation— his stance on higher education is driven by conservative motives anyways.

Trump has promised in his campaign trail to cut federal funding for schools that teach critical race theory or gender ideology and he has vendetta against DEI which has been shut down in 10 states, including Florida.

We’ve already been feeling the efects of censored education but Trump’s second term is going to continue blurring the line between being educated and being fed the false conservative ideology that he continues to push for.

The FIU Board of Trustees has

TRUMP WON.

What does this mean for higher education?

already cut 22 courses from their core curriculum that focus on race and ethnicity, LGBTQ+ studies, anthropology and sociology— all important courses to teach us the reality of the racism and oppression in American history that continue to haunt us today.

Trump also claims he will dismantle the department of education and give states control over schools yet he wants to push the “American Way of Life” and make “patriotism a centerpiece of education.”

So how will states be in control of education if he is pushing for an education curriculum that teaches what he wants students to learn?

And if Trump succeeds with his agenda and states are granted control over education, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis political “war on woke” agenda will torment

students studying in the humanities feld.

And let’s not forget how the Biden administration inclusion to protect LGBTQ+ students and survivors of sexual assault under Title IX will be stripped away.

Is this a surprise? No, not really. In Trump’s frst term he wanted to protect the accusers not the victims in sexual assault cases and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students continue to be rejected by republican politicians, including DeSantis. The sad reality is that Trump’s second term as president will afect us one way or another. The education we have known for over a decade will crumble under Trump’s second term, leaving us only with pieces to depend on.

Coach MacIntyre allegations highlight underlying problem with

PantherNOW

Editorial Board

Former football team captain Reggie Peterson made the allegations against MacIntyre in a public post on X with other players chiming in. Peterson spoke with PantherNOW in an exclusive interview to ofer more detail.

If the allegations against MacIntyre are true, he has to be fred. There’s no question about it – he cannot remain at the helm of this team. Hitting a player with a chair because you can’t control your temper is inexcusable.

We understand that it’s not an easy job to be the head coach of a team with constant pressure from higher-ups and fans alike to succeed. But that is no excuse to hurt a student.

SEND US YOUR LETTERS

Have something on your mind? Send an email to fusmeditor@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, major, year and panther ID. Letters must be less than 400 words and may be edited for clarity and length. PantherNOW will only run two letters a semester from any individual.

There are also allegations that Athletic Director Scott Carr was made aware of the chair-throwing incident and ignored it, which is outrageous. If true, this is an absolute failure of the football program and Athletics in protecting its student-athletes from harm, and both should be ashamed.

MacIntyre has allegedly cultivated a culture of fear within the program, according to Peterson.

This highlights a problem that isn’t just present at FIU, but universities nationwide.

Student-athletes are deathly afraid of speaking out against instances of abuse because they don’t want to be targeted by their own athletic programs or potentially lose their scholarship.

Editorials are the unifed voice of the editorial board, which is composed of the editor in chief, management, and the editors of each of the four sections. PantherNOW welcomes any letters regarding or in response to its editorials.

Some even label athletes as soft and entitled for talking about abuse because so many people see it as something that comes with the territory. Being chewed out for a bad play? Sure, happens all the time. Having a chair thrown at your head during halftime because you are losing? Unacceptable and we shouldn’t treat it as such.

Oftentimes, players only feel comfortable talking about their experiences after they fnish their collegiate careers, and by then, years have gone by and the cycle of abuse has run its course.

Current student-athletes should not be afraid to speak out against abuse within their teams and MacIntyre and Carr need to be held accountable should these allegations be true.

Looking for a job over the semester? Apply today through our website to get a chance to see yourself on PantherNOW.

Don’t toy with your mental health this holiday season

Kailey Krantz

Diverse thoughts.

The holidays are meant to be celebrated with your closest friends and family, but there is a lot of pressure to deal with.

The holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve come with big expectations from everybody. But as college students who stress over assignments and work for months, the break adds a whole new level of stress.

According to the American Psychology Association, about 89% of adults surveyed said their stress and anxiety increase when the holidays come around— sadly, it’s not at all surprising.

As an online student who is with their family every waking day, it can be a lot to deal with because there are times when I feel that I have no chance to breathe or have a moment for myself.

Part of the holiday magic comes with being there with your family,

but I feel indifferent because I’m always with them.

And what about the students who can’t come visit their families that easily or want to take the winter break as an opportunity to travel?

They’re worried they’ll be made out to be the bad guy by some distant relative because of their absence.

And some students are hesitant to come back because they don’t want to relive their family drama, especially when they’ve worked so hard to create a life that was free from that.

tuition, books, room and board and other vital expenses.

Then there is the fnancial stress of buying the “perfect” present for everyone.

As we’re crossing of the names in our list, the total price of these presents adds up fast. Some of the presents we end up buying our friends and family members cost an arm and a leg which isn’t great when we’re trying to pay for our

The holidays are supposed to be a time for joy and laughter, we shouldn’t be spending half of that time pulling our hair out.

The holidays can send your mind into a whirlwind, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

One thing I do to check in with myself is sit with my emotions. I recognize that these feelings are perfectly normal and I don’t have

to force a smile when I’m not okay. I’m also very lucky to have a support system of friends and family who have always been there for me whenever I needed them the most.

Though the holiday season brings us lots of joy, the stress is unavoidable at times. Taking care of ourselves mentally however we think is best is important to remember.

Discussion boards are a waste of time

I dread seeing the Canvas notifcation saying my professor added a new discussion board assignment. I don’t think I have another “Hello! Great job on your discussion post” in me.

For those of us who are chained to online education, discussion boards are slowly ruining our lives with unnecessary tasks.

Our professors can assign as many discussion boards as they want, but this doesn’t mean students will actually engage with one another.

Learning is a personal concept that everyone has, so what works for one person, doesn’t work for another. In my case, discussion boards are a hit-or-miss.

In my two years as an online student at FIU, discussion boards have consumed most of my time. Every professor sends us at least one dis-

cussion board a week, and whenever I look at it, I can’t help but wonder what’s the point of doing them.

The intention of these Canvas discussions is to be an interactive online forum. But most of us see it as meeting a word count to get an easy A. However, this depends on how the professor sets up their discussion boards.

Replying to three peers with no guidelines but to be “thoughtful” and meet a set word count isn’t teaching us much. When I scroll through the responses, I see that everyone uses the same introduction and regurgitates the same opinion.

pressured to agree or disagree with someone’s perspective, and our understanding of the class material is limited to long paragraphs.

Don’t get me wrong, discussion boards help us give us those extra few points we need or get feedback on bigger assignments, but the cons outweigh the pros.

Discussion boards create a vacuum for a narrow conversation pattern. We’re inevitably

Discussion posts are not genuine interactions between classmates but forced civility with hollow discourse. Overall, we do not need discussion boards to learn the class subject, and they’re easily replaceable with more lively assignments.

Columns presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

FINDING THE LIGHT IN “UNCLE VANYA”

Director

FIU Theatre took on “Uncle Vanya,” an 1897 Russian play written by Anton Chekhov with many poignant questions about life’s meaning, told through the interactions of a group of equally miserable characters.

The four act play deals with themes of loneliness, regret, aim lessness, passion; though it is often viewed through a nihilistic lens, hope– if you squint.

It is certainly a story where it seems like nothing happens on the surface, but has a lot more going on underneath.

Though “Uncle Vanya” is a period piece, according to di rector Justin Packard, it is also “ […] a living, evolving, accessi ble refection of human beings then and human beings now. A lot has changed since Chekhov’s time, and yet nothing has truly changed. These characters, these themes, these moments should all be all-too familiar to you, our contemporary audience.”

Like in many Russian classics, this play fnds a lot of its characters struggling. From the titular Uncle Vanya himself (actually named Ivan Voynitsky), to the depressed traveling doctor Astrov, playing these characters requires getting into the right

mindset. Richard Weber, a BFA musical theater major who plays Astrov in the production, mentioned that his character struggles particularly with “fnding the light.”

“Astrov even says ‘there’s no light for me anymore’ […] so I think the hardest part about playing him is getting into that essence of, ‘I’ve been through so much, and yet, I’m still trying to work

audiences into the time period. Set designer Alexis King commented on the symbolism found within the set’s physical design and motifs.

“My biggest personal touch is the deep, wine red color of the walls,” King said.

“I wanted to represent not only the passion in each character, but also represent the metaphor of getting blood on your hands,

well as its content. Packard spoke on the importance of “Uncle Vanya” for Chekhov’s career, as well as the educational value for young performers.

“[This play] provides our students the chance to dig into the rich and complicated layers of [Chekhov’s] language, his historical perspective, and the genesis of what many modern acting techniques are based on,” said