E AGLE N E W S The official student media group at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 32
WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019
EST. 1997
Agency helps people with disabilities find jobs By William Ward Contributing Writer A two-week, local government program is helping people with disabilities obtain jobs and skills through hands-on training and partnerships. Hands On Education is a state-funded hospitality training program for individuals with various types of disabilities including deafness, autism and learning deficit disorders. This program partners with Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide students with a handson training site, funding and guidance. The students of the program work as employees of Hyatt for two weeks and receive a paycheck, 100+ hours of training, certificates, experience, and a recent employment reference. Charlie Barker, 60, hasn’t held a cook position since 2011 until he was referred to the program by DVR and was ultimately offered a full-time line cook position at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point after he completed the program. “They offered me the job and I started crying,” Barker said. “I love the people and the environment. I wanted something exciting, and here I feel at home.” Barker said, “I went from serving maybe 100 people in 2011 to serving 1,400 people at Hyatt.” Andreas Singer, the Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Coconut
The politics behind mental health How a school’s decisions can help or harm its struggling students
In the spring of 2019, Florida Gulf Coast University’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) announced a new policy implementing a change in operations due to high demand by the student population for services. In January 2019, CAPS defined the change as a “short-term therapy model,” meaning students are limited to only the amount of meetings they need in order to address their needs per semester. According to CAPS, that number is six. “I feel kinda cast aside,” said Forest Dennis, a sophomore at FGCU and a former CAPS patient. “It’s just kind of like, maybe my needs aren’t as important as somebody else’s — which is potentially true, but is it really theirs to decide?” Dennis first requested services
JOBS >> Continued on A2
BY THE NUMBERS:
“CAPS is the first time I’ve gone to therapy by my own choice and it’s been very helpful.”
By Jordyn Matez and Sean C. Porter
— Jordan Maloney, freshman from CAPS in the beginning of the spring 2019 semester due to a flare-up in depression and anxiety. He had been to therapy for similar issues before and decided to utilize the free services provided by the university for college students in crisis. After being assessed by CAPS, Dennis began bi-weekly therapy sessions in order to gain control of his mental health issues. By his sixth meeting in midMarch, Dennis said he was told not to return. “They said don’t come back,” Dennis said. “They implied that I was not as high of a risk as some other people who may need to go past six meetings.” Dennis, who now sees an off-campus therapist, was aided by CAPS in his search for
transitioning to a new therapist and reminded frequently throughout his time with CAPS of how many meetings he had left. While he mentioned having an overall positive experience with his one-on-one therapist, Dennis remains unsatisfied with the way he was treated in the CAPS offices. “Overall, it seems like there’s some lapses in communication between the therapists and the people at the front desk,” Dennis said. “The front desk ladies talk like they’re trying to diffuse you. Every time you talk to them it feels like they’re placating.” In addition to Dennis’s small amount of given meetings, there were often scheduling issues that forced Dennis to go longer than expected without a session. He
• More than 11 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated for anxiety in the past year • More than 10 percent reported being diagnosed or treated for depression • More than 40 percent of college students have felt more than an average amount of stress within the past 12 months was referred to a different therapist than originally expected due to a scheduling mishap, then turned away at the front desk due to a miscommunication. According to Dennis, it was implied that the miscommunication was a fault on his part. During his time with CAPS, Dennis was also referred to the office’s psychiatrist, Dr. Joshua Hersh, to explore the possibility
MENTAL >> Continued on A4
Students falsely using handicap placards to their advantage By Brooke Stiles Staff Writer Last week, FGCU’s University Police Department (UPD) found up to 15 cars displaying handicap placards and began investigating. Because of this unusually high number, UPD has issued checks of these permits against license plates, student housing decals and driver’s license numbers. These checks revealed most permits were fraudulent. On April 10th alone, 11 violators were issued parking tickets along with a copy of the law and instructions to bring the placard and driver’s license to
parking. Among these violators were students and even a staff member illegally using disabled placards belonging to their family members, acquaintances or that were bought from online. “UPD in the past has observed accessible parking violations and, in the past, have received complaints of accessible parking violations, but those were individual cases,” said UPD Chief Moore in a statement regarding this issue. As students who were unlawfully using placards were contacted, UPD received a variety of stories including: the placard was bought online or in another country, the placard
belonged to a family member (grandmother, mother, father, grandfather, etc.) and even some belonged to a deceased grandparent or one in a nursing home. “Reasons [for falsely using the placards] have ranged from difficulty finding a parking space, to not wanting to park on the upper floors of the garage, to using the placard to drive to the academic core and park close to class,” said Chief Moore. Two of the violators from the night of April 10th came out to their cars as UPD was issuing them tickets. Both students admitted “everyone was doing it” and that they were using
the placards to park closer to their classes. UPD seized their handicap placards and issued them a parking citation. Using a handicap placard that is not yours is not only illegal, but it also creates an issue as FGCU is required to build parking garages and lots according to specific accessibility laws. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires over 20 handicap spaces in parking Garage B, where most of the illicit acts have occurred. “We have a caring and compassionate society that provides a number of programs to assist people with various
needs, from accessible parking, to service animals, to even the most recent program of emotional support animals,” said Chief Moore. “Unfortunately, with all these programs some people will try to take advantage and game the system.” For those who tried to take advantage of accessible parking, UPD has issued $200 fines and a note explaining that a future violation could result in a $500 fine and a misdemeanor charge. “For those illegally using disable placards, the excuse doesn’t matter. It is unacceptable,” stated Chief Moore.
INSIDE
DIXIE ROADHOUSE SHOULD GET EXTENDED HOURS BACK
FROM ROOKIE TO RED SOX: CHRIS SALE’S JOURNEY
MEN’S TENNIS WINS ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP
PB OFFERS STUDENTS TASTE OF INTERNATIONAL CULTURE
Dixie Roadhouse is pushing to extend its weekend hours to 3 a.m. The suspension came after a fight involing 40 people. See more on A5
After being drafted to the White Sox his junior year, Chris Sale has since made history in the MLB with the Red Sox. See more on B1
The FGCU men’s tennis team earned its third ASUN Champion title after defeating UNF over the weekend. See more on B3
Around 300 FGCU students and faculty members had the opportunity to attend PB’s Intercultural Festival. See more on B5