The
TANGERINE
VOL. LXXVI, ISSUE 5
FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2024
UTICATANGERINE.COM
Sexual violence prevention grant reinstated under new Title IX coordinator ◊ KAYDEN LAMPHERE SENIOR NEWS REPORTER On March 1, Ann Ciancia officially took on the role of Utica University’s new Title IX Coordinator, following the departure of Lisa Green. According to Ciancia, the position has been one she’s wanted for quite some time. Ciancia, who graduated from Utica University in 2018, has experience in the field of sexual violence research and prevention, recently presenting her findings at the University of Melborne at the Swiftposium Conference. She said Title IX is an important issue for her and was a Title IX coordinator previously at another institution. “Sexual assault prevention has always been a passion of mine. It was why I changed my career path to go to law school, I want to help survivors of sexual violence,” Ciancia said. “Title IX provides a due equitable process for both parties, and our goal is to end sexual violence.” One of the most recent developments for Ciancia in her new position has been the reacquisition of the Office of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention
Initiative grant, formerly known to some Utica University students as Safe Trax.
New Title IX Coordinator Ann Ciancia presenting at the Swiftposium Conference at the University of Melbourne
“We got the grant reinstated back in October,” Ciancia said. “Myself, Mathew Vincent, Marissa Finch, Ariel Rios, Bethany VanBenschoten, Shad Crowe, and Jay LaFayette all went to Louisville, Kentucky for a week-long training for the grant over spring break.” Director of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention Initiatives Mathew Vincent said that students should not expect a return of the name “Safe Trax,” due to the change in staff that run the program. “The biggest reason is because my role is different from the previous director of the program,” Vincent said. “I am a mandated reporter, so if someone on campus wanted to confide in me that they have experienced sexual or dating violence, I would need to report it to our Title IX Coordinator.” Originally, Utica University held the grant, but lost it due to the competitive nature of applying for and receiving federal funding, Vincent said. “Out of the 100 applications [the Office of Victim Advocacy and
Photo courtesy of Ann Ciancia
Violence Prevention] received, only 41 were funded,” Vincent said. “Amy Lindner and Wendy Lockwood did a really remarkable job at making sure we had the best application possible.” According to Vincent, the program will provide comprehensive sexual violence prevention and bystander training to students and staff, in addition to instituting the Green Dot and Twelve Men programs. “The overall goal of this program across the nation is to create sustainable and systematic changes on college campuses,” Vincent said. “We want to make it easier for
members of our community to access the resources they need if they have been impacted by domestic, dating, and sexual violence or stalking.” For more information, contact Title IX Coordinator Ann Ciancia (accianci@utica.edu) or Director of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention Initiatives Mathew Vincent (mjvincen@utica.edu). Confidential resources for students include the Health and Wellness Center counselors, Project Manager of Student Life Bethany VanBenschoten (bavanben@utica. edu), and YWCA Campus Advocate Bridget Brezinsky (bmbrezin@ utica.edu).
Popular social media app TikTok in jeopardy after Congress votes in favor of ban ◊ BREANNAN O’HARA FEATURES EDITOR Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill on March 20 that would force TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell or divest the platform, or face exclusion from U.S. app stores and web hosting services. Many members of the Utica University community aren’t happy about it. The Senate will soon decide the future of this app, and if the bill is approved, parent company ByteDance will have 165 days to
comply. There has been a flurry of controversial issues around the bill. The argument in favor of the app is that China may pose a security risk because it has access to the data of millions of Americans. On the other hand, others believe that the app is useful for a variety of reasons, including news flow, commercial profit and entertainment purposes. Daniel Tagliarina, professor of political science, said that it is a “bad look for the branch” in regards
to targeting TikTok and not applying the same pressure to U.S. based social media platforms that essentially do the same thing. “This is a bill, not a law, and the Senate is not likely to move quickly, and seems against the bill,” Tagliarnia said. “The whole thing is about China far more than it is about TikTok, and it shows a bit of hypocrisy as lawmakers are not taking seriously the same practices that they accuse TikTok of when done by domestic companies.” Some Utica students expressed concern about the app’s potential
banning since it serves as a platform to get information or a good laugh. “I definitely do not approve of the ban, I find TikTok very helpful especially when connecting with others since it allows everyone to come together on one platform,” junior Meghan Sonnachio said. “I find myself always laughing with my friends about the TikToks we make together or other TikToks that we all see on our for you pages.”
CONT. ON PG 3
NEWS
FEATURES
SPORTS
Suicide prevention walk next month
“Behind U” Staff Spotlight
Men’s Hockey season recap
PG. 4
PG. 7
PG. 10