UP 21_06

OWLS OWLS UP? UP? The OK symbol — called “Owl Fingers” by the FAU community — has been used as a white power symbol by Richard Spencer and the Christchurch shooter.

But it’s been used innocently since the 1800s in the U.S. and was only associated with white supremacy in 2017.

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VOL.21 | #6 | 3.3.2020

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UP STAFF

Table of Contents

EDITOR IN CHIEF

KRISTEN GRAU MANAGING EDITOR

ISRAEL FONTOURA SPORTS EDITOR

ZACHARY WEINBERGER PHOTO EDITOR

DESIGNERS

MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ-GONZALEZ NYAN CLARKE

ADVISERS

NEIL SANTANIELLO ILENE PRUSHER MICHAEL KORETZKY

ALEX LISCIO

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Owls Up?

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Remembering Rose

gfff

WEB EDITOR

The OK symbol — called “Owl Fingers” by FAU — has been used as a white power symbol by Richard Spencer and the Christchurch shooter. But it’s been used innocently since the 1800s in the U.S. and was only associated with white supremacy in 2017.

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Rose de la Espriella served six years in the Air Force. The FAU graduate teaching assistant was also a trans woman who died by suicide on campus in November.

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From the Outfield to the Mound

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Basketball In Paradise

After being hit in the face with a baseball in his junior year of high school, FAU junior outfielder/pitcher Mitchell Hartigan has impressed at the collegiate level.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball seasons are coming to a close. Here’s how their seasons are going — and a look at some of the players who have led their team.

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OWLS UP? The OK symbol — called “Owl Fingers” by FAU — has been used as a white power symbol Richard Spencer and the Christchurch shooter. But it’s been used innocently since the 1800s in the U.S. and was only associated with white supremacy in 2017.

By: Marcy Wilder | Web Editor

FAU’s “Owl Fingers,” the OK hand gesture that FAU students have long used as a symbol of school pride, now has a connotation of hate to people beyond the FAU campus.

As of November of last year, the OK symbol has been added to the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL’s) database of hateful hand gestures, specifically to denote “white power.”

The ADL’s mission, according to their website, is to “have the courage to speak out against anti-Semitism and bigotry, discrimination and injustice — even when we stand alone.” The ADL has databases for hate symbols and incidents of discrimination, which now includes the OK gesture that FAU students would call Owl Fingers.

“Our gesture is meant to represent an Owl,” said FAU spokesperson Joshua Glanzer. “The University of Florida has the Gator Chomp, FSU has the Tomahawk Chop and we have Owl Fingers.”

Owl Fingers used to be seen prominently on FAU’s Traditions webpage, which highlights events like the Weeks of Welcome and fall football bonfire, but now is missing. This change seemed to have happened between May and June of 2019.

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Illustration by Michelle Rodriguez-Gonzalez

Glanzer said this about the removal: “The web pages are changed all the time for any number of reasons.” He also noted that students doing Owl Fingers can still be seen in photos on that page, although there is no description of it anymore.

Lonny Wilk, Senior Associate Regional Director of the ADL, said Owl Fingers at FAU doesn’t concern the ADL or the police if it is not attached to white supremacist incidents.

“In essence, if there are people within the student body that are not white supremacists then there’s nothing that would come up on our radar at all,” he said.

Wilk stated that the ADL Hateful Hand Gestures database is mainly for law enforcement to look for people who are already white supremacists to communicate with each other. There is a warning at the top of the page that tells the reader to not quickly judge when evaluating the symbol.

History of the hands The symbol has a history of being used by the Greeks as seen in pottery and by Buddhists as seen in some statues. The “OK” symbol in American history, according to the History Channel’s website, began in 1839 as a joke in a newspaper.

A Boston newspaper printed “OK” next to the phrase “all correct” — the joke being that “OK” was supposed to represent the incorrectly spelled “oll korrect,” the History Channel said.

The OK symbol took a turn and began its association with white power after a hoax on 4chan, an online forum used to communicate and spread ideas anonymously.

According to the ADL, users on 4chan took the symbol and falsely promoted the gesture as a symbol of white power in 2017.

“The hoaxers hoped that the media and liberals would overreact by condemning a common image as white supremacist,” the ADL website says.

“The hoax was so successful the symbol became a popular trolling tactic on the part of right-leaning individuals, who would often post photos to social media of themselves posing while making the [OK] gesture.”

Brenton Tarrant, the shooter who killed 51 people in a New Zealand mosque last year, used the symbol during his court appearance for the shooting. In his manifesto, he described himself as a “white supremacist,” according to NPR. Richard Spencer, president and director of the National Policy Institute, an organization “dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of European descent in the United States and around the world,” according to its website, has also used the symbol.

“It is unfortunate that a similar-looking hand gesture is now being used to spread views we find abhorrent and directly opposed to our mission as a higher education institution.” -Joshua Glanzer, FAU spokesperson

Richard Spencer showing the hand symbol in front of a Trump Hotel.

Multiple news outlets have dubbed Spencer as a white nationalist.

Photo courtesy of Spencer’s Twitter

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How do students feel?

FAU students are mostly aware of the connection between Owl Fingers and white supremacy — but believe that context matters.

Michela Iosipov, a junior majoring in communication studies, said, “I would still use [Owl Fingers] because I grew up using that symbol as being ‘OK,’ and just because something bad and traumatic has happened using that symbol doesn’t mean I am for that negative symbol.”

Tyler Cavicchia, a senior biological science major, wasn’t as lenient with using the symbol.

Other uses of the symbol Even though the OK symbol could, in certain cases, be connected to white supremacy, here are other innocent uses of the symbol.

Scuba ivers use the symbol as a means of checking in on other divers

“Outside of FAU I wouldn’t use it, but it all depends on the context,” he said.

Eisha Baig, a freshman biology major, said, “I would not pin it on people that still use [the symbol], but if they’re not using it that way, they shouldn’t use it.”

“Owl Fingers” appears as a tradition on the FAU president’s website in May 2019, according to website archives.

“Owl Fingers” no longer appears as a section on the FAU president’s website, although pictures of students doing it still appear.

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Japan uses the symbol to signify money The symbol upside down is used in a school prank called the circle game, where you hold the upside-down symbol below your waist and win when you get someone to look.

American Sign Language uses the symbol to mean the letter “F” the number nine, and movement of the symbol in different ways can mean different actions.

Remembering Rose

Rose de la Espriella served six years in the Air Force. The FAU graduate teaching assistant was also a trans woman who died by suicide on campus in November.

By Kristen Grau|Editor-in-Chief

Rose de la Espriella served six years in the US Air Force in South Korea, Turkey and New Mexico.

She worked in the armory division organizing aircraft parts and cleaning guns.

Like many other veterans, she returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She also realized she was a trans woman while she served.

These factors can take a huge toll on someone’s mental health — and they did for her, according to de la Espriella’s loved ones.

De la Espriella, a graduate teaching assistant at FAU who was also known as Ricardo, died by suicide on campus in November at 28 years old. According to police reports, Rose left a suicide note in her car that day. The report says that some of the reasons she decided to end her life included “being ashamed of the body they lived in, being unable to materially/ financially support themselves, unstable psyche, and the physical pain they felt.”

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Rose de la Espriella, a former graduate teaching assistant, died by suicide on campus last year. Photos courtesy of Ricardo de la Espriella/p hoto illustration by Alex Liscio Rose was both trans and a veteran. Experts on those groups say that identifying as even one of those things can be associated with mental health challenges. But identifying as both of those things can make it worse, they say, because of a circumstance called complex trauma.

A traumatic six years Lilianne de la Espriella, Rose’s sister, said Rose had suffered PTSD. Many veterans experience either that, depression, or both. According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs, somewhere from 11 to 20 percent of veterans experience PTSD, depending on their service era.

Rose’s long-distance online girlfriend Sybilla often talked to her about her Air Force tenure. She said she served mainly in Korea and Turkey. (Sybilla preferred the University Press use that pseudonym for her because she is trans and hasn’t come out to many people yet.)

Lilianne said Rose, at one point, was excited to join the Air Force. “She wanted to do something different and wanted to have a career and disciplined,” Lilianne said.

“She just seemed really passionate about it.”

But over the course of her years serving, that changed. When she came back, she became critical of the military institution as a whole. “[Rose thought] it sucked because of the emphasis the military puts on control of certain places in the world, and in the meantime, those resources can be used to improve the lives of others” Lilianne said.

It was a “practically black world that made no moral sense to her,” Sybilla added.

The transition from military life to college, let alone civilian life, can be challenging. The college experience can be hard for veterans because of a new environment, financial difficulties and mental health stigma, says Joshua Ramirez, president of Veteran Owls.

Veteran Owls is an on-campus club of about 15 student veterans who organize events like financial literacy workshops, resume critiques and football tailgates.

Ramirez, a four-year Army veteran, also works at FAU’s Military and Veterans Student Success Center.

Ramirez said he struggled with building connections when he got to college from the Army.

“I tended to isolate myself when I first started school,” he said. “You get from the parking lot to your class; class to your car. And then you go back home to wherever you want to go. You don’t really stay on campus.”

That’s why Ramirez wanted to join and lead Veteran Owls: to make sure others can have that support system as soon as they come to college. He said some veterans that visit the center are reluctant to seek counseling. However, he thinks it’s worth it.

“There’s a stigma in the military if you go to seek mental help. Maybe [veterans] are afraid to be looked at as weak, but I don’t think that’s the case,” he said. “Personally, I think if you’re able to say that something’s wrong, and be looking to get help on it, that’s not weak. That’s strength, if anything.”

A difficult transition Rose eventually moved back to South Florida in 2018 after serving in the Air Force. But instead of dealing with battles overseas, she started battling with her transition process.

In class and in the history department where she taught, she was still known as Ricardo.

“Most of those who knew Rose knew them as Ricardo,” said FAU history department chair Ben Lowe. “For me, Rose was Ricardo and that was how he referred to himself to me and my colleagues.”

Lilianne wasn’t sure if Rose was completely OK with being called Ricardo at work — or even why she chose to do so. But letting people choose what to call her spoke to how she wanted to make everyone comfortable, she said.

“I think it was important to her to be called ‘she’ and ‘Rose,’ but she was such an accepting and loving person that I feel she didn’t want to make anybody do anything they didn’t want to do,” Lilianne said.

Rose began hormone reversal therapy, or taking estrogen shots, on Sept. 24 last year, according to her Twitter account.

There’s a whole slew of mental and physical challenges that are unique to trans people — especially trans women, said Jacquelyn Jamason, a licensed mental health counselor for Compass Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Lake Worth.

“People, especially in America, believe that men should be men. There’s this idea that, especially for straight guys and cisgender males, why would you want to cut off your penis? Why would you want to do that to yourself?” Jamason said. “There’s a lot more stigma, I think, for transgender females than there are for transgender males.”

Lilianne de la Espriella, Rose’s sister. Photo courtesy of UC Santa Cruz

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Lucas O’Ryan, the transgender youth coordinator for Compass, says that trans women also face higher rates of violence than trans men or other LGBT people do.

“If a trans woman does have surgery and they’re intimate with a man and he finds out they used to be a man or they’re trans, there’s often a violent response to that,” O’Ryan said, “because [they say] ‘Oh my God, I just had sex with a man,’ or ‘You tricked me,’ and it becomes an issue. And not everybody wants to always tell everyone they are this whole part of themselves — that’s very personal to them, and it’s fragile.”

According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), there were 117 reported murders of trans women in the US from 2015 to 2019, though there could be more that go unreported. One in three transgender youths attempted suicide in 2019, research from the LGBT advocacy organization, The Trevor Project, shows.

Rose was 28 when she started HRT. When people start HRT after puberty, it makes it harder for them to “pass,” or be perceived as the gender they identify as. Generally, Jamason said, it’s easier for trans men to pass than it is for trans women — putting that extra burden on trans women’s lives.

Lucas O’Ryan, Compass’ transgender youth coordinator. Photo courtesy of Compass

Though undergoing hormone therapy can be helpful for trans people in the long run, starting it can be difficult on someone’s mental health, O’Ryan said.

“It’s kind of like going through a second puberty and you have to learn how to handle your emotions,” he said.

It’s important for trans people to develop a support system because there are many people outside of friends and family who won’t accept them, both O’Ryan and Jamason said. Employers might discriminate against them, doctors might refuse to treat them and parents might kick them out. But a positive support system is crucial, they said.

“I would say that if somebody has a support system that they need, that they’re way less likely to commit suicide or even think about it,” O’Ryan said. “Even people that have support, though, it’s still hard because you’re the opposite gender, trying to live in society.”

Lilianne and her mother were both accepting and supportive of Rose’s transition, Lilianne said, but Rose wasn’t always open about the extent of her struggles.

“She was kind of going through one of those ‘I need space’ times … We were afraid because of the suicide rate being so high with trans people,” she said. Her and her mom thought: “OK, you need your space, but at the same time, you know, we want you to not take your space because we don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Helping Rose through a process they hadn’t experienced before was difficult, Lilianne said.

“When she came out, she felt a lot better. And we’re like, ‘OK, awesome.’ This is a really good first step,” she said. “And, you know, just like anything else in life, getting over depression and trying to be mentally healthy … the growth isn’t linear.”

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Its complex Rose’s struggles with trauma from the Air Force and her gender identity might have fallen into the category of complex trauma.

Complex trauma, Jamason said, is “when traumas are layered on top of each other.”

According to Psychology Today, consequences of complex trauma can include self-destructiveness, hopelessness, despair, a chronic sense of guilt and more.

Lilianne said Rose didn’t have just one reason she struggled with her mental health — it was the combination of many things: physical injuries, PTSD, depression, and dissatisfaction with her gender.

Sybilla said one of the ways Rose coped with her trauma was through writing short stories, and saw aspects of her life embedded into her stories.

One story, called “Trauma Response,” takes place in an augmented reality prison. There, guards would use virtual reality headsets to send shocks to prisoners for misbehaving.

The story mentions Lowren, a newly-released prisoner who is adjusting to everyday life. Lowren is electrically shocked throughout the story — and at the time of her release, she’s “still fighting her way through cobwebs of time and memory.”

Jacquelyn Jamason, a licensed mental health counselor. Photo courtesy of Compass

The story ends like this…

“Her home became a mausoleum of animal plushies, and she decorated her AR environment like a brightly colored savannah. Foxes filled her desk, in drawings, pencil cases, computer accessories. The Archemidies Networks owl presided over her bed, observing her with its enormous, yellow eyes. Her minifridge was filled to the brim with chocolate pudding, fudge, vanilla frosting and nutrition packs. The only things she could really stomach anymore. Lowren, when not working, would curl up in her bed and stare longingly at pictures of the ancient deserts and grasslands. She would run her hands compulsively over her moon-and-stars patterned bedding, and a cold shot of comforting fear would cut through her.”

Kristen Grau is the editor-in-chief of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email kgrau2016@fau.edu or tweet her @_kristengrau.

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From the Outfield to the Mound

By: Zachary Weinberger | Sports Editor

After being hit in the face with a baseball in his junior year of high school, FAU junior outfielder Mitchell Hartigan has impressed at the collegiate level.

Photo by Alex Liscio

In a tournament in Miami for the Jupiter High Warriors baseball team in the spring of 2017, current FAU junior outfielder Mitchell Hartigan was up to the plate.

As he awaited the pitch, the pitcher lost control of the ball and hit Hartigan square in the face. He required surgery and missed the rest of the season.

An injury that intense could make a player hesitant when coming back, but according to Jupiter High head coach Andy Mook, when faced with great adversity, Hartigan had “grit and determination.”

“The pitcher was throwing high 80s, low 90s when we were at a tourney in Miami,” Mook said. “Several bones were fractured and required surgery and ended his season. I was worried about anyone being able to come back from that, but Mitch did it without fear. I don’t think he even laid on the ground, just on one knee.”

Since the gruesome injury and graduating from high school, the now-sophomore is representing Palm Beach County again by emerging as one of the best players on the FAU baseball team. In college baseball, it’s a rarity to see a local performing this well, so early.

Last season, he hit six home runs, drove in 33 runs and had a batting average of .322. He hasn’t skipped a beat, as through the first seven games of the young 2020 season, he’s already hit one home run going along with eight RBIs, scoring six runs and batting a .478 average.

Hartigan talked about the benefits of playing at FAU, and they don’t involve baseball.

“It’s really nice because my dad can come to a lot of the games,” Hartigan said. “He’s the biggest inspiration I have so having him there to help me out when I’m doing bad is a plus and knowing a lot of people in the area and playing in front of them and it’s been a lot of fun.”

The Jupiter native is one of four players who are from Palm Beach County on the team. He said he didn’t expect this type of production early in his collegiate career.

“Starting last year, I got in there as a freshman and made the most out of my opportunities,” Hartigan said. “I had struggled in the fall going into this season and I just had to reset my mind a bit and I’m happy to be succeeding now.”

Without hesitation, Mook, who’s been the head coach of Jupiter High for nine years, knew this type of success was on the horizon. He described Hartigan as a “great, hardworking kid [who] never gave less than 100 percent.”

For FAU head coach John McCormack, Hartigan is “diligent, versatile and a great athlete.” McCormack appreciates his style of play and how he progresses as time goes on.

“The thing about recruiting is that you look for guys that will give you options,” McCormack said.

“He could move everywhere in the outfield, he could pitch but last year he needed to concentrate on swinging the bat and becoming an every day collegiate player.”

Photo by Alex Liscio

A new position McCormack talked about how Hartigan has matured with his intelligence on and off the field and was excited to get the chance to use his coveted pitching abilities.

He made a couple of pitching appearances last season but this year, he’s been challenged with a new goal by McCormack: being the closing pitcher.

He got his first taste of action on Feb. 18 after he pitched the final inning against Florida Gulf Coast University. After achieving his first save as an Owl, McCormack said that they were “grooming him to become their closer.”

While it’s a big task for the sophomore, he feels ready to show off his talents in that area of the game.

“I feel pretty good, even though I took a lot of the fall off from pitching,” Hartigan said. “Last year as a freshman I was mostly a pitcher. When I started to do well hitting, I phased out, but I kept my arm in shape to start throwing in the spring.”

Hartigan also said he got up to throwing the baseball 92 miles per hour. Pitching on and off throughout his time here at FAU, throwing that fast is unprecedented.

It turns out, seeing Hartigan on the mound shouldn’t be a jarring sight. In his time with the Jupiter High Warriors, he pitched in his senior season where he struck out 47 batters with a 2.15 ERA in 42.1 innings.

During his collegiate career at FAU so far, Hartigan has gone through various ways to perfect his game. While something as simple as a “leg kick” sounds, it’s significant when you’re up to bat.

Hartigan got rid of his leg kick last year but gained it back this season since over the fall he said that it wasn’t working anymore and his timing was way off. Going through hardships before, he’s experienced a lot over time.

“I learned a lot of failure over the fall and didn’t do that well,” Hartigan said.

“But now, I’m able to bounce back better from the failure now.”

However, is this the ceiling for Hartigan? To coach McCormack, while he thought it would take a while for Hartigan to be where he is now, he feels he still has stuff to polish in his game.

“I think that with guys like that, their greatest games will come when they take the game more to a mental side of it,” McCormack said. “Where if he can understand what pitchers are going to do to him and then turn the tables, but Mitch is not there yet, though that’s the next phase for him.”

While it sometimes gets lost in translation, student-athletes like Hartigan have other passions. One area of interest for the outfielder/ pitcher is film. The sophomore’s favorite film?

“Interstellar” directed by Christopher Nolan.

“I’m a big movie guy for sure,” Hartigan said. “Talk about Interstellar a lot, huge MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] and superhero guy.”

Other than his love of film, Hartigan and the Owls are trying to get back to the Conference USA final where last season, they lost to Southern Miss 4-0.

Hartigan said that the team and himself have a large chip on their shoulder and their expectations this year are high.

Hartigan will look to continue his impressive run as the 2020 year moves along, but what advice does he give for local players who were once in his shoes?

“Work your butt off,” Hartigan said. “Baseball is a tough game, it’ll knock you down a lot and a lot, but you gotta keep pushing and not let the negativity get to your head.”

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Women’s Basketball

Basketball By: Zachary Weinberger | Sports Editor

While the Owls currently have a 12-15 record, it has been a massive improvement compared to last season where they only won five games. Most of the team is filled with freshmen and sophomore players with the exceptions being graduate student Crystal Primm, junior Astou Gaye and redshirt sophomore Sofia Galeron. Leading scorer for FAU is Primm with 15.4 points as she’s also tied with the most rebounds (7.6) with Gaye. Head coach Jim Jabir and the team will look to finish their season strong as they have opponents Southern Miss and Marshall left on the schedule.

Alexa Zaph (34), a freshman guard, playing Louisiana Tech. Photo by Alex Liscio

Astou Gaye (00), a junior forward, playing against FIU. Photo by Alex Liscio 14

The women’s basketball team during a match against the FIU Panthers. Photo by Alex Liscio

in Paradise

Men’s Basketball In Dusty May’s second season as head coach for the men’s basketball team, he’s brought them to a second consecutive winning season. Before the March 1 game against Old Dominion, the Owls have a 16-13 record and are 8-8 within the conference. FAU’s leading scorer is graduate transfer Cornelius Taylor with 12 points, just trailing him is junior star Jailyn Ingram (11.1), who’s recovering from a torn ACL injury last season.

Ingram also leads the team in rebounds with 5.4, as a double-double is always in question.

Richardson Maitre (23), a junior guard, competing against UTEP. Photo by Alex Liscio

Men’s basketball team. Photo by Alex Liscio

Cornelius “Scuta” Taylor (0), a graduate guard, playing against Marshall. Photo by Alex Liscio

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