Cudjoe Key
Cudjoe Key, FL · Education
coconutcreektalk.com
gotowncrier.com
Miami Herald
FIU students defend racist, violent group chats as jokes in federal trial
A Florida International University student expelled over racist and violent messages exchanged in private group chats testified Wednesday that even comments about beheading Black people were intended as humor, insisting that the university misunderstood deliberately shocking jokes when it punished students for their participation. “In this context, yes,” Dariel Gonzalez answered when questioned about whether a message advocating the beheading of someone because of their race was funny. Gonzalez, one of four students suing FIU over disciplinary sanctions they contend violated their First Amendment rights, acknowledged that the language could appear horrifying when viewed in isolation but argued that members of the private chats understood it as provocative humor. “If you just see this by itself, then yeah, it looks horrible,” Gonzalez said. “But if you see it within the context, it’s perfectly fine.” The testimony came during the first day of a two-day federal trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga in Miami, where four students are challenging suspensions and expulsions the university imposed after racist, antisemitic and violent messages from their private conversations became public. The case pits the students’ claims of constitutionally protected private speech against FIU’s position that the messages contained threats and caused fear
Miami Herald
Tallest dorm in state will rise 17 stories, become FIU campus ‘crown jewel'
Florida International University is building what will become the tallest on-campus residence hall in Florida’s State University System, a 17-story tower that one university official calls the “crown jewel of campus.” The dorm and four other construction projects underway at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in West Miami-Dade — a new medical center, a worship center, a residential food hall and a museum called CasaCuba — are part of FIU’s ambitious plan to become a top 30 public university by 2030 while offering more space for students, faculty and researchers. The centerpiece is the new $248 million residence hall, which will pay homage to the university’s early history when it opens in fall 2028. Here’s what to know about the new tower: Memories of the mascot Sunblazer Hall will carry FIU’s original school nickname. The mascot was a fuzzy yellow monster with a tough guy attitude, topped with a sun-like head. FIU first opened to students in 1972, but the character, called Son of a Blazer, was not introduced until 1985 as the university launched its first athletic teams. FIU retired the Sunblazers nickname and mascot in 1987, paving way for the Golden Panthers and a mascot later known as
miamisprings.com
WSVN-TV
Federal judge hears argument from FIU students involved in alleged racist group chat who say their First Amendment rights were violated
MIAMI (WSVN) - Four Florida International University students argued in court that the university violated their First Amendment rights after an alleged racist group chat was leaked and resulted in their suspension or expulsion. The two-day court hearing took place in a federal courtroom in Miami. The legal battles pit...