UCF students stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the MSB MALL hallway for a mandatory IP-restricted Calculus assignment on Monday. Students experienced crowd crushing, according to eyewitness freshman electrical engineering major Izaiah Gonzalez.
Courtesy of Izaiah Gonzalez
Hundreds of UCF students crowd into the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab on Sept. 14 to complete a mandatory IP-restricted course assignment.
An estimated 350 UCF students stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the hallway outside of the MALL, freshman electrical engineering major Izaiah Gonzalez, an eyewitness, said.
“A lot of people were pushing and shoving through one door,” Gonzalez said. “It’s kind of survival of the fittest.”
An IP-restricted Calculus 1 assignment required students to use the MALL computers in the Mathematical Sciences Building. Professors created the IP-restricted assignment to prevent cheating or the use of artificial intelligence.
The assignment was open from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., due to the MALL hours.
“The room filled within maybe 10 to 20 seconds,” Gonzalez said. “We were stuck standing in the hallway for about an hour.”
Crowds were blocking two fire exits on two floors of the MSB.
Gonzalez motivated students to email UCF Fire Safety with their concerns. Fire safety specialist Sharon Tinny said the department will be “investigating this safety concern.”
Students felt UCF put them in a dangerous situation according to pictures and comments shared on UCF Facebook groups and other social media platforms.
TikTok account @FloridaSchoolMom, owned by UCF parent Christine Keefe, posted a video on Sept. 17 about the crowded hallways.
“Nobody should ever be put in an unsafe situation for any reason,” Keefe said. “Especially not trying to get a homework assignment done.”
Gonzalez said his classes did not finish teaching the lesson the homework covered until Friday. Gonzalez said he believed this was “bound to happen.” The assignment was due on Monday at 8:30 p.m., and the MALL hours were set for Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
No professors have provided comments.
UCF worked with the fire safety department to create a plan of action. Dr. Heath Martin, associate chair of the School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, proposed that students sign up for 45-minute appointments to attend the MALL during peak hours, eliminate IP-restricted assignments during test weeks and set no further deadlines on Mondays or Wednesdays.
UCF believes this will also accommodate SAS students, guaranteeing them time to work in the MALL.
“While the incident presented some unexpected challenges, it has also prompted us to explore new approaches, strengthen our collaboration with other offices across campus and identify ways to better serve and support our students moving forward,” Dr. Florencio Hernandez, the director of the School of Data, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, said.