2-19-15

The Oracle THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015 I VOL. 52 NO. 84

Inside this Issue

E D I T O R

An abstract view in the Centre Gallery.

Page 5

Montage

S P ORTS USF routs conference for Tulsa.

BACK

Opinion.......................................................4 Classifieds..............................................8 Lifestyle......................................................5 Crossword......................................10 sports.........................................................12

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Student elections head into last day of voting

By Alex Rosenthal

L I FE STYLE

www.usforacle.com

The Index

I N

C H I E F

Student body president candidates Sammy Hamed and Andy Rodriguez did almost everything to get votes at Bull Market Wednesday.

Whether it was dancing and singing along with the Bulls Radio DJ or getting pied in the face for Bulls for Kids, each pushed their campaign before polls close today in this year’s student body election.

The last two weeks of campaigning were very amicable compared to elections of previous years, as Hamed and Rodriguez could be seen jokingly encouraging each other’s campaigns all week. Each called this year’s campaign more “civil” and “friendly.”

Unlike last year’s election that saw over a dozen filed grievances, an SG Supreme Court hearing and a run-off

election, this election cycle has gone much smoother and neither presidential candidate has been assessed any campaign violations by the Election Rules Committee.

Students can vote online at sg.usf.edu/vote, or visit several polling stations around campus today located outside the Campus Recreation Center, Juniper-Poplar hall, the Marshall Student Center, the Argos Center and SG Computer Services.

In addition to the presidential candidates, there are also 102 candidates running for 60 seats in the SG Senate. The most competitive races are among 62 candidates for the 25 open seats allocated for the College of Arts and Sciences, 19 candidates for the eight seats for the College of Business and three candidates for two seats for the College of Public Health.

Voting closes tonight at 8 and results will be announced Friday at noon on Crescent Hill.

Student body president candidates, Sammy Hamed (bottom left) and Andy Rodriguez, took pies in the face for Bulls for Kids at the Bull Market Wednesday outside the Marshall Student Center. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

ULS features ‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ tonight

By Wesley Higgins N E W S

E D I T O R

For five years, John Bul Dau walked a thousand miles to escape a country rife with starvation and genocide. His trial did not end, however, once he reached safety.

Tonight, he will stand in the Marshall Student Center and

tell that tale of how a Southern Sudanese boy achieved the American dream.

Dau escaped twice from wartorn countries, South Sudan and Ethiopia, in 1987. He fled along with over 20,000 boys displaced during the Second Sudanese Civil War that killed 2.5 million.

During the exodus, the boys faced starvation, disease and

attacks from soldiers and wild animals. Half of them died before reaching a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

Then, a 1991 war forced the remaining 10,000 boys to flee from Ethiopia to a northern Kenyan camp, where the aid workers dubbed the survivors the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”

For the next eight years, the International Rescue

Committee offered the boys rehabilitation and education.

Some learned how to manage a savings account or start their own business.

By 1999, it looked like the boys would not return to Sudan any time soon, as the fighting showed no signs of abating. The United Nations

Provost Paul Dosal.

The second motion, filed on Friday to the Tampa division of United States District Court, was also denied.

According to DeBose’s second motion, she complained of “disparate treatment” and a “hostile work environment” to the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal

Opportunity. This filing was in response to alleged misconduct of her immediate supervisor, Dosal.

The hostile behavior, she stated, has persisted since she filed her complaints and has resulted in “irreparable harm to her reputation, health, career, (and) self-worth.”

Dosal, she claimed, subject-

ed her to continued isolation or exclusion from meetings.

DeBose claimed such treatment was the result of “institutional racism,” which she also cited as the university’s failure to promote minority faculty in the USF system.

She also cited the Civil Rights Act when referring

n See ULS on PAGE 3

USF registrar denied restraining order

By Grace Hoyte A S S T .

N E W S

E D I T O R

Not long after her first motion was denied, USF Registrar Angela DeBose refiled a request for a temporary restraining order against the USF Board of Trustees, Academic Affairs and Vice

n See DENIED on PAGE 6

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Small hope found on bottom of ocean floor Solar-powered slug absorbs algae DNA, reveals possibilities for gene therapy.

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By Michael Mezich C O R R E S P O N D E N T

Those with color blindness, sickle cell anemia or Down syndrome must live their entire lives with their affliction encoded in their genes. But that fate may change, thanks to a green slug in Massachusetts shaped like a leaf.

USF researchers found firstof-its-kind evidence on the transfer of genes between sea slugs and algae, which could lead to improved gene therapy for people who suffer from genetic diseases.

The two-year long study, released in December, found microscopic evidence that genes were once transferred between the emerald sea slug and the algae it eats.

The slug, native to Massachusetts, caught researchers’ attention when they saw it was green and had chloroplasts, cells typically found in plants to create food through photosynthesis.

The chloroplasts can keep working through the slug’s nineto 10-month life, according to Sidney Pierce, a USF professor and co-author of the study.

“So if you shine a light on the sea slug, it photosynthesizes just like a plant,” Pierce said. “Makes oxygen, fixes carbon. Animals can’t do that, but here’s a slug that does it.”

The emerald sea slug gets its chloroplasts from the algae it eats, sucking them up and storing them in special cells.

“I would say you have to think about it like your car,” former USF graduate student and study co-author Julie Schwartz said. “Your car’s going to keep driving as long as you have enough oil, enough gas, enough whatever it needs, but once it runs out, your car’s not going to run anymore.”

Chloroplasts need proteins created from the algae’s DNA. The chloroplasts are the only

part of the algae kept by the slug.

“There’s a maintenance mechanism inside the slug’s cell to take care of those chloroplasts, and animals don’t have the genes for that mechanism,” Pierce said. “So you have to ask: well where did that mechanism come from?”

The transfer of genes between multicellular organisms had never been found, according to Pierce. Finding out how it is done, he said, could lead to treating genetic diseases in humans.

“If we can find out how they were transferred, the mechanism’s transfer, you can go and start doing gene therapy,” Schwartz said. “There’s so many genetic diseases out there where … you have a gene that’s abnormal. So you can go and put a normal … functional copy.”

Previous studies over the past decade found biochemical evidence that a transfer had occurred between the slugs and the algae, likely thousands of years ago. However, Pierce said these studies were criticized with the idea that the results found had come from contamination.

“Now we have to prove that it was not contamination, it’s not just some fluke,” Schwartz said.

To find the evidence necessary to back up previous studies, the researchers looked to find the algae genes on the actual slug DNA. They did this by first getting slugs in the larval stage of their life cycles and that had not come into contact with algae. The researchers then applied a marker for an algal gene to the chromosomes of the slugs, resulting in a match.

While these findings are an important step, Schwartz said there are still questions that need to be answered. While there have theories, scientists still don’t know for sure how the genes were transferred from the algae to the slug. Finding how this transfer occurred will be the next step to replacing defected genes in people.

“If an adult has, say, some defect in a gene, you can go and replace that gene,” Schwartz said. “You just have to find the mechanism.”

The emerald sea slug absorbs DNA from algae it eats, allowing it photosynthesize. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

T H U R S DAY, F E B R U A RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5

ULS

Continued from PAGE 1

determined reuniting the boys with their families was not in the cards.

The U.S. Department of State agreed with the U.N.’s recommendation to resettle 3,600 of the boys to the U.S. The lost boys, now men, were moved into apartments across the U.S., where they lived together. Many live together as a family to this day.

A 2006 documentary chronicled the story of three of these men adjusting to life in a first-world country. The documentary was named “God Grew Tired of Us,” a sentence Dau said to rationalize the human suffering he saw.

The film documented their struggle to find a job, eat strange food and adjust to American culture while coping with leaving their country behind.

Dau, who was a focus of the documentary, co-authored his first book that bore the same title of the film. The

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documentary was a winner at the Sundance Film Festival and Dau’s book won National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers award.

Dau has since written a second book, titled “Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan.”

When Dau isn’t traveling as a motivational speaker, he is working as president of the John Dau Foundation.

His foundation opened the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in his home village. The clinic has given medical care to more than 110,000 patients, including thousands of vaccinations and childbirths.

Dau now lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife and three children.

The lecture, costing $7,850, is part of the University Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement. He is the second speaker this semester, after broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien last month. The third speaker has not been announced.

The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Marshall Student Center, room 2708.

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Opinion

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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College students don’t need to be treated like children la term for young, traditional students. Still, to make the generalization that college students have the mindsets of children isn’t fair.

For instance, the column claimed young people are impulsive, give consent when they don’t mean it or can’t gauge actual consent and can’t articulate an argument without coming off as offensive.

Yet, this generalization assumes adults can’t be any of the above.

It’s belittling to think young students entering college can’t learn to handle a serious class discussion or that their chance to learn to effectively communicate should be taken away from the start.

After all, one will still have to eventually deal with uncomfortable topics upon graduation. All speech codes can do in college is stave off those experiences even longer.

College should not be a bubble that keeps young adults from the diversity of opinions in the “real world,” and anyone who thinks college students are children who need to have walls put up around them should realize they can’t possibly mature with those walls there.

Things such as “trigger warnings” in school syllabi and bars against students saying anything potentially offensive seems like a version of college with training wheels attached.

Yet these protections would seem appropriate for college students if they are seen as children whose maturity hasn’t quite peaked, as one Slate column argued. If that’s the case, then students need a little sheltering with speech and sex codes, as the column suggests, in order to transition to college without feeling forcefully ushered into an adulthood for which they are too ill- prepared.

Just as students shouldn’t have to be barred from certain discussion topics or literary works because of “trigger warnings,” they shouldn’t be introduced to

college treated as children if they are expected to change, grow or learn anything, which are kind of the goals of higher education.

Speech codes can include anything offensive alluding to racial or ethnic minorities. As the column noted, an example of this would be not allowing students to bring up discussions about sexual identity in the classroom. But, while students should be courteous enough not to single out a specific group in any given environment, it’s also offensive to assume students can’t handle hearing another person’s opinion, no matter how obtuse it may be.

Sex codes, on the other hand, can be regulations against certain sexual acts that aren’t necessarily against the law, such as intoxicated intercourse. However, codes that are in place for sexual assault prevention aren’t meant to childproof college; they’re there to make school that much safer and aren’t on par with speech codes.

Of course, “trigger warnings” can potentially be helpful to those who have undergone traumatic experiences. However, even this reason is far from assuming students haven’t reached a high enough level of maturity to handle certain topics.

It’s also important to note that “college student” is not an umbrel-

the Oracle

the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

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Editor in Chief: Alex Rosenthal .............................. oracleeditor@gmail.com News Editor: Wesley Higgins .......................... oraclenewsteam@gmail.com Sports Editor: Vinnie Portell ........................ oraclesportseditor@gmail.com Lifestyle Editor: Ariana Matos .................. oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com Opinion Editor: Isabelle Cavazos ....................... oracleopinion@gmail.com Copy Editors: Safeena Kassoo, Caitlin Lochner Multimedia Editor: Adam Mathieu Assistant Editors: Sebastian Contento, Jacob Hoag

Grace Hoyte, Brandon Shaik

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What you said A recent letter to the editor in USA Today suggested replacing the U.S. Supreme Court justices’ lifetime appointments with more limited terms to keep the court up-to-date with the times. Editor Isabelle Cavazos asked students their thoughts about such a change.

“You definitely need new people in that type of role because they would bring current awareness.”

— Ryan Elfallah, a freshman majoring in accounting

“I think it’s a bad idea.

Once they’re appointed, they have a good head on their shoulders. Our generation has a lot of flaws that could be our downfall.” ­— Ashley Williams, a junior majoring in finance

“It would be good to not have people that are too conservative and to change it up.”

Isabelle Cavazos is a junior majoring in English and Spanish.

— Moira Ungerleider, a sophomore majoring in business management

The Oracle is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, during the summer.

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student.

Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).

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“They could still be judges.

But when it’s such a high-up position, it should be a limit of four to 15 years.”

— James Kelly, a junior majoring in information studies and management

Lifestyle

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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New exhibit features grad student’s abstract view

Natalie Mackintosh’s introspective work, titled “Unfamiliar Territory,” will be on display in the Centre Gallery until Friday.

By Zach Leete S T A F F

W R I T E R

Visual artist and USF studio art graduate, Natalie Mackintosh’s paintings are perplexing and often a little disorienting, but while she doesn’t set out to baffle her audience, the pieces demand their viewer’s full attention.

Mackintosh’s “Unfamiliar Territory” will be on display until Friday in MSC 2700.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Centre Gallery will remain open for students to peruse Mackintosh’s abstract body of work free of charge.

Mackintosh describes her unique approach to art as simultaneously conscious and unconscious. The first step in her artistic process involves plotting the initial shapes of the piece in a purely objective manner.

“I record my own abstract

and concrete thoughts via painting using form, shape and color,” Mackintosh said. “I begin by consciously ignoring the content of my thoughts, yet being aware that they are there.”

She then enters into a trance-like state.

“I attempt to avoid overt narratives and obvious representative elements in the work,” Mackintosh said.

“Each painting is a record of the passage of time and what I was thinking about, either consciously or subconsciously, when they were made.”

Mackintosh said her own paintings are like puzzles.

“I like to solve problems,” she said.

Abstract art challenges both the viewer and the artist to perceive things in a new way, essentially making each art piece a puzzle in itself.

Because of people’s unique firsthand impressions, view-

ers will perceive pieces differently.

“When making these works, I am thinking constantly and also reflecting on contemporary life at large,” Mackintosh said. “Although I don’t depict actual narratives, I try to make this mental reflection visible through my choice of color, unusual juxtapositions, formal styles and my attempts to make things that don’t go together fit together.”

According to Mackintosh, the time it takes to create each painting varies, while the pool of experience and inspiration she draws from varies as well.

“Everything I have seen or felt, fragments thereof, might end up in my own paintings in abstract form,” Mackintosh said.

A Canadian native, Mackintosh credits her keen observations to her nomadic lifestyle. Traveling has attuned

ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

her senses to subtle differences between cultures and taught her to always keep her eyes open.

Mackintosh said USF played an important role in her development as an artist, as it surrounds her with a community of people interested in contemporary art and provides access to first-rate art facilities.

“I have many great professors who are very active in the contemporary art scene in New York and globally that I can draw on for advice whenever I need it,” Mackintosh said. “The MFA Studio Art program encourages students to be self-critical about their work. We receive a lot of feedback, which helps us grow and develop.”

“Unfamiliar Territory” is Mackintosh’s first solo show. She has been working on it since early last summer. Through jury selection,

Mackintosh was chosen to present her work after submitting a proposal to the Centre Gallery.

Mackintosh admires contemporary artists such as Charline Von Heyl, Sigmar Polke, Albert Oehlen and Neo Rauch and wants her fellow artists to know that although painting is difficult, opening oneself up to finding inspiration is important.

“Don’t give up,” Mackintosh said. “Painting can be very frustrating at times, but eventually, if you work hard, you will make progress. Develop your own voice. Research other contemporary artists and become knowledgeable about what is going on in the world in general and in contemporary art. Be open to all kinds of art. Keep in weird!”

The exhibit closes with a special reception Friday from 7–9 p.m.

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DENIED

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to USF’s internal promoting practices.

T H U R S DAY, F E B R U A RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5

This racism, she claimed, is expressly demonstrated by Dosal. She further claimed he gave significant pay increases to white counterparts who were less qualified. DeBose claimed Dosal denied any opportunity to increase her compensation, reasoning she was one of the high-paid registrars in Florida.

DeBose’s request was ultimately denied, and neither she nor Dosal provided any further comment to The Oracle.

While the U.S. District Court denied the second motion for a temporary restraining order, the court may decide whether to enforce a preliminary injunction once the defendants are served court papers. An injunction would restrict the university from firing DeBose.

But first the court must decide whether it is within their jurisdiction before considering a motion for injunction.

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BOG to consider downtown med school The Florida Board of Governors (BOG) will meet today to discuss a number of items on its agenda, among them whether USF should build a medical school in Downtown Tampa.

The plans to build a 12-story medical building is part of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s billion-dollar plan to revitalize large sections of the downtown area.

The plans to bring the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health Heart Institute to Downtown Tampa received enthusiasm from USF President Judy Genshaft and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

But when reviewing the project last month in Jacksonville, the BOG slowed down the momentum. Though no BOG members outwardly opposed the proposal, some said they needed to see a business plan before investing millions.

Instead, USF received a $5 mil-

lion installment of the $62 million requested to gather information the BOG needed by the time of today’s meeting.

USF had already presented to the BOG’s Facilities and Revitalization Committee with its plans for a new medical school in October, but some of the BOG members were not present during that meeting.

The plan calls for the College of Medicine and Health Heart Institute to combine into one 12-story building with floors for dining, classrooms, laboratories, a library and a clinic. The project would also feature a medical office and parking garage across the street, able to fit an estimated 1,750 vehicles.

The plans got underway in October when Vinik offered to donate an acre on the empty corner of Channelside Drive and Meridian Avenue, less than a mile away from Amalie Arena where the Lightning play.

According to an executive summary presentation on the BOG website, the construction of the new medical school could cost up to $153 million, most of which

relies on state funding.

The university wants approximately $130 million from state funding, including the $62 million the state had originally intended to put toward a new medical school for USF’s Tampa campus.

USF is hoping for its first $17 million installment by the end of 2015.

But even if the BOG approves the project, Genshaft won’t be able to put the ceremonial shovel in the ground just yet.

The project would then have to go to the Florida Legislature, convening March 1, for approval.

Though there seems to be enough approval already, according to the Tampa Bay Times, USF and Vinik sent lobbyists to Tallahassee to warm legislators to the idea.

The last hurdle is Gov. Rick Scott, who did not account for the medical school in the budget he proposed last month.

The Legislature can modify the budget, but Scott holds the power of veto. Buckhorn told the Tampa Bay Times, however, that Scott is on board with the downtown medical school.

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Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

To place a classified ad go to HELP WANTED Veterinary Tech/Assistant or Receptionist needed for animal hospital close to campus. Part-time or full-time.

Experience a plus, but will train. Email resume to acahhiring@gmail.com.

Audit Intern - Paid Local audit firm is looking for an audit intern that has taken at least Intermediate accounting 1, to assist with basic audit functions. This will be a paid internship with flexible hours.

Email travis@greencocpas.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PT/FT Customer Service Looking for full or part time employees with strong customer service skills and an upbeat personality. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. and mechanical skills are a plus, but not required. Please call Pinch A Penny 9 at 813-988-0306 and ask for Gary or Tracy.

Email pinchapenny9@verizon.net

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http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

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â—?

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T H E   O R AC L E

The Oracle is looking for opinion writers.

For details, contact the editor at: oracleeditor@gmail.com

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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HISTORIC

Continued from PAGE 12

Freshman Laura Ferreira was one of five Bulls in double figures as USF routed Tulsa. Ferreira scored 11 points while adding 11 rebounds. ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

“We have a lot of important basketball left to play,” Fernandez said. “But I was really pleased with the way we came out and we responded.

It all started with our shoot around and our last two practices.”

The Bulls had a 36-23 lead at the half and stormed out of the gate with a 20-4 run to start the second half led by junior guard Courtney Williams’ 11 second-half points. She would finish the game with 17 on 8-for-17 shooting.

“The biggest thing for Courtney is to continue to grow and to play every possession at both ends of the floor,” Fernandez said. “She made some spectacular plays.”

USF didn’t have to rely solely on Williams in this game.

Five Bulls scored in double digits with freshmen Laura Ferreira and Maria Jespersen, with each recording their first career double-doubles.

As a team that has won 14 of its last 17 games, USF was able to rebound Wednesday.

“We were upset about the loss (to East Carolina), so we came into the practices really wanting to prove to everybody that we were better than we showed at that game,” Jespersen said. “We shared the ball, we played better as a team and it turned out well.”

Sophomore Paige Cashin saw an increased amount of time in Wednesday night’s win, as she played for nine minutes.

“Paige has been practicing really well,” Fernandez said.

“She’s probably had two of her best practices of the season this week and we’re going to need her to develop and keep getting better because she’s only a sophomore.”

USF dominated the floor, nearly doubling Tulsa’s points in the paint and outscored the Golden Hurricane 25-2 in fast break points.

USF continues their home stand on Sunday against Temple at noon.

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Baseball

No. 5 Florida explosive in win over USF As fans watched in beanies and blankets, the Bulls couldn’t get their bats hot in a 13-3 loss to No. 5 Florida.

In 55-degree weather Wednesday night, a crowd of 2,059 was parted between USF’s green and gold and Florida’s blue and orange for the Bulls’ home opener.

“We’re going to try to learn from it,” coach Mark Kingston said. “We need to learn that we still have a ways to go because that’s a top-five team, and we’re not right now. It’s a good glimpse into where we want to be someday.”

The Gators (4-0) had no problem heating up early, as they capitalized off a critical error in the first.

With one on and one out for starter Tommy Peterson, Florida shortstop Richie Martin reached on a throwing

error by third baseman Zac Gilcrease.

Florida left-fielder Harrison Bader’s RBI-double then scored Martin and Buddy Reed, who had hit a one-out single.

Peterson (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits through 4 2/3 innings.

The Bulls’ bats were quiet until they posted two runs in the seventh inning. Left-fielder Kevin Merrell broke Florida’s perfect game and reached on an error by Martin.

Shortstop Kyle Teaf drove in Merrell with a single, but was caught trying to advance to second. Pinch-hitter Luke Borders hit a two-out RBI single to score right-fielder Luke Maglich, who had singled earlier.

Leading 6-2, the Gators cushioned their lead with a seven-run eighth to take a 13-2 advantage. Pitcher

nation’s top programs comes standing-room-only crowds and an exciting, loud environment.

“I think anytime you have energy like that in the ballpark that we have, the girls play off of it,” Eriksen said. “I only had to get on the team one time in 10 games saying ‘You’re playing very boring right now; if I had a ticket I’d probably leave.’ Other than that, they’ve been pretty exciting; we just have to keep up that excitement.”

USF has played three opponents in the top 15 and have 13 teams from the 2014 NCAA tournament field on the schedule, meaning big crowds throughout the year for USF. “I don’t notice it too much during the games, but marketing is happy, the chief financial officer is happy, concessions is happy, so, that’s a couple people off my butt,” Eriksen said in regards to the large crowds. “I just have to put a couple W’s on the board so my wife can be happy.”

USF returns to action Friday in the USF Wilson-Demarini Tournament with games against Auburn at 2:45 p.m. and Marshall at 5 p.m.

USF coach Ken Eriksen has built this year’s team based on speed.

USF leads the AAC in triples and steals. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM

By Tiana Aument C O R R E S P O N D E N T

In four at bats Wednesday night, senior Kyle Teaf had one hit and one RBI as USF fell to No. 5 Florida 13-3. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

IMPACT

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season, Eriksen said he still feels pretty good about the next couple of years.

Minimizing mistakes Wherever youth go, mistakes follow. USF has had 16 fielding errors, 16 wild pitches and 38 walks in 2015.

“We can’t give opposing teams the extra opportunities via the errors and walks,” Eriksen said.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m a staunch proponent for playing the game without giving them extra opportunities.”

The Bulls had trouble with giving up big offensive innings in their losses against No. 11 Tennessee and Fordham, where USF allowed two eight-run innings.

“We have to make the plays on ground balls so we don’t extend the innings,” Eriksen said.

“Anytime your pitching staff gets into the 18-24 pitch range, it doesn’t help.”

Need for speed

Without an abundance of power hitters on the roster, USF has had to be creative with scoring runs, a task it has seen success with, as the team scored nine more runs than any team in the AAC. The Bulls trade power for speed, and a lot of it.

“They can get the defense to move laterally just by a lead,” Eriksen said. “They just take one step and everybody’s flinching like crazy.”

USF sits second in the conference in doubles (12), first in triples (4) and have more stolen bases than any other AAC team.

The mobility of the team allows them to turn what may be a groundout to some into extra bases.

“You get down to the 7, 8 and 9 rotation in the lineup with (Astin) Donovan and Devine and then (Kristen Wyckoff) in the leadoff,” Eriksen said. “You have to love hitting (in the) 3, 4 and 5 spot because there will be some people on base for us that can make some things happen.”

Packed crowds With hosting some of the

MATHIEU

Tommy Eveld allowed four of those runs before Ryan Valdes surrendered a two-out, 3-RBI triple.

The Bulls answered with a run in the bottom frame, but couldn’t shrink Florida’s lead any more.

Florida starter Brett Morales (1-0) pitched six no-hit innings, while striking out seven.

“His stuff was outstanding with great command,” Kingston said of Morales. “He was ahead of our hitters, and we had no answer for him.”

USF (2-2) hosts Wagner this weekend, beginning with a Friday game at 6:30 p.m.

“I told the team it was one game,” Kingston said. “I want us to have an attitude that we hate to lose to anybody — especially to an in-state rival.

With that being said, we have to flush it and move on. It’s one game. It has nothing to do with how we’re going to play this weekend.”

Sports

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Rundown

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Softball

Freshmen have no fear n

USF freshmen have early impact for coach Ken Eriksen.

Outside USF After much speculation of his career in Arizona being over, Larry Fitzgerald signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals. The 11th-year was set to make $16.25 million with a $23.5 million cap hit.

Fitzgerald has 909 receptions and 12,151 yards with the Cardinals.

Women’s Basketball

Historic season continues for USF

Quick Facts •

Junior guard Anthony Collins moved into second place for assists in USF history with 537.

He is 96 assists shy of becoming the Bulls’ all-time leader.

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USF women’s basketball now holds the best regular season record in program history after Wednesday’s win over Tulsa.

What to watch for Men’s Basketball Two of the top teams in the AAC will play Sunday when Tulsa (18-7, 11-2) hosts Temple (19-7, 10-3) at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Women’s Basketball No. 1 UConn (25-1, 14-0) will once again put its 24-game winning streak to the test when it plays at Tulsa (14-10, 9-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Baseball

USF (2-2) at Wagner (0-0)

When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Where: USF Baseball Stadium TV/Radio: 1010AM

Outfielder Astin Donovan is second among all freshmen with a .360 batting average, second only to Kenya Yancy’s .375. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

S P O R T S

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With two outs in the bottom of the first inning Friday, freshman Kenya Yancy stepped up to the plate with her team clutching a slim 1-0 lead. The 5-foot-6 outfielder showed her power sending a grand-slam shot over the left center field fence for her first career home run.

This is just a mere snapshot of the success of the freshmen USF softball coach Ken Eriksen has brought in for this season who are making an immediate impact.

USF has had five freshmen appear in at least six of the team’s first 10 games, which amassed 25 runs and 16 RBIs in 75 at bats.

“They really are (doing some great things),” Eriksen said of the young talent. “They’ve really been pushing the envelope with playing time and productivity measurements have been pretty darn good.”

Eriksen said early in the season that he wouldn’t be afraid to start three or four freshmen at a time during the season, and he has stuck to that with 29 freshmen starts in the first two weekends.

“These guys aren’t fearing failure,” Eriksen said. “They’re aware of it, but they’re also responsive and they’ve come back in games to do some great things.”

Eriksen credits the success of the younger crowd to the acceptance from the older girls.

Freshman Maria Jespersen scored her first career doubledouble in Wednesday’s win.

“I’m really proud of the fact that the juniors and seniors have accepted the fact that these guys are part of the team,” Eriksen said. “I think that’s the only way you can be successful and have a positive environment. A lot of credit goes to those upper-class players who make the underclass players feel very comfortable.

“In female sports that’s rare.

It’s rare that you have a 22-yearold woman accepting an 18-yearold girl into the program to be able to be productive. We hoping that the philosophy instilled here will carry on.”

With seniors like Veronica Gajownik, D’Anna Devine and Sam Greiner leaving following the

In a season that has seen a barrage of accolades including coach Jose Fernandez’s 250th win and USF’s first ever AP top 25 ranking, the Bulls added yet another piece of history to this storied season.

With a 79-46 rout of conference opponent Tulsa (14-11, 9-5), USF (21-5, 12-2) women’s basketball secured the best regular season record in the program’s history.

n See IMPACT on PAGE 11

n See HISTORIC on PAGE 10

ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R