2-23-15

The Oracle MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2015 I VOL. 52 NO. 85

Inside this Issue

www.usforacle.com

The Index

News.................................................................1 Lifestyle......................................................4 Opinion.......................................................6

classifieds..............................................7 sports............................................................8

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Engineering a legacy

LI F E STYLE

Strawberry Fest offers food, music.

Page 4

Montage

BOG gives thumbs up to downtown med school

By Wesley Higgins N E W S

E D I T O R

Andy Rodriguez (center) was elected student president Friday with Mike Malanga (left) as vice president.

ORACLE PHOTO/ALEX ROSENTHAL

Student body president elect Andy Rodriguez shares his story after election results.

n S PORTS USF baseball ties Wagner in series finale.

BACK

By Grace Hoyte and Alex Rosenthal E D I T O R S

Before the atrium of the Marshall Student Center rang with students chanting his name, Andy Rodriguez said he was nervous about Friday’s announcement of the 2015 student body election results.

“I was so nervous, I considered leaving the building,” Rodriguez said.

In addition to the campaign staff and members of his fraternity, Rodriguez thanked the 2,924 students who voted for

him, appreciative of the large number of voters in this year’s election.

Rodriguez’s competitor, Sammy Hamed, received only 1,894 votes.

According to SG Supervisor of Elections John Quiroz, 5,037 students voted in this year’s election — about 100 more than in last year’s or any other election.

n See PRESIDENT on PAGE 2

Lost, then found

n John Bul Dau survived a perilous journey before reaching the U.S. and becoming a social activist who spoke Friday at the Marshall Student Center as part of the University Lecture Series. See story on PAGE 3

With unanimous approval from the Florida Board of Governors (BOG), it seems that no one is getting in the way of a USF medical school in downtown Tampa.

Though the BOG delayed a decision last month, university officials charmed the board when presenting the benefits of bringing the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health Heart Institute to downtown Tampa.

“The tone today was much different, and I think it is directly attributable to the enormous amount of work and communication that’s taken place over the last 30 days,” said USF Board of Trustees Chairman Harold Mullis in a media conference call. “Today was a night-and-day difference, and it was all about hard work.”

When USF proposed the project last month during the year’s first BOG meeting, some board members said they had never heard of the plan and demanded the university come back in a month with a detailed presentation.

On Thursday, the university handed board members a 130-page business plan and presented a 45-minute PowerPoint.

University officials argued the new building location would make USF more likely to receive federal research dollars

n See DOWNTOWN on PAGE 2

2

PRESIDENT

Continued from PAGE 1

“It’s nice to see how many people came out in support,” Rodriguez said. *** The newly elected student body president, Andy Rodriguez, has been a fraternity brother, a Student Government senate president and a USF ambassador, but his life did not start as a leader at the university.

Raised in the Bronx, Rodriguez moved to Kissimmee at the age of 13, where he attended Celebration High School.

“I played football, I was a part of student government for a little while,” he said. “I was also part of the National Honors Society. I did three years of track and field.”

Rodriguez said his mother is his biggest influence. His mother had him as a teenager and still managed to complete a master’s degree at New York University.

“My mom’s awesome,” he said. “She’s my favorite person.”

Despite having grown up in a rough neighborhood,

DOWNTOWN

Continued from PAGE 1

from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would save the state money.

Presenters also pointed out that USF, ranked 63rd of NIHfunded medical schools, is the only school in the top 100 that is more than 25 minutes away from its teaching affiliate.

Tampa General Hospital would only be a few miles away from the proposed medical school location on Channelside Drive and Meridian Avenue.

“The downtown strategy is fundamental to the overall strategy for research to drive us from 63rd in funding to the top quartile,” said USF Board of Trustees Vice Chairman Brian Lamb during the presentation.

USF could get $28 million in federal funding in less than five years, Lamb predicted, with a downtown medical building.

Presenters also argued that

M O N DAY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

●

T H E O R AC L E

Rodriguez said he learned a sense of gratitude that will carry throughout his life.

“I’m really glad that I got to experience that, and that I know what that’s like,” he said. “I think I can appreciate my life now a lot more.”

He said his mother was his motivation for focusing on school and trying new things, such as running for president.

Rodriguez said his passion for USF began during orientation and increased when he became an orientation team leader during his sophomore year.

Rodriguez said his involvement on campus is thanks to his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. He said several older members inspired him with their achievements and ambition.

Their achievements, however, played no part in his decision to major in chemical engineering. Rather, his natural proclivity for math and science are to blame.

“I used to sleep in Algebra II,” he joked. “And I would still do very well.”

Later, in his high school chemistry class, he took a chemistry course and knew it was for him. While other students struggled with the sub-

ject, Rodriguez said he found a niche and excelled.

Rodriguez said he looks forward to the career options that will be available to him when he graduates with a degree in chemical engineering. Later, he wants to pursue a master’s in business.

Politics in the meantime, he said, is a hobby he enjoys.

“For whatever reason, I had always wanted to be an (SG) senator,” he said. “I had friends that were senators and I wanted to try it out and see what it was about.”

He joined senate as a junior and advanced quickly. After a single semester, he was advised to run for senate president.

Rodriguez decided to run with only two days until the election, and ended up winning.

Though he said he disliked the campaign process, Rodriguez expressed gratitude to the voters for making his efforts worthwhile.

In the hopes of leaving a legacy at USF, Rodriguez pointed to reading days and a student foundation.

Like the student foundation at Florida State University (FSU), students would fund the foundation. According to their

website, FSU’s student foundation brings in about $300,000 every year and is entirely controlled by students.

Unlike the money that comes from A&S fees, which is regulated by the state and the university, students who sit on a board of trustees would control where the foundation money goes.

With such a foundation, Rodriguez said, students could be able to build things like a movie theater and a bowling alley and make USF more appealing to students looking to live on campus.

To add to the appeal of USF, Rodriguez also hopes to advocate for reading days, which are the days leading up to exam weeks, during which professors are not allowed to give tests.

Overall, Rodriguez said he has high hopes for his term.

He emphasized his desire to make USF as engaging for other students as it has been for him. *** In contrast to last year’s election, which was marked by a slew of grievances, a runoff election, and a disputed winner, this year’s election ended with minimal grievances.

Before taking office,

Rodriguez faces two minor violations of $50 that must be paid to SG within 10 business days due to a second campaign website that was unapproved by the Election Rules Commission (ERC).

Today at 4 p.m., the SG Supreme Court will discuss the only major violation, filed by the ERC against Saeed Sinan, a senatorial candidate for the College of Arts and Sciences, for allegedly having a mobile polling station and attempting to vote more than once.

A $20 minor violation was also assessed to each Girgis Fahmy, Mark Ghobrial and Danish Hasan — three newly elected senators from the College of Arts and Sciences — for unapproved campaign graphics.

When students return from spring break, there will be an expedited election for senators in the College of Business due to, according to Quiroz, input error on behalf of SG, which declared candidate Josh Smith under the wrong college, causing a dispute of roughly 200 votes over the first half of the first day of voting. This election will be between 19 candidates running for eight seats allocated for the Muma College of Business.

talented medical students and faculty from all over the world would be more attracted to an urban environment within close proximity to a major hospital.

“This new facility will be state of the art and allow us to compete nationally and internationally for talent for students and for faculty,” Lamb said.

After the presentation, the BOG asked no questions before unanimously approving the project.

The approval was met with delight not just from USF officials, but from those in the Tampa community as well, such as Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

“We now know that we are the vast majority of the way there to moving that medical school downtown,” Buckhorn said to the Tampa Tribune.

“For us it is probably the most significant event that has occurred in the urban core in the last 20 years. I couldn’t be more excited about it.”

The 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.

“We look forward to making the Morsani College of Medicine and the accompanying heart institute one of the major anchors in our development district,” Vinik said in a statement. “We envision and embrace the vibrancy that USF and its students, faculty and staff will bring to downtown Tampa. This marks a great step forward.”

The call for a medical school downtown began 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.

The plans are contingent upon the College of Medicine and Health Heart Institute combining 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.

With Vinik, Buckhorn and now the BOG in stride, the university must convince legislators to set aside money in the upcoming budget to fund the project.

Though the BOG recommended the Florida Legislature to set aside $17 million for the first installment, the board has no power to amend the budget.

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.

The project would then have

to go to the Legislature, which convenes March 3, for approval. USF is hoping for its first $17 million installment by the end of 2015.

Though there seems to be enough approval in the Legislature 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.

If Scott signs off on budgeting money for the medical school, USF will still have to raise $23 million in private funds for the building.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, USF President Judy Genshaft said university officials are working on lining up big-time donors.

M O N DAY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

●

T H E O R AC L E

3

‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ leads by example

By Zach Leete S T A F F

W R I T E R

After barely surviving wartorn South Sudan as a boy, John Bul Dau retold his story Thursday as the second speaker for the spring semester’s University Lecture Series.

Dau relived his leadership role under do-or-die circumstances to more than a hundred attendees who sat silent in their chairs in MSC 2708.

“I am going to talk to you tonight about something you might have read in a book, or seen in a documentary or researched,” Dau said. “I would like to increase your knowledge about South Sudan in order for me to talk to you about what is called leadership.”

Dau was separated from his family as a young boy during an attack on his village. For the next 15 years, he didn’t know whether they were alive or dead.

“When soldiers came, they shoot, burn down houses, loot our cows, abduct young girls, rape women, killing young men, it was total destruction,” Dau said. “Everything was in flames. This is when I was uprooted from my family.”

For three days he ate nothing. The first food they consumed were the large roots of some plant.

His first experience in leadership occurred by chance, as he helped lead a group of boys away from the Northern Sudanese forces attempting to exterminate them. As the youngest child of three, he never expected to take on such a role.

“Are (leaders) born, or are leaders something you go to school for and be trained?”

Dau said. “Do you teach a lecture about leaders so automatically you became a leader?”

Dau said his life story is intertwined in his personal experience in the U.S. and South Sudan. He said he would not be the leader he is today if he had never left South Sudan.

“You see, in America, you go one day without food and you say you’re going to die,” Dau said. “Every night, very cold … there was no blanket,

no food at all. We only live on wild fruits like birds, chewing grass like cows so we stay alive.”

Conditions were exceedingly hostile as forces spread throughout South Sudan, looking to exterminate those trying to flee to Ethiopia and other surrounding countries.

The boys usually the traveled by night and walked through deep brush where they were less likely to be detected by northern troops.

To find water, they would listen to the direction of croaking frogs or watch for circling birds. Dau said this meant either something was dead, or water was nearby.

“People were crying, others didn’t want to go, they say they’re going to die there,” Dau said. “(They) start drinking human urine to stay alive. That didn’t work either.”

The boys converged with other evacuees at an Ethiopian refugee camp in Kakuma where Dau was tasked with caring for as many as 200 boys, from ages 5 to 18.

“They want to eat food, drink milk, see their mom,” Dau said. “We lie to them: tomorrow it will be OK. Today is bad, (but) tomorrow will be OK.” Conditions in Ethiopia were difficult. Typhoid, measles, chicken pox and cholera were killing boys every day.

“I remember in my group two or three boys died every single day,” he said. “If we come back the next day to bury some more bodies, we find the buried bodies from the previous day eaten by wild animals … but we didn’t give up.”

Dau and the boys stayed in Ethiopia for four years before Ethiopian rebels based in northern Sudan overthrew the Ethiopian government.

They were forced to return to the country that had originally forced them into exile.

After nine months, Dau fled from South Sudan for the second time, and arrived in Kenya.

“Coming to Kenya was good, it was very good news because the Kenyan government would not allow Sudanese troops to cross into their territories,” Dau said.

‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ John Bul Dau shared life stories, from finding water in the African desert to finding a job in New York, with students Thursday night in the Marshall Student Center. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU At 17, Dau glimpsed his first said, ‘No.’ He said they have over $2 million to build hoschance to acquire an educa- guns. So you mess up with pitals.

American girl, they’ll shoot tion.

Dau has since developed the “Our school was under the you.”

South Sudan Institute, and writDau arrived in New York and ten two books entitled “God trees, sitting on the dirt, using your fingers as a pencil to learned the basics of American Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir” write,” he said. “When there living — how to turn on lights, and “Lost Boy, Lost Girl: is rain, there is no school. We control water temperature and Escaping Civil War in Sudan.” work hard to learn. We force how to buy groceries. Dau said As the youngest of three he thought automatic sliding boys, Dau said he would have ourselves to learn.”

At the age of 25, U.S. aid doors were magic, and he was never been forced into a posiworkers arrived in Kenya to surprised to find aisles dedicat- tion of leadership had he lived ed exclusively to cats and dogs. peacefully in Sudan. Being offer help to the boys.

Dau worked at McDonald’s, separated from his family is “We were told Americans are here, they will take you to UPS, as a security guard, and part of the hardship that transUnited States of America,” Dau said he rarely slept. He enrolled formed him into a leader. said. “That was my first time at Onondago Community “The situation separated me to see Americans, very tall guy College to get his associate’s from my family and put me in with long noses and they speak degree and then transferred to that position as a leader,” he as if they’re speaking through Syracuse University where he said. “The situation of comreceived his bachelor’s. their noses.” ing to school has taken you “I said you know what, what away from your mom and dad.

In 2000, the aid workers evaluated Dau. He passed a am I doing here really?” Dau Why is that? Putting you into variety of tests to confirm that said. “I must give back. And this school is to find how you this is when I started doing my can manage yourself and manhe was going to America.

“My friend Daniel was giv- work, starting with the Lost age others. That’s how leadering us warning, ‘If you go Boy Foundation.” ship comes about. Leadership He raised about $5,000 for comes about when you are no to America, be very careful.

American girls crazy,’” Dau the Lost Boys living in Syracuse, longer in your cozy, very small said. “And he said how crazy and later formed the American box.” they are is that he said every Care for Sudan foundation “I think each of you are leadsingle girl in the United States that raised around $185,000. ers in your own right. Leaders carry small bags … do you He then formed the John Dau are not born. They come know what is in those bags? I Foundation, which has raised because of the situation.”

4

Lifestyle UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

●

T H E O R AC L E

Strawberry fest boasts Grammy winners, shortcake

By Ariana Matos L I F E S T Y L E

E D I T O R

Fresh-picked strawberries, live music and plenty of fair rides await Florida Strawberry Festival goers this Thursday. For 85 years, the festival has been a popular spring break attraction for young and old alike.

Famous for its strawberry shortcake, the festival was founded in 1930 by the charity organization Lions Club. Wanting to promote the thriving staple crop of Plant City, the eponymous festival brought the agricultural community together with the greater population to form the bond between consumer

and farmer.

Along with its delicious selection of foods, the entertainment at the festival is well-known, with Blake Shelton, Foreigner and Alan Jackson headlining past festivals.

The line-up for 2015 is even more exciting with legendary Loretta Lynn, young fan favorite Hunter Hayes and R&B crooner John Legend performing.

As far as foodstuff goes, the standard fare goes above and beyond. Fried Oreos, cheese and donut burgers can be found in droves. The strawberry shortcake is a must with light, fluffy angel food cake topped with sweet strawberries and whipped cream.

Not only can one watch

Grammy winners perform for free, but the Midway rides stretch on for as far as the eye can see.

The festival even offers discounts for students on a budget.

March 1 and 8 offers Coca-Cola Family Day — present any CocaCola brand can product at the entry gate and receive a voucher for $5 off the $25 wristband, and ride all day for only $20.

Tampa Bay Times Day on the Midway goes from noon to 10 p.m.

March 6. If festival-goers present a coupon from the Tampa Bay Times, they will receive $4 off the $20 coupon book.

The Florida Strawberry Festival is open until March 8. Tickets are $10 at the gate.

6 finest festival foods Ariana Matos C O M M E N T A R Y

It’s almost that time of year again: festival season. Not only will there be a great many music festivals, the food fests will also abound. Whether there is a food truck rally in St. Pete or the Kumquat Festival, Florida is notorious for its carnival-esque celebrations of food. In no particular order, here is the incentive needed to chow down on some greasy grub.

1. Corn dogs Whenever corn dogs are brought up in conversation, the nostalgia of third grade sets in and suddenly all around are bright, encouraging classroom decorations and mini-desks. But enjoying a corn dog as a grownup is just as satisfying as it was when you ate them on the playground. Just don’t bite down too hard on the wooden stick.

2. Funnel cake A carnival staple — crispy, greasy fried dough, baked into a delectable crisscross, covered in powdered sugar and topped with candied strawberries. They are always too big to finish alone, and there is no way to eat them politely. Eventually your whole shirt and face are covered in powdered sugar, but the joy welling up within is worth all the calories.

3. Fried Oreos These babies sound like a delicious yet terrifying beast. One wonders, “But what will that weird, non-crème filling taste like surrounded by hot batter?”

Anyone who has had the privilege of gnawing on one of these puppies can say, “Nirvana.”

Don’t miss out on these. They aren’t around all year, so take advantage of them.

4. Donut burgers Paula Deen once made these on her show, pre-diabetes, and the entire room clutched at their chests and gasped with a mixture of disgust and admiration.

That woman is an innovator and ever since then, fair food has never been quite the same.

In place of a bun, the patty lies on beautiful, glazed donuts.

Guaranteed to produce heart palpitations, this baby must be tried to be believed.

5. Strawberry shortcake At the Strawberry Festival in particular, shortcake is a musthave. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but for any heathens who haven’t partaken in this all-American treat, it consists of a slice of fluffy, light angel food cake, beset on all sides by a torrential downpour of candied strawberries and a whipped cream garnish. Heaven in a Styrofoam bowl.

6. Fried bubblegum This one is not for the faint of heart. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. The question is not how, but why? Either way, many people flock to try this evil, sticky concoction every year. Many come away disappointed, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t recommended. In navigating the hard world of fair-foods, one must always persevere.

M O N DAY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

●

5

T H E O R AC L E

Men’s Basketball

Bulls fall short at ECU

AUBURN

By Jacob Hoag

W,” Eriksen said.

USF dropped both Friday games against Auburn 6-2 and Marshall 6-4, but rebounded to win both Saturday games, defeating Dartmouth (1-4) 5-0 and winning its second game against Marshall, 11-0 in five innings.

The Bulls had their best offen-

A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Coming off a narrow twopoint win over Houston on Wednesday to end an 11-game skid, USF couldn’t string together back-to-back wins, falling to East Carolina 73-60 on Sunday in Greenville, North Carolina.

USF (8-20, 2-13) got off to an early start with freshman guard Troy Holston Jr. scoring eight of his 13 points in the first six minutes as the Bulls jumped to a 12-5 lead.

The Bulls shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the first half, but couldn’t sustain their success on offense.

“In the first half, there was a span of us compounding errors with bad shots, not posting up and not boxing out,” coach Orlando Antigua said. “Offensively, I thought we were in a nice groove, and then we just stopped.”

Senior guard Corey Allen Jr. scored a game-high 28 points in the loss, with 25 coming in the second half.

Allen leads the team with 15.3 points per game and no other current starter is averaging more than nine.

“We made it into a scrappy game at the end, and that fits Corey’s style because then we were getting up and down the floor,” Antigua said.

Allen did it all on the court, going 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, pulling down a gamehigh eight rebounds and sunk

OWLS

Continued from PAGE 8

team’s best record in program history and makes them 12-1 when playing in the Sun Dome.

They will attempt to improve upon this record-setting season when they travel to play Cincinnati (6-20, 3-12) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“I’m very proud,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “It’s a credit to our kids and our staff getting the right individuals into our program and having good culture. I couldn’t be happier.”-

Continued from PAGE 8

HALTS

Continued from PAGE 8

Senior Corey Allen Jr. had a game-high 28 points in the Bulls’ loss to ECU on Saturday. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

all eight of his free throw attempts.

After falling behind by 22 with 10 minutes left in the game, USF tried to rally, outscoring the Pirates by nine in the final 10 minutes, but ECU (12-15, 5-9) knocked down 15 of its 21 free-throw attempts in the final five minutes to seal the victory.

“You’ve got to give East Carolina credit,” Antigua said.

“They made the plays. We just didn’t compete for 40 minutes like we wanted to.”

should have won the game for him.”

Left fielder Kevin Merrell is another freshman who has shown promise. Merrell went 6-for-12 with five runs in the series.

Big innings in Friday and Saturday’s games propelled the Bulls to comfortable victories.

In Saturday’s game, starter

sive showing of the season, putting 18 runs on the board in an 18-5 win over Marshall (11-3) in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader.

The USF hitters showed their patience against the Marshall pitchers with 13 walks, five of which resulted in runs.

Junior Lee Ann Spivey led the team with four RBI, batting .405 on the season with a team-leading 17 RBI. Twelve of the 16 Bulls who appeared in the game contributed

a run.

“I think we came out today knowing that we didn’t play our best yesterday and we wanted to show people what we were made of, and we did a really good job of that today,” Spivey said.

USF returns next weekend in the USF Under Armour Invitational with three games Friday at the USF Softball Stadium and three games Saturday and Sunday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater.

Casey Mulholland (1-1) surrendered one run in the first, but the Bulls responded with five runs in the bottom frame. Both teams were held scoreless until the fifth inning, when Levi Borders added to the Bulls’ lead with a solo blast to left.

Wagner posted another run, but the Bulls scored another three to secure the victory.

In Friday’s game, a six-run fifth inning cushioned the Bulls’ 6-0 lead in their 12-1 win.

“I just thought we played good

fundamental baseball, starting with Jimmy (Herget) to set the tone with a dominant performance,” Kingston said Friday. “He had great defense behind him as well.”

Herget (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 innings of perfect baseball before surrendering a single. The junior struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings.

USF hosts FGCU on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Opinion

6

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

Oklahoma is OK with cherry-picking history America.” Specifically, Fisher actually has a problem with more class time spent discussing racial and gender oppression instead of talking even more about the Founding Fathers.

According to another CNN article, Fisher is leading the charge against AP U.S. History with HB 1380, a bill that would ban state funding for the course. The writers of the bill were also brazen enough to include what they believe should be taught in the AP class, as they are apparently more academically gifted than the College Board.

This move by Oklahoma representatives is an action too close to allowing government officials to dictate how the youth view the country and create the perspective they develop. According to the article, Fisher also wants to include speeches by former Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, but excludes Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as being worthy enough to have speeches in the proposed curriculum.

The signs all point to a group of politicians who have an agenda geared toward showing their preferred version of history, rather than an unbiased one that highlights both the good and the bad in the country’s history.

For them, pieces such as

Adam Mathieu COLU M N I ST

In what seems to be an effort to disprove the long-held notion that schools are a place for learning, lawmakers in Oklahoma are looking to banish Advanced Placement U.S. History from its schools’ curriculum.

After the College Board made changes to the course last year, it seems the curriculum now abandons the idea of painting U.S. history with a favorable brush and opts to address issues such as the oppression of women and minorities that dominated the country for about 200 years.

While it may sound like an article from satirical news outlet The Onion, an article from CNN reported that an education committee in Oklahoma did pass a bill that would rewrite how the College Board dictates the course to be taught, if not completely eliminate the course from high schools.

As stated in a CNN article, Oklahoma State Rep. Dan Fisher wants to make his mark on the AP course because he feels the College Board’s changes have made the course consist of a “new emphasis on what is bad about

the Oracle

T H E O R AC L E

What you said

the Gettysburg Address, James Madison’s Federalist No. 10 and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” should get the ax.

History is already written by the winners, but when history is cherry-picked to reflect a small group’s personal favorites, there is something wrong. The classroom already channels students’ knowledge and impacts their views from there on out, so to deny teaching AP students about the negative parts of history limits how they can view the treatment of those cast off as unequal.

If anything, the U.S. needs a reminder of past mistakes to approach modern-day civil rights issues, especially since we’re in a time when gay marriage is making its way to the Supreme Court.

It is important for high school students not to obtain an idealized version of the country’s past, as the Three-fifths Compromise, slavery and the mistreatment of women were very real.

The deliberate goal of Fisher and others to make high school students ignorant of the realities of the past in favor of further aggrandizing the Founding Fathers is a pathetic use of the political machine to knock education down a few notches.

Editor Isabelle Cavazos asked students their thoughts about two House bills that would federally regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol.

“I feel like it’s bound to happen. They realized there’s no stopping it, and it would help the economy.”

— Holly Delarosa, a sophomore majoring in economics

“It’s already legalized and there needs to be some type of system to regulate it. It’s still a substance, like alcohol, and it should have the same system.” ­ Morgan Malinowski, a — sophomore majoring in political science “In general, I support medical marijuana and it would be great for the state to regulate it; but I don’t think the consumption of marijuana should be legal.”

Adam Mathieu is a junior majoring in studio art.

the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

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

Graphic Arts Manager: Luke Blankenship Advertising Sales Manager: Ashley Pollio

— Jiaxin Zhang, a freshman majoring in accounting and finance

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).

BY PHONE Main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sports ................

Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . .

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Website: Facebook: Twitter:

974-6242 974-5190 974-1888 974-2842 974-2398 974-2620 974-6242

usforacle.com facebook.com/usforacle @USFOracle

CORRECTIONS The Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors.

Contact Editor in Chief Alex Rosenthal at 974-5190.

“If people really want to use it, they’ll pay for it.

But it should be up to the state because it’s more focused on one area.”

— Kayla Leland, a junior majoring in physical education

Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

To place a classified ad go to

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

M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

●

T H E O R AC L E

http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

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.

●

Math Tutor Math Tutor grades 5-12. Afternoons.

Contact (813)969-4242 Email nadia@brightonlearning.org

Have a news story or idea you want to see in print?

Contact the editor at oracleeditor@gmail.com

7

Sports

8

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Rundown Outside USF NASCAR driver Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 on Sunday. The victory was Logano’s first in the competition. He won a purse of $1,581,453.

Weekend scores Baseball

Wagner 4 USF 4 Men’s Basketball

USF ECU

60 73

Women’s Basketball

Temple 53 USF 79

Tulsa (19-7, 12-2) was able to hold Temple (19-5, 10-5) to 39 points in the Golden Hurricane’s 55-39 win.

●

T H E O R AC L E

Women’s Basketball

Tie halts sweep of Wagner Owls

struggle to score at USF

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

USF nearly completed a sweep of Wagner, but Sunday’s finale ended in a 4-all tie after 11 innings because of travel day constraints.

“Let’s keep it honest — we didn’t deserve to win,” coach Mark Kingston said Sunday. “You make that many errors, you make mistakes on the bases, you don’t get bunts down, you don’t deserve to win.”

The Bulls (4-2-1) committed six errors and left 12 runners on base — six were left in the final three innings, when the Bulls had the chance to walk off.

“We come out of here with — not a loss, but it feels like a loss,” Kingston said. “We had plenty of opportunities to get the winning run in, but we didn’t take advantage of it.”

A Bulls’ win would have completed the sweep after they won 12-1 Friday and 9-2 Saturday.

Trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning Sunday, designated hitter Luke Borders hit a two-out, two-run homer to left-center to score his brother Levi, who had singled.

The Seahawks (0-2-1) tied the

By Vinnie Portell S P O R T S

Pitcher Brandon Lawson gave up only one earned run, but was pulled after 3 1/3 innings. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU game at four in unusual fashion. allowed two runs (one earned) on With two strikes, two outs and five hits through 3 1/3 innings runners on the corners, pitcher before freshman pitcher Joe Michael Farley walked a batter on a Cavallaro took over. Cavallaro wild pitch. Shortstop Nick Mascelli fanned five and gave up two runs then scored on a throwing error at (one earned) in five innings of relief. the plate.

“Once again, a freshman is For the final out, Farley tagged out third baseman Nick Dini in his stepping up,” Kingston said of attempt to score the game-winning Cavallaro. “He gave us everything we needed him to give us. We run on the error.

USF starter Brandon Lawson n See HALTS on PAGE 5

USF makes finals, falls to Auburn

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

Women’s Basketball No. 1 UConn (26-1, 15-0) doubled up Tulsa (24-12, 9-6) 92-46 in another blowout victory for the Huskies.

BASEBALL

FGCU (3-4-1) at USF (4-2-1)

When: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Where: FGCU Softball Complex TV/Radio: 1040 AM/BullsCast

M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

Baseball

Conference update Softball Men’s Basketball

●

Lee Ann Spivey leads USF with 17 RBI and a .744 slugging percentage. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM

MATHIEU

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

After winning both games Saturday against Dartmouth and Marshall, USF secured a spot in the championship matchup Sunday at the USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament against No. 16 Auburn.

USF failed to generate any runs against the Tigers, losing 8-0 in five innings.

“I think we’re getting there,” coach Ken Eriksen said. “We were doing a lot of uphill running the last three or four days and it can wear on you a little bit, especially when you’re playing against a deep team with some tremendous talent in

Auburn.”

Senior pitcher Karla Claudio (1-2) took the brunt of the Tigers’ scoring, surrendering four earned runs off seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Senior Sam Greiner gave up four runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Bulls held Auburn (17-1) to two runs for the first two innings, but a grand slam by Auburn’s Kasey Cooper rounded out a sixrun third inning that would stand until the fifth inning, when the Tigers won by run-rule.

“The nice part is we’re seeing that we can compete with teams for four, five and six innings, but we have to be able to compete with them for eight innings and get a

n See AUBURN on PAGE 5

E D I T O R

The USF women’s basketball team continued to build its postseason resume Sunday when it dominated Temple 79-53 in the USF Sun Dome.

The Bulls once again relied on their suffocating defense to build an early lead, which their opponent would never catch up to. Thanks to a 12-0 Bulls’ run to end the half, Temple (13-15, 9-6) ended the first half down 20 and was shooting only 25 percent from the field.

The Owls’ guards struggled to score against the Bulls, as the four starters combined to shoot 11-for-45, scoring 33 points.

While the Owls struggled to find consistency on offense throughout the game, USF was able to spread the ball and find ways to get multiple players involved, as it shot 48.3 percent. The Bulls finished with six players who scored at least nine points.

Of those scorers, freshman forward Laura Ferreira led the team with a career-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

“I was just ready to play.

It was a good game and they were a good team,” Ferreira said. “When I make the first shot, it helps. I get more confidence.”

USF (22-5, 13-2) also had a significant advantage on defensive rebounds, grabbing 15 more than Temple, which employed a significantly smaller lineup that used four guards.

The Bulls’ win improved the

n See OWLS on PAGE 5