04-02-15

The Oracle THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015 I VOL. 52 NO. 104

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The Index

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

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

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

USF may test Tampa’s highway of the future

GRAPHIC PROVIDED BY BOB FREY

By Russell Nay S T A F F

W R I T E R

While the driving experience of the 21st century was once envisioned as flying cars zipping past a futuristic metropolis, the future of driving in this half of the century will instead likely feature familiar roads and automobiles upgraded to communicate important information to motorists.

In order to develop and test a highway of the future in Tampa, the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) has applied for a Federal Highway Administration

(FHWA) grant that would allow the expressway authority to transform about a mile of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway into a connected highway system.

If THEA is notified that it will receive one of five grants to construct the highway, the authority also plans to partner with USF’s Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) to test the effectiveness of the roadway.

THEA’s planning director, Bob Frey, said the Selmon Expressway became a test bed for connected vehicle and highway research last March and is one of a few test beds across the U.S.

A connected highway is different from a regular highway in that its infrastructure communicates with connected vehicles, which Frey said could provide solutions to current transportation problems.

“We’re looking at taking Meridian Avenue, which is right off of the end of the reversible lane segment of Selmon that goes from Brandon (Parkway) and goes all the way down to Channelside, and making that into a connected corridor,” he said. “What we’re looking at is using connected vehicle technologies that can help with safety and operations to try to solve real transportation problems.”

These problems include reducing incidents of motorists running red lights, alerting drivers and public transit vehicles about crashes, reducing accidents between motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians and even assisting in quicker route navigation.

“For example, if you park at a Lightning game and everybody’s leaving at the same time, a connected infrastructure might be able to tell us what’s the best way to get out, and when we’re coming to the event,” Frey said. “It can tell us where free parking is and what is the best way to get there most efficiently.”

According to Frey, a connected highway would look the same as any other road, as the wireless and wired infrastructure that would allow the expressway to communicate with vehicles would either be embedded in the physical roadway or placed within metal cabinets next to traffic signals. Frey said THEA hopes this integration will help provide a next step to transition from conventional roadways to connected roads.

As explained on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems website, connected highn See HIGHWAY on PAGE 3

for their major and have the rest of summer really open to completing what they label as successful for them,” he said. “It sets them up for going home, working a job, doing an internship or studying abroad.”

However, Hooper said students need to look at Maymester for what it is — a normal 16-week course condensed into a threeweek session — and not enroll in one half-heartedly.

“Students should know that every day they will have assignments that are due, there will be reading that needs to be done to be successful,” he said. “We encourage students to have already taken an online course before enrolling in Maymester.”

There are no prerequisites required for any of the classes

offered, and all majors are welcome to enroll. Some classes are prerequisites for courses necessary to some majors. Courses include: Intro to 3D Printing for Cultural and Natural Heritage (ANT 4930/ GLY 4930/EVR 4930) An introduction to the modeling software and equipment used in commercial 3-D printing that further examines how a concept turns into a printed model. It also explores how the technology can be used in various industries.

Basic Marketing (MAR 3023) A course that teaches key marketing principles, concepts and terminology. The class also delves into common marketing strategies, such as product, pricing, promotion and distribution, as well as examining the relation-

ship between marketing and other aspects of a business.

Music Culture: Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll (MUS 4930) A study of how the three topics reflected and shaped popular culture throughout history. The course specifically reviews the 1940s through the 1960s, such as how racial tensions and the Cold War coincided with rock music.

Survey of Jazz (MUH 3016) A survey that teaches students to appreciate the art form both for its musical merit and its historical roots. It is designed to teach about the historical and cultural forces in the U.S. that gave rise to some of the most talented musicians the jazz world has ever seen, as well as exploring how the genre continues to evolve to this day.

Selected Topics in Art: Visual Literacy (ART 2930) A course that promotes visual literacy by allowing students to create visuals instead of essays to explore deep concepts. Some examples include comic books, television shows, Internet memes, film and photography.

Drugs and Crime (CCJ 4651) An examination of the prominence of drugs in the U.S. and how they affect American society. It also explains the legal side of drug crimes, such as the punishment for using and selling drugs.

Intro to Health Professions (HSC 2000) An exploration of the wide variety of health professions. The course also looks at the differ-

Accelerated online courses offered for Maymester

By Wesley Higgins N E W S

E D I T O R

For students who waste no time getting an education, USF will begin offering online summer courses this May that will take place over three weeks.

Maymester will run from May 11 to 29. Because of the accelerated nature of the classes, students can only enroll in one Maymester course and may only take one overlapping Summer A or C course.

Owen Hooper, the assistant director for the program, said Maymester is an Office of Student Success initiative with an emphasis on career readiness by getting students one step closer to graduation.

“Students can take three credits

n See MAYMESTER on PAGE 2

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Bulls face UConn for first conference road series

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

USF and UConn will send their aces to the mound Thursday at 3 p.m. for what will likely be a good old-fashioned pitchers’ duel.

USF’s Jimmy Herget and UConn’s Carson Cross are two of the top pitchers in the American Athletic Conference.

Last week, they opened conference play with stellar performances that landed them both on the AAC Honor Roll.

Herget (5-1, 2.05 ERA) earned the honor after throwing six shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in USF’s conference-opener against Cincinnati, and Cross (6-1, 1.49 ERA) was named Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive time after tossing seven shutout innings in UConn’s conferenceopener against Tulane.

Both teams thrived in the opening week of conference play, as the Bulls (20-9-1, 3-0) and Huskies had multiple players on this week’s

honor roll.

USF first baseman Buddy Putnam was named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball after hitting .438 with four home runs and 10 RBIs, and UConn infielder Vinny Siena was named to the honor roll after batting .500 with two homers and eight RBIs. The Huskies (18-9, 2-1) and Bulls are neck-and-neck in the AAC rankings, with UConn having an advantage over USF in many of the categories, including batting average, runs scored, hits, doubles and stolen bases.

However, USF edges UConn in opposing batting average. Herget and freshman pitcher Joe Cavallaro are first and second in the conference with averages of .170 and .177. Third and fourth are UConn’s Cross and Anthony Kay, who have .178 and .179 opposing batting averages.

Cross leads the AAC with 65 strikeouts, and Herget and Kay are next in line with 57 and 52 respec-

tive strikeouts.

Pitching and defense have helped the Huskies win six of their past seven games. An explosive offense caused most of those wins to be overpowering, as the Huskies outscored their opponents 60-16.

UConn’s offense has been heavily powered by Siena, who boasts a .395 batting average, the secondhighest in the AAC. In its most recent outing, UConn rallied from a five-run deficit to edge Boston College 8-7. Siena extended his hitting streak to 18 games when he hit his third homer of the season in the first inning.

The junior then drove in the goahead run in the eighth.

The Bulls have won five of their past six, as they come off a 6-3 loss to Stetson. In Tuesday’s game, the Hatters overcame a 3-0 deficit with a five-run fourth inning.

Following Thursday’s matchup, the Bulls will stay in Storrs, Connecticut, to play the Huskies Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m.

MAYMESTER

Continued from PAGE 1

ences between health care systems around the world and the constant state of health care reform.

Health Promotion for an Aging World (GEY 4935) A course that teaches how aging affects promotion of health, as well as an evaluation of health promotion campaigns.

The Life Cycle (DEP 2004) An analysis of how people change from conception to death.

The course teaches developmental psychology, emotional changes and common milestones throughout life, as well as the role of nature versus nurture.

Child Development in a Global Context (EDG 4909) An examination of how children in different cultures learn different skills and attitudes. The course also emphasizes the importance of education and recreation to a welladapted child across all cultures.

Equity in Schools and the Workplace (EVT 4651) A course on how diversity, such as gender, race and ethnicity, benefits schools and the workplace. It further examines how prejudice can have a negative impact on

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inequity in school and work.

ESOL III — Language Principles, Acquisition and Assessment for English Language Learners (TSL 5242) A comprehensive overview for instructors of English Language Learners and how to help learners develop literacy skills. The course also explains how to to teach American cultural competency.

Internet in Education (EME 6053) A graduate level course on how to create an effective Web page. It expands on such topics as recording podcasts, social media collaboration and Web page design advice.

Literature in Childhood Education (LAE 4414) An analysis of children’s literature that studies its history, authors and illustrators. It also examines how children’s literature reflects culture as a whole and aids in the development of its youth.

Career Development for Today (SLS 2401) A course that advises how to navigate one’s career choices and how to consider the decisions necessary in today’s job environment.

Such advice includes how to effectively search for a job, give a good job interview and how to write a resume and a cover letter.

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HIGHWAY

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ways would communicate to connected vehicles through a wireless system that may be capable of sending messages and providing real-time updates. Frey speculated that connected roadway technology would be developed for cyclists and pedestrians as well.

“The bicyclists and the pedestrians could have smart apps on phones (and) bicycle infrastructure — technology that’s mounted on bicycles,” Frey said. “We would have all those talking to each other so that we can have more awareness of what’s going on in the roadway.”

Connected cars would not look much different than current car models either, Frey said. The components that would allow these cars to communicate with roadways and the other advanced features added by car manufactures would be mostly integrated into the car and out of view of the driver.

“There would be very slight differences in the vehicles,” Frey said.

“It’s not going to be like a Space Age Jetsons type of vehicle … It’s going to look very similar to what you see right now, just different aspects will provide you with different informa-

tion and enhancements to your driving experience.”

These new features may differ based on the car manufacturer, but the most basic aspect of a connected car is a screen that would display information and updates sent by the roadway. Other features, like those developed by Audi, which has been working closely with THEA, include fully automated driving during traffic jams and cameras inside Audi cars that would warn the driver when his or her eyes drift from the road, Frey said. Other car manufacturers developing connected and automated car technologies include General Motors, which is working closely with the DOT, BMW, Tesla Motors and even Google.

Besides improving the driving experience for motorists in private cars, connected roads could also make public transportation more efficient and encourage a wider use of public transit. Frey said public buses, for example, could be provided with a dedicated lane and given priority on a connected road, ensuring that buses do not wait at traffic lights and instead become the quickest mode of transportation in downtown Tampa.

Connected roadways would also make roads in general more efficient, as Frey said it would allow higher volumes of traffic to move

through a roadway without increasing its number of lanes. This, he claimed, is a much better alternative because major cities around the world are currently demonstrating that building more lanes onto existing roadways is an ineffective strategy.

“We cannot build ourselves out of congestion, we’d just run out of room,” Frey said. “So if we’re able to move more vehicles through (roadways) and cut down on the number of crashes that we have through connectivity, then yes, I think this is something that is definitely worth investigating whether or not it will provide the benefits that it looks like it promises.”

In order to secure an FHWA grant and stand out from other test beds, Frey said THEA would need to effectively identify prominent transportation issues, develop solutions to solve those issues using a connected road system and, perhaps most importantly, monitor the system and evaluate its effectiveness.

“The ability to evaluate and monitor is what I think is going to make or break a lot of these (grant) applications,” Frey said. “The whole purpose of this is to advance technology, so whatever comes out of this will be able to be used by the U.S. DOT as data on what works and what doesn’t. They’re going to want

really good data on evaluations.”

This detailed monitoring and testing of the connected roadway on Selmon is where USF’s CUTR would come in. According to Frey, CUTR has been working closely with THEA to help develop methods to oversee and manage the technologies involved in a connected roadway system.

Steve Reich, CUTR’s program director, said the general focus of their testing would be the effectiveness and maintainability of each of the aspects of a connected roadway system.

“I can’t reveal any details because we’re competing with other cities ... but we would set up a testing protocol and hypothesis for each technology that would be used, like car and road communication and stoplight systems,” Reich said.

Reich hopes this grant, if awarded to THEA, would help position the Tampa Bay area as an incubator for further connected vehicle technology, opening the door for additional connected roadways in the future, as well as autonomous roads that may not need constant monitoring.

“With the leap from interconnected technologies to fully automated technologies, there are a lot of barriers to overcome,” Reich said.

“What we are doing is helping each agency and developing tests for this

technology.”

Frey said THEA expects totally autonomous roadways to be possible by 2040, which is what the authority is planning for in their current infrastructure development cycle.

But for now, THEA will wait until September to see if it receives an FHWA grant that will allow it to move forward with creating Tampa Bay’s first highway of the future.

Lifestyle

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Cultural exchange with China ends in Confluence

By Zach Leete S T A F F

W R I T E R

The art of dance has proven to be a powerful medium for conveying emotion. Dance is considered a universal language, one that scales the linguistic barrier and brings people closer together.

Four faculty members and 12 dancers from Beijing Normal University (BNU) arrived in Tampa last Friday to take part in a weeklong cultural exchange program with DanceUSF. Sunday, they held their first improvisational performance.

“Everyone has their own style,” Jaqui Dugal said. “It was great to see them move, and us, together.”

The senior dance major took part in Sunday night’s improvisational dance meeting between the two universities. The dancers played a game to

learn each other’s names, then dove right into the dancing.

“It was really beautiful,” Dugal said. “I think everyone had good connections.”

In 2012, two faculty members from the USF School of Theatre and Dance traveled to China with the hopes of developing a cultural exchange program with BNU. Marc Powers, the director of the School of Theatre and Dance, and dance professor Jeanne Travers collaborated with BNU to form the exchange program.

Travers taught dance classes at BNU that year, and was invited back to China in 2014 for the BNU International Creative Dance Seminar by Associate Dean of BNU School of Art and Communications, Xiangrong Xiao.

When Xiao visited USF in 2014, he entered into an official exchange program with Powers. The years of negotiations and communication between BNU and USF will reach climax this Friday when the two universities present Confluence: Dancing Across Cultures at 8 p.m. in Theatre 1.

“There are amazing dancers at USF,” Xiao said. “They are very concentrated and engaging, especially last night as I was training their concentration. They were very professional and mature.”

Confluence will combine the many different styles of modern and traditional dance embraced by both universities. Two collaborative dances between USF and BNU dancers will take place during the show. Travers and BNU professor Xiaoni Chang, together with Xiao, are each choreographing one of the collaborative dances.

The concert will include a classical Chinese dance number as well as two modern works.

Two USF professors are

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

contributing pieces, as well as three DanceUSF student-choreographed pieces. Over 70 dancers will take the stage Friday.

“When I look out at everybody, I see the way the dancers influence each other,” Travers said. “You see them looking at each other and being curious and wanting to learn from each other. That’s what I’m observing, looking at the differences and ways in which the students can observe and really learn something from one another.”

Travers said she came up with the concept for Confluence because the coming together of BNU and USF reminded her of a river crossing or bridging between USF and BNU. “Although there is a big language barrier, it didn’t create any kind of obstacle for them to communicate with USF dancers in or outside of class,” Han Qi said.

Qi is one of the twelve dancers from BNU who will perform at Confluence. Zonglin Li, another BNU senior and dance major, will

perform as well.

“I was really impressed with the confidence and bravery of USF dancers,” Li said. “I thought before coming to the U.S. that I would be really shy in class but I came here and although there was a language barrier, it didn’t stop us from being friends.”

The bond between USF and BNU defies the often divisive cultural barriers associated with driving a wedge between countries.

When Confluence hits the stage Friday, the 550 seats of Theatre 1 will bear witness to a different type of language, one without words.

Xiao has invited DanceUSF to China in October for another rendition of Confluence at BNU. “I believe communication between schools represents two generations from two different cultures,” Xiao said. “I think different nationalities and politics are all the past tense, only the new generations are present, and will become the future tense.”

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OFFENSE

FRESHMAN

spot of the lineup.”

In that spot, Claudio was instrumental in the Bulls’ comeback wins against Tulsa on Saturday, as they won both games after being down at least five runs.

USF scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh in Game 1 of the series to tie the game and send it to extra innings thanks to a grand slam by Claudio, but Eriksen doesn’t want to rely on one bat to win games.

As USF takes on UConn in two games Friday and another Saturday, Eriksen wants to stick with the persona that has brought the Bulls’ success all year long.

“They’ve found their identity and the identity right now is that there are no superstars on this team and everyone has to play at a high level for us to be competitive,” Eriksen said. “If you’re worrying about the credit, we’re not going to be successful.

“There’s no dogpiles for who wins MVP, but there is dogpiles for those who win championships, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

mental approach.

“I struggled a lot in the beginning, breathing-wise, keeping up with the physicality of it,” Roberts said. “I’ve gotten a lot stronger in that sense. Mentally, just knowing more how to play my own game and figuring out how to play tactically against certain opponents, that’s changed a lot since I’ve gotten here.”

Hill said Roberts’ work on his mental game was difficult because he had only needed his athleticism to win up until he arrived at USF. “He has so many weapons, it’s more of when to use those weapons,” Hill said. “A lot of guys struggle with the ability to have those weapons. For him, he struggles with having nine different options to win, but he needs to learn to choose the path of least resistance.”

With only four more matches remaining before the AAC Championships begin April 16, Roberts and Pramming are gearing up for a run at the NCAA Doubles Championships.

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“We’ve won a few good matches against ranked opponents, so it’s put us in a position where we may be able to reach the NCAA doubles tournament at the end of the year,” Pramming said. “Me being a senior, it’s really my last chance here. We need a last push in the spring and then we will go to Waco.”

Most recently, they defeated Tulsa’s top doubles team 6-1 and have won six of their past seven matches.

Now, nine years after Roberts’ desire to be the best tennis player in the world was born at the Eddie Herr tournament, he will likely have the chance, along with Pramming, to show just how far he’s come when the NCAA Doubles Championships begin May 19.

“Their potential is endless, it’s really up to them,” Hill said. “As we continue to improve their returns and their ability to be offensive in key moments, there’s no stopping them. If they get a bid for the NCAA doubles tournament, which they’re looking very good right now for it, it’s up to them how far they go.”

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Free speech limited in schools, but not in society possibly unintended.

In order to protect the student body at large, the school administration at Live Oak High chose the option most likely to maintain order. At some point, society must have at least a little faith that those in power can make reasonable decisions for the safety of others.

Perhaps the only further step would be for administration to end the Cinco de Mayo celebrations altogether, as a way to prevent racial violence, until the school can find a better longterm solution for all involved.

If racial tensions are really so strong at Live Oak, no celebration might be the best celebration.

However, in the world beyond academia, society must be careful how many restrictions it is willing to have placed on freedom of speech in the name of security. Protecting minors in an educational setting is one thing — freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and freedom of expression in the political realm is quite another. For the school’s administration, it is a delicate balancing act of safety and personal freedoms, which has to be applied to individual situations.

Monday, the Supreme Court did not hear an appeal surrounding freedom of expression in public schools, continuing to fuel the debate regarding student rights.

The controversy first arose after students at Live Oak High School in California wore American flag T-shirts to school on Cinco de Mayo in 2010, as reported in Newsweek. The principal and vice principal demanded the students to either remove and replace the shirts or wear them inside-out.

Those who did not comply, which totaled two of the four students, were told to leave school for the day. The situation escalated to the point that three of the offending students sued the school district on the grounds that their constitutional rights were infringed upon. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

ruled the school was in its full rights to send the students home in order to avoid ethnic violence.

It should be noted that in Tinker v. Des Moines, the Court upheld the constitutional rights of students while also giving school officials much more capacity to govern free speech than the federal government.

In this case, the Court allowed students to wear armbands in defiance of the Vietnam War — granted that school officials did not expect any serious derailment of the school day.

This is where the case from Live Oak High becomes more complicated, and where context is necessary. If not aware of the whole story, it is easy to say the school officials were clearly hampering the free speech of some patriotic Americans.

However, according to the Washington Post, Live Oak has a history of racial violence, including threats that occurred on the previous year’s Cinco de Mayo.

In this way, the patriotic T-shirts are a form of symbolic speech, but they could also very well cause unrest in the learning environment. The fact that the four students were wearing them together, all on a national holiday such as Cinco de Mayo, does give their actions some potentially racist tones, even if

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Chelsea Mulligan COLU M N I ST

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What you said

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court choosing not to hear a California high school’s ban on students wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo to counter ethnic violence, assistant editor Sebastian Contento asked students their thoughts on students’ speech rights.

“We have freedom of speech for a reason, and stuff like this should be good as long as it is not prone to violence and it’s not terrorizing a specific group of people.”

— Selyne Casas, a freshman majoring in accounting

“Students should have a right to do this. It’s like you telling me I can’t wear a Puerto Rico shirt during the Fourth of July.”

– Naysha Serrano, a junior majoring in communication sciences and disorders “I understand they are trying to establish some sense of equality, but by silencing part of the student masses they create a counterintuitive effect.”

Chelsea Mulligan is a freshman majoring in international studies.

– Juan Hernandez, a freshman majoring in health sciences

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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“It is clear in the U.S. Constitution that we have freedom of speech unless there is a clear and present danger. So as long as students aren’t harming one another it should be fine.”

– Joshua Deweese, a junior majoring in chemistry

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Sports

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Men’s Tennis

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Softball

Eriksen Freshman finds quick doubles success wants Freshman Justin Roberts is turning into one of the Bulls’ best doubles players alongside teammate Oliver Pramming, who said he “brings in new energy, a new hunger.” n

By Vinnie Portell S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Justin Roberts first became serious about tennis when he was 10 years old, playing in the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships in Bradenton.

After playing against limited competition in his native country of the Bahamas since he was 6, he was in awe of the talented athletes playing in the tournament.

“It’s where the best players in the world for each age group play and I saw the level there and I wanted to be the best one there and that pushed me to work harder,” Roberts said.

His intensified dedication to the sport pushed him to move to the U.S. at age 12 in search of better competition and training. He trained there for three years before his coach took a job coaching in Holland. Only 15 at the time, Roberts decided he would follow his coach and test his talent against European competition.

“It was very different,” Roberts said. “The weather was pretty cold, cloudy all the time. We played indoors on red clay. It was different, but a good experience for me.”

As a result of his training, he won the Almere ITF Singles and Doubles championships in 2012 and 2013.

But while Roberts was experiencing great success in Holland, he wanted to experience what college tennis had to offer. Due to his back-to-

back championships and athleticism, Roberts was recruited by some of the top NCAA tennis programs.

Even with offers from multiple top-10 schools in the country, Roberts ultimately chose USF because of the team culture.

“Any time you’re recruiting against the best programs in the country, you never know how it’s going to play out, but I definitely felt like the chemistry was really healthy on his visit,” coach Matt Hill said.

“I know what this program is about and what it stands for matches up very well with his belief system and his character in regards to partying and things like that.”

Now Roberts is nearing the end of his freshman season and is a part of one of the best doubles teams in the nation with senior Oliver Pramming.

Last season, the 6-foot-3 senior was paired with junior Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz and the two finished the season ranked as the 90th best doubles tandem in the nation.

But still, Hill said their personalities weren’t always conducive to winning big matches.

“We felt like Oliver and Ignacio’s personalities, while they’re both incredible doubles players, were very similar,” Hill said. “So when they were clicking, they were by far one of the best teams in the country, but when they were off, neither personality was the one to step up and pull them back into a high level. So they took a cou-

ple losses. Just a few, but for at the level we’re wanting to play at, we can’t allow for that.”

To remedy the situation, Hill chose to go against common practice and pair a senior and freshman together. “(Roberts) has a great serve, he has great intuition at the net,” Hill said. “He’s pretty confident in himself to say the least, so pairing him with Oliver to play high in the lineup wouldn’t be an issue for Justin even though he’s a freshman.

Some guys when they come in might not be comfortable playing that high, but I knew Justin would thrive in that situation.”

And while the two are currently ranked 36th in the nation and play as the Bulls’ No. 1 doubles team, adjusting to each other wasn’t the smoothest transition.

“When we first started playing together, it was awful to be honest,” Roberts said. “We started really bad in the fall.”

The two responded to the rocky start by spending as much time together as they could, trying to become acclimated to each other.

“We spend pretty much the whole day together,” Pramming said. “We are on the court together, we are off the court together. Pretty much all day we are around each other, so we have gotten to know each other really well.”

After spending almost an entire season playing together, Roberts said the two are now on the same page with their communication.

“You can tell (when each other needs help),” Roberts said. “When you spend time with someone like that, off the court as well, you can tell when he’s getting bothered by something. You can see it, you can feel it.”

With multiple wins against nationally ranked teams, including a victory against the No. 4 doubles team in the nation at Ohio State, the duo’s personalities are meshing even better than Hill could have foreseen.

“He brings in new energy, a new hunger,” Pramming said.

“I’m a senior, so it’s nice to have some new energy and it’s been great to be paired with him.”

And while Roberts is firing up Pramming during the final stretch of his senior year, Roberts is also benefitting from the senior’s laid-back demeanor, as Hill said his emotions had gotten the best of him in matches earlier this season.

“Oliver is very laid-back and doesn’t mind pressure situations at all, he controls his emotions well whereas Justin was always hyper and his emotions were teetering,” Hill said.

“Oliver has calmed him down and allowed him to have a little more fun in difficult times, so that’s been really healthy.”

The 6-foot freshman said he did have to catch up to his teammates physically when he first arrived, but the toughest change he had to make was his

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more active offense

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

The word for USF softball this week is aggressiveness. After getting shut out in its last game against Tulsa on Sunday, coach Ken Eriksen is looking for his team to jump out offensively as it heads to UConn for a three-game series beginning Friday.

For a team that has been averaging five runs per game for most of the season, the Bulls have been held below two in three of their past five games, something Eriksen wants to change.

“We want to take advantage of the first hittable pitch you can see instead of waiting to get into the at-bat,” Eriksen said.

“Don’t approach it like a prize fight and dance around for two or three rounds to find out the opponent’s best punch. We’re the ones that have to throw the first punch.”

A prime example is senior Karla Claudio, who hit three home runs with nine RBIs in two games Saturday.

“She’s been at an all-time high confidence-wise with everything,” Eriksen said. “Her pitching is a continual work in progress and she continues to get better, but hitting for her is natural.

For her, it’s just letting it go. In other words, when she sees the right pitch, she goes after it.”

Claudio has been hitting cleanup behind the power of junior Lee Ann Spivey, a lineup Eriksen said fans will continue to see.

“It sets us up for protection of our best hitter,” Eriksen said. “If you don’t have something behind her, it’s easy to pitch around her, and with hitters like (Lauren) Evans and Monica Santos now behind Karla, it makes it hard to get through the three, four, five

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