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The Oracle TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 I VOL. 52 NO. 13

Inside this Issue

N E W S

Motorcyle enthusiasts ride with Bulls Biker club.

Page 4

Montage

S P ORTS Men’s soccer captain uses nationality to bond Bulls.

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

National focus on USF police camera study

By Wesley Higgins

LIFESTYLE

The Index

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

E D I T O R

With recent events in Ferguson sparking public discussion of law enforcement accountability, national media is anticipating a USF study that may offer a solution.

For the last six months, USF researchers have gathered data from Orlando police officers wearing mountable body cameras that record law enforcement interactions.

Wesley Jennings, associate chair of the USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences in Mental Health Law and Policy, said the hypothesis is that body cameras will significantly reduce the use of force by officers and the number of complaints from citizens.

“It will lead to better policing and get retraining to police who

need it,” he said.

At the start of the study, 50 Orlando Police Department officers were randomly chosen out of a hundred to wear cameras.

Throughout the yearlong study, researchers will compare the records of those with cameras and those without. Both groups will also complete surveys to voice their opinions about the cameras.

Initially, Jennings’ team thought police officers would be hesitant to adopt the cameras, but Jennings said that has not been the case.

“We found from the baseline survey that, by and large, the officers were open and comfortable with wearing the cameras,” he said. “They also thought their agency should issue the cameras agency-wide.”

Officers expect the cameras not just to improve police behavior, but also citizen behavior.

“The camera is obvious.

It’s hooked on their glasses or mounted on their shoulder,” Jennings said.

“Perhaps the citizens will act accordingly knowing they’re on camera.”

If a citizen filed a complaint, the body cameras allow supervisors to review videos to see if the grievance was valid.

The videos could also be used as evidence in court.

n See POLICE on PAGE 2

USF researchers are studying effects police cameras may have on use of force by officers and complaints from citizens. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

Student entrepreneur creates fresh watermelon business

Follow The Oracle on Twitter @USFOracle or take a photo of the QR code below with a QR reader app on your smartphone.

USF student Desmond Williams will launch Aquamelon Water, a watermelon sports drink, commercially in the next week. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE founded the company that pro- melons. sive adults over the course of three

By Allison Leslie C O R R E S P O N D E N T duces Aquamelon Water.

“The research was rather light, weeks.

“My girlfriend and I are big run- in my opinion,” he said. “What The results showed a decrease In a state where summer never ners and I would put watermelons we did find was a study that really in blood pressure due to an amino seems to end, one USF student in the freezer to eat after our run,” raised the flag for us and that was acid, citrulline, found in watermelon juice. entrepreneur thinks watermelon Williams said. “One day there was a study by Florida State.” a lot of juice left over and I decided The 2010 study analyzed the William said the study motiwill quench Florida’s thirst. effect of watermelon extract on vated him to move forward with Desmond Williams, a busi- to drink it.”

With the seeds of the idea plant- high blood pressure. The freeze- Aquamelon Water. ness administration graduate stuAfter finding production consuldent and paraprofessional at the ed, Williams said he began looking dried extract was reconstituted USF Center for Entrepreneurship, into the health studies on water- with water and given to hypertenn See MELON on PAGE 2

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POLICE

MELON

“The prosecutor’s office are looking for police to use it,” Jennings said. “They’ll have a smoking gun to either exonerate the officer or show wrongdoing.”

Though reduction in citizen complaints is expected, Jennings said there is an expected increase in internal complaints.

“Now that they review the video, supervisors may find deficiencies in training,” he said.

“They review a domestic violence call and, all of a sudden, they see the officer skipped step one, two and three.”

Though the final results are still a few months away, Florida cities, such as Miami and Fort Myers, are beginning to issue cameras to their police forces.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has no current plans to equip officers, according to an article in the Tampa Tribune.

USF University Police (UP) Assistant Chief Chris Daniel said UP is “watching the landscape” to see how effective the cameras are for other agencies.

tants, Williams said he still had to find money for a production facility. To do so, he entered Aquamelon Water in startup business competitions.

“We won the USF Fintech Business Plan Competition, the first place prize there was $20,000,” he said. “We were state first runnerup at the Florida Venture Forum, we brought back the College of Business’ first trophy.”

Williams said he also looked to USF College of Business advisers for help. He was introduced to Wendy Plant, former program director of USF Connect, who helped him develop market strategies.

After collecting data from customer surveys and other sources, Williams said Aquamelon Water was liked most for its authentic watermelon flavor.

“Folks have told me they feel like they’re sitting on a hill with a wedge of watermelon and the kids spitting seeds out in the grass,” he said.

The product was also marketed as hydrating and replenishing to athletes after a workout.

Continued from PAGE 1

Continued from PAGE 1

While it is still not on shelves, Williams said a Clearwater production facility will stock 25 clients within the next week.

One establishment that has already agreed to sell Aquamelon Water is Little Greek, a Mediterranean restaurant near USF on Fowler Avenue.

“Why would I sell it? Because it’s like a fresher alternative to soda or anything like that,” Little Greek manager Austin Polk said.

In his recent research, Williams said he found Florida produces the most watermelons in the nation, and its citrus production continues to decrease due to disease. The production of oranges decreased 6 percent from 2013, according to the Department of Agriculture.

“That’s where we see ourselves: being a nationally distributed brand that represents the other fruit that Florida grows,” Williams said.

Though starting up a business with a brand new product is no easy task while earning a master’s degree, Williams said he didn’t do it alone.

“One of the most important things that I would tell anybody to do is get good mentors,” Williams said. “Get good mentors and get a good team.”

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SG revamps legal services

By Roberto Roldan M A N A G I N G

E D I T O R

Student Government (SG) has revamped its legal services this semester to offer more help to students who need legal consultation or someone to defend them in a parking ticket appeal.

The legal aid service, which provides students a free consultation session with a Tampa Bay attorney, has been expanded from a once-monthly event to one that takes place three times a month.

Alex Johnson, SG attorney general, said the event was expanded to the first, second and third Friday of every month to give students quicker access to local attorneys.

“We saw with a lot of students that they have very time sensitive issues: they need advice ASAP,” Johnson said. “So we bumped it up now to three times a month.”

SG is also attempting to extend its parking appeals services to reach more students.

If a student receives a ticket he thinks he was given unjustly, Johnson said he can schedule to meet with him one-on-one to discuss his case and go over specific parking guidelines.

“The laws are straightforward, but there are rules and guidelines that only pertain in certain situations, or there are certain exceptions,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of helpful to have someone who is looking through those guidelines on a regular basis and is able to decipher those little things that can make or break a case.”

When looking to make an appeal, students generally have three options: submit a written appeal to USF Parking and Transportation Services, give a five minute oral argument in person or have Johnson represent them in an oral appeal.

Johnson said regardless of whether students want to defend themselves in the appeals pro-

cess, they should meet with him beforehand to go over their case.

“If they feel more comfortable representing themselves and adding more of their personal story to it, then I can still help them build their case,” he said.

Johnson can also help students appeal SG statutes and budgetary issues before the SG Supreme Court.

“If a student feels there is some unjust part of a statute or the rules of an election, they can do the same thing they do for parking appeals: come get a consultation from me and then take the case to the Supreme Court,” he said.

Daniel Christopher, solicitor general for SG, also offers legal services. Students who schedule an appointment with Christopher and bring a stateissued ID and their student ID can get forms notarized free of charge.

In addition to his notary services, Christopher said he also educates students on the legalities surrounding notary publics.

“A lot of times, people who are notary publics will not practice integrity,” Christopher said.

“They’ll just charge you their own rate, whereas the law says clearly they can only charge you so much.”

This semester, Johnson said SG will focus on promoting legal services to students.

“The number of students that I’ve had so far has been pretty low,” Johnson said. “I think if a lot of students knew there is a place where you can get consultation on parking ticket appeals, that number would increase dramatically.”

Both Johnson’s and Christopher’s services are advertised on the SG Web page, sg.usf.edu, where students can find their office hours and contact information.

Students can also schedule appointments for parking appeals consultations and legal aid on the SG website via a Google Document.

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BULLS BIKER CLUB INVITES FELLOW FREE SPIRITS

By Jillian Olsen C O R R E S P O N D E N T

The feeling of the open road while driving a car is nothing compared to the same sensation from behind the handlebars of a motorcycle.

Those who ride find there is no better sense of freedom than being liberated from the metal walls of a vehicle with the wind whipping past you.

Bikers find riding to be an individualistic leisure activity, as well as one that comes with a great sense of community.

A staff member at the USF Alumni Association, Kevin Floyd is president of USF’s

Bulls Biker Club and is looking to establish his organization as more of a co-ed fraternity.

“You have to be proud of

“It’s not about looking cool. It’s about being safe.”

Kevin Floyd Bulls Biker Club President

where you’re from,” Floyd said. “Just like any other biker club or community they’re pretty passionate about whatever city they’re from and we’re from USF.”

Interested students can sign up on OrgSync or check out the club’s Facebook page. ORACLE PHOTO / ADAM MATHIEU

This mentality has spread to other members of the club as well.

“It’s a nice sense of community with motorcyclists in general,” said Jon Gravenstreter, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and treasurer of the club. “They don’t even have to own a motorcycle, they can just enjoy bikes.

It’s nice to have that kind of similar interest and I think that’s what kind of brings motorcyclists together.”

The Bulls Biker Club appeared on campus in 2009, created by Justin Moses and Hamed Mizaei. The club’s main goal is to promote biker safety and awareness, not only at USF, but also around the Tampa Bay area.

“It’s not about looking cool,” Floyd said. “It’s about being safe.”

The club’s motto is, “All the gear, all the time.” They strive to have their members achieve top safety by riding in full gear, including a helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and closed-toe shoes.

The progress of the Bulls Biker Club can be widely seen across campus through their education of both riders and non-riders. Gravenstreter emphasizes the necessity to “look twice, save a life.”

“People won’t pay attention when they are changing lanes,” Granvenstreter said.

“I’d say, every day I have at least one close encounter with a car.”

The Bulls Biker Club puts a lot of focus on biker safety; their motto is, “All the gear all the time.” ORACLE PHOTO / ADAM MATHIEU While the club often takes a serious focus, they do have a more adventurous side. The club functions on a member interest basis, and its members attend rallies and rides around Florida.

This past year they attended a Christmas in July Toy Run, Bike Week and Leesburg Bikefest. Upcoming events include Biketoberfest and a group ride to the USF vs. UCF football game.

Floyd said if this year’s ride to UCF is anything like rides in the past, it should be promising.

“Last year some of our members went out to the UCF

game,” Floyd said. “They both rode Harleys and they pulled up next to where a bunch of UCF fans (were) hazing some Bulls fans that were there, and they pulled up on their Harleys, and they’re wearing all their Bulls stuff and the UCF fans just stopped.”

The Bulls Biker Club meets twice a month: once in the Marshall Student Center and once off campus. Room numbers and off-campus locations will be determined and posted on their Facebook page near each meeting’s date.

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Opinion

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EDITORIAL

Students deserve better access to food assistance

It’s not uncommon for college students to hunt under beds and in pockets to scrape together enough change for ramen or macaroni and cheese. What was once seen as a rite of passage for students is now a sign of changing times as many students are going hungry to afford an education.

In its quadrennial report, the national food bank network Feeding America found 10 percent of its clients, across 200 food banks, are students and 31 percent of households reportedly had to choose between paying for education or food.

Even student athletes, who often receive a large amount of scholarship money, have complained about lacking money for food in college. In April, former University of Connecticut basketball player Shabazz Napier made national headlines when he said he would sometimes go to bed starving despite having a meal plan provided by the university.

A recent survey conducted by Western Oregon University found 59 percent of its students are going hungry. The hunger crisis that is seen in U.S. colleges could be explained by the growing

number of non-traditional students. No longer is the student population comprised entirely of 18- to 22-year-olds being supported by their parents.

In its 2013 trend report, The Lawlor Group, a higher education marketing and research firm, predicted a 16 percent increase in enrollment of students between 25 and 34, as well as 17 percent of students 35 and older between 2013 and 2020.

Many of these students are not only supporting families but also working multiple jobs, with 80 percent of them clocking an average of 19 hours a week, according to a survey by Citigroup.

Including savings, loans and income, most parents can only afford to contribute to 37 percent of a student’s education, leaving the rest up to loans or the student. Covering the cost of an education doesn’t leave much for food and some schools are not really helping the situation.

First year residents at USF are required to purchase a meal plan, which ranges in price between $1,500 and $1,725 for the fall semester alone. The cost of a meal plan is in addition to the Office of Financial Aid’s estimat-

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the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

Editor in Chief: Alex Rosenthal ............................ oracleeditor@gmail.com Managing Editor: Roberto Roldan .................. oraclemeditor@gmail.com News Editor: Wesley Higgins ......................... oraclenewsteam@gmail.com Sports Editor: Vinnie Portell ........................ oraclesportseditor@gmail.com Lifestyle Editor: Courtney Combs .......... oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com Opinion Editor: Brandon Shaik ....................... oracleopinion@gmail.com Copy Editors: Grace Hoyte, Grace Korley Multimedia Editor: Adam Mathieu Graphic Arts Manager: Chelsea Stulen

ed $3,205 in tuition and fees and $4,700 in room and board per semester.

It doesn’t help that, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families, most students are ineligible to receive most food assistance benefits unless they are working 20 hours a week, physically or mentally unfit or a single parent.

Student hunger is a serious issue and one that is going unnoticed. Schools should not require students to indebt themselves further for the sake of purchasing meal plans that are often overpriced.

Better focus needs to be placed on campus food pantries, and students should be encouraged to take advantage of the resources available to them.

As a college degree becomes a precondition to almost every job in a nation that is coming out of the worst recession in decades, there should not be a question as to why students are going hungry. What should be questioned is how those students can be helped, and now is the time to start acting.

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T H E O R AC L E

What you said Opinion Editor Brandon Shaik asked students what they thought about the newly announced iWatch by Apple.

“I wouldn’t buy it because the iPhone is enough for me and my lifestyle doesn’t require it. Maybe in the future when my life is a little more fast-paced I will.”

— Rucha Tandel, a junior majoring in civil engineering “I would wear it if it was more attractive. I think it will make it easier to not have to carry a wallet and would be beneficial for people who don’t work out in the gym.” ­— Andrea Hormaza, a sophomore majoring in biomedical science

“I would buy it; it would be a simpler means of communication.”

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

— Josh Tirotta, a junior majoring in theater

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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“I like the concept of it but it would have to be more durable for me to want to wear it.”

— Erica Houdyshell, a sophomore majoring in cellular biology

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Men’s Soccer

Baldin uses upbringing to bond Bulls

Lucas Baldin has worn the number 10 on his jersey his whole life, including his four years at USF. Baldin scored three goals this season, all of them coming in a two-game span in the first week of the season. ORACLE PHOTOS/TONY GORDON (LEFT) AND ADAM MATHIEU (RIGHT)

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

Lucas Baldin and his father had been practicing for hours. As his father rolled soccer balls for him to kick, tears began streaming down the 8-year-old’s face.

“Dad, I don’t want to do this anymore,” Baldin said. “I’m tired.”

Amid his tears, Baldin didn’t realize how much he would later appreciate that memory.

The two went for ice cream after practice, and the next day — gameday — he scored within moments.

“I hit it perfectly, top corner, two seconds into the game,” Baldin said.

For Baldin, now a senior midfielder at USF, that memory illustrates how diligence and family support can translate into fulfilling rewards.

He and his father, Emerson, began practicing Futsal, an indoor version of soccer, when he was 4 years old. They continued going to the pitch nearly every day until he was 11.

Baldin developed his country’s passion for soccer, saying Brazilians are competitive and

intense when it comes to the sport, and he is no exception.

When he was old enough to go to school, he said he would daydream during class about playing soccer.

Every Saturday and Sunday, Baldin and his father would get to the games an hour early to kick around the ball. His dad worked with him tirelessly, pushing him to achieve his potential.

He embraces a similar mindset as USF’s team captain, encouraging his teammates in various ways to do their best. “(Baldin) is a good example for the younger guys,” senior defender Wesley Charpie said.

“He comes out, he does what he needs to do and the team can learn from that.”

In addition to leading by example, Baldin communicates with his teammates to help them reach their potential.

“You have different guys with different kinds of motivations,” Baldin said. “I learned how to talk to them. Some guys can take it a little bit harder, some guys like to be built up.”

Baldin has played around the world, which has helped him become a more effective com-

municator.

The Taubate, Brazil native moved to Mexico with his family when he was 13 years old. That’s when soccer became serious for him, he said.

Baldin played for the Cruz Azul Futbol Club’s Under-17 and -20

“(Baldin) is able to merge the team, With him, we have 12 other nationalities on the team, and he’s able to blend with all of them, which helps bring everybody together.”

George Kiefer USF men’s soccer coach

squads. He later played for the Deportivo Toluca Futbol Club’s Under-20 team for two seasons.

Now, the 23-year-old has a business economics degree from USF and is working on his master’s in marketing.

As Baldin traveled the world, he proudly carried the No. 10 jer-

sey everywhere.

“In Brazil, everybody says the number 10 has a weight on it because some very good players played with the number 10,” Baldin said.

Players such as his idols, Kaka and Zinedine Zidane.

“All my life, I’ve been playing with the number 10,” Baldin said.

“It was something that was built up with me. I love wearing it. I feel comfortable wearing it. I know it’s mental, but in soccer, numbers are important to players.”

Baldin has played in three different countries and has become fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English, making it easier to communicate with the various nationalities on his team. “(Baldin) is able to merge the team,” coach George Kiefer said.

“With him, we have 12 other nationalities on the team, and he’s able to blend with all of them, which helps bring everybody together.”

Though Baldin was out last season with an injury, he still helped keep his team together as the Bulls went on to win the AAC Championship.

During the summer, Baldin had groin and lower abdomen sur-

gery. He worked through the rehabilitation program to be in shape for the start of the season.

In USF’s home-opener against Akron on Sept. 4, Baldin scored two goals, one of which came in the final 30 seconds of double overtime to win the match. His parents were there to share the moment.

“My parents hadn’t seen me play in two or three years, so it was very special for me to have them here to watch me play and to support me,” Baldin said. “For me to be able to score the winning goal, that was super special.

I couldn’t describe it. It was absolutely an amazing feeling … They were really proud of me because of the goals and also because of the way I was pushing myself after the surgery.”

Baldin was named AAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first week of the season and is trying to propel his team to another AAC Championship, like his father pushed him during those days at the Futsal pitch.

Baldin and the Bulls (2-2) will host Brown (2-2) at Corbett Stadium on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.