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The Oracle WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015 I VOL. 52 NO. 64

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The Index

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

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

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Less typing, more writing

Inside this Issue

L I F ESTYLE

Architecture students design art with function.

Page 4

Montage

Note taking study shows putting away laptops makes for better learning. n

S PORTS Davis looks to stand out in Shrine Game.

BACK

By Wesley Higgins N E W S

E D I T O R

Depending on a student’s interest in a teacher’s lecture, laptops are a tool for transcription or a distraction. Since teachers can’t see whether a student is taking notes

or typing jokes on social media, some instructors ban laptops with the goal of removing the opportunity for diversion.

Now, however, the motivation for banning laptops in class is changing.

Some USF professors are applying research from Princeton University that shows taking handwritten notes, as opposed to a computer, likely increases a student’s capacity to absorb and think critically about the information they are learning.

Jameson Hayes, an advertising

professor, is one such teacher who has banned laptops this semester in all of his undergraduate classes.

“I need students to be able to think critically and problem solve,” he said. “If students are in the classroom taking notes, while they may take more notes, they tend to take down the lecture verbatim instead of processing it.”

In the Princeton study, researchers tested two groups of 67 students on retention and comprehension after taking notes in a classroom. Though the group that used a computer wrote more

words, the students who took notes by hand digested the information better.

The higher learning attributed to handwritten notes, according to a Scientific American article, is attributed to different modes of cognitive processing.

“Taking notes by hand forces the brain to engage in some heavy mental lifting,” the article stated.

“Faster typing speeds allow students to transcribe a lecture word for word without devoting much thought to the content.”

state of women’s sports in the U.S. “I’m going to be very honest with you,” Johnson said. “Women’s sports are still in a very fragile state.

“We, collectively, should use this event to explore, collaborate and communicate to society through print media, through our networks and any way we can with why women’s sports are important in developing strong, responsible and confident women.”

Johnson, a Pennsylvania native, painted the picture of her experience as a cheerleader at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois and spoke about her daughter, Paige, who is a champion equestrian.

Johnson’s experience with sports eventually led to her to purchase a percentage of the Mystics, Wizards and Capitals in 2005, which she called “an extraordinary

experience.”

“I have watched men who have owned teams all these years and it’s like the biggest badge of courage for them,” she said. “I just love being up in the owner’s box as a woman with all those men up there.”

Johnson also played a major role with several women’s basketball events, such as Tampa’s successful 2019 bid for the NCAA Women’s Final Four where she spoke to the selection committee on the city’s behalf.

Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins, a USF alumnus, attributed Johnson’s support as one of the main reasons Tampa was chosen to host.

“The way Sheila really combined her passion for women’s basketball, her passion for Tampa Bay and her passion for student-

athletes and business … really was able to bring it home for us,” Higgins said.

Johnson said she does it because she believes athletics contributes to the betterment of all women.

“Sports help women truly grow on a personal and emotional level.

It helps them evaluate their competition and, most crucially, to evaluate themselves,” she said. “It helps them evaluate their dreams and not the dreams of someone else.”

The lecture series, hosted by the USF Sports and Entertainment Management Program and sponsored by Fox Sports Florida and the Tampa Bay Lightning, continues today at 4 p.m. with Don Marinelli, co-founder of Entertainment Technology Center. Then, at 7 p.m., David Falk, considered the most influential basketball agent in sports history, will conclude the

n See WRITING on PAGE 2

Female sports billionaire makes way in man’s world

By Jeff Odom S T A F F

W R I T E R

Sheila Johnson spent a lifetime breaking the entrepreneurial glass ceiling through which no other African-American woman had ever shattered.

Johnson is the first — and only — African-American woman billionaire. She is also the first to have a stake of ownership in three professional sports franchises: the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

But rather than touting her credentials during a speech Tuesday night in the USF Sports and Entertainment Lecture Series, Johnson shined light on a different issue for the hundreds of audience members filling the Marshall Student Center’s Oval Theatre: the

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Hayes said he noticed that some of his students in previous semester were only learning the definitions and parroting back the answers when it came time to take the test.

“If I said, ‘what’s the definition of this?’ then a student may be able to tell me what I said in class, but they can’t explain or apply that concept,” he said. “(A teacher) needs to ask ‘how do you explain this concept?’”

Not every student would be happy if his or her laptops are taken away, like Cassandra Clermont, a sophomore majoring in business finance, and Kiana Burns, a junior majoring in international studies.

“A laptop is something that is essential in the 21st century, especially if you do not have the textbook with you in class,” Clermont said.

“I have an acting class in which technology is prohibited so that we are able to meet and interact with other students,” Burns said.

“However, in a lecture class where the teacher speaks very fast, I would understand why it would

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be easier to use a laptop.”

However, some students wouldn’t mind taking class notes by hand, such as Paige Kieffer, a junior majoring in health science.

“Typing is simply a routine for me,” Kieffer said. “But handwriting actually helps me to read and remember what I learned.”

found that students engage more and internalize the information if the computer is not there,” he said.

The millennial generation is the first generation to grow up with the Internet and therefore has always had easy access to far more information than any other

stand the topic conceptually, then all they do is take the word from whoever they got it from online, as opposed to thinking through what is said and making their own judgments.”

Much of this reliance on expecting questions that can be answered with either “true or

“This generation knows how to go out and find content better than any generation before.

But if they don’t understand the topic conceptually, then all they do is take the word from whoever they got it from online, as opposed to thinking through what is said and making their own judgments.”

Jameson Hayes USF advertising professor

When Hayes implemented a policy to disallow laptops at the start of this semester, he said his students were fine with the policy and understood his reasoning.

Though it’s only two weeks into the semester, he said he’s noticed improved engagement in the classroom. However, he said there are some downsides.

“They could be Googling to expand on what I’m saying, but I

generation.

Another problem is whether immediate access to answers hinders students from trying to solve questions themselves, as if the Internet is a collective brain doing all the work instead of the individual.

“This generation knows how to go out and find content better than any generation before,” he said. “But if they don’t under-

false” or “multiple choice” comes from the education system’s overreliance on standardized testing, Hayes said, with too much emphasis on answering questions and not enough on asking questions.

“You can multiple choice that word for word, but you don’t understand the concept and how to apply it,” he said. “You tend to lose some of that problem-solving

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ability.”

To Hayes, an ideal classroom is one with back-and-forth discussion where students asks questions and challenge the teacher.

This is harder to do when students are huddled behind laptops.

This type of environment teaches students to learn how to think, Hayes said — an intangible skill that cannot be easily graded.

“When you get to the real world, it’s not going to be a rubric world,” he said. “A boss may give you some guidance, but they’re going to expect you to be able to think.”

Though closing the laptop and taking handwritten notes is a good step to fostering this type of higher-conceptual learning, Hayes said it then falls to the teacher to ask questions on tests that have the student apply those concepts, such as asking students to write essays instead of filling in the blank.

“That’s what separates a high school diploma from a college diploma,” he said. “(A college graduate) is built to go out and create a career and run companies rather than simply being a lower level employee in those companies.”

Have a story idea or news tip?

Tell us by emailing oraclenewsteam@gmail.com or calling 813-974-1888

W E D N E S DAY, J A N U A RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

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Designing down to the last detail

By Brandon Shaik L I F E S T Y L E

E D I T O R

In the workshop of Alfonso Architects Inc. in downtown Ybor, graduate students from the USF School of Architecture and Community Design (SACD) work with steel, concrete, wood and other materials to create handcrafted pieces of furniture that are not only functional, but pricelessly stunning.

Detail Making 2014 is the current exhibit on display in the USF Centre Gallery and contains drawings, models and physical pieces of work designed by nine graduate students in the SACD program. The work was produced as part of a course by the same name, taught by professor Giancarlo Giusti.

The course focuses on the connection of materials and the systems created by the connection, a concept heavily emphasized in architectural design.

“It’s very easy to just place something, but if you now appreciate how things come together, it translates pretty well in architecture,” said Jesus Lopez, a third year graduate student in the SACD program.

Rarely do architecture students get the opportunity to work in real life scales or with actual building materials, both of which were primary components of this course.

“The course really enabled us to do things beyond just building with wood and whiteboards and other materials that you make models out of … I think working at a 1:1 scale and building something, as opposed to building a small model, really helps understanding what materials you can use and how you can apply it to architecture and building,” said Jenna Shawver, also a third year graduate student in the SACD program.

The semester began with an assignment to design a new staircase for the

cue house of the historic St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, for which the students designed and created small scale models, and one of the proposed designs was chosen.

For the remainder of the course, the students were given three core assignments, which compose the majority of the exhibit. With primary focus on the connection of the materials being used, the students were required to design and construct a chair, a lamp and either a table or a repurposed item.

Starting with drawings and designs, the students were permitted to utilize any materials they wished, including concrete, steel, wood, leather or any thing else they were able to obtain.

Additionally, each student was responsible for learning how to manipulate the materials to create their pieces.

“It was kind of hard at first; the teacher wanted you to make something beautiful, but he also wants you

to learn on your own,” Lopez said.

“You learn how to think about things this in-depth and you can create anything you want to once you start thinking like that.”

Aside from creating aesthetically intricate pieces of art, the students got hands-on experience with materials that are common in the design of architectural structures.

“It helped to understand. We built the chair out of steel, and you can actually hold the steel and see how much it weighs, you can apply that when you’re designing a building and understand if something’s realistic or not,” Shawver said.

After realizing that the pieces created in the course were more than just functional, Shawver worked with the Centre Gallery and her fellow classmates to organize the exhibit, which is on display until Friday and will have its closing reception from 7 to 9 p.m.

Each chair (left) in the Centre Gallery’s Detail Making 2014 exhibit was accompanied by computergenerated schematics and photographs of the design process from conception to completion. This staircase (center) was chosen to replace the existing staircase in the cue house of the historic St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. Each student was required to design a lamp (right), such as this one by third year graduate student Jesus Lopez composed of steel and concrete.

ORACLE PHOTO/BRANDON SHAIK

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DOUBTERS

Continued from PAGE 8

Louis.

In addition to taking his regular reps as receiver in practice, Davis has also been utilized on special teams during punt and kickoff drills, something he has not done since his sophomore season under former Bulls coach Skip Holtz, in 2012.

“Being out here and learning from the coaches, the coaches know some good stuff and they’re teaching some good stuff,” Davis said. “So I’m picking up on it quick and learning actually how to go about it.”

In the end, for Davis, it’s all about achieving a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. On Saturday at 4 p.m., before a national television audience at Tropicana Field, he hopes to take another step toward making it a reality.

“Anything can happen in the draft process,” Davis said. “All you need is one team to draft you. I’m really not worried about any of the mock drafts or what people are saying and stuff like that. I’m just going to come out here day in and day out, work hard, and hopefully, I’ll get a chance.

Davis has established himself as one of the greats among USF receivers, accumulating 12 receiving records. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

East West Shrine Game

East vs. West When: Saturday, 4 p.m.

Where: Tropicana Field, St. Pete Tickets: $15, call (813) 281-8642 or shrinegame.com TV/Radio: NFL Network, WDAE 620-AM

BULLS

Continued from PAGE 8

are wary of a second half of the season reminiscent of the Bulls’ dismal December display last season, when they went just 2-7.

“We are much better than we were last year,” sophomore point guard Laura Marcos Canedo said. “Everything is coming together just how it’s supposed to.”

USF has lost only three games this season, by an average of 8.3 points, with only one loss — St. John’s (13-3, 4-1) — occurring at home. Since then the Bulls have beaten their opponents by an average of 18.4 points per game, with a perfect conference record so far.

“I think we’re doing better this year because we’ve beaten higher-caliber teams,” sophomore center Katelyn Weber said. “We’ve put ourselves on the map with our non-conference schedule and have shown we have what it takes to win in big games.”

Even with their high-scoring offense, the Bulls look to

Coach Jose Fernandez and the Bulls made their way back into the top 25 of the Coaches’ Poll after beating conference foe Temple on Sunday. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU improve their defensive presence in the latter half of the season.

“It starts on the defensive side of the ball,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “If we keep playing like we have been, then there’s no reason this team can’t

make a deep run in March.”

USF will take on SMU in the Sun Dome at 7 p.m. and then head back on the road to face No. 2 UConn (14-1, 4-0) on Saturday in Storrs, Connecticut at 1 p.m.

Opinion

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EDITORIAL

No news is not good news, even if depressing word hashtag.

More importantly, though, is why someone would commit willful ignorance, as other commenters noted, to save themselves the trouble of being empathetic, if that truly can be called a problem.

That’s not to say news sources aren’t pressed for space for depressing stories. Every day there is a new death to be reported in the local papers, and often it’s a gruesome story of accidental death or murder.

On a larger scale, the news exposes the country to terrorist attacks that resulted from free speech causing offense, to the stories of unarmed black men and children who were killed by police officers and to the growing problem of gun violence in the country’s schools. The instantaneous access to disturbing photos and videos doesn’t make the news any easier to digest, either.

As much as these occurrences may cause people to want to cut ties from the media outlets that draw attention to them, doing so doesn’t allow anyone to get anything out of the circumstances surrounding them other than the satisfaction of not experiencing unpleasant feelings.

The saying “no news is good news” is beginning to resonate in an area where it largely shouldn’t, as some news readers take the phrase a little too literally when it comes to being aware of today’s current events.

However, this particular avoidance of the news doesn’t just stem from a lack of interest in jogging to keep up with the headlines of a changing world. Rather, it’s inspired by a fear of upsetting oneself from reading the more depressing stories.

A columnist at the L.A. Times recently explored the internal struggle readers may have in wanting to be knowledgeable about the day’s news and feeling it causes too much grief, noting comments to a Facebook post on the subject, which included one person who “feel(s) the suffering in the world too much.” Others commented that they need to have strength to read the news or said they avoid it to keep their sanity intact.

First, one might wonder how it’s even possible to avoid current events in the first place, as anyone who uses social media can either see some form of news stories in a “trending” box alongside the page or see them translated into a two-

the Oracle

Though the news is often loaded with doom and gloom, the people who create or consume the news have a social responsibility to learn from the tragedies and prevent such incidences from happening in the future.

To avoid the news, and in turn avoid the human response it may cause, raises a barrier between social events that arise and subsequent social change. There would be no support of causes, such as those which have become recognizable by the few words “Yes All Women,” “Black Lives Matter” or “Je suis Charlie,” without first having an awareness of them.

One of the questions the L.A. Times column poses is how much people are responsible for being conscious of current events.

Avoiding the problematic or the depressing doesn’t make either disappear, even if they are not within close proximity, and the problems that inspire saddening news are what should, ideally, inspire people to want to know more about the world in which they live. While interest in these events may not necessarily become a maintained, personal responsibility, it is something that should be worth sacrificing personal calm.

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What you said Assistant editor Sebastian Contento asked students about their thoughts about using laptops in the classroom.

“I prefer not using laptops because handwriting is something more natural, and I have more control over my notes.”

— Brent Kitiratanasumpun, a freshman currently undecided

“Unless I needed to look at a PowerPoint, people will be lazy and use their laptops for other things in class.” ­— Gabe Rangel, a sophomore currently undeclared “It all depends on the teacher and course material, so using technology during a long lecture would be beneficial because it wouldn’t consume as much writing space in a laptop.”

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: Brandon Shaik .............. oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com Opinion Editor: Isabelle Cavazos ...................... oracleopinion@gmail.com Copy Editors: Grace Hoyte, Caitlin Lochner Multimedia Editor: Adam Mathieu Assistant Editors: Sebastian Contento, Jacob Hoag, Polly Snover Graphic Arts Manager: Luke Blankenship

— Harold Major, a junior majoring in marine biology

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

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“I prefer handwriting because it is like a click in my brain; I have to see it and then do it.”

— Tara Giovannone, a junior majoring in electrical engineering

Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds HELP WANTED Gymnastics and/or Swim Instructors Needed Must Love Kids & Be Enthusiastic!

Call 813.264-5000

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.

CLINICAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT Full-time for New Tampa clinical research center.

Must have good computer and multi-tasking skills.

Email resume: careers@jaeb.org EOE M/F/V/D/DFWP. Email careers@jaeb.org Happy New Year!

Start the year off with a new job! We are seeking part-time customer service reps.

Make your own schedule working 13-22 hours per week! $13.50/hr starting, plus daily and weekly bonuses!

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Gain science experience and work around classes. Experience not necessary. Work minimum 20 hours M-F, 8 am - 5 pm. $9/ hr. E-mail work schedule availability and resume to hr@randglabs.com.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS Large Mini Storages Available We currently have a great rental special for any USF student looking for storage space , we have sizes that range from 10 x 10 ‘s at $75.00 per month, 10 x 18’s that is located within 3 miles of the school. We are located on Busch Boulevard and can accommodate your storage needs. Give us a call at 813.931.0948

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Notebook

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Football

Women’s basketball

USF adds Davis looks to silence ‘doubters’ USF hosts struggling threeSMU star DB

Three-star recruit Ronnie Hoggins. SPECIAL TO THE

ORACLE PHOTO/RIVALS.COM

By Vinnie Portell S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Monarch High School defensive back Ronnie Hoggins announced on his Twitter account Tuesday that he has committed to USF. Hoggins is ranked as the 14th best cornerback in the state and 86th best in the nation. The 5-foot10, 170-pound recruit received offers from TCU, Wisconsin, Louisville and Texas.

According to Rivals.com, Hoggins chose USF over his several other offers due to his strong connection with defensive line coach Eric Mathies, as well as USF’s proximity to home.

Hoggins, USF’s 15th recruit of the 2015 class, recorded 14 interceptions in his senior season at Monarch and runs a 4.59 40-yard dash, according to hudl.com.

Bell honored for record-tying jump After tying the USF record for long-jumping Friday at the Akron Pole Vault Convention Open, senior Kevin Bell was honored as the AAC Male Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.

Bell’s jump of 24-feet-7.25-inches, which tied Neaman Wise’s career-best jump in 2013, is two inches higher than his previous personal best, which he set last season.

Bell finished second in the meet, despite posting his careerbest jump.

Former USF receiver Andre Davis will play his final collegiate game in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday at Tropicana Field. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Jeff Odom S T A F F

W R I T E R

As practice for Saturday’s EastWest Shrine Game drew to a close Tuesday at St. Petersburg’s Shorecrest Preparatory School, former USF receiver Andre Davis casually stood near midfield.

It didn’t take long for scouts and personnel from several NFL teams to walk up one by one to chat with Davis, who responded to their presence by flashing a wide, toothy grin and making small talk.

Eventually, Davis was surrounded with them. Only his red practice jersey and short, mohawk-style haircut was visible to onlookers standing outside the scrum.

It’s the kind of attention that Davis, USF’s all-time leading receiver, hopes to get used to as he attempts to cement himself in the conversation for the NFL draft in May. “A lot of the scouts, they love me,” Davis said with a smile.

“They’ve been telling me I’m a great character kid. They hear

a number of great things about me from the staff at USF or from past people that have coached me at USF … They like my size and things like that — how I can possess the ball and stuff. They’re just telling me to keep doing what I’m doing and keep on working hard.”

Admittedly, Davis practiced with more confidence this week as he tries to separate himself from the likes of Michigan’s Devin Gardner and Maryland’s Darren Walker, among others.

So far, that extra swagger has paid off in Davis’ favor. On Monday, ESPN NFL reporter Cecil Lammey tweeted that Davis “might be the best player on the (Shrine Game’s) East team” and praised his ability to make flashy plays.

Davis, nicknamed Freakshow for his unbelievable ability to make catches, credited his natural desire to compete.

“Coming out here and seeing guys from LSU and Tennessee and all over, I just want to show that I belong and I can compete with the best of the best,” Davis said. “I feel like I’m among the best of the

best. … (There’s) definitely a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I have a lot of doubters, so I just want to come out here and compete and show what I can do.”

Davis isn’t alone in that assessment.

Gardner, who primarily played quarterback with the Wolverines for five seasons, said he believes the Tampa native and Jefferson High alumnus has the makeup of a solid player.

“If you ask me if I’d throw to him, yeah, I definitely would,” Gardner said.

While appreciative of the praise he has received, Davis isn’t letting it go to his head.

Six days a week, Davis said he goes to the fields at Skyway Park in Town ‘n’ Country or the training facility Performance Compound in Westshore for workouts at 8 or 9 a.m.

He said he has also been working with a nutritionist to maintain a healthy diet and regularly keeps in contact with coach Willie Taggart and his agent, Harold Lewis, who is based out of St.

n See DOUBTERS on PAGE 5

The Bulls head into their matchup with SMU on a sevengame win streak. ORACLE FILE

PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Zach Lowie S T A F F

W R I T E R

Boasting a seven-game win streak, USF’s efforts were praised by the USA Today Coaches’ Poll when it was awarded a No. 25 ranking in the poll’s latest edition Monday. Although featured earlier this season, a loss on the road to No. 8 Maryland (13-2, 4-0) quickly took the Bulls out of the top 25.

USF (13-3, 4-0) takes on SMU (4-11, 0-4) tonight, which is winless so far in conference play, losing by an average of 35.3 points per game. The last time the Bulls faced SMU, in March, the former came away with a 72-51 victory.

Even with USF’s recent success, members of the team

n See BULLS on PAGE 5