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T U E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 I V O L . 5 3 N O. 4 5 w w w. u s fo r a c l e. co m U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F LO R I DA T H E O R A C L E W I L L R E S U M E P U B L I C AT I O N T H U R S D AY, N O V. 1 2 , D U E T O T H E V E T E R A N S D AY H O L I D AY
Inside this Issue
A tale of two documents A comparison of the impeachment memo filed against four of the SG Supreme Court justices and a trial request submitted to the Court on the same day shows similar language. n
By Abby Rinaldi O PINIO N
Donald Trump flops on SNL, can’t “take the joke.” Page 6
Montage
S PORTS Former USF star hopes to reach NFL dream. BACK
A S S T .
N E W S
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The release of a trial request submitted by student body Vice President Michael Malanga and Student Government (SG) Chief Financial Officer Sandra Sawan Lara has raised some questions about the impeachment investigation currently surrounding four of the six SG Supreme Court justices, including Ranking Justice Milton Llinas and Associate Justice Chelsea Lo. In previous interviews with the Oracle, Chief Justice Lindsay Betros and Senior Justice Alec Waid talked about the — at points — verbatim wording found in the documents. The memo for impeachment was submitted by SG senators Megan Summers, Muhammad Imam, Aladdin Hiba and AlaEldean Elmunaier. However,
Waid and Betros doubt the senators who signed the memo wrote it. “The differences lie in the fact that malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, incompetence and
4:21 p.m. while the memo was submitted on the same day at 5:50 p.m. The Senate meeting, during which the memo was introduced, started at 6 p.m. The memo didn’t reach
“This shows clear collusion in an effort to attack the judicial branch. This type of language doesn’t happen on accident.” Alec Waid Senior Justice, Student Government Supreme Court
abuse of power were put into the impeachment memo because of the relevance to the blanket allegations,” Waid said. The trial request, Betros said, was recently released as a public record. Compared side by side, the documents have similarities not only in wording but in timing. The trial request was submitted to the Court Oct. 27 at
senators aside from its signees until after the meeting, which sparked efforts to postpone the creation of the committee, efforts that ultimately failed due to necessities in Senate procedure. The wording between the two documents is at points verbatim, while other places contain either paraphrased or slightly reworded passages. The memo does
by grassroots organization People United for Medical Marijuana through the campaign United For Care, which is not unfamiliar with the USF campus. A recent poll of registered voters in Florida conducted by Bay News 9 showed 62 percent of registered voters in college would vote to approve the amendment. Before the 2014 election, members of the campaign joined “students and other organizations on campus to show the public” the support the campaign has garnered. Orlando-based attorney John Morgan, a major supporter of the campaign, was featured in a question-and-answer session at the event. At the time of print, the amendment is not confirmed as part of the ballot, so there are no such rallies planned.
The Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, known as amendment 2, may be on the 2016 ballot, as the Florida Supreme Court is currently reviewing it ahead of the upcoming elections. In 2014, the Initiative failed on the ballot after getting 3 percent shy of the required supermajority vote (60 percent). Since then, United For Care has reworked its campaign to address criticism from opponents who argued minors could purchase medical marijuana without parental consent. The Bay News 9 poll revealed 56 percent of registered voters in high school — a majority of whom are minors in terms of the sale of alcohol, which may be a similar standard for marijuana sales — would approve the amendment. The new language in the
contain original writing, but the majority of the content refers to the instances and particulars discussed in the trial request. For example, point three of the trial request (paragraph four), contains 10 sentences, seven of which are reproduced either fully or partially in the impeachment memo and only one of those seven directly quoting SG statutes. The lead up to this quotation, however, was exactly the same in both documents. In another case, two of five verbatim sentences in the seventh paragraph of the trial request contained direct quotations of SG statutes. As with the previous quotation, the setup was the same in the memo and the trial request. The sentences were not rearranged in either of these instances. The impeachment memo
n See DOCS on PAGE 2
Legalization amendment adjusts, Bondi backs off By Grace Hoyte E D I T O R
I N
C H I E F
The strangers loitering around the Library and Cooper Hall with clipboards full of petitions for the legalization of medical marijuana may have given a small fist pump Monday when one of their biggest adversaries sidelined herself. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has remained outside of the discussion for adding the legalization amendment to the ballot next year, According to the Tampa Bay Times. “Based on the Court’s decision in 2014, I have not filed a legal challenge to the current amendment,” Bondi said in the Times’ article. “But my concerns with it are the same.” The amendment was proposed
amendment also clarifies that only specific conditions and “other debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to those enumerated,” according to the Times. Also according to the Bay News 9 poll, 72 percent of voters who listed “health care” as a top issue would approve the amendment. Additionally, the amendment was revised to include a provision for preventing drug dealers from easily obtaining caregiver cards by setting high qualification standards and enforcing annual background checks, according to the Times. With normally outspoken legalization adversary Bondi sitting this one out, United For Care will look forward to the Court’s ruling on the new language, and supporters of the amendment will keep their fingers crossed.
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contained at least 13 verbatim reproductions from the trial memo. Page five of the memo has at least one such instance in every paragraph except one. “This shows clear collusion in an effort to attack the judicial branch,” Waid said. “This type of language doesn’t happen on accident.” “We’re (going to) notice these things,” Betros said. Malanga said this is because the trial is based on the same allegations and the meetings where the alleged violations took place. The two groups noticed similar things, he said. “My trial isn’t about their impeachment, my trial is about denial of due process, but … I think that is the reason it’s (probably) similar,” Malanga said. “(The request) became public record (at) the moment I handed it in, and it was open to the public so I’m assuming that the senators had the opportunity to view it prior (to) submitting their impeachment letter.” When asked whether or not he thought it would be required for the senators to cite direct quotations from the trial request, he said he didn’t think so. Malanga said he saw the memo at about the time it was submitted. “I don’t think they need to cite it,”
Malanga said. “(The trial request is) not an authored work, it’s just a … public document that got submitted and I think they had access to it.” Betros, however, disagreed, saying the signature of the senators is them claiming the work as their own when it clearly borrows from the trial request. She said these similarities will be presented as evidence by the accused justices during the impeachment investigations. The charges against the justices include malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, incompetence and abuse of power, and the memo refers to two separate meetings concerning the Declaratory Judgement Panel (DJP) and the Judicial Review Panel (JRP). The first is the Oct. 20 meeting of the DJP, a meeting not mentioned in the trial request. The Court decided to both hear and make a ruling on the question “‘Does the 9th Amendment refer to a student’s USF system GPA or their overall GPA?’” per the memo. This decision, the memo states, was outside the Court’s constitutional limits, and “demonstrates incompetence in discharging their duties as members of the (DJP) and misfeasance in the actions
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taken by the (DJP).” In this case, “incompetence” refers to being unqualified for duty, and “misfeasance” refers to making a legal act in an illegal way. The Court was also said to have violated Title II Sunshine laws by deliberating in secret, which Betros and Waid both said is part of the deliberative secrecy doctrine that aims to protect judges from political pressure during deliberations. “No Court ever in the history of the (U.S.) has ever had their deliberations (made) public,” Betros said. “It’s to protect the integrity of the justices and the right to freely speak our minds without fear of political ramifications, so that’s why it’s such a sensitive topic for justices. “When you hear about a Supreme Court case, … you don’t hear about their justice’s deliberations. You hear about the trial proceedings — they’re open to the public — and you read the opinions. We’ve worked in the same way.” Finally, the memo said the DJP “broke statutes by mandating ‘further action’ in the ruling,” which purported to show abuse of power. This complaint was lodged against Betros, Waid and Lo. The next instance in question concerned the Oct. 23 meeting of the JRP where a request
vv See DOCS on PAGE 3
The memo that called for the creation of an impeachment committee shows similarities to a trial request submitted to the Student Government Supreme Court, which has the judges under investigation worried. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
CLARIFICATION
In Monday’s issue of the Oracle, an article incorrectly stated that USF’s Andros Village project would be constructed by 2017. In fact, the first half of the project will be complete by 2017, while the rest will be finished two years later, in 2019.
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calling for the removal of specific statutes that affected the composition of the Activity and Service Free Recommendation Committee (ASRC) was heard. The charges associated with this incident concerned Betros, Waid and Llinas. The memo — as well as the trial request — cited Article IV, Section I of the SG Constitution, which said the power of the Court is “‘to declare any act of the Student Government Association unconstitutional.’” Since an “act” is defined by Statute 103.4 as “‘A bill that has completely and successfully gone through the legislative procedure,’” the Court was acting out of its jurisdiction by ruling specific sections unconstitutional, according to the memo. “This demonstrates incompetence in discharging their duties as members of the (JRP) and misfeasance in the actions taken by the Panel,” the memo stated. In a section bearing heavy resemblance to the trial request,
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the memo said Betros did not release the agenda or public notice for the meeting until 1:27 p.m. for a meeting scheduled for 2:30 p.m. “Because of this, members of the executive branch and functional group, who were being effected were not given the opportunity to be heard and defend their stance to the Court,” the memo said in a sentence almost exactly identical to one in the trial request. The memo said this showed nonfeasance, incompetence, nonfeasance — not doing something that is legally or officially required — and lack of due process. In a paragraph mostly taken from the trial request, the memo said the justices showed incompetence, as they “did not fully understand ASRC or the ramifications that their decisions would carry.” The ramifications of the decision included the removal of Malanga and Sawan Lara from their seats on the committee, as stated in the trial request. Waid said he has a full understanding of ASRC, as he was previously on the committee as a senator. Llinas also said
he sat through the spring ASRC meetings as a senator. The memo claimed misfeasance and incompetence again in the fact that the Court doesn’t have the power to change the composition of ASRC. According to Statute 601.5, making that change requires a supermajority vote of the Senate. The final claim in the memo, also borrowing from the trial request, was the need for Llinas to recuse himself, as the request was submitted by Llinas’ roommate. “Due to the failure to disclose such information, all parties were not given relevant information to the question of recusal,” the memo and trial request stated. The memo cited this as evidence of nonfeasance, misfeasance and abuse of power, which is exerting power to influence other SG members. The memo does not mention the trial request as a source or inspiration. Sawan Lara and Summers both declined to comment, while Hiba, Imam and Elmunaier could not be reached for comment.
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USF 78, Eckerd 64
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Women’s soccer
Perry productive in return Bulls By Tiana Aument S T A F F
W R I T E R
Chris Perry is back. The junior forward quieted any doubts about his return after missing the final 13 games of this past season with a heart ailment by scoring a game-high 16 points in USF’s 78-64 exhibition win over Division II Eckerd College on Monday night “The jitters before the game weren’t as bad this go around since I had Jaleel (Cousins) and Bo (Zeigler) in the starting lineup with me,” Perry said. “So I think that was the biggest part of being comfortable.” Perry also added nine rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time. “We put a lot of work in over the summer, because we saw a lot of improvements that needed to be made from last year,” Perry said. “It looks pretty good so far.” The Bulls’ first points came from a Cousins dunk, fed by Perry. Perry later added one of his own.
DAVIS
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than USF. Although Bulls coach Willie Taggart didn’t recruit him, he now models his current prospects after his former star. “(Davis) is one of those kids that just loves the Bay Area and is one of those guys that we look for to go out and recruit now — the guys that really love their area and love their community,” Taggart said. As good as Davis felt he was — leaving USF holding 14 of the program’s receiving records — when the NFL draft rolled around in May, general managers didn’t see him in the same light. Davis was passed over by all 32 teams. Two hundred fifty-six other college standouts were deemed better than him by NFL teams, which gave Davis 256 reasons to prove them wrong. “It’s definitely a chip on your shoulder,” Davis said.
to host FGCU in tourney
Up next
vs. Troy, 8:30 p.m. Friday Where: Sun Dome TV/Radio: ESPN3, 820-AM Perry said it felt good to be back, but coach Orlando Antigua still saw room for improvement. “Today, he looked at the bench the one time and wanted to sub, and I said, ‘No, no, you have to stay out there. You have to push through,” Antigua said. “But I thought he did great.” Cousins, a senior, scored 14 points while going 4 of 4 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in 23 minutes. Three Bulls saw minutes for the first time at USF. Freshman point guard Jahmal McMurray, Gonzaga transfer Angel Nunez and Maryland transfer Roddy Peters combined for 31 points. USF shot 53 percent overall (28 for 52). Eckerd shot 32 percent. The Bulls open the regular season against Troy on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at home.
By Jeff Odom S P O R T S
USF junior forward Chris Perry goes up for a shot in the first half of the Bulls’ 78-64 win over Eckerd College in an exhibition game Monday. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
Davis got his shot as an Sr. said. “He put all he had into undrafted free agent with the the Bills, which he does with Buffalo Bills, who already had everything. But it really took a six receivers under contract. But lot out of him and he went into they wanted a little bit of a to give Davis a depression for shot to make about a week the 53-man or so. roster. “I asked A solid trainhim if there ing camp and was anything stellar predifferent you season, in could have which Davis done and he caught the said, ‘No, I game-winning put it all out touchdown in there.’” a victory over Nearly two the Browns, months rolled gave Davis by without hope he had much interest done enough to from teams. Andre Davis make the team. But the dream Former USF wide receiver But he didn’t never faded. last through the end of pre“I wasn’t too worried,” Davis season with the Bills. Davis was said. “I was kind of in a messy among the final cuts when the situation with the Bills. … It team trimmed its roster down wasn’t for me to be there, but I to the final 53 heading into the felt like I’d get another shot. It regular season. was more about when.” “He was real stressed,” Davis That’s what landed him back
“I love Tampa — growing up here, going to college here and growing up a Bucs fan. The opportunity is great, and I’ll make the most of it.”
home in Tampa Bay. After a workout that pitted Davis against another NFL hopeful vying for the team’s lone roster spot, Davis was finally back where he felt he belonged. “Being undrafted and then still feeling like (I) had a shot, I felt like I did what I needed to do to stay (in Buffalo),” he said. “But everything happens for a reason and I’m always going to have a chip on my shoulder just for those reasons.” When Davis jogs out to the practice fields at One Buc Place — just miles from the fields that got him started — he dons the No. 19 — the same one he idolized that January afternoon in the living room of his grandmother’s house. Only now, it bears his name. “I just wanted to make the best of the opportunity here in Tampa” Davis said. “I love Tampa — growing up here, going to college here and growing up a Bucs fan. “The opportunity is great, and I’ll make the most of it.”
E D I T O R
One day after being denied its first conference title in a penalty-kick defeat to Cincinnati, the USF women’s soccer team received some welcoming news: It will host a first-round match in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, welcoming Florida Gulf Coast to Corbett Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. “We are excited for our home game,” coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “It’s a great draw for us. They’re a tough opponent, but we’re just going to take this one game at a time.” It will be the third time the team has entered the tournament. USF (15-3-3) previously earned a bid in 2010 when it defeated Auburn in the first round before falling to Florida State. The Bulls also hosted a first-round match against Illinois State last year, but was eliminated in a 3-2 loss. FGCU (13-5-2) earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference title with a 5-0 victory over Lipscomb. “It’s Corbett Stadium and it’s where we want to be,” said Schilte-Brown, whose squad finished the regular season 6-0-1 at home. “We have the most amazing fan club in the country. “We know they’ll be out in full force and that’s important to us.” IF YOU GO
USF vs. FGCU
When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Where: Corbett Stadium Tickets: (800) 462-8557
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
the Oracle the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966
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SNL fails to deliver Breanne Williams COLU M N I ST
Donald Trump hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) this weekend amidst avid protests from those infuriated by Trump’s abundantly racist nature. Many protestors lined the street outside Rockefeller Center, picketing and baulking at the show’s decision to allow the GOP presidential candidate to host the show. Despite the complaints, SNL chose to stick with Trump, which is not surprising considering it is a comedy show and has been lobbing zingers at him for years. SNL is renowned for its political savvy, and having such a controversial host should have made for a fascinating performance. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As a devoted watcher of SNL, it is not hard to recall many instances where a politician was made the butt of a joke at Studio 8H. However, having a presidential candidate host is practically unheard of. In the 40 years it has aired, SNL has had only eight politicians as guest hosts. Of those, only one (Rev. Al Sharpton) was actively running for the presidential nomination. This election has been chockfull of controversy surrounding the major candidates, and having such a strongly opinioned contender front and center for 90 minutes should have made for comedy gold. Instead, viewers watched as cast members tiptoed around the candidate, avoiding anything and everything that could offend him. Trump declared he wanted to host to demonstrate he could “take a joke.” Unfortunately, SNL failed to provide a single one. The closest the show came to ruffling feathers was a skit set in 2018 in which Trump had won the election, defeated ISIS, built his glorious wall and made
T H E O R AC L E
What you said
Russian leader Vladimir Putin cry. During the skit, Trump is asked how he had been so successful, to which he replies, “Well, you know what? I don’t have to get specific. With me, it just works, you know, it’s magic.” Voters are well aware of Trump’s lack of a plan to back up any of his outlandish claims. SNL should have been dissecting his policy all night. Between his unsettling objectification of women, embarrassing lack of knowledge on foreign affairs, insulting outlook on those different from him and his insane plans to tackle immigration, SNL could have made Saturday’s broadcast one of the greatest of all time. But viewers were forced to watch 90 minutes of lackluster skits that bore no weight. His appearance brought SNL the highest ratings since January 2012. People were obviously ready to witness Mr. Ego himself get a taste of his own medicine. Disappointingly, Trump didn’t score a single memorable moment all evening. Instead, Larry David’s imitation of democratic candidate Bernie Sanders earned the only laughs of the night, making viewers question what happened. SNL has never been shy of embracing the eccentricities of candidates. Kate McKinnon called out Hillary Clinton for waiting to support key issues, Tina Fey highlighted the many outrageous statements made by Sarah Palin and Will Ferrell joked about the rash, passionate responses of George W. Bush. Saturday was a disappointment and left everyone feeling dissatisfied. If SNL is going to choose the walking epitome of a joke as a host, it should not be afraid to do its job and give the audience a laugh. Breanne Williams junior majoring in communications.
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USF’s football team is one win away from bowl game eligibility. Opinion Editor Breanne Williams asked students if they were going to Saturday’s game.
“I’m not. I’m busy every weekend, and I never go to games.” - Sharon Babu, a freshman majoring in biomedicine
“Yeah, I am going. I want to support the team.” - Cameron McLain, a senior majoring in mathematics
“No, I’m going to a concert in Orlando.” - Amanda Morris, a sophomore majoring in business
“I’m not (going) because I have to work, but I would if I wasn’t.” - Matthew Sherlip, a senior majoring in mathematics
Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
To place a classified ad go to HELP WANTED Gymnastics & Swim Instructors & Gymnastics Boys Team Coach Must love kids and be enthusiastic! Contact: 813.264-5000 or tpalafleurs@aol.com APTS & HOUSES FOR RENT
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INSIDE SPORTS
USF women’s soccer earns NCAA Tournament berth
Find out who they’re playing on Page 4 ●
T H E O R AC L E
The Rundown Outside USF
‘The Kid’ is eligible for Hall of Fame Ken Griffey Jr. was among 15 newcomers named to the 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released Monday. Griffey, a 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, hit Griffey Jr. 630 home runs during his 22-year career with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox. Joining the unanimous 1997 AL MVP are familiar names like Trevor Hoffman and Mike Lowell, along with holdovers from the Steroid Era like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. A vote of at least 75 percent from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America is needed for election to the Hall. Results will be announced in January.
Out to prove
he belongs
Friendly reunion? CBS Sports put forth an interesting scenario in its latest postseason projections: USF vs. Louisiana Tech in the St. Petersburg Bowl. The matchup would pin the Bulls against former coach Skip Holtz, who was fired following the 2012 season.
Quote of the day “You’re not about to sit up here and sell a Whopper at a McDonald’s.” — Carolina Pan-
ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
Andre Davis hopes to make the most of his chance with hometown Bucs By Jacob Hoag A S S T .
S P O R T S
E D I T O R
More than a decade before realizing his dream of playing in the NFL, before he shattered thers quarterback Cam Newton USF records, before he donned on why he tore a fan’s Green Bay the nickname “Freak Show,” a young Andre Davis sat in the livPackers banner off the wall at Bank of America Stadium on Sun- ing room of his grandmother’s house. day. The fan filed a complaint to While Davis vwatched the police, but the team said Newton Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2001 will reach out to the fan’s family. wild-card playoff game with his family, a red Keyshawn Johnson MEN’S SOCCER jersey— the Bucs’ leading receivConnecticut at USF er that year — rested on his shoulders with No. 19 printed When: Friday, 7 p.m. across the back in pewter. It was Where: Corbett Stadium a gift from his parents. Tickets: (800) 462-8557 That moment, captured by
his grandmother in a photograph, was relived shortly after the former USF standout signed with his hometown team. It was something he had been dreaming of for as long as he could remember. Davis, who was signed to the Bucs’ practice squad on Oct. 27, has lived in Tampa his entire life. From age 10, he began evolving from a young buck learning the intricacies of the game as part of the Town ‘n’ Country Packers to an up-and-coming NFL receiver without having to stray far from his hometown. “All he knows is Tampa,” said his father, Andre Davis Sr. “We’ve always lived in Tampa, never relocated. We’re just Tampa peo-
ple. “That’s all we know.” Instead of letting distractions overtake him as a kid, Davis turned to football, where he was turned loose and began wreaking havoc on opposing defenses from his very first snap. “He’s always been a go-getter and a hard worker,” the elder Davis said. “His first year, at about 10 years old, they put him in against the first string defense, and the quarterback always wanted to throw to Andre. “Andre wasn’t that tall, but they’d have him run a route, and he’d catch the ball over the defense, and his team would be like, ‘Ohhh.’” Transitioning from the Tampa
Bay Youth Football League, Davis starred at Jefferson High — just west of what would eventually be his all-too familiar home in Raymond James Stadium. It was there that the 6-foot1, homegrown talent began to make his name. A three-time All-State selection, Davis amassed 3,158 yards (19.3 per catch) and 40 touchdowns in his three-year career. He led the Dragons to the Class 3A state championship in 2010, where they were victorious over Miami Norland. When National Signing Day came, Davis had little intention of leaving Tampa. There was no other place he would rather play
n See DAVIS on PAGE 4