11-3-16

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November 3, 2016 Vol. 54 No. 22

Hillsborough: the purple county Page 3

It’s just a Starbucks cup Page 4

Campus Rec hosts horse camping trip Page 6

2016 basketball preview edition INSIDE

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the Oracle the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

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NEWS

The purple county UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Hillsborough County’s swing status makes it a power player in election

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It’s almost an even split.

Within Hillsborough County’s 1,266 square miles live almost 850,000 registered voters: more than 335,000 democrats, more than 260,000 republicans and just fewer than 250,000 non-party affiliated.

Voting graphs of Hillsborough show a big blue middle with a healthy red rim and little bits of purple mixed in.

According to Gerri Kramer, director of communications for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, the county is the fourthlargest for population and voters registration and is very politically diverse, which is important when it comes to elections.

“So, when you look at how many (are) Democrats, Republicans and people who aren’t affiliated with a party, it’s pretty much split, so we’re considered very purple,” Kramer said.

Turnout has been good so far, Kramer said. Turnout to date refreshes every 10 minutes on the

Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections website. At the time of the interview, Kramer said about 36 percent of the county electorate had already voted.

More specifically, at the time of publication, combining early voting and vote by mail ballots, 113,183 Republican ballots, 131,771 Democratic ballots and 64,286 “other” ballots had been cast, according to the website.

Those numbers are set to keep climbing, as early voting doesn’t end until Saturday at 7 p.m. Then comes Election Day, which is on Sunday this year.

The Presidential candidates and those campaigning for them have made multiple stops in Tampa on the campaign trail.

Last week, Republican candidate Donald Trump came to the Florida State Fairgrounds. In February, he hosted a rally at the USF Sun Dome.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has also visited Tampa and USF’s campus multiple times during the course of her campaign.

USF professor of political science Edwin Benton said he

expects to see the candidates and those campaigning for them back in Tampa before Election Day. He doesn’t, however, think they’ll “put all of their eggs in one basket” by focusing on only a few metropolitan areas and instead will focus on the areas where they think they can sway voters.

“Hillsborough County has a little bit of everything and as a consequence, it can, depending upon the candidate and the issues in the election, go either way and so … it’s a key to how Florida may go as well, as well as what we know as the I-4 Corridor, which begins here and ends in Daytona Beach,” Benton said. “That area is very, very predictive of how the state goes (in) presidential elections for the last 20 years.”

Benton said he feels that the I-4 Corridor, which includes Tampa and other areas in Hillsborough, is a good reflection of what the electorate looks like nationwide.

It serves as a microcosm of the state of Florida. Tampa, he said, is a bit bluer.

Friedemann Buschbeck, chair of the Tampa Green Party,

Event seeks to bring attention to climate change

By Chelsea Grosbeck A S S T .

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is originally from Germany and was campaigning for Green Party candidate Jill Stein during Bull Market on Wednesday. He said a lot of decisions are made by voters along the I-4 Corridor.

“Because of the high number of electoral votes we can get, it is very attractive for any candidate,” Buschbeck said. “In order for a presidential candidate to win elections, we must win Florida.”

Buschbeck said the third party suddenly has a lot of power in the national election and he thinks the U.S. should adopt the multiparty system of Germany.

Megan Loos, a freshman majoring in psychology, has decided how she will cast her ballot Tuesday. The registered Republican will be voting for Trump, something she said she’s known for a long time. Trump was her pick in the Republican primaries.

Loos said she thinks it is better for undecided voters wait to decide because they are able to gather more information before they walk into the polls. She also

The Anthropocene emerged as a new geological time period believed to have been during or after the Holocene, the current era.

The identifiable trait of the period relates to human interaction with the ecological state and future of the world.

Today and Friday, USF will be hosting “A New Ecology of Education: Teaching in the Anthropocene,” an event focusing on community involvement and awareness in response to issues associated with human influence on the environment.

Catherine Wilkins, Arts and Humanities instructor in the USF Honors College, began planning for the event during summer with aid from Megan Voeller, art historian and curator for the Extracted exhibition at the USF Contemporary Art Museum.

“It started as a personal crisis,” Wilkins said. “How can I, as an art historian, engage the relevance of art on climate change and the environment?”

Both Wilkins and Voeller contacted additional USF faculty members who are actively working on various issues regarding the Anthropocene.

“We were coming from the perspective of being academics who were not at all trained or equipped to deal with these issues,” Wilkins said. “So we were thinking about other instructors of our generation who likewise were not taught to think outside the bounds of their disciplinary focus.”

Today, the USF School of Music will host an evening workshop series with an interactive performance to open the event.

Visiting artist Claire Pentecost, will introduce the event with participatory and interactive performance: “A Benediction in Dirt.”

Attendees are invited to participate by bringing an item that “represents a manifestation of

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have both made multiple stops in Tampa during the course of their campaigns. ORACLE FILE PHOTOS/ADAM MATHIEU AND JACKIE BENITEZ

By Abby Rinaldi

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OPINION

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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The divisiveness of unity

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What you said Opinion Editor Breanne Williams asked students why they think presidential candidates campaign frequently in Tampa during elections.

“Tampa is one of the bigger cities in Florida, and we’re a big state in the election because of our large population.”

- Ariel Hardy, a freshman majoring in biomedical sciences

The new design on the Starbucks cups are drawing criticism from many online. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

Breanne Williams COLU M N I ST

With the upcoming election, there are many issues that have been thrust to the forefront of national conversation. Immigration, abortion, refugees and the economy are all valid issues that have contributed to the growing divide between citizens.

But now, it seems a new topic has been shoved back into the tension: the design on a disposable coffee cup.

Of course, Starbucks is not a stranger to outlandish criticism after the country nearly had a coronary last year when the company chose a simplistic design to celebrate the holiday season, rather than plastering “Merry Christmas” on the drinking vessels.

The coffee chain released a new, limited-edition cup this week covered with a drawing by artist Shogo Ota. The design uses a single line to create 132 faces, showing that regardless of appearance or age, we are all connected.

How scandalous.

Almost immediately after the cups appeared in stores nationwide, the company was engulfed in an overflow of online criticism. Apparently, a

design symbolizing unity is a form of liberal “brainwashing” intended to sway voters and push an agenda.

A plethora of this sound reasoning was showcased by the intellectually superior on Facebook and Twitter. A tweet by @RadioAnna stated, “@ Starbucks screw you. My coffee should NOT (and does Not) come with political brainwashing. I dropped @Starbucks like a hot rock.”

The amount of hate pouring out of people across the country underlines the toxic environment shrouding our society.

“During a divisive time in our country, Starbucks wanted to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values, and the need to be good to each other,” said Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz.

Unfortunately, it appears that in the U.S., even the concept of unity is divisive.

Granted, many of those vowing to boycott the franchise did so falsely believing the green cups are this year’s holiday design. The actual holiday cups, however, are set to debut next Wednesday.

Whether or not the current cups were meant to deck the halls or address the fact that the U.S. is diverse and we are all united in our dependency on

bitter, caffeine-fuelled pick-meups, the fact remains that it’s a mold of paper fiber, the sole purpose of which is to transport a beverage.

The company is not disparaging a people group or slapping a “Vote for Gary Johnson” sticker on the cup. There aren’t any offensive images or controversial figures being showcased.

The outrage over Starbucks waging a “war on Christmas” last year made it seem as if large portions of the country would be refusing to give the coffee giant their business.

However, the company reported they had a record income, with total net revenue reaching $5.37 billion, according to an announcement by Starbucks on Jan. 21.

For all of the apparent fuss, it seems that consumers were all talk.

In a few weeks, this will blow over as people realize their craving for a caramel macchiato outweighs their desire for attention with their pointless boycott. And Starbucks will happily accept them — and their $5 — as it continues to make a fortune despite the latest controversy.

Breanne Williams is a senior majoring in mass communications.

“I think it’s because Florida is such a swing state and we normally determine who wins the election.”

- Casey Gonsalves, a junior majoring in health sciences

“Tampa has a younger community with USF, UT and Clearwater. It’s easier to sway younger voters because we’re open-minded.”

- Chris Marsalis, a junior majoring in biomedical sciences

“We have four colleges in Tampa, and I know it’s imperative they reach the college students because we’re significant voters.”

- Jasmine Ramos, a junior majoring in political science

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said she thinks that the swingcounty status is good.

“Then you have a lot of differences and you can hear other people’s opinions,” Loos said.

Savan Dave, vice president of College Democrats, expressed a similar sentiment on the mixing of opinions. He said he feels the mixture of different political perspectives allows for other voices and policies to enter the picture.

He pointed to the democratic centers in the county as well as the republican “Florida heartland” full of working class people.

Dave said he feels there are many important ballot initiatives worth voting for aside from the presidency.

“If you’re not excited about the presidential candidates, still go out and vote,” he said.

Michael Rey, a sophomore majoring in public health, already voted for Clinton. He is a registered Democrat who had originally picked Sen. Bernie Sanders for the primary. His motto in voting for Clinton was “Stop Trump.”

“I didn’t see the use in writing (Sanders’) name in because I thought it’d be kind of useless to do a protest vote,” Rey said.

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the Anthropocene in daily life (e.g., a plastic water bottle, an animal bone, a newspaper article, etc.),” according to the event release.

During the event, the objects will be collected and combined to create a piece of art.

Students have been able to contribute original compositions and coats of arms for imagined species meant to represent new life in the Anthropocene, as well as poetry and prose in the segment “Dear Climate.”

“We hope students can see themselves as creative contributors to new solutions,” Wilkins said.

The workshop series Friday will be held in the School of Music and feature keynote speaker Juliet Pinto, an FIU film director who will speak about her latest work, “South Florida’s Rising Seas” and the changes Florida may face in the Anthropocene.

A panel led by Pinto, visiting artists Pentecost and Brian Holmes, and USF scholars, will present their personal manifesto, briefly state their perspective regarding the Anthropocene and then facilitate an open discussion on the issue.

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Rey said he thinks the party split in Hillsborough County is a good thing because it shows a relatively equal number of Democrats and Republicans, meaning the outcome is based on votes and not on majorities.

“And if that doesn’t inspire supporters to go to the polls then I don’t know what does,” Rey said.

Jarie Rawls, a junior majoring in mass communications, is a registered Democrat who also already voted for Clinton and formerly supported Sanders.

“I was a Bernie supporter at first but he didn’t win so now it’s Hillary,” Rawls said.

Rawls said she had decided to vote for Hillary long before she went to the polls. She and Rey said the vote for Clinton was an easy decision for them.

Registered Republican Ryan Wesolowski, a freshman majoring in psychology, said he hasn’t voted yet and plans to leave the presidential race box blank when he makes it to the polls. He doesn’t want to vote for president, he said, because he doesn’t think either of the candidates are good people.

He said he will vote for the other initiatives on the ballot.

“I’m going to leave (the presidential election) up to America,” Wesolowski said.

Additionally, faculty members will have the opportunity to participate in a separate break out session for education in teaching the Anthropocene to develop creative solutions to implement in the classroom.

“We want to empower not only participants but critical thinkers on the Anthropocene,” Wilkins said.

Registration is requested in the afternoon for the public gaming session. Participants will question how storytelling will have to adapt in the Anthropocene.

“We challenged what are some ways to bring life and energy to engaging to this topic in a playful way; we tried to think of creative solutions through game play,” Wilkins said.

At the end of Friday’s event, a reception and tour of the “Extracted” exhibition at the USF Contemporary Art Museum will be led by the exhibit’s curator, Voeller.

“Our goal is to try to create a greater engagement campus-wide, across the disciplines, with the topic of the Anthropocene,” Wilkins said.

“I don’t want students of the future to experience the same narrow focus the faculty of my generation provided. I want us to work together to hopefully create a better world.”

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LIFESTYLE

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Campus Rec’s horseback riding trip aims to de-stress UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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By Nicole Cate L I F E S T Y L E

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One of the definite pros of Florida universities is their proximity to nature. While USF might be in the city of Tampa, Campus Recreation’s second horse camping adventure trip will take place this weekend as a reminder to students that a journey through rustic Florida is at their fingertips.

The trip was first held last fall from Nov. 14-15 after Alexandra O’Brion, an administrative intern for the adventure trip program and trip reader for Campus Rec, pitched the idea.

“I’ve always loved horseback riding. It’s always been something that I’ve been involved in. I’m also a trip leader, so I love to go camping and I wanted to combine the two,” O’Brion said. “I was really surprised that nowhere in Florida, or any of the other schools, offered this as a trip, so I called a bunch of stables in Florida, and I found one that would take us camping.”

USF is still the only school in Florida that offers an expedition like this, starting early Saturday morning and ending late Sunday night. The last day of registration for this semester’s trek was Monday, so students who are interested but didn’t get a chance to register should look out for it next fall.

This year’s registered party of eight is slightly smaller than last year’s 12. The registration cost for students was $300, while staff and USF-affiliated members of Campus Rec paid $350.

The price includes transportation to and from the stables, food, snacks for the trip, camping equipment, staff salaries, horses and horse gear.

Each participant also gets a water bottle and a Buff, a piece of multifunctional cloth headwear, made popular by reality TV show “Survivor” and used during many outdoor adventures.

Last fall, 12 people joined Campus Recreation in the Florida Panhandle to go horseback riding and camping for two day. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/ALEXANDRA O’BRION.

Students travel to the Florida Panhandle for the excursion, which is coordinated through the Sunshine Riding Trails stables. The horses provided are mostly Tennessee walking horses and the employees at Sunshine Riding Trails also do a “horse matching” service for the students.

“They talk to each participant individually and learn how comfortable they are, whether they’ve gone riding before … how tall a person is,” O’Brion said. “They have (about 16) horses, and since we bring less people than that, they’re able to match up each person with their specific horse so that they’re both going to be compatible.”

O’Brion said the initial reaction from students last year when the trip was originally

advertised was one of excitement. However, many of the interested parties decided to hold off on signing up because of the cost.

The trip is open to people of all skill levels, so beginners shouldn’t shy away from the experience.

“We do spend about an hour and a half on the stables’ property in the ring getting people accustomed to their horses, especially those who have never been on a horseback before,” O’Brion said.

Students learn how to make the horse respond to their commands at this session, including how to go start, stop, go in circles and turn.

This doesn’t mean that experienced riders can’t look forward to riding at their skill level either.

“At the end of the trip we are actually allowed to gallop the horses,” O’Brion said. “A lot of people who have never been on horseback (riding) before tend to not want to do that, but it is an optional thing.

People who do want to gallop are able to and the people who don’t, (or) who aren’t comfortable with that, are able to just ride back to the stables.”

More than just horseback riding, the trip will also allow students to participate in traditional camping activities, such as building a campfire and making s’mores. There are also a couple new activities people can take part in.

“We’re offering hammock camping as part of this trip.

So instead of sleeping in the tent all night, people have the option to sleep in a hammock

and their sleeping bag and look up at the stars,” O’Brion said. “And we will also end up doing a midnight ride. We take the horses out at midnight and we go ride around in the dark, which is something that is pretty unique.”

She also said the trip was planned around midterms so that students who sign up can spend some time with horses and other animals as a way to relax, similar to the therapy dog events on campus.

When preparing for the trip, O’Brion only had one recommendation other than personal hygienic gear and clothes.

“The only thing (students) need to bring is a positive attitude,” she said.

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CROSSWORD

HOME

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Converting from tackle to tight end proved to be the right choice for Wilcox, earning him All-Big County Preps First Team Offense his senior year.

His successful position change after the advice of Williams led him to receive offers from Division I schools including Ball State, James Madison and Miami of Ohio before ultimately choosing to stay home to play as a Bull.

Now the offensive coordinator at Land O’ Lakes High School, Williams still keeps in regular contact with his former player.

He pointed to Wilcox’s humility and devotion of as an explanation for his early success at USF. “I think Mitch has always shown loyalty,” Williams said.

“We always talked about that in the recruitment process … I never really talked to him about the schools much because I knew he was basically coming (to USF).

“He always felt that USF was very loyal and it was like family to him. It was very similar (to Tarpon Springs) … he felt like he could fall in line — which he has — and adapt to the culture of what USF has going on.”

With Taggart leading the program in the right direction after a 7-2 start to 2016, Wilcox said that his timing in becoming a Bull couldn’t have been better.

“It was just a good fit,” Wilcox said. “Being honest, the program was on the up-rise. But, it seemed like everything was in place … and look what it is now.”

Since burning his redshirt, Wilcox has seen his role develop substantially this season.

After starting in a backup roll, an injury to starting tight end

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Van Sant said. “The main thing with her is you’ve just got to put up a good block and be able to dig around it.”

The Bulls at times found ways to counter UCF’s pair of powerful strikers, but too often kills found holes in the Bulls’ defense, proving crucial to the Knights’ victory.

UCF held a fairly commanding leads in the first two sets, which they would ultimately win by scores of 25-21 and

USF redshirt freshman Mitchell Wilcox has caught eight passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in 2016.

ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

Elkanah Dillon saw Wilcox thrust into his first career start in the Bulls’ most high-profile game of the season, a 55-35 loss to thenNo. 13 Florida State.

Highlighted by a 51-yard touchdown grab against the Seminoles, his longest play of the season, Mitchell has become an explosive downfield threat for the Bulls with eight catches for 200 yards and two scores.

“It’s been almost surreal,” Wilcox said. “I didn’t think I’d be playing this much, but I feel like I’m built for this. I played almost every single play in high school, and now I’m playing upwards of 50 plays a game here … I think I can continue to do that, I just have to keep working on my technique.”

Despite beginning to show up in the offensive stat line, Wilcox prides himself most on blocking for an explosive Bulls’ backfield.

Wilcox said one of his most memorable college moments has already happened, doing just that.

While on the road in

Cincinnati this year, Wilcox was on the field for a piece of USF history as junior running back Marlon Mack passed Andre Hall as USF’s all-time leading rusher.

Not only was Wilcox on the field, his block was the one that set Mack free.

Lining up to Mack’s right, Wilcox laid a block on Bearcats defender Mike Tyson that would leave the safety upside down, creating a gaping hole for Mack to run 49 yards into the end zone and the history books.

“Personally, I really like that,” Wilcox said. “It was very sentimental to me.”

With only a handful of games remaining in his freshman season, Wilcox is confident that staying close to home was the right move.

“It’s just as good as I envisioned it,” Wilcox said. “I really feel at home here. There is a really great support system through my family, friends, and the Bulls’ family. I definitely feel at home and I feel like I made the right decision coming here.”

25-20.

However, the third set saw the Bulls take a lead late in the match, with UCF storming back to first tie the game at 24 and subsequently end on back-to-back kills to finish the set 26-24.

With Memphis next on the slate for the Bulls, this was surely a difficult way to lose, but individual performances including Hampton’s career milestone served as silver lining in the defeat.

“UCF has a really powerful offense, so for Amy to get in

there and get some really quality digs off of some of their heavy hitters, I was impressed and proud of her,” USF coach Courtney Draper said. “I’m really proud of Dakota … I think there’s still more of her to come throughout the rest of the season.”

The Bulls will look to get back to winning in their next match against a Memphis team that has a 3-9 record in conference play and is 11-13 overall.

Sports

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fall No place like home Bulls 3-0 in War UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Rundown USF News

Women’s Soccer defeats Bearcats in penalty kicks After taking a 0-0 match through regulation and two overtime periods, USF defeated Cincinnati in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals of the AAC tournament Wednesday night in Storrs, Connecticut.

After losing to the Bearcats in penalty kicks in the conference championship game in 2015, USF coach Denise SchilteBrown said it felt good to get some vengeance this season.

“I feel like we’ve broken a little curse, which is nice because we’ve had a little PK curse for a while,” Schilte-Brown said.

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Volleyball

Football

USF tight end Mitchell Wilcox’s decision to stay in the Bay Area is paying off in a big way

Outside USF

Quote of the day “I’m a professional athlete.

What professional athlete don’t have a gun?... You’ve got to protect yourself. Even when I’m back in Houston, I always have a gun on me, because there’s been several instances Josh Huff in Houston where I’ve lost a friend to gun violence, and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, so why would I let that happen to me?” — Philadelphia Eagles receiver Josh Huff on why he carries a gun, after he was arrested for possessing an unloaded 9mm handgun and a small amount of marijuana Tuesday.

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TE MITCHELL WILCOX ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

By Chuck Muller S T A F F

W R I T E R

Even before graduating high school, tight end Mitchell Wilcox knew he wanted to be a Bull.

One of the first recruits to pledge to USF before the 2015 season, he had committed to the Bulls and coach Willie Taggart before his senior year at Tarpon Springs High School.

With the support of his parents, both USF alumni who also attended the first football game in USF history, the decision to stay home was never a difficult choice.

“I wanted to stay close to the family, I thought it would be awesome for my friends to see me play,” Wilcox said.

“Plus, I knew from the beginning that USF seemed like a perfect fit for me.”

Growing up just across the Bay in Pinellas County, the 6-foot-4, 248-pound redshirt freshman was a two-sport athlete in high school, playing football and basketball during his time as a Sponger.

As an underclassman at Tarpon Springs, Wilcox’s natural size led him to start his high school career as an offensive tackle on the football field while serving as one the basketball team’s ‘big men.’

It was during his sophomore year that Wilcox would meet Jordan Williams, a vital voice in Wilcox full-time commitment to the gridiron over his pursuit of basketball.

Williams, a former tight end at the University of New Hampshire, was Wilcox’s offensive coordinator at Tarpon Springs.

Wilcox credited Williams with convincing him that the football field was the place to be, making the conversion from offensive lineman to tight end after his sophomore season.

“When I became the offensive coordinator, I just knew how hard he worked and I knew how invaluable a tight end could be to an offense,” Williams said.

“Not only is he a good tight end, but a great kid that cares about the sport.”

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on I-4

Senior Dakota Hampton recorded her 1,000th career kill Wednesday night in a 3-0 loss to UCF. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/ GOUSFBULLS.COM

By Sam Mire C O R R E S P O N D E N T

Though it was a tightly contested match throughout, USF (16-9, 7-6 AAC) fell to UCF (194, 9-4 AAC) by a margin of 3 sets to none Wednesday night at the Sun Dome.

On a night in which the Bulls would play in the Sun Dome’s main court rather than The Corral to accommodate the larger crowd brought on by the I-4 rivalry, the Knights proved to be a daunting foe with powerful offensive players.

USF senior Dakota Hampton recorded her 1,000th career kill for the Bulls, but ultimately it would not be enough to overcome a Knights squad led

by Jale Hervey and Kia Bright.

Though Bright ended up with 16 kills on the night, Hervey’s leaping ability and punishing finishes placed her atop the stat sheet with 19 kills. “(Hervey) can find the floor pretty easily, she’s got good eyes,” USF senior libero Amy

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