11-6-17

Title IX is under scrutiny

The Oracle

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F LO R I DA

Women’s soccer wins AAC conference against UCF

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By Miki Shine E D I T O R

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C H I E F

Title IX has become an integral part of education since it went into effect in 1972, with the original intent of ensuring access to higher education for women.

While the law can be complicated to understand, in simple terms it works to fight education and educationalactivity discrimination based on sex at any school receiving federal funding. The consequences of an institution violating Title IX can be serious.

On Oct. 23, a complaint was filed against USF for the university’s handling of an alleged sexual violence case.

This is on top of a still open investigation from 2014 for the university’s handling of a rape case. Both are being reviewed by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR).

USF has a month to turn over requested information to the OCR. According to the Tampa Bay Times, this includes how USF publicizes its procedures, training of employees and investigations of sexual violence along with information on the specific case.

From there, the OCR is responsible for reviewing the information and conducting its own investigation. There’s no timeline for OCR investigations, but it could take years, according

The USF Women’s Soccer team wins game 5-3 against UCF using penalty kicks, which had been unsuccessful in previous games. This n See TITLE IX on PAGE 5 is the first time the team has won the AAC Championship. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS

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CAM to raise new peace-related flag on Election Day

The current flag that says “A HORROR MOVIE CALLED WESTERN CIVILIZATION” will be replaced Tuesday with one that says “think peace, act peace, spread peace, imagine peace.”

ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN

By Maria Ranoni S T A F F

W R I T E R

The USF Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) will raise a new flag designed by Yoko Ono promoting peace on Tuesday at 10 a.m. as a part of the national art project, Pledges of Allegiance. The flag will say “think peace, act peace, spread peace, imagine peace” against a simple, white background.

Sarah Howard, curator of public art and social practice and a research associate at CAM, said Pledges of Allegiance originated as commentary on the current political situation.

“The project is a larger part of a series of flags that were designed by artists to create awareness and address issues that each artist is passionate

about,” Howard said. “We’ve framed this particular flag raising as sort of our — we’re not having a major election in our area right now in Tampa — we’re framing it as we’re electing peace.”

Pledges of Allegiance was created by the public arts organization Creative Time, which is based out of New York City. According to its website, the work is “guided by three core values: art matters, artists’ voices are important in shaping society, and public spaces are places for creative and free expression.”

CAM began participating in this project July Fourth with the hoisting of Tania Bruguera’s ‘Dignity Has No Nationality’ flag. New flags with social and political commentary are raised every

month on significant days.

The November flag is being unveiled on election day.

Past flags used in the project have made different statements than the peace message of Ono’s flag.

Last month’s flag used the same white background, but instead said “A HORROR MOVIE CALLED WESTERN CIVILIZATION.” The flag that kicked off the project back in June read “resist.”

Howard said this month’s flag will be centered around the message of peace.

“We’re using Yoko Ono’s flag, which is a part of her larger body of work around ‘Imagine Peace,’ which is a concept that was born from her and John Lennon’s work as peace activists beginning in 1973,” Howard said. “She’s

been working tirelessly her whole career to promote peace, and I think we’re at a point where we really need to reflect back on what our values are and how we’re pledging allegiance to those values. So, this flag is really about standing up for those values and spreading peace.”

Howard said CAM does have to pay to participate in this project for the production costs of the flags. To help with the cost of the project, CAM has set up a HerdFunder campaign. They have currently received only $650 of their $6,000 target goal, according to the campaign’s website.

“It is a really important project, because it’s a publicbased project, so it’s accessible to everyone,” Howard said.

According to Howard,

the message of this project is positive for CAM as it makes the museum a more welcoming environment.

“It really frames the museum as a space for open dialogue where people can come together and talk about these issues in an accessible, creative and constructive way,” Howard said.

As recent times have shown, the messages and symbolism flags represent can be significant.

“The idea is using flags as a form of communication and sort of a way to symbolize what we stand for,” Howard said. “They’re a very strong symbol and a way to unify people. It’s not about being against something, but it’s about what you’re for.”

LIFESTYLE

Seniors reflect on winter graduation

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By Andrea Martin S T A F F

Is there really a better holiday gift to yourself than a diploma? While the typical time to toss caps in the air comes during spring, some seniors throw their caps a few weeks after finally working off their Thanksgiving foodbaby. Still eager and still anxious, a million thoughts race through these students’ minds before saying their farewells to USF. Some seniors find four years comprised of many discrete memories, but some seniors find a single word to sum it all up. Jean-Christian Meiller, an accounting major, combined all his experiences into one unifying adjective.

“Well-rounded,” Meiller said. “I got to experience study abroad, professional development, clubs, a social life and sports.”

Starting off as a finance major, Meiller found a new direction with the guidance of one USF professor. “ P ro f e s s o r Cainas made me understand that accounting is the way to go,” Meiller said. “I was a finance major, but she made me understand that accounting is the framework everything is built off of.”

Having a clear path carved out in mind, some students are just buzzing with anticipation to have their diploma in-hand.

“I am very much ready to graduate,” Priscilla Foster said.

Foster, a Spanish major with a minor in foreign

Fall 2017 graduates look forward to their upcoming graduation. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

language education, knows exactly where she wants to go after graduating this fall.

“My immediate plans are to study for state exams for teacher certification, and take the exam,” Foster said.

“My long term plans are to go for my Masters in foreign language education at Nova Southeastern because it is 100 percent online. In addition, I plan on applying for a position at Florida Virtual Online.”

While Foster is looking

only to the future, Mauro Hernandez, a mass communications major with a focus in advertising, is taking in these last few months of his senior year calmly, while musing over his four years in Bulls Country.

“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life,” Hernandez said. “And now that it is approaching so fast, it makes me quite nostalgic. USF has a lot of great resources for students

that I’m definitely going to miss, but I’m excited to finally have my Bachelor’s Degree and explore what opportunities I can take out there.”

Throughout his school career, Hernandez was also able to make connections with some of his professors and flourish in their classes.

“I really liked Introduction to Marketing with Carol Osborne,” Hernandez said.

“Even though it was a large lecture hall, she was very

interpersonal with students who approached her and I learned a lot in her class.

Another one was Coby O’Brien, whom I had the chance to have two different classes with. Even though he was very strict and critical with our work, his insights always stuck with me, as he is a very intelligent professional and a creative mind.”

Aside from being in the classroom, Hernandez made sure to have realworld experience before graduating.

“I’ve been working internships and freelancing, but haven’t had the opportunity to work in an advertising agency,” Hernandez said. “So, in the near future, I’m planning to get a job in a local agency in Tampa.”

After establishing himself in the workforce, Hernandez plans to try his hand a little more in South Florida.

“Eventually, after a couple of years, I would like to move back to Miami where my family lives, and explore the local market,” Hernandez said. “Hopefully, I’d get hired by one of the bigger names in the industry, although I don’t plan to spend the rest of my life working there. I want to save enough money so I can open my own business.”

With a new year and a new life ahead of them, the USF graduating class of fall 2017 have a million things to see and a million things to do.

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TITLE IX

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to university spokesman Adam Freeman. According to Title IX The Chronicle of Higher Education, cases last an average of 1.8 years.

“USF strives to be a campus that leads the way in promoting a culture where sexual violence is a rare occurrence and simply not tolerated,” Freeman said in a statement. “USF will remain proactive in ensuring our community members have access to the best information, prevention programs and services.

Students, faculty or staff who feel they are the victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment are strongly encouraged to report those allegations through the university’s established processes.”

There’s currently 355 open Title IX investigations at 257 postsecondary institutions across the country, 83 of which have been filed during 2017 alone.

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USF is one of eight Florida institutions with open investigations. FSU, UCF, UF, Miami and now USF have two open investigations while Embry Riddle, Full Sail and Stetson each have one.

Information about the most recent filing is not public, however, the 2014 case involved a student whose boyfriend reportedly forced himself on her. A few weeks later, she told her boss about the assault since the man worked there as well.

The accusation is that her boss, a mandatory reporter, did not present it to the university. When USF did investigate, it was found that there was “no cause” for the allegations due to “insufficient evidence.”

The women accused USF of altering her statements and ignoring inaccuracies in those of others.

Students found in violation of Title IX can face suspension or expulsion from school, according to attorney Sara Kaplan’s website.

If a school is found in violation

of Title IX, things are a little more complicated and usually has to do with a resolution agreement.

When Butte College came to a resolution agreement in July, it agreed to make revisions to the college’s Title IX policies and provide training to students and employees.

These are fairly standard requirements, but others can be added such as coordinating the Title IX office with local police. Wittenburg University’s agreement reached in March had this added requirement. Another potential condition could be to create a committee of students to recommend ways to information about students’ rights out, such as in the University of Alaska’s agreement reached in February.

If the violation is severe enough, the college could risk losing some federal funding, according to knowyourix.org.

While the impact of these investigations on USF remains uncertain, results are not likely to be seen for some time.

OPINION

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EDITORIAL Better time lines are needed for Title IX investigations The creation of Title IX in 1972 meant a revolution in education for women by taking strides toward ending discriminatory practices.

The title states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Essentially it bans discrimination based on sex at a school that receives federal funding. This extends to sports teams, financial aid, counseling, employment, admission and sex-based harassment.

Each university has a Title IX office dedicated to handling accusations of discrimination.

When an individual involved feels as though their due process was violated during the university’s investigation, the issue can be taken up with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Education. The university then has 30 days to turn over information regarding to case to the OCR. The OCR, however, doesn’t have a time frame for conducting its own investigation.

According to Title IX The Chronicle of Higher Education, cases last an average of 1.8 years.

There are 355 active sexual violence cases at 257 postsecondary institutions as of Oct. 25. One such investigation, at the University

Currently, there’s no timeline for the Department of Education to complete Title IX investigations, which is unfair for all involved and causes a backlog of cases. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE of Massachusetts-Amherst, was opened in June 2011.

Another at Arizona State was filed in January 2016. Fifteen more were filed in 2013. All are currently open.

According to the Chronicle, there are 94 resolved Title IX cases.

When an investigation takes six years, those involved are left without a resolution. A program designed to trigger change in a sexually hostile environment doesn’t get the chance to do its job. Employees are left in situations where they don’t feel comfortable,

students can be left in classes with those who harassed or assaulted them and nothing is done to change any issue that may be present.

Meanwhile, a Google search by prospective students or parents can reveal that a university is under

investigation.

Institutions such as Indiana University, Kansas State and Cornell Universities would show five open investigations potentially causing concern to these prospective students.

Universities are in limbo during an investigation, waiting for the case to be resolved. While they fulfilled their end of the investigation by providing the necessary documentation, the OCR can take extensive time completing the job.

Considering the sensitive information and issues these cases usually include, its understandable to allow for some time in order to do it right. Putting an exact time frame on it can prove to be a challenge, but it needs to be done in a timely manner in order to ensure the cases are ultimately reviewed.

As more cases stack up, there’s more work for the OCR. These issues are too important to just be a to-do list. There are real people and real issues under each case number, and they deserve to be treated as such.

There’s something broken in a system that’s only resolved 94 cases out of 449 since 2011, one of which was opened in 2008. That’s about 15 cases resolved a year, which isn’t satisfactory when 83 have been filed thus far in 2017 alone. The flaw in the system needs to be found for people to receive the due process they deserve.

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Sports

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Bulls win AAC Championship with penalty kicks

Women’s Soccer

By Josh Fiallo S P O R T S

E D I T O R

USF women’s soccer 2015 season ended in heartbreak when it lost to Cincinnati in the AAC Championship on penalty kicks two years ago.

On Sunday, however, it was the Bulls’ who were on the winning side of a penalty shootout in the conference title game, with USF leaving Orlando with its first AAC title in program history.

USF wins 5-3 against UCF, securing the championship. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS To make the win even sweeter, After neither team found the Elliott stopped a shot from UCF “I don’t think there are words it came against cross-state rival back of the net for 110 minutes, leading goal scorer, Morgan for it,” Elliot said. “We’ve been UCF, the tournament’s No. 1 seed the game was sent to penalty Ferrara, preserving the Bulls 4-3 to the championship game three and the nation’s No. 8 team. kicks, where USF converted every advantage. The Bulls would win times and didn’t make it in “I just feel like we have been shot it took and outscored the the match if they scored a goal on penalty kicks. I thought, ‘Senior cursed by penalty kicks so this Knights 5-3. their next penalty. year, it’s time to put it all on the was a nemesis, and we came Andrea Hauksdottir, Evelyne Kelli Burnley was next up field.’” back and won a championship in Viens, Sabrina Wagner and Leah for the Bulls to shoot and she To go along with her save, penalty kicks,” USF coach Denise Ferlin scored the Bulls’ first four converted, winning the game Elliot recorded six saves against Schilte-Brown said. “It’s what you penalties, while the Knights for USF and clinching the Bulls the Knights, helping to earn work for all year, and what you scored its first three. an automatic bid for the NCAA her AAC defensive player of the want for the girls.”

Then, senior goalkeeper Kat tournament. tournament honors.

“Kat was amazing,” SchilteBrown said. “I’m just really proud of the group. We have stayed together and we haven’t listened to anything outside of what we think is important.”

USF had tied UCF 1-1 in its only other meeting of 2017, the last game of the regular season.

The win guaranteed USF a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Though they lost, the Knights will likely join the Bulls in the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid.

“Our big goals are to go far into the NCAA tournament,” UCF coach Tiffany Roberts-Sahaydak said. “We’re not done. We still positioned ourselves to be successful.

Both USF and UCF will learn its NCAA tournament fate Monday at 4:30 p.m. in the NCAA tournament selection show.

Flowers leads Bulls to 37-20 victory against UConn Football

By Sam Newlon S T A F F

W R I T E R

USF quarterback Quinton Flowers had a career day in the Bulls’ 37-20 win over UConn in East Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday.

Flowers amassed 516 yards of total offense during the game, throwing for a career-high 385 yards.

The passing total made him the seventh player in NCAA Division 1-A history to reach 7,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a career.

“In my career, there has never been anyone like him, on or off the field,” USF Athletic Director Mark Harlan tweeted after the game. “Pure greatness.”

Though the night was one for the record books for Flowers, the success didn’t come right away.

Flowers started his night onefor-four passing the ball after two of his receivers dropped one pass apiece in the game’s first two drives.

As the game progressed, however, he went on to complete 64 percent of his passes and threw for three touchdowns, which was three more than he threw in the Bulls’ 28-24 loss to Houston last week.

Flowers didn’t have any rushing touchdowns on the night, but came within inches on the Bulls’ second drive when he rushed for a 15-yard touchdown that was overturned by an official’s review.

After the review ruled Flowers down at the half yard-line, on the next play running back D’Ernest Johnson ran for a touchdown.

“It’s amazing because I just don’t think that he gets all the credit that he deserves,” coach Charlie Strong said of Flowers.

“Look at tonight, look at what he did… It kind of gets hidden because everybody expects that all the time. But to watch him go out and perform the way he performed tonight, it just shows you how good he is.”

Offensive Coordinator Sterlin Gilbert mixed up the Bulls’ play calling in the win, getting tight end Mitchell Wilcox involved more. In what was a possible result of his increased usage, Wilcox caught

his first touchdown of 2017 in the second quarter.

Flowers and Wilcox, however, weren’t the only Bulls setting personal records against the Huskies.

In the fourth quarter, kicker Emilio Nadelman made a careerlong 51-yard field goal that capped off a 3-3 field goal night for him.

With 17 seconds to play in the third quarter, Flowers passed to wide receiver Marquez ValdezScantling for a 95-yard touchdown, matching his longest reception ever in what was the Bulls’ longest play from scrimmage in program history. “(That was) Quinton being Quinton,” Scantling said of Flowers’ play.

Though he was kept out of the end zone on the ground, Flowers led the Bulls’ rushing game with 16 carries for 131 yards.

“I talked to the (seniors) before the game… I told ‘em we’ve got to get our edge back,” Flowers said.

“And those guys came out to play.

You could see what we did on offense and what the guys did on defense. That’s what you want to see in your team, and that’s what we did tonight.”

Strong said Flowers took what the Connecticut defense gave him, and he credited the quarterback for his play — as he does after most games. But even Strong took extra notice to his quarterback’s performance post game.

“He put it on ‘em,” Strong said.