1-26-17

O

January 26, 2017 Vol. 54 No. 35

Bikes gone missing Page 3

With 69 reported incidents since fall, bike thefts remain an issue on campus

Nikki Haley a perfect fit Page 4

Keeping Bayshore beautiful Page 6

Ray Jay suits USF best Page 10

2

T H U R S DAY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

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

Editor in Chief Jacob Hoag oracleeditor@gmail.com Managing Editor Miki Shine oraclemeditor@gmail.com Assistant News Editor Chelsea Grosbeck Sports Editor Vinnie Portell oraclesportseditor@gmail.com

Multimedia Editor Jackie Benitez oraclemultimediaeditor@gmail.com

Graphic Artists Destiny Moore Mark Soree Advertising Sales Alyssa Alexander Jess DiLiello Destiny Moore Dylan Ritchey

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

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).

Lifestyle Editor Nicole Cate oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com Staff Writer Abby Rinaldi

Main ..................

Editor .................

News .................

Sports ................

Advertising ............

Classified ..............

Website: Facebook: Twitter:

T H E O R AC L E

The Index News........................................................3 Opinion.................................................4 Lifestyle................................................6 Classifieds...........................................8 Crossword..........................................8 Sports...................................................10

BY PHONE

Opinion Editor Breanne Williams oracleopinion@gmail.com

●

974-6242 974-5190 974-1888 974-2842 974-2620 974-6242

usforacle.com facebook.com/usforacle @USFOracle

CORRECTIONS The Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors.

Contact Editor in Chief Jacob Hoag at 974-5190.

News Briefs

news Bikes gone missing UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

●

T H E O R AC L E

Greenpeace flies banner near White House

BOG says Counseling Center improves student performance

3

By Miki Shine M A N A G I N G

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

Seven protesters climbed a crane to unfurl a banner that stated “resist” so it hung just above the White House on Wednesday.

The protesters — from a group called Greenpeace, which works worldwide to preserve the environment — made their statement against President Trump and his actions since taking office such as bringing back the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, according to a statement on its website.

A police statement on Twitter said, “While we respect everyone’s right to protest, today’s actions are extremely dangerous and unlawful.”

MORE COVERAGE ONLINE

BOT looks to terminate four degree programs

Read it at USFOracle.com

There have been 69 reported bike thefts since the beginning of the fall semester, according to University Police. ORACLE PHOTO/KAITLYN ANDERSON

Bike thefts continue to be an issue at USF

By Kaitlyn Anderson C O R R E S P O N D E N T

On large university campuses like USF, where a large portion of the student population choose to use bicycles to travel around campus, bike theft is a recurring issue.

In 2007, the rate of bike thefts on campus led members of Student Government to team up with SAFE Team to stake out bike racks. In 2010, the number of personal property thefts reported was 321, and by 2012 that number dropped slightly to 289.

Now, five years later, bike theft is still a hot topic for students, with 69 bikes

reported stolen since the fall semester started. Of the 69, only five cases have been solved.

Samantha Herring, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering, left for Germany this past summer with a USF study abroad program. When she returned, she found her U-bolt lock cut and bike missing.

Although Herring’s bike was registered with University Police (UP), when it came up missing she decided not to report it.

“It just seemed like a lot of hassle to be honest,” Herring said. “They ask you all these questions. They ask you why

you left it there in the first place.”

Many students felt that despite the continued issue of bike theft, the university was already doing all it could to help prevent it.

Hannah Bennett graduated in fall of 2016 and currently works on campus. She remembers the time her friend’s bike was stolen from his second-story balcony.

“I had a friend who lived on 50th Street who had his bike on his back balcony on the second floor and someone stood on trash cans to steal the bike,” Bennett said. “So, I can’t even think of what you would

n See THEFT on PAGE 5

E D I T O R

Across the state, university counseling centers are seeing an improvement in students’ levels of distress after participating in at least three sessions, according to statistics presented to the Board of Governors (BOG) in Wednesday’s meeting.

“The average distress levels for students receiving at least three individual counseling sessions during fall 2016 decreased between their first appointment and their most recent appointment regardless of the issue they were dealing with,” the report states.

When a student starts going to the Counseling Center on campus, the mental and behavioral health of the student is assessed and then reassessed at varying intervals during follow-up appointments.

Since the 2008-09 school year, the number of counseling service clients served by the State University System (SUS) has steadily increased, according to the report. In the beginning of fall, the BOG noticed the SUS had outstripped its capacity, since the number of sessions provided had increased by 67 percent.

However, requests for additional state funding for the centers were denied during the 2016 legislative session and “counseling centers are still struggling to keep up with demand,” the report states.

Data collected from nine state universities — including USF St. Petersburg — that was presented to the BOG states that in 2,036 clients who visited the Counseling Center for at least three sessions

n See BOG on PAGE 7

Opinion

4

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

●

T H E O R AC L E

Nikki Haley perfect fit for U.N. ambassador

By Breanne Williams C O L U M N I S T

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was confirmed Tuesday to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Despite some Democrats’ fears of having another Republican rising to a position of influence, Haley is a great choice for the job.

Yes, Haley has no diplomatic experience, but she is no stranger to succeeding in a role many felt she was unqualified for.

Haley was both the first woman and first person of color to be elected as governor of South Carolina.

She’s also not afraid of stepping outside of party norms. In fact, when asked why she ran for office, she didn’t hesitate to point to a woman who exemplifies the Democratic party.

“The reason I actually ran for office is because of Hillary Clinton,” Haley said. “[Clinton] said that when it comes to women running for office, there will be everybody that tells you why you shouldn’t but that’s all the reasons why we need you to do it, and I walked out of there thinking ‘That’s it. I’m running for office.’”

Haley became a household name in June 2015 when she responded to the church shooting in Charleston by advocating for the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds.

“On matters of race, South Carolina has had a tough history,” Haley said.

“We all know that. Many of us have seen it in our lives, in the lives of our parents and grandparents. We don’t need reminders.”

And she won. In South Carolina, one of the most conservative states in the U.S. Haley is by no means a liberal. She began to rise in her political career when she became a Tea Party reform-

er. She represented the voice of the Republican party when she responded to then-President Barack Obama’s 2016 State of Union Address.

She listed all the ways Republicans would work to better America if they held the presidency and reflected on the lessons learned from the Charleston shooting and on refusing to allow hate to win.

She applauded Obama for making history and inspiring millions, but then reprimanded him for failing to live up to his “soaring words.”

Yet when the Senate cast a vote on her confirmation Tuesday, it voted her in with an overwhelming majority, 96-to-4.

Haley resigned as governor Tuesday to take the position and Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster was sworn in as her replacement.

She is the first woman to be confirmed to Trump’s cabinet. Despite her lack of experience, Haley expertly handled questions about Russia and how she prepared to stand up to Trump about issues like the U.N. and the NATO military alliance.

“Russia is trying to show their muscle right now,” Haley said. “It’s what they do. I don’t think we can trust them. We have to continue to be very strong back, and show them what this new administration is going to be.”

She stood up for minorities by vowing to not support the creation of a registry of Muslims in the U.S. and assured the Senate the administration had altered its stance on the issue as well.

Haley is exactly what this nation needs. Someone who has strong convictions, but who is capable of seeing past a political agenda. What she lacks in experience, she makes up for tenfold in passion and intelligence.

Breanne Williams is a majoring in mass communications.

senior

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was confirmed as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

T H U R S DAY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

THEFT

Continued from PAGE 3

do to deter that because it was already on the second floor, but they were pretty determined anyway.”

One technique being implemented on college campuses, including USF, to cut down on bike theft is baitbikes, according to UP Public Information Officer Renna Reddick. Bait-bikes are bikes placed around campus that are locked like any other student bike, but made to be the easiest target and are equipped with GPS. They are scattered around campus and used to discourage bike heists while also helping to track and catch the thieves.

The success of these programs has varied. According to a 2013 USA Today article, North Carolina State University and Winthrop University saw much success, with N.C. State cutting its bike thefts in half and Winthrop University cutting its rates by 75 percent.

At USF, bait-bikes have been in use for approximately two years and have led to one

●

T H E O R AC L E

arrest, according to UP records.

William Cabral, a senior majoring in international studies, heard about the bait-bike programs and was surprised by the success they had shown at other universities.

“I think it’s a great strategy,” Cabral said. “I think it’s definitely the way to go. I haven’t heard too much theft and things going on lately, but there was a point when I was going to campus and I’d just see bikes left and right missing tires.”

According to Reddick, UP recommends students use a high-quality U-lock, locking the frame and one wheel to a secure, fixed object.

Reddick also advised students to lock their bikes in well-lit and well-traveled areas, and to also register their bikes.

Students can register their property online or in-person for free using USF’s property registration app as part of USF’s Bicycle Anti-Theft decal program.

Students are also encouraged to always report a theft, even if their property was not registered. Students can contact UP.

5

LIFESTYLE

Beautifying Bayshore after Gasparilla Best

6

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

●

T H E O R AC L E

tacos in the Bay

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

E D I T O R

The Tampa Bay area, especially the college students in the region, has been looking forward to this weekend for a year.

There has been months of planning outfits, transportation and parade watch points. Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people will shamelessly walk down Bayshore Boulevard decked out in red, black, eye patches, bandanas and, most importantly, beads.

Gasparilla, the third largest parade in the U.S., has been reported by the Tampa Bay Times as “[generating] $22 million in economic impact for Tampa Bay in 2004.” However, it also has a large environmental impact on the area as well.

Sunday morning, instead of scraping themselves out of bed to swallow an aspirin and draw the blinds, college students, among others, can opt to work alongside Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful to clean up the parade route.

The organization has been around since 1989, but its After Gasparilla Clean Up project is only about eight-years-old, according to Christina Arenas, its environmental program manager. It was originally started by Dan and Christine Fisher, now relocated to Germany, who wanted to aid in the cleanup of the area as well as make citizens realize the effect of the parade on the environment.

“It has a lot to do with community awareness,” Arenas said.

“Everyone has a good time, the whole city comes out to celebrate this parade, but afterwards, the aftermath is ridiculous.”

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful partnered with the city to help in cleaning up, because while the city does have trash street sweepers, Arenas explained that they are not enough because of how far the trash travels.

The City of Tampa Solid Waste will be on site picking up trash bags as soon as the volunteers fill them, and in true Gasparilla form, the pirates of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla have also joined the

By Breanne Williams C O L U M N I S T

Volunteers spend up to three hours cleaning Bayshore Boulevard the morning after Gasparilla. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE.

project to help.

“If you go down into the streets, or even into the neighborhoods, you’ll find beads and debris hanging up in the trees. You’ll find it in the storm drains, so those aren’t things that necessarily a city employee can get to,” Arenas said. “When you have volunteers that want to help, that can help, it makes it go by a lot quicker. Also, you arrive there on the day, so, if you can get to it within 24 hours, the likelihood of it reaching our waterways has decreased.”

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful has a staff of six people, so all of its events depend on volunteers.

When the project first started, they had fewer than 100 people show up, but in the past few years, they have reached an average of 300 per cleanup. Currently, there are 235 people pre-registered for the event, but Arenas said the majority of the people that turn out sign up in the last two days.

Sunday morning, there will be two staff members from Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, the Fishers — who are flying from Germany for the event — and several city employees present. Over the years, there have been volunteers from religious organizations, schools (elementary to universi-

ty), corporate groups, families and just local residents.

People with boats are encouraged to make an appearance, since getting trash and beads out of the water is one of the goals of the project. Those who are interested in water-based clean ups should note that Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful has two major ones: World Oceans Day in June and the Hillsborough River and Coastal Cleanup in September.

For the tech savvy, there is also a smartphone app that Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful utilizes at its clean ups.

“The app basically helps us gather data and information,” Arenas said. “We collect the information, and we’re able to tell what types of trash or litter we’re picking up from the cleanup. The app is just one way to kind of eliminate paper.”

The app, called Marine Debris Tracker in both Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play, allows volunteers to manually log what they pick up. Arenas mentioned that it’s more convenient to use in groups, because while one or more persons are picking up the trash, they can alert the person whose job it is to record the items in the app.

“As you’re walking and picking

up, you just log what you’re picking up and it will use GPS to show where that trash was found and then we get a spreadsheet at the end and we’re able to collect that information,” Arenas said.

The cleanup is slated to last for two-and-a-half to three hours and it is suggested that interested parties bring their own reusable water bottles to stay hydrated, as well as different items that will protect from the elements, such as hats, sunglasses and sunscreen.

Closed-toed shoes are mandatory and any minors that wish to take part need a signed consent waiver from their guardian, which can be found on Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful’s website. Gloves, water and trash bags will be provided for all volunteers.

The organization does another annual post-celebration cleanup event, After the Fireworks, on July 5, in order to clean up debris left behind by people who celebrated with their own fireworks. This, along with many other events, can be found on KeepTampaBayBeautiful.org and on its Facebook page.

The registration for Sunday’s event starts at 9 a.m., with the clean up starting an hour later, on Bayshore Boulevard.

Dozens of taco-themed restaurants are found in Tampa Bay, not including the 15 Taco Bells that are on nearly every corner. With such massive quantities, it is all too easy to miss out on a local gem in the chaos.

However, three restaurants rise above the masses, easily earning the title of “best tacos in the Bay.” And all partake in the sacred celebration known as Taco Tuesday.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

A newcomer to the USF area. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop opens Friday on Fowler Avenue and 56th Street and offers 10 percent off for students, making it an ideal location for those at USF. “The food is made from scratch, we use super bold flavors and we’re not afraid to use a little spice,” said Ian Lieberman, one of the owner operators of the Fowler location. “We slow cook all the meats, which increases the flavor. We take a lot of time in preparing it and I think you taste that.”

Lieberman said customer favorites include the slowcooked brisket, spicy pulled pork and the California Heat Taco, which features grilled and tempura-fried shrimp and sriracha sauce.

The restaurant also is open for breakfast, with specialties like huevos rancheros and breakfast tacos and burritos.

Fuzzy’s has beer, liquor and

n See TACOS on PAGE 9

T H U R S DAY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

●

T H E O R AC L E

Despite increased use of Counseling Centers at universities across the state, the BOG was denied additional funding for the service in the 2016 legislative session. ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ life functioning, suicide, symptoms and overall wellbeing. Suicide saw Continued from PAGE 3 the largest drop.

The BOG concluded that during the fall semester saw students who utilize the Counseling lower rates of academic distress, Center services are more likely to depression, distress index, remain enrolled and graduate than generalized anxiety and hostility. students who do not.

“The SUS counseling centers The latter saw the largest drop in provide critical services to students distress levels.

Additionally, data collected facing a wide range of mental and at three universities across the behavioral issues,” the report said. state — including USF Tampa — “Students who take advantage of from 1,211 clients who met the the services offered benefit from same criteria saw lower risks of improved mental and behavioral drug and alcohol use, anxiety, health, which impacts their depression, global mental health, academic success.”

BOG

University distributes survey regarding smoke- and tobacco-ban A year has passed since USF became a smoke- and tobacco-free campus. To gauge the effectiveness of the ban enacted on Jan. 6, 2016, the university has sent a voluntary survey to all students.

The survey asks students a range of questions from, “Have you observed any individual using tobacco products?” to how often and in what parts of campus.

The survey also asks students what their behavior is when witnessing someone smoking on campus, as the ban is peerenforced and smoking is still seen in various places around campus.

Rita DeBate, assistant vice president of Wellness at USF, told The Oracle in a previous interview the survey was designed to see if the policy has been working and, if not, why?

“We’re hoping to find out, from the survey, if people have seen people smoking and they have not ‘done anything.’ We are also going to ask them why,” she said. “Did they not know what to say to the person? Did they not feel it was their responsibility?

“So, I think we’re going to get a little more idea of what the community thinks peer enforcement means and … if we find out that people are not sure of what peer enforcement means, maybe that’s the education that we need to do.”

The survey also aims to educate students on the policy and the ways it affects students.

It takes roughly 10 minutes to complete and is open until Feb. 6.

-Staff report

7

8

Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

To place a classified ad go to

●

T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

CHILD CARE

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Driver/tutor Female driver for middle school student, from Tampa Palms to Land’O Lakes. 2X a day, around 6-8am, & 3:15-4:15pm. Pay time will start out from driver’s home & end at driver’s home. Will pay gas. Some Saturday night coverage.

Email kejiazhang@yahoo.com

Math and/or reading teaching assistants for all ages, 3 years old to high school. Monday and Thursday, 3 pm to 8 pm. Flexible. No experience needed. Email kumon.wesleychapel.s@gmail.com

Due to our exciting growth, Triadex Services, an Inc 5000 fastest growing private company, is seeking a Full-Time Sales Assistant in our Tampa Palms office.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Why Apply?

- Medical/Dental/401k/Vacation/Holidays - Ongoing development and training - Positive and upbeat work environment - Opportunity to advance Responsibilities: - Gathering key decision makers’ contact information and inputting data into our software - Send scheduled email templates - Assemble marketing materials and mail to potential customers

myAPAeditor@gmail.com

Crossword

JOB REQUIREMENTS - Must be comfortable contacting and communicating with customers over the phone - Outgoing and energetic personality - Strong oral and written communication skills If you are interested in this opportunity, please forward your resume to kleclair@triadexservices.com.

●

T H E O R AC L E

T H U R S DAY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

TACOS

●

six barrels of frozen drinks. The 11 televisions at the location, equipped with the NFL package and USF games, make it the perfect spot for watching sports with your friends.

One communal table seats 22, another is an actual surfboard.

The garden-style patio has converted truck bed booths and a canopy. It’s distinctive and most importantly, it’s affordable.

Nearly every day has a special with the crowd favorite being Taco Tuesday, which boasts $1.59 tacos, happy hour all day, karaoke on a live stage and extended hours until 3 a.m.

Other specials include Nacho Ordinary Thursday with $4.99 plates of nachos, which Buzzfeed voted as one of the top 30 nachos in America, and Kids Eat Free Mondays.

The atmosphere is unique, and the full bar and discount for students will undoubtedly make it a crowd favorite.

for USF students. There are three in the Tampa Bay area, with the closest one to the university being on Skipper Road. The beach-like shack produces some of the best tacos in the area, with a specialty in fish and seafood tacos.

The restaurant was featured on the Food Network’s show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, with the highlight being the grouper fish taco with tempura-battered grouper, making it a signature item for the restaurant.

The San Diego Rolled Tacos, Awesome Burrito and Cali Bowl offer large quantities of food for a college student budget with meals ranging from $3.39 to $13.00.

“We’re very well priced for great quality food,” said Mike Koertgen, a partner at California Tacos to Go on Dale Mabry. “We have daily specials as well and a Taco Tuesday special. We have something for everybody.”

Taco Tuesday offers two tacos, chips and a drink for $6.99.

The restaurant at Skipper Road, which is the original location, has picnic benches outside for seating and is available on Uber Eats.

California Tacos

Hablo Tacos

Continued from PAGE 6

California Tacos to Go is a staple

9

T H E O R AC L E

Hablo Tacos in Channelside is

n See JUMP on PAGE X

Mural in the soon-to-open Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, which opens it’s doors on Friday. ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ a perfect stop for a night downtown. The restaurant is famous for specializing in a large abundance of quality tequila. There is a wraparound bar outside, a patio and an interior dining area.

The steak tacos are topped with pico de gallo, the southern taco pairs fried chicken with cabbage

slaw and Buffy the Puffy takes a soft tortilla smothered in queso and stuffed in a puffy shell and fills it with carne asada steak.

On top of delicious tacos, Hablo offers novelties such as street corn with cashew crema, churros and Mex-Epiphany fries.

The margaritas are as sweet as

they are strong and happy hour is 7 to 9 p.m, Monday through Friday featuring $3 18-oz. beers and $3 frozen margaritas.

The restaurant features $2 tacos for select items on Taco Tuesday and free two-hour parking in the Garrison lot.

10

Sports

Home, sweet home UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Rundown Outside USF

Football

●

T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

●

T H E O R AC L E

UCF offers cabanas behind end zone UCF is selling cabana-style suites behind the end zones in Bright House Networks Stadium. The suites, which cost $22,000, include furniture, food, parking passes and tickets for up to 12 people. UCF sold out all nine cabanas in its south end zone, so the school decided to construct an additional nine suites in the north end zone as well, according to ESPN. Even though the suites are directly behind the end zone, they are padded and have passed safety requirements.

Weekend sports schedule

Men’s Basketball

USF (6-13, 0-8) @ No. 19 Cincinnati (17-2, 7-0) When: Sunday, 4 p.m.

Where: Cincinnati, OH

Women’s Basketball

USF (16-3, 5-1) @ Temple (16-3, 6-0) When: Sunday, Noon Where: Philadelphia, PA

Men’s Tennis

USF @ LSU ITA Kick-off Weekend When: Saturday, 11 a.m.

Where: Gainesville, FL.

USF football has played at Raymond James Stadium since joining the ranks of college football and will continue to do so for at least the next few years, pending the finalization of its agreement with the Tampa Sports Authority and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

Raymond James Stadium the right call over an on-campus venue For those with high expectations for an on-campus football stadium to come hand-inhand with the announcement of Charlie Strong becoming USF’s football coach, optimism Chuck has shifted Muller to reality, at C O M M E N TA R Y least for the time being.

Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Times reported a draft agreement for the university to extend its lease agreement with Raymond James Stadium for the next six years was in place, which means it is likely that Bulls football will remain in the only stadium they’ve known through the next decade.

Strong, who said in his open-

ing press conference that an on-campus stadium would be a priority for USF, coupled with the coming departure of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) from Fowler Avenue has created a perfect storm of controversy once again on the longterm home of the Bulls.

“I feel like once you get a stadium on campus, it’s their home,” Strong said during his introductory press conference.

“It’s what they defend, it’s their house. And that’s going to be critical, and that’s going to happen.”

In the agreement, which has yet to be approved by the Tampa Sports Authority (TSA) executive committee and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the university agrees to pay $172,000 per game that sees less than

Men’s Basketball

Bulls drop eighth straight in blowout

Coach Murry Bartow is now 0-6 since taking over for former coach Orlando Antigua ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

By Josh Fiallo C O R R E S P O N D E N T

24,000 attendees and $185,000 for games with any more than that.

With an average of 27,887 fans per game entering the turnstiles at Ray Jay last season, the Bulls could pay as much $1.3 million for their seven home games next season, according to the TSA. The Bulls, who agree to play at least six home games per season at their Dale Mabry home, are entitled to 20 percent of all combined TSA revenues for their seventh game.

When you look at the cost of Bright House Networks Stadium, which was built at UCF in 2007 for approximately $55 million, the cost at which USF will have to pay to play at

USF men’s basketball will once again have to wait another game before its first win under interim coach Murry Bartow.

The Bulls’ (6-13, 0-8) losing streak reached a season-high eight games as they suffered another conference loss on Wednesday night, this time falling to the UConn Huskies, 81-60 at the Sun Dome.

Even after remaining winless in 2017, Bartow said the resolve of his team has been something to marvel at.

“When you get beat, if you’re not a little down, then you’re not a very good competitor,” Bartow said. “So, they better be a little down when you put your heart and soul into what you’re trying to do and we get beat, you should be a little down.

“They’re a really resilient group.

n See HOME on PAGE 11

n See BLOWOUT on PAGE 11

T H U R S DAY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

BLOWOUT

Continued from PAGE 10

You could do a case study on what’s happened to them over the last two and a half years and they have every reason to bail. They have every reason to be down and they continue to be up, play with energy, compete and fight. I’ve got to help them more, we’ve got to help them more.”

Facing off against an injuryplagued UConn team without forwards Steven Enoch and Juwan Durham, the Bulls couldn’t use depth to their advantage. The short-handed Huskies (9-11, 4-4) played only six men until the final minute of play, but still managed to dominate down the stretch.

The Bulls fed off the energy of the 3,238 in attendance in the first half, and went into the break down two. With good defense, and efficient ball movement (11 first-half assists), the Bulls appeared to be within reach of their first AAC win.

Despite a tight first 20 minutes, the life was sucked out of the Sun Dome just four minutes into the second half. The Huskies made eight of their 12 3-pointers after halftime to pull away from USF as the crowd fell silent.

Bartow tried to make adjustments on defense, but found no answer to stop the talented Huskies.

HOME

Continued from PAGE 10

Raymond James is nickels on the dollar.

Both FAU and FIU have also built on-campus stadiums in the past ten years, with FAU’s bill coming in at $70 million and FIU’s at $54 million.

The margin of which the university financially has to play with is also incredibly thin. According to the 201516 Operating Budget, intercollegiate athletics as an entire department only had $223,599 remaining from its annual budget of $43 million.

For a budget as tight as USF’s currently is, even if building a new stadium is in the foreseeable future, the university must look to conserve what little money it has before investing in a move away from its only home.

Not only would building a new stadium inevitably put USF in debt, but also the risk hasn’t

●

T H E O R AC L E

“Having a really deep team is really overrated,” Bartow said.

“You only need five guys to play, and they have six really phenomenal guys who can play.”

Despite the loss, freshman guard Michael Bibby Jr. played one of his best games as a Bull. He would go on to score 14 points, one shy of his career high, while shooting 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

Former NBA All-Star Mike Bibby Sr. was in the stands to witness his son’s performance at tonight’s game. But despite his father in the stands and a near career-high in scoring, Bibby Jr. was still distressed about his team’s defeat.

“It really means nothing to me if we lose… Nothing really matters to me statistically wise if we lose the game,” Bibby Jr. said.

To make matters worse for the struggling Bulls, forward Isaiah Manderson, who has played in just five games for USF since transferring to the school last year, has been suspended from the team indefinitely for an undisclosed reason.

Bartow said that what happens to him is completely in the hands of athletic director Mark Harlan.

The Bulls, still winless in conference play, look to snap their eight-game losing skid on Sunday when they travel to take on No. 19 Cincinnati. been proven to be worth the reward in recent years.

USF’s home attendance average of just fewer than 28,000 for 2016 was its best under former coach Willie Taggart and still not promising for a team that finished with the best record in school history (11-2).

If the Bulls can’t fill the lower bowl of Raymond James Stadium for most games, they’d be hard-pressed to sell out an on-campus stadium simply because the team moved to a new location.

Though sharing a stadium with an NFL team is rare and not ideal for many fans, USF should continue to take advantage of its proximity to a stadium that it isn’t forced to go into debt to build.

With a track record of other Division-I football teams favoring to play in state-of-the-art stadiums built for the highest level of the game and USF’s thin athletic budget, the Bulls and Buccaneers could be roommates for some time.

11

Freshman guard Michael Bibby Jr. scored 14 points for USF, but the Bulls let the game slip away in the second half before eventually losing to UConn, 81-60. ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

12

T H U R S DAY, J A N U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 1 7

●

T H E O R AC L E