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The Oracle M O N D AY, M A R C H 2 1 , 2 0 1 6 I V O L . 5 3 N O. 7 6

Inside this Issue

The Index

Opinion.......................................................4 Classifieds..............................................8 Lifestyle......................................................5 Crossword......................................8 sports.........................................................12

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

Team builds rocket for NASA competition

By Miki Shine C O - N E W S

L I FE STYLE

Telltale takes on Batman game.

Page 5

Montage

S P ORTS USF baseball belts four home runs in 7-5 win.

BACK

E D I T O R

A team of 10 students huddled together around an 11-foot, fiberglass rocket as they tried to protect it from the drizzle starting. Despite the rain early Saturday morning, the team launched its full-scale rocket for the first time.

This year, USF students are participating in the NASA Student Launch Initiative, for the first time, which is a research-based competition. The eight-month-long competition focuses on designing, building and flying rockets.

While most of the teams are from universities, the competition also includes high school and middle school teams in their own tier.

Each team received a maximum budget of $7,500, according to the handbook, to spend on the rocket.

“It is a national competition where students from universities across the country are competing to build a rocket and a [propulsion] system,” Nicholas Conde, president of the USF Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry, said.

“Our goal is to build a rocket that can achieve an altitude of exactly

The team of 10 students built an 11-foot rocket mostly from fiberglass for the NASA Student Launch Initiative. The rocket launched Saturday morning with team members cheering it on.

ORACLE PHOTO/MIKI SHINE

5,280 feet or one mile.”

The team’s rocket also includes a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) component, which places it as one of 20 teams from across the nation

in that category. This means the team must come up with a unique method to capture, contain and launch a sample from the simulated Mars surface without human interaction.

“In addition, teams will develop a launch system that erects a rocket from a horizontal to vertical position, and has its igniter autono-

n See ROCKET on PAGE 2

USF receives high ranking in performance metrics

By Abby Rinaldi C O - N E W S

E D I T O R

USF retained its status as one of the top universities in the state of Florida in the recently released Performance Based Funding scoring metrics from the Florida Board of Governors (BOG).

Performance-based metrics are used to determine how much in Performance-Based Funding each state university receives from the Florida Legislature.

The university is expecting this high ranking to secure millions of dollars in funding according to a press release from USF. The legislature has $500 mil-

lion in investments, $275 million of which was contributed by state universities and $225

of 79 on the metrics ­— behind FAU, UCF and UF — USF saw improvement across multiple

“Universities are offering a better product than they did just a few years ago with a better return on investment. This year’s performance outcomes demonstrate once again that incentive-based funding works in higher education” Tom Kuntz Board of Governors Chair

million from state investment, according to the BOG. How this $500 million will be distributed has yet to be announced.

Coming in with a final score

categories in the metrics.

Of the 10 categories being judged, USF improved in eight and fell in two, according to records released by the BOG.

USF saw the biggest improvement in the number of postdoctoral appointees with an 11.1 percent increase.

The university was ranked first in Florida in graduate degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis, which includes accounting, education, global initiatives, health and STEM. USF came in second in the state with baccalaureate degrees in the same fields.

USF saw a decrease in the percent of Pell Grant undergraduates and second year retention rate with a GPA above 2.0. Neither of these decreases exceeded one percent.

There were improvements across the state system, put-

n See METRICS on PAGE 2

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METRIC

ROCKET

ting Florida in the lead with the highest graduation rate of the 10 largest U.S. states, according to the BOG. Overall, STEM degrees grew 17 percent at the graduate level and 30 percent over the last five years at the baccalaureate level.

Also, five out of the eight metrics common to all universities showed improvements from last year across the system.

These metrics included sixyear graduation rates, median wages of bachelor’s graduates employed full-time in Florida and second year retention rates.

“Universities are offering a better product than they did just a few years ago with a better return on investment,” BOG Chair Tom Kuntz said in a press release from the BOG. “This year’s performance outcomes demonstrate once again that incentive-based funding works in higher education.”

A bill that making the performance-based metrics a law was passed during the current legislative session. It is currently awaiting approval from Gov. Rick Scott.

mously installed,” the handbook said.

Currently 10 students are participating but the team hopes to expand to 14 before going to the national competition in Huntsville, Alabama in April.

It’s been working on building the actual rocket while also building the robotic part of the project.

The goal of the robotic component is to load and launch the rocket without any human influence.

“So far, over the course of this competition which we’ve been in since October,” Conde said. “We’ve built one small subscale rocket and made the first test launch of our full scale rocket which we’ll actually be taking to Huntsville in April. We’ve also been working on … the rail and the robotic arm.”

On top of a first, second, third place and rookie of the year, competing teams can also win in a number of other categories including best-looking rocket, team spirit, altitude awards and education engagement. The first place prize for the MAV competition is $25,000.

The winning teams will be announced May 11.

Continued from PAGE 1

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Opinion UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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

Editor in Chief Grace Hoyte oracleeditor@gmail.com

Contact Editor in Chief Grace Hoyte at 974-5190.

M O N D AY, M A R C H 2 1 , 2 0 1 6

SeaWorld’s final attempt to retain customers Breanne Williams COLU M N I ST

SeaWorld has finally caved to the demands of the public. After years of protests from people across the globe, SeaWorld announced Thursday it has committed to end breeding orcas News Editors as and phasing out the killer whale Miki Shine performance.

Abby Rinaldi Thus, the 29 orcas currently in oraclenewsteam@gmail.com captivity with the company will be the last generation of the whales at Sports Editor the four locations. Reactions have Jacob Hoag been split since the announcement oraclesportseditor@gmail.com with many praising the decision and others claiming the company must Opinion Editor do more to humanely care for its Breanne Williams animals. oracleopinion@gmail.com However, to think the change is anything other than a strategic busiLifestyle Editor ness move would be naive.

Jasmin Faisal SeaWorld has faced extreme critioraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com cism and declining attendance rates since the release of the 2012 book “Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and Copy Editors the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Zach Lowie Captivity,” and the 2013 documenIsabelle Cavazos tary, “Blackfish.”

In fact, the company has lost over Graphic Artists half of its market value since 2013, Luke Blankenship according to the Huffington Post.

Destiny Moore Despite a monumental effort by the company to reassure customers the Advertising Sales animals were receiving top-notch Lauren Alford treatment by a multitude of camAlyssa Alexander paigns, attendance rates were plumAdriana Covate meting.

Destiny Moore Then, SeaWorld believed it had Dylan Ritchey finally been granted a chance at redemption. The San Diego whale tank complex, which is home to 11 The Oracle is published Monday and Thursday during the fall, spring and summer semesters. orcas, was approved for expansion to almost double its current size.

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student.

Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the However, that dream was quickOracle office (SVC 0002). ly shot down when the California Coastal Commission ruled the comBY PHONE pany could only have the 9.6 million Main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

974-6242 gallon tanks if it agreed to completely Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

974-5190 end its breeding of orcas at the park.

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

974-1888 Sports ................

974-2842 Though the company challenged Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . .

974-2620 the ruling, it was obvious there needClassified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

974-6242 ed to be drastic changes if SeaWorld expected to survive the now morally Website: usforacle.com Facebook: facebook.com/usforacle conscious population boycotting its Twitter: @USFOracle parks.

Suddenly, Joel Manby, the presiCORRECTIONS The Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors. dent and chief executive of SeaWorld Managing Editor Adam Mathieu oraclemeditor@gmail.com

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Parks and Entertainment, appeared with a — in no way forced — smile on his face declaring SeaWorld was ready to “respond to the attitudinal change (SeaWorld) helped create.”

Oh yes, Manby assured customers SeaWorld was ready to lead the way to a socially conscious tomorrow and was absolutely ending the breeding and shows to ensure the orcas were getting the best life possible.

The fact that this sudden change of heart came days after congressman Adam Schiff announced he would be introducing legislation that would force the company to end the captivity of orcas is purely coincidental.

However, it doesn’t appear like the whales at SeaWorld are going to be getting that much of an improved environment. The orcas will be part of “new, inspiring, natural orca encounters, rather than theatrical shows,” according to the company.

What exactly this entails is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain.

Next year, San Diego will begin the new version of captivity and Orlando will adopt the “natural orca encounters” in 2019.

Manby addressed critics vouching for the release of the whales by stating, “Most of our orcas were born at SeaWorld, and those that were born in the wild have been in our parks for the majority of their lives… If we release them into the ocean, they will likely die. In fact, no orca or dolphin born under human care has ever survived release into the wild.”

It appears as if Shamu is here to stay, well at least for a decade or so until the captive whales die out.

Unlike orcas living in the wild who live on average from 30 to 50 years, “92 percent of SeaWorld’s orcas did not survive past the age of 35,” according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

So congratulations, SeaWorld.

You’ve definitely convinced customers this change of heart is monumental and sincere and in no way a desperate, last ditch effort to regain the millions you’ve lost in the past few years.

Breanne Williams is a junior majoring in mass communications.

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What you said

SeaWorld has announced it will end the breeding of its orcas and phase out the killer whale show in an attempt to respond to public criticism. Opinion Editor Breanne Williams asked students if the recent announcement changed their view of SeaWorld.

“I think it’s good they are making changes. It’s a good publicity thing and more humanitarian.”

- Isabel Jacobs, a junior majoring in biomedical sciences

“I watched ‘Blackfish’ and I love animals so the announcement definitely makes me happy they are taking a more natural approach to marine life.”

- Joe Cochran, a senior majoring in chemistry “My friend started a movement in Tampa to free the orcas. I’ve had a negative view of SeaWorld since then but I think the announcement is a good thing.”

- Sarthak Kumar Behera, a junior majoring in business “It influenced my opinion a little. It shows they are taking the public’s opinion into consideration on proper changes they should be making.”

- Karen Kelley, a freshman majoring in psychology

Lifestyle

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Batman begins again this summer

By Jasmin Faisal L I F E S T Y L E

E D I T O R

At the recent South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive convention in Austin, Texas, the very popular video game manufacturer Telltale Games, released information regarding its newest venture, a Batman videogame.

On Friday, Greg Miller, a co-manager of the YouTube channel Kinda Funny, hosted a panel with Telltale Games to reveal the first details of this new game.

In attendance were some of Telltale’s key members, which included Head of Creative Communications Job Stauffer, CEO and Executive Producer Kevin Bruner, writer Pierre

Shorette, and executive producer TQ Jefferson.

Telltale’s videogames are known for their multiple branching story lines and choices that affect the game play. The choices you make affect the story. With each new decision, new options emerge and connect, making each play-through different.

Depending on what choices the player makes, he or she can unlock and interact with new characters or learn new pieces of information otherwise unavailable on a different route.

This type of gameplay can be seen in some of Telltale’s most well-known games, including ‘Wolf Among Us,’ ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Tales from the Borderlands.’

According to the company’s blog, the “team is committing to a non-photorealistic interpretation of the universe, enhancing engine and technology to deliver a more seamless living comic book art direction. Taking inspiration from the works of over 75 years of artists such as Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, and Neal Adams.”

A Batman game is nothing new. In 2015, the release of “Batman: Arkham Knight,” the most recent console game in the Batman: Arkham series, sold over 5 million copies worldwide, according to IGN. However, whereas previous Batman gameplay has been centered mainly on the actions and adventures of the Dark Knight himself, Telltale

has focused its storyline not only on Batman, but on alter ego Bruce Wayne as well.

This stand-alone game will focus mainly on the struggles of Wayne and Batman, as your choices as each influences both Bruce’s daytime interactions and Batman’s nighttime adventures.

“Batman is the perfect character for the studio to explore in a Telltale series,” Telltale stated on its blog. “Giving the team the opportunity to dive deeper into the mind of the man behind the mask. Each night, Bruce Wayne chooses to change Gotham for the better.

The team wants to explore what the consequences are of the player’s actions when decisions made as Bruce have

a critical impact on his nightly crusade as Batman, and vice versa. Certain key situations will give the player the decision to approach a scene as Bruce or Batman, with consequences for both sides.”

Although Telltale has diverged some information regarding game play, they have not announced any villains that will debut in the game. However, other key Batman figures, including Alfred, Commissioner James Gordon, Vicki Vale and Renee Montoya, are set to be featured.

The game is set to premier sometime this summer and is rated M for Mature.

Scenes from the game will be available to the general public closer to the premiere.

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Classifieds

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

To place a classified ad go to HELP WANTED

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Send your resume to cheri. settle@tempwise.com or call our office at 813-258-4101.

Crossword

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http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

HELP WANTED

Camp Mataponi is hiring for paid summer internships and jobs. We are a premier children’s summer camp on Sebago Lake, Maine. Over 100 different positions available.

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SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS.COM

SHINES

Continued from PAGE 12

Angeles, CA. Off the hands of Williams, USF snapped its 22-game drought against ranked teams, advancing to the Round of 32 to face third-seeded UCLA on Monday night at 9 p.m.

“I was told by my uncle, he told me basically when you get in a zone like that it’s such a fragile place to be in,” said Williams, who took 20 more shots than the any other Bull.

“Anything can take you out of that zone, so you’ve got to just stay focused. That’s what I tried to do.”

Williams was benched for the first five minutes of the game for what was deemed a “coach’s decision,” but she erupted upon entering the game, outscoring the Rams 25-22 over the ensuing 2 1/2 quarters.

“My freshman year, I actually came off the bench,” Williams said of the change. “I was the sixth man my freshman year.

So it took me back to my freshman year and I brought that energy.”

USF started off sluggish with CSU opening on a 10-0 run,

but USF (24-9) responded with a 12-0 run of its own, later in the second quarter and trailed 25-24 at the half.

But it was far from an efficient half with the Bulls shooting 25 percent (7-for-27).

USF held a 46-34 lead — its largest of the night — late in the fourth quarter, but the Rams fought back with an 11-2 run. That run was capped off with a 3-pointer by CSU’s Hannah Tvrdy to trim USF’s lead to three, but the Bulls held on as a last-second heave by the Rams rimmed out.

“We’re lucky to get out of here. We’ve had 48 at halftime (before),” said assistant coach Jeff Osterman on the Bulls’ radio broadcast. “We came out a little bit tight and missed some stuff, and luckily (Williams) carried us a little bit.

“We used our luck card up tonight and we’ve got to play a lot better against UCLA.” If USF has aspirations of making its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in program history, Osterman said Williams can’t do it alone.

“We’ve got to score,” Osterman said. “It can’t be Courtney Williams with 31 and the rest of us kind of clapping.”

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UPSET

Continued from PAGE 12

one from freshman shortstop Coco Montes in the second and another from designated hitter Joe Genord in the fourth.

Down two in the ninth, Michigan State had a chance to get even with the bases loaded and two outs, but USF junior closer Tommy Eveld secured the save, getting MSU freshman Marty Bechina to fly out.

After a 12-4 loss to No. 12 Florida State on March 8 and an 11-1 loss to the Spartans (14-3) on Friday, the Bulls had yet to show they had what it took to compete with top-

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ranked talent.

But USF bounced back behind 7 1/3 innings of shutout pitching from Brandon Lawson Saturday and muscled out seven runs Sunday to win its first series against a ranked opponent since April of 2013.

“I liked the fact that our team really wanted to win this series, even after Friday,” Kingston said. “Sometimes guys can fake enthusiasm. I just thought our team was really into the game, both the guys in the game and also those that were not. That has a lot to do with the success we had and how we battled back through adversity.”

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Football

Bulls look to impress scouts at USF pro day For 14 former USF football players, pro day is one of the only opportunities to show the NFL what they bring to the table.

Today’s pro day festivities include 12 athletes who played last season and two who graduated in 2015.

The list of attendees includes quarterback Steven Bench, defensive ends Zach Bullock, Eric Lee and Shawn Hill, safety Jamie Byrd, punter Mattias Ciabatti, offensive linemen Brynjar Gudmundsson and Thor Jozwiak, defensive tackle James Hamilton, tight ends Marlon Pope and Sean Price and linebacker Tashon Whitehurst.

Former kicker Marvin Kloss and tight end Mike McFarland will also be in attendance.

The players will go through measurements and drills — such as the 40-yard dash, cone drills and both vertical and broad jumps — to try and pique the interest of NFL teams.

Although none of today’s attendees are on any prominent mock drafts, some are close enough that a strong pro day could get them a camp invite.

-Staff report

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Sports

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Rundown

Baseball

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Homers key upset Williams shines in opening round victory

Outside USF

Brackets busted As if March Madness needed any more excitement, the upsetfilled first round of the NCAA tournament provided all the sensational drama of a college basketball season packed into 34 games. The opening round saw two 12-seeds — Yale and Arkansas-Little Rock — upset fifth-seeded Baylor and Purdue.

Saturday, highlighted by Middle Tennessee State’s eight-point win over second-seeded Michigan State, which many touted as a title favorite, marked the first time that 13-, 14- and 15-seeded teams all won on the same day.

Even with the mayhem, all of the top seeds survived and advanced to the Round of 32. 16-seeds are now 0-128 all-time against the top-seeded teams.

What you missed

1. The USF softball team

stretched its winning streak to 16 games with wins over Chattanooga, Georgia Tech and Kent State in the Clearwater Spring Break Tournament — tied for fifth longest in program history.

2. The USF women’s tennis team beat Middle Tennessee State 4-2 on Sunday to earn its eighth consecutive win.

3. Senior Chase Koepka

surged to victory at the Mission Inn Spring Spectacular. Koepka’s individual win helped USF men’s golf to a 21-stroke victory at the Mission Hills Golf Course.

Women’s Basketball

Sunday’s 7-5 win over No. 25 Michigan State included home runs from freshmen Chris Chatfield (top left) and Coco Montes (top right). Sophomore Kevin Merrell (bottom) also scored a run off two hits. ORACLE PHOTOS/JACOB HOAG

USF takes series from No. 25 Michigan State

By Vinnie Portell C O R R E S P O N D E N T

After scoring three runs in their first two games against No. 25 Michigan State, the USF offense overwhelmed the Spartans with four home runs in a 7-5 win Sunday to steal the three-game series at the USF Baseball Stadium.

USF senior catcher Levi Borders started the offensive barrage with a three-run homer with two outs in the first inning to give the Bulls a 3-1 lead.

Freshman outfielder Chris Chatfield followed up with an inside-the-park home run in the next at-bat to stretch USF’s

lead to four.

“It’s a good series for us,” USF coach Mark Kingston said. “After losing convincingly Friday night, we could’ve just let it affect our confidence, affect how we went about our business, and it did not. We just won a series against a top-25 team, I think it means a lot.”

The Bulls held their firstinning lead for the remainder of the game, but never pulled too far ahead, with the Spartans scoring twice in both the second and sixth innings.

USF (12-9) stayed ahead with two more home runs, with

n See UPSET on PAGE 10

Senior Courtney Williams scored a program record 31 points in USF’s 48-45 win over Colorado State in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday.

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/ GOUSFBULLS.COM

By Jacob Hoag S P O R T S

ORACLE PHOTO/JACOB HOAG

“After losing convincingly Friday night, we could’ve just let it affect our confidence ... it did not. We just won a series against a top-25 team, I think it means a lot.”

Mark Kingston USF baseball coach

E D I T O R

Any time the USF women’s basketball team has needed a shot to fall this season, senior guard Courtney Williams has delivered. As the Bulls’ leading scorer in three out of her four years, it was expected that her high-caliber scoring efforts would continue in the national spotlight.

In the Bulls’ NCAA tournament opener against 11th-seeded Colorado State (31-2) Friday night, she did just that, pouring in a USF tournament-record 31 points in a 48-45 win in Los

n See SHINES on PAGE 9