4-27-17

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April 27, 2017

Vol. 54 No. 57

STRESS WEEK MANAGING THE DEMAND OF FINALS Page 3

Florida should pass laws to help women Page 4

Video Game Club hosts tournament Page 6

Baseball shut out

by Hatters Page 10

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

Editor in Chief Jacob Hoag oracleeditor@gmail.com

Associate Editor Breanne Williams oracleopinion@gmail.com Multimedia Editor Jackie Benitez

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

Advertising Sales Alyssa Alexander Ashley Bazile Destiny Moore Dylan Ritchey

oraclemultimediaeditor@gmail.com

Asst. Sports Editor Josh Fiallo

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).

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The Index

Graphic Artists Destiny Moore Mark Soree

Managing Editor Miki Shine oraclemeditor@gmail.com Sports Editor Vinnie Portell oraclesportseditor@gmail.com

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CORRECTIONS The Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors.

Contact Editor in Chief Jacob Hoag at 974-5190.

News Briefs Population hits 7.5 billion

news

Managing finals week UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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The world is now home to over 7.5 billion people, according to worldometers.info. This is an addition of 25 million people since the start of 2017. The U.S. is ranked as the third largest country by population — after China with 1.38 billion and India with 1.33 billion — at 325 million. According to the BBC, India’s population is expected to overtake China’s by 2022 with Nigeria replacing the U.S. by 2050.

As need for cybersecurity grows, USF class offers solutions

By Miki Shine M A N A G I N G

Second health care bill in progress A second try at a new health care bill is on its way out with key figures of the House Freedom Caucus preparing to back it, according to the Washington Post. The Freedom Caucus didn’t back the first attempt at a new health care bill last month, but that doesn’t mean the new bill will automatically pass. Rep. Dan Donovan (R) said he will oppose the new health care plan, and Rep. Mike Coffman (R) is slated as undecided.

The Freedom Caucus released a statement saying the new bill doesn’t completely repeal the Affordable Health care Act and that it looks forward to continuing improvements.

Reportedly, the new bill would allow states to define what essential health benefits they’ll offer in order to decrease cost.

Essential health benefits in Obamacare include maternity and emergency care. People have also voiced concerns that the bill would remove the preexisting conditions clause.

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The four main issues that bring students into the USF Counseling Center are anxiety, stress, depression and relationships. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

As exams near, student stress levels soar

By Jacob Hoag E D I T O R

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ssignments due, projects to complete, presentations to make, exams to cram for, life to prepare for.

At this time of the year, students are overwhelmingly pulled in every direction to meet expectations.

It is as stressful a time as ever, and for some students, it’s too much to handle, leading to worse grades and mental health issues.

“The demands are really high right now,” said Heidi Petracco, Interim Co-Director and Associate Director for Clinical and Prevention Services at the USF Counseling Center.

“We experience stress whenever there’s a perceived threat in our lives. That perceived threat could be not passing a class or running low on time or having difficulty managing it.

“All of those stressors seem to increase at one time because there is a potential loss at stake.”

During finals week, multiple stressors seem to pile up more than any other time, mostly because of what’s at stake.

Whether it’s exams or graduation or personal issues, finals week adds another layer of stress to the majority of students, and it can lead to a drop in academic standing.

“We’ve seen an increase in

n See STRESS on PAGE 5

Counseling Center Hours

Mon., Wed., Thur. 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Tuesday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

24-hour phone 813-974-2831

E D I T O R

From international hacking scams to card skimmers at gas stations, the world of developing technology can be alarming.

In an attempt to help students understand this, education professors Michael and Ilene Berson will teach the Maymester class “Cybersecurity and the Everyday Citizen.”

They said the class focuses on what the average student needs to know.

“Rather than looking at the technical side, we’re focusing on the human aspect,” Ilene, professor of early childhood education, said.

“What safeguards are there to protect your own data.”

Ilene gave the example of a dance student who shares a video of choreography on Facebook. She pointed out that action is sharing intellectual property — something that student created that can be patented, trademarked or copyrighted.

But when intellectual property gets on the internet, issues can arise.

For example, Gelila Mesfin, an Ethiopian art student in New York, created an image of former first lady Michelle Obama dressed in an ancient Egyptian headdress and posted it online, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The image appeared as a mural in a building in Chicago’s South Side last week as a work

by Chris Devins, who found the image online without a source,

n See CYBER on PAGE 3

Opinion

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Florida should pass laws to help women

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What you said Asst. Sports Editor Josh Fiallo asked students how they cope with stress during finals week.

“I go to the botanical gardens and take pictures.”

- Bailey Adams, a sophomore majoring in health sciences

The fight to abolish the “tampon tax” survived another round in the Florida Legislature on Tuesday when lawmakers agreed to consider removing the tax from feminine hygine products. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

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

Lawmakers in Florida are fighting to eliminate the “tampon tax,” or a sales tax on items women use while menstruating.

Despite the fact that these items are necessary for women to lead a healthy and normal life, the government has been treating them as luxury items by taxing them instead of considering them to be a “common household remedy” under state law.

Two proposals for changing that error moved ahead in the Florida Legislature on Tuesday.

Thirteen states have realized this policy is absurd and have switched to making the products tax-free. Hopefully, Florida will soon join them.

Those in favor of retaining the “tampon tax” argue it is an asset to the state’s economy. Getting rid of the tax could cost Florida $3.8 million a year in tax revenue, and local governments could lose up to $1 million on a recurring basis.

But the argument is based entirely on the opinion that women should carry the burden of paying for products they cannot healthily function without. It is a responsibility men do not have to face.

Women will spend approximately $18,000 over their lifetime on products for their period, according to the Huffington Post.

When you consider women are still paid on average 80 percent of what men earn in the U.S., you realize how absurd this entire process is.

Making feminine hygiene products tax-free will impact the economy, but not in a manner worthy of any panic. In 2015, the government spent approximately $75.5 billion, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Losing $3.8 million hardly makes a dent in the budget.

Women cannot go without them, so they will continue to pay the obscene prices each month.

It’s unfair they should be considered a luxury when women cannot go to work or school, play sports or go out in public without them.

New York made history in 2016 when it passed legislation allowing menstrual products to be free at public schools, shelters and corrections facilities. Others began to take up the cause, and the push for free products began to pop up across the country.

Florida isn’t asking for that.

The Florida Legislature is simply saying women shouldn’t have to

pay taxes for something they need to survive.

During his term, former president Barack Obama said the tax more than likely exists because men wrote the laws.

“I have to tell you, I have no idea why states would tax these as luxury items,” Obama said in January 2016. “I suspect it’s because men were making the laws when those taxes were passed.”

We shouldn’t have to wait for women to become equally represented in government to start having fair laws. They are slowly claiming seats, but it will be years before they are accurately represented.

Over 51 percent of Florida’s population is women and in 2016 only 25 percent of its lawmakers were female, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. They are a majority in the state and should be considered when lawmakers in Tallahassee vote on new policies.

Florida can afford to lose the “tampon tax.” We have plenty of other revenues for funds and it will save the women living here a great deal of money.

Breanne Williams is a senior majoring in mass communications.

“Plan ahead, go to the gym and talk to a lot of people.”

- Lindsay Power, a junior majoring in biomedical sciences

“I do anything I can to get away from music, such as binge eating.”

- Christian Bianchet, a freshman majoring in music

“I like to go to the gym and run on the treadmill, or just do stretches in my dorm.”

- Caroline Koenig, a sophomore majoring in health sciences

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STRESS

Continued from PAGE 3

students who reported stress, anxiety and depression as the leading academic impediments,” Assistant Vice President of USF Wellness Rita DeBate said in a presentation about mental health to the USF Faculty Senate on Feb. 22. “This is important because this is what the students are saying is an impediment to their academic success.”

The 2015 National College Health Assessment found 85 percent of students had felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point in the past year.

This can also lead to students using what are referred to as “study drugs” such as Ritalin or Adderall. According to the Center on Young Adult Health and Development, the misuse of prescription drugs can increase the risk of dependence and could result in “dangerously high body temperatures, irregular heartbeat, seizures or heart attack.”

There’s no doubt there’s pressure and demand during

finals week, but there are ways to get through it, some without leaving the dorm.

Step 1, according to Petracco, is to make a plan on how to get things done and how to take care of yourself while you do it.

“Stress at this point in the semester is extremely common for college students,” she said.

“Just being able to take the time to sit down and figure out how you’re going to get everything done that you need to is key.

“Figure out how much of what’s happening in your life is something to actually be afraid of and how much is perception — sort of a reality check.”

Petracco said a lot of what students tend to worry about is justified, but at the same time, some of it is just perception and emotion. Being able to withdraw some of the emotion allows students to think more clearly.

“Just because you did bad on one thing doesn’t mean you’re going to do bad on everything,” Petracco said. “That’s one of the perceptions that can be checked.

“There are these catastrophic thoughts that we jump to that evoke a lot of emotion and a lot of stress. If you just take a

moment to scale that back and kind of ground ourselves back in reality, then we can lose some of that emotionality.”

The leading issues that bring students into the Counseling Center have consistently been anxiety, stress, depression and relationship troubles, regardless of the time of year, Petracco said.

But it’s how students respond to those issues that dictates the outcome.

“I see students who feel like something is not quite right, but they often ask themselves this question of, ‘Am I feeling bad enough to go to the Counseling Center yet?’” Petracco said. “They probably answer themselves, ‘No, it’s not bad enough yet.’”

She said these students often reiterate this question to themselves, a lot of times enabling the problem to build.

“You can ask yourself this question multiple times, but the first time you ask yourself the question is probably the right time to go,” Petracco said. “It’s so much easier to create change in your life when you’re only feeling a little bit distressed as opposed to letting it build.”

FIVE tips for relieving stress

1. MANAGE YOUR TIME 2. know what to study 3. make time for fun 4. go to the gym

5. get some sleep

LIFESTYLE

USF Video Game Club hosts tournament

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

By Nicole Cate S T A F F

W R I T E R

Over the course of the next week, USF students will be studying for finals. The end of the semester couldn’t come fast enough for most of them.

Many will be looking for ways to blow off steam, and for the people who prefer to do so from the comfort of indoors with a controller or mouse in hand, the Video Game Club at USF will be hosting LAN Ho!: Spring 2017, its second LAN party in two semesters.

The acronym LAN means local area network, which is a network that connects computers in a confined region, like a room or building. According to Joshua Harriger, a senior majoring in Information Technology and the

president of the Video Game Club, a LAN party is a gathering of people who want to game together.

“Usually, LAN parties are focused around tournaments for games, such as Overwatch or Smash Brothers, but they don’t necessarily have to be,” Harriger said. “It’s basically just an event where a bunch of gamers get together and we play games either competitively or casually.”

The first of the semesterly LAN Ho! event was held in November, but before that, the club held these events annually.

There were about 230 attendees and 100 competitors last semester. Seeing as how the club got positive feedback from most people, Harriger hopes they will beat those numbers this time.

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The event is free for anyone who wishes to attend, including non-students, but those who wish to compete will have to pay a venue fee and a tournament fee for each contest they sign up for.

The tournament fee is $10 per tournament entered, except for Overwatch and Counterstrike: Global Offensive, which are $15.

Harriger recommends that contestants sign up before the day of the event, because at that time, the venue fee will cost $15.

The entry fee for each individual tournament goes towards a pot bonus, which is awarded to a certain number of the highest ranked players of that game at the end of the night, while the venue fee is for the cost of renting the ballroom and other costs for putting on the event.

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The event will be held May 13, long after the fall semester has wrapped up. Originally, the date was set and the MSC Ballroom was booked for April 15.

Unfortunately, shortly afterward, there was a large Super Smash Bros. tournament announced in Orlando that was going to be held on that same day, Smash being a very popular competitive game in this region.

“If we had held it on the same day, the number of entrants and the number of people able to attend would basically be cut in half,” Harriger said. “So we worked with the MSC to come up with a date early on into the summer semester that would still be close enough to where we feel like people could make it out but wouldn’t make it technically a summer event.”

The tournaments available are Super Smash Bros. 4 Wii U - singles, Super Smash Bros.

4 Wii U - doubles, Super Smash Bros. Melee - singles, Super Smash Bros. Melee - doubles, Street Fighter V, Overwatch and Counterstrike: Global Offensive.

There will be other games and consoles set up for casual gaming.

The event will be held from 12 to 10 p.m., two hours shorter than its usual 12 hours, due to it being held in the summer.

The MSC will be open four hours longer than usual to accommodate the occasion.

Everyone who attends will be entered into a raffle, with prizes coming from Tespa, a collegiate E-sport sponsor, Bobacup and the Microsoft store.

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Classifieds

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

To place a classified ad go to FURNITURE

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CYBER

Continued from PAGE 3

without credit to Mesfin.

While the two are negotiating a resolution, this illustrates a potential issue with releasing intellectual property online — you never know who will see it and whether they’ll see the original post.

Ilene said issues like this are one of the interesting things about teaching the class, because there’s always a new topic coming up. As teachers, she and Michael don’t have to go back two years or even two weeks for some of their material.

They also teach the “internet of things,” which is rapidly expanding. The term has to do with devices that connect to the internet or another device.

This can stretch from ATMs and cellphones to smart lamps and cars.

“It’s hard to discern a part of our life that isn’t connected,” Ilene said.

While the class discusses larger issues such as these, it also points out more mundane aspects of cybersecurity such

as creating a strong password and privacy settings on social media.

Ilene pointed out that more employers are looking at the social media pages of potential hires to help influence who gets the job, and this is something students need to be aware of.

“Maybe it’s not the best idea to post a picture of yourself at that party with your red cup and dressed up for whatever theme the party has,” she said.

Michael said they’ve given students mock applications and Facebook feeds of potential employees, and asked which one the students would hire.

The exercise usually sparks discussion, with students disagreeing and some arguing that employers shouldn’t be able to view these platforms.

Michael and Ilene designed the class specifically for intersession periods — Maymester and Winter Session — to draw in more students.

“We wanted to make sure it was open to all students,” Michael said. “All students are packed, regardless of their major, so we thought this help it fit into students’ schedules.”

Students are able to sign up for a Maymester class called “Cybersecurity and the Everyday Citizen,” which tackles the human aspect of security in the age of technology. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

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The Rundown Outside USF

Pirates call up first African-born player Gift Ngoepe became the first African-born person to play in Major League Baseball on Wednesday when the Pittsburgh Pirates called him up from the minor leagues. Ngoepe, 27, was born and raised in Ngoepe South Africa and originally signed with Pittsburgh in 2008. Nine years later, he is living what he called “a dream come true” on Wednesday afternoon. The infielder was batting just .241 at Triple-A Indianapolis, but is considered the best defensive prospect in the Pirates’ organization, according to ESPN.

Weekend sports schedule Baseball Houston (27-13, 8-4) @ USF (32-8, 7-5) When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Where: USF Baseball Stadium

Track and Field Tom Jones Invitational When: Friday, All Day Where: Gainesville

Sports

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Bulls held scoreless in midweek loss to Stetson Baseball

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Football

Message to draftees: Don’t mess this up

Each year, some players are involved in controversies that cause their draft stock to fall.

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

Catcher Andres Leal was one of the lone bright spots for USF’s offense in the shutout, going 2-for-4 at the plate. ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ ers, who handed the Bulls their the Bulls on the mound.

By Josh Fiallo first shutout loss of the season.

“There were just some guys A S S T . S P O R T S E D I T O R “They had good stuff and that we wanted to get some they threw their best guys,” work in,” Kingston said on his There was no last-inning USF coach Mark Kingston said decision to pitch four freshcomeback for USF this time after the loss. “We just didn’t men. around. have good at-bats against Even with the Hatters win In their third weekday clash them. You have to tip your cap on Wednesday, USF still won with Stetson of the season, to them.” the regular-season series the Hatters blanked the Bulls The plate wasn’t the only against Stetson, beating the handily on Wednesday night place the Bulls (32-9, 7-5) Hatters once in Tampa and at the USF Baseball Stadium, struggled. once in DeLand. winning 6-0.

Behind the plate, Bulls catchDespite Stetson (19-25) Following a double-steal and er Andres Leal allowed back- striking out 15 Bulls on the a failed pick-off from Bulls to-back passed balls with the night, Kingston said he isn’t reliever Collin Sullivan, the bases loaded in the seventh worried about his team’s abiliHatters grabbed a 2-0 lead inning, allowing the Hatters to ty at the plate moving forward. in the fifth inning that they extend their lead to five.

“Overall, I think if we give wouldn’t relinquish.

Kingston said the passed up six runs on a Wednesday On April 11, the Bulls ral- balls were due to a commu- night, on most weeks we still lied together six runs in the nication mishap on what the outscore the other team,” last three innings against the signs were between Leal and Kingston said. “We’ll move on Hatters, leading USF to an freshman pitcher Noah Yager. from it.” improbable 8-6 victory.

In contrast to the Hatters Next up for the Bulls is a Wednesday night however, throwing their Friday and three-game series against the Bulls failed to produce Saturday night starters Houston (27-13, 8-4) that at the plate facing both the Wednesday night, Kingston begins at 6:30 on Friday night Hatters No. 1 and No. 2 pitch- called on four freshmen to lead at the USF Baseball Stadium.

Jacob Hoag C O M M E N TA R Y

In just under 24 hours, hundreds of NFL prospects will begin possibly the biggest day of their young lives: the draft.

They have an opportunity unlike many of us. Live out their dreams, become famous and stuff their pockets with much more money than needed.

Take it from me, the unathletic college senior graduating with 10’s of thousands of dollars in debt.

Don’t screw it up.

Seems simple right? Don’t do drugs. Don’t beat women.

Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’re accused of rape.

Those are standards for all citizens to uphold, not just athletes, but when you have millions of dollars on the line, it gives a little more incentive.

n See DRAFTEES on PAGE 11

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DRAFTEES

Continued from PAGE 10

Well, so far in this year’s draft, three players have already failed those simplest of guidelines.

In the past month before today’s draft, two players, Alabama’s Rueben Foster and Michigan’s Jabril Peppers, had “diluted” samples at the combine.

Both players claim there wasn’t any foul play or tampering involved, but still, it’s not a great spot to put yourself in with teams evaluating your every move.

But they aren’t the only ones putting their draft stock in harm’s way. Two more potential first-rounders have seen their stock drop by putting themselves in a bad spot.

Florida defensive lineman Caleb Brantley, a projected early round selection, was accused of punching a woman, resulting in a misdemeanor battery charge.

The accuser’s attorney told the Tampa Bay Times that she was knocked to the ground and suffered injuries that require “extensive medical treatment.”

Brantley has maintained his innocence throughout the process, but most teams will not look twice even so.

As Brantley’s stock gets

murky, another high-profile pick, Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley, is seeing his stock plummet.

Conley was accused of raping a woman in her Cleveland hotel room earlier this month, according to ESPN. Again, just an accusation, but nonetheless, it’s detrimental to his draft stock, and for that, the blame can only fall on him.

It seems to happen every year. A high-profile player makes a dumb move just prior to the draft and, because of it, millions of dollars are lost.

Last year, for example, Mississippi’s Laremy Tunsil was positioned to be a prized top-five pick. But on draft night, a video was leaked of Tunsil smoking weed using a gas mask, causing his stock to drop.

Tunsil fell just five to 10 spots to the Miami Dolphins, but that resulted in nearly $10 million lost.

It’s pretty simple.

It really shouldn’t take millions of dollars to get athletes to act the right way, but it should at least give them a smidge of incentive to behave for a few months.

For the athletes who are doing it, great.

For those who can’t, I, along with millions of others, would gladly take your place.

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