Volume 50, Issue 26

Single copies free The student newspaper at USF St. Petersburg

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

Where is General Tso?

Terrorism shouldn’t dictate study abroad plans

p. 3

p. 6

Undaunted by challenges, student seeks seat in state Legislature

By Devin Rodriguez Staff Reporter

He was just 3 months old, Victor Sims says, when the state removed him and four of his siblings from their unstable home and put them in foster care.

For the next 11 years, he bounced from foster home to foster home – eight altogether – before he landed in the home of a loving couple in Winter Haven who eventually adopted him. They provided stability and encouragement through his teenage years, he says.

Now 20, Sims is a senior psychology major at USF St. Petersburg with an ambitious goal: He wants to ser ve in the state House of Representatives.

On March 3, he filed to run as a Democratic candidate in District 39, which covers parts of Polk and Osceola counties.

It ’s a long shot . Rep. Nei l

C ombee, 56, t he Republ ic a n incumbent, is a Pol k Count y native who has already served four years in the House, the last two as deputy majority whip. According to his filings in the state Division of Elections, Combee has raised $53,905 for his campaign and spent $30,218.

But Sims says he is used to challenges. He wants to “break barriers and build futures” in his campaign, he said. “I’m a strong believer in God, and I think God will lead me to where he wants me to go next.”

As he moved from foster home to foster home, Sims says, the experience was often difficult.

“The constant moving was a huge problem for me because I would get close to the family and then leave,” he said. “It was difficult to go to school and wonder if the caseworker was going to pick you up and tell you that you’re no longer a part of that household.”

Continued on p. 3

Courtesy of Nicole Carroll

Sims is running for a seat in Florida’s House of Representatives, says he wants to “break barriers and build futures.”

There’s good news, bad news for education majors, dean says

By Jeffre7 zanker Staff Reporter

Courtesy of USF St. Petersburg

Education “has become a political football,” says Bill Heller, dean of the College of Education. Heller, 80, a former state legislator, has an insider’s perspective on the intersection of education and politics.

Students who earn degrees in education at USF St. Petersburg don’t have to worry much about f i nd i ng a te ach i ng job a f ter graduation.

But teaching these days is no school picnic.

That’s the assessment of Bill Heller, who as dean of the College of Education and a former state legislator has an insider’s perspective on the intersection of education and politics.

“If you want employment, you can have it in education,” said Heller, who predicted that most of the college’s 300 undergrads will land jobs. “But it’s a tough world in education right now.”

Virtually every lawmaker had “one bad teacher” growing up, Heller said, so many legislators

believe they know what’s best in setting standards for curriculum, students and teachers.

As a result, teachers have lost professional development opportunities and job protection, he said.

They are increasingly judged by their students’ standardized test scores, and the state’s “best and brightest” teacher scholarships are based in part on how teachers performed on their SAT or ACT tests.

“I’m not a fan of the best and brightest” program, said Heller, who said education “has become a political football.”

Heller, 80, traces his passion for education to his own upbringing in a series of rural, one-room schools in Illinois. Teachers “always made special efforts with my brother and me,” who were raised by their father – a poor farmer with a sixth-grade education – and grandparents, he said.

“Teaching is a part of me.”

He married his wife, Jeanne, in 1954. Her sister is deaf, he said, and that helped prompt his career-long interest in special education.

After a stint as a paratrooper with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, Heller earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education at Southern Illinois University, a master’s in guidance and counseling from Northern Illinois and a doctorate in special education from Northern Colorado University.

In the years that followed, his career included stints as a special education teacher, an administrator in the U.S. Department of Education, superintendent of a psychiatric hospital and a...

Continued on p. 2

crowsneststpete.com

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

Internships: ‘must’ in job market

News Briefs Monday, March 28 Super Environmental Week: POW WOW USC Ballroom // 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

The kick-off event for Super Environmental Week starts with a chance for students to connect with organizations and learn more about environmental sustainability through involvement in a number of programs.

Tuesday, March 29 Super Environmental Week: Florida Issues Panel Discussion USC Ballroom // 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

As part of Environmental Week, the Florida Issues Panel Discussion in the University Student Center will meet to examine the state’s environmental obstacles.

Join Moderator Dr. Brandon Shuler along with panelists Dr. Christopher Meindl in a water policy discussion; Dr. Don Chambers on sea level rise; and Florida House of Representative Dwight Dudley on Florida energy.

Thursday, March 31 Super Environmental Week: Consciousness Film Fest USC Ballroom // 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.

During the Consciousness Film Fest, two movies will be shown: “Home,” directed by Yann ArthusBertrand, and “I AM” by Tom Shadyac. The screenings will be followed by a festival featuring local organizations that offer a range of volunteer opportunities.

Feeding Children Everywhere USC Ballroom // 5:30 p.m.

Join the Office of Leadership and Student Organizations to help package meals for children in St. Petersburg. Come out and enjoy some food and music, while doing your part to help the community.

RSVP on PeteSync.

Saturday, April 2 NonProfit Expo Museum of Fine Arts // 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts will host a free, nonprofit expo to showcase Tampa Bay programs and organizations that need helping hands. This is a great way to find and participate in a cause that speaks to you.

By Caitlin Ashworth Staff Reporter

Olivia Leal had an internship at Project Return, a company focused on improving the lives of those recovering from mental illness.

T h e U S F Ta m p a s t u d e n t obtained the position through a field-placement class required for her minor in behavioral healthcare.

Leal said the internship was a great experience and furthered her interest in studying mental illness.

After graduation, jobs were scarce in the psychology field.

Eventually, she found a $10-anhour job at the Jacaranda Manor, a nursing home, she said, is reserved for the “severely mentally ill,” in St. Petersburg.

But she also said because the facility’s conditions were so bad, she only kept the job for less than two days.

“People were screaming and reeked of urine,” said Leal. “I was told to be careful and to treat everyone as if they have AIDS.” Leal said it’s hard to find a wellpaying job in the psychology industry with only a bachelor’s degree.

“I could get a job for $10-13 an hour, but I make more serving (at restaurants),” she said. Leal plans to pursue a master’s degree in psychology.

Lisa Shouse, director of the USF St. Petersburg Career Center, said that psychology internships can be hard to come by due to the nature of the field.

Some careers, such as journalism, require experience and internships before employment, while in other careers, one internship can lead to a full-time job.

While many internships are unpaid and primarily offered to help students strengthen their skills in their field of study, applicants should make sure the opportunity is legitimate.

“An intern should not be getting coffee,” said Shouse.

Students ca n a lso gain

experience by volunteering, but should try to differentiate between the two.

Volunteer work is focused on the service and benefits of the recipient, Shouse said, while internships are focused on learning to benefit the intern.

The Career Center connects students and potential employers through an online platform called Recruit-A-Bull.

Shouse said all organizations that post internships on Recruit-ABull are required to state they are in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. According to the act, internships in the “for-profit” private sector will most often be viewed as employment, but there are circumstances in which individuals can participate in the programs without compensation.

Interns who receive training for their own educational benefit may do so without being paid, if the training meets certain criteria.

According to media law professor Dr. David Snyder, employers offering internships have run into problems with the U.S. Department of Labor in the past, but added companies tend to be more cautious today and require students

to receive class credit from their university.

The Dali Museum seeks USFSP interns through Recruit-A-Bull.

Although the museum’s website states the company doesn’t have openings for part or fulltime employees, unpaid internship opportunities are available in 12 departments.

The Dali schedules interns for mandatory volunteer work like handing out tickets and holding doors during events.

Raymond James, a financial services holding company with over 2,700 locations in the country and several offices in Tampa Bay, has various postings on Recruit-A-Bull.

Tara h Hark ins, director of campus recruiting for Raymond James, said the goal of the company’s paid-internship program is to convert promising interns into fulltime employees after graduation.

When looking to hire recent college graduates, Harkins said the company likes to see applicants with high GPAs, solid internship experience, involvement in extracurricular activities and even parttime employment.

“In the competitive campus recruiting world, those are the things that can set students apart from their peers,” said Harkins.

If a student’s GPA is below an organization’s listed requirement, Shouse suggests to still apply, but to leave out the GPA on the resume.

Students may land interviews and can discuss their academic success with employers.

“Internships get you a better chance of getting a job,” she said.

Accord ing to t he Nat iona l A s s o c iat ion of C ol le ge s a nd Employers, intern to employee conversion rate was 51.7 percent in 2015.

USFSP journalism and media studies professor Dr. Tony Silvia coordinates and oversees students who are enrolled in media internships for college credit. Although some internships may not lead to positions, he said the experience and networking could lead to other jobs.

Silvia said internships serve two uses- to determine if the career path is the right one for that individual, or not.

As internship coordinator, Silvia said some students feel like time is wasted through an internship that wasn’t right for them. However, he said students who discover something they don’t want to do due to an internship experience is just as important as it furthering their career choice.

Education dean, continued from front cover ...professor and administrator at Indian State University, the University of Alabama and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Heller served as dean of education for UNC Charlotte from 1979 to 1992, the year he became dean and executive officer of the St. Petersburg campus of USF. Back then, the campus had 3,200 students – all juniors, seniors and graduate students –and 350 faculty members and staff, with an annual budget of $30 million.

Over the next decade, Heller said, he pushed to make the growing campus a four-year institution with residence halls and its own accreditation.

“Who wouldn’t want to have four-year college program on a beautiful site like this?” he said.

In 2002, he abruptly resigned his post at the request of USF President Judy Genshaft – a move that rankled many people on campus and in the community –

and he respected that.

He said Genshaft has been a good president and he counts her as a friend.

He also noted that his goals for

“Who wouldn’t want to have a four-year college program on a beautiful site like this?” and returned to teaching.

Heller said he and Genshaft disagreed on the goals and direction for the campus, and since he “served at the mercy, the pleasure,” of the president, he stepped down as requested.“She had a responsibility” as president, he said,

the campus – including separate accreditation in 2006 – have been realized.

“Sometimes the messenger loses his arm,” he said.

At the encouragement of a former USF president, Betty Castor, Heller ran for a seat in the state

House of Representatives in 2006.

He served two, two-year terms as a Democrat before being swept out of office in 2010 at the height of the tea party movement, “when everybody was to the right of Attila the Hun.” That same year Heller became director of the Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership and Civic Engagement on campus, and in 2012 he became dean of the College of Education.

Heller and his wife have three children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Retirement is not in his immediate plans, Heller said.

“My wife doesn’t want me at home full time,” he quipped, and “I haven’t had a day yet that I didn’t want to come to work.”

crowsneststpete.com

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

Director documents ‘search’ for General Tso

By Evy Guerra Crow’s Nest Contributor Late at night, sliding into the red booth at a Chinese restaurant in Ohio, Ian Cheney ordered General Tso’s chicken like he had done countless times in college.

But this time was different.

Cheney and his best friend Curtis Ellis were in the middle of their Iowa-bound road trip, working on their film “King Corn” which details the harm of industrial farming.

And as they made a pit stop at the midwest Chinese eatery, Cheney and Ellis questioned their typical order of the famous deep-fried, sweet-spicy chicken and thought, “Who is General Tso anyway?”

T he quest ion i nspi red t he two to create a documentary on Americanized Chinese food favorites “The Search for General Tso.” The film was showcased March 21 at USF St. Petersburg’s fourth and final lecture of this school year’s Food for Thought series.

“When we started the project it was because I was curious about the phenomena of Chinese food restaurants across the country,” said Cheney, who spoke after the screening.

Throughout the film, Cheney and Ellis traveled to explore the Chinese food industry in the United States, and focused on how meals have been modified for American taste and the discrimination that Chinese restaurants face.

“I learned a lot of what I feel is not really a part of the American history narrative: The unbelievable racism that has been articulated in government policy toward Chinese Americans,” said Cheney.

He said the hardest part of making the film was balancing its serious and lighthearted aspects.

“We felt we had an opportunity and a responsibility to tell that story, but we also had a whimsical premise of this almost goofy, gooey, red, spicy chicken dish that everybody knows,” said Cheney. “We wanted to keep those two tones throughout

Courtesy of Evy Guerra

Filmmaker Ian Cheney takes part in the university’s final lecture of the Food for the Thought series on March 21 discusses his documentary “The Search for General Tso.”

the film and fortunately, I think we were able to find characters who helped us carry it through.”

The group work ing on t he film didn’t want to get too political or touch on contemporary

immigration policies, he said, and instead just show the viewer a different perspective on the industry.

“We said, let’s do something more subtle. Let’s change the way people feel when they go into a

Chinese restaurant. Let’s change the way people see the family running that restaurant and the backstory of the food that we take for granted and don’t pay that much for.”

USFSP Journalism Professor Janet Keeler organizes the Food for Thought series and chose Cheney’s film for the last lecture because of its tone.

“I was looking for something that had a diverse atmosphere to it,” said Keeler. “The last speaker we heard was kind of more science and environment-oriented. I was looking for something slightly light-hearted, but still with a good message.”

Keeler, former food and travel editor at the Tampa Bay Times, said next year’s speakers will possibly includa possible panel of local farmers.

“The idea of it is to sort of get USF St. Pete down as a place where we can talk about food ideas and culture,” she said.

Anthropology professor discusses women’s historical role in toolmaking

By Moriah Parrish Staff Reporter

Dr. Kathryn Arthur has a unique perspective on women’s history – she’s working on rewriting it.

Arthur teaches anthropology at USF St. Petersburg and is nationally recognized for accomplishments within in the field.

She was granted the Gordon R.

Willey award in 2012 for her article published in American Anthropologist, entitled “Feminine Knowledge and Skill Reconsidered: Women and Flaked Stone Tools.”

And in summer 2012, the archeological team led by Arthur and her husband John, who is also an anthropology professor at the university, discovered the first pure ancient African genome dur-

ing an excavation in Ethiopia. The finding was officially confirmed in late 2015.

USFSP’s Office of Multicultural Affairs has been holding events at the university throughout March, Women’s History Month, to showcase some of the key issues women face.

And on March 23, Arthur was asked to present her findings from her article published in Ameri-

can Anthropologist at the Nelson Poynter Library.

Arthur referred to the Konso, a present-day Ethiopian community, as an example of women being skilled toolmakers.

In Konso culture, tasks related to the production and grinding down of materials is considered feminine, she said. Women find and craft their own stones for scraping hides, which are used to

trade for food and other goods.

According to Arthur, most literature on ancient history portrays women as nurturers and gatherers, while the men were out crafting tools and hunting away from the nest.

This results in archaeologist’s automatically attributing tools found during excavations to men – not women.

Continued on p. 7

Senior begins political campaign, continued from front cover But Sims says he learned from the experience and wants to use it to help others.

“I’ve lived with a lot of different families being in foster care,” he said. “I’ve seen multiple angles of life. That is something that most candidates don’t have.”

Then he landed with Violet and Ron Sims, who have adopted seven children, including Victor and his biological sister, Victoria.

“I started only wanting two girls. I did adopt a girl, but then I asked the caseworker if she had family. Well, she had two brothers and I couldn’t just split them up,” said Violet Sims in an interview with the Crow’s Nest.

Raising Victor wasn’t easy at first, she said. He was a sensitive child who wept a lot. But he loved to sing gospel songs around the house, and after a year he began to open up. The Sims couple adopted him in 2007.

As he grew up, Mrs. Sims said, Victor proved to be a determined young man who knew what he wanted. That’s why she nominat-

ed him for the 2013 Outstanding Young Leader award from FosterClub, a national network for foster families. He traveled to Washington to receive it.

“Victor had a drive to do things,” Mrs. Sims said. “He liked to help people. He always said that foster children had a bad rep. That people treated foster kids different, and he wanted to change that.”

In 2014, Sims graduated from Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School and received an associate degree from Polk State College.

While in high school he was student government president and a member of the National Honor Society.

At USF St. Petersburg, Sims has been Mr. USFSP, a student ambassador, and secretary of communications in student government.

He ran unsuccessfully for vice president of student government last spring.

Earlier this year, he was in professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan’s Road to the White

Courtesy of Nicole Carroll

Victor Sims (left), his biological sister, Victoria (just behind him), and his five foster siblings were adopted by Violet and Ron Sims of Winter Haven.

class and volunteered for the Hillary Clinton campaign in New Hampshire. He will graduate in May. Education is a big plank in Sims’ platform.

“My first thing to tackle is edu-

cation,” he said. “I believe that is one of the most important things to make a society great, and figuring out how to make education available to everyone at an affordable rate.”

He plans on helping founda-

tions like the Head Start Program, which offers education to young children from low-income families and helps prepare youngsters for kindergarten. His mother teaches in the program.

Sims says that having a relationship with the community is also important to him. It’s something he learned from fellow students of USFSP. “Seeing students every single day, you build a relationship with them,” he said. “Having relationships with people is what we are missing between politicians and the community. They forget to come back and be a part of that engagement.”

He knows that his political challenge is daunting. And if he doesn’t win?

“I will find another challenge to go for,” he said. “I will come after the same seat in 2018.”

crowsneststpete.com

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

By emily tinty Staff Reporter As crime and tragedy strike every day across the United States, it’s easy to forget about the ongoing problems.

But members of the USF St. Petersburg club Charitabull have pledged to support the residents of Flint, Michigan. For over a year, the city has had extremely limited access to clean drinking water due to severe contamination of Flint River, the area’s primary source of water.

Charitabull, a group dedicated to community service and outreach, will launch a fundraiser with one simple goal: send as much clean water to Flint as possible.

In the next two to three weeks, the club will collect cases of water from local businesses and around the USFSP community in an effort to bring aid to Flint residents.

The organization is seeking help from the university’s students, in particular.

Students will receive a raffle ticket for every bottle they donate, which can be entered to win

Charitabull launches fundraiser for Flint one of several prizes, including gift certificates to Dunkin Donuts, The Grind and The Tavern.

The club has also created a GoFundMe page, with the goal set at $500, to help purchase additional cases.

USFSP student Noora Khalil, Charitabull’s founder and president, said that although the incident isn’t nearby, the campus should still come together to help those in need.

“Had this happened in St. Petersburg, I would hope that, as Americans, we would come together and help in a time of crisis,” said Khalil, 22. “When we look at the bigger picture, we’re all living on this planet together and should look out for one another.”

Since switching the main water source from a Detroit treatment facility to the poorly controlled Flint River in 2014, the area has been left with dangerously contaminated drinking water. The transition caused a wide range of lead-related health problems and a possible outbreak of Legionnaire's disease, a rare type of pneumonia.

Between 6,000 and 12,000 children have been exposed to leadcontaminated water, according to NBC News. Very young children are the most vulnerable to poisoning, as the heavy metal irreversibly deteriorates developing nerve cells and brain tissue.

“People just like you and I are lacking a basic necessity for survival, and we are privileged enough to be in a position to help.”

On Jan. 16, President Obama declared the crisis a federal emergency, and while the situation is expected to see an eventual end, the impact is everlasting.

Elisa Duka, a student government senator and Charitabull member, said the club’s purpose isn’t only to service the local community, but to anyone in need.

“I think that the people of Flint have asked for help and we’re just being attentive to our friends over there who need it,” said Duka, 19.

“After all, every little bit counts.”

Information from NBC News and flintwaterstudy.org were used in this report.

Courtesy of Noora Khalil

In November 2015, Charitabull president Noora Khalil, booked two days with Habitat for Humanity in downtown St. Petersburg, where a group of USFSP students and alumni worked on a historic building restoration project. From left to right: Claire Graham, alum Ash Hendri, Connor Haynick, Noora Khalil and Laura Lopez.

O F F I C E O F G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S

Open House

Spring 2016

Courtesy of Warner Bro.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of the super egos?

By Ryan Callihan Staff Reporter For some time now, Hollywood has seemingly decided that producing DC superhero movies needs to be in isolation. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and his 2006 “Superman Returns” film never acknowledged the existence of other heroes.

Meanwhile, Marvel has been killing it. Literally.

They’ve proven that nothing dominates the box office like a squad of superheroes. And it seems like DC is taking note of Marvel’s success, as the company starts to form a league of its own on screen.

Debutting on March 25, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” is actually a direct sequel to 2013’s “Man of Steel.”

Finally, we get to see multiple DC heroes on the big screen – Wonder Woman included. And not only is there more than one, they even address one another, fists and all.

In “Man of Steel,” Superman

destroys a lot of stuff trying to stop the bad guys.

He always does.

In the new film, Bruce Wayne witnesses the carnage firsthand and begins to question if Superman, with all of his power, will be a good guy forever.

Disclaimer: Superman is one of my least favorite superheroes. He can fly, has super strength, super skin, super senses, and can shoot laser beams from his eyes. How can anyone compete with that?

“Dawn of Justice” isn’t a twohour Batman-Superman slugfest and it turns out that Ben Affleck isn’t a terrible Batman, who knew?

So ba sic a l ly, Bat ma n f i nd s Superman to be a threat to the world, while Superman thinks Batman is just a rough vigilante.

Even if “Dawn of Justice” isn’t your cup of tea, there’s definitely more on the way.

Is Marvel’s superhero crown about to get a run for its money?

Quite possibly, because it looks like DC is just getting started.

Saturday, April 16 9am to 12pm USF St. Petersburg, Science and Technology Building (STG)

Come learn about USFSP’s MBA and MAcc programs. There will be information sessions by representatives from the colleges of arts and sciences, business, and education, admissions, financial aid, veteran services, and GRE/GMAT prep.

crowsneststpete.com

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

What you need to know for USFSP Week April 4-10, 2016

Wednesday, April 6

By Tamiracle Williams Staff Reporter

Monday, April 4 Cirque De La Bay - USC Lawn, 4 - 7 p.m.

This “Do It Yourself” event allows students to make their own gel bead air fresheners or mini zen gardens to help them relax as finals approach.

Join and celebrate the kickoff of USFSP Week to get the community excited about this year’s events which will include music, giveaways and group activities.

Be sure to stick around, at 5:30 p.m. the Aerial Dragons will be hitting the stage to show off their airborne skills. Aerial Dragons is a performance troupe based in Tampa Bay that specializes in lyra, trapeze, silks and hand-balancing.

Tuesday, April 5 Green and Gold Rush - USC Ballrooms, 4 - 6:30 p.m.

Friday, April 8

Rocky’s Relaxation Station - USC Lawn, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

USFSP’s Got Talent - USC Ballrooms, 7 p.m.

Bullstock- Sun Dome parking lot 22D, 5 p.m. to midnight Sponsored by USF, Bullstock is a free concert for students and is open to the general public. Battle of the Bands competition winners, Reckless Serenade and Assuming We Survive, will be the show’s opening acts with BORNS, The Maine, Mayday Parade and New Politics headlining.

Cheer on your fellow students as they participate in the night at the Apollo-themed talent show. The event will feature a wide variety of performers, including singers, dancers and musicians, all competing to win first, second and Students can reserve a seat on the bus through PeteSync. third place prizes.

All unclaimed seats will be first come first serve. Buses will depart for Tampa from the University Student Center at This is a red carpet event, so students are encouraged 3:30 p.m. to dress their best.

Thursday, April 7

Sunday, April 10 Bubble Soccer - Recreation Field, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

USFS-Prix - Harbor Lawn, 3 - 6 p.m.

In this grand-prix style relay race, The Tampa Bay Bubble Soccer league will take over the campus recrefive teams will compete across harbor Come test your USFSP knowledge with the ation field to give students the bubble soccer experience, where players comlawn in four segments: longboard, student leadership Ambassadors organization pete in big, bubble hamster balls. kayak, stationary puzzle and threeat this trivia contest, where students can comlegged race. Before the 5 p.m. pete for prizes by answering a series of “USFSP To join in the fun, pre-register online at www.imleagues.com/usfsp and bring your event, join the tailgate to take part themed” questions. student ID to the Rec Field on Third Street South. in arts and crafts, games and, of course, free food.

Participants can prepare for the challenge Students can sign up as free agents or in teams of five. All games are five vs. five, and will last by studying facts about the university from the around 10-15 minutes. If you plan on participating in bubble soccer, make sure to wear athletic Students can sign up Book of Bull, which is available on the USF clothing and closed-toed shoes -- no cleats. with a team of five on Alumni Assocation’s website and in hard PeteSync: https://orgcopy in the USFSP Advancement offices in RecFest - Harbor Lawn, 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. sync.com/63009/ the Williams House, room 200. forms/192602/ Come out to Harbor Lawn for Campus Recreation’s third annual RecFest, a family-friendly event submissions that will feature music, lawn games, prizes and pizza. Numerous recreational activities are planned . throughout the day, including an inflatable obstacle course and log rolling. During the event, students can also check out kayaks, paddleboards and canoes from the waterfront facility.

Arrive early and get the opportunity to sign up for some of the day’s boat trips that include tubing and dolphin tours. The trips are on a first come, first serve basis with limited seats available.

Dive In Movie - Coquina Pool, 8 p.m.

Take a late night dip in the pool with the Harborside Activities Board organization as the new film “Dirty Grandpa,” starring Zac Efron and Robert De Niro, is shown.

Study App Review: Duolingo

By Ryan Callihan Staff Reporter Learning a language is hard, but no one said it couldn’t be fun.

Duolingo is a completely free language learning application that makes the monumental challenge of becoming fluent in another language a joy.

S et t i ng up you r D uol i ngo account is easy.

First, it will ask what your primary language is and then presents

various language courses to choose from.

If English is your first language, Duolingo can help you learn up to 16 other languages, from German, to Portuguese, to Norwegian.

And you can take as many language courses as you like.

Of course, there’s a social aspect that users can engage in as well by linking their Facebook or Google

accounts to follow others and see how their friends are progressing.

After all, nothing lights a fire like friendly competition.

Duolingo’s training starts you off with the very basics, so even if you have never spoken a single word of Spanish, there’s nothing to worry about.

As you reach higher levels, new vocabulary is highlighted in yellow and more advanced users can jump ahead with a placement test.

Courses are divided into modules with lessons within them.

A green progress bar at the top of the screen tracks your progress, but there’s a twist – you can’t finish the lesson until you complete the green bar.

When questions are answered i n c o r r e c t l y, t h e b a r m o v e s backward.

This method ensures that you’ve mastered the skill by the time you complete the lesson, no shortcuts.

Each lesson contains a handful of reading, speaking and listening exercises, and most are paired with cute animations relevant to the topic.

Translating spoken sentences is one of the more useful exercises.

Duolingo uses numerous voice actors who speak the language natively, well at least they sound like they do. Regardless, it’s not some funky robot voice.

This makes it easier to pick up on the proper pronunciation and learn how to understand the language’s speakers.

The minds behind Duolingo seem to understand that mastering a language is a process.

Even after you’ve completed a

module, the app will remind you to come back and review after some time because it may have faded from your memory.

Duolingo is available on the web and on iOS, Android and Windows.

As a bonus, the website-version includes an exclusive feature that allows you to practice what you’ve learned by translating entire articles into English.

Adopting a new language takes a lot of effort, especially when you’re doing it by yourself.

Duolingo is a great guide to learn French before your fancy summer vacation or even as a supplement to your foreign language class.

With language-learning this efficient, you’ll wonder why anyone would actually pay for software.

crowsneststpete.com

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

Abroad and unafraid When you allow terrorists to deter a decision to study overseas, you’ve already let them win

Editor-in-chief

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By Jason Saab Staff Reporter Last winter I decided I wanted to make the most of my col lege experience and go on a study abroad trip.

I knew I wanted to go to Europe and I definitely aimed for something nice to put on my soonto-be college grad resume.

I signed up for Food and Travel Writing in France and Germany, a ten day trip full of food, tours and fun. We will spend the first half of the excursion in Strasbourg, France, near the Black Forest region of Germany, and the second in the beautiful city of Paris.

However, I was also fully aware of the November 2015 terrorist attacks that recently devastated Paris. Now, four months later, Brussels is attacked less than 200 miles away.

But am I afraid?

While I’m sure my parents and my fellow classmates may be worried, I personally, am not.

Why would I be afraid of something that I’ve been experiencing regularly at home for the last 22 years?

Let me be clear.

I live in America, where we have had more mass shootings than days in 2015, with 372, according to PBS. I live in America, where the Republican presidentia l front runner feeds on xenophobia and

Exploring the world around us is an essential part to growing as human beings, if we haven’t let our fears stop us before, why should we let them now?

offers to pay his supporters’ legal bills for beating up protesters.

I live in America, where police killed more people in the first 24 days of 2015 than England and Wales have in 24 years, according to The Guardian.

These events are our daily lives, so no – I am not afraid of what could happen while I’m there.

In all honesty, the chances of a terrorist attack in America are just as high.

Visiting these crowded foreign cities makes me no more or less a target than traveling in America.

If I won’t let it stop me here, why should it stop me there?

We cannot let fear control our lives. Terrorist organizations want to prevent travel and communication with other countries – isolation is their strongest tool – and they know it.

It is times like these where we must come together, when it is more crucial than ever to open our minds to new ideas and cultures.

Traveling abroad is an amazing – and addictive – experience, and doing so with classmates will make it even better.

Do not let xenophobia or its rhetoric stop you from taking the trip of a lifetime.

C h a nc e s a r e , i f y ou h ave

survived in America, you’ll survive in Europe.

Being afraid to explore the world because of a terrorist threat that can strike anytime, anywhere, is irrational.

I, for one, have things to do, people to see and places to be.

Jason Saab, a senior in journalism and media studies, is the news editor. He can be reached at jasaab@mail.usf.edu

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Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

Majority of students commute to campus misc.

By Lee Elstun Crow’s Nest Contributer A college commuter is a multifaceted individual.

Their daily routines vary with jobs and responsibilities. Some live with parents and some are parents with a family to support when they aren’t in classes.

Other commuters rent a house or apartment and make ends meet on their own or split the rent with friends. Most of the time, they are just trying to balance their personal lives while keeping up with coursework simultaneously.

About 10 percent of students

live on campus, according to Pamela Johnson, the residential life program specialist at USF St. Petersburg.

Shannon Gazdacka, president of the Commuter Student Association, focuses on managing a club of people constantly on the move and working.

As a commuter student, Gazdacka said she understands the challenges of maintaining a social life on campus for those who do not live here.

“I am also in two other organizations and taking five classes, plus I have two jobs, so it can be easy to forget about planning

ahead for CSA,” said Gazdacka.

For those with a little extra time after class who don’t want to leave campus immediately, the CSA has a place for them.

The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month in SLC 2101, but the location is subject to change. And not all of their time is spent in meetings.

“We go out to eat the third Wednesday of every month, and on the last Saturday of every month, we will do activities off campus,” said Gazdacka who went rock climbing with the group in February.

Commuter students often have

Women in toolmaking, continued from page 3 This results in archaeologist’s automatically attributing tools found during excavations to men – not women.

But Arthur flipped the notion on its head by drawing between evidence in historical records and techniques used by modern-day women.

She said her research has not been well-received by everyone.

During a conference, Arthur said she was giving the same presentation when a male peer walked out without saying a word.

This historical research bias exemplifies why society needs Women’s History Month, Arthus said.

Since 1987, March has been celebrated as Women’s History Month after a joint resolution was issued by Congress that President Reagan authorized as law.

To raise awareness for sexual assault victims, students can participate in the Women Empowerment Club’s first “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event on March 31 at 4 p.m. at Harborwalk.

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trouble finding the time to attend meetings, but sophomore Jerry Cano found time to attend, and said the club has benefited him.

“I joined the commuter club because I wanted to meet people that also had a hard time meeting people on campus because of time scheduling,” said Cano.

Gazdacka said she enjoys living off campus because she prefers home-cooked meals.

“I like being a commuter because I don't love the food on campus and I am happy to keep eating the meals my dad makes for me every night.”

Even Cano is lucky enough to

maintain his connection to the campus, despite his heavy workload.

“I have two jobs, one is on campus and one is off,” he said. “The job on campus helps me stay involved so it really works out.”

Visit www.usfsp.edu/usc/about/ commuter-resources or the information desk in the University Student Center to find out more about campus resources available to commuters.

crowsneststpete.com

Mar 28- Apr 3, 2016 | Volume 50 | Issue 26

Student guide to spring cleaning Prepare for finals by having a fresh room and a clear mind

By Tamiracle Williams Staff Reporter It’s almost that time of year again – finals season.

Professors pile on homework assignments and projects in hopes

that it will prepare their students for finals.

If your professors are anything like mine, you probably have at least one research paper, a group project and around 300 pages of reading before the extra-complicated, probably cumulative exams of finals week.

Most of my nights are spent at a coffee shop or library, which has

caused me to completely neglect my room.

The most I might be in my room in one day is eight hours, and that’s usually when I am asleep or getting ready for work.

Due to the lack of attention my room receives, it’s starting to look more like a department store than the place I go to relax – with newspapers, books and homework

assignments taking over my desk and dirty clothes bursting my laundry baskets at the seams.

It’s definitely time for a day of cleaning.

If your room has reached this point, stick around for some of my spring cleaning and decluttering tips that can make your room the stress-free environment it should be.

Before you start attacking the mess head-on, get together a few cleaning items.

Here’s what you’ll need: • Trash Bags • Gloves • Washcloth • Multi-purpose cleaner or disinfecting wipes • *A good music playlist • Broom

1.

Start a load of laundry Dirty clothes usually take up the most space in a dorm room, so washing dirty clothes first will free up a lot of space.

2. Take out the trash.

Take the time to sort through the things on your floor and throw away old coffee containers, empty water bottles and useless papers. If you have a recycling bin on your floor – use it.

3. Clean the surface.

Now that you can somewhat see your desk again, it’s time to clean it off.

Place all of your desk and dresser items on your chair or floor and wipe them off; dust and dirt tend to accumulate in places you can’t really see.

Once you’re done place the items neatly back into their spots.

Courtesy of Her Campus

4. Fold your laundry.

At this point your clothes should be clean, so take the time to neatly fold and put them away. The number one reason clean clothes end up on the floor is either people forget to put them away, or don’t feel like it. Trust me, the few minutes it takes is worth it.

5. Organize your shoes

My room is basically my only rest area, so when I finally make it to my room, I kick off my shoes and they stay where they land. While you’re in the cleaning spirit, put all your kicks in one neat, designated area. This will make changing shoes a lot easier because you won’t have to search for a matching pair.

6. Sweep your floor

Even though you can see your floor again, it doesn’t mean it’s clean, it might still be a little dirty. Use a broom or Swiffer and make sure to move your stuff around because dust and dirt like to hide under furniture, too.

7. Invest in an air freshener

There’s nothing like walking into a freshly-cleaned room that smells like flowers or sunshine or cookies – whatever you prefer. Swing by any Publix or CVS is closer and grab an air freshener.

8. Make your bed

This way, when you’re done, you can fly face-first for a nap. Plus it looks pretty.

As final exams and projects approach, you are going to need a getaway to relaxation place.

A clean room will provide the organized, stress-free environment that’s more than necessary to unwind after a long day of work and school.

Happy cleaning.

Tamiracle Williams, a junior majoring in journalism and media studies, is the photo editor. She can be reached at tamiracle@mail.usf.edu