Volume 53 Issue 11 by The Crow's Nest

SHOW ME THE MONEY NEWS, page 2

FLORIDA MAN WRITES FEATURES, page 4 or 5

GET ‘EM TO THE GREEK OPINIONS, page 6

A new SG bill is calling for more transparency in the spending of discretionary funds. The Student Government president’s discretionary fund is $10,000.

Join Online Editor Katlynn Mullins as she takes you into the heart of “Florida Man” Art Levy’s book featuring the citizens of the Sunshine State.

Contributor Emme Meyers says Greek life aligns with USF St. Petersburg values. Read her op-ed on why fraternities and sororities should come to campus.

THE CROW ’S NEST T H E C A M P U S N E W S PA P E R AT U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A S T. P E T E R S B U R G

Volume 53, Issue 11 - November 12, 2019 | Online at crowsneststpete.com

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Meet the man behind ‘Goosebumps’

By Savannah Carr and Jonah Hinebaugh savannahc4@mail.usf.edu jonahh@mail.usf.edu

eaders of R.L. Stine might think his job is to scare children. He is renowned for his young adult-oriented “Goosebumps” series, which was adapted for television in 1995. Even his Twitter bio reads: “My job: to terrify kids.” But Stine is more than just the bestseller of children’s horror. Until his 40s, he wrote comedy pieces under the name Jovial Bob Stine. At 9, he stumbled upon an old typewriter on which he wrote comedic stories and jokes. Stine continued on his comedic path through college, where he wrote and was an editor for Ohio State University’s humor magazine, The Sundial. In college, Stine was not sure if he wanted to major

JONAH HINEBAUGH | THE CROW’S NEST

R.L. Stine took a break from his 2,000 words a day to speak about his upcoming projects at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on Nov. 9.

in English or journalism. “In those days, every college had a humor magazine… That’s all I did in college. And this guy came in who became a famous folk singer, his name was Phil

Ochs,” Stine said. “At the time, he was at Ohio State, and he told me ‘Don’t go into journalism, it is a drag.’” After graduating from college, Stine moved to New York and, eventually,

began working at Scholastic Corporation. In addition to publishing dozens of joke books and articles, he created a humor magazine called Bananas. Stine wrote for Bananas

until a friend suggested he write a horror story for teens called “Blind Date.” “It’s embarrassing because it was not my idea,” he said. “But at that point, I never said no, so I said yes. So I ran to the bookstore, found out what people were writing and bought a bunch of teen horror to know what to do. “I wrote the book and it was a bestseller.” From there, Stine’s horror novel career began. He started with a series for teens called “Fear Street.” The series grew quickly, but eventually he wrote the first book of the “Goosebumps” series: “Welcome to the Dead House.” “Goosebumps” took off, and at his height, Stine was writing a new installment every month. Despite the success of the series, Stine was originally reluctant to write “Goosebumps.” >> SEE GOOSEBUMPS on P4

Ousted regional chancellor loses a round in lawsuit against Genshaft By Emily Wunderlich ewunderlich@mail.usf.edu

Hillsborough County circuit judge has dismissed key parts of former Regional Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska’s lawsuit against the USF system and its former president. In an order issued on Oct. 31, Circuit Judge Ralph C. Stoddard ruled that Wisniewska is not entitled to punitive and emotional distress damages for the way then-USF system President Judy Genshaft ousted her in September 2017. But the judge left standing — at least for now — Wisniewska’s quest for compensatory damages for the manner in which she contends Genshaft disparaged her reputation and destroyed her “employability and professional standing” in the days after Hurricane Irma skirted by the Tampa Bay area. Under Florida law,

compensatory damages are intended to compensate the plaintiff for his or her loss — in this case, Wisniewska’s job and inability to find another job. Punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant for reckless or negligent behavior. Wisniewska’s lawsuit, filed on April 26, accused the USF system and Genshaft of breach of contract, defamation, the “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” and “tortious interference with a business relationship.” The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $15,000, which is standard language in a civil lawsuit in Florida circuit court. At issue is the way that Genshaft decided to terminate Wisniewska after learning that she had evacuated to Atlanta as the hurricane approached west-central Florida and the

three campuses of USF. First, the lawsuit contends, Genshaft drafted an explosive termination letter falsely asserting that Wisniewska “lacked leadership” in her response to Irma and “created an intolerable safety risk to the students at USF.” Wisniewska disputed Genshaft’s conclusions but agreed to voluntarily resign, the lawsuit says, with the understanding that the draft of the termination letter would not be put in her personnel file, where it would be available under Florida’s Public Records Law. But Genshaft ignored that understanding, the lawsuit contends, and gave the draft letter to the Tampa Bay Times — an “intentional and outrageous” move that caused Wisniewska “severe monetary

damages and emotional distress.” (The university system also released the draft letter to The Crow’s Nest.) Under Judge Stoddard’s order, Wisniewska has until Nov. 20 to amend her complaint. A hearing

has not yet been scheduled. Now 67, Wisniewska lives in California, where she worked for a time as a senior adviser at the University of San Diego, according to her LinkedIn profile. >> SEE LAWSUIT on P2

COURTESY OF SOPHIA WISNIEWSKA AND USF

Former Regional Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska (left) alleges that former USF system President Judy Genshaft caused her “severe monetary damages and emotional distress” by releasing the draft of her termination letter to the Tampa Bay Times in 2017.

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Senators to SG president: ‘Where’s the money?’

LAWSUIT, continued from P1 University spokesperson Adam Freeman said USF “has nothing further to add at this time because the matter is still ongoing.” He referred reporters to the statement he made in April, when Wisniewska first filed her complaint. In the statement, Freeman said university leaders “strongly disagree with Dr. Wisniewska’s claims and we look forward to defending the decisions made around the time of her separation from USF.” “The complaint is unexpected, as Dr. Wisniewska waived her right to future legal actions against the university in her resignation agreement,” he said. The resignation agreement also addresses USF’s legal obligations under the Public Records Law — a key point in Wisniewska’s lawsuit. It says that the agreement, “along with other records related to Dr. Wisniewska’s employment at USF,” may be subject to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes (the Public Records Law) “and subject to disclosure as a public record.” The agreement adds: “USF’s production of records pursuant to Chapter 119 shall not be deemed a violation of any of the terms of this Agreement.”

salaries for members of Student Government. In total, SG has an operating budget of $222,205. There are also senate and judicial discretionary funds that total $2,500 altogether. The bill calls for all receipts or expenditure requests related to the fund to be uploaded to the Student Government drive within three business days of a purchase being made. In addition, the president would have to make an announcement at the following general assembly meeting when funds are spent, as well as keep an updated document with the remaining balance of the fund. SG President Jadzia Duarte attended the policy meeting to show support for the bill. “I agree because it’s a part of (Activities and Services) funds. It’s already been put into the budget,” Duarte said. “It’s student’s dollars, so I don’t see as to why not. I agree with the intent of the bill, talking about making everything public.” Johnson said the bill spawned

JONAH HINEBAUGH | THE CROW’S NEST

A senator’s efforts to get a bus to protest a migrant detention center in Homestead prompted senator Michael Johnson, pictured, to draft a bill making transactions from the presidential discretionary fund public.

from the efforts of another senator who wanted to protest a detention center housing migrant children in Homestead. Earlier this month, senator Karla Correa drafted a petition urging Duarte to provide a bus for a protest that would travel to Homestead on Nov. 22 and return that evening. The facility is run by a private prison company contracted by the Department of

Health and Human Services. The contract won’t be renewed at the end of November, according to the Miami Herald. According to Correa, the time constraints prevented her from going through the special funding committee to get a bus for the trip. “It’s not enough time to request the money for the bus from special funding,” Correa said. “Special funding also only has like $1,000 left for the entire year. “I have other clubs that I’m a part of. I know we’re going to be using money for that, so it would be easier for Jazzy to give us the money from her discretionary fund.” After Duarte expressed concerns about the protest’s turnout, Correa wanted to find out how much money was spent from the discretionary fund. She said Duarte was hesitant to release that information, but after the senate committee on policy meeting, Duarte told The

By James Bennett III jamesbennett@mail.usf.edu

Crow’s Nest how much was spent. Duarte said she allocated $1,218 to Harborside Activities Board to provide food for the Homecoming Ball. Additionally, $300 came from the senate president’s discretionary fund for decorations for the ball. “The discretionary fund is a little bit more flexible with using the purchase card because you’re just able to do a quick transaction because it usually ended up being like food (or) things that really didn’t get funded last-minute,” Duarte said. She said the reason it wasn’t made public earlier was most likely because past presidents didn’t see it as a priority. “I guess it was just because it was a lot of little things that they didn’t really see (making it public) necessary, but I understand the student want for it being public. “At the end of the day, it’s their student dollars.”

Senator removed from SG

By James Bennett III jamesbennett@mail.usf.edu

here’s a new vacancy in Student Government senate. On Nov. 1, Zoe Dukas left the SG senate, leaving the administration with 10 senators and eight senator-elects. Each year, the senate appropriations committee is responsible for allocating $3.1 million in Activities and Services fees to various USF St. Petersburg organizations, like the Harborside Activities Board, The Crow’s Nest and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The committee is also responsible for writing SG’s own budget. But, with the adoption of a new SG constitution that reorganizes all three campus’ student governments into one centralized organization, that responsibility will fall on a Tampa-based senate, led primarily by Tampa senators. The USF St. Petersburg senate will be tasked with making budgetary recommendations. Although Dukas refused to cite specific reasons for her departure, she said she

had “very, very personal reasons” for leaving the senate and that she was not fired. She also insisted that The Crow’s Nest not report on her departure or mention her in any way. However, Senate President Katherine Fishman said Dukas was removed because she had accumulated too many negative points — most of which were appointed because she failed to attend SG meetings. Fishman explained that when members of Student Government reach negative seven points, the administration is statutorily mandated to remove that person from SG. “Zoe, since early September, has not been attending any meetings. And, for a while, I excused her because I thought she was going through some stuff at home,” Fishman said. “But it dawned upon me when I started to see things on her Facebook of her doing fun stuff that she might like.” “I still don’t know if that’s true. But she didn’t seem to push back very hard when I warned her

‘you’re getting a lot of points,’” Fishman added. Dukas missed the Aug. 29, Oct. 14, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28 general assembly meetings, which resulted in her losing 3.66 points. She also missed the Oct. 9, Oct. 17 and Oct. 31 special funding meetings, which cost her an additional three points. The final entry that resulted in Dukas being “pointed out” states that she “failed to choose or attend office hours at all.” The document that outlines the senate point system shows there are 15 ways that senate members can earn positive points. On the high end, photographic evidence that shows an SG member talking with four constituents earns them one positive point. On the lower end, a month’s perfect attendance at any assigned committee meeting or the general assembly earns SG members twotwenty-fifths of a point. Negative points are earned by missing office hours without excuse; being “out of decorum” with clothing or behavior;

TH E C ROW ’ S N EST

Bill to reduce SG requirements fails

By Jonah Hinebaugh jonahh@mail.usf.edu

bill that would make transactions from the Student Government president’s $10,000 discretionary fund public knowledge is making its way through the legislative process. It passed unanimously Nov. 8 at the senate committee on policy meeting, but it still needs to go to a second reading before votes are cast. It was drafted by senator Michael Johnson, who serves as the chair of the policy committee, and is aptly titled “Where’s The Money?” which elicited laughter at the Nov. 4 general assembly meeting when it was introduced. “It’s a discretionary fund that’s already separate from the money that she gets paid as the president,” Johnson said. “So I think it would be fair for that kind of funding to be public because I pay tuition to go here, and so does everyone else here.” The discretionary fund is on top of the $70,000 in Activities and Services fees allocated to

3 November 12, 2019

COURTESY OF ZOE DUKAS

Zoe Dukas contends that she left the SG senate due to personal reasons. Senator Kathrine Fishman said otherwise.

and by missing general assembly or committee meetings. A full point is deducted from SG members who miss entire meetings, while half points are deducted when members arrive late or leave early from those meetings. Fishman said some meetings can be excused by SG’s discretion, or if senators give 24-hour notice. Students need to be enrolled in at least six credit hours and have a 2.5 cumulative GPA to qualify for senate elections. Dukas was elected in fall 2018 with 128 votes — more than any of the 10 other candidates.

fter getting caught drinking alcohol in a dorm, Student Government senator Karla Correa drafted a bill that would have lowered the requirements for students to serve in SG. That bill, which aimed to “ensure the rights of nonviolent USFSP students to be able to fully participate in Student Government affairs and to run for and retain office,” failed in a policy committee meeting on Nov. 8. “I’m in Student Government. I don’t want to leave,” Correa said. “It was basically to protect myself.” The bill, which was titled “Restoration and Protection of Rights,” sought to modify SG statutes. The proposed changes would have allowed students to participate in SG despite being on probation or failing to meet the university’s standards of “good academic standing.” Additionally, the bill proposed that SG would use discretion when dealing with members who committed nonviolent violations of the university’s code of conduct. Under the proposed bill, SG members who aren’t in good academic standing, are on probation or have violated the university’s code of conduct wouldn’t be disqualified from running for office, either. Senators Michael Johnson and Jasmine AyoAjayi co-sponsored the bill. “I don’t think that if somebody has a conduct case against them that they should just not be in Student Government,” Correa said during the Nov. 8 meeting. “We have standards, and academic probation implies a certain grade point average, which

we have set in stone, not only in our statutes, but in our constitution,” Senate President Katherine Fishman said. “I just don’t think we have the power or should have the power to change this.” SG President Jadzia Duarte pointed out that the SG senate had already voted in favor of the “One USF Student Government Constitution,” which says “members of Student Government must be students in good academic standing and maintain a minimum cumulative institutional 2.5 GPA for undergraduate students and a 3.0 GPA for graduate students and may not be under disciplinary probation suspension or expulsion as defined by the university code of conduct.” Senator Fishman voted against the bill, and senators Johnson and Correa voted in favor of the bill. Senators Ayo-Ajayi and Chase Cooley abstained from voting. A case of conduct During the Nov. 8 meeting, Correa said she thought the conduct system is “not good” and offered a personal anecdote to support her argument. She claimed she had been unlawfully arrested by the University Police Department the previous night. Once the officers “decided that they were doing the wrong thing,” they decided to have the incident resolved through the student conduct office. Jenna Sierra, a student who isn’t in Student Government, vouched for Correa and added that the university police officers did not read Correa her

Miranda rights. She said there were six witnesses who “saw the same thing.” After the meeting, Sierra explained to The Crow’s Nest that she was with Correa around 11:30 p.m. when the senator asked a young African American male who was being questioned by university police on campus if he was alright. Sierra said the police officers gave the African American male a trespass warning, then turned their attention to Correa, who had been pressing them for more information. Sierra said she watched as Correa was handcuffed and was told she was being arrested for obstruction of justice. “They were holding my arms and stuff. And I kept saying ‘Oh, that hurts’ and the officer was like ‘No it doesn’t,’” Correa said. “I just don’t think that I should not be able to be in Student Government because I was trying to make sure that a person of color was okay,” Correa said. “I think people of color already don’t feel the safest on this campus, and I think that if I’m kicked out of Student Government for this, that’s a stain on Student Government.” While Duarte said SG “has the power to change this,” she said she didn’t believe it should be changed in terms of the “Student Government side.” “It needs to be changed on the conduct side, and conduct is the one that needs to be finding these innocent students not guilty,” she said. After the bill failed, members of Student Government crowded around the office to discuss how they could take a

JONAH HINEBAUGH | THE CROW’S NEST

Senator Karla Correa poses for a picture after discussing the petition she made to secure funding for a bus that would take students to Homestead to protest a detention facility run by a private prison company.

stand against injustice and what they deemed an unjust conduct committee. Student Government Chief Legal Officer Trevor Martindale argued that the bill would have failed in general assembly. Instead, he suggested SG write a resolution that outlines its intent to fight the university’s allegedly “disproportionate” punishment toward people of color. “If we had a resolution that was supported and had multiple testimonies, the senate would pass the resolution. It would show full support from the senate, and it wouldn’t be something that would be voted down from the senate,” Martindale said. “But the point is that it would be a much more united front if we all voted yes.” Later, in The Crow’s Nest office, Correa said

she doesn’t think the administration “cares what we say.” “I don’t think that (administration) would do anything, so I feel like it’d be better if we just took matters into our own hands as a Student Government and we had our own rules,” she said. Correa later added that Senator Fishman questioned the validity of her incident with the University Police Department. “I believed the story wasn’t related to the bill being discussed and was being used as an emotional appeal to gain votes and support,” Fishman said in an email. She added that Correa had previously approached her about being caught drinking in a dorm. “I saw an improper motive behind the bill and I just did not feel right about the bill,” Fishman said.

SG resolution seeks to eliminate plastics By Manuel Vicente Lalande Contributor

tudent Government representatives have introduced a resolution to eliminate single-use plastics from the campus. The resolution, titled “Break Free from Plastics,” was introduced at a Nov. 4 SG meeting. It was written by the nonprofit Public Interest Research Group and is intended to “establish a purchasing policy which eliminates campus and food vendor procurement of all non-essential, noncompostable, single-use disposable plastics.” PIRG Field Organizer Arielle Mizrahi brought the

resolution to the attention of Andrea Rodriguez Campos, SG’s director of Sustainable Initiatives, through the USF St. Petersburg Center for Civic Engagement. Rodriguez has been pushing for this resolution ever since. Identical copies were sent to a total of 35 university campuses across the United States. The president of Eckerd College has already signed the resolution as a pledge for their campus to be plastic-free by the same deadline. The resolution features statistics that illustrate the ways disposable plastics

are almost irreversibly polluting the environment and delineates measures that college campuses need to take to prevent contributing to the epidemic. All colleges are invited to take the pledge by next spring. “Break Free from Plastics” will have a final reading and vote on Nov. 18 in Ballroom 3 of the Student Center. At the policy committee meeting on Nov. 8, the resolution was presented as “a coalition of St. Pete, encouraging the city and the state to do go plastic free” Rodriguez said. She added “this is

something that the students want, and it’s something that the city needs to take care of.” On the PIRG website, the nonprofit is defined as “a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety.” The organization claims no political view, focusing instead on initiatives that aim to improve the quality of life of the American public. The resolution goes on to explain that they will make these efforts “while keeping accessibility and affordability at the forefront of decision(s).”

Asked about potential hurdles in taking action like this, Rodriguez said that with consolidation looming closer, there have been members of SG who have chosen to make legislature more difficult to pass, out of fear of future complications. However, she remains confident in Student Government’s ability to bring the resolution to fruition. “We have the faculty and administration on our side, and I think our odds are really good.”

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Professor reconstructs post-Civil War environment

Story and photo by Jonah Hinebaugh jonahh@mail.usf.edu

ust about everyone learned about Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln and the 13th Amendment in high school history. But what about the struggles of former slaves as they transitioned to new lives or the effects the Civil War had on agrarian ways of life? Erin Mauldin, an assistant history professor at USF St. Petersburg, spent years combing through letters, diaries and any historical source she could find in researching a book that was published last year. It is titled “Unredeemed Land: An Environmental History of Civil War and Emancipation in the Cotton South.” Her book documents the material relations of humans and the environment during that time. On Nov. 9, Mauldin spoke at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading about her work. “There were lots of interesting environmental things that shaped what we know about the Civil War,” Mauldin said. “‘Unredeemed Land’ is an environmental history of Reconstruction that looks at how the Civil War and emancipation changed farming in the South in ways that made both the land and farmers poor.” “I went into this project hoping to get sort of a view from the ground up of the Civil War,” she said. “In the past, some environmental historians studied the way that humans represent nature of art. Some people study religion. “I studied material environmental change. I’m interested in how humans have changed soil, woodlands and land use. And similarly, how those elements, in turn, shape human history,” she said. Mauldin’s focus is on reframing questions related to that century, such as the correlation between slavery and capitalism.

Erin Mauldin poses with her book “Unredeemed Land: An Environmental History of Civil War and Emancipation in the Cotton South” after her talk at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on Nov. 9. She spent seven years researching and writing her book that analyzes the relationship between humans and land in the South during the 19th century.

According to her, slavery isn’t what historians portray as a “pre-modern, backwood institution we let go of.” “For a long time, historians tried to not look at slavery as capitalism,” she said. “We’ve discovered that slave owners were on the forefront of capitalism and many of the management techniques (like) bookkeeping. Anybody who uses a spreadsheet is benefiting from the practices that slave owners developed to keep track of their human capital. “And so in that way, I think that slavery isn’t just proto-capital, it’s central to understanding the development of capitalism,” she said. In her book, Mauldin discusses how the Civil War

exacerbated the environmental limits of the South, but also how it gave the land a break from human use. Even in the postwar South, the land suffered due to the increased amount of farmers, the disappearance of the subsistence economy, and land worn from years of marches, battles, explosions and the general disregard the respective armies had toward farmland. “As lands around the South degraded, both white farmers and black farmers sought a way to ‘redeem’ their exhausted soils,” she wrote in the book. “The dramatic and irreversible changes to the landscape during the

war made the negotiations between farmer and nature more difficult than ever, and because of the ecological legacies of the Civil War and emancipation, the Southern environment remained unredeemed.” Mauldin drew parallels between climate change and the struggle poor farmers — who were usually former slaves — had in the 19th century. “When environmental disasters occur, it’s always the poorest who suffer,” she said. “It’s very similar to what happened to ex-slaves. They were on the most marginal land. They had less access to loans or capital. They had fewer resources, and

so if there was a drought, a hurricane, a tornado or the invasion of a pest, they were the ones who suffered. “That ecological instability, both in the 19th century and today, always exacerbates racial prejudice, class tension and discrimination.” She attended Samford University and majored in history and biology. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and attended Georgetown University, where she received her doctorate in 2014. That university is also where her book first began to take shape. A research paper developed into a dissertation. Mauldin thinks analyzing the material relationships between humans and nature gives more insight into the social structures prevalent in that time. “I feel like you get to the heart of people’s everyday experiences,” she said. “When you talk about war, or emancipation, these are really big processes that are often sanitized over time. “When you talk about soldiers suffering from disease or cutting down trees or slaves struggling to feed their families, you’re getting at the interaction between people and the environment in which they live.” Earlier this year, Mauldin received a $10,000 grant from USF to begin research on her upcoming book, “The First White Flight: Industrial Pollution and Racial Segregation in New South Cities,” which will cover the history beginning at the end of the Civil War and going into the 1950s. “It’s about the role of industrial pollution and creating ‘white flight’ in southern cities after the Civil War,” she said. “So, whites left African Americans to handle the worst environmental costs of industrialization.”

GOOSEBUMPS, continued from P1 “I didn’t want to do ‘Goosebumps,’” he said. “I was doing ‘Fear Street’ for teens and it was really popular. I was really afraid that doing the younger series would screw up ‘Fear Street.’” For most of the “Goosebumps” books, Stine started out with only a title around which he based his story. “I don’t really try to think of ideas, I just think of titles,” he said. “I’m sort of the opposite of most authors. I start with the title always; most authors get an idea they write, then maybe later they

come up with the title.” One example Stine recalled was for his book “Little Shop of Hamsters.” “So I’m walking my dog in the park, and these words popped into my head: ‘A little shop of hamster.’ Great title, right?” He said. “So then I started thinking, ‘Well, how do you make a hamster scary? What if there are thousands, or what if there’s a giant one or whatever.’ And that’s how I get ideas.” Stine then takes his title and ideas and begins to outline his chapters before he starts writing. He says this is how he manages

to avoid writer’s block. “I do an incredible amount of planning before I write. I do a chapter-by-chapter outline for every book,” Stine said. “So when I sit down to do the actual writing, I know everything that’s going to happen in the book before I start to write it.” But even Stine struggles with writing from time to time. “There are days where it feels like I’m writing uphill. It’s like a struggle,” he said. “But I just keep going because I know I’ll go back and fix it. Just keep writing and go back on a better day.”

Despite the challenges, Stine says his work as a writer rarely feels like work. “For me, it’s like fun,” he said. “I work from 10 (a.m.) to 2:30 (p.m.). Yeah, those are pretty good hours, right? I don’t have to wear any special shoes.” Stine, now 76, has no plans of stopping anytime soon; he says he still writes 2,000 words every day. His latest project is a collection of books based on the “Garbage Pail Kids” — a trading card parody of “Cabbage Patch Kids.” While he’s writing, Stine surrounds himself

with oddities. His office decor includes a Slappy dummy, a 3-foot cockroach, a dummy of himself and movie posters from the “Goosebumps” movies. Stine spoke at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on Nov. 9. Before the festival began, he met with children for an interview, where he explained why each “Goosebumps” story has a boy and a girl for the main characters. “‘Goosebuwmps’ isn’t a boy’s series, nor is it a girl’s series,” he said. “I want both to read it.”

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Journalist captures Florida’s history in first person By Katlynn Mullins katlynnm@mail.usf.edu

f the 50 authors who spoke at Saturday’s Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading, Art Levy guessed that he would be the least known. He’s been a print journalist since 1984. He’s a former writer for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and is now an associate editor at the business magazine Florida Trend. At the Herald-Tribune, Levy wrote profiles and feature stories involving several interviews. Over time, he said, he realized that he wasn’t writing about the person, but his perception of the person. Levy’s book, “Made in Florida: Artists, Celebrities, Activists, Educators and Other Icons in the Sunshine State,” is written in the icons’ own words. It features 90 people from the state. He didn’t have to do any writing, but he did conduct the interviews and do much

of the research beforehand. “Iconic is hard to define,” Levy said. But he looked for people who were successful in what they did. During his presentation on Saturday, Levy read excerpts from interviews he did for the book. One subject was Lucy Morgan, an investigative journalist at the Tampa Bay Times who won a Pulitzer Prize. Early in her career, she said, she would sometimes take her small children when there was a breaking story and no one was around to babysit. “I had people call me and ask me to meet them in Steinhatchee on the bridge at midnight,” Morgan told Levy. “And I’d say, ‘How about the courthouse steps at noon?’” Some “good old boys” presumed that women had no brain, Morgan said. In her case, they’d presume

it until it was too late. At one point, she was in Tallahassee and growing weary of covering state government. She got a call from a law enforcement official who said the sheriff in Gulf County in the Florida Panhandle was sexually abusing female prisoners, and a prosecutor didn’t want to prosecute him. Morgan went to Gulf County, conducted interviews and wrote stories. The sheriff was eventually charged, convicted and sentenced to more than four years in prison. In the end, 22 women testified they had been mistreated. Back in her office in Tallahassee, Morgan received a dozen roses with a card that read, “From the women you believed.” Levy also talked to NanYao Su, an entomologist and inventor of the Sentricon termite bait system.

He studied insects instead of biology, he said, because “you don’t see blood.” “Children are very sensitive,” Su said. They pay attention to the same things as their parents. “If you really want your children to pay attention to STEM and science, the parents have to as well,” he said. A crowd favorite from Saturday was “Alligator Ron” Bergeron, a flamboyant alligator wrestler. He has a resort in the Big Cypress swamp, and he lets charities conduct auctions for the opportunity to spend the weekend with him. “I introduce them to the beautiful Everglades,” Bergeron said. “I always tell them, ‘If you want me to rassle an alligator, I’ll rassle one.’” One group took him up on it.

During the fight, Bergeron said, he was bitten by the alligator. The tour group, thinking it was part of the show, began cheering and clapping. Bergeron won the fight and put the alligator on the shoreline. “Come on, let’s take a few pictures,” Bergeron said. “Then I’m going to go to the hospital to get my fingers sewed back on.” “Made in Florida” is Levy’s first book. Altogether, he interviewed about 110 people and included 90 in the book. He had 95,000 words to tell Florida’s history and said he couldn’t feature everyone he spoke to. “These are stories of the people,” Levy said. “But they’re also stories of Florida.”

Author addresses racial identity in children’s book

Story and photo by Courtney Amos Contributor

ournalist and former professor Monique Fields had a simple reason for the significance of children’s books. “Parents are their children’s first teacher,” she said. A fitting point of view from Fields, who was a professor in the journalism department at USF St. Petersburg from 2005 to 2007. On Saturday, Fields was one of roughly 50 authors who spoke at the annual Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading to promote her new book. Fields has published essays touching on race and identity for mediums including NPR’s “All Things Considered” and Ebony Magazine. But “Honeysmoke,” published in January, was her first book. The book centers around the journey of a biracial girl searching to find answers to questions about her identity and ultimately concluding that though her mother is black, and her father is white, she is neither one – she is honeysmoke. Biracial identities are an important topic that Fields says not enough books are written about, especially when it comes to children.

Monique Fields, a former professor, holds her debut children’s book, “Honeysmoke,” after speaking at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading at USF St. Petersburg.

“There have been some,” said Fields, citing just a handful of examples dating as far back as the 1970s. Still, she saw a need for more representation in children’s literature, so she took the task upon herself.

“There really wasn’t a whole bunch of books — or, not a modern book — about identity,” she said. Though this statement may be true now, and was certainly even more so five years ago when Fields began writing

the book, it seems that the tides are changing thanks to a wave of similar mindsets. After all, Generation Z — the generation of Americans born after 1996 — is the most racially diverse set of Americans to date, according to the Pew Research Center.

This may explain why the emphasis on the importance of identity and representation has become increasingly prevalent in many forms of American media and pop culture. The new “Little Mermaid” movie will feature a black Princess Ariel, the acclaimed “Black Panther” movie has been dubbed a milestone for superhero films, and “Blues Clues and You,” the reboot of the popular children’s show, will feature a Filipino-American host. Judging by these recent trends, now is as fitting a time as ever for children’s literature to get the same revamp. “My nephew is in a similar situation,” said Erica Dechene, who attended the event and expressed plans to give her signed copy of the book to him. “I just try to imagine him when he’s older trying to figure out what color he is.” Fields said if it hadn’t been for her own children, who are biracial, she probably never would have written such a book. It was through her own struggle to grapple with tough questions from her daughters that the inspiration for the book was born.

6 November 12, 2019

Greek life has more to offer than you think

THE CROW’S NEST The Crow’s Nest is committed to providing its readers with news relevant to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and its surrounding community. The Crow’s Nest abides by the highest ethical standards and focuses on stories that help readers make informed decisions on current issues. We take seriously the public’s trust in our news reporting and strive to uphold the highest standards of reporting as defined by the Society of Professional Journalists. Opinions in this newspaper do not necessarily represent those of the administration, faculty or student body.

Reach Us USFSP Student Life Center Office 2400 140 Seventh Ave. S. St. Petersburg, FL, 33701 (727) 873-4113 usfcrowsnest@gmail.com

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Managing Editor Dylan Hart Online Editor Katlynn Mullins News Editor James Bennett III Arts & Life Editor Carrie Pinkard Op-Ed & Feature Editor Jonah Hinebaugh Staff Reporter Savannah Carr

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By Emme Meyers Sophomore journalism and digital communication major ecmeyers@mail.usf.edu

reek life: You’ve seen the movies, read the news and heard about the parties. However, beyond the surface of these media representations of Greek life lies empowerment, leadership, growth and community. USF St. Petersburg seems to be proud of fostering these values in our community. So why don’t we have Greek life here? USF St. Petersburg prides itself on being its own campus, separate from USF Tampa and USF SarasotaManatee — not because we want to alienate ourselves from our other institutions, but because there is a sense of community that has developed on campus that we believe sets this institution apart from the others. As a USF St. Petersburg student, I couldn’t agree more. However, the stigma that Greek life would ruin our

campus community because of its negative connotations is something I simply cannot wrap my head around. If USF St. Petersburg brought Greek life on campus for the right reasons, it could be beneficial for the students as well as the community. I went through Panhellenic recruitment in early September. I was starting my second year at USF St. Petersburg, and I felt that I needed to grow as a person, so I signed up for the most “unlike me” thing I could think of. I ended up running home to some of the most wonderful women I had ever met, and to a strong, connected community that has welcomed me with open arms. Greek life is an undergraduate experience that every college student should get the opportunity to experience. Since joining Panhellenic sorority life, I have received many benefits. The Greek community is a networking support system like no other. Many believe that Greek life is the epitome of social exclusion, but it’s the opposite. Sisters inside my sorority and strangers outside of it have come to me and offered friendship, adventure, love and support simply because they recognize that I am a part of their community. We all support each other’s philanthropy events, “give back” nights and individual chapters’ goals and ambitions. This support extends between both sororities and fraternities.

Marketing Manager Brianna Rodriguez Adviser Rob Hooker

Letters to The Editor By Manuel Vicente Lalande Junior journalism and digital communication major manuelv@mail.usf.edu

n a world of corrupt politicians, global warming, anti-vaxxers and flat-Earthers, it can be difficult to have faith and believe that everything is going to be ok. Everyone needs to have faith in something, or someone. Some people have faith in a God, some

in their families and some in themselves. I have chosen a different path. Rather than rely on vague mysticism — or human error — I have chosen to place my faith in the spiritual experience that is Google Maps. Picture yourself lost in the night, driving down a road you’ve never seen, surrounded by landmarks completely foreign to you. You’ve tried using a regular map to get you where you need to go, but now you don’t know which way is up, and you’re on the verge of… asking for directions. That’s when you see it: the heavenly blue glow from your phone. The wisdom of Google Maps shines down on you and shows you the true path. Google defines religion as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power.” And what power

7 November 12, 2019

TH E C ROW ’ S N EST

Holiday donation drive seeks to help sexual assault survivors

By Dylan Hart dhart4@mail.usf.edu

F COURTESY OF EMME MEYERS

Students pose on their “bid day” where they find out what sorority they’re joining.

I am connected to people who I haven’t even met, and yet I know that we all share a similar college journey. I have learned more about myself as a person through my values. Each sorority is based upon individual values held by the chapter, and that is how recruitment is led. The values of my sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, are leadership, philanthropy/service, sisterhood and scholarship. I realized I had aligned with these values closely, and through my affiliation with SDT, I have the opportunity to work with others who share them in growing together. Philanthropy is the driving force behind Greek life. Every fraternity and sorority has one and hosts events throughout the school year to raise donations for their cause. Sigma Delta Tau’s philanthropy is Prevent Child Abuse America. Last year at our philanthropy event, we

raised $63,425 through the help of our sororities and fraternities who participated and raised money with us. Greek life also promotes scholarship and helps students stay on track in school. It also promotes school spirit and involvement on campus. Many Greek life members participate in organizations outside of the Greek community as well. Scholarship, networking, inclusivity, diversity, personal growth and development, service and leadership. These values are held dear to the Greek life community at USF Tampa and align with the values that USF St. Petersburg also holds. Would hosting Greek life on campus ruin the community that has been developed, or would it strengthen it by giving students another way to grow together?

Google Maps offers navigation salvation

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THE C ROW ’S NE ST

is more superhuman than instant and precise navigation on demand? Every day, millions of people already unknowingly participate in the miracle. While they cannot see the 32 omniscient military satellites hovering above them, guiding their path, they trust and have faith that they are there and go where they are instructed. Be wary of the false prophets Apple Maps and Waze. While they may lure with the promise of easeof-access or Terry Crews voiceovers, one does not need to search deeply to find the natural supremacy of Google Maps. With its settings for public transit navigation and global street view, it reigns supreme over Apple Maps with an iron dongle. As for Waze, sure the idea of Morgan Freeman telling you to make a U-turn might sound neat, or even Colonel Sanders from KFC rerouting your

commute could seem fun. The truth is, however, that like all false idols, this pretender could never bring you the salvation of Google Maps. Beside the fact that Waze is essentially only for cars, it is communitybased. This means that its traffic reports and routing decisions are fickle and subject to human error. The same is not true of the Messiah. With its datadriven decision-making and much more powerful artificial intelligence computing, we should all come to realize that there truly is only one way. The right way. The Google way. Yea, though I commute through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no traffic: for thou art with me; thy app and thy dongle they comfort me.

or the holidays, Sexual Assault Survivors Support has organized a donation drive supporting the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. The drive is collecting non-perishable food, hygienic supplies, clothing and bedding. “I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time,” said Mary Sokolowski, the organization’s vice president and organizer of the drive. “As a sexual assault survivor, I understand how it feels to be alone for the holidays.” The drive started in October and is expected to end Dec. 13. Sokolowski said the drive has “exceeded expectations” and has already collected 220 donations — mostly women’s clothing. She also noted that a lot of the donations have been professional clothing, which is a good addition to the drive. The drive supports domestic violence and

sexual assault survivors at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. The clinic runs a food bank and health center for community members and provides shelters for both genders, which was a key factor in Sokolowski deciding to give to the organization. “I think it’s important to recognize that men can be victims, too,” she said. SASS worked with students to create holiday cards for survivors on Nov. 7 as well, which will also be donated to the shelters. Donations can be taken to boxes in the COMPASS office, the Career Center, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Harborside Activities Board. Sokolowski hopes to work with other organizations and the local community to expand the holiday drive next year. She said that SASS is also considering another drive for the spring.

W h at to do t h is we e k: Nov. 1 2-1 7 TUESDAY Join Wellness Center staff from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Student Life Center patio for a quick checkup. The health checkup will let students know what services they may need before the semester ends. The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Wellness Center have teamed up to bring students Safe Zone Ally Training, an “introductory training to LGBTQ+ language and issues.” The training will be held in SLC 2101 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Spanish Club will celebrate Day of the Dead in The Reef with a screening of “Coco.” Snacks (including Mexican candy) will be provided. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the library’s Poynter Corner, the Career Center will host the Internship Showcase. Students will discuss the internships they’ve had and how they earned them.

THURSDAY The Kate Tiedemann College of Business has teamed up with Regions Bank to host St. Pete Pitch Night. The event will allow five local businesses an opportunity to pitch their ideas. This event will be held in Lynn Pippenger Hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The Cat’s Meow will host free swing dancing at the Sundial, 153 Second Ave. N, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. A beginner’s class will

begin at 7 p.m. This is an all ages event. FRIDAY Free Writers will host a free open mic event at Unity of St. Petersburg, 6168 First Ave. N, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

SATURDAY 3 Daughters Brewing, 222 22nd St. S, will host Dueling Pianos, where two pianists will face off to become the crowd favorite. The free event will go from 8 to 11 p.m.

Join the Hollander Hotel, 421 Fourth Ave. N, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. for Poolside Yoga. Spots are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. SUNDAY The weekly Corey Avenue Sunday Market will host more than 70 vendors on the 300-400 blocks of St. Pete Beach. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free parking is available on Corey Avenue and around the neighborhood.

8 November 12, 2019

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Students engage in a high-caliber debate on gun control

By Carrie Pinkard clarice2@mail.usf.edu

etaphorical shots were fired as College Democrats and Turning Point USA gathered in the ballrooms for their third debate. This time, the topic was gun control. Should firearms be further regulated by the government, or are there are enough restrictions already? The group’s opening statements answered this central question. “I should be able to own any weapon I want after I get a background check. The government should not be able to tell me that I can’t,” Turning Point USA’s President Kacy Cartmell said. “Keep your hands off my firearms,” she added. Meanwhile, College Democrats President Trevor Martindale voiced his support for increased gun legislation. “We have a gun death crisis in the United States,” Martindale said. “From gang violence, to mass shootings, to suicide, we must decrease the likelihood of these events occuring. We must pass sensible, comprehensive gun legislation.” The debaters were asked by moderator Naya Payne if the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution should be modified.

“We must understand the context of the constitution and that it was written so long ago,” Martindale said. “Nobody would have imagined in 1776 that a gun could have a large magazine and large bullets that could shoot semi-automatically.” Cartmell disagreed, saying that the Constitution has lasted this long for a reason. “I think the framers did expect America to evolve,” she said. “I think the reason the Constitution has lasted so long is that the framers knew what they were doing. I don’t think it needs to be changed whatsoever.” Martindale pointed out that the weapons that existed when the Constitution was written were far less advanced than they are today. “In 1776 we had musket rifles. I think you can not correlate muskets with AR-15s or any gun of the sort,” he said. The groups were asked what sort of restrictions, if any, they would like to see on gun ownership. “The only legislation I support is more comprehensive background checks,” Cartmell said. “ If you’re a violent person, there’s no reason you should have a hand on a gun.” College Democrats Secretary Haley Ostwalt set her focus on limiting a gun’s

physical capacity for harm. “We should be regulating external magazines,” Ostwalt said. “We should be forcing manufacturers to create internal magazines that make is less easy for people to reload and shoot 300 rounds at once. “That would limit mass shootings and would still create a safe place for recreational hunting and shooting.” But Turning Point USA’s Lexi Bishop seemed to think that guns aren’t the problem, citing the number of murders that occur at the hands of other weapons. “In 2018, 297 people were killed by rifles. 462 were killed by feet and fist. 1,515 were killed by knives,” Bishop said. “So if you’re going to regulate external magazines on rifles specifically, you’re going to have to regulate feet and fist, and knives.” “Do you think the Las Vegas shooter could have killed 58 people using a knife?” College Democrats debater Caitlyn Roland asked rhetorically. Later in the debate, Bishop said the gun is not at fault, but people who misuse them are. “It’s like saying spoons make you fat. It’s like blaming a gun for people’s actions. You can’t blame a spoon for making you fat.”

THOMAS IACOBUCCI | THE CROW’S NEST

College Democrats’ Haley Ostwalt and Trevor Martindale react to a comment from Turning Point USA’s Chase Cooley during their debate on gun control.

The groups found middle ground over their shared opinion that teachers should not all be armed with guns. However, they disagreed over whether guns should be allowed on college campuses. “We need to think about the college campus stereotype of partying and drinking and fighting,” Roland said. “If there were firearms allowed on campus, this would escalate a lot of these situations and lead to a lot more deaths.” “I definitely think there should be campus carry,” Cartmell argued. “There aren’t just 18-year- olds fresh out of high school on this campus. There are

people that are 30 years old who are fresh out of Iraq or fresh out of the Army who have comprehensive background checks.” The debate stretched on for over two hours, neither side seeming to run out of ammunition. The audience was once again allowed to ask the debaters their own questions, which they did eagerly. Some had been taking notes during the debate and had three or more questions to ask. In her closing statement, Cartmell said the groups would try to hold a debate next month, or, if not, she said, definitely next semester.

Presidential primaries are approaching. Do students care?

By Katlynn Mullins katlynnm@mail.usf.edu

hile students elected new senators to Student Government last month, the midterm election also served another purpose: to gauge student preferences on presidential candidates ahead of the primary elections in 2020. The Center for Civil Engagement included a straw poll as part of the midterm ballot. Senator Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, won the plurality with 41 votes, or 22.4 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, came second with 29 votes, or 15.85 percent. President Donald Trump came third with 26 votes, or 14.21 percent. In the poll, 10.4 percent of students indicated they wouldn’t be voting in the primary. “We hope for (the results) to contribute to the larger conversation on campus

in advance of the 2020 election cycle,” said Thomas Gay, program assistant for the CCE, in an email. “We’ve been working with a number of partners on campus, including Student Government, LSO, and student organizations (e.g. League of Women Voters USF St. Petersburg chapter) to increase efforts dedicated to voter participation and engagement,” he said. The straw poll was a “longtime goal of the CCE,” Gay said. It’s one of several efforts the organization has made to increase student interest in voting. Efforts have been made by the College Democrats as well. Debates with Turning Point USA have helped to “bolster political discourse,” said Karla Correa, vice president of the College Democrats, in an email. She added that partnerships with outside

organizations have made it easier for students to vote. “With the help of the League of Women Voters, we plan to get every eligible voter on campus registered by the deadline for the general election, which is Oct. 5, 2020,” Correa said. The two organizations will also drive students to and from the polls for both primary and general election days. The CCE has also partnered with the League of Women Voters, according to Gay, and several organizations on and off-campus, to increase the conversation around student voting. The straw poll was conducted in partnership Student Government and its midterm elections, which saw a lower turnout than last year. The 10 percent of students who indicated they wouldn’t be voting, according to Student Government Adviser

Bob Herron, could be for a number of reasons. Students could be registered to vote in another state or may not yet be eligible to vote at all, including minors and international students. “It is also not uncommon for the primary to see low voter turnout across the board,” Herron said. “Several voters are undecided on their primary choice and reserve their vote for the general election.” Asked how SG planned to involve students in 2020 presidential elections, Herron redirected The Crow’s Nest to Maria Starr, supervisor of elections, who did not respond to a request for an interview. “SG can barely get people to vote in their own elections,” Correa said. “So my standards for their efforts to get students involved in 2020 are pretty low.” “We cannot force students to vote, but we can inform

them about the power that Student Government has,” Correa said. “We are in charge of millions of dollars, the students should probably be paying attention to who they are electing to be in charge of that.” USF St. Petersburg’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a national conservative student organization, declined The Crow’s Nest’s request for an interview. The poll was the first of what the CCE hopes to be many. “We’re excited to continue working with our campus partners and other groups and/or students committed to turning out the USFSP vote,” Gay said. “We want to encourage USFSP students to think about the 2020 election, to consider their choices, and most importantly, to vote!”