MINARET UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1933
THE Vo l u m e
81
Number
19
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March
26
2015
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ut.minaret@gmail.com
By KRISTA BYRD
By BIANCA LOPEZ
News Writer
Alum’s Start Up “SoHo Sitters” Provides Jobs, Family Security See NEWS Page 2
Current Library Hours Hinders Student Success
See OPINION Page 12
Swim Team Impresses at Nationals See SPORTS Page 16
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MFA Program s ed Director a H riv To Be Ar Replaced Next Year
Po Un litical ity Union Piece Political
The University of Tampa Political Union held its first commencement ceremony in the Vaughn Center Crescent Club on Feb. 23. The first organization of its kind, the Tampa Political Union hosts and encourages debates between members of all political parties and provides a place for members to openly discuss policies and petitions. The brainchild of it’s president, Pedro Belaunzaran, the organization was formed in December 2014. Belaunzaran, a senior biology major with a minor in chemistry and government and world affairs, hopes that the politically apathetic University of Tampa could become a place of change. Whit Lloyd, speaker of the house
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News Writer
and senior history major, said UT is considered the seventh most apathetic college in the country, according to the Princeton Review. “When Pedro first approached me he said ‘I had a dream’, and my reaction was ‘the last time you said that we ended up with three members left in our last organization!’ I was concerned but I know that this is something big,” Lloyd said. While UT has organizations for libertarians, republicans and democrats, the Tampa Political Union is the first organization of its kind and is aimed at uniting all parties to elicit change. “We wanted to come together as a non-partisan platform for everyone to discuss anything from philosophical issues to social issues of today,”
Belaunzaran said. The organization is not closed to undergraduate students only, and has created bills to allow graduate students to take a more active role. “Within the first 30 days we passed a bipartisan bill that would allow graduate students to pursue full membership of the Tampa Political Union and to pursue executive office,” Belaunzaran said. Another goal of the Tampa Political Union is to promote diversity and embrace change with regards to civil rights issues. “We have made a bipartisan effort to promote gender and racial equality by creating the first congressional To POLITICAL UNION Page 4
The Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) Program Director Steven Kistulentz stepped down for reasons undisclosed by the university on March 1. Dr. Erica Dawson, Assistant Professor of English and Writing, stepped in to serve as the interim director in his place. Although the English department would not meet in person to discuss the reasoning behind the change, the Department of English and Writing Chair, Dr. Lisa Birnbaum issued a statement via email. “A change like this always has its challenges,” Birnbaum said. “Steve Kistulentz provided a special tone and vision to the program. But we To MFA Page 4
Thousands Turn Out for Big Sean Concert See our coverage of the annual Party in the Park concert on Page 10