THE ORACLE
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I DA
Half of the USF Ambassadors are graduating, recruitment is underway to replace them
By Alyssa Stewart N E W S
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With their trademark green sport coats, the USF Ambassadors work under the Alumni Association and directly with the Office of the President to serve as the student face on campus for events. Although this will mark the 40-year anniversary, changes to the organization and university are making this a year to remember. With 15 out of 30 ambassadors graduating and USF President Judy Genshaft’s retirement, the organization is going to look very different next year. On Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Gibbons Alumni Center, the USF Ambassadors will conduct their annual meet and greet to reach out to prospective candidates.
Latoya Wider, associate director of Student Relations, said the event will give students an opportunity to learn more about what the program will offer. “We try to make it casual and light,” Wider said. “We give a short program about the overview of the organization and then the last hour is about mingling to get to know each other.” Wider said the USF president invites the ambassadors to attend their hosted events such as the Commencement Brunch and the Iron Bull reception, which is a partnership with USF Athletics donors. Genshaft is heavily involved in the recruitment process because the university president conducts the final interview and chooses the candidates.
However, this will be Genshaft’s last recruitment year since she will be retiring July 1. Wider said she hopes that the new president will continue the relationship that the previous system presidents have had with the ambassadors. “The president has been involved since the beginning of the organization, so our hope is that it will continue with the next,” Wider said. This recruitment year is bittersweet for President of the USF Ambassadors Gina Rotunno because of Genshaft’s announcement to step down, but she is still hopeful for the future. “While President Genshaft has had a huge role in my time as an ambassador, ultimately
With 15 of the 30 USF Ambassadors graduating, the organization n See AMBASSADOR on PAGE 3 is recruiting new students to fill the void. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/USF AMBASSADORS FACEBOOK
University to increase orientation fee
By Leda Alvim S T A F F
W R I T E R
Future first-year students attending orientation this summer will pay a higher fee than years prior due to a budget review. According to Marnie
Hauser, director of orientation, every three years the Office of Orientation does a budget review to analyze the fees and determine whether there will be an increase to cover the costs. This year’s orientation will cost $195 for first-year students,
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compared to last year’s $175. “We don’t love increasing fees for anybody,” Hauser said. “If it were up to us we would lower the fee or not charge at all. But the reality is that there’s overhead and cost to providing great programming and to
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support that programming, so, be provided more time to solve unfortunately, we have to charge financial aid information and for it. Besides, this increase in registration holds. fees would allow us to keep the With the implementation of fees stable for the next couple of the Privacy Act and changes in years as well.” the financial aid verification Despite the fee increase, firstyear students and parents will n See ORIENTATION on PAGE 3
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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966
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NEWS
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AMBASSADOR Continued from PAGE 1
our role is to serve the university and community, so we’ll keep forging ahead with the new president,” Rotunno said. In 1979, former Executive Director of the Alumni Association Joe Tomaino created the USF Ambassadors so that students could be represented at campus events. The USF Ambassadors serve all three campuses. Currently, 30 people are located at the Tampa campus, 10 at St. Petersburg and 12 at SarasotaManatee.
“
Typically, Wider said about 125 applicants are received every academic year. The Alumni Association determines a feasible number of students to recruit based on the budget and the number of graduates for the year. Wider said the recruitment team typically aims to have about 30 to 34 total students. Even though half of the group is graduating, Wider said a recruitment number is not definitive. According to Wider, the Alumni Association scouts for students with different majors, backgrounds and cultures to diversify the organization.
This has been the most important part of my collegiate career.
”
Gina Rotunno, USF Ambassador
The requirements to apply include taking a minimum of 12 credit hours at USF, a minimum of a 2.7 GPA and two recommendation letters. The deadline to submit is Feb. 5 at 11:59 p.m. The accepted candidates will then undergo a six to seven-week interview process. After being accepted, Wider said the candidates are invited to a group interview with ambassador members, other students who have applied and herself. The prospective students will have their individual interviews and if chosen, their final interview with President Genshaft will occur on March 19.
“That’s what makes it such a special program,” Wider said. “(The organization) represents the population of the university.” Accepted into the organization as a freshman, Rotunno said she was unsure whether she had enough experience to make an impression. As one of the 15 students graduating, she said students should take the chance to apply to gain interview experience and build connections. “This has been the most important part of my collegiate career,” Rotunno said. “I’ve made the best friendships I’ve ever had and have been greatly impacted by it.”
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ORIENTATION Continued from PAGE 1
Those who participate in orientation this year will be paying $20 more than students did last year. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/OFFICE OF ORIENTATION FACEBOOK
process made last summer, families must be present with students in order to be given financial aid information. According to Hauser, more time will be provided for students and parents to solve those issues together during orientation. “We have to provide more time so they don’t have to wait until the second day or make another trip back to campus to solve those issues,” Hauser said. “There’s a lot of different things that we’re doing both within our office and with our campus partners to start breaking down those barriers that stand in the way of students having a successful experience.” This year, there will be approximately 100 first-year orientation leaders (OL’s). After
international students are hired, this number might increase to 120. First-year OL’s will receive $10 an hour and returning OL’s or office staff member receives a slightly more depending on their length of service. USF Orientation will increase the number of first-year student sessions to 14, beginning on June 3, compared to 13 from last year. Last summer, orientation leaders were allowed to miss one two-day session due to a rotation system. Despite having a higher number of sessions this year, this rotation system has an unclear future. “That’s not something we had ever done before and I’m not sure if we’re doing it again this year,” Hauser said. “We do a little bit of flex scheduling
in terms of providing time off during session breaks — those sorts of things depending on a given day. I’m not able to determine that right now. We’d have to see what our needs are during sessions and how many students progressed through the class.” According to Hauser, 4,700 to 5,000 first-year students are estimated to go through orientation this year. “We build the foundation for what’s to come for their next four years of their lives,” Hauser said. “Our goal and mission is to provide a seamless transition for our new students, families, and guests and really start making their mark on the institution and get started in their academic career here.”
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Notebook
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Henshaw’s second-straight double-double not enough in Dallas By Brian Hattab A S S I S T A N T
S P O R T S
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Despite a second-straight doubledouble by Tamara Henshaw, USF women’s basketball (11-9, 2-4) fell 46-44 to SMU (7-12, 3-2) on Saturday afternoon in Dallas. The junior from Palm Coast shot 5-for-6 from the field, scoring 13 points and collecting a career-high 15 rebounds. The Bulls only shot 30 percent from the field, but freshman Sydni Harvey was still able to get herself into double-digits for points, scoring 17 points. Together with Henshaw, the duo combined for 30 of the Bulls’ 44 points. Bulls battle back USF trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, eventually cutting it to two points with just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Enna Pehadzic found herself with the ball with under two seconds remaining in the game, but had her shot blocked to
end USF’s chances for mounting a comeback. Aiding the Bulls in their comeback attempt were 19 SMU turnovers, which directly led to 18 USF points. The Bulls also held the Mustangs to 30 percent from the field. Bulls not on parade For the fourth-straight game, USF was only able to dress eight players. Senior Laura Ferreira (out indefinitely with undisclosed illness) and junior Alyssa Rader (concussion symptoms) did not play in Dallas. Along with senior Kitija Laksa and freshman Beatriz Jordao, the sidelined Bulls combine for an average of 51.6 points per game this season. All eight healthy players saw playing time for USF, with sophomore Shae Leverett playing the full 40 minutes and Harvey playing 39. Rideau and Yetna both drop
double-doubles in Bulls’ win at ECU
Laquincy Rideau and Alexis Yetna led the way with doubledoubles as USF men’s basketball (14-6, 4-4) defeated ECU (8-11, 1-6) by 20 points, 77-57, on Saturday night in Greenville, North Carolina. Yetna led all scorers with a career-high 28 points and collected 13 rebounds as he recorded his AACleading 10th double-double of the season. Rideau led the way in assists with 10 and also added 10 points, earning his second double-double of the season. Rideau also added four steals in the game, bringing him to 66 on the season, three shy of setting a new program single-season record. Justin Brown efficient from 3-point range Brown has been the main 3-point shooter for the Bulls, and he showed why against ECU. He was nearly perfect from downtown, going 4-for-
5 from behind the line, and was 5-7 total from the field. Brown finished with 14 points, second on the team behind Yetna. Additionally, Brown tied his season high for 3-pointers made and recorded his second-highest efficiency percentage from behind the 3-point line (80 percent). Bulls share the ball In addition to Rideau’s 10, the rest of the team added on seven other assists against ECU. Yetna, David Collins and Xavier Castaneda each recorded two, while Antun Maricevic posted one of his own. “It was probably the best offensive movement that we’ve had in a while – making the extra pass, making some shots when they presented themselves, which was big,” coach Brian Gregory said in a statement. “I’m really proud of our guys. We said this was a response week. We win the game against Wichita State and now you go on the road. Our guys wanted nothing to do with
anything other than getting the job done.” USF completes comeback USF trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before going on an 11-0 run near the end of the first half, eventually taking a 36-34 lead into halftime. “I thought we probably won the game in the last six minutes of the first half. It was a really good response,” Gregory said. “The defense the last six minutes of the first half and the last 20 minutes was really, really good. We shut down what they wanted to get done. We guarded the three pretty well. We rebounded well and then the biggest thing for us was we took care of the basketball.” USF outscored the Pirates 41-23 in the second half and held ECU without a field goal for the game’s final 4:38. Additional reporting by Jeremy Johnson
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OPINION
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Senate Republicans should not do Trump’s dirty work
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Trump is supporting democracy in Venezuela
By Aida Vazquez-Soto
By Jared Sellick
O P I N I O N
C O R R E S P O N D E N T
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that he would be recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, instead of the current president and dictator Nicolas Maduro. In a reaction posted to Facebook on Thursday, the Florida Party for Socialism and Liberation proclaimed “There is a right-wing coup underway in Venezuela orchestrated by the Trump White House and the CIA along with its junior partners-- the so-called Lima group.” Trump’s decision to support one leader over another is not a “rightwing coup” and to call it that is misleading. Juan Guaido’s Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party is not conservative or even right-wing. Politically, it describes itself as centerleft and its national opposition coalition is made up almost entirely of centrist, center-left and left-wing parties. The party actively aligns itself with Socialist International, a multi-national association of political parties seeking to establish Democratic Socialism. The Lima Group is similarly being unfairly attacked. The group’s goal is to find a peaceful solution to the massive political, social and economic crisis in Venezuela. Their mission statement expresses support for democratic and free elections and the group offers humanitarian aid. Many of the countries like Argentina, Colombia and Panama are also directly impacted by the more than 3 million fleeing refugees. Next, Oxford defines a coup as “a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.” While an argument might be made that the U.S. is making a move to destabilize Venezuela, choosing to support one political figure over another hardly constitutes a “violent” seizure of
The tale of the “maverick” is one of the main-stream media’s favorite stories to highlight. The legendary Republican that is willing to buck conservative orthodoxy in order to stand up for his principles. In the time of President Donald Trump, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AR) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) were dubbed “mavericks” and in the new Senate, the mantle from the media has been passed on to the likes of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE). But the story concocted by the media about the so-called “maverick” has always been a lie unless Republicans are willing to prove their courage, stand up to Trump and refuse to do his dirty work when it comes to the congressional hearing of his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Trump is in a bad way when it Senate Republicans need to prioritize their moral compass over their comes to the law. party lines. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE Associates of his campaign are being dragged off in the night, his is clear Cohen is a lifelong criminal, investigation. Now is the perfect opportunity for lawyer is admitting to additional but it is also true that Trump is crimes on live television and his using that to intimidate Cohen from Republicans to take the investigation of the president seriously. If they panic shines through his twitter on testifying to Congress. After wavering from his decision truly believe that Trump did not a regular basis. A major cause of his concern to testify, the Senate Intelligence coerce Cohen into lying to Congress, is the upcoming testimony of his Committee issued a subpoena for then asking him to provide evidence former lawyer Michael Cohen who Cohen’s testimony, which is now should not be a difficult proposition. Rather than simply differing is already facing prosecution and is scheduled to take place in midfrom Trump in terms of rhetoric, widely expected to have additional February. The White House will apply Senate Republicans should refuse incriminating information pressure to Senate Republicans like to go after the president’s political concerning the president. Trump has used his traditional Sasse and Marco Rubio (R-FL) to enemies and instead go on a quest tactics of intimidation to deal with ask Cohen questions concerning his for the truth. If these “mavericks” in the the Cohen situation by tweeting, family that have nothing to do with “Watch father-in-law!” at the end the charges concerning his lies to Republican Party want to be taken seriously as politicians, unwilling to of a recent tweet on Jan. 18. Cohen Congress. The question now arises, what bow to the political whims of the interpreted this as a threat to prosecute members of his family will the “mavericks” do in this president, they will hold firm during Cohen’s hearing and stay committed with the force of the executive hearing? Trump loyalists within the to finding the truth. branch. Pointing out how Trump’s Senate will undoubtedly parrot remarks are a clear obstruction of Trump’s accusations concerning Jared Sellick is a junior majoring in justice does not mean that Cohen’s Cohen’s family and are unlikely to family is devoid of wrongdoing. It ask questions pertinent to the Russia political science.
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power. Trump is not putting boots on the ground. If he does, the conversation will change drastically, but, until that moment comes, this move is one that supports international democracy and should be applauded. Maduro’s regime has been one of violence, corruption and economic failure. Hyperinflation has destroyed Venezuela’s currency and the poverty rate in 2018 reached nearly 90 percent. Reuters reported that the average Venezuelan lost 24 pounds due to the food shortages that plague the country. In the country’s most recent presidential elections held in May, Maduro banned the two most popular opposition leaders from running and threatened to take away government food subsidies for anyone who voted against him. “I give, you give” Maduro would say at campaign rallies, directly referencing the food subsidy ID cards, used by most to buy basic groceries, and tying it to voting. People who went to polls run by Maduro’s party were required to show these cards when they cast their votes. After Trump’s statement, thousands of people in Venezuela went to the streets to rally and protest against the government. They were met with tear gas. The BBC reported four confirmed deaths on Wednesday as a result of clashes with the police. Venezuela is a country in shambles. Immediate change is necessary, even change as simple as recognizing a democratically-elected leader. Internationally, recognizing Guaido as interim president was a good move and a start. It is now up to Venezuela to determine for herself what she wants and where she is going. Buena Suerte, Venezuela. Aida Vazquez-Soto is a senior majoring in political science and economics.
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RIDEAU
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But his biggest impact has been on defense. Rideau’s 66 steals are just three shy of setting a new program single-season record. On Jan. 12, Rideau’s defensive effort helped him record a pointsassists-steals triple-double against Temple, becoming just the sixth player in the last 20 years to record such a feat. “I think the world of Quince,” Gregory said. “One of the few guys, I think, in college basketball that bumped up a couple levels and is actually better, and that’s because of the work he put in last year. He
DEFENSE
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The effort begins with Laquincy Rideau and David Collins. Combined, the backcourt tandem leads the country in steals by a starting backcourt, averaging a combined 5.68 steals per game. Rideau leads all of college basketball with 3.3 steals per game average. Defense is played with physicality in the AAC. USF, Temple and Memphis all rank in the top-15 in college basketball in steals per game, with the Bulls ranked 12th in the country, averaging 9.1 steals per outing. Hustle and desire. Being available and being at the right place at the right time is what gives the Bulls an opportunity to be in contention every game. The Bulls out-rebound their opponent by a seven-rebound margin per contest and are ranked 15th in the country in offensive rebounding, with nearly 14 offensive rebounds
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worked hard on his game. “I still think as a point guard, he’s just kind of scratching the surface. He’s an intelligent kid, he’s got a good feel, and he’s only going to get better. So, I’m excited about coaching him everyday because he brings it every single day.” While the decision to transfer to USF brought Rideau much closer to his hometown of West Palm Beach, the opportunity to build something also drew him to Gregory and the rebuilding Bulls. “One, it was closer to home,” Rideau said. “And two, knowing that it wasn’t a good program in previous years, I wanted to be a part of the change.” Rideau certainly has been per game. It is with grit, tenacity and the leadership of Gregory that helps the Bulls stymie their opponents, allowing only 65.3 points per game, ranked top-20 in the country. USF stifles and frustrates its opponent on the defensive end of the floor with furious, hawk-like defensive precision. The Bulls have an opportunity to have their best season in program history. It was 35 years ago that coach Lee Rose led the Bulls to their best record in program history. The 22-10 record, set in the 198283 season, is within reach. The Bulls are only eight wins off that pace, and perhaps, USF has an NCAA tournament appearance is in its future. It will be with players like Rideau, Collins, Michael Durr, Justin Brown and Alexis Yetna as well as the bench production of T.J Lang, Mayan Kir, Xavier Castaneda and Antun Maricevic, that will take the Bulls where Gregory wants to go.
part of the change. He ranks first in Division I with 3.3 steals per game and has been a large factor in the Bulls’ 14 wins, which are the most since the 2011-12 season, USF’s last season with a postseason appearance. The Bulls are very much mathematically alive in their quest to snap their sixseason postseason-appearance drought, and doing so would mean a lot to Rideau. “It would mean a lot, because I’ve never been to a postseason before,” Rideau said. “It’d mean everything to me. “It’s what the people want ... it’s what the fans want — a winning program.”
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Men’s Basketball
Rideau back in stride after missing last season
By Brian Hattab A S S I S T A N T
S P O R T S
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He had to sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He likely would have missed a majority of that season anyway due to a broken foot that sidelined him from practice until after Christmas. But that was then and this is now — and right now, Laquincy Rideau is making the most of his opportunity with USF men’s basketball in its resurgent season. “It was very hard,” Rideau said. “I’m a very competitive player and going out there, watching my team play, when I know I couldn’t go out there and help them win, it was very hard for me to watch. “I learned how to read the game more, how to be a better leader and the dos and the don’ts.” Coach Brian Gregory attributes his team’s better play at the end of last season
to Rideau finally being able to participate in practice after his injury. “It’s one of the reasons we played a little better down the stretch ... he finally got healthy and practices became very competitive,” Gregory said. “The starters didn’t like it very much.” Rideau joined USF after spending two seasons at Ga rd n e r -We b b (Boiling Springs, North Carolina) where he led the team in points per game (14.2), assists (171) and steals (100) in his sophomore season in 2016-17. He was the first player in Big South history to record at least 150 rebounds, 150 assists and 100 steals in a season. The now-redshirt junior is continuing the offensive production in his first season with the Bulls, shooting more than 42 percent from the field and averaging 5.75 assists per Laquincy Rideau leads Division I men’s basketball in steals per game. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/BRIAN HATTAB game.
n See RIDEAU on PAGE 7
Commentary
Men’s Basketball finds success through defense
By Steven Gerardy
C O R R E S P O N D E N T
When coaching basketball, there are two things that can’t be taught: the size of a player and the size of their heart. The USF men’s basketball team has the ability and desire to
make the game difficult for the opponent on the defensive end of the court. Last season, the Bulls tallied a 10-22 record, hardly what any coach envisions for his team during any season. Through the growing pains of a difficult first season, the team continues
in Coach Brian Gregory’s second year, to keep “chopping the wood.” Coach Brian Gregory has used words such as “toughness,” “tenacity” and “grit” when speaking about his team. It is those three words, and the meaning behind them,
that have propelled the Bulls to a 14-6 record overall and 4-4 in the AAC. If there is a weakness in the USF men’s basketball team, it is on the offensive end. That is due in part to continuity and inexperience. No player has been with the team for more
than 18 months. What the Bulls lack in experience, they make up for with desire and effort. Statistics are a big deal in athletics. Everything is measured and counted. It’s obsessive.
n See DEFENSE on PAGE 7