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
Students unbothered by Sun Dome’s new name By Josh Fiallo M A N A G I N G
E D I T O R
With the Sun Dome officially becoming sponsored by Yuengling Brewery and renamed the Yuengling Center, effective July 1, nicknames with beer references for the arena have begun to roll in.
other Twitter users, who all used the hashtag #FoamDome. “Are we going to call it ‘The Ling?’” asked @libertarian727. Criticism against USF naming its largest structure on campus after a beer company was immediate after the university announced the
“I just think Sun Dome sounds better. In
reality though, it doesn’t matter. It has no real effect on me.
”
Samuel Sierra
“Great news and the nickname is even greater. #FoamDome,” Ray Niecestro tweeted, along with several
arena’s new name on June 12, with fears arising that it could possibly promote underage drinking and alcoholism for
students. USF and Yuengling prepared to combat the criticism by initiating programs that promoted “social responsibility,” such as offering a designateddriver program by providing discounted weekend ridesharing services from Lyft. While numerous arguments and opinions arose, one certain demographic seemed to care the least. USF students. “I really could care less what it’s called,” Anna Litinskaya, a senior majoring in world languages, said. “It’s just a name. I really don’t think USF and Yuengling are partnering to offer discounted rides from
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Lyft to encourage responsible decision making. ORACLE PHOTO/ CHAVELI GUZMAN
A final budget bill decision is expected by the end of the week I N
C H I E F
NEWS
Following weeks of debate and back-and-forth decisions, USF is expected to move forward with the 2018-19 proposed budget for the same fiscal year just before the July 1 deadline. However, the original proposed budget will not be advancing in its entirety, as one
major and controversial line-item has already been removed — the endowment. Vice President of Student Affairs and Student Success Paul Dosal told The Oracle in an email that the decision is expected to be made final by the end of the week, complete with the signature of System President Judy Genshaft.
The cost of living on campus has increased and is expected to continue to rise PAGE 3
According to student body president Moneer Kheireddine, he and Genshaft are scheduled to meet on Thursday for one final conversation about the budget before it’s approval. The endowment, an off-campus reserve account, may no longer be included on the 2018-19 fiscal budget, however, the idea of it has not been
The annual budget proposal process was an example of exactly what not to do PAGE 6
killed completely. Senate President Sarah Lucker said that though she may agree with the general concept of the endowment, she does think that the manner in which the idea was presented can be improved. She said that by pulling unspent dollars on a yearly basis and adding those to an endowment, instead of trying to outright pull
SPORTS
E D I T O R
OPINION
By Jesse Stokes
$1.375 million, could be something to consider moving forward to make up the investment account. Kheireddine echoed the points of Lucker, but added that he hopes if the idea of the endowment were to persist, that members of Student Government (SG) would work closely with administration to ensure that the
Quinton Flowers begins his transition into a new role with the Cincinnati Bengals PAGE 8
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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966
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T H E O R AC L E
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NEWS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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The cost to live on campus is on the rise ●
By Alyssa Stewart S T A F F
W R I T E R
The lowest-priced traditional style room in on-campus housing at USF increased from $695 a month to $735 for the 2018-19 school year. Students can expect hall rates to keep escalating for the next couple years as the construction increases on campus. The housing rates for the 2018-19 school year increased due to a reinvestment plan to improve student living and maintain the infrastructure of the housing facilities. Capstone D eve l o p m e n t Partners determines hall rates for The Village in collaboration with USF t h ro u g h an advisory committee board. Robert Brown, the director of asset management of Capstone D eve l o p m e n t Partners, said the company meets on campus with the USF administrative team to discuss o p e rat i o n a l procedures and to review the annual budget for the following year. The budget approval process requires the committee to unanimously agree on rental rates for the following year. The re nt a l reve nu e received from The Village is solely accumulated from student fees in order to achieve operational success. Brown said the increase in hall rates are for the
Living on campus is going to cost students more in the fall and the increase in costs are not stopping there. ORACLE PHOTO/ JESSE STOKES
equadies that are placed on the buildings, as well as debt payments. The projection (housing) rates every year is evaluated based on the context of performance and the meetings Capstone Development Partners has with USF, according to Brown. Ana H e r n a n d ez , the assistant vice president of Housing and Residential Education, said a threephase plan was presented to the Board of Trustees to strategize reinvesting into the facilities. According to Hernandez, $11 million
dollars was spent upgrading infrastructure, such as an infill project to replace air co nt ro l , p a i nt i n g , redesigning the bathrooms in Castor, and preparation to open new housing options in fall 2018. According to Hernandez, it was important to include a variety of price points in order to meet the demand of students with different financial backgrounds on campus. Hernandez said the price of The Village for the 2018-19 school year was supposed to be higher but
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BUDGET
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process is done so with legalities in mind. Disagreements between administration and members of SG on the legality of the proposed endowment have persisted throughout the process Dosal pointed to USF Investment Policy 6.028, which states that all dollars from the student-paid Activity and Service (A&S) Fee must be held in university accounts, as the statute broken by the proposed endowment. The endowment was not the only line-tem of controversy on the original budget proposal, however. Another proposition was that student affairs departments, such as Campus Recreation and the Center for Student Involvement, will face cuts to their annual budgets. This line-item currently remains a part of the proposal. However, Lucker said the departments are not going to be left without options. According to Lucker, an account of $350,000 from the unallocated cash reserve will be in place for departments to be able to request additional funding. Lucker also said the aid is not anticipated to be cappedoff at that amount. “That $350,000 is just the initial amount in the account,” Lucker said. “If we end up seeing services or employment getting cut, they can increase that amount and we can allocate more money into that account for them to get services from. It is just a starting point to see how many of them actually need to draw from that to continue the same amount of services and employment.” Lucker also said that in the future, she has two main focuses on ways to improve the budget proposal process — the presentation and timeline. She said she hoped to find a way
to present the budget in a manner that the average student will be able to understand. Afterall, by her own admittance, a budgetary approval process can be a challenging concept to understand. Lucker said she hopes that in presenting the budget proposal in a more clear way, it will better develop the lines of communication between SG and their constituents. Lucker also said that a main focus of improvement moving forward will be the timeline. Having different entities such as SG, administration and Student Business Services involved in a single process often means that it may take a longer amount of time. Lucker said that by submitting next year’s fiscal plan earlier, all parties involved will have more time for analysis and meeting deadlines will not be as much of an issue. As far as the process that was taken and the decisions made, Kheireddine said he is confident in the resolution that was reached. “We did the best in a worst case scenario,” Kheireddine said. “There were a lot of potential outcomes to the situation that may not have been the best outcome for our students or almost anyone on campus. But, we came to a compromise and agreement that allows us to put our students first, continues allowing for our departments to successfully impact our students and allows for us as a Student Government entity to remain the sole allocators of the A&S Fee.” All in all, Kheireddine said his focus moving forward will be to continue supporting the best interests of the student body, especially through challenging situations. “Our goal is to always ensure that we are representing our students well and doing our jobs as designated to us by Florida state law,” Kheireddine said. “If you base (the decision) off of that, in terms of my perception, I think this is a victory, especially for our students.”
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The official name change will take place on July 1. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS
YUENGLING Continued from PAGE 1
anybody is going to go out and drink more because an arena has a new name. “If you want to drink, you’re going to drink.” Of eleven random USF students asked by The Oracle whether they were bothered by the Sun Dome’s change of name Tuesday afternoon, only one took issue with the name being Yuengling Center. “I just think Sun Dome sounds better,” Samuel Sierra, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, said. “In reality though, it doesn’t matter. It has no real effect on me.” The Sun Dome beared the same name for 38 consecutive years since it was completed in 1980 but will be now be known as the Yuengling Center for at least ten years, Interim Athletic Director Scott Kull said at the June 12 announcement. Due to the Sun Dome being a private entity, details of how
Flowers said he is adjusting well to his new role with the Bengals so far, but his primary focus is going to be securing a spot on the team. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN much money USF will profit from the sponsorship was not made public. The yearly funding brought in by selling it’s naming rights, however, could be crucial in aiding USF improve and build new athletic facilities — such as an Indoor Practice Facility for football and other teams. “We have a really up and coming sports program here, and I think any opportunities for that to be expanded on will be good,” Casey Ryan, a sophomore majoring in business and German, said. “A sponsorship like that can really help the university financially. A lot of money for sports come from tuition, so it’s nice to see them pull more revenue from something else. “I think that a sponsorship that’s big like this is really a good thing. If it could be a different brand (that sponsored), it could be better, but beer likes to sponsor with sports. I don’t think it’ll hurt anybody or effect anybody negatively.”
FLOWERS
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5-foot-10-inch, 214-pound Flowers could find himself blocking former teammate and third-round draft pick Deadrin Senat, who outweighs Flowers by 100 pounds. That is if Flowers makes the final 53-man roster for the Bengals, which he’ll find out Sep. 1. Flowers’ switch from college quarterback isn’t unheard of. Former Ohio State quarterback Terelle Pryor was a standout in college. He threw for more than 6,000 yards and 57 touchdowns compared to Flowers’ 8,000-plus passing yards and more than 70 passing touchdowns. Pryor found success as a wide receiver on the Cleveland Browns and will start his seventh season this year. According to The Athletic, Flowers was scouted by Bengals running back
coach Kyle Caskey, who was originally looking at USF running backs Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson. Flowers’ self-described “backyard-style” football of running around and making plays caught Caskey’s eyes. “As I was watching them, he really stood out to me as a runner,” Caskey told The Athletic. “I went to our scouting department and (director of player personnel) Duke Tobin and I said ‘Let’s think outside the box. This kid really is a better runner than a lot of these combine running backs.’” Even though he is listed as a running back, Flowers saw some action running zoneread plays and trick plays with pass options in his very first week of practices. His future with the team is uncertain, but Flowers’ main goal is making the final cut. “I told him just to make the team,” Caskey told The Athletic. “We’ll find out what exactly his position is
some other time.” For Flowers, the driving factor is his family. He lost both his mother and father before he graduated from high school, his brother three years after that, and he elected to miss the 2018 Shrine Game to be with his family after he found out his grandmother passed away. After experiencing so much heartbreak and hardship, he doesn’t care what position he plays as long as he can provide for his loved ones. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes for my family to be happy and for my life to be better,” Flowers said. “To have my daughter continue her life and do the things she wants to do when she gets older has always been my biggest thing. I just want to make sure everybody in my family smiles.
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the advisory board was able to reduce the price. “Our team works with the housing department who makes us aware of reservations that are made within the buildings for a particular group that is going to live there,” Brown said. C a p s to n e D eve l o p m e nt Pa rt n e rs i s l o c ate d in Birmingham, Alabama so direct communication is limited to a minimum of four times a year. Brown said the company has an active presence during the construction process on campus. “A third-party management company hired Capstone On-Campus M a n a ge m e nt (operates as a subsidiary
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to Capstone Development) who are our eyes and ears on campus and works on a daily basis with Hernandez and her team, as well as the facilities team,” Brown said. Brown said the company positions themselves appropriately so they are not in the way of those who have a designated plan for the University. “USF has the front of the house when interacting with students and we feel we do a better job if we’re in the background making sure everything is operating the way that it needs to because we don’t want The Village to feel different than another location on campus,” Brown said. Acco rd i n g to B row n , Capstone D e ve l o p m e n t Partners has a ground
sublease and a facilities operation agreement which define the respective rules of USF and the ownership g ro u p. The a g re e m e nt dictates everything from re n t a l , administration, m a i nte n a n ce , re s i d e nt i a l and marketing decisions. Hernandez and the housing team introduces to Capstone Development Partners what the goals are for the campus and the direction of facilities management, according to Brown. “ US F has m a r ke t i n g responsibility so they are the front of that process and they know it well,” Brown said. “We like to be informed of what that process is and include as much input as we can.”
OPINION
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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EDITORIAL
This year’s budget bill approval process was an example of poor leadership
The manner in which the approval of the fiscal year’s budget was irresponsible from both members of student government and administration. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN The process of deciding on and implementing an annual budget bill for an institution of USF’s stature is something that should take extreme poise, educated decisions and putting the desires of oneself aside to best serve the student body. However, this was not the case with the Activity and Service Fee Recommendation Committee (ASRC) 2018-19 budget proposal. A controversial line-item, known as the endowment, resulted in members of Student Government’s (SG) legislative branch and administration being at odds with one another. This was mistake number one. Members of administration referred to USF Investment Policy
6.028, which states that Activity and Service Fee dollars are to only be housed in university accounts. Administration cited this to say that the endowment broke university regulations and therefore could not be approved. Failing to put their differences aside and work on a compromise as soon as tensions flared resulted in an extended approval process for the budget, with many departments, organizations and students left questioning what their 2018-19 academic year would look like fiscally. From there, a difference in fiscal calculations further divided the two parties. This was mistake number two. With SG presenting certain
facts and figures of the budget, such as departments receiving a five percent cut to operations, while administration presented numbers that claimed departments were to receive 15 percent cuts from their annual budgets overall. Confusion ensued. The way both parties presented numbers, as if they were attempting to vilify the other, was deceitful. It allowed students and employees of the university to be used as pawns in the budgetary power struggle. These acts, among others, now have left SG in a position where priority number one should be regaining the trust of the student body. On the same token,
members of administration will now have to better assess the impact that their actions have on a fiscal process. With an eye to the future, both parties should consider working together to present information that is accurate and uniform so that those voting on, and working around, a budget proposal are able to do so with minds clear of confusion. Student organizations were directly solicited in an attempt to gain support for one side over the other. Consider this the final mistake. ASRC chairman Aladdin Hiba sent a letter to student organization leaders claiming their budget was in severe danger of being zero-funded on May 8. This was done without any inclination that this was the case from administration. Hiba’s email was in response to Vice President of Student Affairs and Student Success Paul Dosal sending a letter to student body president Moneer Kheireddine the day before, informing him that he was ordering the budget to revert back to the previous fiscal year (2017-18), since an adequate decision could not be made on the budget proposed by SG. Within Dosal’s letter to Kheireddine, he clearly stated that though this may seem to
have a negative impact on student organizations, he will work alongside SG to ensure that they get the best versions of their requested budget allocations for the year. The letter saga did not end there, however, as Dosal would fire off another letter. This time directly to student organizations, notifying them of the inaccuracy of the claims made by the ASRC chairman. By directly involving student organizations in a juvenile attempt to garner support over the opposing party, members of SG acted unprofessionally. This resulted in administration doing the same to prevent further misunderstanding among the student body. All in all, a failure for both parties to get on the same page until seemingly the last minute has resulted in unnecessary conflict and confusion among members of the university system. In the future, both SG and administration should better consider the impacts that their short-term decisions have on those who they represent and lead, not just the long-term verdicts. It should also be expected that the actions of this year’s budget approval process is not the new-normal and should be a representation of what not to do for years to come.
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IT Manager (launch your career before you graduate with this job title) We need a technology savvy BSIT or similar major to perform a variety of IT tasks in our business. Everything from computer/ smartphone/tablet setup, to social media and website work. Although our tech needs might be at a more basic level, this gives you a chance to get really world experience in a $5.0 million Tampa Bay company. How do you benefit? You launch your career before you graduate with a resume building job and job title. How do we benefit? We get a laundry list of IT work completed by a tech savvy individual for the hourly wage that you might expect for a college part-time job. That is called a win-win. USF MBA is CEO and purchased this company June 1st. He and his partners are rebranding the company. Be a part of something great! Email mgomara@acguyz.com
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Sports
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Football
Position change a ‘smooth transition’ for Flowers
By Sam Newlon S p o r t s
E d i t o r
The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their minicamp on Thursday and for former-USF quarterback Quinton Flowers, it was part of his journey to an NFL roster in a brand-new position — running back. Flowers has never played running back in any level of organized football, but said he feels confident about his transition to both a professional system and his new role. “Everything is going smooth,” Flowers said in an interview with The Oracle on Thursday. “It’s a smooth transition that’s going on right now.”
Flowers is no stranger to being recruited for a different position. During his college search, Alabama wanted him as a wide receiver, South Carolina wanted him as a defensive back and Miami wanted him as a running back. Instead he chose USF, where he quickly became the centerpiece of its offense. Based on statistics from sports-reference.com, Flowers accounted for nearly 65 percent of USF’s total offense last year. Now, he is a running back with a goal of just making the team. “It’s very different just knowing that you have a different job now,” Flowers said. “You have to play a role. That’s the biggest thing that
you have to adapt to and that’s what I’m adapting to now.” During the minicamp this month, Flowers was still learning his new position. NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein touted Flowers as a “running talent,” but there is more to the position than just being able to run with the ball — and Flowers knows it. “I would have to say picking up block protections is one of the toughest things right now,” Flowers said. “I have to be more physical. That’s the biggest thing I have to work on right now, but everything else is going good.” Flowers would have to pick up blocks against large NFL defensive backs and linemen.
Quinton Flowers was a major part of USF’s offense as quarterback, but now he’s working toward a spot on the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster as a running back. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS The Bengals play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sep. 30.
in Atlanta. In that game, the
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Notebook
Two former women’s basketball players sign professionally By Sam Newlon S p o r t s
E d i t o r
Two USF Women’s Basketball alumni recently announced their plans to further their basketball careers in Spain. Maria Jespersen and Laia Flores both signed professional contracts to compete in the Liga Feminina de Balconcesto (LFB), which is the top-tier women’s basketball league in Spain. “I’m really excited for both of them,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “It’s a very well-respected professional league in Europe.” Flores is originally from Mataro, Spain. Before attending USF, Flores played for the Spanish National Team and helped lead the U16 and U18 teams to a gold medal.
“I think it’s pretty special for Laia (Flores) to be going back and play in her home country,” Fernandez said. “She’s really excited.” Flores will be on the 2018-19 roster for Mann-Filter and could potentially earn a starting role. Jespersen, a forward, signed with Snatt’s Femení Sant Adrià. Fernandez said he knew both players would go on to play at the next level. “I thought that both of them were very talented individuals that had great careers here at USF,” he said. “Both of them had aspirations to play professionally and I think they have a lot of basketball left. I’m really excited for both of them.” USF Grad Works with FOX
A recent USF graduate was selected by FOX Sports to attend the National Sports Media Association Awards (NSMA) this weekend in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Marcus Wingate was a student in the Vinik Sports and Entertainment marketing class working on an assignment for a marketing campaign for the Miami Marlins. He unknowingly presented his work in front of Micalea Asercion and Cati Hance, who co-manage the FOX Sports University program. “The achievement from FOX Sports did come as a surprise to me,” Wingate said. “I do not think anyone, including myself, was aware of the opportunity. I keep thinking about how hard we
worked on our project from all the previous drafts and ideas and how it came to life.” At the NSMA event, he will have the opportunity to network with representatives from FOX Sports and other marketing students from around the country. According to Asercion, all of his expenses will be covered by FOX Sports and NSMA. “You can tell when someone just stands out and has something about them,” Asercion said. “We definitely think Marcus was one of them.” Sun Dome fire sale The doors at Gate D of Sun Dome will open at 11 a.m. today for a USF apparel closeout sale.
Under Armour clothing and gear with USF branding on it has already been advertised at a 50 percent discount at the USF Bookstore. USF used to be partnered with Under Armour, but the contract ended at the end of this season’s sporting events. Pictures posted on tweets from USF Athletics (@USFAthletics) note that there will only be a limited supply and sizes. Tweets from USF Equipment (@ USF_Equipment) featured pictures of the sale setup. Under Armour clothing, hats, and rows of clothing with USF logos lined the floor of the gym. Additional reporting by Josee Woble