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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
USFCAM to pilot photography workshop for veterans
By Samantha Moffett A S S O C I A T E
E D I T O R
Using the arts to bridge communities, the USF Contemporary Art Museum (USFCAM) will be one of three museums in Florida to pilot a free workshop exclusively for veterans from July 13 to Aug. 10. The workshop, called Breaking Barriers, will provide an opportunity for veterans from the USF and Tampa Bay area to learn photography skills and create work for display. The workshop is a partner with the USF School of Art and Art History, as well as the nationwide
“Museums on Call” initiative which presents art-based experiences for veterans and their families. Breaking Barriers will take place on Fridays from 1-5 p.m. at the USF School of Art and Art History. “We are really looking at what could serve our community and work with the museum and our arts programming here at USF,” Dolores Coe, the Curator for USF Art in Health Programs said. “We talked to some veterans on campus, off campus and people who work with veterans to try to get a sense of what could be of value.”
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Veterans from the USF and Tampa Bay area will have free photography lessons throughout the five-week workshop and will connect with both the art and veteran community. ORACLE PHOTO/ DIVYA KUMAR
USF’s new standards make it harder than ever to get admitted W R I T E R
USF has steadily increased its difficulty of admission for years, but now, officially a preeminent Florida university, — joining only Florida and Florida State — it’s harder than ever to become a Bull. In 2007, USF’s Tampa campus was encouraging first-time student
applicants to have at least a 3.71 GPA weighted GPA. As of 2018, the university, now unified, will be seeking students that have around a 4.2 weighted GPA. Dr. Paul Dosal, the Vice President for Student Affairs and Student Success, said the rising freshman requirements stem from a 2009 “Student Success Initiative.”
PAGE 3 On-campus Beef ‘O’Brady’s: From sitdown service to fastfood
He said the goal was to help raise the USF graduation and retention rates from slightly below average to above average in order to quality for the Association of American Universities. “As part of that Student Success Initiative, we’ve been focused more on recruiting and enrolling college ready students,” Dosal said. “We
PAGE 6 Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination is not a homerun for either side
wanted to look for students who are prepared to graduate on time with the degree of their choice and minimal levels of debt. Partly as a result, we’ve been driving our admission standards higher.” High school grades and SAT scores are not the only factors taken into account, according to Dosal. The specific types of classes
SPORTS
S T A F F
OPINION
By Matthew Cutillo
PAGE 8 Students react to Rays’ potential future stadium downtown
that students took will directly reflect in the assessment of their applications. By students just taking higher-level courses in high school, such as AP or IB, their chances of admittance to USF increase. Though concerns of a lack of diversity when looking for “col-
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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966
Editor in Chief Jesse Stokes @JesseStokes813
Managing Editor Josh Fiallo @ByJoshFiallo
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The Oracle is published Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and once weekly, Wednesday, during the summer. The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).
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NEWS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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On-campus Beef ‘O’ Brady’s undergoes change in service style
Customers of the on-campus Beef ‘O’ Brady’s will now have a fast-food and casual style experience with a more limited menu. ORACLE PHOTO/BRYANT HOWARD By Alyssa Stewart S T A F F
W R I T E R
USF and its on-campus Beef ‘O’ Brady’s have been collaborating for over a year to review sales and the operation of the restaurant in the Marshall Student Center (MSC), with hopes to use the information to transform the establishment into a quickservice environment. The MSC Beef ‘O’ Brady’s reopened on June 25 as a fast and casual restaurant, different from the full-service dining previously instilled. The redesign was modeled after Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Express. In the newly introduced Beef ’s express, patrons place their order at the bar and wait for their food to be picked up before getting a
table, similar to a Panera Bread-style environment. The MSC restaurant is modeled after another Beef ’s location in Lakeland to efficiently accommodate the 300 checks that process through the restaurant on a daily basis. According to Jessica Cicalese, the Aramark marketing director, the decision to model a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Express was driven heavily by student feedback and an evaluation of service times. Since Aramark runs the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in the MSC, it was important to Cicalese to receive help from the corporate restaurant. She said Aramark worked with the corporate Beef ‘O’ Brady’s to review product mix and speed of service. The updated menu
pricing remains the same, but the food selections were downsized to the most popular items. Some of the most popular items consisted of wings, tacos and burgers. Sean Hamad, the food service director for the MSC, said by viewing previous sales and data, they were able to view the highest purchased items. The limited options were chosen in order to produce a menu that could be executed at a fast-pace, according to Hamad. The alcohol policy remains the same, so patrons of a legal drinking age can purchase alcoholic beverages after 5 p.m. on weekdays in the fall. Alcohol will not be served during summer hours of operations, according to
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lege ready” students are valid, Billie Jo Hamilton, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Planning & Management, said it will not be the case . “I think to some extent there’s an assumption that low income students don’t meet our admissions requirements,” Hamilton said. “I would say we have been very effective in enrolling first generation and low income students for many years, and we’ll continue to enroll those students even if we have increased our admissions standards.” Statistically speaking, USF’s diversity is on the rise despite the more difficult admission requirements. The cost of tuition at USF has also stayed relatively stable over the past 5 years despite the rise in prestige. In 2017, The Education Trust recognized USF as a top performing university in closing the achievement gap between White and African-American students, and the university is among the nation’s best in Pell grant graduation rates, a program to aid low income college students. “One of the helpful things is that we’ve closed the achievement gap,” Dosal said. “We are a university where our diverse student body is performing academically well. They’re graduating at the same rate as our white students, and you don’t often see that across the nation. There are typically gaps and differences.” According to Dosal, USF purposely raised the requirements at a slow rate as not to alarm those looking to apply. He said to portray USF as an intimidating school was never the intention. “We never wanted to raise our admission standards so high that
3 we would also see a significant drop in enrollment,” Dosal said. “We are also committed as an institution to meet educational benefits of diversity. We always look to recruit a diverse class of students. Remarkably, and significantly, we have done both of these things.” With such rigorous admission requirements, the future for attending USF may require transfer programs. According to Hamilton, gateways have been setup to allow students to receive their associate degrees elsewhere, and transfer into USF under a later date. “We have tap ways for students to enroll here if they’re not admissible for their freshman year,” Hamilton said. “Students can go to (Hillsborough Community College) or St. Pete College and get on a national pathway to come here after their AA degree. That’s a feasible pathway for students who may not be ready.” Transfer students traditionally have an easier time being accepted to universities than freshman students, with USF only looking for 2.5 GPAs from low level transfer students. Last year, over 3,800 transfer students joined the USF tampa campus alone. As USF’s GPA requirements are predicted to continue rising, these gateway programs may prove very beneficial. “I was concerned when we started to raise admission standards that we’d lose diversity, or make applying here seem unattainable, but we have done a remarkable job in maintaining diversity on our campus the same time we’ve raised admission standards and promoted student success,” Dosal said. “We want USF to keep striving for excellence and be a place current students can be proud of once they graduate.”
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Connecting veterans together and providing valuable experiences for both the individual and a group was a main goal in the creation of the workshop. Stress relief, storytelling and communication are some benefits that the workshop looks to bring veterans, aside from photography skills. “While we did not engage in artist therapy and this is not a rehabilitation tool, one of the things we focused on here is the real desire to tell one’s story,” Leslie Elsasser, the USFCAM Curator of Education said. “Arts-based practices can really give people an avenue to learn a technique, tell their story and explore a language so to speak, which is the art language.” The instructor for the five-
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Hamad. Based on feedback from last year, many students considered the menu items to be overwhelming. By condensing the menu, the service will be quicker with an easier selection, Cicalese said. Hamad said the quick service will benefit students since many have a limited window to purchase their meals in between classes. “Leveraging a menu that we can produce faster at the same quality creates a better environment for students who are constantly moving,” Hamad said. Cicalese said the reason for the transition was because
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week workshop is educator and photographer, Jim Reiman. Reiman received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography/digital imaging from Central Washington University in 2005 and his Masters of Fine Arts from USF in 2009. Students from every level ranging from beginner to advanced are welcomed to the workshop. During the workshop, students will create pieces to show at the USFCAM in an upcoming exhibition. “They will be making a range of works throughout the five weeks, so they will have quite a bit to select from,” Coe said. “They will have a portfolio and we will use that to curate work from each participant.” Breaking Barriers provides a two-part experience for participants. The first part is the making and learning
of photography, whereas the second part consists of visual thinking strategies, which teaches ways to talk about art and connect with others through art as a language. For those who may not have previous experience in the arts, the workshop looks to expand on how art can be a vessel for exploration and discussion. “Art can be a really great vehicle to start a conversation and to explore experiences and commonalities,” Elsasser said. “There is that axiom ‘there are a thousand words in a picture’ but that can be really true when you are creating in the practice, and it gives you a way to explore something without putting parameters and protocol on what you should and should not say.” To register for Breaking Barriers, visit usfcam.usf.edu.
students have previously expressed their dissatisfaction with the long wait times Beef ‘O’ Brady’s once had. “This is a pilot, so we’re open to feedback,” Cicalese said. “This was something we wanted to try for Summer B as students moved in, but we’re open for changes if we need to move back.” Hamad said the staff would not decrease, but will be realigned. The realignment would pertain to staff working behind the counter to time efficiently help customers according to Ahmad. He said the quick service would provide more jobs because the sales would increase, therefore more income to pay more people would be available. Ahmad said the shift will eliminate
the challenge of a full-service restaurant, which would include sitting down with the server and providing a tip. According to Ahmad, modeling a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Express would assist in matching the intensity of the quick service in the food court of the MSC. “The space will continue to be utilized as a communal space to play pool, watch TV and now a place to use if you want to spend two hours or leave and come back as you wish,” Ahmad said.
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Man exposes himself to students on campus
A picture of the man suspected of exposing himself to students outside of Juniper-Poplar residence halls. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE By Josh Fiallo M A N A G I N G
E D I T O R
The University of South Florida Police Department is looking for a man accused of exposing himself on campus Sunday evening outside of the Juniper-Poplar residence halls. Police said they were notified of the alleged incident around
8:18 p.m. Sunday and currently are seeking a man somewhere between 30 to 40 years old, with a beard and brown, balding hair. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, dark blue shorts and glasses. Anyone with information about him is asked to call USF Police at 813-974-2628.
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McClanahan to leave the team at the end of the season, but McClanahan’s decision leaves a hole for USF’s pitching staff. “It’s a bittersweet day for both of us,” Mohl said in a statement. “He set a goal to leave USF as a firstround pick, and he achieved that goal through hard work and dedication. We couldn’t be more proud. We will miss him… but we look forward to following his career closely.” Auggie Sanchez becomes GA USF’s leading all-time tackler knew his football career could hinge on his Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and his acceptance into Florida State University’s Criminology program. In May, Auggie Sanchez was studying for the GRE and he had two clear paths: get a high enough score and become a graduate assistant at
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FSU, or get a lower score and try to fit football into his life a different way. Over the weekend, he got an email that signaled the start of his coaching career. “After 5 years at USF with a promising career, I tried for the NFL, quickly realized it wasn’t for me,” Sanchez said in an Instagram post on July 6. “The next door opened and I have been given an amazing opportunity to be a graduate assistant at Florida State University.” Sanchez said he always looked up to Coach Willie Taggart and will get to learn from him again as a GA. “I’m competitive and don’t mind working hard to be successful,” Sanchez said. “In a game that has evolved so much, you have to have an open mind and willing to change with the times. You have to set your ego aside if you want to be successful.” Quinton Flowers doing well in NFL Quinton Flowers’ future in the
NFL has been far from certain, but a recent article from the Cincy Jungle said the ex-USF quarterback’s versatility could give him a good shot at making the Bengal’s 53-man roster. In training camp, Flowers practiced as a running back, punt returner, punt coverage and even red zone situations as quarterback. According to the article, Flowers is right in the middle of the pack for all the positions and his possibilities as a “jack of all trades” could be valuable for the Bengals. If Cincinnati keeps Flowers for his ability to cover several positions in case of an injury, they may be able to save roster spots for positions where they need extra depth. Flowers still needs to impress coaches to earn his spot. Some recent posts on Flowers’ Instagram show him participating in workouts even during the Bengal’s offseason.
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OPINION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination is overly partisan and overhyped By Aida Vazquez-Soto C O R R E S P O N D E N T
President Donald Trump revealed his nominee to appoint to the highest court in the land Monday — Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who currently serves on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Kavanaugh’s pedigree for this nomination could not have been more textbook: He has a law degree from Yale, paired with extensive judicial history, as well as sitting on the most influential appeals court in the nation. He also clerked for the outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose seat he hopes to fill. Reactions have been swift and divided by members of both parties. Hysteria over Kavanaugh’s nomination is unfounded and excitement should be limited, especially for any pro-life groups that hoped to see Roe v. Wade go to the chopping block. Conservatives should be wary; Kavanaugh will not be another ultraconservative justice, like Neil Gorsuch. Despite being renowned for his involvement in conservative politics, Kavanaugh’s judicial philosophy is lacking on key issues. In his 2006 confirmation hearings he stated that he would aim to uphold the Roe v. Wade decision, stating it had already “been decided by the Supreme Court”. His legal opinions also demonstrate a strict interpretation of the 4th Amendment, putting the protections of citizens from unwarranted searches and seizures at risk. While his opinions on regulation and religious freedom indicate respect
for limiting government involvement in the economy and in compelling speech, there is significant concern from the right. Kavanaugh may focus more on cobbling together majority decisions whether the issue is resolved or not. This means that important questions that should be answered in the courts, like discrimination and gerrymandering, will instead be left in limbo. The prospect of another Trump Supreme Court nominee produced widespread concern regarding the future of the court. It was unsurprising when, before Trump announced his pick, protestors had already lined the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington. The protestors came from far and wide, prepared with pre-printed and fill-in-the-blank signs for any nominees that might have emerged, it became evident that the fight was not to block a specific or truly extreme nominee, it was to block any GOP nominee. Perhaps the most abhorrent example was the pre-written press release from the Women’s March which condemned nominee “XX” as “a death sentence for thousands of women in the United States”. These fights are purely partisan and truly harmful to otherwise real discussions about the qualifications of a judicial candidate to the most important court in the nation. It is this kind of divisiveness that Democrats must avoid, if they expect to be taken seriously in Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. Previous use of the nuclear rule paired with almost-perfect party line voting during now Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation
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The fashion industry should be more inclusive of the disabled
By Olivia Weber C O R R E S P O N D E N T
Judge Brett Kavanaugh. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE
will limit Democrats’ ability to push back against another partisan confirmation with Kavanaugh. In a mid-term year, with a candidate in the flavor of George Bush-vanilla, the stakes are heavy and the margin of error are limited. Supreme Court nominations are rare. Former Presidents, George W. Busch and Barack Obama, nominated a total of four over the course of 16 years, with two nominations each. Trump is on his second in two years and he anticipates as many as three more before he leaves office. While many Republicans will quietly mourn the decision to pass over a more activist conservative, they should now rally around a man who — if given the opportunity — will become an intellectual leader on the court, for better or for worse. Democrats are now faced with a political choice: continue to push party-line fights or take the first step toward a unified political arena. Aida Vazquez-Soto is a junior majoring in political science.
According to the Pew Research Center, 12.6 percent of Americans have a disability. Those with disabilities often have a hard time finding clothes that meet their specific needs. Although many Americans do not consider this while shopping, the lack of clothing options for the disabled is a major issue that must be addressed. Finally, fashion brands are recognizing this injustice and working to provide more options. The apparel brand ASOS launched a new jumpsuit that is not only fashionable, but is also designed to be wheelchair accessible. ASOS partnered with paralympic hopeful, Chloe BallHopkins, to design the Tie-Dye All-in-One Jumpsuit. This is the logical next step toward a more inclusive and diverse fashion industry. Of the 12.6 percent of Americans with disabilities, around a third are under the age of 65, limiting them to few, if any, in-style clothing options. This statistic shows that there is a market gap in the fashion industry for clothes that fit the needs of the disabled. ASOS designed the jumpsuit so it may not only fit the needs of those with disabilities but also can be worn by anyone. Many major fashion brands should follow ASOS’ lead to make its lines more inclusive. Along with giving those with disabilities more fashion options, the stigma around disabilities
needs to change as well. Fashion is a way to express yourself, and many people with disabilities often do not get this opportunity. Just because someone is disabled does not mean that they do not care about fashion. This idea is becoming more clear to the fashion industry. During the 2017 New York Fashion Week, FTL Moda featured models with disabilities on their runway. However, many pieces in runway shows are still unwearable to those with disabilities. So as a whole, the industry must start creating more pieces for anyone to wear. Tommy Hilfiger joined with the non-profit Runway of Dreams to make an adaptive- clothing line. By creating this line, Tommy Hilfiger became the first American designer to make an adaptive collection for children. Walmart has also created clothes that fit the needs of the disabled. They now sell jeans for men that have a seated body type. The jeans were made higher in the back with a softer and more flexible material. Target also created a line entirely designed by a mom with a disabled daughter. The line includes various items for children with disabilities. The time is now for other largescale department stores to follow suit and make shopping an easy venture for those with disabilities. Olivia Weber is a junior majoring in mass communication.
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CROSSWORD
Classifieds To place a classified ad go to http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds ANNOUNCEMENTS
HELP WANTED
Staffer West Meadows Community Club seeking part-time college students that are selfmotivated, mature and assertive, to work at their clubhouse. Flexible hours. Duties include - office and computer tasks, and pool attendant. Email frontdesk@tpostcdd.com
Medical Assistant (No Experience Needed) Part-time Medical Assistant needed. No experience necessary; will train on the job. Saturday availability is required. Being bilingual is a plus. Apply in person. Call 813-932-5389 for more information. Email drsblh13124@gmail.com
Sports
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Students react to potential Rays’ Stadium in Ybor
Notebook
McClanahan signs with Rays
By Sam Newlon S P O R T S
The Tampa Bay Rays unveiled plans for a stadium in historic Ybor City. USF students discussed the potential impacts of the project. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/TAMPA BAY RAYS
By Sam Newlon S P O R T S
E D I T O R
The Tampa Bay Rays announced a plan to build an $892 million stadium in Ybor City on Tuesday. Just a few hours after the plans were revealed at The Italian Club in historic Ybor, public figures and USF students spoke up about how the project can impact the community at USF. Ed Narain, a Florida state representative who also served as USF’s student body president in 1997, offered a unique opinion for the Rays’ new stadium. “The stadium has great potential as a community resource,” Narain said in a tweet. “And I can’t help but believe it is also ideal as the new home for @USFFootball.” Narain suggested USF’s football team relocate to the new stadium,
citing air conditioning and a brand new facility as benefits instead of staying at Raymond James Stadium. For USF students, the potential new stadium means a shorter drive to baseball games. Instead of traveling to St. Petersburg for games at Tropicana Field, students near USF can make it to Ybor in less than 30 minutes. “I absolutely think students will start going to more games,” Matthew Anoos, a junior majoring in microbiology said. “My roommates will, at least. They hate the fact that they’re called the Tampa Bay Rays and they’re located in St. Petersburg. Plus it’s kind of a drive for us.” The impact on USF students does not stop there. Sylvie Altenor, a senior majoring in exercise
science, thinks the Rays could get a lot of USF students to go to games if they promote it right. “I think if there are more incentives and rewards at baseball games that college students can be a part of, that’d be great,” Altenor said. “Stuff like that could get them to want to go more.” At the news conference, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said that promoting college-centered events in the new stadium is too far in the future for a comment. Another student at USF is more concerned about the price tag that comes with the new ballpark. Nathaniel Sweet, a junior majoring in political science, noted some issues with paying for the stadium. “I’m sure a lot of the funds are going to come from taxpayers and public funds,” Sweet said. “It
is sometimes concerning when people use taxpayer dollars to pay for things like that because then it ends up being a way that people can essentially give gifts to their friends…So there are some ethics and accountability problems that you might see there.” At the press conference, Rays and Tampa officials did not have answers for how the project will be funded. One student who already finished his undergraduate experience thinks the new stadium will ultimately be good for students at USF. “It will be especially good for younger students,” said Mario Garcia, a 2016 USF graduate. “Especially freshman students who just got here in the summer. It will give them something good to do.”
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Former USF pitcher Shane McClanahan officially signed with the Tampa Bay Rays about an hour before the 5 p.m. July 5 deadline. McClanahan was selected with the 31st overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, but waited about a month before signing his rookie contract. According to the Tampa Bay Times, McClanahan was seeking a $3 million signing bonus, but ended up signing for $2.23 million. To contrast, former USF closer Andrew Perez signed with the Chicago White Sox just days after he was picked in the eighth round. He played with the Great Falls Voyagers, a White Sox rookie league affiliate, for about a month before being promoted to the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Single-A White Sox affiliate team. Despite waiting to sign, McClanahan seemed ready to get back to baseball. “Very blessed and excited to become a Tampa Bay Ray,” he said in a tweet. “Can’t wait to get to work!” In between the draft and McClanahan’s announcement, there was speculation that the Bulls’ weekend starter might return to USF for another season. McClanahan missed his entire freshman season after he underwent Tommy John’s surgery. If he stayed with USF, McClanahan would return as a redshirt junior with two more years of eligibility. Coach Billy Mohl expected
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