The Oracle TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 I VOL. 52 NO. 33
The Index
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www.usforacle.com
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
‘The power of personal storytelling’ USF added to growing list Award-winning of Title IX investigations screenwriter empowers students n
By Alex Rosenthal
to make change.
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By Brandon Shaik A S S T .
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Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black took the stage Monday night with one message: “Agitate when necessary, cause trouble, never follow a step behind anyone … never ever follow the steps of someone who leads with fear as you pursue your passion.” Black, whose resume includes the film “J. Edgar” and the HBO series “Big Love,” earned a Screenwriters Guild Award and an Academy Award for his 2008 film “Milk.” As part of the Center for Student Involvement’s University Lecture Series, Black was paid $19,500 to speak to the crowd of 100 students about the value of diversity and how it has played a role in his awardwinning career. Black grew up as a gay Mormon in Texas, living in constant fear of being found out. After moving to California as a teenager with his mother, Black was introduced to Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the state of California, through a speech played on a boombox in his drama teacher’s classroom, which he said saved his life. While in college at UCLA film school, he expanded his friend group to include gays and lesbians, many of whom had been exiled from their families. While many of his friends knew of his sexuality, he described the true coming out moment as telling the people he was most afraid of losing.
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black spoke about determination and the value of individuality to students Monday evening in the Marshall Center Ballroom. ORACLE PHOTO / ADAM MATHIEU
“A lot of people are coming out all the time, coming out with your ethnicity, with who you pray to, there’s a lot of people coming out and you might have to come out your whole life if you’re LGBT,” Black said. His mother initially had worries, but one night, over dinner with friends, his mother heard the stories of his gay and lesbian friends who faced rejection from their families. “She heard the stories of actual gay and lesbian people,” he said. “Not politics, not the law, not the science … it took an actual story from the heart, and in one night it dispelled all the myths and all the lies and all the stereotypes from the church, from the military and growing up in the South. And that is the power of personal storytelling.” Black used that power and mixed it with troublemaking, taking a note from Milk to create the film that brought the politician’s name back into the discussion. “I got a credit card, and I started traveling to meet with real people. I started with Cleve Jones, who was Harvey Milk’s protege, and
he introduced me to more people and I was spending more money on dinners and gasoline. After over a year, I finally had enough people where I felt like I had a story and I went back to the producers.” Following his meeting with producers, all of the research he had been done was shot down. He left feeling disappointed, but not defeated. “I called Cleve Jones, who had been my ally this whole time and I said ‘Cleve, this is what happened, but f--them, I’m going to do it, I’ll do it myself.’” Entirely in secret, Black worked to write the script and cast the movie with award-winning actors such as Sean Penn, James Franco and Emile Hirsch, a move that made the film impossible for producers to reject. The film went on to be a great success, earning Black the Academy Award in 2009. “Very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours,” he said in his winning speech. That promise made him a lot of enemies in the LGBT movement and placed him
n See ULS on PAGE 2
I N
C H I E F
The issue of sexual assaults on college campuses has shown up in headlines across the country for most of this year, with 85 institutions currently awaiting federal investigations. Last month, USF was added to the list of universities pending investigation of alleged Title IX violations, a list that has grown by 50 percent since the Department of Education began disclosing the specific cases in May, according to the Washington Post. On Sept. 3, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights started a Title IX sexual violence investigation involving USF. Title IX was passed in 1972 to require schools that receive federal funding to provide equal opportunity and prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence. “In the matter resulting in this complaint, the university promptly began an investigation upon receiving notice of the incident,” said USF Media and Public Affairs Coordinator Adam Freeman in an emailed statement to The Oracle. “The alleged victim received information about rights under Title IX, the investigative process and available resources on and off campus. Those resources include academic assistance, victim advocacy and counseling services. The two individuals involved were acquainted with each other and the university determined the safety of students and the USF community has not been compromised at any time.” USF’s Title IX Coordinator and Chief Diversity Officer Jose Hernandez deferred comments to Freeman. While Freeman said the matter is under investigation and no further information could be provided, including what incident sparked the complaint that led to the investigation, University Police (UP) Assistant Chief Chris Daniel said only one case of sexual assault has been reported to his office
since July 31. Daniel said he was unaware of the Title IX investigation and did not know if that sexual assault case was related, but did say it was reported to his office Sept. 17. The incident allegedly occurred in Eta Hall on Sept. 1 and involved two acquainted students: a female victim and a male suspect. Daniel said a friend of the victim who heard about the incident but was not involved reported the case to UP. According to UP’s annual security report, six rapes and one incident of fondling were reported in 2013, seven cases of rape were reported in 2012 and one was reported in 2011. Nine forcible sex offenses were reported in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education’s website. “USF strives to be a campus that leads the way in promoting a culture where sexual violence is a rare occurrence and simply not tolerated,” Freeman wrote to The Oracle. “We also are working to create an atmosphere where students are empowered to affect change on this crucial societal problem. The university will remain proactive in ensuring our students have access to the best information, prevention programs and services. We will also continue to review our existing programs and pursue new initiatives consistent with best practices for Title IX compliance.” At the beginning of the year, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum to create the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five women and one in 71 men have reported experiencing rape at some time in their lives, with a third of women estimated to have been first raped between the ages of 18 and 24. For the full list of universities under investigation for Title IX violations, visit usforacle.com.
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under fire as they felt he was pushing the limit too far, setting the movement back even further. After his older brother who lives in Virginia came out as gay, Black felt he needed to step up his game. “My freedom isn’t my brother’s freedom and I needed that to be the case,” he said. “We need to take the fight to the federal government and we’re not doing that. I saw a solution and I was really scared but did I have an obligation? Absolutely. You have to act.” It took four and a half years for Black to help win marriage equality in Virginia,
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but when he finally did, he wanted nothing more than to call his brother and celebrate. However, in that period of time, his brother had been diagnosed with cancer and died, unable to live with the rights that Black said he rightly deserved. Closing his speech at USF, he emphasized the importance of diversity, identifying it as one’s greatest asset. “Go out there with your passion and your purpose and your difference and start to change the world,” Black said. “Start to change it right here in Tampa, and across this country and across the world. You’re not going to do it with the ways you’re the same, you’re going to do it with the ways you’re different.”
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Haunted houses of Tampa Bay By Courtney Combs L I F E S T Y L E
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This is the time of year when the dead rise from the grave to haunt amusement parks across the country. From Busch Gardens to Six Flags, willing victims are shelling out the big bucks to be scared out of their pants in winding mazes filled with ghosts and ghouls. But those with a slightly lighter wallet or a distaste for crowds need not worry about missing out on all the fun. Home haunts pack scares into more intimate settings that give haunt and horror fans the opportunity to have a unique and personal experience while running for their lives down blood-soaked hallways. Murder House It looks like an unassuming neighborhood — until you reach the house with a hearse parked on the lawn. Welcome to Murder House, the heart of the “Thrill Kill” zone. Murder House opens its doors every Thursday through Saturday from dark to 11 p.m. and will keep scaring until Halloween. Victims must be 18 or older to enter without being accompanied by an adult. “We’ve actually been really busy the first two weeks, but we expect it to get even more busy toward the end near Halloween,” said Shane Downs, creator of Murder House. “Everybody has been giving great feedback, and that’s what has pushed me to
do even more this year and make it a better experience for everybody.” This year is Downs’ second year doing Murder House. He began preparations in early September and said he will continue to add to the house all the way up to closing night. Murder House, located at 9048 Hickory Cir., Tampa, does not have an entrance fee but Downs said he asks guests for a donation that goes to benefit his charity of choice, Big Cat Rescue. “Back when I was a kid, instead of going trick-ortreating like all the other kids … I chose to stay at the house so I could scare the other trick-or-treaters,” Downs said. “We would decorate the house with a graveyard scene, it wasn’t nearly as elaborate as what we’re doing now, but as a kid I just fell in love with it.” Downs is looking to open a permanent haunt in Tampa that will remain open yearround and will expand on his “Thrill Kill” universe. Radley Haunted House For the past eight years, the ghosts of the cursed Radley family have been returning to their St. Petersburg home to frighten away unwanted guests. This year focuses on the nightmare-ridden sleep therapist Dr. Elias Radley, who unwittingly releases Somnus, the god of nightmares, in an attempt to relieve himself of his bad dreams. He creates a machine he believes will be the cure – its power source: his patients.
Murder House will be open through Halloween. ORACLE PHOTO / COURTNEY COMBS The good doctor is long gone but the machine is still running, and Somnus and the spirits of his victims still remain locked inside the Radley house. “I think the concept of a home haunt is unfamiliar to many; there are not a lot of them in central Florida,” said Ricky Brigante, one of the minds behind the haunt. “It’s great to see people coming out of our experience expecting one thing and getting something 100 times better, and that’s what we aim for.” The house is the creation of Cody Meacham, whose parents’ house served as the original decoration-covered venue. Over time, the haunt grew and evolved; this year Radley Haunted House is more than 1,500 square feet to walk through. Radley Haunted House is open on select nights from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at 3900 19th St. N., St. Petersburg. The creators of Radley ask their
willing victims for a $5 dollar donation to help cover the cost of materials and labor, and a portion of all proceeds goes to the Cancer Research Institute. “The other thing about a home haunt is nobody has any idea of what to expect because anybody can put up Halloween decorations,” Brigante said. “You might think, ‘I’m going to somebody’s house; it’s going to be some stuff from Party City and ghosts hanging around,’ and things like that and they get there and they realize that we aim for professionalism, and they’re just blown away.” Preparation for Radley Haunted House begins almost as soon as the season ends. Brigante said Radley is a passion project and always on his mind. “It’s quite a process,” Brigante said. “It was an ongoing conversation for many months. Originally, it
was a completely different idea then it moved into an idea similar to this. This is actually the first time Radley is having a two-part story. This is the prequel to next year where we’re planning even bigger adventures into this world.” The house takes several minutes to walk through and Brigante said they try to give attendees special attention, something he said is harder for the bigger theme parks to do. “The goal is to give you some personal attention this Halloween season — in a way that a theme park can’t, by bringing tens of thousands of people every night,” Brigante said. “We don’t have the conga line through the haunted houses, we send small groups or you can even go through by yourself if you like and hopefully leave screaming and running out the other side.”
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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EDITORIAL
University corporations should be subject to public records laws Nearly three dozen private corporations control hundreds of millions of dollars in donations flowing in and out of Florida’s 12 public universities. These large corporations, also known as university direct-support organizations, should be required to be as open and transparent as public universities. However, under state law they don’t have to disclose their donor list, staff salaries or how much they pay independent contractors. Earlier this month, The Associated Press (AP) attempted to highlight this lack of transparency when they sent records requests to Florida’s largest university corporations. When asked for staff salaries, a donor list and how much their contractors earn, the USF Foundation, Inc. rejected all three requests, according to the AP. The USF Foundation currently holds more than $800 million in donations and gifts made to the university. The USF Foundation also holds money for other uni-
the Oracle
versity corporations such as the USF Research Foundation, Inc. and the USF Alumni Association, Inc., both of which also declined the AP’s records requests. Though the USF Foundation puts its yearly 990T Forms and financial statements on its website, the lack of transparency is concerning, especially when it is dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars in public university funds. Florida’s open government law, known as the Sunshine Law, was originally intended to allow taxpayers and journalists to track how public money is being spent and how state government agencies were operating with taxpayer money. Allowing universities to syphon millions in donations into private corporations that can bypass public records laws impedes the ability of Floridians to hold these public agencies accountable. These university corporations, regardless of their current status under state public records laws, have a responsibility to prove to Florida tax-
payers that university donations are being spent in a responsible and effective manner. A 2008 case at the University of Central Florida, in which the family of a football player who died following conditioning drills successfully sued UCF Athletics Association, Inc., highlights the need for taxpayers and oversight agencies to have a better understanding of how these corporations operate. On the USF Foundation’s website, it claims to serve students and the community — unless the community wants to know more about where their money is being spent, then it’s a different story, as AP has shown. These corporations cannot and should not be allowed to continue operating on the fringes of legality. If they claim to work in the best interests of students, staff and the community of Florida’s public universities, they should be subject to the same public records laws.
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What you said Correspondents Katelynn Montagna and Sebastian Contento asked students whether sexual assaults should be handled by the university or fall under police matters.
“It’s a very serious matter, a police file should be reported immediately. It should be handled as a serious case.” — Orlando Espino, a senior majoring in finance “I think the police should be involved first, then administrators. Every sexual assault should be accounted for through the university with the police involved first.” — Shirah Israel, a senior majoring in history
“The university shouldn’t be involved and ways of prevention and awareness spread to the student body.”
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“It should be the university’s responsibility because the students’ safety should be a major concern.” — Chandi Patel, a junior majoring in biomedical science
Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds HELP WANTED Veterinary Tech/Assistant or Receptionist needed for animal hospital close to campus. Parttime or full-time. Experience a plus, but will train. Email resume to acahhiring@gmail.com.
Tutor Seeking experienced tutor/teacher for usf special needs student. Must have flexible hours to work around student’s employment and class schedule. Meet on campus several days/wk as needed. Assist with homework, papers, projects, and organization. Email lneguard-shopping@yahoo.com
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Kloss kicks down barriers
By Tito Benach
C O R R E S P O N D E N T
Prior to his freshman year at Barron Collier High School in Naples, senior kicker Marvin Kloss had not played a down of football. Four years later, ESPN.com ranked him as the seventh best kicker in the nation. Kloss’ journey to USF began in Germany, where he developed a passion for kicking from playing soccer. “I was born in Germany and then came over here at 8 and learned football here as a freshman in high school,” Kloss said. “There’s definitely no football over there, as far as American football. I grew up on the soccer fields playing soccer and watching my dad play a bunch of soccer. There’s no college or professional football over there, so after playing soccer you would go home and only watch soccer.” Learning English was Kloss’ first difficult task, but he quickly mastered it – just as he did with kicking. “Luckily, there was another German boy that I became best friends with in my class and he helped me with it because he had an American father and a German mother,” Kloss said. Kloss came to Florida just before entering the second grade, but didn’t play football until high school. “My high school varsity coach came out to one of the soccer practices and asked if I wanted to give football a shot,” he said. “He put me on the kickoff team, and long story short, he said that was good enough.” Kicking runs in the Kloss family. Marvin’s father, Thomas Kloss, was a professional soccer player for Frankfurt in Germany. “My dad didn’t know much about football, at least American football, but he always stressed leg workouts and taking care of my legs,” Kloss said. “He would take me out a lot for conditioning and private training. He whipped me into shape and kept my head on straight as far as waking up during the weekends. He would
work with me before and after practice and he was my coach for a while, as well.” Kloss is not only known for his leg strength. The senior kicker has been recorded to bench press over 400 pounds and is constantly in the gym. “When I was a kid, my dad would take me to the weight room a lot and I hated it, but last year I roomed with a fullback and he kind of got me in the weight room a lot, and now it is a must for me to get my lifts in every day,” Kloss said. Junior punter Mattias Ciabatti said there is no competition when it comes to bench press competitions. “It’s not even close and I bench a little over half of what he does, so we don’t even bother,” Ciabatti said. This season, Kloss was named a team captain and has stepped up to the challenge by not only fulfilling his duties as a kicker, but also instructing other team members and being a leader for the special teams. Ciabatti said Kloss has been the leader of the special teams unit and offers advice to anyone on the team who comes to him. “People look up to him. Whenever you need advice, you go to Kloss and he’s the head of our group right now,” Ciabatti said. “He’s a senior, so he’s kind of like the head honcho in our group and everyone goes to him when they need advice or tips.” Kloss coaches the other kickers on technique and routine when they come to him for help. Ciabatti said kickers tend to be more relaxed and reserved players on the football field, but that does not seem to be the case for Kloss, a Lou Groza award finalist. “He’s a high-emotion guy,” Ciabatti said. “He’s very fired up when he makes it. When he misses it, he gets fired up too, but he’s angry. He’s definitely got some fire in him. If he’s calm, there is something wrong with him or he’s sick.” Kloss isn’t sure what fuels his passion, but said he knows that he’s always looking forward to game time. “I know a couple guys who
like to listen to soft music before the game or have ear buds in to block out the crowd and I kind of embrace all of it because when you play in a big stadium like Wisconsin, you get hyped for those kickoffs and kick it a little farther every time,” Kloss said. Kloss’ success on the field last season inspired Taggart to give the kicker a nickname to suit his performance: Money. “(Taggart) calls him ATM as well, because the ATM always delivers,” Ciabatti said. While the nickname resonates with the team and the fans, Kloss has established himself as a reliable part of the team and a player that coaches and players alike can count on. “I think last year was a big thing. He hit 13 field goals in a row and I think he hit like 10 over 40 yards,” Ciabatti said. “He was money and people got used to it and that’s where the trust factor comes into Senior kicker Marvin Kloss has made nine of 11 field goals this play. He was killing it all year last year and you know he is going to season, with his longest coming from 47 yards. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU do it this year.”
Notebook
Davis’ return sparks offense
By Vinnie Portell S P O R T S
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After returning to game action against East Carolina with 124 yards and a touchdown, senior receiver Andre Davis helped the Bulls win the biggest comeback in program history in Saturday’s 38-30 win at Tulsa. Davis was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week for his 154-yard, three touchdown performance and coach Willie Taggart said the team’s offensive revival has centered on Davis’ return. “Coming into the season, we expected for (Davis to produce) and unfortunately Andre got hurt and you can tell that was a big loss to our offense, and a big loss to Mike (White),” Taggart said. “Ever since Andre’s been back, Mike’s been different — and not just Mike, but our offense and our
entire football team.” While Davis’ play has been exceptional, Taggart said his leadership has been essential to changing the team’s mindset. “(Davis) is what you’re looking for as a leader,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been here, he’s always been the kid that shows leadership by example: doing things the right way, practicing the way you want him to practice; he’s always competing. Now that he’s a senior, he’s being a lot more vocal now and holding guys accountable.” Up next: the Bearcats USF (3-4, 2-1) is coming off its first road win of the season and will play away from Raymond James Stadium again this week when it travels to play Cincinnati on Friday night. The Bearcats (3-3, 1-1) snapped a three-game losing
streak Saturday in a 41-3 victory over SMU. Taggart admitted the Bearcats will be a more difficult opponent than Tulsa. “It’s going to be a tougher challenge this week, going up to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats,” he said. “It’s a football team that’s getting better by the week. They have a talented quarterback and some really good assets to throw to.” The temperature at kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday will be 60 degrees, roughly 20 degrees lower than the warm Tampa climate. But despite the cold, Taggart said there will be no excuses for a bad performance. “We can’t get caught up in that; we all have to play in it,” Taggart said. “I don’t buy that getting used to it. It’s going to be cold for everyone out there. We just have to go play and not use that as an excuse or something that’s going to keep us back.”