The Oracle
Library looks at student concerns over quiet areas
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By Maria Ranoni S T A F F
W R I T E R
There have been complaints by students about disruptive behavior on the newly renovated fifth floor of the library. Library officials, however, are working on solutions. The unveiling of the newly-renovated fifth floor in the library has brought more traffic to the floor and some unwanted noise. Some students have taken notice to disruptive behavior in what is supposed to be a “quietzone.” Joshua Kennedy, a freshman majoring in psychology, said he has to deal with noisiness from some students camping out on the fifth floor. “I really don’t mind low talking on floors where talking is allowed, but on something like the fifth floor, where it’s supposed to be quiet, just a couple people having a conversation in a quiet lounge can be pretty obnoxious for the whole room, even with
U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F LO R I DA
headphones,” Kennedy said. “One time when I was on the fifth floor, I sat next to this guy who didn’t seem like he’d cause a problem, but immediately two of his friends pulled up chairs with him and started talking and being distracting,” Kennedy said. “I just moved when I saw some other desk open up. If this happened on any other floor, I wouldn’t really care. The fifth floor is really not for this kind of behavior.” While the studentdesigned floor offers perks such as abundant outlets and comfortable seating, there are still some kinks that need to be worked out. Todd Chavez, dean of the USF libraries, said there have been complaints related to disruptive behavior on this floor, but USF is working on addressing them. “Yes, (there’s been complaints) and here’s what we’ve done to address it,” Chavez said. “We’ve done two things, actually three
n See LIBRARY on PAGE 3 As part of trying to handle student complaints about the fifth floor being noisy, library staff is putting up new
Veterans play role in USF community n Page 4
w w w. u s fo r a c l e. co m
signs. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN
Hazing regulations need to be evaluated
See ULS on PAGE 3
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Bulls basketball season starts Friday Page 8
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the Oracle the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966
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NEWS
USFSP rebuilding top administration
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
By Miki Shine E D I T O R
I N
C H I E F
USF St. Petersburg (USFSP) is still putting things together after former regional chancellor Sophia Wisniewska was forced out for “lack of leadership” during Hurricane Irma. The position has been filled on an interim basis by former regional vice chancellor of academic affairs Martin Tadlock, and his position has been left open. Now Olufunke A. Fontenot, a criminal justice professor, has been named as the new interim regional vice chancellor of academic affairs at USF St. Petersburg. She will start on Dec. 1. Fontenot has experience in administration at Albany State University in Georgia, where she was associate provost. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Tadlock said Fontenot’s on loan from Georgia State College and University where she’s worked both in the classroom and as an administrator since 2002. Meanwhile, Tadlock started at USFSP in 2016. Prior to that he served as provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical college in northern Minnesota.
Tampa PD investigating car break-ins On Sunday afternoon, a total of 30 cars were broken into with the majority being near campus with thousands of dollars in personal items stolen. Eight cars at Hula Bay in downtown Tampa were broken into around 1 p.m., with the 22 others being at Lodge apartments near campus,
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according to WFLA. Tampa PD suspect the two incidents are related While police investigate, the department advises not to leave valuables in plain sight, particularly with the holiday season coming up.
CAM gearing up for new exhibit Local pop artist James Rosenquist, who passed away earlier this year, will be getting his own exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) on campus. The exhibit will largely include work and prints he created during his time working at USF’s Graphicstudio, which started in 1971. Prior to working at USF, he had a studio in Pasco-Hernando county border and he’d had shows in the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work’s force ranges from economical and romantic to scientific and existential. The exhibit opens Monday and is free for students.
New fund offers scholarships to veterans A fund made up of contributions from families and friends of fallen veterans has collected $40,000. The money will go toward awards, scholarships and other support to veterans at USF. Other support includes instances such as that of the first recipient John Jacoby, a freshman majoring in engineering. He lost his home in a fire during the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The Next Greatest Generation Veteran Fund is currently offering him and his family relief.
The fifth floor of the library was recently renovated to create for more quiet study areas. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN
LIBRARY
Continued from PAGE 1
things. We’ve put up a lot more signage than we had previously placed on the fifth floor. “The second thing we did was put these small QR code postcards. We lay them on the tables to remind students that it’s a silent study space, but also at the same time, let students know that if they’re having a problem, to go straight to the website we’ve set up where you could indicate ‘hey, I’m on the fifth floor and someone’s being really loud’ and then we dispatch staff to come upstairs and quiet it.” Additionally, Chavez said the system is working on setting up standards for hiring monitors for the floor who would make rounds regularly to help enforce the quiet zone rule. When it is necessary for staff to get involved to resolve noise complaints, Chavez said they do their best to handle
the matter as respectfully as possible. “Students are more concerned about group study activities and people talking in a conversational voice,” Chavez said. “So, what we do once we determine that the noise is there, we’ll approach the people involved and we’ll say to them, ‘hey, look I’m sorry to bother you all, but this is a silent study floor, and we’d like to ask you to bring your noise level down to zero.’” According to Chavez, there are certain times of the day with higher a frequency of noise complaints. “What we’re seeing is that patterns develop,” Chavez said. “At certain times of the day, we’ll see more talking than other times of the day. My experience is, it’s usually worst from about 2-4:30 (p.m.), right in that time period. That’s usually when we see a larger number of reports.” Mariana Kobayashi, a junior majoring in business management, said it can
sometimes be hard to find a non-distracting place to study, but agrees there are solutions. “From my experience, it can be difficult to find a quiet place to study,” Kobayashi said. “In the past, if I knew the library was going to be crowded, I have made study room reservations. That way my study group could focus and wouldn’t be distracted by background noise.” Chavez said he blames the rise in complaints on the increased amount of study spaces available to students on the fifth floor since the renovation. “We had 115 seats on the fifth floor, before the renovation,” Chavez said. “We have 450 seats now. When you go from 115 to 450, it’s humanly impossible not to see an uptick, particularly when you identify the space as a quiet space. From our perspective, it’s not an epidemic, but it’s enough that we’ve paid attention to it and we’re trying to react to the students who feel like ‘hey, this really needs to be quiet.’”
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LIFESTYLE
Veteran students help to create the USF community UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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By Andrea Martin S T A F F
While Veterans Day brings elementary schoolers red, white and blue colored cupcakes, older university students cannot forget to take time during their day to honor those who have served the U.S. Veterans’ stories must be heard. The transition from being in service to being in school took longer for some. Anthony Beauchamp, 48, was in the Navy and is now a senior majoring in biomedical science. “There was a 12 year gap between the time I got out and the time I started school,” Beauchamp said. “I went into the Navy specifically for physical therapy and couldn’t get it while I was in. “So I came out and I was doing rehabilitative exercise as a personal trainer. I was making good money with that, but when the economy shifted and the personal training industry changed, I decided to go back to pursuing physical therapy. And that’s what I’m The Office of Veteran Success is one of the key factors in the academic development of veteran students at USF. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN doing right now.” While some veterans wait homework,” Saint-Cyr said. everything work for veterans To celebrate Veterans Day, world languages and cultures, a bit before jumping back “It can be a bit of a struggle, on campus,” Beauchamp said. Saint-Cyr plans to represent will be celebrating Saturday in into school, some manage to but I feel like the Army has Saint-Cyr has also reaped his country and his school. honor of her father. find the time to live both prepared me to multitask.” the benefits from the Office of “I’m currently taking “My dad was in the Air lives simultaneously. Deighton The USF Office of Veteran Veterans Success. part in the USF Celebration Force for 22 years,” Figueroa Saint-Cyr, 22, is currently in Success works to facilitate “The Office of Veterans Gala, representing the army said. “He moved around a lot the Army National Guard and veterans’ re-entry into a school Success has definitely been branch,” Saint-Cyr said. “So but that gave me a chance to is a junior majoring in fine setting, or keep veterans who very helpful,” Saint-Cyr said. that’s one thing I’m going to travel to different places that arts photography. take part in both afloat. In “They have the Veterans do. Essentially, I just want to not many people could. This “It’s all about finding the 2016, the Military Times Success program, and the honor my fellow veterans.” summer I got the chance to right time to do everything: named USF the top college in veteran workshops. They For students with parents visit him in Guam which was having drill on the weekends, the nation for veterans. have veteran job search in service, Veterans Day a really cool experience. I’m or having to report in for “The Office of Veteran classes, which has definitely celebrations are a family- celebrating Veterans Day with hurricane duty, and having Success is the glue that been helpful in giving us centered affair. Kayla Figueroa, him at a BBQ at Anna Maria to balance school and holds us together and makes information.” 19, a sophomore majoring in beach with my whole family.”
T H U R S DAY, N O V E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 7
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OPINION
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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More serious hazing regulations are needed
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What you said Multimedia Editor Chaveli Guzman asked students their opinions on when behavior becomes hazing.
“Whenever someone feels uncomfortable, then it’s automatically hazing because there are different levels. You don’t necessarily need to get hurt to be considered hazing, even public embarrassment could be hazing in my opinion.”
After the death of a Pi Kappa Phi pledge at FSU, organizations need to reevaluate hazing regulations. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE
By Samantha Moffett S T A F F
W R I T E R
In the wake of the recent death of a 20-year old student from Florida State University (FSU), the university’s president indefinitely suspended all Greek life activities. The FSU pledge at Pi Kappa Phi was found in an off-campus fraternity house the morning after a party and officials say alcohol seems to have been involved as they await an autopsy. With pledge season in full swing on campuses across the nation, this tragic event raises serious concerns about Greek life. In order to prevent more tragedies like this one from occurring, Greek life is in need of drastic reformation. While this story is both disturbing and heartbreaking, it is sadly not the first time a fraternity member has been lost due to events of hazing, alcohol or drug overdoses. Every time a case like this happens, there is an outcry of sadness for the victim and support for the family and friends. There clearly has not been enough change, however, as these events
continue to happen on college campuses across the nation. While Greek life does stand for a message of honor and leadership and indeed provides students with positive opportunities, there is a huge necessity for regulations. Regulations should be set into place by chapter presidents and consequences should be set into place for members who do not follow said regulations. Hazing methods involving drugs or alcohol that have caused tremendous harm have been a part of Greek culture for decades, but the hazing that many fraternities use to initiate members must be abolished. There are bigger things than tradition at stake. According to Harvard publichealth research, 86 percent of men living in fraternity houses binge on alcohol, which is twice the level of those who live elsewhere. A survey conducted by the University of Maine reports that three-quarters of fraternity members have been hazed in a manner that forces them to drink alcohol until the point of unconsciousness. These findings are staggering, but if nothing is done, the number of
incidents will continue to grow. Greek life has grown increasingly popular among college students in the last decade. Fraternity involvement has skyrocketed by over 50 percent, as reported by the North American Interfraternity Conference, and will continue to grow in coming years. Measures to cut down on hazing and drinking will protect students from danger and will change the way many fraternity systems are viewed. In order to actually incite a change, more guidance must be prevalent in all Greek life and more rules need to be put in place. The privilege of being in a fraternity comes with responsibility, and responsibility needs to be taken now more than ever. Fraternities everywhere claim they provide their members with opportunities to expand their horizons and build on quality connections. In order to maintain that claim, they must seize this opportunity to change their path and work toward providing a safer experience, one free of hazing.
Samantha Moffett is a sophomore majoring in mass communication.
Hannan Danon, a — graduate Student majoring in Curriculum and Instruction with Concentration TESOL
“Anything can be considered hazing when it is not voluntary, when something becomes forced and against someone’s choice, I think that’s where a line needs to be drawn.” — Zahabaya Kapadia, a junior majoring in biomedical sciences
“I think that you shouldn’t haze people at all because one thing that may be OK for someone may not be OK for the other. It’s also another form of bullying. Hazing is bullying and that’s a sad reality.” — Khadijah Kamara, a junior majoring in business management in microbiology
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Women’s soccer hosting NCAA Tournament CROSSWORD game highlights busy weekend of USF athletics
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Notebook
USF lost to FGCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS.COM By Josh Fiallo S P O R T S
E D I T O R
Highlighted by women’s soccer hosting FGCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament, USF athletics will have a busy weekend with men’s and women’s basketball also playing at home. After winning or drawing its last nine games, USF women’s soccer was selected to host a first round game against FGCU at Corbett Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Eagles (14-3-1) didn’t face USF (12-3-2) in the regular season, but the two faced off in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Corbett, where the Eagles came out on top. “Gulf Coast is a great team with they have a great record,” USF coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “It’s going to be a battle and we’re going to be up for the task.” Tickets are free for the first 500 students, with $5 tickets for students who aren’t in the first 500. Tickets will be $7 for all non-student fans who want to attend. “I’m pretty excited that it’s
two Florida teams going at it. I think Corbett is going to be packed,” Schilte-Brown said. Women’s basketball to play two home games USF women’s basketball will both start the weekend of home games for USF when it plays LSU at 5:30 p.m. in the Sun Dome and close the slate of games Sunday when it plays Houston Baptist at 2 p.m. The games will be the Bulls’ first two of the 2017-18 season, and Friday’s matchup against LSU (37) will be its only against an opponent who is ranked in the preseason Rating Percentage Index (RPI) top 100 until they play Notre Dame on Nov. 25. “When you really look at it, it was just yesterday we were in Tallahassee,” Fernandez said. “This offseason has flown by and I think Friday will be very exciting for both basketball programs. We’re definitely starting with a really, really good opponent in LSU. The last time we faced them was in this building in the NCAA tournament.” The last time USF and the
Tigers faced off, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, USF left the Sun Dome with a 73-64 victory. Tickets to Friday and Sunday’s games are free for students. The men’s basketball team will play immediately after the women’s game ends Friday. Men’s basketball opens Gregory era Immediately following the USF women’s basketball game against LSU, the men’s team will host Florida Atlantic, with the estimated start time at 8 p.m. The Owls, ranked 282 in the RPI rankings, are ranked 34 spots higher than the Bulls, who are ranked 316. In their only meeting last season, the Bulls lost to the Owls 78-62 in their fifth game of the season. Friday’s game will be the first regular season game for new coach Brian Gregory, who was hired in March after the Bulls’ closed out an 8-23 season with former coach Orlando Antigua and interim coach Murry Bartow at the helm.
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Sports
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Bulls begin quest for NCAA Tournament on Friday UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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Women’s Basketball
By Josh Fiallo S P O R T S
E D I T O R
USF women’s basketball will play its first regular season game of 2017 Friday, but it’s goal for the season is already clear — make it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Anything less would be a disappointment. The Bulls are returning their leading scorer from last season, forward Kitija Laksa, their second leading scorer and leading rebounder, forward Maria Jespersen and their assist leader, point guard Laia Flores. To go along with the returning starters, the Bulls are getting senior winger Laura Ferreira back and have numerous newcomers such as point guard Alba Prieto, who will make an immediate impact, according to coach Jose Fernandez. “That’s the next step this program has to make is taking that next step and getting to the second weekend,” Fernandez said. “We’ve had those conversations and we haven’t brought it up in practice. If we take care of business one game at a time, then that second weekend will take care of itself.” The Bulls’ season came to end last year via a buzzer beater by Missouri that ousted USF from the NCAA Tournament. In the defeat and throughout the second half of the season, fatigue could’ve played a factor as the trio of Laksa, Flores and Jespersen played all 40 minutes of the final game. On the season, the three played an average of 35-plus minutes per game. “By the end of the season, you’ve played so many games so you are a little fatigued,” Jespersen said. “I think that showed probably in the later games. After the game and when you have to warm up the next day, as the season
USF is entering the 2017-18 season ranked No. 23 and No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ JACKIE BENITEZ progressed, you can feel it, you are a little bit more tired. I think it’ll be really good for us to play less this year.” Flores, who played numerous games with an injured ankle midway through the season, played the 27th most minutes per game in the country. This season, however, Flores has Prieto, a fellow Spaniard who plays on the Spanish national team, to take some of the minutes off of her plate throughout the season which features 30 regular-season games. “It showed that we played a lot of minutes at the end of the season,” Flores said. “It would’ve been better if we had more rotations, but I think that’s what we have this year. The freshman are really good and they’re going to help us with playing time.” When asked about Prieto’s game, Fernandez said it was similar to Flores’, who set a program record last season with 200 assists. “What I like about her, she can find open people in open space,” Fernandez said. “She
can score and she can shoot the ball. The good thing is we’re just about having to throw her into the fire and she’s getting a lot of really good experience playing behind Laia (Flores) and learning the system.” Ferreira’s 2016-17 season ended 11 games in after she sustained an ankle injury. In her sophomore season, she averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.8 assists. Though having her back in any capacity would be a plus for the Bulls, she’s even better after her injury than before, according to her teammates. “It means we have more rotation, and she can do everything for us — she defends, she rebounds, she passes, she shoots,” Jespersen said. “(She’s) new and improved. I think her sitting out a year, watching basketball from the sideline has helped her and probably gave her a bigger passion for it too. I’m 100 percent sure she’s going to be great for us this year.” Fernandez agreed. “It’s good to have her back, just because we have
somebody else on the court that can score and can create off the bounce,” he said. “Laura has versatility, too. Laura can rebound and defend multiple positions. I think the summer was good for her, her resting in the spring and the summer was excellent. When we came back, it was like nothing happened last year once she was back on the floor.” Opposed to last season, where the Bulls managed to win 24 games despite an injurydepleted roster, the 2017-18 may be the deepest Fernandez has ever coached. “I said it from the beginning, we’re going to play about nine players,” Fernandez said. “There’s going to be three players on this team that are very talented that are not going to play. That’s the just the nature of where our program is at.” The Bulls are currently ranked No. 23 and No. 22 in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll respectively. Though the rankings are nice to see for the Bulls, they know
they have yet to prove anything this season. “I think it’s a blessing because the season hasn’t even started, we haven’t even played a single game and people already see us, people already rank us,” Laksa said. “It’s a great opportunity as well for us to prove somebody maybe wrong or right, but we’re here to play basketball. We’re here to go even higher, we have higher goals than what somebody else sees. It’s nice that people see us and show the love, but we’re here to play basketball and prove ourselves every game.” The Bulls will have their first chance to prove themselves Friday against LSU, which is receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. The Tigers are coming off of a 20-12 season, which ended in a close NCAA Tournament first round loss. Regardless of what happens in the first game, however, the Bulls will use their depth and experience roster to make a run in the NCAA Tournament in March. “I feel like there’s a different sense of urgency when we practice,” Jespersen said. “Coach says we’re really experienced, we’ve all been through the drill before. That’s another kind of focus this year that we haven’t had the other years.” Fernandez said she believes the same. “This group has played in those wars already, so they know what to expect,” he said. “In our league, we play the best team in the country (UConn) three times a year. They know what’s at stake here. “LSU’s season and our season are not going to change on whatever happens on Friday night. We’ve got a veteran group. We’ve got four starters back and Laura Ferreira is healthy. The expectations are what they should be.”