The Oracle T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 I V O L . 5 3 N O. 8 3
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Opinion.......................................................4 Classifieds..............................................8 Lifestyle......................................................5 Crossword..........................................8 sports.........................................................12
U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F LO R I DA
George Takei to speak on career, social justice By Abby Rinaldi C O - N E W S
L I FE STYLE
Suicide Squad puts DC villains on the big screen. Page 5
Montage
S P ORTS USF tennis star gears up for pro career. BACK
E D I T O R
On Monday, Star Trek star and social justice activist George Takei will take students on a journey “Where No Story Has Gone Before” in an exploration of his past, rise to fame and issues he is currently fighting for. In his lecture, “An Evening with George Takei,” he will speak at USF about Japanese Internment during WWII, his journey as a celebrity in science fiction and on social media and his role in the battle for LGBT rights, according to Greater Talent Network (GTN). Takei was hired through
George Takei, star of the TV series Star Trek, will speak at the USF Sun Dome on Monday about his career, his rise to the top in social media and his current battles for social justice. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE GTN by the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to speak at USF. According to Takei’s contract, GTN’s payment was
$46,750. This included roundtrip airfare, ground transportation, lodging and food. Takei’s career spans five
decades of popular culture. His rise to fame is often associated with his role as Hikaru
n See TAKEI on PAGE 7
SG leadership hosts town hall
Senate President Pro Tempore Danish Hassan, Chief Justice Milton Llinas, Student Body President-Elect Chris Griffin and Student Body President Andy Rodriguez answered questions at the Student Government (SG) Town Hall concerning the nature of SG. The questions largely came from surveys but some also came from twitter. Griffin shared his plans for transparency within SG and improving relationships across departments. They also discussed how allocation of student funds works and overall safety on campus. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
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Life transitions: an uphill battle Alumnus shares about the challenges he faced while becoming his inner self during college. n
By Brian Fernandes C O R R E S P O N D E N T
Despite growing up feeling fundamentally out of place, one USF alumnus turned his experiences into a teaching tool to help others. Raised in Valrico with two siblings, Lucas Wehle always felt out of place. Around age four, he came to the realization that the clothes, hairstyles and standards expected of him seemed contradictory to his nature. “I was different and definitely felt like a boy, but I didn’t have any terminology for it,” the USF alumnus said. It wasn’t until his first year at the university that he finally found the term he identified with. “Transgender.”
Born a female, Wehle accepted himself as a male and decided to take the steps in making the physical transition. This process would change the course of his life, his relationships and see him met with serious scrutiny. In high school, Wehle said he found himself under the most pressure to conform to society’s expectations. “I really tried to fit myself in that mold,” said Wehle. “I grew my hair out, tried to dress femininely and tried to do all these things I thought I had to do. It was literally the lowest, the most depressed I’d ever been.” Then college began a new chapter in 2010. At last, he had found an environment that offered acceptance. In college he was introduced to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. In this group, he found other students whom he could relate to and confide in. “Until I went to college, I didn’t even know ‘trans’ was a thing,” Wehle said. “I had a fit. I had a word to describe how I
USF alumnus Lucas Wehle uses his personal experiences to help others. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE identified and how I felt.” He initially “came out” to his girlfriend at the time and his parents would be next. However, he was raised in a religious household with certain values. Wehle said he tried to stall that conversation, but the pressure was building up.
Six months later, he finally had the discussion with them. The news did not prompt a welcoming response from loved ones. But the rejection didn’t only come from family; friends and neighbors criticized and rejected him upon hearing the news. “Just complete and total isolation,” Wehle said. “I got really negative responses — hateful, discriminatory.” Since then, Wehle said the tension between him and his family has somewhat eased. However, his parents still stand firm that he’s female. “They don’t call me my name or my pronouns,” he said. “Just respect me to call me who I am and who I’ve been for a long time.” December 2011 marked another chapter as Wehle began hormone therapy to look the way he feels. In 2012, he had his name legally changed to “Lucas.” He chooses not to disclose his birth name with anyone, as he’s left
n See WEHLE on PAGE 6
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Opinion
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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the Oracle Student defiles MLK statue to make political statement the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966
Editor in Chief Grace Hoyte oracleeditor@gmail.com Managing Editor Adam Mathieu oraclemeditor@gmail.com News Editors Miki Shine Abby Rinaldi oraclenewsteam@gmail.com Sports Editor Jacob Hoag oraclesportseditor@gmail.com Opinion Editor Breanne Williams oracleopinion@gmail.com Lifestyle Editor Jasmin Faisal oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com Copy Editors Zach Lowie Isabelle Cavazos Graphic Artists Luke Blankenship Destiny Moore Advertising Sales Lauren Alford Alyssa Alexander Adriana Covate Destiny Moore Dylan Ritchey The Oracle is published Monday and Thursday during the fall, spring and summer semesters. 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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Breanne Williams COLU M N I ST
Colleges across the country have struggled to draw the line between free speech and offensive action. Last week, USF found itself once again in the middle of the conversation after a picture posted on Instagram showed the Martin Luther King Jr. bust which resides in the MLK Plaza wearing a Donald Trump campaign hat. The caption read “MLK KNOWS … #Trump2016.” Immediately, students began sharing and commenting on the image, some with support, many in anger. News stations across the Bay area began reporting on the controversy as students’ hostility grew. Obviously, any figure as revered and revolutionary as Martin Luther King Jr. should not have his or her name dragged through the muck that is the 2016 election. It would have been disrespectful whether the hat supported Trump, Cruz, Sanders or Clinton. It is understandable that people are angry, however, it is important we don’t forget the rights granted to every citizen in the U.S., including the right to free speech. The student that took the photo more than likely was just hoping to get a chuckle out of a few friends, not stir up a viral conversation on the right to violate such an esteemed memorial to promote personal views. Now, thanks to one person, the city is looking at USF students with disgust. When one person fails to have the decency to respect cherished icons, the entire student body suffers. If you are an avid supporter of a candidate — by all means — go out of your way to lend your voice to his or her cause.
That’s the glory of free speech. You can voice opinions that may not be held by everyone without fear of retribution from your government. College campuses are ideal for sharing personal views as you are literally surrounded by people from every background, religion, race and walk of life. Your ideas are going to be tested and reformed, and ultimately, you will leave as a better person. But there is a right way and a wrong way to express those ideas. Yelling through a megaphone outside the library, chalking controversial messages and tarnishing the name of prominent figures in American history are all senseless methods to sharing your views. However, having a civil conversation with your fellow classmates, attending events centered on a topic you are passionate about and getting involved in organizations that share your belief are easy ways to responsibly express how you feel. Hopefully, students will recognize last week’s actions only bring shame to our school. Politics is not a joke, nor is the legacy left behind from iconic Americans like Martin Luther King Jr. As the campaign for the upcoming presidency heats up, citizens across the nation will become more passionate about whom they think is best to lead. While you have the right to express that view in whatever way you please, try to remember to be tactful in your movement. Using disrespectful methods to further a cause will only make those who may otherwise have considered your stance close themselves off to your beliefs. Breanne Williams junior majoring in communications.
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What you said Opinion Editor Breanne Williams asked students if they feel USF keeps students informed about things that are happening on campus.
“I think they’re good in certain aspects. We have UP (University Police)… but I don’t think they’re good at informing us in a timely manner.” - Heather Lewis, a junior majoring in microbiology
“People who live off campus never hear anything, whereas people who live on campus are better informed.” - Kathryn Ospino, a junior majoring in cellular and molecular biology
“They do inform students, but it’s not complete. They need to tell us what to do and where to go.” - Hisham Alhassnan, a master’s student studying electrical engineering
“I think when emergencies occur on campus, they should inform us faster and with more details so we know where to go.” - Ruthie Gonzalez, a junior majoring in pre-med
Lifestyle
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The ‘Squad’ sets up villainous spectacle
By Jasmin Faisal L I F E S T Y L E
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Warner Brothers just released a new “Suicide Squad” trailer on Monday leaving fans wanting more. The Suicide Squad is a popular comic sect, appealing to fans that prefer crazy antics of anti-heroes and super villains, rather than traditional hero archetype. History The Squad first appeared in the comic series “The Brave and the Bold,” issue 25 in 1959, and again in the “Legends” miniseries, issue 3. Their first solo series was released in 1987 and included characters such as Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, Count Vertigo, Deadshot, Doctor Light, Enchantress and Poison Ivy. The 2014 reboot, known as “The New 52,” new members were introduced including Manta, the Joker’s daughter and Reverse Flash. However, Warner Brothers’ adaptation does not seem to follow previous teams, and has insisted on releasing its own version of the iconic comic book series, including the aforementioned Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), along with Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) and
Boomerang (Jai Courtney). The brain behind the operation is Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), a government agent who proposes the initial idea of the Squad and acts as its commanding officer. Also known as Task Force X, the Suicide Squad is a secret program designed to grant clemency to super villains, provided they perform “suicide runs,” hence the name. The genius of the Suicide Squad is stated in the trailer: deniability. Waller reasons that if anything were to go wrong, they could simply blame it on the villains. Meet the Squad
The Suicide Squad has always consisted of some of the most notorious villains of the DC Universe. This movie incarnation is no exception, with the big villain’s being played by even bigger stars. Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot, is an expert marksman and deadly assassin. He is known as the DC Universe’s best marksman, rumored to have missed his mark only once. Harleen Quinzel is Harley Quinn, a former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum and known to be the accomplice of Batman’s greatest nemesis: the Joker, who is also set to be in the film.
The ensemble of “Suicide Squad” contains an eclectic cast, with heavy use of costume and effects. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE
George “Digger” Harkness, also known as Boomerang, will appear in the film. Originally “Captain” Boomerang and an enemy of The Flash, he uses boomerangs as his weapon of choice to wreak havoc. Waylon Jones is Killer Croc, another of Batman’s enemies, who was a former sideshow wrestler due to a genetic condition that gave him a crocodilian appearance and a proclivity for cannibalism. Killer Croc has been described by AkinnuoyeAgbaje as “a cannibal with rage issues,” according to Empire. Chato Santana, also known as El Diablo, is a former LA gang member with the ability to generate and control fire. His character is different from the rest of the squad, as he has been shown as the only member of the squad reluctant to fight. However, the villains aren’t the only ones debuting in this movie. Aside from Waller, Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is another government agent and the leader of the squad, in charge of keeping the villains in line. Tatsu Yamashiro, Katana, played by Karen Fukuhara, acts as a bodyguard to Flag and is not an imprisoned member. She’s a cursed sword-wielding martial artist, the name of whose sword (Soultaker) correctly implies its ability to steal her victim’s souls.
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Jared Leto has big shoes to fill with his portrayal of the Joker in “Suicide Squad,” as he follows Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance from “The Dark Knight.” SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE Enchantress, played by Cara Jared Leto will be playing the Delevingne, is a powerful dark iconic Joker role. Media attention sorceress who is unleashed in the has surrounded his method acting movie by June Moone, whom she in order to portray the character, then possesses. Not an established which has involved sending bizarre member of the squad, it is still gifts — for example: a box of bulunclear what role she will play— lets and a dead pig — and playing friend or foe, adversary or ally. pranks on fellow cast members. In “She’s been trapped for so long,” the trailer he seems to be portrayed Delevingne said to Empire. “And as the villain, but whether he is the now she’s finally been let out.” protagonist is yet to be seen. Slipknot (Adam Beach), whose Ben Affleck is also set to reprise real name is Christopher Weiss, his role as Batman for a cameo and is another lethal assassin and an can be seen in the trailer. expert with ropes. Although his “Suicide Squad” is slated to presituation in the film is unclear, it miere on August 5 with a sequel appears that he is not one of the already set to start filming in 2017. major members of the team.
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that in the past with his former identity. “He’s a huge mentor to other transgenders,” said Al MolinaCoats, a friend of Wehle’s. Molina-Coats is a member of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Wehle graduated last year with a bachelor’s in physical education. He is the current president of
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understand his views, but there are times when he gets frustrated. Despite setbacks, he still pursues educating the public. John Desmond and his wife, Nancy, founded the Tampa chapter of PFLAG in 2011. Through the program, the couple has formed a close bond with Wehle. That bond allowed them to open their home to Wehle when he was going through issues with his parents last year. “He’s cutting edge,” Nancy said. “He’s shaped my husband and I — how we think.”
“When you look in the mirror and you’re able to feel like yourself, it’s all going to be worth it. Remember there’s a light somewhere, even if you can’t see it.” Lucas Wehle USF alumnus
the organization, which holds public meetings to educate families on the LGBT community. Additionally, he also is the youth coordinator at the Metro Wellness Center in St. Petersburg. He offers advice to individuals struggling with their sexuality and mentors family members on how to respond to those situations. In 2015, Florida struck down the HB-583 bill, which proposed banning transgender individuals from entering the restroom of their choice. Wehle was a strong opponent of the bill. He was a victim of a bathroom assault in college, making the matter all the more personal. Wehle said he tries to be patient with those who don’t
She recalled how Wehle would always come home from work with a positive attitude and liven the atmosphere. John has viewed Wehle as being “an expert at cultural competency” and regards him as being a knowledgeable source in regards to the LGBT community. Wehle uses social media as a means of educating the public. At age 24, he says he is living his dream job, helping others struggling with their own identity crises. “When you look in the mirror and you’re able to feel like yourself, it’s all going to be worth it,” Wehle said. “Remember there’s a light somewhere, even if you can’t see it.”
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TAKEI
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Sulu in Star Trek. Before his rise to stardom, Takei’s family spent time in a Japanese Internment Camp, wrongfully imprisoned during WWII when the U.S. held more than 127,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry in camps for fear they had loyalty to Japan, according to ushistory.org. Since gaining celebrity status, Takei has fought for issues pertaining to social justice, LGBT rights and marriage equality. In 2012, Takei was named the most influential person on Facebook by Mashable.com. He currently boasts more than 9 million likes on the social networking platform, as well as more than 1 million Twitter followers. “Some know me as Mr. Sulu from Star Trek, but I hope all know me as a believer in, and a fighter for, the quality and dignity of all human beings,” Takei wrote in his
Twitter biography. Takei’s lecture is part of the Frontier Forum series hosted by USF Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Faculty. The Provost’s Office and CAS also sponsors Frontier Forum. Previous lecturers through Frontier Forum include Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jane Goodall. The contract explicitly prohibits recording the event. Photography will only be allowed for the first five minutes of the lecture. The lecture is from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the USF Sun Dome. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com. Free tickets are available for the first 3,000 USF students to reserve a ticket through the USF student ticketing account, a process that started on Jan. 26. Any seats remaining the day of the event will be free and available at the door for students with valid USF ID, according to the Facebook event page.
The university confirmed that the Andros POD Market will close Friday in preparation for the summer’s scheduled demolition. The area will become the new Andros Village. Currently, there is no confirmed timeline for the construction. n
Did you know the Andros POD Market is closing on Friday?
5%
said yes
Poll conducted through Facebook on Wednesday
95% said no
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Classifieds
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
To place a classified ad go to
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http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds
HELP WANTED
PETS & ANIMALS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Immediate opening for front desk medical assistant, Physician scribe, and patient financial counselor full time or at least 4 days a week for a busy medical office in Temple Terrace just across from USF. please email resume to Yasir@cancerconsult.us or call 8139886569 ext 134 Email yasiralhassani@yahoo.com
Help Wanted Luxury Boarding Kennel needs 5 people to help in the day to day operations of a upscale boarding kennel. 3 jobs will be for summer. 2 are for immediate openings. Duties include cleaning, exercising and assisting in daycare operations. We have two shifts, one in am from 7am - 2pm, other shift from 2-7 pm. Must be available for 1-2 weekends per month. Need one person for receptionist duties. Can be student or non-student. Must have great computer and telephone skills. Apply in person: The Lodge at New Tampa 15403 Morris Bridge Road Thonotosassa 1/2 mile south of the Cross Creek/ Morris Bridge Road intersection. Application available on line at: thelodgefordogs.com
Medical Referral Clerk Medical Referral Clerk Position Experience in the medical field helpful Good communication and computer skills Someone who has good time management skills Email docadmin1@verizon.net
Entry Level Part Time Environmental Laboratory Positions Advanced Environmental Lab inc (AEL) is a NELAP certified, fullservice environmental analytical laboratory firm, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, with additional offices in Tampa, Orlando, Gainesville, Tallahassee and Miami. We are looking to fill an entry level parttime position involving; Microbiology, Wet Chemistry, sample receiving and pick-ups. This position will involve weekday and weekend days totaling, 20-25 hours. Please send your resume via email only to mcammarata@aellab.com
Special Education or Psych Major Seeking individual to attend ADT program with female adult with Autism and her Behavior Assistant. She can be aggressive. Will look great on a Special Education teacher or Psych student’s resume. MondayFriday 9am-12:30pm. $10.00 per hour. Position can be shared by two individuals. Carrollwood area. Email resume to: marylynnpearson2215@ gmail.com
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HISTORY
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think he’s going to win. Because of his energy, his emotions, he’s always competing and he still supports everyone around him and makes them feel better.” Cid’s growth as a tennis player is well documented in the various accomplishments, accolades and broken records over the past three years. After he’s finished at USF, Cid may be regarded as one of the best athletes to play for USF, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to him. “He’s the best player on our team,” Gonzalez-Muniz said. “He knows it and he would never think he’s different from any of us. He knows we’re a team and he knows everyone is important. Even though he’s probably the best player in USF history and the best player on our team, he would never consider himself different from any of us.” Opportunities still remain for Cid to further entrench himself in the USF history books, as the AAC tournament and the NCAA championships are on the upcoming schedule. But regardless of what’s
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
to come in the next month, Hill said he’s already cemented himself as one of the best players he’s ever coached. “I’ve coached 10 to 15 AllAmericans and for me, he’s probably the most accomplished one out of that group,” Hill said. “He has more upside for his pro career with a country behind him and his athleticism. To me, he’s one of the best players I’ve ever worked with and I’ve had other guys be top-10 in the country as well.” Cid’s upside as a professional came to light last summer when he traveled to Turkey to compete in tournaments to gauge where he needed to be. To Cid’s surprise, he was beating players ranked in the top-300 with relative ease. Unlike his first attempt at the professional level, Cid was dispatching opponents with his newfound athleticism. “He’s going to do well, he showed that this last summer,” Hill said. “I remember last summer him messaging me saying, ‘These guys aren’t good’, and I’m like look, ‘They’re top-400 in the world, they’re very good. Your drive and your level have just changed. These are guys you used to lose to in close matches and now you’re killing them.’”
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Unlike Cid’s first attempt at being a professional tennis player, Hill said he has no doubt of the senior’s ability to succeed at that level of tennis. For Cid, he’s enjoying the last few weeks of his collegiate career. He savors the matches, playing FIFA and dinners out with teammates, and he knows he will miss it. But he also knows he’s accomplished more than he ever set out to do as a Bull and he’s anxious to see what more is in store in the next step of his tennis career. “My dream is to make a living, travel every week to different places, play the grand slams, just live the life of a professional tennis player,” Cid said. “Since I was little, that’s what I’ve wanted to do and now that I’m getting closer to graduating, I feel like I really need to make a push before I go out there. “I think this semester really I’ve just been pushing myself. One of the motivations is that in a couple months, I’ll be on my own so I definitely want to give myself the best chance, but also the team. Since the coaches came, we went from 74th to top-20 in the nation for the first time in school history so I feel this year we can do something special.”
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BISSETTE
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everything has really been inspirational to her teammates, her coaches and everyone she touches. She has been unwavering and so positive in facing this challenge. Her teammates and coaches love her and miss her, and we will do everything we can to support her in this fight.” The Bulls will hang Bissette’s No. 00 jersey in the dugout as well as using the hashtag
#MereBearStrong on social media to show support for their teammate. A GoFundMe.com account has also been set up at www.gofundme.com/merebearstrong. “I want to thank everyone for the huge support I have received from friends, family, my entire USF family, the softball community, and supporters through social media,” Bissette said. “I feel like I have the confidence to overpower this cancer and it is thanks to y’all.”
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USF racing gears up for 2016 season By Dan Fisher C O R R E S P O N D E N T
The USF Racing Team is hard at work preparing for the opening event of the 2016 season, and they show no signs of slowing down in designing their new car. The team’s first competition, 2016 Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in Brooklyn, Michigan, runs from May 11-14. Alexander Kim, president of USF racing and a third-year member of SAE, said building well-designed racecars is the team’s goal every year. “The image that I want to portray of our team is one that models the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One Team,” Andrew Nelson, the team’s public relations officer, said. “Maurizio Arrivabene (the managing director & team principal of Ferrari) said during their unveiling for the 2016 season that ‘We go to the races respecting our competitors and recognizing their value, especially the guy that one the world championship last year
(Lewis Hamilton). But we are all committed to do better and better and better.’ “The way Maurizio describes his team’s goals is the same exact way I would describe USF Racing’s.” USF Racing, which is part of the university’s Society of Automotive Engineers club, has been an active Formula race team for 11 years, and they travel across “the United States and Canada” to challenge other Formula SAE teams “in both dynamic and static events,” according to USFRacing.com. “In 1999, we began as a BAJA team, in which the team competes in building off-road cars that tests the vehicle’s dynamics, and statics in rough terrains,” Kim, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, said. “In the year 2005, the team decided to focus solely on Formula SAE because we wanted to design Formula cars and compete in events that challenge our car’s performance, and its efficiency.” The 2015-2016 FSAE Rules say that race teams are challenged to compete with each other in both
“static” and “dynamic” events to determine the best designed Formula-style racecar. For the static events, teams must submit a cost report to summarize the manufacturing process of their car, while conducting a “design, cost and business presentation” to prove the car can turn a profit in the market. The dynamic events challenge each car’s acceleration on a road surface, the maneuverability and handling qualities in autocross sessions, their durability under longterm endurance conditions and fuel efficiency at the endurance event. “USF Racing is a very strong team, but it would be wrong for me to say that we are going to be the best team of the 2016 season,” Nelson said. “We are always committed to getting better and better and better, and it’s important for us not to have huge expectations because we are improving year by year at little sizable portions at a time. And I believe that is the method for success.”
In 2015, USF racing’s design placed sixth overall in the SAE Lincoln event in Nebraska. ORACLE PHOTO/DAN FISHER In June of 2015, USF Racing the team flourish over time. finished sixth overall in the IC class “Although we are not professionat the Formula SAE Lincoln event al teachers, we do strive to teach in Nebraska. students the basics of car design to The competition included 79 dif- the best of our ability,” Kim said. ferent teams from across North “SAE members have to be selfAmerica. This year, USF Racing will taught in a way that they can undercompete both in Michigan and at stand each other, while building the Formula North, located in Barrie, best car by the end of the day. Ontario. We can be difficult task makers at Kim said the 2016 Formula SAE times, therefore, we encourage our season in Michigan and Canada members to never run from critiwill be challenging for USF Racing, cism and work together as a team.” and he believes having motivated and self-taught students will help
Sports
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Softball
The Rundown
USF’s Bissette battling cancer
Outside USF
Ticket changes for USF vs. FSU For the first time since 2014, the upper tier of Raymond James stadium will be opened up for USF football’s marquee matchup against Florida State. It will likely be USF’s first true sellout since West Virginia in 2007. But USF is shaking it up when it comes to ticket sales. These upper-tier seats, which start at $85, are fans’ only option for a singlegame ticket. If fans want to sit in the lower sections, they must buy either a multi-game flex package or season tickets. Single-game tickets go on sale on May 30th. The USF student section will not be affected by this change.
Quote of the day “So once again, Jim Harbaugh has hijacked college football. I think he has been an entertaining entrant to college football since he arrived in Michigan a year and a half ago. Entertaining. That was then. I find him growingly and increasingly annoying now.” — Paul Finebaum on Jim Harbaugh’s presence in college football. Harbaugh’s recent complaints have been directed toward the NCAA after it banned satelite camps.
USF FOOTBALL SPRING GAME Green vs. White
When: Saturday, 4 p.m. Where: Corbett Soccer Stadium TV/Radio: USF/IMG radio
By Jacob Hoag S P O R T S
Following his upset of Tulane’s Dominik Koepfer, the No. 1 men’s tennis player at the time, senior Roberto Cid has risen to No. 3 in the individual rankings. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS.COM
History in the making USF tennis player Roberto Cid prepares for his pro career By Vinnie Portell S T A F F
W R I T E R
As the final weeks of Roberto Cid’s time at USF tick off the calendar, he’s left in a familiar place. The senior tennis player, who is ranked the third-best singles player in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), is mere months from returning to professional tennis — a life he temporarily sacrificed to come to USF. “It was a tough decision at first,” Cid said. “My family, we all talked about it and we decided to just go pro, but I started realizing I wasn’t ready to be a professional when I was 18. So that’s when I started contacting the coaches who had talked to me before and that’s when I decided college would be a great option for me to continue to improve and get a degree.” Cid was ineligible for his freshman season due to his time spent at the professional level, but quickly made his mark on the up-andcoming USF men’s tennis team. In his first season on the court, the 6-foot-3 Dominican Republic native was already setting records. He became the first ITA AllAmerican in program history, with a 25-6 record in singles matches including a 10-5 record against ranked opponents.
But it would be later that season when Cid would truly put his name on the map for the first time at USF. In his first appearance in the NCAA Singles Championship, Cid defeated the top-ranked singles player in the nation on his way to reaching the quarterfinals before suffering defeat. “When I beat the number one in the country first round in the NCAA’s when I was like 40th in the nation, that was a huge, huge win for me,” Cid said. “It gave me a lot of confidence throughout my whole college career.” Since that record-breaking first season, both Cid and the rest of the men’s tennis team have been on the rise. Now a regular top-20 team featuring a top-five player in the nation, the Bulls have undergone a transformation into one of the country’s best programs, with back-to-back AAC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances to show for it. “There’s a lot of people involved in what’s happening here and to think that one person, whether it’s a coach or player, is the one that’s making the brand or the name to garner the exposure it’s getting is unlikely, but I will say Roberto has definitely got a lot of respect
from any program and any player in the country that’s played in the last three years,” USF coach Matt Hill said. “It’s definitely helped with people having a different perspective of what USF tennis means and stands for. There’s no doubt he epitomizes what this program is designed for, which is helping young players move forward in their tennis careers.” While Cid has come a long way in his USF tenure, Hill said the senior still must learn to harness his emotions as he approaches his second crack at a professional career. “He’s a pretty emotional guy on the court, he gets fired up and pretty upset at times too,” Hill said. “There’s times when it can be a very strong weapon for him, but there’s times when it can hurt him.” Cid is still learning, but doubles partner Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz said those emotions and energy is something the rest of the team uses as motivation. “He gives me so much energy,” Gonzalez-Muniz said. “When you’re next to him, you see him play and you know he’s going to win. Every time you see him step on the court you see him play, you
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E D I T O R
Hearts are heavy for the USF softball team. The school announced Wednesday afternoon that sophomore Meredith Bissette has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Bissette, an infielder who has appeared in 32 games during her USF career, has since returned home to North Carolina to be with family. “I am staying positive, happy and confident through this whole ordeal. I know I will beat this cancer, and that it is just a small bump in the road,” Bissette said in a press release. “I will be back, better and stronger than ever after completing my treatment over the summer. I plan to be back at USF kicking and screaming again come fall.” The team will be showing their support with on-field displays throughout the season as well as a fundraiser on May 8 to raise money for the Bissette family. A home run derby will take place at 4:30 p.m. following USF baseball’s game against Tulane. The event will feature a variety of student-athletes participating. A silent auction will also be held with items donated from the national softball community with proceeds helping the Bissette family. “Obviously, everyone was stunned by Meredith’s diagnoses and the battle she is now facing,” USF Coach Ken Eriksen said in the release. “The way she has handled
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