4-13-17

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April 13, 2017

Vol. 54 No. 53

SG president-elect disqualified Page 3

Democrats don’t need participation trophies Page 4

USF group fights bullying Page 6

Confidence is key for USF’s Merrell Page 10

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the Oracle the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

Editor in Chief Jacob Hoag oracleeditor@gmail.com

Associate Editor Breanne Williams oracleopinion@gmail.com Lifestyle Editor Nicole Cate oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com

News........................................................3 Opinion.................................................4 Lifestyle................................................6 Classifieds...........................................8 Crossword..........................................8 Sports...................................................10

Advertising Sales Alyssa Alexander Ashley Bazile Destiny Moore Dylan Ritchey

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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 Briefs

news

SG president-elect disqualified UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Quote of the day “We didn’t use chemical weapons in World War II. You know, you had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said to reporters at a briefing Tuesday. Spicer was attempting to compare Hitler and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons. Spicer’s comments received significant backlash, causing him to issue a clarification. “In no way was I trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the Holocaust,” Spicer said in a statement sent to reporters. “I was trying to draw a distinction of the tactic of using airplanes to drop chemical weapons on population centers. Any attack on innocent people is reprehensible and inexcusable.”

Charlie Murphy dies at 57 Comedian Charlie Murphy died Wednesday after a battle with leukemia, according to his publicist Domenick Nati. He was 57.

Murhpy, the older brother of comedian Eddie Murhpy, rose to fame co-staring in and writing for “Chappelle’s Show.” One day before his death, Murphy tweeted: “One to Sleep On: Release the past to rest as deeply as possible.”

Student-run organization bridging gap for refugees

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The student-led nonprofit Partners in Engaging and Empowering Refugees seeks to help educate refugee children to make ease their transition. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

By Cheyenne Pagan C O R R E S P O N D E N T

A decision by the Student Government Supreme Court found former student body president- and vice president-elect Moneer Kheireddine and Shaquille Kent in violation of SG statutes. Kheireddine said they intend to file an appeal with the dean of students. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

Court asseses major violation, strips Kheireddine of presidency

By Miki Shine M A N A G I N G

E D I T O R

After five days of deliberating, the Student Government (SG) Supreme Court unanimously found president- and vice-president-elect Moneer Kheireddine and Shaquille Kent guilty of a major grievance, thereby disqualifying the ticket.

“I’m disappointed in the court’s opinion,” Kheireddine said. “I believe they applied the law incorrectly and respectfully disagree with the decision made. The students have spoken on who they wish to have as their representatives by an overwhelming majority.

“Our ticket won by over 2,320

more votes than the other party.

I think that speaks volumes on its own.”

The grievance in question involves Dika Ezevillo, a USF student employee and a member of the Kheireddine and Kent campaign team, wearing his employee nametag while campaigning. According to the court opinion, the claim that he violated this rule went uncontested, and the trial was focused on whether wearing it was an abuse of position.

“The actions of Mr. Ezevillo qualified as an abuse of a position held at the university, which is within his official capacity,” the opinion states. “It was confirmed

that the action in question for a fact happened on more than one occasion.

“The court deliberated and came to the consensus that the use of a name tag of a university job while actively campaigning for a ticket is considered an abuse of the official capacity of the office represented, especially, if the individual is part of the official campaign staff.”

Kheireddine said he will file for an appeal with the dean of students, Danielle McDonald. She issued a statement saying they have 24 hours to do so.

According to the opinion,

n See DISQUALIFIED on PAGE 5

Refugee children have to adapt to the various differences of dealing with life in a new country.

Partners for Engaging and Empowering Refugees (P.E.E.R.), a nonprofit organization run

by USF student and Executive Director Riyza Jose, is helping to bridge that gap.

Started in fall 2016, P.E.E.R. is separate from USF, but is run

by USF volunteers.

“P.E.E.R. is a collaboration between refugee service providers in the Temple Terrace area,” Jose said.

In short, P.E.E.R. is a tutoring program for refugee youth around USF. The group helps refugees from countries such as Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Jose said she started off by networking in the area with

n See P.E.E.R on PAGE 7

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Opinion UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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Democrats shouldn’t be given participation trophies

A Republican won the first post-Trump congressional election, and Democrats are being praised for giving him a close race. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

By Breanne Williams C O L U M N I S T

A Republican won the first post-Trump Congressional election Tuesday night in a narrow victory that has caused many to applaud the effort of the Democrats who turned out to vote.

Trump won the 4th district of Kansas by 27 percent and Republican Ron Estes beat Democrat James Thompson by less than 10 percent.

But a victory is a victory, and Democrats should not be praised for their failed attempts.

Sure, Estes’ victory came after a last-minute outpouring of cash from the Republican Party, robocalls from Trump and his vice president and a rally on Monday with Sen. Ted Cruz.

But he still won.

After Trump won the electoral vote in November, Democrats vowed to take back Congress in order to keep a semblance of functioning checks and balances. They promised they wouldn’t let the polls remain empty, promised to make sure they acted on their right

to vote and promised to elect leaders who shared their values.

Instead, when Thompson went toe-to-toe against Estes, Republicans were the ones to show up in masses.

Yes, the district is a heavily conservative area. And the fervor showed by the Democrats who carried Thompson to a close defeat does bode well for elections in more moderate areas.

But the battle was never in heavily liberal or even moderate areas. It is in these conservative, historically Republican districts and states.

The map following the November election showed that far more people, 2,864,974 more to be exact, voted for Hillary Clinton than Trump. But Clinton’s voters were isolated in large cities and more liberal states.

The Republicans, though they voted in lesser numbers, are all over the nation. And Trump won geographically. Thus, he won. End of story.

Now, congressional seats are up for grabs. There is a chance Democrats can take back control

of Congress. But they won’t do so unless they start turning red districts blue.

Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is despised in his state.

His approval ratings are at an abysmal 27 percent, according to a Morning Consult poll. And Estes was one of Brownback’s favorites.

If Democrats couldn’t gain a seat in a state where the Republican governor is hated, how can they be expected to have a victory in a conservative state where its Republican governor and representatives are loved?

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) practically ignored the campaign in Kansas until Monday, when they launched some pathetic, last minute attempts at “Get Out To Vote” phone banks.

The DCCC doesn’t need to waste its time in more liberal or moderate areas. If Democrats are as angry as they’ve claimed to be since Trump took office, they will win those areas in a landslide.

Though to be fair, November did teach us all what happens when

you expect a landslide victory.

Instead, Democrats need to make an effort to heavily campaign before the week of elections in conservative areas. Trump isn’t exactly holding a lofty approval rating.

The GOP is increasingly befuddled and angry over his statements and actions. Morale is low, and if Democrats work hard, they will not only be able to get more of their own party out to vote, they will also be able to sway unhappy Republicans and Independents to their cause.

A close defeat is still a defeat.

Democrats shouldn’t be praised for failing to claim a seat in Congress.

If they want to be taken seriously, if they want to truly show their anger toward the results in November, they need to hit the streets and start turning red counties blue. Otherwise, Trump will have a heavily conservative Congress nodding along with whatever he wants to do.

Breanne Williams is a senior majoring in mass communications.

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DISQUALIFIED Continued from PAGE 3

Ezevillo was functioning within his official capacity by wearing his nametag and — in a separate instance — wearing a polo from the Office of Career Services by stating that a “physical display of the garment” is enough to classify somebody as representing that office.

The court was also challenged with determining what counts as “abuse” to determine whether Ezevillo’s actions could be counted as such.

“After extensive discussion on the matter, there was an agreement among the members of the court that if one has access to a resource that is not readily or easily available to any other student, and utilized such resources during campaigning, then that is considered to be an abuse of their access to those said resources,” the opinion states.

It concludes by stating that the court felt there is not requirement for the election results to have been impacted or for the “wrongdoer” to have intended to break statutes.

As Kheireddine and Kent’s ticket is currently classified as disqualified, the runners-up Ryan Soscia and Logan Holland are now president- and vice presidentelect, respectively.

Soscia could not be reached for comment.

“

election.”

This is not the first time in recent history that an SG election has gone to the dean’s office. In 2014, Jean Cocco was disqualified by the Supreme Court for a series of minor grievances, including using former Gov. Charlie Christ

I believe they applied the law incorrectly and respectfully disagree with the decision made.

Moneer Kheireddine, former SG president-electOAA

“I am thankful to announce that justice has been served,” he said in a Facebook post following the decision. “While there is still a chance the court decision will be appealed to the Dean of Students, I feel it is my obligation as a student leader to start working on these things immediately so that the student body is not hurt by the red tape surrounding this

”

on campaign materials, passively campaigning at a polling location and not having the voting link on campaign materials.

Ultimately, the then dean of students, Michael Freeman, decided on March 26, 2014 that Cocco would be the student body president after he won the popular vote.

Initially, seven major grievances

were filed against the candidates; four against Kheireddine and Kent, and three against Soscia and Holland. All but two of the grievances was dismissed. The one other grievance that went to trial against Kheireddine and Kent could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

In her statement, McDonald said the goal, even with an appeal, would be to have an SG president and vice president sworn in by 5 p.m. on April 21.

McDonald stated that, after filing for appeal, both parties, along with the Chief Justice, have five business days to turn in any evidence or statements for consideration. Based on her timeline, all such material would be in by April 20, she will present a decision by 3 p.m. the following day and the ticket would be sworn in at 4:30.

Should this timeline not take place, the SG Senate would decide the new executive branch leaders based on a statute referred to as Selection of Last Resort.

Under this statute, if there is not a decision within 10 days of spring commencement, it becomes the responsibility of the senate to decide.

LIFESTYLE

USF student uses own experiences to help fight bullying 6

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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By Nicole Cate S T A F F

W R I T E R

Bullying is an unfortunate reality for some people.

Generally thought of as a situation that occurs mainly to adolescents and teenagers, it can affect anyone, including college students.

This is why Madison Masterson, a sophomore majoring in marketing, started Bulls Against Bullying during her second semester at USF. Masterson experienced bullying firsthand when she was younger. It started her freshman year of high school and followed her all the way through.

“It started a lot of self-hate and drew me to depression and trying to kill myself multiple times, which is something I wouldn’t want to wish on anyone,” Masterson said.

After some time, she turned to social media for help and acceptance from her peers.

While she did receive the reception she was looking for, this was also when she found out that bullying could continue online as well.

“I became almost obsessed with social media and obsessed with wanting attention and love from someone, because these people made me feel like I didn’t have love from anyone,” she said. “A lot of people did give me that love, but then also, even on social media, I got a lot of hate.”

Masterson, who has been attending USF since the summer of 2015, decided to start the club that fall. She spent most of that semester gathering people who were interested, and they had their first official meeting the

There are two main purposes to Bulls Against Bullying: prevention and awareness of bullying and being a safe haven for those who need it.

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

following January. The group started with 10 people, but has since grown to 96.

There are two main purposes of Bulls Against Bullying: prevention and awareness of bullying and being a safe haven for those who need it.

She said that people need to be informed about bullying, and the fact that it can happen to anyone is the first step in solving the problem. The club’s ‘safe haven concept’ is one where it tries to provide

a welcoming and loving environment to anyone who needs it.

“Each month, we try and have a safe haven event where people can come and mellow down if they’re feeling stressed out,” Masterson said. “If that’s the only event of the month they want to come to, I’m completely fine with that.”

Previously, the organization has hosted movies, games, and arts and crafts nights for their safe haven events.

These events are also to help students know that no matter what anyone says, they are not at fault for being harassed.

Masterson said victim blaming was something she dealt with while being bullied.

“I wanted to spread the message that people are loved and that people have a place to go and talk to people, because I never want anyone to feel unwanted and unloved,” she said.

Students who are interested

in learning more about the club, or who just want to drop by, can attend the Bulls Against Bullying Movie and Game Night tonight at 7:30 in MSC 3708. They will be screening ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ while playing UNO and Cards Against Humanity.

Popcorn and drinks will be provided. There will also be a raffle for tickets to see the Tampa Bay Rays, Starbucks gift cards and Beef O’Brady’s gift cards.

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P.E.E.R.

Continued from PAGE 3

other USF students who had worked with local service providers, making it a very diverse group. These students decided to come together and make an official tutoring program for these children.

She then thought to make it an actual organization that was bigger than just tutoring services to youth, but also to provide different kinds of services for them.

These youth programs that benefit refugee children have been defunded in the last summer by other refugee agencies, according to Jose.

The organization has two goals it is trying to accomplish with P.E.E.R. The first being that the kids it helps are thriving academically and socially.

P.E.E.R. wants to make sure the children understand the flow of the classroom, and help them overcome the cultural differences they face coming from another country.

The other goal involves the families of the refugee children.

They want to make sure the

families of the children can be self-sufficient. P.E.E.R. is also tied to a local women’s social group that teaches refugee women about local healthcare in the Tampa Bay area.

Jose said the organization has had up to 40 volunteers in the past academic year, but they have not all been consistent.

“The way they go about recruiting people for volunteers is difficult because they need more consistency,” Jose said.

P.E.E.R. said it does not have a solid recruiting process yet because it is trying to make sure its programs are viable and that it can continue to exist.

In the upcoming semester, Jose said the organization is “trying to approach these things differently.”

For example, Jose said P.E.E.R. plans to go to different colleges around campus and send out notices.

Jose said she is also going to be linking with local high schools in the area in hopes of finding more reliable volunteers.

She said by this summer, however, P.E.E.R. will have an official website for those who are interested.

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Classifieds

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Sports

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Rundown Outside USF

Timberwolves unveil new logo

The Minnesota Timberwolves revealed their new logo at a home game against the Thunder on Tuesday night. The logo will be implemented starting in the 2017-2018 season as a part of the team’s “New era, new look,” campaign.

Along with the new logo, the team will release new jerseys and a new court design during the summer.

NBA.com reports that the logo’s design has been a work in process the past year, and was designed to resemble an evolution of past logos and incorporate elements of civic pride, the team and the wolf totem.

Weekend sports schedule Baseball

USF (28-5) vs. Cincinnati (16-16,) When: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Where: USF Baseball Stadum

Football

Spring Game When: Saturday, 4 p.m.

Where: Corbett Stadium

Men’s Golf Wolfpack Spring Open: When: Beginning Friday Where: Lonnie Poole Golf Club, Raleigh, N.C.

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Confidence is key Baseball

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Kevin Merrell’s fearless demeanor has led him to become a leader of the 2017 Bulls

By Vinnie Portell S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Kevin Merrell considers himself a confident baseball player who doesn’t fear failure.

As the clear offensive leader of the Bulls (28-5) and a 2017 midseason First-Team All-American, Merrell isn’t often confronted with failure on the diamond these days.

But that doesn’t mean he’s always been fearless.

“I was really nervous going into (my first game as a Bull),” Merrell said. “I’ve always been confident, but when you have some success, you definitely gain a lot of confidence. So, getting off to a good start in that game was a good help.”

In what was both coach Mark Kingston and Merrell’s first game with USF, the Bulls knocked off No. 17 Cal State Fullerton 2-1 on Feb. 13, 2015.

Merrell, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored, was the only USF player with a multi-hit game.

“He started from day one, and that first game we played against Cal State Fullerton, he had a really positive impact on us winning that game, and the rest is history,” Kingston said.

Merrell’s journey to that first game at USF began in a way most younger siblings spend their childhood — an emulation of his older brother.

With a father who played college baseball at Florida Southern and Merrell’s brother, Tripp, on his way to playing for Webber International, Merrell was immersed in baseball from the start.

“They’re the reason why I play baseball, my dad and my brother, for sure,” he said. “Growing up watching my brother play, he’s the reason I bat lefty, because I used to stand across from him. He would bat righty and I would be on the

n See MERRELL on PAGE 11

Notebook

Women’s basketball adds third 5-star recruit to 2017 class

By Josh Fiallo A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Coach Jose Fernandez added another 5-star recruit to his 2017 recruiting class Wednesday with the signing of Silvia Serrat.

Serrat, a 6-foot guard from Banyoles, Spain, becomes the third 5-star recruit in Fernandez’s 2017 recruiting class.

In Spain, Serrat played for the youth national team over the past two years, averaging nine points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 63 percent from the floor.

Serrat will play for the Bulls next season alongside Alba Prieto and Vanessa Blagmon, the other two 5-star recruits in the class.

The trio will join a roster of 10 players including four returning starters.

With the addition of Spain natives Prieto and Serrat, the Bulls will feature eight international players in their 2017-2018 campaign.

Football season ticket sales up from last year USF announced Wednesday that 8,734 season tickets have been sold for the Bulls’ 2017 football season as of March 31, an increase of nearly 1,300 from the same time last year.

The school sold 12,151 total season tickets last season, and is well on pace to pass that number in 2017.

The Tampa Bay Times reported on Tuesday that USF saw a 41 percent increase in home attendance from the 2015 season.

n See RECRUIT on PAGE 11

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MERRELL

Continued from PAGE 10

other side batting lefty, doing the same things.”

When Tripp began to play for Webber as a freshman out of Sickles High School in 2010, it motivated Merrell to push himself to follow in his footsteps, and he did just that.

Since that first game for USF, Merrell has led the Bulls in hitting each season and has moved from left field to second base, and now finally to his favorite position, shortstop.

It didn’t take long for Merrell, now a junior, to settle into the leadoff role for Kingston.

“He just makes it easy for everyone else,” sophomore center fielder Garrett Zech said. “I mean, him at the leadoff position is a spark for our team every single game. We get that first guy on and everything breaks open for our offense.”

In 2017, Merrell is not just the

only Bull to be hitting over .400, but his .425 average through 30 games is .27 points higher than the next-best hitter in the AAC. He was also recently named to the watch list for the 2017 Golden Spikes award, presented annually to the best overall collegiate baseball player.

He’s missed just three games this season, but Kingston said Merrell’s absence is felt whenever he can’t suit up for the Bulls.

“It was a little harder for us to score when he was out of the lineup just because his onbase percentage is so high, and when he’s on base, he can steal,” Kingston said. “So, it was harder for us to score when he was out.

We had guys who filled in and did fine, but Kevin’s a special player.”

Aside from his team-leading batting average, Merrell also leads USF in hits (51), runs (31), triples (3), walks (21), steals (17), and he even has the least strikeouts among regular starters (14).

He’ll have a year of eligibility left after this season, but Kingston

can’t say for sure if his leadoff hitter will be back for his senior season.

“Yeah, no doubt, I think he’s going to be a good draft choice this June,” Kingston said. “I think he’s going to have a big decision to make on whether he should move on.

If he’s drafted high enough, we’ll support him moving on to the next level because he’s put in so much work and he’s been so good for us. So, we’ll help him with that process, but I think there are a lot scouts at this point that are very intrigued by his abilities.”

Though it’s easy to see how Merrell has progressed simply by looking at the box scores, his maturation into a veteran leader on a team full of fresh faces is what truly sets him apart.

USF finished 34-26-1 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in Merrell’s freshman season, but struggled mightily in 2016. With freshmen making up roughly half of the roster, the Bulls stumbled to a 24-33 record and the bottom

RECRUIT

Continued from PAGE 10

Averaging 37,539 fans per home game, USF ranked third in the AAC behind East Carolina (44,113) and Houston (38,953).

USF will have seven home games in 2017, and will play its annual spring game at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Corbett Stadium.

Admission will be free.

Men’s Basketball nabs first signing

Coach Jose Fernandez continues to recruit talented international players, as he has three 5-star European recruits committed for next season already. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

USF men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory announced the signing of Justin Brown to a national letter of intent on Wednesday afternoon.

A 6-foot-6 guard/forward from Birmingham, Alabama, Brown is the first official signing for Gregory as USF’s head coach.

Brown, who graduated high school in 2016, elected to play a season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia.

In his one season at Hargrave, Brown helped lead the Tigers to a 43-2 record, averaging 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals per game.

With Brown’s addition to the roster, the Bulls currently have seven available scholarships and only one verbal commit as of Wednesday.

of the AAC. Despite being just a sophomore, he was one of only three starting position players who had played college baseball before.

“I was still trying to figure out how to be a leader, I think we only had a few seniors last year,” Merrell said. “It was different, there were more freshmen than there were upperclassmen.

Going into sophomore year, it was tough. It definitely built some character. Last year was pretty miserable, but it just makes the wins so much sweeter this year.”

But even though the Bulls struggled, Merrell’s confidence never wavered. He finished the season batting .320, .49 points higher than the next-best Bull.

He established leadership through example that season according to teammates, and he’s carried that over to 2017. But although he doesn’t need to be loud to lead, it doesn’t mean he keeps his emotions in check all the time.

“He’s pretty soft-spoken and

consistent with his attitude, but if something doesn’t go our way and he thinks it should have, he’ll be the first one to jump in and give his input,” Zech said. “Or if someone gets a big hit, he’s the first one off the bench cheering him on.”

Merrell’s time with the Bulls may be coming to an end soon as scouts begin to tune in to his scorching-hot season, but he said he plans on keeping the same mindset wherever he goes.

“That’s the thing about baseball, it’s one of those games were you’re going to deal with failure a lot,” he said. “I was fortunate growing up to have coaches who told me that. It’s like, ‘If you hit three out of 10 times, you’re going to be in the Hall of Fame.’ The best players don’t forget that, they’re confident all the time. Whether they get a hit or don’t get the hit or make an error or make the play, you’ve got to be confident. If you’re not confident, then that’s going to catch up to you.”

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