06.19.19

THE ORACLE

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BOT renames street USF awarded 7.5 million for after Judy Genshaft transportation research

By Leda Alvim M U L T I M E D I A

The street-naming project has a total cost of $35,000. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

By Alyssa Stewart E D I T O R

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Even with the departure of President Judy Genshaft, you will still be able to see her name around campus.

Specifically, on a street sign.

The Board of Trustees (BOT) made the decision to rename USF Maple Drive to USF Genshaft Drive to commemorate Genshaft’s 19-year tenure. The construction is scheduled to be completed between Aug 5-16 so that it can be unveiled by midAugust.

The decision to rename Maple Drive was because of the recent announcement of the Judy Genshaft Honors College building.

The honors college will be

built north of the Muma College of Business alongside the soonto-be Genshaft Drive. Genshaft unveiled the news last month and announced that she will be donating $20 million to help build it.

The project has a total cost of $35,000, according to university spokesperson Althea Paul.

The cost for the new address names for the pedestal signs is approximately $16,000. This includes the eight buildings along the street and replacing three mounted street posts on the north side of Maple Drive.

Paul said the upgrades for electrification and energy efficient LED lighting for the 11 signs at the three major

n See GENSHAFT on PAGE 3

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After receiving a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to conduct a study aiming to reduce traffic congestion in the country, the USF College of Engineering’s Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) anticipates working with the Florida Department of Transportation to bring an additional $7.5 million to fund the research.

The grant will build the National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR), the first center focused on reducing traffic in the nation. The center, located within CUTR, will be given an additional funding of $7.5 million by the state government, which will total $15 million of funds.

Executive Director of the Center for Urban Transportation Robert Bertini said that the study has to be relevant and applicable to the whole country since the grant will be provided by the federal government, plus the matching funds offered by the state government.

“It’s a problem here in Tampa but also in other places in the country,” Bertini said. “Because we have this support from the federal government, the work we do here is relevant everywhere, even internationally. But we also need to generate local support for the matching funds.”

Bertini said that the center

would also be beneficial for student success, as NICR will be hiring USF students to participate in the study, create new courses and webinars as well as offer summer camps to high school students in the Tampa Bay area.

“From the student perspective, this is great because these funds will support students and allow us to attract new students to USF and into the transportation field,” Bertini said. “We will hire USF students for the research and create new educational initiatives focused on student success in the field of transportation.”

In order to receive the grant, CUTR went through a competitive process where more than 50 universities nationwide applied and only two received the grant – one school focused on congestion and the other focused on infrastructure, which will be located at Washington State University.

With this grant, CUTR will partner with other universities throughout the study, including the University of California, Berkeley; Texas A&M University; and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

Half of the research will be done at USF and the other half will be distributed across the other three campuses, according to Bertini. Each research project will include faculty and students from at least two of the campuses

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as a way to work closely with other universities across the country.

“Consortia are good because you can bring together kind of a broader set of expertise and you can cover different parts of the country that have different needs and different perspectives,” Bertini said.

Bertini said that CUTR will collect data from sensors located across the city, drones flying above the highways and both online surveys and questionnaires to be used in the research.

The proposal was submitted to USDOT last December and consisted of 35 pages. The grant has three years of funding, which expires in 2022, according to Bertini.

“It’s exciting and we feel honored that the federal government is trusting us with this responsibility. It’s also a little bit daunting because we want to do our best we want to be successful, so we are now starting to gear up to begin the efforts in the fall.”

USDOT currently has 37 centers around the country, which consist of seven national, 10 regional and 20 tier centers.

The grant will build the first NICR in Florida.

In addition, CUTR will create a “big data archive” that will be used to store all the information

n See GRANT on PAGE 3

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The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966

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Alyssa Stewart @AlyssaKStewart

Sports Editor Brian Hattab

Multimedia Editor Leda Alvim

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Contact Editor in Chief Jesse Stokes at 974-5190.

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GRANT

Continued from PAGE 1

and data used in the research, according to Bertini. CUTR already started building the database, however, the grant will accelerate the process.

While the work is set to start in the fall, Bertini hopes to compete again for the grant in 2022, when the funding is set to expire.

intersections along Maple Drive will cost about $19,000.

This is being done in order to have the lighting up to the current USF standard and so there are not any unlit intersections.

The BOT wanted to rename the street after Genshaft to thank her for her unwavering support to the university.

“President Genshaft’s commitment and passion to the

The U.S. Department of Transportation conducted the study to reduce traffic congestion nationwide.ORACLE FILE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

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GENSHAFT

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“With this grant, more and more people will know about USF,” Bertini said. “We’ve been working on transportation research here for a long time, but this helps move us up a notch in people’s perceptions.”

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University of South Florida has been remarkable throughout the past 19 years,” BOT Chair Jordan Zimmerman said. “She has given so much, in so many ways and our Board of Trustees felt renaming the street on campus where the future Genshaft Honors College building will be located was a perfect way to permanently honor her legacy.”

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RACHEL

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spoke at the United Nations’s World Autism Awareness Day event in New York about her personal experiences growing up with autism and how pageants helped her develop her social skills. In addition, Rachel is a singer and has performed at Madison Square Garden three times.

Besides holding the Miss Manatee River title, Rachel is part of USF’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities’ board and is an international ambassador for the Unicorn Children’s Foundation.

As one of the requirements

AVALON

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2534 E Bearss Ave, Tampa, FL Phone: (813) 972-5919

after researching about Miss Florida and the people around it, it was the perfect match for Avalon.

“Avalon Jade’s life revolves around her academics, service, and community involvement three of the reasons the Miss University of South Florida title caught her attention years ago,” Deborah said. “The Miss

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to compete for Miss Florida, candidates must stand for a social impact initiative that they have been working on throughout the years. Rachel focuses on raising acceptance for people with autism and other disabilities.

“I’m so happy because I live my platform every day,” Rachel said. “It encompasses a whole spectrum of everything. Whether you’re blind, in a wheelchair or even if you feel like you don’t belong in this world, you’re needed. By raising acceptance, then there’s actual inclusion and focus on the positive things that we can do.”

Throughout her life, she has suffered prejudices and people

doubting her capabilities due to her disability. According to Rachel, she was told during a pageant that she might not be capable of holding a title because of her autism.

Whenever she comes across those scenarios, she seeks to educate and share her passion to seek acceptance.

“Autism doesn’t have only one face and we don’t all look the same. When we face these misconceptions in society, that’s when activism starts. We need to educate people and show that we have many faces.

“To everyone who ever doubted me, thanks for being the fuel to my fire.”

Florida candidates are very accomplished young ladies, and my husband and I are very proud she is now part of this group.”

Even after Miss Florida week is over, Avalon still plans on continuing her commitment to service and dedication to help others. Ever since she decided to run for the title, her life was changed completely.

“I am finding that competing for Miss Florida is a journey

that has so many different parts,” Avalon said. “Without any doubt, I am now more prepared for leadership opportunities, graduate school, and professional life. I do not know what will happen on that stage, but I can tell you that the process has already resulted in so much personal and professional growth, and I know that will continue long after Miss Florida competition week is over.”

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GRACE

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9-9 in the Big East. They thought they were a lock for an NCAA Tournament appearance.

They were left on the outside looking in, however.

Instead of heartbreak, though, their story turned into a championship.

“They were distraught,” Fernandez said. “We had a viewing party and everything.

They didn’t get in.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of that group because I think what happened that year was a life lesson. In life, you’re not going to get everything that you think you deserve or you want.”

That WNIT championship, which to date is still USF’s only postseason title, remains one of Grace’s fondest memories of her time at USF — especially because of the way it ended, with the Bulls cutting down the nets in enemy territory and

Grace coming home with MVP honors.

“You go into Kansas — 16,000 fans — everybody knows Kansas is a basketball state — everything about Kansas is basketball,” Grace said. “You go in there … and are able to beat them on their home floor — that’s something that you dream of. That’s something that you see on TV that you don’t think you will be a part of.

“Just hearing the crowd go silent at a certain point — that’s how you know you did something special.”

Coming back to Tampa was pretty memorable as well.

“It was a big thing at the airport,” Grace said. “Judy Genshaft, she was there. It was a lot — family, friends. As soon as we got off the plane and walked down — I can see it to this day: I had the net that we cut down around my neck, and I had the MVP trophy and I think I still

had the basketball. I was just carrying everything.

“Just seeing the crowd — just seeing smiles and people enjoying the moment — that was big for us.”

The WNIT championship was the punctuation mark to a hall of fame collegiate basketball career, but not Grace’s basketball career.

She played professionally in Poland for a few years before returning to her hometown of Sarasota to finish her degree at USF Sarasota-Manatee (Grace needed to complete her foreign language requirement), eventually becoming the head coach at Booker High School.

Grace credited Fernandez with how she approaches her coaching.

“A lot of the things I do now comes from him,” Grace said. “For four years, that was my life and we had to have a relationship, regardless of if I

liked it or not — everyone needs a coach, even at the NBA level, everyone needs a coach that they can rely on.

“So that’s what I give my girls now, I give them someone they can talk to. Yeah, I’m their coach, but I’m also a friend, I’m also a counselor. I’m also their mother when their mother’s not here. That’s what I got from him, so I can relay that to my girls.”

It’s hard to argue Grace’s methods aren’t working. The Tornadoes posted a perfect 10-0 record in their district this past season before making it to the FHSAA 6A Regional Finals, falling one point shy of making it to the state semifinals.

“I’m really happy for her,” Fernandez said. “She built that program and took the team to the regional final … I think down the road, if she continues to do this — continues to coach high school — and I know now she’s getting involved in travel

basketball — the next level is not out of the question for her.”

So, sure, there will be emotions from Grace when she arrives at the MSC that day.

Why shouldn’t there be?

There shouldn’t be any reason to worry about her freezing up, though, because if there’s one thing to expect about Shantia Grace, it’s to expect the unexpected. Her induction into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame comes as a formality today, but it was anything but expected back in 2005.

“No one expected it,” Grace said. “I didn’t expect it. I know coach Fernandez didn’t really expect it. And for me to go out there, being this small 5-foot6-inch guard, coming out of Sarasota County, which is small itself, that’s something that no one thought of. No one knew that this would be the outcome.”

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Democrats can’t shy away from What you said answers on climate change Multimedia Editor Leda Alvim asked students how traffic impacts their lives and if it’s an existing problem.

By Jared Selick

“Traffic is really bad and the grant is very important as reducing congestion will help us get to wherever we want quicker.”

C O L U M N I S T

The first Democratic presidential primary debate will take place June 26-27 in Miami and features 20 presidential hopefuls, eager to appeal to a national audience.

With so many candidates debating, it will be a considerable feat to ensure the discussion remains focussed on the issues of most importance to democratic voters.

Prior to these debates, there have been few opportunities to actually compare the candidates varying platforms.

For example, climate change is a topic that many Democratic candidates have paid a lot of lip service to without giving many specifics.

According to a survey by CBS News, more than half of young Americans consider climate change to be a “crisis.”

With climate change being a main concern for democratic voters, we can’t allow candidates to get by without giving specifics on how they will tackle the issue.

Opinions among candidates vary wildly on how to best tackle climate change. The Green New Deal, as proposed by the Sunshine Movement, requires we stop using fossil fuels within 12 years.

Other Democratic candidates, like former Vice President Joe Biden, suggest stopping by the year 2050. Strategies to meet these goals include everything

— Lauren Afanasiev, a senior majoring in creative advertising.

We can’t allow candidates to get by without giving specifics on how they will tackle climate change. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

from a carbon tax to a federal jobs program to build renewable energy.

It is important that voters have an opportunity to hear these different strategies discussed side by side on the debate stage.

When asked whether the Democratic National Committee would consider conducting a debate based solely on the candidate’s plan to combat climate change, DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a blog post Tuesday that, “If we change our guidelines at the request of one candidate who has made climate change their campaign’s signature issue, how do we say no to the numerous other requests we’ve had?”

Presumably, Perez is referring to Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) who has made climate change his central issue and how structuring a debate around the topic would

somehow give him an unfair advantage.

This excuse minimizes the role climate change will play in this election. For many Democratic voters, not having a concrete plan to combat this escalating crisis is disqualifying.

Every presidential candidate on that stage needs to be prepared to say whether or not they actually support plans like the Green New Deal or if they support a different approach.

We can’t allow presidential candidates a pass on this allimportant issue and we can’t let the Democratic National Committee minimize the importance of having a concrete plan.

Jared Sellick is a junior majoring in political science.

“Besides delaying our time in the roads, traffic can also cause accidents so it’s more of a safety concern for everybody.” ­—Claudia Acosta, a senior majoring in integrated public relations and advertising “Congestion here in Tampa is a problem but I feel that our city is trying to be better prepared for it.”

— Arsamy Gad, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering “Congestion is a problem as more people have access to transportation and congestion keeps increasing.”

— Cristian Malaga, a senior majoring in business analytics

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Two USF students compete for the crown

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Rachel Barcellona and Avalon Theisen will compete against each other June 26-29 for the Miss Florida competition.

Leda Alvim M U L T I M E D I A

By Leda Alvim E D I T O R

It takes more than waving to the audience and wearing shining crowns to bear the title of Miss Florida. History will be made this year as the first candidate with autism will compete for the title and inspire many as she shares her story.

Rachel Barcellona, a junior majoring in English and communications, is the current 2019 Miss Manatee River and will be competing for the crown of Miss Florida for the first time.

She was first diagnosed with autism at the age of three and was told by people that she would never graduate or have any friends because of her disability.

Turns out those people were wrong.

As a way to help develop her social skills and make friends, Rachel started competing in pageants when she was five and has won several titles ever since then.

“I have autism and I’ve always competed in pageants since I was 5 years old as it helped me come out of my shell,” Rachel

M U L T I M E D I A

Rachel Barcellona will be the first woman with autism to compete for the Miss Florida crown.

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

said. “I just want to show people with disabilities and even without them that anything’s possible and that I can do it.”

However, when she was in fourth grade, she decided to take another route. From competing in pageants around the state, Rachel decided to change gears by competing in spelling bees.

It wasn’t until 13 that she returned back to the pageant life. According to Rachel, she was experiencing anxiety and depression.

However, pageants helped her overcome those challenges.

For her mother, Barbara Barcellona, the Miss Florida title would give Rachel the opportunity

to help even more people while speaking about autism and the importance of acceptance.

“Rachel has been involved in volunteering and community service since she was 12,” Barbara said. “She developed her social impact statement Ability Beyond Disabilities as she wanted to help others with disabilities.”

Rachel’s story has gone viral as the Miss Florida competition gets closer. So far, she has been featured in articles all over the world, including Australia, England, Albania, Ireland and Colombia.

Earlier this year, Rachel

n See RACHEL on PAGE 4

E D I T O R

After dedicating more than 10 years of her life to service and social issues, the 2019 Miss USF winner prepares to compete for the Miss Florida title.

Avalon Jade Theisen, a senior majoring in religious studies, found her passion for service and helping others at the age of seven.

Ever since then, she created Conserve It Forward, a non-profit organization focused on environmental service and worked with different organizations focused on helping the planet and other living beings.

Avalon’s involvement in her non-profit organization is tied to her impact statement for Miss Florida: “Conserve it Forward: Small Acts, Big Change.”

Her statement, based on service work she has done over the past ten years, seeks to help educate people about how small acts equal big change for the environment and advocate for people to take action to help.

“I was doing what I loved all of these years,

Avalon Theisen is the reigning winner of Miss USF. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/BRYANT HOWARD

pursuing my passions even as a child to help our planet and all the living beings in it,” Avalon said.

“Now, I am in a position to compete for a job where I could dedicate an entire year to service.”

Avalon is 18 and plans on graduating in 2020. After, she will pursue a master’s in religious studies at USF. In addition, she plans on seeking a Ph.D. in the combined field of religion and nature.

In addition to her passion for service, Avalon practices meditation and yoga. She holds the title for the USA Yoga National Youth Champion and in December, she won the title of World Champion of Yoga

Sports after competing in Beijing. During Miss Florida, she will be performing artistic yoga in the talent section of the competition.

“I have worked my entire life for the service of the planet, people, and animals I love so much.

I am an 18-year-old senior at USF, involved on my campus and in my community and I got here by hard work and persistence.”

When Avalon won Miss USF in Feburary, she did not expect that a few months later she would be competing for Miss Florida. According to her mother, Deborah Theisen,

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Reflections from a hall of famer New uniforms unveiled

By Brian Hattab S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Football

By Brian Hattab S P O R T S

SARASOTA — When called to the stage at the Marshall Student Center on Nov. 15, a former USF women’s basketball star may not know how to respond.

Shantia Grace speculated that she may freeze up when it’s her time to give her thusfar half-written speech.

Even as someone who has had to speak with the media on a regular basis throughout her life, Grace’s nerves for this particular public-speaking engagement are perfectly understandable.

After all, that speech will be Shantia Grace smiles as she takes a shot at Booker High School in given at her induction into the Sarasota. Grace will be inducted to the USF Athletics Hall of Fame in USF Athletics Hall of Fame.

November. ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB But it’s not like that’s going to be the first challenge she’ll have at the same time, I had (all-time her single-game scoring record of had to overcome. leading scorer) Jessica Dickson 44, scored against Coppin State Grace, who played for on the side of me, so I think more in 2008.

USF from 2005-09, entered of the pressure was on her and It was a time of growing up not the program as coach Jose me just complimenting her was just for Grace, but also for USF. Fernandez’s biggest recruit yet — the deal, because I wasn’t going Her freshman season marked not and for good reason. In her time to be the starting point guard,” only the Bulls’ freshman season at Sarasota’s Riverview High, she Grace said. “I didn’t come in as in the Big East, which was a set the school’s record for scoring the starting point guard even drastic step up from their former — boys or girls — at 2,446 points. though I was high in rank coming league of Conference USA, but “I always knew if she continued in. also USF’s first appearance in the to develop, she was going to be “But things happen. The NCAA Tournament. special,” Fernandez said. “The starting point guard gets hurt and “That momentum kind of biggest selling point for us was I’m thrown in, so at that point, brought us up even further,” trying to keep her close to home. it’s either grow up or sit on the Grace said. “Yeah, we went to the That’s what we needed to sell.” bench. So I had to grow up.”

NIT the last few years after that, Naturally, being the highlyGrace grew up to be one of but we won the NIT (in 2009).” touted local recruit can lead to the greatest players in program That 2009 WNIT appearance some pressure — especially since history. She was a three-time All- was another thing Grace, as well Grace didn’t enter her freshman Big East selection who led USF in as the rest of her teammates, had season planning on being the assists in all of her four seasons to overcome. The Bulls finished starting point guard, yet wound with the Bulls and was the leading the 2008-09 season at 22-10 and up starting 30 of the Bulls’ 31 scorer for two seasons. Her 610 games that season due to injury. assists and 129 starts are still n See GRACE on PAGE 5 “It was a lot of pressure but program records to this day, as is

E D I T O R

Good things come to those who wait.

Well, if nothing else, new things come to those who wait.

After playing the 2018 season using an old, rather basic line of Adidas uniforms due to time constraints, USF football will play the 2019 season in the company’s new WVN A1 line, which is billed as the brand’s lightest uniform, USF Athletics announced Tuesday. USF will USF’s 2019 away uniform. USF ATHLETICS/TRAVIS PENDERbe the only team in the nation GRASS wearing the WVN A1 uniforms.

Most notable is the absence features as last year, except of the much-distatined “tire for the shoulders, which also tread” design, which was feature a horn on each side. featured on all USF uniforms The pants also feature a gold last season as a part of Adidas’ ‘Iconic U’ on one side and a old template of football gold Adidas logo on the other. uniforms.

Both jerseys feature “South The biggest difference apart Florida” spelled out in allfrom that comes in the away capital letters on the front — white set. Gone is an all-white in gold on the green jerseys; with green number design in in green on the white jerseys favor of a mostly-white jersey — and the full USF logo in featuring green numbers with green with gold trim above the gold trim. The jersey’s green player’s name on the back of shoulders feature a gold horn the jersey. The Adidas logo has on each side, a look similar been moved from the center to USF’s final design before of the jersey last season to switching from Under Armour opposite the AAC logo on the after the 2017 season. Last chest. season’s shoulder design only The helmets will remain the featured a gold ‘Iconic U’ logo. same from the 2018 season — a The pants also feature more simple gold design with a green color than last season’s all- with gold trim ‘Iconic U’ logo white away set. Running down on each side. each side is a green stripe, with No announcement about a gold ‘Iconic U’ on one side potential alternate uniforms and green Adidas logo on the was made Tuesday. Last other. season’s alternate SoFlo black The home green jerseys uniform was unveiled at USF’s maintain largely the same fan fest in early August.