8-25-15

The Oracle TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015 I VOL. 53 NO. 2

Inside this Issue

www.usforacle.com

The Index

News.................................................................1 Lifestyle......................................................4 Opinion.......................................................6

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Sinkhole surfaces on Sycamore Flowers

LI F E STYLE

New on campus?

Upperclassmen have some advice.

Page 4

Montage

A sinkhole opened under Sycamore Drive, near the Chapel Center at USF, on Monday afternoon.

ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Russell Nay A S S T .

S PORTS New faces look to revive USF volleyball.

BACK

classifieds..............................................7 Crossword.........................................7 sports............................................................8

N E W S

E D I T O R

Students who use Sycamore Drive on campus will have to take a detour for the next few days.

A sinkhole opened under Sycamore Drive Monday near parking lot 18B and the Chapel Center at USF. A large portion of the road is currently blocked to cars, and University Police (UP) Assistant Chief Chris Daniel said it will likely be a couple of days before the road is reopened.

Daniel said he did not know when the sinkhole formed, but UP was first alerted around

tapped as USF’s starting QB

By Jeff Odom

5 p.m. by someone from USF Athletics.

While the hole is approximately 3 feet wide by 3 feet long on the surface, Daniel said it is much larger under the road — about 10 feet wide by 7 feet long and 4 to 5 feet deep. He added that no structures are susceptible to damage except for a nearby Bull Runner bus stop.

While Daniel said it is rare for a sinkhole to suddenly appear, a recent Tampa Bay Times article said the ground in Tampa Bay is currently more susceptible to sinkholes due to recent flooding and high volumes of rain in the area.

According to the Times, all the excess water weighs down the underlying soil and sand, which makes it more likely for the ground to give way and form a depression or sinkhole.

The article also stated that the soggy ground is to blame for the reopening of a fatal 20-foot deep sinkhole in Seffner, which opened under a man’s bed as he slept.

Daniel said crews will have to test the ground around Sycamore Drive before filling the sinkhole with gravel or determining another way to safely deal with it before reopening the road.

While the hole is approximately 3 feet wide by 3 feet long on the surface, UP Asst. Chief Chris Daniel said it is much larger under the road — about 10 feet wide by 7 feet long and 4 to 5 feet deep.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY USF PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

USF is turning to Quinton Flowers to run its new-look offense.

After a lengthy battle to earn the starting nod, team officials announced Monday afternoon that Flowers beat out senior Steven Bench as starter for the Bulls in their season opener against Florida A&M on Sept.

5.

Coach Willie Taggart is expected to address the decision in a press conference today at 10 a.m.

Flowers, who was rated a four-star recruit by Scout.com, becomes the fourth USF quarterback to start an opener in four seasons. The 21-year-old saw action in five games last season, completing 8-of-20 passes for 111 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

He also rushed for 73 yards on 13 attempts.

Flowers made one start at SMU on Nov. 15, going 6-for15 for 105 yards before being pulled in the final minutes of the game for Mike White, who led the Bulls to a come-frombehind victory.

With USF switching to a new spread-like offense this past offseason instead of the West Coast style system Taggart ran during his first two seasons, Flowers fits the mold as a dualthreat option.

n See FLOWERS on PAGE 8

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Bulls stampede back for first day of school

By Russell Nay A S S T .

Cameron Davis, a sales rep at the USF Bookstore for about a year now, said the first day of class is when many students turn out to purchase textbooks. ORACLE PHOTO/RUSSELL NAY

N E W S

E D I T O R

With droves of students crowding Cooper Hall to make their way to class, pouring into the Marshall Student Center for something to eat or lining up to purchase textbooks at the Bookstore, USF once again resembled its own city after the lull of the summer semesters.

According to USF’s InfoCenter, 41,599 students were registered for class Monday at the USF Tampa campus — 186 more total students and 55 more freshmen than last year.

The influx of students caused campus parking spaces to quickly disappear, and a constant flow of cars on main campus roads like Maple Drive demanded the use of traffic directors by the middle of the day.

Cameron Davis, a sales rep at the USF Bookstore for about a year now, said the first day of class is also when many students turn out to purchase textbooks.

“I’ve seen hundreds of students today,” Davis said. “Most

people who get on campus for the first time, if they’re commuters, automatically come to the Bookstore to get their books for classes.”

Davis said, on normal days, students in the Bookstore usually come in groups when classes let out and then leave when classes start again. Monday, however, he said the crowds at the Bookstore didn’t stop all morning.

“Since 11 a.m. it’s just been a constant flow. It actually hasn’t slowed down at all,” Davis said just before 4 p.m.

Davis said the lines at the Bookstore were so long they backlogged work from over the weekend and prevented employees from dealing with an unsorted pile of books in the back of the store.

“We had one special Sunday opening the day before classes start, and we sold 9,000 products,” he said. “We’ve been helping so many customers that we don’t have time to shelve books.”

The first day of the fall semester also equates to new experiences. Alejandro Cabrera, a trans-

Internship fair brings employers to campus

By Chelsea Mulligan S T A F F

W R I T E R

Today, USF Career Services is holding an employment fair just in time for the back-toschool job rush.

The Internship and PartTime Job Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom.

According to Ashley Motley, Career Services assistant director of student employment, this will be the last time internships and part-time jobs will be offered in the same

fair. Motley also said this will be the only part-time job fair until April.

Business casual attire is preferred but not required.

According to Motley, there will be no attire check-in.

Despite the suggested dress code, the tone for this Week of Welcome (WOW) event is more relaxed than other employment fairs planned for later in the semester.

The event is taking place during WOW to attract students to Career Services at an earlier point in their college careers, according to Lynn Chisholm, Career Services director of internships. Motley

said the fair is “a warm-up fair” due to its more open, “lessintimidating” atmosphere.

Sixty-four businesses are slotted to appear at the fair, including Target, Ross, Moffitt Cancer Center, Aramark, Accent Health and Ashley Furniture Homestore.

Although many services offered by the fair are also available online through Employ-a-Bull, Chisholm said the real-life experience of an employment fair is valuable for students. She also said Employ-a-Bull is a good way to follow-up after positive conversations with employers at the fair.

“Students need lots of opportunity talking to employers. The fair is good for practicing their elevator speeches and introductions,” she said.

Chisholm also said the job fair is a good opportunity for “informational interview(s),” which allow the student to discover which companies speak to their employment needs.

“We want students to begin the college year with the end in mind,” Chisholm said.

“We want to be in front of students early on.”

Career Services will offer job fairs for full-time positions and internships in September.

fer student majoring in mechanical engineering, said he enjoyed his first engineering class during his first semester at USF — Communication for Engineers.

“It was very hands-on … the professor was really friendly, and it’s a small class of 15 or 20 people,” Cabrera said. “We’re doing an iFixit project, so we’re getting broken equipment, and we’re fixing it and creating a portfolio and a how-to guide for other people if they have to fix their own equipment.”

The start of a new year also mean some students’ times at USF are coming to an end. Alyson Strand, a senior majoring in gender studies, said this is her last semester at USF. “It’s a little bit harder to wake up in the morning,” she said. “I know that this is the last one, and senioritis is kicking in already, and it’s the first day.”

Strand and other students still have plenty of time to enjoy USF’s Week of Welcome (WOW).

WOW comes to an end with USF’s Round-Up Comedy Show at 9 p.m. Friday.

CORRECTIONS In Monday’s Welcome Back issue of The Oracle, an article incorrectly stated the Florida Board of Governors cut performance-based funding to Florida universities and USF only received $15 million in performancebased funds this year.

In addition to the new $15 million in non-recurring funds from the state, USF also received $8 million in recurring funding which the university earned last year.

The same article stated UF’s estimated $30 million in performance-based funding was also cut. UF received over $19 million in new funds from the state, as well as a recurring $11 million from last year.

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Lifestyle

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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T H E O R AC L E

Advice from upperclassmen for freshmen

By Moneer Kheireddine L I F E S T Y L E

E D I T O R

College is a time when many opportunities will consistently present themselves to the students on campus.

However, it is also a time when many newcomers may find difficulty getting adjusted to campus life, expanding their social circles or getting involved within the community.

It’s a difficult hurdle to overcome, but many students on campus have had similar obstacles.

“The number one thing I had trouble with is solidifying my study habits and making sure you understand (during) freshman year how to advance in your classes, and that’s something I really had a problem with,” Jonathan Pajack said.

Ensuring proper study habits is the best way to succeed academically.

Being ahead of time is always better than being late.

“Not to get too overwhelmed joining new organizations. There’s a lot out

there, but just take your time and find is the fastest way to travel on campus,” what you really want to do which will Kmari Ross said.

Getting involved through Week give you the best experience,” Lara of Welcome Cook said. events is a T h e r e “footare many “Even though being involved great in-the-door” organizations sounds very cliche, it does opportunity for on campus to all students, choose from. help with networking, and will Finding the perfect one is expanding your friends, as be a great introduction difficult, but well as getting involved in to the USF don’t become c o m m u n i t y. overwhelmed the USF culture. ” Having a by joining more bicycle for organizations Kmari Ross transportation than needed.

USF student is also a “Many of healthy and the things active choice USF promotes through (Week of Welcome) really help to getting around campus.

“The campus isn’t as big as it looks, students get involved. Even though being involved sounds very cliche, it it’s huge when you first start off but does help with networking, expanding after a while it’ll get smaller. Don’t your friends, as well as getting involved be afraid to approach people because in the USF culture. Also, having a bike everyone here is really nice,” Roger

Let’s Quit!

Vassel said.

While it will take some time getting adjusted, make sure to utilize all resources available on campus. The map placed around campus, as well as the MyUSF Mobile app will be the best tools to navigating USF. “Make sure to go out and meet the people on your floor, participate in any events that your resident assistants put on and definitely have a good time, don’t be afraid to try new things,” Dylan Barr said.

The best way to genuinely meet people as well as get involved starts at home. The residence halls make for a great location to begin building relationships, as well as to discover new opportunities that are available on campus.

In short, the best experiences will be made by trying new things and being active in the community. Ensure proper study habits while focusing on academics, getting involved but not too involved, and enjoying the USF

Have you ever wanted to try going a week without something you used every day? Do you want to write about your experiences and be featured in the Oracle? Then submit a suggestion for “Let’s Quit!” a new program designed to encourage students to try different lifestyles. Simply submit a suggestion to oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com and your suggestion may be used for the first “Let’s Quit” Section!

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QUARTERBACK Continued from PAGE 8

tweaked to his strengths. As a three-year starter commanding a spread offense at Miami Jackson High, he totaled 6,042 yards passing and 2,002 rushing with 32 touchdowns.

If Flowers is eventually able to carry those numbers over, he could be the best quarterback the Bulls have had since Matt Grothe — maybe the best quarterback the program has

VOLLEYBALL

Continued from PAGE 8

(Marshall) and redshirt freshman middle blocker Clara Payne (Virginia Tech) should also provide an additional boost.

All three also have previous ties to the team. Payne and Panick were former teammates of USF sophomore Alex Mendoza and junior Dakota Hampton. Belcher came out of the Orlando Volleyball Academy, where Bulls assistant coach Travers Green was previously on staff.

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T H E O R AC L E

ever seen.

For now, Flowers can be happy with being the fourth quarterback to start an opener for USF since 2012. If it’s meant to be, the pageantry will soon follow.

“Me and Steve, we just compete,” Flowers said. “We leave (the final decision) up to the coaches. Do our assignments, throw the right balls and make the right decisions.”

This time, USF made the right decision.

There was never any doubt.

“One of things that initially drew me to South Florida was my connection from Coach Trav, as well as my initial phone conversation with coach Draper,” said Belcher, who enrolled early to get a jumpstart.

Belcher said the talent of her new squad has pleasantly surprised her.

“We have a very talented group of girls with the retuning players and the transfers …,” Belcher said. “We have quite a few pin players, but each pin player offers something different and new to the table that may not have been previously there.”

University of South Florida Career Services presents

INTERNSHIP & PART-TIME JOB FAIR TODAY - 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Marshall student Center BallrOOM For more information, or to submit a request for reasonable accommodations, please contact us: www.usf.edu/Career-serviCes

(813) 974-2171

|

CareerserviCes@usf.edu

Opinion

6

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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

Editor in Chief Grace Hoyte oracleeditor@gmail.com

Sports Editor Jeff Odom oraclesportseditor@gmail.com

Breanne Williams COLU M N I ST

Lifestyle Editor The USF Bookstore is the Moneer Kheireddine first bookstore on a major oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com Florida university campus to Multimedia Editor Adam Mathieu Digital Editor Roberto Roldan Copy Editor Safeena Kassoo Assistant Editors Jacob Hoag Russell Nay Graphic Artists Ashley Barzaga Luke Blankenship Advertising Sales Lauren Alford Rachel Carpenter Abby Pereira The Oracle is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, during the summer.

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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T U E S D AY, A U G U S T 2 5 , 2 0 1 5

Students find surprising ally in USF Bookstore

Managing Editor Alex Rosenthal oraclemeditor@gmail.com

Opinion Editor Breanne Williams oracleopinion@gmail.com

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implement an enhanced pricematching program for textbooks. This new program is the first step in making college affordable for students.

The bookstore will match competitors’ prices for all new and used books. Then they will refund each student with a gift card containing the difference. There is a seven-day window after the original purchase date in which the pricematching program will be honored as long as students have the original receipt.

While the criteria for textbooks qualifying for the program is extensive, the discount offered will help many students. The program will match competitors, whether they are a physical or online establishment. The bookstore will also extend the price match to rental course material.

According to College Board, students at public universities spend an average of $1,200 a year on books and supplies.

Many university staff members have recently recognized the extremely high price of course material. When surveyed, 80 percent of USF faculty members said they take into consideration the cost of each textbook before choosing

one for the class. Forty-one percent also said they will use an earlier edition of the material to help lower the overall cost for students.

A survey done by Student Public Interest Research Group showed, despite the carefully selected books, 65 percent of students admitted they decided against buying a textbook due to the high cost. Of those students, 94 percent were worried that not having the material would negatively affect their grade. Despite their fear, they chose to refrain from purchasing high priced textbooks.

As great as USF’s support is, the real problem lies with textbook manufacturers. Five textbook companies control a surplus of 80 percent of the market.

This oligopoly keeps competition from rising up and evening out the heavily tilted market. The only way to change this biased system would be for an entire restructuring of the manufacturers — which, unfortunately, may never occur.

Until a switch to a nontraditional method of learning like an open textbook takes place, students will be forced to either dish out outrageous funds or go without the material and hope it will not affect their grade for the course.

By implementing the pricematching program, the USF Bookstore is one of the first to genuinely show students it cares about the value of their education. They are working to make the college experience as simple and manageable as possible and the gesture does not go unnoticed.

Breanne Williams is a junior majoring in mass communications.

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What you said Opinion Editor Breanne Williams asked students what was their biggest surprise on the first day.

“The parking and the amount of cars on campus.

I don’t think it has ever been this bad before.”

- Jessie Tolburt, a senior majoring in environmental sciences

“There was a lot of people out, but it still felt like a loving environment. It was a nice thing to be a part of.” ­— Devin Beeler, a freshman majoring in accounting

“The ‘no late work’ policy in all of my classes. I thought it was awesome. It helps with my motivation.

- Courtney Williams, a sophomore majoring in microbiology

“There were a lot of people here, more than last year.”

— Marques Arcelay, a junior majoring in finance

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Sports

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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T H E O R AC L E

GETTING IT

RIGHT

n Flowers is the Bulls’ best choice at

quarterback if they want to win now.

Quinton Flowers, named USF’s starting quarterback Monday night, started one game as a freshman last season.

ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

FLOWERS

Continued from PAGE 1

In three years manning a similar offense at Miami Jackson High, Flowers threw for 6,402 yards and rushed

for 2,002 more with 32 total touchdowns.

Rated No. 82 overall on Scout’s top 300 players in the nation, Flowers was heavily recruited as an athlete by Power Five schools, such as Florida, Alabama and Miami. But after flip-flopping on his verbal com-

There was never any doubt.

After a quarterback battle that commenced in the spring and carried over to the end of preseason practice Saturday, USF announced M o n d a y night that sophomore Q u i n to n Flowers will Jeff Odom start the seaCO M M E N TA R Y son opener against Florida A&M on Sept. 5.

Though this may have seemed like a tight competition between Flowers and senior Steven Bench, it’s hard to justify why it was even a contest to begin with.

Sure, it’s not easy to tell Bench — who also lost out to Mike White in last year’s bid for the starting job — that he will be taking a seat right out of the gate, especially because of his tenure. But it’s pretty clear that coach Willie Taggart has set the table for Flowers to succeed, and rightfully so.

Flowers, the once-heralded four-star recruit out of Miami, is USF’s best option for the future, and to win now.

That’s not a knock against Bench, who has performed admirably in relief of failed mitment to the school twice, he eventually signed with USF last February because of the opportunity it provided to play quarterback.

On the flip side, this is the second straight season Bench will be relegated to a backup role to start the season. The

Volleyball

USF hopes transfers lead to wins

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

starters and in a couple starts during his time with the Bulls since transferring from Penn State in 2013. It’s just reality.

Taggart’s new up-tempo style of offense is best suited for Flowers. In fact, one could argue that it was built around Flowers, once rated the No. 9 dual-threat QB in the nation by 247 Sports.

“I ran the offense in high school, so I’m feeling really good about it,” Flowers said Saturday when asked how he felt about his overall performance in training camp.

There was never any doubt.

Yes, his sample size is diminutive — 8-for-20 passing with 111 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in five appearances (one start) last season.

Yes, there are some who believe Flowers could be better off in another position, after he was heavily recruited as an athlete by the likes of Alabama, Florida and Texas, among others.

But is it fair to rush to a negative judgement on a young man who just eclipsed his first year playing at the college level?

One look at his high-school statistics shows the potential Flowers has in a scheme

A disappointing year, paired with the loss of its star player, initially provided a bleak outlook for the USF volleyball team entering this season.

After finishing with a losing record (14-18) last year for the first time since 2011, the Bulls were dealt a hearty blow when junior outside hitter Erin Fairs, the 2013 AAC Player of the Year and the team’s leader in kills (489) and digs (431), bolted for the University of Louisville in December.

But longtime coach Courtney Draper believes her team will return to its competitive ways this season, thanks in part to three transfers coming in from Division I programs.

“The nature of our industry is (that) recruiting really happens two or three years out,” Draper said during the team’s media day Aug. 6. “So, we’re really starting to get some huge marquee players that we’re really excited about.”

Junior outside hitter Denise Belcher, who is likely to fill the spot left by Fairs’ departure, comes to USF from the University of Florida, where she had four kills and four blocks in four matches last fall.

Junior right side Elyse Panick

n See QUARTERBACK on PAGE 5

n See VOLLEYBALL on PAGE 5

2013 Penn State transfer was narrowly edged out by White before last year’s opener, but appeared in six games with one start against Houston in November.

White transferred to Western Kentucky during the offseason.

Whether Flowers’ job is

secure or not remains to be seen, however.

After naming White the starter last season, Taggart rotated between the three quarterbacks on several occasions before eventually concluding the year with an open competition.