Elizabeth Engasser is a junior majoring in mass communications who loves seeing a good story come together. Having just wrapped up her first full year at USF, Elizabeth started with The Oracle last September as a correspondent for the news section, covering various events on campus such as Election Day and Justin Long coming to campus. Elizabeth has worked for The Oracle as Asst. News Editor in the spring and is currently News Editor.

Fresh off the first Big East softball championship in school history, the No. 22 Bulls head to Gainesville this weekend for opening round play of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

For USF (43-14), the road to the World Series goes through Gainesville and the Florida Gators for the second year in a row.

The No. 2 Florida Gators (52-7) are hosts of a four-team, double-elimination regional for the 11th consecutive season, after taking first place in the SEC regular season standings and winning the SEC Tournament.

Both accomplishments are a testament to the ability of the Gators, as the SEC is widely believed to be the best conference in collegiate softball, with seven teams currently ranked in the Top 16. The next highest total is the Pac-12 with three teams in the Top 16.

USF will battle Florida, Hampton and Georgia Southern at the Gainesville regional.

USF has not played Hampton, but is 5-0 all-time against Georgia Southern and 14-33 against Florida, including a 0-2 mark against the Gators this year, with a 3-1 loss on Feb. 27 and a 9-1 loss on April 10.

“We put the losses behind us,” Bulls freshman second baseman Monica Santos said on April 13. “But I’m confident that if we see them again this year, we’ll beat them.”

And without Santos’ single in a 10th-inning win against Notre Dame in the Big East Championship last weekend, the Bulls might not have had such an opportunity.

There are a few keys for the Bulls if they hope to have success this weekend and escape Florida with their season still in progress.

Jumping out to an early lead will be paramount towards victory for the Bulls, especially against the high-powered Gators, who average over six runs per game.

This season, USF is 18-0 when scoring in the first inning and 33-3 in games where they score first.

Taking an early lead plays into the Bulls’ hands so well because their pitching staff rarely relinquishes a lead, going 30-2 this season when leading after the fifth inning, thanks to its 1.23 team ERA, which is second in the nation.

For the second year in a row,USF is in the Top 5 in team ERA at No. 2, led by junior left-hander Sara Nevins, who pitched 22 2/3 shutout innings in the Big East Tournament last weekend.

Nevins went 2-1 against the Top 10-ranked Gators last season, including a shutout victory in the Gainesville regional to lead the Bulls to the Super Regionals.

The Bulls are one of the hottest teams in the country, after winning 34 of their last 38 games.

Only Hofstra has a better record in the last 38 games (35-3), and including the Bulls Big East championship, that mark is at 37 wins out of the last 41 games.

USF will first face Georgia Southern in the double-elimination regional on Friday at 3:30 p.m., and its next game will be Saturday. The regional final will take place Sunday at 4 p.m., with the winner advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals. 

Former USF cornerback Kayvon Webster was with his family when he received the phone call.

It was a call that made his dreams turn into reality and sent him and his family into a surge of excitement.

In the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, with the No. 90 overall pick, the Denver Broncos saw something in Webster and made him the first USF player to go in this year’s draft and the eighth defensive back in USF history to be drafted.

“I was excited,” Webster said. “(The Broncos) were my favorite team growing up, so it’s like a little kid growing up and seeing his dreams come true.”

Typically in the NFL Draft, players drafted have some idea of what team will pick them — whether because of multiple phone calls or workouts with the team — but for Webster, who didn’t have any contact with the team prior to the draft or team workouts, it was unexpected.”

After putting up impressive stats in the NFL Combine this past year, including ranking No. 14 overall in the 40-yard dash at 4.41 seconds and performing on par with other defensive backs’ vertical jump and broad jump statistics, another opportunity given to select athletes, and with the 5-foot-10, 195-pound corner’s raw talent, Webster said he believes the Broncos see a bright future ahead of him. 

“I think they saw the speed, that I was aggressive and that I had a good combine workout,” he said. “They saw that if I can get around somebody like (Broncos cornerbacks) D.R.C. (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie), Champ (Bailey) and Chris Harris that I can develop into an elite athlete.”

While corners like Rodgers-Cromartie and Harris in the lineup can certainly give a few pointers to the rookie Webster, he can also gain knowledge from a high- profile player such as Bailey, who is going on his 15th season in the NFL.

In addition to Bailey, it won’t hurt Webster to have a living legend playing across from him at practice throwing the ball — someone who has picked apart his fair share of defenses — quarterback Peyton Manning.

“Peyton and I exchanged a few words — he was asking me if I was ready, and of course I’m in the same meeting room as Champ and D.R.C.,” Webster said. “There are a lot of veteran guys. It can get overwhelming at times, but I got a job to do and that’s what I’m here for.”

Even with athletes who can double as celebrities surrounding Webster, as an NFL player, playing football is no longer an extracurricular. It’s his profession.

“I wouldn’t say I was starstruck,” he said. “They’re human beings as well, but it was cool to get to talk to them with them being as high profile as they are. They’re down- to-earth people that you can talk to and text.”

With rookie minicamp in Denver last weekend, going forward will be a learning experience for Webster, and with Champ leading the charge at corner, he’ll have plenty to learn.

Webster had a long career at USF. In 2009, he played in all 13 games, starting in six, and totaling 30 tackles with an interception and a forced fumble. He went on to appear in 13 games the next year with 29 tackles, then flourished in 2011, when he had seven pass breakups with two picks, a forced fumble and 49 tackles.

Upon graduating this year, after a less-than-stellar season for the Bulls as a whole, he started in 11 of the season’s 12 games and recorded six pass breakups with a career-high 82 tackles.

Now joining a defense that finished top three in passing, rushing and total yards allowed while also finishing fourth in points allowed last year, the lessons for Webster have just begun.

While he describes Denver as being more laid back having more

to do there than in Tampa, he hasn’t really given himself the chance to enjoy his first time living outside of the Sunshine State.

His mind is set on football and finding his role on the team, he said.

“I think I can work on having better eye placement, try to grab some more interceptions and just contribute to the team at whatever job they have me doing,” he said. “I’m just anxious to learn from everybody. I’m going to play whatever they ask me to play.”

With Webster ready and willing to make an impact, looking back on his USF days, especially after a struggling season, it wasn’t easy for him or his teammates to get drafted to the NFL.

“We didn’t win a lot of games in college so we kind of took it the hard way into the league,” Webster said. “We grinded for everything we have.”

With that season, along with his days as a Bull, now behind him the memory that probably stands out the most for Webster is the moment that made his dreams come true—the phone call.

His family, he said, is proud.

“Everybody was screaming jumping up and down and my mom was crying and my dad was proud of me as well. I think he wanted to cry, too,” Webster said. “I think everyone is happy for me because they see how hard I worked to get to this point. I’m just very thankful to be here. A lot of people don’t get this opportunity.”

Summer is the season for movies. It is the time when the most anticipated films are released into theaters. Here are the films that The Oracle editors are excited to see this summer.

“Before Midnight” — May 24

Before Midnight will be the long-anticipated installment after “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset,” both which have excellent, rich dialogue between very relatable characters. To see where the protagonists have come after nine years of hiatus will be a treat for fans.

Divya Kumar, Editor in Chief

“The Purge” — June 7

The Purge is such a futuristic look into this dystopian kind of world. It seems like a perfect world except on this particular day, when all crime is legal and a mob just tear apart this family. This movie should really give a look into the inner psyche of the human mind.

Alex Rosenthal, Managing Editor

"This is the End” — June 12

I’m excited to see “This is the End” because it stars a lot of actors that are hilarious, such as James Franco and Paul Rudd, and they are all playing themselves. It just seems like it is going to be a really funny movie.

Jasmine Abney, Photo Editor

“Man of Steel” — June 14

I really like comic books, and I thought that the Brandon Routh “Superman” movie was a terrible adaptation of the comic book. I am hoping Henry Cavill as Superman in “Man of Steel” will be more successful.

Roberto Roldan

“Monster’s University” — June 21

Everyone my age saw the original when we were younger. Now all of those characters we grew to love are in college in this movie — a very relatable theme. I think that’s really cool, and I’m excited to see it.

Adam Fenster, Sports Editor

“World War Z” — June 21

I’ve always been fascinated with the post-apocalyptic, dystopian society theme. The idea that the world is turning into this mob of flesh-eating zombies and you are forever being constrained while the zombies chase you is

intriguing. And to think that it can spread like an epidemic just blows my mind. It just makes you think what can happen in a globalized society.

Konstantin Ravvin, Opinion Editor

“The Wolverine” — July 26

I have been in love with Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine since the first X-Men movie was made. I think he brings the true persona of Marvel’s Wolverine character to life. Marvel has done an amazing job with the films it has produced lately, and I cannot wait to see what it does with the next installation of this series.

Shaunda Wickham, Montage and Scene &' Heard Editor

During the fall and spring semesters, it can be easy for students to get trapped in a routine of classes, projects, homework and studying. However, during the summer the mood on campus tends to be more relaxed, and students get an opportunity to step away from the normal routine and explore what Tampa has to offer off campus.

When looking for something to do off campus, students should consider the variety of options. Whether activities to beat the heat or to just simply relax, there are opportunities for new exploration all around the Tampa Bay area.

Here’s a taste of what can be discovered in Tampa during the summer.

Caladesi Island State Park

While Clearwater during the summer turns into an overpopulated beach hot spot, Tampa residents can explore many alternative beach options. Caladesi Island State Park offers a remote location where beach lovers can relax on a white sand beach. The island also offers a three-mile nature trail where visitors can hike and take in nature. There is also a three-mile kayak trail through mangroves. The island is accessible by boat or ferry. The Caladesi Island Ferry departs every half hour from Honeymoon Island State Park during the summer and costs $14 round trip per person.

Caladesi Island Ferry, 1 Cause- way Blvd., Dunedin, FL, 34698

Yuengling Brewery

For students who are 21 and older, a great way to beat the Florida heat may be a nice cold beer. Many out-of-towners may not know that one of the Yuengling breweries is located right down the street from campus. The brewery offers free tours — a chance to learn the history of the brewery and the brewing process. As a bonus, explorers of the brewery are treated to samples of the beer in Yuengling’s “biergarten.” All ages may tour the facility, but only those with a valid ID and are drinking age may sample the beer, though a non-alcoholic option is available for those who prefer or who are underage. The brewery offers three tours Monday through Friday and two tours on Saturday.

Yuengling Brewery, 11111 N. 30th St., Tampa, FL, 33612

Tampa Theatre

The Tampa Theatre is a well-known and beloved gem in the Tampa community. It offers a unique, classical moviegoing alternative to the many national chains in the area. Not only does the theater offer an aesthetic change from the norm, but it also screens a unique selection of movies. This summer, the theater is hosting a “Summer Classics” movie series where films such as “Rear Window” (1954), “Gone with the Wind” (1939) and “Casablanca” (1942) will be shown. The summer series runs on Sundays beginning in June and costs $9 per person.

Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin Street, Tampa, FL, 33602

Rainbow Spring State Park

A great place to relax and enjoy Florida nature is Rainbow Springs State Park. The park offers an alternative for tubing, canoeing and kayaking options. The best way to enjoy the scenery is to grab a tube and sit back and float down the river, coming close to a variety of wildlife, such as otter and fish — though naturegoers may want to be careful, as alligators and water moccasins have been spotted swimming only feet away. This is a great activity for large group of friends. Tubing starts at under $11 per person.

Rainbow Springs State Park, 10830 SW 180th Avenue Rd., Dunnellon, FL, 34432

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park

Located in the center of Downtown Tampa, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park hosts many free activities during the summer. The park is a great place to go for those who enjoy being outdoors. Activities summer include movies in the park, known as “Screen on the Green,” a free concert series and exercise with “Yoga in the Park.”

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa, FL, 33602

Something happened on Earth last week that had not occurred in more than 3 million years: A reading of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere nearly surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm).

The number is telling: as recently as the 19th century, CO2 levels were at 275 ppm — a number that had been maintained since the dawn of human history.

Since then, the sharp increase in CO2 concentrations can be largely attributed to the burning of carbon-based fossil fuels, such as coal, gas and oil. On May 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported a reading higher than 400 ppm, which has since been revised to 399.89 ppm.

Why is this important? CO2 does one thing very efficiently: it traps heat from the sun, keeping it on Earth and turning up the temperature of the planet.

Unfortunately, warming is just one aspect of climate change. The planet is heating unevenly, causing widespread shifts in wind and weather patterns. Dry regions are becoming drier and wet areas are becoming wetter, resulting in more droughts and floods and affecting food production. As the climate becomes more variable, anomalies such as heat waves and storms are increasing in intensity. Sea level rise threatens to displace billions and submerge coastal cities such as Miami and New Orleans. Ecosystems are shifting in latitude and in their seasonal timing, threatening species that have adapted to specific environments.

A recent USF study published in Nature Climate Change, led by Thomas Raffel in the Department of Integrative Biology, suggests that even parasites, which are small and can adapt faster than hosts, benefit from rapid climatic shifts.

Despite this, commonly encountered misconceptions continue to run rampant in American society.

Though climbing atmospheric carbon levels and temperatures are finally starting to gain universal acceptance as facts, the “controversy” has shifted to whether the ramifications of these increases are meaningful. A 2013 Gallup poll found that 41 percent of respondents believe the effects of climate change are exaggerated.

A May op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal questioned whether CO2 is truly harmful, suggesting that it promotes plant growth. While this is certainly true, it ignores CO2-driven changes in global weather patterns that disrupt the climatic conditions plants have adapted to. Similarly, the argument that CO2 levels have been higher in the distant past, also posed in the piece, ignores the fact that the Earth has never experienced such drastic rate of change in atmospheric content.

While skepticism is healthy, in this case it is often used as a political tool by special interests that do not want CO2 emissions limited by policy. Among climate scientists, there is virtually no doubt that climate change is both anthropogenic and a severe threat to the well-being of humanity.

There seems to be little indication that policies to curb CO2 emissions will improve any time soon, especially since the issue has become so politicized. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States suggests that people who are self-identified conservatives actively avoid products that are labeled as environmentally-friendly, even if they are otherwise efficient and cut personal energy costs.

This is everyone’s planet and we must act soon to slow the acceleration of this global catastrophe, regardless of ideology.

The buffer zone between freedom of the press and federal jurisdiction has been a delicate issue, often setting the precedent for government transparency, civil rights advocacy and the ability of average citizens to engage in the democratic process.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s controversial seizure of Associated Press (AP) phone records under the premise of “national security” highlights an alarming trend in executive privilege and its increasingly ambiguous ability to deter mine what can and cannot be subject to the due process of law.

According to bylaws, during a criminal investigation, prior to the issuance of subpoenas to news organizations, the Justice Department must exhaust all possible sources of information before entering into negotiations to determine a “narrowest” possible criteria for the release of journalistic records. The executive body conducting the investigation must make a reason able appeal to the organization to justify the intrusion.

The AP was made aware of the subpoenas only after a wide array of call and fax records from 20 lines used by more than 100 journalists were obtained from major AP offices. It is speculated that the investigation stems from a May 2012 AP report, which revealed a foiled al-Qaida terror plot that sought to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to comment on “ongoing criminal investigation” during a congressional hearing lends credence to AP’s grievances of the investigation’s unprecedented overreach of authority, which knowingly disregarded constitutional rights to press freedoms and protected news organizations against unwarranted search and seizures.

The federal government’s refusal to notify the AP is merely an extension of the eroding regard the current administration has for journalistic integrity and the rule of law. According to the AP, since 2008,

the Obama cabinet has issued six court cases against individuals that allegedly leaked classified information to the media, more than any other president in U.S. history.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the U.S. government has operated on an increasingly diluted criteria to justify its actions in wiretaps, civilian surveillance, and suppression of information. These tactics have amounted to visible violations of the one of the basic tenets of a democracy: freedom of the press.

A slight variation in the press’s ability to report factual and pertinent information regarding all matters of state, domestic and international, can reflect a change in the political environment of the country. The government’s flagrant intrusion into the private dealings of an esteemed news organization could establish declining standards which, if not constitution- ally challenged, could repress a visibly constrained press corps.

Through his tears and sobs, Hammad Suleyman, a former Arabic professor at USF, pleaded with the audience to allow him and his family to return to their home in what is now Jerusalem.

Suleyman’s speech was part of the Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) commemoration of the Palestinian “Nabka,” the Arabic word for “catastrophe,” most commonly used by Palestinians to describe the exile of Palestinians from Israel in 1948.

“It is not my intention to come up here and cry,” Suleyman said. “What I want is for you to do something about this (Israeli-Palestinian) conflict.”

Suleyman spoke about his life in rural Palestine prior to 1948, including the day his village was first attacked by Israelis.

“And one night, while we were out playing, we started hearing shots above our heads, and at first we thought they were birds. We thought, ‘Why do they shoot at us? We are peaceful people, we are not used to fighting. We don’t even have guns!”

Malak Fakhoury, vice president of SJP and a freshman majoring in psychology, said Tuesday’s event in the Marshall Student Center was held to remember the struggle of the Palestinian refugees and to promote awareness of their ongoing struggle.

“We really want to make other people aware that this is a systematic ethnic cleansing against a particular type of people and how people should be aware of what happened as well as what continues to go on,” Fakhoury said.

Following a brief documentary, which centered around an interview with the oldest woman in the Palestinian refugee camp in Colombia, USF Hebrew professor Orly Noy spoke to the 130 attendees about what she called the two “secondary victims” in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Noy, a non- Muslim Israeli citizen, spoke out against unfair treatment of Arabic Jews.

“Unlike the Palestinians, the Misrahi Jews have no home to go back to,” Noy said. The other of the two “secondary victims” was the impact of European Zionists on the Jewish religion.

“Zionism is not Judaism,” Noy said. “I think the Judaism that developed in Israel after these circumstances and over the past 65 years has actually twisted or injected something very foreign into Judaism which has to do with xenophobia, hatred and racism.”

Some Jewish students on campus found the premises of the event offensive. In an emailed statement to The Oracle, Brandon Schuster, on behalf of Hillels of the Florida Suncoast, an on-campus Jewish student organization, said the United Nations split the territory into two states, and that it was the Arabs’ choice to leave Israel and to declare war on the Jewish people.

“This event had the overtone that accused Israelis and Jews of forcefully removing Arabs living in Jewish territories by force and inhumane ways of ‘ethnic cleansing.’ However, this is not true whatsoever,” the statement said.

Ashley Stanton, a sophomore majoring in music performance, said she attended the event because she wanted to learn more about the Palestinians’ plight.

Stanton said she believes that at the very least people need to be aware of the conflict and how it is affecting other peoples’ lives.

“History tends to cover up things and make things very, ‘Oh, we don’t want to think about this so we’ll hide this away,’ but it’s very interesting to me to find out these things that the history books never tell you and you never find out

because people want to make this out to be this rose-colored world, and it’s really not,” she said.

In addition to being called “Palestinian Nabka,” the event was also referred to as “Holy Land Holocaust” on Facebook advertisements.

Some members of the Jewish community at USF were offended by the perceived comparison between the Jewish Holocaust and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. At the close of the event, Fakhoury apologized for what she said was a misnomer.

The College of Education named Vasti Torres, director the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University- Bloomington, as the new dean of the college.

Torres will assume responsibilities later this summer, after Interim Dean Harold Keller served for a year.

Torres, a Florida native, said she is happy to be returning to her home state.

“We’ve had a bitterly bad winter in Indiana,” she said. “Joking aside, I’m very attract- ed to universities that have a strong commitment to urban engagement and I like the idea of being part of that.”

USF Provost Ralph Wilcox said in a press release that Torres would be a good fit for the university.

“Our goal is a College of Education that is especially relevant to the needs of educators in the 21st century and I look forward to working with Dean Torres as, together with the faculty, we strive to expand opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, build and strengthen partnerships with the communities we serve, and raise the profile of the college to national and global prominence,” he said. “.... Her broad experience with issues of growing importance in higher education, such as the dynamics and factors linked to the academic success or failure of working students, as well as her personal research concentration on the college experience of Latino students — a significant constituency here at USF — make Dr. Torres an excellent fit for the deanship of the college.”

Torres said while the College of Education produces more degrees than simply teacher preparation, it is essential for the college to keep up with a field that is evolving.

“I think education as a whole is really being looked at with a microscope,” she said. “As faculty and researchers at an institution, we need to respond with evidence-based practices that will really make a difference with student-based learning. That’s where we really need to shepherd the learning with students in the classroom.”

Torres said she has a good sense of humor and welcomes visitors to her office. 

A proposal to keep differential tuition fees at the same level as the 2012-13 school year has been added to the agenda of next week’s USF Board of Trustees workgroup meeting — a measure that could depart from the university’s lengthy trend of increasing fees in the face of decreasing state funds.

The proposal, which recommends maintaining the differential fee at its existing level of $46.88 per credit hour, to be presented by USF Provost Ralph Wilcox to a USF Board of Trustees workgroup next Thursday, takes into account a 3 percent increase in base tuition.

At the state level, Gov. Rick Scott has vocally opposed tuition increases throughout the legislative season, but the appropriations bill that sits on his desk includes a 3 percent increase in base tuition. It remains unclear whether or not Scott will veto the measure. Late last week, a representative from Scott’s office said the governor remains opposed to any increases in tuition.

USF Media and Public Affairs Coordinator Adam Freeman said the USF differential tuition proposal was non-binding and subject to potential change based on the governor’s actions and that the Provost’s Office did not wish to comment until after the governor signs the bill.

Yet aside from the base tuition, universities may request up to an additional 15 percent in differential fees to be approved by the Florida Board of Governors, based on a bill signed in 2007 by former Gov. Charlie Crist as a response to the decline in state funding for higher education.

As a result of declining state appropriations and increases in tuition, for the first time in the university’s history, revenue from student tuition surpassed state-appropriated funding during the last fiscal year.

In the eight-year span following the 2004-05 academic year, USF incurred a state-funded general revenue loss of approximately 34 percent, according to figures published by the university’s Office of Budget and Policy Analysis. In that same time span, revenue from tuition and fees has increased by more than 128 percent, the vast majority of the burden falling on in-state students.

In-state undergraduate tuition rose by 91 percent over the eight- year time period, with in-state graduate student rates following close behind at 75 percent. Relative to their in-state peers, out-of-state undergraduate students only saw tuition rise by 1 percent over the same time period, while out-of-state graduate student rates dropped 4.5 percent. In the 2012- 13 school year, out-of-state undergraduate students paid more than 2.5 times the rate of resident undergraduate students, and out- of-state graduate students paid close to 2 times that of resident graduates.

The 3 percent base tuition increase proposed by the Florida Legislature in the 2014 fiscal year budget is a political obstacle for Scott’s administration but, as trends have shown, would have negligible impact if universities chose to increase school-specific fees, including Activity and Service (A&'S), health, athletics, technology, green energy funds and differential fees.

Over the same eight-year time span, the sum of all fees paid by undergraduate in-state students increased by 188 percent. A student taking 30 credits per year paid $107.83 in fees per credit hour — or $3,234.90 per year — during the 2012-13 fiscal year, according to USF fees listed on the State University System website, while during the 2004-05 year a student taking the same number of credits paid $37.40 — or $1,122 per year.

And while the new Florida budget is also expected to restore $300 million of previously cut university system funds and increase Bright Futures coverage by an extra $3 per credit hour, the change would be accompanied by more rigorous GPA and standardized test score requirements for high school students, ultimately reducing the number of recipients.

The average student debt at USF after four years is $22,557, and Javaris Herndon, a junior majoring in biomedical sciences and public health, said his is already nearing $15,000 in his junior year. He said he only expects his debt to increase in his senior year at USF, and then even more once he enrolls in graduate school.

Herndon is one of many students who contribute to the university’s total student debt of more than $250 million.

“I think it’s a major problem and speaks a lot about our education system,” Herndon said.

As the amount of total student loans in the country soars to more than $1 trillion, and the interest rates on federal student loans is scheduled to double as of July 1, students across the country face the expanding problems of
student debt.

Herndon said his debt problems started after his freshman year, when he said he received several grants and scholarships in addition to his Bright Futures scholarship.

At that point, he said he only thought of loans as a last resort. However, once sophomore year started, he said he didn’t receive nearly enough funding as he did the previous year.

“It’s scary at first,” Herndon said. “After a point, you worry, but you say you have to take out the loan, because what else are you going to do?”

Herndon said the benefit of an education outweighs the cost of piling student loans, but he said not every student feels the same way. Some of his friends didn’t want the debt and either dropped out of school or returned home to attend community college, something he said he has considered doing.

“Our education system has turned into a business rather than being about our education,” he said. “In other countries, the government pays for education, but not here. That’s the last thing that should be cut and we are consistently seeing it shortened.”

A recent survey conducted by Young Invincibles, a national student advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., found that almost half of the 9,500 participating students said they put off buying a house, buying a car, or start- ing a family because of student debt. 

Jen Mishory, deputy director of Young Invincibles, said she helped conduct the survey, which found that 15 percent of participants have been denied a mortgage and 21 percent have been denied an auto loan because of their student debt.

“The cost of college has gone up significantly,” Mishory said. “It is about three times more expensive to go to a public school now than it was in 1980.”

According to Billie Jo Hamilton, director for the Office of Financial Aid at USF, 57 percent of the students in the USF System in the 2011-12 academic year used borrowed money to pay for their education, totaling more than $250 million in federal student loans and about $10 million more in private loans.

The problem of student debt, Hamilton said, can be connected to the trend of increasing student tuition each year and a downhill economy — something her office has heard again and again from students and families trying to fund their education.

“You have a combination of those two things coming together, which has caused families to have to borrow more money,” she said.

Ken Souza, an adjunct professor in the College of Business, teaches a personal finance course each semester that instructs students on financial planning. Souza said the increasing trend of nation-wide student debt is something he has seen in various financial publications and reports.

“You’ll definitely see the American household is trimming back on their debts, like credit cards and mortgages and other big purchases, but you’ll see student loan debt is one of the few financing and debt items that has expanded over the last couple of years,” he said.

Souza said the problem of student debt is finally starting to get some notice because of the economic impact of students no longer purchasing the homes and other big purchases they normally would after graduation.

“Home-buying drives the economy, and homeownership is an economic driver and when such a huge portion of the population has to put off that type of purchase, it is definitely problematic,” Souza said.

While he says financing can help students cover the cost of college tuition, and even much of the cost of living in many cases, Souza said the debt could pile up due to the accumulation of several years of interest.

“After graduation, you sit back and look at the debt that has been accumulated and the fact you have a pretty hefty bill to pay for the next 15 to 20 years of your life,” he said.

Hamilton, who said the average debt for a USF Tampa student after four years is $22,623, said one definitive factor of student debt is the time put in to a degree. She said the faster a student graduates, the less debt a student has, saving a significant amount of debt.

“What some students don’t realize about going to college is not tuition, it’s living expenses,” she said. “That’s why we need to get students to progress.”

It is this cost of living, Hamilton said, that was one of the reasons why the university started the “Take 15” campaign, urging students to take 15 credits each semester. She said that by dropping courses, and not focusing on necessary courses for their degree, students often worsen their financial situation.

“The financial situation with students borrowing and taking on this debt has to do with academic decisions they make,” Hamilton said. “For every semester you extend your graduation, it’s $10,000 between room and board and tuition. If you go an extra year, its $20,000, plus you have for- gone a salary.”

Hamilton also said the university is working to develop programs for students to better their understanding of financing their student loans. In addition to providing exit counseling for last semester’s graduates, Hamilton said the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Student Success are working to create a peer- led financial literacy program, which will open this fall.

“The provost and the president felt really strongly that students need to learn financial literacy and understand their finances,” she said. “The better we can educate students on that, maybe they can hopefully borrow less or at least be able to manage it when they get out.”

While Hamilton recommends the many repayment options for student loans, such as unemployment deferment or income-based repayment options, Souza advises students to carefully create a financial plan and stick to it.

“You’ve got to create a personal budget and that student loan payment is a bill you must pay,” he said. “... If you end up falling behind on something like student loans, it can be catastrophic to your credit score. It could impair your ability to buy a car or mort- gage later on.”

Hamilton said she spoke with representatives from large universities during a con- ference last week — and all brought up the subject.

Regardless of the future financial forecast, Herndon said he knows he will have to work while earning his education, planning on possibly balancing a full-time job while finishing graduate school.

“I want to be optimistic, but the current trends show it will be either get worse or stay the same,” Herndon said. “Student debt may reach sky high ... with people paying back student loans for half their life. Honestly, where is the incentive in that?”

Before she sets off on her bicycle on her two-month trek across the country, Kiersten Downs is embarking on last-minute preparations for her ride which she hopes will raise money and awareness for student veterans across the country.

Downs, president of the USF Student Veterans Association (SVA) and a doctoral student, said her preparations for the trek, which starts in San Francisco on June 1 and will end in Washington, D.C., will include visiting the headquarters of the national SVA chapter as well as spending some time with her family in New York.

“When you do a big tour like this, you can’t prepare for everything…,” Downs said. “For the next couple of weeks I think I am just going to center myself, focus myself, get out on the road to ride as much as I possibly can, and just keep looking over my route.”

Last week, celebrity host Nick Canon sent Downs a message of support for her journey. The message aired on mtvU on a segment dedicated to students.

Downs said she was surprised by Canon’s message, and the gifts for her trek provided by MTV including a Garmin GPS bicycle computer, a camera, and a $1,000 gas card for the support vehicle driven by Down’s mother throughout the journey.

The goal for the journey, Downs said, is to raise $50,000 for student veterans across the country. So far, she said her online campaign has raised approximately $2,000, with other big sponsors in the works.

Once Downs begins her bicycle ride across the country, she said she will update both her Twitter and Facebook pages to show her progress. More information about her ride, as well as her progress once she begins can be found at www.bikingusa.net.

—Reporting by Alex Rosenthal

As USF awaits the governor’s pen on the annual state appropriations budget, some officials are breathing sighs of relief as the legislative season that was far less tumultuous than the last comes to an end.

The budget, which is currently under review by Gov. Rick Scott, proposes to restore the $300 million cut from the State University System last year — about $45 million restored to the USF System — in addition to including $50 million to be split between the 12 public universities based on performance metrics, yet to be determined. The new budget could also include a 3 percent base tuition increase. 

Though Scott has been a vocal opponent of tuition increases since the beginning of the legislative season, the House and Senate approved the budget with a three percent increase. Last year, tuition was increased by 15 percent. 

While Assistant Vice President for Governmental Relations Mark Walsh said the university’s first preference is not to have financial burdens on student increase, the increase would provide USF with an approximate additional $3 million. The increases would amount to about $3.10 per credit hour, or about an extra $93 per year for a student taking 30 credit hours. 

Jackie Schutz, Scott’s press secretary, said in an email statement to The Oracle the governor remains against the increases. 

“The Governor does not support any tuition increase,” she said in the email. “We are reviewing the budget.” 

But Walsh said the way the appropriations bill is written may make it difficult for the governor to veto the increases because it is written as a total amount in dollars and vetoing it could pose legal challenges for universities as to how they have the authority to charge tuition in its absence.  

Even if Scott vetoes the increase to base tuition, USF’s Board of Trustees has the authority to request differential tuition increases to be approved by the Board of Governors. 

Walsh said though Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds have not been available to universities in recent years, capital funding did come in the form of through Education and General Revenue (E&'G) sources. 

The budget includes $12.5 million in capital funding for the Heart Health Institute, $5 million for the new College of Business facility at USF St. Pete and $3.5 million for the completion of the Interdisciplinary Sciences building. 

Scott has 15 business days to sign the bill from the time he received it. 

There are first world problems and third world problems.  Differences in the quality of life among the world’s countries often influence the way individuals prioritize these problems.  But often, first world society finds itself relying on third world solutions and the retail industry is no exception.

American retailer Abercrombie and Fitch’s approach to clothing is simple. To “cultivate cool,” it overtly resorts to image branding strategies that, by CEO Mike Jefferies’ admission, are considered “exclusionary.”  By refusing to sell plus-sized clothing, the firm hopes to foster its niche market, ensuring its survival in a cutthroat industry.

These tactics are not without consequence, and Abercrombie finds itself in the limelight, facing societal scrutiny over the undulating issue of body image. Physical appeal is not exclusive to developed nations, but it is certainly of higher priority which allots us the privilege of preoccupying ourselves with trivialities beyond the realm of necessity, often overlooking how our developed world solutions come at the expense of developing world problems. 

Outsourcing, for example, is a cheap, cost-effective policy that is no stranger to the capitalist society, allotting its consumers discounted products by taking advantage of low wage labor abroad.

The Dhaka building collapse in Bangladesh, which claimed the lives of over 1,000 victims, is regarded as the deadliest structural failure in modern history.  The dilapidated building housed a diverse collection of businesses, including garment sweatshops that catered to a myriad of western clothing outlets seeking to capitalize on cheap labor and lax regulations to sustain their profitability.

The parallels between Abercrombie’s discriminatory image policy and the outsourcing of low cost inputs lead to one common goal: maximize profit margins. And while the means converge at a unanimous end, failure to prioritize our values when it comes to criticizing unethical business practices can reflect negatively on our society as a whole. 

Corporate responsibility to the consumer or worker is a luxury afforded by businesses that can fulfill their obligation to their shareholders. The firm is going to find a way to capitalize on opportunities, whether by exploiting societal trends or taking advantage of low cost labor, but it can only operate within the ethical and moral boundaries established by its consumers.  

What is worse?  An elitist marketing strategy that looks to promote a trend that some may find “offensive” or a relentless, profit-seeking strategy that undermines even the most basic tenets of human life and dignity to save a couple bucks.

By appraising body image above labor exploitation, American society finds itself at odds with its own founding principles and may soon alienate itself from the developing community which it increasingly depends on to solve its problems.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the world’s largest and oldest publisher of civil engineering information, report card on American Infrastructure for 2013 offers a bleak insight on the U.S.’s crumbling foundation.  

On an A-F grading scale, the country managed a meager “D+,”  a failing grade by any academic standard. Among the components of the assessment, drinking water earned a startling “D,” as did aviation, hazardous waste and roads.  

Worse still, seven years after Hurricane Katrina, one of the costliest natural disasters in American history, flood levees topped the list of failures with a “D-.”

The report estimates that approximately $3.6 trillion dollars is required to meet quality standards by 2020, averaging about $514 billion per year in the next seven years.  The dreary figures are compounded with the bleak forecast of federal government spending on infrastructure, indicating that only a fraction of the required funds would be allocated towards declining or even obsolete structures.

The report details the implications of underestimating its recommendations. Deteriorating roadways would increase the likelihood of traffic accidents and congestion.  Deficient flood levees could invite cataclysmic floods rivaling the likes of Hurricane Sandy and Katrina.  Even easily fixed inefficiencies in wastewater treatment plants could produce sewer defects and unsanitary drinking water.

President Barack Obama’s February State of the Union Address touched on the woes of American infrastructure, introducing the “Fix-It-First” initiative, which he reiterated last month when he visited Miami.  The undertaking claims to create jobs while improving the nation’s bridges, roads and facilities through a partnership between the federal government and private business — trendy political rhetoric that was popular with both Democrats and Republicans.

Despite the night’s standing ovations, the subsequent U.S. Department of Transportations budget highlights for the 2014 fiscal year did not live up to the ambiguous hype. The budget request for the initiative called for $77 billion with $50 billion in immediate spending, going to great lengths to detail fund allocation without quite specifying the strategy behind each cost.  

The infrastructure budget left much to the imagination, but most peculiarly, it exemplified our elected representatives’ utter lack of concern for ASCE reporting and America’s crumbling infrastructure. For the 2014 fiscal year alone, states would have to contribute a total $387 billion (75 percent of the total burden) or approximately $7.7 billion per state to meet quality standards, and growth from federal sources is not projected to grow drastically.

Infrastructure is the heart of a nation’s industry and an integral part of America’s economic vitality.  Failure to acknowledge a leak in the foundation can bring the whole house down, and the cost may be more than we could bear. Proactive measures to sustain the country’s roads, buildings, ports and airports could be taken by our elected representatives to reduce the burden on generations to come, otherwise, if current investment trends continue, failing American infrastructure could end up costing the average American family $28,000 by the year 2020.

USF softball pitcher Sara Nevins spent time at the hospital with her father Joe on Thursday morning, as he recovered from bypass surgery following a heart attack on Tuesday night.

Less than six hours later, the Big East Pitcher of the Year stepped into the circle to face Providence in the first round of the Big East tournament at the USF softball stadium, and led the Bulls to a 3-0 victory with six shutout innings.

Over the course of three games in three days, the junior left-hander from Pinellas Park threw 365 pitches in 22 and 2/3 innings, and didn’t surrender a run — striking out 25, while allowing only 10 hits and four walks, winning Most Outstanding player and, along with the rest of the team, the first Big East conference championship in school history on Saturday.

“I tried to put everything behind me and focus on playing the game with my teammates, knowing anything can happen,” Nevins said. “My dad told me to do it for him.”

In Friday’s semifinal, the No. 24 Bulls defeated and shutout the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals, a team that averaged close to seven runs per game this year, by a score of 3-0.

It was the first time USF played Louisville this year, and the first time the Cardinals were shut out since March.

The Cardinals, one of just four squads that handed a loss to the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, were dominated by Nevins’ accuracy on inside pitches at 74 mph, which kept the dangerous Cardinals from extending the barrel of the bat into the ball.

Nevins, who occasionally mixed in 60 mph pitches outside the strike zone to keep the Cardinals off balance, said the game plan was to pitch inside.

The result was only four strikeouts, but countless foul-outs, pop-ups and ground balls.

It wasn’t the typical strikeout-laced Nevins performance that Bulls fans have grown accustomed to, but it may have been her best of the year.

Saturday’s championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish was the first nationally-televised game for the Bulls this season, which aired live on ESPN2.

After nine innings of a classic pitcher’s duel between Nevins and Big East Player of the Year Laura Winter, who Nevins struck out four times and happens to be Notre Dame’s best power hitter, emotion filled the USF softball stadium heading to the 10th inning.

As the two teams waited during an extended television timeout after the ninth inning, USF freshman catcher Lee Ann Spivey stood in the on-deck circle anticipating the biggest at-bat of her career while “Wagon Wheel” by the Old Crow Medicine Show played through the stadium speakers.

“I had butterflies,” she said. “The best way for me to calm down is to listen to a song and sing it. So I was singing ‘Wagon Wheel,’ but I knew something had to be done.”

Then Spivey made solid contact, driving the ball to the left side of the infield, and raced to first base.

As she reached the base, an errant throw by the third baseman bounced along the sideline fence, allowing Spivey to hustle into scoring position at second base, sparking the loudest roar heard all year at the stadium.

Two batters later, freshman second baseman Monica Santos singled to advance Spivey to third.

The volume rose again.

With two runners on base, junior outfielder Ashli Goff stepped to the plate and hit a line drive that slightly ricocheted off of Winter’s leg, altering the defense’s approach and allowing Spivey to score.

The Bulls took a 1-0 lead heading to the bottom of the tenth inning.

As USF coach Ken Eriksen walked to the dugout, in perhaps the coolest gesture of the day, he stopped and calmly signaled to the student section and fans as the crowd reached a new level of volume, clapping and chanting in unison as Bulls neared victory.

“We just missed a few home runs and big hits off of Winter throughout the game,” Eriksen said. “As it turns out, look who gets the big hit for us — the little slapper Ashli Goff hits the hardest ball for us all day, off of the pitcher’s leg.”

Nevins finished off two Notre Dame batters before she was called for an illegal pitch on what would have been the last out of the game.

Eriksen entered senior Lindsey Richardson to retire the final out.

After Richardson struck out Notre Dame’s last batter on three pitches, the player who
exemplified everything that
Eriksen said he ever asked for in a
student-athlete, one that brought a tear to his eye on senior day, jumped in the infield as her teammates stormed the field
to celebrate.

Eriksen stepped off the field as the team received their individual plaques and the Big East trophy.

“I love teaching. I like to see my students get rewarded for doing the right things,” he said. “They’re doing great in the classroom, too ... They work really hard and they have fun.”

Spivey, a key contributor for the Bulls in her freshman season, rooted for the Bulls last year as a senior in high school following them to the Women’s College World Series.

“It’s so exciting knowing that we have a chance to get back there again starting with regionals and to know that we’re the last
champions of the Big East,” she said.

With the dissolution of the Big East conference preceding a move to the newly founded American Athletic Conference next year, Eriksen said he was glad the Bulls took the final Big East tournament trophy in his 17th year as Bulls’ coach.

“It means a lot,” he said. “Especially that we beat one of the best lineups in Big East history, with Louisville, Notre Dame and DePaul. Louisville and Notre Dame are both championship caliber teams, so I like to think we’re in the same breath as them.”

The hot streak, winning 37 of their last 41 games, along with the Bulls’ second best pitching staff in the country, based on ERA, clinched their tenth NCAA tournament appearance in the last 17 years.

But Eriksen said he hasn’t let the success get to his head yet. 

“Not that I’m superstitious, but my wife wasn’t allowed to come,” he said.  “She wasn’t here on Friday when we beat Louisville, and she was on her way over here and one of the player’s parents called her and said ‘Don’t you dare come to the game.’ So she was at home watching on ESPN2, and after the game she sprinted over here.”

After celebrating the win Saturday evening, Eriksen said the Bulls will get back to practicing early this week after they find out where they will play in NCAA Regionals.

“We might have some Motown and dance music playing,” Eriksen said. “That’s what we do at practice, we have fun.”

Some students went home to see family, and others capped off their academic careers at USF by walking across the Sun Dome stage. But during the two weeks off from classes, USF sports teams flourished.

It started with what is probably one of the biggest annual events in football — the NFL Draft.

The second day of the draft is when the Bulls peaked when the 90th overall pick in the third round of the draft USF defensive back, Kayvon Webster, was selected to the Denver Broncos.

Once Webster’s name was called, he joined a long list of other USF defensive backs to be taken in the draft including the Vikings’ Mistral Raymond; the Eagles’ Nate Allen, Trae Williams and J.R. Reed; the Rams’ Jerome Murphy; the Cowboys’ Mike Jenkins and the Browns’ Anthony Henry. 

The next day, the last day of the draft, USF linebacker Sam Barrington had his name called and was drafted to the Green Bay Packers with the 232nd pick in the seventh roundJust five picks later at 237, perhaps the most surprising pick was made. As the first USF quarterback to ever be drafted in the NFL, B.J. Daniels made school history by being chosen by the San
Francisco 49ers.

Along with the USF draftees, several other Bulls were given the opportunity with an NFL team by signing as free agents.

Defensive back George Baker and kicker Maikon Bonani went off to the Tennessee Titans, offensive lineman Danous Estenor signed as an Indianapolis Colt, defensive tackle Cory Grissom went to the New England Patriots and Evan Landi signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After the draft in New York, the Big Apple didn’t see the last of USF.

On April 30, the USF men’s golf team was featured prominently in NYC’s Times Square after winning the Big East Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals which will take place May 16-18. The NCAA men’s golf championship begins May 28.

The Bulls were tied through 15 holes before making school history as the school’s fifth Big East Champion at the time. Coming up big in the back nine, USF went seven under and finished the day at six under, four shots ahead of the second place St. John’s.

The same day Barrington and Daniels were drafted to the NFL, the softball team beat Syracuse in the first game of the final series of the regular season. Wining the series 2-1, the Bulls went on to win the Big East Championship at the USF softball stadium. With two shutout wins, and a victory over Notre Dame, the Bulls became the sixth team in school history to become Big East champions.

Celebrating more than just the end of final exams, USF athletes and Bulls fans had many reasons to rejoice between the fall and summer semesters.

Though Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel remains up for debate, the soundtrack produced by Jay-Z is topping charts. 

Jay-Z seems to make the eclectic compilation of artists like will.i.am, Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine, Gotye, Andre 3000 and more work. 

There are songs that have hints of the 1920s jazz scene mixed with today’s rap scene, but most are soon-to-be hits from this era’s artists.   

Here are the top five songs from the album:

“Young &' Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey — 

The song encompasses the glamour of the 20s era while exhibiting the nature of the relationship between the lead characters Daisy and Gatsby.

“Bang Bang” by will.i.am — 

Will.i.am begins the song with a ’20s style jazzy scat and then leads it into a techno dance hit. The song was a great soundtrack to the epic party scene at Gatsby’s mansion.

“No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West (featuring Frank Ocean and The Dream) — 

The song is a great collaboration of the artists and displays each individual talent well. The song was a great choice for the theatrical trailers as it created a mysterious and dramatic tone that surrounds the film.

“Back to Black” by André 3000 and Beyoncé — 

The duo brings Amy Winehouse’s hit back to life with a new twist. Though the song doesn’t fit well with the movie, it has a flow that will allow it to stand on it’s own.

“100$ Bill” by Jay-Z — 

This song was the most noticeably out-of-place song throughout the entire film.  However, Jay-Z delivers with this tune which will be sure to be a huge radio hit due to it’s lyrical style and beats that Jay-Z is known for.