Like so many situations revolving around race, what is left unsaid is often more telling than what is said.
From cyborgs to cockfights, the Tampa Museum of Art (TMA) offers visitors a unique range of exhibits to choose from. To keep you up-to-date, The
Oracle takes a look at some recent exhibits.
Hundreds gathered on the grass by the MLK Plaza on Wednesday to set a Guinness World Record that hinged on sharing hopes and dreams with total strangers.
Anyone who listened to the radio in 2005 is familiar with the All-American Rejects’ double-platinum hit “Move Along,” which was played at every house party, backyard bonfire and roller skating rink across America.
With the semester coming to a close, this time of year everyone is experiencing that nail-biting, hair-pulling, overeating feeling known as stress.
With exam week on the horizon, students might be too focused on memorizing the intricacies of the nervous system or understanding gross domestic product to think about what they’re eating. But what we ingest while studying can go a long way toward ensuring our brains are working properly and efficiently.
Tigers and lambs — one symbolizes predatory power, the other benign innocence. A series of acrylic paintings on display in the Marshall Student Center’s Centre Gallery magnifies the polarity between these symbolic animals by using them to depict role reversals in gender, sexuality and morality.
Social media might be useful for keeping track of friends and messaging the occasional celebrity, but a group of honors students is using the social media platform to help Afghan children and veterans of the Iraq War and Afghanistan conflict.
Vinyl collectors can rejoice, as Record Store Day (RSD) is upon us once again. The annual global celebration, which began in 2007, takes place on the third Saturday of April. Every year, music enthusiasts flock to local record stores to scoop up discounted records and CDs while enjoying live performances, food and drinks.
When the USF Freethinkers invite a comedian to perform, chances are the material will be far from narrow-minded.
If laughter truly is the best medicine, The Oracle knows of a couple miracle healers. Some operate with sophistication and wit, while others deal mostly in flatulence and debauchery.
USF and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have more in common than a shared football stadium. Sarah Nelson, a graduate student studying nursing, has spent two seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders (TBBC).
There was literally something for everyone at Bullstock 2012 as an eclectic mix of bands took to the stage Friday at the Meadows for a concert that began at 7 p.m. and didn’t let up until nearly midnight.
Anyone who’s visited USF’s Riverfront Park, located east of campus on Fletcher Avenue, might have noticed its large, wooden jungle gym. Though this ropes course is usually uninhabited, this weekend it will be open for anyone looking to get a workout high above the ground.
Everyone has to eat sometime. However, as most students know, visiting the Marshall Student Center’s food court for the fourth time in a week can get tiresome. The Oracle rates a few USF area restaurants on criteria including taste, price, service and atmosphere. This week’s theme: burgers.
To avoid the sweat and sun of the Florida summer, one might retreat to the crisp air conditioning of the nearest cinema.
April marks National Poetry Month, and USF is celebrating by both bringing esteemed poets to campus and bringing esteemed members of the campus to poetry.
Some students may loathe economics — that subject in school that’s either too confusing to grasp or just flat-out boring.
From iPhones to automated cash registers, technology is ubiquitous in today’s society. The latest production from the School of Theatre and Dance’s science-themed season examines the dangers of robotic dependency.
“Savage Love” sex columnist and co-creator of the “It Gets Better Project” Dan Savage is bringing his trademark frank advice to college students around the country in his new MTV series, “Savage U.”
For the rest of the spring semester, the halls and walls of the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) will be lined with sculptures, paintings and interactive multimedia pieces created by graduating students.
USF students wishing to experience a taste of Oriental culture can now do so without leaving campus.
This past weekend, downtown Miami was overtaken by the Ultra Music Festival, North America’s biggest electronic music festival. And by some strange turn of events, I happened to be one of the thousands in attendance.
Fit Five is a column by health science major and USF track sprinter Shannon Gordon. Drawing from her education and experience, Gordon lists five ways to improve health and fitness.
The shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was killed last month while walking on a sidewalk wearing a hooded sweatshirt, has raised many questions of profiling based on race and clothing.
Of all the places Geraldine Walther has performed, Tampa holds a special place in her heart. The world-renowned violist born in Seminole Heights will soon return home for a USF performance.
USF hosted Battle of the Bands Thursday on Crescent Hill, where USF-affiliated bands displayed their talents to fellow students and competed for the opportunity to open for the upcoming Bullstock, a concert featuring Cobra Starship, Jack’s Mannequin and 21 Pilots.
The high school dropout from Atlanta moved to Tampa and gained the knowledge and experience to do what he does today: work as director of forensics for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and write crime novels in his spare time.
The Oracle rates a few USF area restaurants on criteria including taste, price, service and atmosphere. This week’s theme: Thai.
Die-hard Bulls fan recounts her experience in Nashville during USF’s NCAA tournament run.
In the third installment of The Pop Shop, The Oracle disassembles the top five Billboard Hot 100 singles to expose what makes these tunes stay lodged in our brains.
When Apple announced its new iPad Wednesday, tech junkies around the world clambered over the next generation of the device and its nearly limitless capabilities. Yet tonight, five USF music
professors will use their iPads to compose and cover songs.
Digital video recorders are expensive. Luckily, television shows let you know about their returns far in advance so you can build your schedule around what truly matters: your favorite shows.
There's music that gets your head nodding and feet tapping, but then there's the music that makes you bounce and sway uncontrollably, mastered by the British alt-rockers that make up Radiohead.
It's hard to decipher what type of restaurant Ciccio's Lodge is exactly.
The New Tampa establishment, which is a hybrid of popular SoHo restaurants Ciccio's and The Lodge, takes the primary menu from the former and adds to it the burgers from the latter.
Everyone has to eat sometime. However, as most students know, visiting the Marshall Student Center's food court for the fourth time in a week can get tiresome. The Oracle rates a few USF area restaurants on criteria including taste, price, service and atmosphere (1 being the worst and 5 being the best). To preserve the authentic customer experience, Abuelenen and Castillo never reveal that they are critics. This week's theme: food trucks.
At the 84th Annual Academy Award ceremony last Sunday Michel Hazanavicius, director of "The Artist," took home the Oscar for Best Director. Though he has reached the pinnacle of success, everyone in the film industry has to start somewhere.
Class begins promptly at 1 p.m. There is no sitting, no note taking and absolutely no sleeping, not that one would even be able to. The most important rule is to get loud — really loud.
Whether it's through scars or tattoos, every body tells a story. Beginning tonight, USF theatre students will take their personal tales to the stage.
Universal Studio's Blue Man Group, which already offers a unique show, is being taken to new heights in a captivating new level of entertainment.
Bettie Kruger, Taz Maniac, Joan of Ache and Spank Sinatra are just a few pseudonyms adopted by the women of the Tampa Bay Derby Darlins (TBDD). High-impact skating, blocking and crashes have become major draws for fans of the all-female, flat track roller derby league
Music festivals cater to most college students, many of whom put their enthusiasm for music over their need for sleep and personal space.
Here are five natural tips for getting a more restful sleep, and in return a healthier body and a more productive week.
New York City may be the fashion capital of the U.S., but USF has its own bevy of stylish students.
Millions watched the 54th annual Grammy Awards show on Sunday, but no one at USF had a better view than music professor James Bass.
Valentine's Day is typically celebrated in pairs. So while you're searching your music collection for love songs to wine and dine to, why not choose a few duets to celebrate your togetherness?
Valentine's Day lands on Feb. 14 every year, whether you're in a relationship or not. Sometimes the timing of this holiday just makes things worse for those experiencing a broken heart from a recent breakup.
For many couples, Valentine's Day is filled with corny messages on heart-shaped candies and flowers bought at the last second from Publix.
If you've never smelled 25,000 tomatoes at once, trust me when I tell you the stench can be overwhelming.
A look at a dating site that reports 93 USF students as members searching for sugar daddies and mommies.
Every year, an esteemed panel of "experts" chooses the best music across a variety of genres. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences prepares for its 54th Grammys Sunday.
What do Kanye West, James Franco and human urine have in common?
Fit Five is a column by health science major and USF cross-country runner Shannon Gordon. Drawing from her education and experience, Gordon lists five ways to improve health and fitness.
Chic & Cheap is a fashion column that runs down the latest trends and shares ways to get designer style on a college student's budget.
A dancer in red and a dancer in black frolic through a pile of crumpled newspapers. Then the dancer in black mimics injecting herself in the arm and is carried away by four others as if floating away in a drug-induced stupor.
Many USF researchers have their work published to share with colleagues. However, one of these published professors decided to apply her work to a more entertaining medium: fiction.
Lana Del Rey might be the most recent artist to bomb on stage during Saturday Night Live (SNL), but she's certainly not the first. Some artists booked for the popular sketch comedy show have decided it wasn't worth using their real voices, opting instead for a horribly concealed backtrack. Others used their real voices, but left audiences wishing they had just decided to lip sync.
As criminals learn new ways to commit crimes, police must find new ways to prevent them. Local and national headlines show that law enforcement actively seeks out the help of everyday citizens to respond to crime.
It's that time of the year again, when Tampa Bay turns into a pirate cove for the weekend. But these aren't pirates who tote automatic weapons off the coast of Somalia. These much more festive pirates enjoy nonfunctional eye patches, drinking rum, catching beads and drinking rum.
A new documentary screened on campus tells the story of AIDS' emergence in the San Francisco gay community through several voices — one of which belongs to a USF alumnus.
Three weeks into the beginning of the new year, many students are probably already making excuses to slack off on fitness goals. New semester schedules may not allow as much gym time as planned and — as if our lives weren't busy enough — winter weather is coming and going so sporadically that we may struggle to leave our rooms.
Trying to stay chic this winter doesn't mean you have to resign to drab turtlenecks and too-hot-for-Florida parkas.
Walking around campus at night, one might encounter Live Action Role Players engaging in swordplay and security guards making the rounds on golf carts. A new addition to campus nightlife is a barrage of Frisbees.
Despite legislative efforts to outlaw them, packets and jars of products such as Spice and K2 can still be bought at most local convenience stores as easily as gum and Gatorade. Products with names like "Red Dragon" and "Blueberry Meditation" contain a blend of herbal plants sprayed with chemical compounds meant to mimic the effects of marijuana.
The subtropical wilderness of the Everglades — so quintessentially Florida — couldn't be farther removed from the concrete jungles of New York and Philadelphia that artist Mark Dion calls home.
As the spring semester begins, students are busy adjusting to new schedules and preparing for another 15 weeks of higher learning.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more than just another day off from school. It's a time to reflect and celebrate the life and legacy of a man whose dreams of equality paved the way for the civil rights movement.
Some graduates of the USF theatre program go on to work in television. But only one so far has run barefoot onto the stage of "The Price is Right", jumped into host Drew Carey's arms and then proceeded to tackle-hug actor Neil Patrick Harris.
Similar to other art forms, some pop music is conceived organically. But most of the songs you hear on the radio were assembled in a cold, dark factory where robotic mad scientists manufacture sound for the masses.
For the final paper of the semester, The Oracle has decided to translate 15 weeks of headlines into a format easily understood by young readers. Scan the QR code below and read along to a video montage set to the fall semester ‘rap'-up. I'm no Jay-Z, but what are journalists if not rappers of facts, figures and fascinating stories?
While most students occupy the library in preparation for finals week, a few gather in the Oliver Gallery of the Fine Arts Building to hang up pieces of themselves.
Though the Grammys aren't until February, we decided to scour our playlists for this year's best musical releases. Ranging from the ultra-popular to the lovably obscure, The Oracle drops the beat on some of the best albums of 2011.
It might seem counterproductive to spout false statements while working toward the truth. Yet science has revealed that picking up on sarcasm involves more brain activity than sincerity.
Before the agony of finals week begins, why not take a test that'sactually fun? This test is a joke. The questions don't necessarily have right answers because, as with most tests, the instructions read: "Choose the best possible answer."
With revolution in Egypt, upheaval in Yemen, civil war in Libya and riots in Greece, 2011 has been a historically significant year for political upheaval and protest. Tireless news organizations and omnipresent social media have allowed us to follow these movements moment by moment.
As the semester comes to an end, students may find themselves with more free time on their hands. Luckily, the movie industry continually churns out great ways to kill 90 to 120 minutes during the break. The Oracle offers a sneak peak at some winter blockbusters.
During the cooler months from September to March, everyone's favorite pulpy, orange squash crops up across America. Whether carved for Halloween or baked into pies, pumpkins find their way into many decorative and culinary creations throughout the fall.
November is not just a month for eating turkey and growing a beard. This month is also known as National Write a Novel Month to celebrate aspiring writers working their fingers diligently to crank out the next great piece of literature.
The brow of band director John Carmichael furrows and relaxes to reflect the shifting moods of his Wind Ensemble's Tuesday rehearsal.
Some artists establish alternate personas to express themselves in an all-new fashion. A few became fun deviations from the norm, while others left fans scratching their heads.
Brian Pirolozzi, a junior majoring in biomedical sciences stared at his bottle of Dasani incredulously.
Taylor Swift rocked the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday night, as she closed another chapter of her "Speak Now" World Tour.
Most USF mass communications graduates go on to work for news stations, advertising firms or print publications. The flight path for George Diller's career took a different trajectory.
If a student claims sickness to miss class, his or her professor will often ask for proof in a doctor's note. Not all students go to the doctor when sick, so if that student can't produce the proof, it doesn't mean he or she is lying.
As criminals learn new ways to commit crimes, police must find new ways to prevent them. By developing new technologies, law enforcment officials around the world are coming up with fresh ways to fight back.
Most students plan on driving their car or taking a bus to get around Tampa. They might not know, however, that getting in a canoe and paddling is also a viable option.
In the introduction to his show, Zane Lamprey proclaims that his job "is to drink." It doesn't take long to realize that Lamprey has one of the best jobs in the world.
Sometimes two musical talents combine their unique styles to produce classics, such as Billy Joel and Ray Charles' "Baby Grand" or Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure." Other times the two sounds clash in a cacophony that leaves listeners clamoring for sweet silence.
It's no secret that we love entertainment in this country, especially video games. Americans spent more than $15 billion on video games last year, according to the NPD Group.
A roll of socks flies through the air in front of Cooper Hall. A girl, seemingly running for her life, dashes across the lawn. She's being chased by two red-shirted zombies wearing bandanas around their heads. She's outrunning them, and the captive audience of students sitting at picnic tables begins to cheer. She trips, and her fall is met by a collective, "Ooohhhhhh," from the crowd. The zombies catch her and turn her into one of them.
The crackle of electricity awed the audience as USF physics professor Robert Criss demonstrated a sparking Jacob's ladder while cackling manically, in perfect imitation of a mad scientist.
Betty Ray knew that her son Nathaniel preferred to have his Lego block creations in a precise formation on his bookshelf. When she entered her 7-year-old son's room to clean, she took a mental photograph of where he had placed them in relation to one another.
Friday night, one of USF's hidden gems will shine for all to see.
One might think being the son of one of the world's wealthiest men would mean a life of endless privilege. Yet for writer and composer Peter Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, that hasn't been the case.
Many workouts focus on "muscle confusion," using exercises that take you out of your comfort zone to maximize potential.
While the 24-hour news vacuum annoys many Americans with a constant stream of things labeled important, it does offer some truly baffling stories.
When Angie White was a senior in high school, she had a problem rolling her r's in Spanish class. Her guidance counselor called a conference with her parents, telling them that White was "just not college material."
A group of 22 USF students hopped off the subway and onto Canal Street on Friday morning, making their way through the various boroughs of New York City to the Lower East Side for a weekend of art and inspiration.
Posted at the entrance of the Republic of Molossia is a list of items prohibited by President Kevin Baugh — catfish, incandescent light bulbs, onions, walruses and anything from Texas (except for Kelly Clarkson).
Head west on Interstate 4 and you'll end up at Florida's original theme park festival of fright. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Orlando has been scaring visitors since 1991.
Most juniors and seniors have had two years at USF to acclimate to life away from home and stumble academically. But for transfer students, the culture shock of becoming part of the ninth largest university in the nation, and the unforgiving intensity of upper level courses, comes all at once.
Similar to other art forms, some pop music is conceived organically. But most of the songs you hear on the radio were assembled in a cold, dark factory, where robotic mad scientists manufacture sound for the masses.
The newest Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) exhibition, "The Talent Show," is more than just a display of talented artists, it looks at the relationship between performer and audience in an array of pieces from the last 50 years.
Many aspiring professional dancers dream of making it to New York City with a well-known dance company. For USF alumna Heather Kemp, that dream has come true.
USF may offer new online graduate programs that can be accessed across the globe.
The USF Board of Trustees (BOT) approved five new online graduate programs last month and the Board of Governors (BOG), which oversees the 11 Florida public universities, will discuss the program proposals during their January meeting. If they approve the plan, the programs could come to USF by August 2012, said Mark Walsh, USF's assistant vice president for government relations.
USF's current Kennedy Visiting Artist has 1,500 photographs in his collection, but he did not take any of them.
Jason Lazarus' project, Too Hard To Keep, adopts photographs that people may want to get rid of, but carry too much emotion to throw out.
It's that time of the year again, when the local theme park opens its doors after dark and is converted into a land of chills to go along with the usual thrills.
When any group of friends volley priceless banter back and forth to perfection, they often follow it with a phrase similar to "Dude, we should have our own TV show." That dream has become a reality for the group of comedic comrades who star in and write for the Comedy Central show "Workaholics."
In tough economic times, many performers hope to be paid in full for their work. Yet one local band featuring USF students has a different plan.
Between course workloads, part-time jobs and attempts to maintain a social life, students may have little time to explore the cultural nooks and crannies of USF.
The crowd at Mojo Books & Music gathered around a single microphone stationed in the middle of the store Saturday.
"Nazis," "change" and "slut" aren't words commonly found together. Yet, that is exactly why the USF chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) decided to build a free speech wall, which was unveiled Tuesday morning in front of Cooper Hall.
Student music lovers might have a hard time making room in their schedules to see their favorite bands and artists. Luckily, Florida offers a variety of music festivals in the next few months — some featuring up to 75 acts to satisfy musical appetites over the course of one weekend.
Usually, the Montage page dives deep into one topic. Today, we're going to do things differently: offering snippets of headlines from hard news, pop culture and the Tampa area. You can view the information as random blurbs or pieces of a bigger picture.
Whether it's providing emergency training, professional experience for students or local disaster relief, USF's American Red Cross chapter (ARCUSF) deals with lives on and off campus.
Last month, an envelope marked with my messy handwriting arrived at my family's home address. Inside was a letter written in 2008 by a newly 18-year-old me. With three years of university life under my belt, I had entirely forgotten about this letter and its conception.
Two errand boys travel to Boone, N.C., to exchange a large bag of money for a large bag of magic mushrooms.
After eight seasons, 95 episodes and more than 100 guest appearances, the HBO comedy-drama series "Entourage" came to an end Sunday night. Though the show enjoyed commercial and critical success, receiving 25 Primetime Emmy nominations during its run from 2004-11, it will ultimately go down as a Hollywood fantasy that had more style than substance.
Recycled bottles, watercolor portraits, colorful prints and monochromatic woodcuts might not seem like items that belong in a room together. Yet last Friday, a group of like-minded student artists made these objects coexist in Centre Gallery's latest exhibition, "PRESSURE."
While many Americans can recall exactly where they were when the Sept. 11 tragedy struck, they may not recall where they were or what they were doing Sept. 12.
On the 10-year anniversary of the devastating Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans around the country will mourn those lost to the day's violence and the warfare that wages on in the Middle East.
It's hard to turn on the television without seeing commercials for eHarmony or match.com, but one Internet dating site exclusively matches college students.
College students depend on technology for both academic and entertainment purposes. The Oracle features some student-friendly technology that can both enhance productivity and hinder it.
In the wake of a devastating civil war, the African nation of Uganda has an estimated 2.7 million orphaned children, according to UNICEF. Despite the country's hardships, USF graduate Jason Cherres returned from Uganda Monday with a message of hope.
Moviegoers are faced with many options, and sometimes it's hard to tell the good from the terrible. The Oracle makes that choice easier with a list of some of the more promising films being released this fall.
In the midst of a volatile economy, many students dream of starting their own business rather than entering the work force for an existing company. A May survey conducted by the New York Times revealed that only 56 percent of college graduates in the class of 2010 found jobs by this spring.
Camilo Soto has done a lot since earning his bachelor's degree in political science from the University in 2001. Turning the vehicle he drove during his college days into a green and gold creation might be his best work yet.
Whether it's a problem with a deadbeat roommate, a ticket for underage drinking or any one of a host of other college-age issues, many students inevitably come into legal questions. One thing they usually don't have: a lot of money to solve them.
USF ranked higher than both UF and FSU on a recent Princeton Review list, but it has no reason to celebrate. That's because USF came in at No. 5 on the admissions consulting company's unflattering list of the top 10 universities where students study the least.
For many, summer is a time for complete relaxation in the comfort of their own home. However, a select group of USF students spent their summers learning far away from campus.
is a member of the 
Official Music Sponsor: 
