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  • Education names new dean

     

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

  • Student debt burden grows nationally

     

    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.

  • Tuition, fee trends explored amid budget talks

     

    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.

  • ‘Nabka’ event explores Palestinian history

     

    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.

  • Legislative budget includes increases in USF funding, tuition

    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.

  • Student veteran prepares for cross-country bicycle journey

     

    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.

  • University Police on lookout for suspect in campus thefts

    UP spokesman Lt. Chris Daniel said UP believes the suspect is connected to reported thefts of personal items such as wallets and cell phones on March 27 and April 23, and possibly other complaints of a suspicious person in the area.

  • Living Learning Communities continue to grow on campus

    Living Learning Communities (LLCs), or residential communities that focus on either an academic major or a special interest, have sprung up around campus over the past six years and may continue to grow, Jennifer Perkins, program director for LLCs said.

  • ‘Hulk mania’ comes to Sun Dome

    When USF football coach Willie Taggart stepped up to the lectern at the new restaurant of Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, he had an important announcement to make: a former Bull was returning home. 

  • Classroom to company

    Student starts up eco-friendly clothing company

    Stevan Brenner couldn’t think of what to do for his English composition course project. 

  • Governor signs bill to grant UF, FSU preeminence

     

    A bill that gained much support in the House and Senate was signed into effect by Gov. Rick Scott yesterday and will allow the University of Florida and Florida State University to exist as the state’s preeminent universities — or universities that will be eligible for additional funding to become nationally prominent. 

  • Environmental activists call for fossil fuel divestments

    While some appreciated Earth Day on Monday as another day of the week, several students focused on the environment took an activist approach to the day by meeting to discuss a “greener” plan for the university — a plan that would include divesting all funds from fossil fuel companies by 2020.  

  • Dining hall changes based on student feedback

    The atmosphere in the Juniper Dining hall has changed quite a bit since a month ago, when a photo of a piece of bloody chicken purportedly served in the dining hall circulated around Facebook last month. 

  • Degree programs audited for productivity

     

    As legislative funding pressures have increasingly weighed upon the university in recent years, so have pressures to become more efficient “in a climate of diminishing resources,” USF Provost Ralph Wilcox said. 

  • USF, Stetson partnership shortens time to law degree

    A new partnership between USF and Stetson University’s College of Law will allow students interested in pursuing law school to save time — and tuition — in obtaining their JD degrees. 

  • Centre Gallery closes exhibit after Boston tragedy

     

    Centre Gallery, the gallery on the second floor of the Marshall Student Center (MSC), which displays student work, was closed Wednesday and a sign was posted to the glass door.

  • Wellness promotes anti-stress campaign

    USF Wellness will attempt to relieve the stress that comes with the end of the semester by helping students save their sanity and grades.

  • ‘Doing it for Michael’

    Friends, relatives plan march to commemorate deceased student

     

    Michael Agana was bright and handsome; well-liked and passionate about his music, his friends say. 

  • Genshaft addresses students on legislation, education

    The future of higher education, USF System President Judy Genshaft said, looks “promising.”

  • Sexual violence survivors, allies ‘take back the night’

    Michelle Hughes Miller, a professor in the department of women and gender studies, shared her story, her voice unwavering and brimmed with passion, in the Marshall Student Center amphitheater on Tuesday night during the seventh annual Take Back the Night. 

  • ‘It breaks my heart’

    Students react to Boston Marathon explosions

     

    After two bombs were detonated during the Boston Marathon, one of the country’s largest and longest-standing races, killing at least three people and injuring at least 130, people across the nation, including those at USF, were afflicted as horrific images of bloodied sidewalks, severed limbs and terror-stricken faces spread across the Internet.

  • USF Housing adds Avalon, Province to affiliations

    For students looking for housing options off-campus in the future, USF’s Department of Housing and Residential Education announced it would be affiliating with the apartment complexes Avalon Heights and The Province. 

  • Online evaluations open today

     

    Gone are the days of hand-bubbled course evaluations, according to an email sent to students Wednesday from Dean for Students Michael Freeman.

  • Fraternities collaborate to save Florida springs

    Bringing together the combined efforts of nine USF fraternities, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) coordinated a campaign that played on competition between Greek organizations and culminated Sunday afternoon in a series of performances for IFC’s first collaborative philanthropy initiative.

  • USFSM students petition for new traffic light

    Dan Guigere died at the scene of an accident on U.S. Highway 41 in  February. He lost control of his car and crossed over into the opposite lane of traffic and struck a pick-up truck, according to multiple news reports.  

  • Performances spread suicide awareness

    A year ago, Keila Lopez, a sophomore majoring in biomedical sciences, lost a friend. 

  • SG passes $14 million A&S bill

     

    As students sat down to hear John Legend speak in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom Tuesday evening, Student Government (SG) senators sat down to vote on a bill worth an estimated $14.1 million in student-paid Activity and Service (A&S) fees.

  • Legend challenges education system

    The education system in this country is broken, Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend said.

  • Holocaust lecture commemorates victims

    The program began with a moment of silence and a reading of “El Male Rachamim,” a Jewish funeral prayer.

  • John Legend to step on USF stage

    Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter John Legend is expected to step on the stage of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Ballroom tonight to share his views on the importance of education and civic engagement.

  • Student veteran to cycle across country

    Kiersten Downs has worked as an indoor cycling instructor and has always envisioned cycling across the country.  

  • Students wear empty gun holsters in protest

    A national protest against campus and state policies that prohibit carrying concealed firearms has found its way to campus, and students participating in the protest will wear empty gun holsters over their clothes this week and hand out literature supporting their cause. 

  • Undergrad wins $15K with paintball plan

    Casey Henry likes paintball because it takes hard work and dedication.

  • Genshaft responds, students continue to sit in Patel Center

    They had received a response, but they weren’t happy with it. 

  • Mass Comm students question dean’s decisions

    For the first time since changes had been announced over spring break, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Eric Eisenberg, along with School of Mass Communications (SMC) Director Jim Andrews and Associate Director Kelli Burns, met with students in a town hall session open to all SMC students.

  • MOOCs change nature of online education

    Philip Bishop, a professor in the Honors College, usually teaches classes of about 25 students. But when he offered arts and humanities course last fall, “What Does it Mean to Live Well?” as a massive open online course (MOOC), the number of his students increased. Bishop taught 1,400 students.

     

  • Teaching for the 21st Century: U.S. Professors of the Year share education tools

    He’s been seen on billboards across the city, on the USF homepage and across campus. 

  • Smoke found in College of Education building causes 3-hour long evacuation

    A small fire, mostly of smoke, was found in an air conditioning unit on the second floor of the north side of the College of Education building on Wednesday afternoon.

  • Humane Society president speaks on being kind to animals

    When people think of the Humane Society, they usually think of people busting dog fighting rings or illegal puppy mills, but as the president of the organization said to a small crowd in the Marshall Student Center on Wednesday night, most of animal cruelty occurs in legal factory farms all across America.

  • SG discusses $14.1 million A&S Budget proposal for 2013-14

    After discussing the recommended Activity and Service (A&S) fee allocations for the 2013-14 fiscal year, the Student Government Senate will vote on the $14.1 million proposal next week.

  • College of Education professor speaks on journey to U.S.

    Bárbara Cruz, a secondary education professor at USF, spoke to a crowd of about 200 students in the Marshall Student Center Oval Theater about her immigrant journey from Cuba and her start in the teaching field as part of Housing and Residential Education’s Last Lecture series, a series in which speakers are asked to share the stories they would if they knew it was there last chance to do so. 

  • USF Health adds physician's assistant program

    In the last four years, serious talks among faculty in the College of Medicine grew regarding the possibility of adding a physician assistant program to the college, Larry Collins, a physician's assistant and assistant professor at the Morsani College of Medicine at USF and major contributor to the new P.A. program, said. 

  • 145 four-credit courses modified to three

    As students register for classes, many may notice courses previously listed as four credit hours now count as only three. 

  • Revolution Day opens students’ eyes to other countries

     

    Rhonda Sobh, a freshman majoring in biomedical sciences, noticed that many students at USF didn’t know much about her home country, Lebanon. She wanted to change that. 

  • USF to examine PCard use more closely

    After a letter was sent earlier this month from the state’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee citing the University’s failure to correct findings from three consecutive operational audit reports, conducted every other year, the University will be tightening its  control on the use of Procurement Cards, or PCards.

  • Legislature indicates restored funds, considers 6 percent tuition increase

    According to an article in the Tampa Bay Times, proposals from House and Senate leaders indicate next year’s budget could include a full restoration of the $300 million cut from the State University System (SUS) last year and more than $100 million in additional funding, some of which will be performance-based. 

  • New policy to expedite time to degree

    A new proposed policy aimed to keep the time to graduation within four years seems fairly intuitive. 

  • USF Medical Student selected for national fellowship

    William Pearce was tired of seeing the lack of residency positions available for graduating medical students. And he was tired of seeing no one doing anything about it. 

  • USF research team, Nelson tour Dozier site before graves exhumed

     

    When the doors closed on the century-old Dozier School for Boys in 2011, so closed one of the darkest chapters of Florida’s history. 

  • Humanities Institute hosts science fiction symposium

     

    Science fiction fans had the opportunity to address the author-editor power couple Jeff and Ann Vandermeer at this year’s Science Fiction Symposium at USF.

  • EPA administrator visits USF, observes water sustainability research

    Approximately 40 percent of the world lacks adequate amounts of clean drinking water, and researchers at USF have been developing methods for improving the quality and availability of this necessary resource.

  • Peer-to-peer financial education program to begin in fall

    Managing finances is one of the many obstacles students are faced with while in college.

  • USF researchers develop new green technology

    Making advances that have the possibility to change the world is something research students only dream of, but a research team at USF led by Mike Zaworotko has developed a new, organic material that could revolutionize carbon capture technology.

  • Bulls shut out of Sweet 16 in OT, 82-78

    It was March Madness at its finest.

  • USF Dining listens to students’ concerns

    After replacing management staff in the Juniper Dining hall following a photo of a piece of undercooked chicken spread across social media last week, members of USF Dining Services met with students for an hour and a half Monday, listening to concerns and trying to identify solutions in a Juniper-Poplar classroom. 

  • CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS — 3/26/13

      An article’s headline in Monday’s issue of The Oracle stated “Bedbugs found in Mu Hall, four students relocated.” The article continued to state that no bugs were found after a visual inspection of the room, but a canine inspection “detected the possibility of bedbugs” in multiple locations in the room and housing officials asked residents of the suite to relocate so the room could be treated to eliminate any bugs or bug eggs.

  • Canines detect possibility of bedbugs in Mu hall, four students relocated

    Marly Difruscio, a freshman majoring in creative writing, said she kept waking up in her bed with what she described as red, itchy bites. 

  • Genshaft appoints USFSP regional chancellor

    Sophia Wisniewska, chancellor of Penn State Brandywine, was appointed as the USF St. Petersburg regional chancellor by USF System President Judy Genshaft on Tuesday.

  • Survey: Tampa women say 20 ideal age to lose virginity

    A recent survey has found that women are choosing to lose their virginity later in life.

  • Architect speaks to students about sustainable housing

    As the world’s population increases, the size of housing is getting smaller in almost every major city around the globe.

  • Bulls selected as No. 10 seed for Big Dance

    The atmosphere was set — food, drinks, Rocky the Bull and the Sun Dolls.

  • UCF suicide aftermath shakes students

    Early Monday morning, students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) received an alert that a man in a residence hall was found dead in his dorm room containing an assault rifle, a handgun, and a backpack containing four improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

  • New Dean for Students: ‘The impact you make is important’

    USF’s new Dean for Students, Michael Freeman, began on March 4, and in his brief time on campus, he said he looks forward to working closely with students on campus.

  • Eisenberg announces changes for School of Mass Communications

    The changes will include severing ties with the accrediting agency that placed the school on two years of probation after a site team visited in January and found deficiencies in “governance” and “assessment,” and replacing the interim director of the school with the current director of the School of Information, Jim Andrews, who will maintain both positions. 

  • NFL scouts on campus for USF Pro Day

    Packed into the weight room with the players, the NFL scouts stood in jackets sporting team logos such as the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, jotting down notes on their pads. 

  • Student group ‘demands’ meeting with Genshaft

     

    A small, but vocal, group of students marched with a megaphone and posters from the Marshall Student Center (MSC) to the Patel Center for Global Solutions on Wednesday afternoon, congregating in the lobby for four hours, saying they refused to leave until they were able to speak with USF President Judy Genshaft.

  • Students give ‘hearts,’ register as organ donors

     

     

    Five years ago, Denna LaMons-Pace received four organs in an operation that lasted 21 hours. A year later, Dan Palmer was told he needed a new liver after he flat-lined in a hospital room. Today, Jenna Ribble’s older brother is a “happy, healthy college guy,” even though his liver failed when he was 7 years old.

     

  • Pollo Tropical grand opening event Friday

     

    Free food, music and prizes will be given out at the grand opening of Pollo Tropical in Sessums Mall on Friday.

  • Gen. Ed. requirements could change by 2014

    As the new legislative season embarks, one piece of legislation that passed last year may have an impact on future USF students.

  • 2013 legislative bills to know

     

    As the Florida legislative season opened Tuesday, “higher education” was a buzzword among the thousands of House and Senate bills that will be put forth in the coming months. 

  • Housing rates proposed to increase

    A new proposal approved by the Finance and Audit Workgroup of the Board of Trustees (BOT) last week could see on-campus housing prices increase by a weighted average
    of 3.1 percent. 

  • Greenfield shares business philosophy

     

    Jerry Greenfield met Ben Cohen in grade school gym class. 

    Years later, the two best friends are among the most successful business partners in the world of ice cream. 

    As an entrepreneur who said he sees himself as being “outside of the business mainstream,” Greenfield shared anecdotes of his lifelong journey as part of the Center for Student Involvement’s University Lecture Series (ULS) on Monday night in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom. 

     

  • Warmke: ‘Keep moving forward’

    William Warmke, a junior majoring in political science, criminology and economics, said he is just like most students on campus — born and raised in Tampa Bay, enjoys computer games and had some challenges in high school.

  • Referendum discounted, debate continues

    Fifteen minutes before Student Body Elections results were to be announced on Friday, the student body received an email with the subject line, “Apologies from Student Government,” stating that the two student-proposed referendum questions on the ballot would be discounted as an official Student Government (SG) referendum.

  • Ice cream mogul to speak on entrepreneurship

    After spending thousands of dollars on a college education and putting in hundreds of hours of studying, Jerry Greenfield said he hit a brick wall from every medical school to which he applied. 

  • Warmke, Sandoval elected as student body president, VP

      Anxious candidates for Student Government and their supporters gathered in the Marshall Student Center amphitheater on Friday afternoon to hear Election Rules Committee Supervisor Karim Hussein announce who the 53rd student body president-elect would be.

  • Divestment referendum discounted from ballots

    Students received an email signed by student body president Brian Goff from the email account of Interim Dean for Students Danielle McDonald saying the referendum would not be recorded as an official Student Government (SG)referendum. 

  • Divestment referendum ignites debate

    With one day of voting in the student body elections remaining, two referendum questions on the ballot have garnered the attention of students and have called into question the human rights conscientiousness of the hummus on campus, among other things. 

  • USF welcomes veterans with new program

    Returning to campus after serving for the armed forces can be a big transition, and as USF’s student veteran population continues to grow, a new program announced Wednesday will attempt to make the transition a little easier. 

  • TECO partners with USF SMART Institute

    USF athletic trainers and athletic training students are gearing up to provide their expertise beyond the conventional sports realm, as a new partnership between USF’s Sport Medicine and Accident Related Trauma (SMART) Institute and Tampa Electric Company (TECO) is set to begin this April.

  • One year later: Remembering Trayvon Martin

    On the one-year anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old from Sanford, Fla., USF students wearing hoodies gathered at Crescent Hill on Tuesday in memory of Martin and to speak out on issues of racial injustice.

  • Scholar questions role of race, historians

    Speaking and writing about race, and racism, in history can be a provocative topic.

  • As voting begins, candidates make final push

    On different corners of campus, William Warmke and Taylor Lockwood planned to stand until 2 a.m. this morning, handing out T-shirts and koozies, slogans and warm smiles, inching their way to the end of their campaigns for student body president.

  • Bull Runner survey offers suggestions for improvement

    Most students who ride the Bull Runner think it’s just “fine,” according to a month-long survey conducted by Student Government (SG). 

  • Voting online opens today for student body elections

    Voting begins today via Blackboard or the Student Government website. 

  • Engineering Expo yields thousands from across state

    Eighteen thousand students from elementary, middle and high schools across the state could participate in at USF’s 41st Engineering Expo on Friday and Saturday.

  • Geocaching adventure yields few treasures

     

    Armed with GPS apps installed on their smartphones, cache destinations with clues printed out from the geocaching website and trinkets to exchange, eight members of the Try New Things Club (TNT) embarked on a geocaching adventure Saturday afternoon in Downtown Tampa. 

  • Boil water notice lifted for Tampa

    Those who were exempt from an on-campus boil water notice last week, were among the 560,000 Tampa citizens who were placed under a precautionary boil water notice this weekend after a rodent chewed a power line causing the loss of power at the City of Tampa’s David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility. 

  • Innaugural TEDxUSF event brings eclectic speakers

     

    A handful of speakers took the stage on Friday night, speaking on topics ranging from sustainability to the power of music.

  • Students hear from panel on immigration reform

    Students gathered near the MLK Plaza on Wednesday night to hear similar stories from a panel organized by College Democrats that discussed immigration reform, a topic that has received much attention in recent weeks since President Barack Obama proposed his immigration reform plan. 

  • Relationship expert to explain gender

    If you have been having trouble looking for love in all the wrong places, or just don’t understand the other gender, then you might want to look in the Oval Theater in the Marshall Student Center today.

  • Interfraternity Council sponsors students for conservation summit

    To some members of Greek Village, the environment was a cause to “spring” into action. 

  • Bull statue to create ‘new traditions’

    Standing with its front legs bent and its horns pointed forward as if it were about to charge, a new bull will join the herd. 

  • ‘The herd’ represents USF at state capital

    They left in buses at 5:30 a.m., but students who traveled to Tallahassee for USF Day at the Capitol said they were still filled with energy after a day of meetings with more than 30 state legislators. 

  • Students march for climate change

    Wearing green hard hats and sporting colorful signs, the group of protesters marched from the Marshall Student Center to Sen. Marco Rubio’s on-campus office belting environmentally conscientious chants through a megaphone.

  • Scientist produces wild fish in lab

    The topic of fish breeding isn’t one that frequently emerges in everyday discussion, but on Wednesday evening in the Tarpon Room of the Marshall Student Center, an audience of about 20 students, members of the Aquarist Club, sat attentively, eager to learn about the field. 

  • Candidates face tough questions from incumbent

    William Warmke and his running mate Scott Sandoval, along with Taylor Lockwood and his running mate Ben Agosto, were put to the test, facing a tough line of questions during the second debate for student body president and vice president on Monday. 

  • Proposal to increase parking permit prices to be presented next week

    Students and employees at the university could soon see increased costs for parking on campus due to a proposal to increase parking permit prices for the 2013-14 school year — a proposal that already has much of the campus concerned.

  • Students rally for ‘USF Day at the Capital’

    Before the sun rose this morning, about 60 USF students, dressed in green, gold and khaki, will have left on a bus for the state’s capital.

  • Lockwood, Agosto focus on reaching out to students

     

    Taylor Lockwood, a junior majoring in political science, says he cares about your dreams. That’s why he, with his running mate Ben Agosto, are running for the positions of student body president and vice president, Lockwood said. 

     

  • Warmke, Sandoval aim to increase student involvement

     

    William Warmke, a senior triple-majoring in political science, criminology and economics, first became involved in Student Government during his sophomore year, when he was a senator in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

  • Student body president, VP debates tonight

    Students will be able to see the candidates for next year’s student body president debate for the second time tonight in the Marshall Student Center (MSC). Following the debate, students will have a chance to meet the candidates at a one-on-one at a reception sponsored by Student Government (SG).

  • Boil water order lifted Sunday afternoon

    A two-day boil water notice was lifted on Sunday afternoon after a bacteriological survey confirmed that campus water was safe to drink, according to a notice from USF Physical Plant. 

  • Professor explains horrors of human trafficking

     

    For many students, the thought of a young child sold into a world of violence and abuse for a mere $200 by her mother or father is a scenario thought about when watching Hollywood-produced movies such as “Taken.” 

  • Boil water notification issued for most of USF Tampa campus

     

    A precautionary boil water order will remain in effect on most of the Tampa campus until a bacteriological survey confirms the water safe to drink, according to a notification sent from the USF Physical Plant. 

  • Candidates speak briefly in student debate

    In a stark contrast to last year’s debates, Wednesday’s debate between the two candidates running for student body president was brief — 35 minutes. 

  • Protesters argue abortion on campus

    Images of aborted fetuses and Holocaust victims accosted students in front of the Library Wednesday as the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), a pro-life organization that travels around the country protesting abortion. 

  • Lecture explains ‘love in Islam’

     

    Why can’t Muslims date? If they can’t date, then how do they marry? Where is the love in Islam? 

  • Student body president candidates debate today

    Students will have an opportunity to get an early look at how next year’s student body president will perform at a debate between candidates at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in the Marshall Student Center at 6 p.m. The first debate, hosted by Student Government and Bulls Radio, will be moderated by Cole Giering, a senior majoring in biomedical sciences.

  • Scientists dive into innovative cancer research

    Developing studies from a USF research team may suggest that the same technologies used to train deep-sea divers could lead to breakthroughs in cancer research. The Hyperbaric Biomedical Research Laboratory, part of the department of molecular pharmacology and physiology at USF, spearheaded by Drs.

  • Extended application deadline for Board of Trustees

    The application for a vacant seat of the USF Board of Trustees (BOT) has been extended to March 4, according to a press release from the Florida Board of Governors. 

  • Engineering students build 10-foot Tesla coil

    Members of the student organization X-Labs have built a 10-foot tall dual-resonant solid-state Tesla coil, an electrical transformer circuit, capable of producing alternating-current electricity. 

  • Lecture questions ‘why so few terrorists?’

    The question was simple, yet it carried lots of controversy with it. 

  • Questions linger on campus as pope resigns

    As news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation trickled down from Vatican City early this morning, many on campus, like those across the world, were surprised.

  • Candidates begin campaign for student body election

    As two weeks of campaigning kicks off today, two candidates will vie for the position of student body president — a position that serves as the representative of the more than 40,000 students on the Tampa campus, holds a seat on the university Board of Trustees and oversees a budget of more than $14 million in Activities and Service fees. 

  • Undy 5000 supports colon cancer awareness

    People of all walks of life, some dressed as fairies and others as superheroes, but all in their underwear, gathered at Al Lopez Park for the first Undy 5000, a 5K run in support of colon cancer awareness. 

  • USF and UWF create new physical therapy program

    A new joint doctoral program in physical therapy offered by USF Health and the University of West Florida will aim to provide students with increased opportunities for education and employment.

  • Rape reported in Holly G residence hall

     

    A female student was reportedly raped in the Holly G Residence hall early Sunday morning. 

  • 10-hour power outage solved ‘within the hour’

    Students in Juniper-Poplar hall were left in the dark due to a power outage for approximately 10 hours on Sunday, but Tampa Electric Company (TECO) spokeswoman said TECO wasn’t notified until 9:30 p.m. 

  • Group petitions for Palestinian resolution in SG senate

    Ahmad Saadaldin, a junior majoring in mass communications and president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), wants USF to boycott corporations, such as Sabra Hummus and Hewlett-Packard, which he said supports the “oppression, occupation and apartheid of Palestinian people.” 

  • New agreement gives more credit toward associate degrees

    USF has finalized an agreement to set up a system with Florida College System (FCS) colleges which will allow for easier reverse credit transferring and improve student access to two-year degrees by allowing  students transferring from USF to an FCS school to receive credit for the courses they have already taken. 

  • Applications for Greek house now available

    Greek Village could potentially have some new residents this fall, as the Department of Housing and Residential Education began the application process for Greek organizations to bid to live in the former Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) house.

  • Scott budget implications unknown

    Though Gov. Rick Scott’s budget, the largest in Florida history, saw additions made to the State University System budget, it is too early to know if it means more money will be headed USF’s way.

  • Power outage leaves students in the dark

     

    Electricity went out for the Super Dome for less than an hour, but many students on campus were left in the dark for most of the day on Super Bowl Sunday.

  • Scott reveals education budget

     

    Gov. Rick Scott’s budget was met with baited breath by higher education institutions when it was released last week. 

  • USF Finance team headed to state competition

     

    Students from the College of Business will travel to Jacksonville on Saturday to compete in the state level competition, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Research Challenge. 

  • Former VP of Communications, AVP of USF Health Communications leaves USF

     

    Former vice president of communications for USF and associate vice president of USF Health Communications Michael Hoad, the longtime voice of USF at press conferences ranging from the firing of Jim Leavitt to budget cuts, left USF after 25 years. 

  • Sun Dome ranks nationally after year of rennovation

     

    Following a year that included a $35.6 million renovation and highly anticipated performances, such as those of Elton John and Florence and the Machine, the USF Sun Dome placed No. 5 in the “2012 University Top Stops” by Venues Today magazine. 

  • Red Coach includes USF stop on bus route

    Red Coach, a “first-class bus service” that stretches from Tallahassee to Miami, will extend its route starting Friday to include a stop at the USF Tampa campus. 

  • Students ‘swallow’ campaign with mixed reactions

    With the word “swallow” boldly printed on the campaign posters across campus, the campaign has garnered the attention of many students — but not all positive.

  • School of Mass Communications granted provisional accreditation

     

    For students and faculty in the School of Mass Communications, increased assessment and stable governance could be coming soon after a national accreditation committee recommended the school be granted provisional accreditation. 

  • Man charged with indecent exposure in MSC

     

    University Police (UP) received a complaint Tuesday afternoon after a 56-year-old man exposed his sexual organs to a female student in a public area of the fourth floor of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) on Tuesday afternoon. 

  • SG surveys Bull Runner experience

     

    “Are you happy with the current Bull Runner services?”

    That is one of several questions asked by Student Government (SG) in a survey they are conducting this week to gauge student opinion about the Bull Runner bus shuttle service.

  • Rape cases still under investigation

    University Police (UP) officers are still investigating the reported rape of a USF-affiliated man in a Marshall Student Center restroom, UP spokeswoman Lt. Charlotte Domingo said.

  • Miracle Week begins for Dance Marathon

     

    As a group of students broke into dance in the middle of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) atrium Monday afternoon, Miracle Week for Dance Marathon began.

  • USF nominated for best social media usage

    USF is in the running for a Shorty award, an award with a nomination as short as a140-character tweet but must compete with those of more than 700 universities.

  • UPDATED: Rape reported in Marshall Student Center restroom

    A male victim filed a complaint with University Police (UP) on Friday, a week after he was allegedly raped in a Marshall Student Center public restroom.

  • Gasparilla events result in campus arrests

     

    In addition to the pirates and beads, Gasparilla is also known for the drinking and crimes that come with it.

  • Students find parking, appeal process ‘confusing’

     

    Though the number of parking citations have decreased since last year, according to USF Parking and Transportation Services (PATS), confusion surrounding what to do once a citation is issued has not.

  • USF strengthens partnership with Draper Lab

    The partnership between Draper Laboratory and the University of South Florida has recently strengthened due to a new affiliation agreement that is set to start immediately. 

  • Student transported to hospital after medical emergency

     

    A USF student was transported to a local hospital via ambulance after being removed from a car after experiencing a medical emergency in a parking lot adjacent to Alumni Drive.

  • USF prepares for Governor’s budget

     

    Almost a year after the Florida Senate proposed to slash USF’s budget by 58 percent, a proposal that USF President Judy Genshaft called “blatantly unfair,” Genshaft stood before the Faculty Senate on Wednesday cautiously optimistic as the university waits for the Governor’s proposed budget that will begin the legislative allocation process. 

  • Award-winning novelist speaks to writers

     

    Crimes of bandits, thieves or other outlaws always provide a good story. At least, that is how James Carlos Blake became a prestigious author.

  • Lakeland petition meeting produces no changes

     

    After meeting with university officials to discuss creating a separate commencement ceremony for students at Lakeland, students who petitioned for a separate ceremony said no decision was reached.

  • Education Abroad develops 'GloBull Greeks' program

    Greeks on campus could soon find themselves in Greece — or any other country around the world studying abroad due to an initiative by the Education Abroad office.

  • Applications due Feb. 1 for Student Government

    Applications for student body president and other Student Government positions are due by email to Election Rules Committee (ERC) Supervisor Karim Hussein by Feb. 1.

  • Student Government reaches out to students

    Students will be able to find free lemonade and snacks today around campus, as part of Student Government’s (SG) “Reach Week.”
     

  • Dining changes coming soon

    For students craving food from Pollo Tropical, Panda Express and Papa John’s, the wait on campus is almost over.

  • Lakeland students petition for local graduation

     

    After USF’s Polytechnic campus split from the university last year, resulting in the creation of Florida’s 12th public university, Florida Polytechnic University (FPU), students at the Lakeland branch campus want their own graduation ceremony.

  • Former USF student breaks Te’o story

    Timothy Burke, an editor at Deadspin.com who completed his doctoral coursework in communications at USF in 2008 and taught a few undergraduate courses, broke the story about Te’o’s girlfriend and has since seen the story picked up by outlets around the country. 

  • Stanley Levy nominated as new Board member

    Stanley Levy, former southeast regional manager, foundation president and senior partner emeritus of Grant Thornton LLP, was nominated by the Trustee Nominating and Development Committee of the State University System Board of Governors (BOG) to serve a five year term last week to fill one of two vacancies on the USF Board of Trustees.

  • USF Preschool incorporates green curriculum with renovations

     

    Paula da Silva, director of the USF Preschool for Creative Learning, hopes to create a learning environment for preschool students in which they can play in a sustainable environment.

  • Student arrested for staging armed robbery

     

    Former student body president candidate and senior majoring in economics Alan Ethington was arrested last week on charges of grand theft and scheming to defraud a financial institution.

  • Herm Edwards coaches students on goals

    Herm Edwards, former NFL coach, player and ESPN analyst, laughed when he recounted his career.

  • SMART Lab prepares for higher attendance in spring

    When the SMART Lab was first adopted as part of the curriculum for college algebra courses, about 1,060 students would visit the lab on a weekly basis. But during the first week of classes this semester, with courses such as finite mathematics, pre-calculus, intermediate algebra and a pilot section of business calculus adding SMART lab to their curricula, the number of students visiting the lab increased to 2,300 students. 

  • Moffitt performs fully robotic Whipple surgery

    Surgeries performed by robots were once an idea of science fiction, but are slowly becoming a more common part of public health.

  • Senate allocates more than $200K to USF Week

    The Student Government (SG) Senate voted 35-4 to allocate $201,400 to the Center for Student involvement (CSI) for increasing the “number and caliber of events” during USF Week this year. The additional funds come from SG’s unallocated cash accounts, which Senate President Jeff Gao told the Senate contained “essentially $2.

  • Herm Edwards to speak on ‘MLK vision’

     

    To emphasize the message of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, ESPN analyst and former NFL coach Herm Edwards will speak tonight as the main event during the Center for Student Involvement’s Martin Luther King Jr. week.

  • Fraternity removed, transfer students fill Greek house

     

    The lions have been painted-over with USF green and the letters are no longer on the side of the building, but for the transfer students living in the house formerly belonging to the ousted fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), it’s hard to ignore they’re living in the middle of Greek Village. 

  • ULS restricts post-lecture signing to 50

    Starting at 8 a.m. today, the University Lecture Series (ULS) staff will issue 50 tickets on a first-come-first-serve basis to those interested in having books and memorabilia signed by ESPN analyst and former NFL coach Herm Edwards, who will speak Wednesday in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) at 8 p.m.

  • Building repairs total $33,900 after crash

     

    After 74-year-old hematologist Hussain Saba crashed his car into the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Health on Jan. 3, the building suffered $33,900 worth of damages.

  • Do-it-yourself bike repair station installed on campus

    A new do-it-yourself bicycle repair station was installed in the Beard Parking Garage near the Engineering buildings and the Juniper-Poplar residence halls over winter break.

  • New policy to outline rules for animals on campus

    A new policy, which is being promulgated by USF’s General Counsel, will clearly outline the definitions of service animals, emotional support animals and all other animals allowed on campus.

  • USF professor studies why children kill parents

    Since she was an undergrad in college, criminology professor Kathleen Heide has studied kids who kill.

  • 77 bikes removed from campus over break

     

    Upon returning from winter break, some students in the Juniper-Poplar residence halls were perplexed as to where their bicycles they left on campus had gone. 

  • Facebook

    Eclectic courses among popular ones

    Some of the elective courses have more interesting titles than others.  

  • Study finds buying, selling textbooks cheaper than renting

    A study suggests that buying used textbooks instead of renting them can potentially save the average student $1,000 a year.

  • Library basement reopens with new shelving system

     

    Installing the new shelving in the basement, the only floor strong enough to support the heavy units, Tom Cetwinski, director of administrative services at the Library, said, began during the summer and opened to students on Monday. 

  • Students, faculty adjust to gradual Canvas transition

     

    While Canvas, a new learning management system, was implemented in some courses last semester, USF’s Information Technology (IT) department is now in the process of training faculty and departments on how to use the new system. 

  • Herd of Thunder returns after London New Year's Day parade

    USF’s Herd of Thunder (HOT) marching band stepped off the airplane after performing as the band of honor at London’s New Year’s Day parade two days before classes started. 

  • Dining option changes delayed

    Following a proposal by Aramark Dining Services to change dining options on campus, delays in construction postponed the opening of a Pollo Tropical in Sessums Mall near Cooper Hall, and a Panda Express and Papa John’s in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) food court.

  • Employee crashes car into Morsani Center

    After accelerating over a curb, a 74-year-old hematologist who works at USF Health, reportedly drove his black Cadillac into an office on the north side of the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Health on Thursday. 

  • New laws to note in 2013

    With the start of a new year, there are changes to laws and policies that should be noted for those living in Florida, both on a state and national level.

  • Beyond the numbers

    Survivors of rape seek justice for an underreported crime

    Peter Moschella sat still with small pink ribbons tied to his tan loafers as his granddaughter spoke before an audience about the fifth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event in October.

  • Study determines classes with highest failure rates

    A study conducted by the Office of the Provost each semester helps departments pinpoint which classes have the highest failing and withdrawal rates each semester and has led to some changes in course structures.

  • Freshmen learn lessons from first semester

    The Oracle chose four freshmen at random in August and followed them throughout the semester. Nearing the end of the term, three freshmen related their experiences and lessons learned from entering college.

  • USF looks to restructure diversity with new model

    Many of the changes will be left for the new Chief Diversity Officer, who will likely be housed in HR, to determine.

  • Herd of Thunder prepares for London parade

    With the London New Year’s Day Parade coming up in a few weeks, Herd of Thunder (HOT) band members are getting excited to travel abroad to represent USF in the parade.

  • Changes for Bright Futures eligibility to come in 2013

    The Florida Bright Futures program will implement changes to the eligibility requirements for the 2013-14 school year, but if these changes were currently in effect, more than half the freshman class would not meet eligibility requirements for the scholarship.

  • Students flock to social media for #BULLS4BABEL

    Many of USF’s social media users have noticed a trending topic this week — “#Bulls4Babel.”

  • Proposed policy would require new hire background checks

    If a new policy is approved by the Office of the General Counsel, new USF employees will be subject to a background check.

  • Professor explains 2012 Mayan doomsday prophecy

    The beginning of December brings the world one step closer to Dec. 21, 2012, and increasing global anxiety over an approaching “Mayan Doomsday.”

  • End of a ‘Holtz New Era’: USF fires Skip Holtz

    It began with a smile and a promise of a “Holtz New Era,” but ended with a final loss and a paper goodbye — a 192-word statement signifying the end of a tumultuous three-year career for USF football coach Skip Holtz.

  • Players ‘disappointed’ following Holtz firing

    The USF football team left the building after learning that coach Skip Holtz — the coach who had led them through worst season in school history — had been fired.

  • Fans take to social media, reacting to Holtz’s departure

    When news broke Sunday afternoon that USF football coach Skip Holtz had been fired, students and fans took to the Internet.

  • Coalition to End Rape Culture kicks off today

    After a semester in which two on-campus rapes were reported to University Police (UP) within a 3-week span, some student organizations hope to continue the dialogue to bring an end to the stigmatization sexual violence.

  • USF students selected for Teach for America

    Two USF students have been accepted into Teach for America (TFA), a national program that recruits college graduates to teach in areas of high poverty.

  • Big East adds two more teams for 2014

    East Carolina and Tulane are two of nine former Conference USA members to move to the Big East Conference.

  • Temple Terrace mayor declares ‘Skip Holtz Day’

    Though the football team has gone 3-8 this season — its worst record in school history — the Temple Terrace mayor declared the day, Nov. 27, as “Skip Holtz Day” to honor Holtz’s commitment to the Temple Terrace area.

  • Seeds of change

    Students petition to block Botanical Gardens from changing departments

    The College of Arts and Sciences is considering moving leadership of the USF Botanical Gardens from the Department of Geography, Environment and Planning to the Integrative Biology Department.

  • Scott calls for $10,000 degrees

    Fla. Gov. Rick Scott issued a “$10,000 Degree Challenge” to Florida state colleges to create a four-year degree program that costs $10,000.

  • International, local students share Thanksgiving

    For international students, an American holiday like Thanksgiving doesn’t always afford the family reunion it does for many American students.

  • Jill Kelley attempted to forge USF-Korea relations

    Jill Kelley, the 37-year-old South Tampa socialite who initially tipped off the FBI probe into Petraeus’ affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell, attempted to forge relations between USF Health and South Korea.

  • Students wary about Black Friday and Cyber Monday

    The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, seems to receive more hype each year.

  • Spring ULS speaker lineup announced

    ULS will spend more than $110,000 on three speakers for next semester's ULS lecture.

  • Study: Acupuncture could treat hypertension

    A recently published study shows that acupuncture could be an effective treatment to regulating high blood pressure.

  • Former BOG chair chosen as Polytechnic chief

    Ava Parker, former Florida Board of Governors (BOG) chairwoman and a member for the board for more than 10 years, was announced as the interim chief operating officer of Florida Polytechnic University (FPU) on Monday afternoon.

  • Students raise awareness for Palestinian justice

    While the death toll crossed 100 in Gaza as Israeli missile strikes intensified Monday, students spent much of the day outside the MSC, holding Palestinian flags and sign.

  • newsweb2

    Hillel lecture supports Israel’s right of defense

    With the increased violence in the Gaza Strip has come increased vitriol on all sides, and at Hillels of Florida Suncoast, an on-campus Jewish life organization, executive director and campus rabbi Ed Rosenthal said he hoped to educate students about the ongoing conflict.

  • SG hosts contest for ‘Fallen Bull’ memorial

    With USF ranked as the fifth-most veteran-friendly university in the nation by Military Times Edge magazine, a “Fallen Bull” memorial is in the works to further display the campus’s dedication to veterans — and the memorial is garnering support from veterans themselves.

  • Students combine efforts for Sandy relief

    Though Hurricane Sandy did not directly impact the Tampa area when it made landfall, USF students are raising awareness and support across campus to assist victims of the hurricane.

  • Library iPad rentals increase since start of semester

    As the USF Library waits for a new set of laptops to arrive in the spring, a program that started the first week of classes that allows students to rent iPads has begun to rise in popularity.

  • Jeff Corwin to bring wildlife to ULS lecture

    Students will be able to hear firsthand accounts of exotic jungles and animals tonight in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Ballroom from wildlife expert Jeff Corwin.

  • kaw

    Engineering professor wins US Professor of the Year award

    Autar Kaw, a mechanical engineering professor, has a slightly different philosophy of teaching.

  • New college, school approved by Faculty Senate

    The USF Faculty Senate formally recommended USF administrators to consider creating a new college and school Wednesday afternoon.

  • Guide dog struck, injured on 50th Street

    When a USF student and his guide dog were halfway across the 50th street, his dog was struck in the shoulder by a truck and thrown about 15 feet.

  • SG administration works to establish traditions

    Student Government (SG) President Brian Goff and Vice President George Papadeas ran for office in spring promising to advocate, communicate and uphold traditions.

  • SAE loses appeal, four Greek orgs under investigation

    Four Greek organizations are also under investigation, with little information released from university officials or organization members.

  • Students voice opinions after local elections

    Many of the issues that brought local candidates to power in the 18- to 24-year-old demographic were student issues.

  • Obama supporters look forward to next term

    After the presidential election results sank in, the excitement from the night lingered as students look to what the next four years could bring to them with Obama in office.

  • ava

    Professor leaves ‘classic’ legacy

    Ava Chitwood, a professor and head of the classics department, taught hundreds of students each semester and inspired many more in her life.

  • FOUR MORE YEARS

    Obama wins second term

    After months of campaigning and anticipation, President Barack Obama was declared the winner of the 2012 election.

  • Students celebrate results

    Tears streamed down the face of Alexandra Ernest as she heard the news at the election watch party held outside the Marshall Student Center (MSC). 

  • MSC precinct sees large turnout of first-time voters

    Polls opened in Florida at 7:00 a.m., and the Marshall Student Center (MSC), which served as Precinct 353, was no stranger to enthusiastic voters.

  • The vote that may not have been

    USF professor gets first-hand glimpse of voter disenfranchisement

    USF professor David Johnson wanted to vote in the same county he has been registered to vote in for nine years - but this year it didn't go as planned.

  • Decorated soldier shares veteran struggles

    Retired U.S. Army Ranger Maj. Jeff Struecker, whose actions inspired the movie “Black Hawk Down,” spoke on behalf of veterans across the country.

  • election

    SG to host Election Day watch party

    As the BBC and other international and local networks broadcast election results live from campus, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama will have to scoot over to share the limelight with Rocky D. Bull, the Sun Dolls and the USF cheerleaders.

  • Six cars burglarized at student celebration

    Six vehicles were broken into Sunday afternoon at USF Riverfront Park during a picnic hosted by several student organizations celebrating the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha.

  • Early voting increases in Hillsborough County

    Early votes in Hillsborough County in 2008 totaled 146,558. For the 2012 election, early votes totaled 166,913.

  • Par for the course?

    Archaeologists use time-saving methods to salvage artifacts at new golf facility

    The golf course also contains known prehistoric archaeology sites — places where humans lived thousands of years ago and left evidence of their habitation.

  • USF World brings international perspective to election

    While the outlook of U.S. presidential elections varies across the country, panelists representing regions around the world in an event Thursday expressed many similarities among the international community.

  • SHS offers free flu vaccines to students

    SHS will also host flu clinics for students at SHS on Nov. 7 and at the Campus Recreation Center on Nov.14 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

  • Sam Barrington arrested

    USF football senior linebacker Sam Barrington was arrested in Orlando on Thursday night for driving with a revoked license. 

  • Non-student arrested for resisting USF officer

    Eighteen-year-old Nathan Barker, who is not affiliated with USF, was arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, underage possession of alcohol and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence Sunday morning.

  • University Police integrates Tasers into policy

    Some University Police (UP)  officers may be seen carrying new equipment this semester on campus
    — Electronic Control Devices (ECDs), commonly referred to as Tasers.

  • Workshop focuses on suicide prevention

    In 2010, Florida ranked No. 20 in the U.S. for suicide rates.

  • USF transfers assets to Florida Polytechnic

    USF completed its final transfer of documents, assets and liabilities to Florida Polytechnic University (FPU), making the 12th public university its own entity Tuesday.

  • Students tackle real issues in debate

    Heated arguments flew back and forth between members of the College Democrats and College Republicans at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in the Marshall Student Center on Tuesday night as the two organizations met to debate the issues that will present themselves in the election next week.

  • Hazardous waste removed from campus after spill

    After a Bull Runner shuttle bus valve burst last week and 250 gallons of biodiesel fuel leaked out, the hazardous waste material at Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) was removed from campus Monday, according to USF Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).

  • Golf cart stolen, crashed

    Two students stole a golf cart owned by the USF graduate school early Monday morning, crashed it into a bicycle rack outside Mu Residence Hall and abandoned the cart nearby.

  • Bikes most common theft on campus

    UP records show that in 2012, there have been 289 reported thefts of a variety of items on campus so far. There were 299 in 2011 and 321 in 2010.

  • Study proves multitasking on Facebook could benefit

    A recent series of studies show that for some, Facebook may not always be detrimental to student academic performance.

  • msc

    MSC prepares for long lines, confused voters

    With the Nov. 6 election approaching, the Marshall Student Center will serve as a voting precinct on Election Day, and MSC officials are trying to prevent the pile-up seen during the last election as more voters are expected to file in through the week.

  • Obama outweighs Romney in USF political donations

    As candidates make their final campaign fundraising pushes, President Barack Obama has thus far proved to raise more money than his opponent, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney — a trend that is especially pronounced among those who list the University as their place of employment.

  • Candidates on the ballot at the local level

    The presidential election may be taking most of the attention, but local elections will also play a key role this election

  • USF responds to fuel leak

    When a USF Bull Runner shuttle took a sharp turn near a fuel trailer on Wednesday night near USF parking lot 14 and a valve on the biodiesel fuel tank broke off, approximately 250 gallons of fuel leaked out.

  • New dining options proposed for students

    Choices for grabbing a meal between classes may change next semester as new dining chains have been proposed to replace existing eateries at the Marshall Student Center (MSC) and Sessums Mall.

  • Wayans brothers joke about real issues

    In a night filled with four-letter words, vulgar humor and crazy antics, students continuously laughed at comedian brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans.

  • Candidates agree often in final debate

    The candidates tried to woo voters with proof of leadership in issues ranging from the conflict in Syria to the tense relations with Israel.

  • High cost for Ludacris After Party performance

    Like his song “Money Maker,” rapper Ludacris and his DJ will make a considerable sum later this week when they perform at the Homecoming After Party — $106,500 in Activity and Service (A&S) fees.

  • Alert Cab program provides free sober rides

    Alert Cab, a program that provides free taxi cab rides to intoxicated students, has existed for more than 10 years, but students frequently use it once they hear about it.

  • Food costs vary around campus

    When purchasing food on campus, students must decide what is best for their wallet, most convenient and worth their money.

  • USF professor recalls Nobel Prize-winning mentor

    The Nobel Prize for chemistry was awarded last week to the mentor of a USF cardiologist hoping to teach his ways to students.

  • Ryan learns about USF, Entrepreneurship

    USF saw one more person who wanted to learn Friday — vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan.

  • Students question local candidates at forum

    Though not all candidates attended, students had the chance to meet many of the individuals seeking various offices from State Senate to County Commissioner on Wednesday at USF Votes: 2012 Candidate Forum.

  • Pakistani activist honored by students

    Muhammad Rehan, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering, was inspired last week by a girl’s actions — and the price she is paying to advocate for justice — in his home country of Pakistan, where he lived for 17 years.

  • Student arrested after harming roommate with 13-inch knife

    Sometimes cooking can get heated.

  • Obama asserts control in debate

    If former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney won the first debate against President Barack Obama on Oct. 3, Obama gained back traction in Tuesday night’s town hall-style debate, and USF students were quick to pick up on it.

  • Greenstock shows new innovations to students

    USF alumnus Ryan Iacovacci founded Birdhouse Buying Club three years ago with his roommates after moving into a house together after graduation.

  • Off-campus housing to expand ‘resi-muter’ population

    At the last Board of Trustees meeting, in talks of how to improve graduation rates, USF administrators touted a move away from a primarily commuter campus.

  • Paranormal skeptic tells students ghost stories aren’t real

    Benjamin Radford wanted students to know he did not believe in ghosts.

  • Students vote Obama in straw poll

    If left to USF students, President Barack Obama will have a second term in office.

  • Gonorrhea strain resistant to antibiotics

    Gonorrhea, the second-most reported sexually transmitted infection (STI), has developed strains that are resistant to antibiotics and treatments.

  • Straw poll to foreshadow general election

    With 22 days until the general election on Nov. 6, students can cast mock ballots on some of the most hot-button issues of the political season at six locations across campus today.

  • Justin Long visits USF for campaign event

    The Vote Now! event was presented to students by Organizing for America, a Democratic-affiliated organization that has chapters nationwide.

  • Domestic violence victim shares story at Walk a Mile

    Audrey Mabrey, 30, was a student at  Hillsborough Community College in 2009, a mother of two and in the process of getting a divorce.

  • International students face visa challenges after graduating

    After graduating his visa permits him 60 days before he has to return to India.

  • Forum highlights student debt concerns

    As 51.4 million people watched the vice presidential candidates debate domestic and international issues last week, 37 million people were accruing interest on their outstanding student loan debt.

  • ‘Father of USF,’ Congressman Sam Gibbons dies at 92

    Sam Gibbons, former U.S. congressman, World War II veteran and “father of USF” is remembered as more than a legislator at USF.

  • Town hall addresses proposed strategic plan

    The 2013-18 plan was reviewed by Graham Tobin, vice provost and co-chair of the committee created to craft the plan, at a town hall meeting Wednesday in the College of Public Health. 

  • Student bikes 24 hours for children with disabilities

    Mike Nguyen rode a bike for 24 hours starting Wednesday morning as part of a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity philanthropy event, Pedals for Push.

  • USF responds to rapes with caution, not alarm

    Though many students were unaware of the second rape that occurred in an on-campus residence hall within three weeks, the university has addressed the issue with precautionary measures — but officials said the incident is not something to be alarmed by.

  • Giuliana and Bill Rancic speak on ‘unplanned’ life

    After their public struggle with cancer and infertility, celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic from Style Network’s “Giuliana & Bill” shared the story of their “unplanned plan.”

  • USF FCU offering rewards credit card

    USF alumni can now give back to their school simply by making purchases with their credit card.

  • Second rape under investigation

    According to a UP release, police were notified Monday at 9:41 a.m. of the rape which occurred early Sunday morning in Epsilon Residence Hall.

  • Registration efforts increase before voter deadline today

    Liberal or conservative, students and other members of the community interested in voting in November’s election must register to vote today, as it is the deadline for Florida residents to be eligible for voting.

  • Rancics to speak on cancer, fertility struggles

    Celebrity personalities Bill and Giuliana Rancic will share their battle with breast cancer, while maintaining successful business lives and parenting a newborn baby boy tonight as a part of the University Lecture Series (ULS).

  • Students protest war in Afghanistan

    The group chanted as they prepared to march from the front of Cooper Hall to the door of the C.W. Bill Young Hall.

  • Record-breaking skydive to be broadcast at MSC today

    Students passing through the Marshall Student Center (MSC) lobby between 8 a.m. and noon today will witness a record-breaking feat as Felix Baumgartner, a 43-year-old Austrian skydiver, attempts to jump from an altitude of 120,000 feet — 23 miles above the Earth’s crust.

  • Fighter pilot continues brother’s legacy

    Ed Woodward's plane was not the first thing taken from him.

  • Innovative mobile apps developed at Hackathon

    Huddled over computers, students spent Saturday developing code they said they hoped would improve campus life at the USF Hackathon.

  • Students rally at State Capitol for environmental policy reform

    “The event was amazing,” she said. “It was a very powerful experience to see southeast students unite around climate change and election issues.”

  • First debate sets tone for election season

    With 32 days until the election, the next debates will continue to set the agenda for the candidates’ campaigns and presidencies.

  • Unstoppable Campaign continues

    The campaign has now reached $543,392,330 toward its goal.

  • Florida Lottery celebrates Bright Futures at USF

    Rainy weather and a semester with cuts to Florida Bright Futures scholarships were not enough to deter the spirits of students at the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Ballroom on Wednesday, where the sponsors of the Bright Futures program hosted an ice cream social.

  • EPA funds USF climate research

    Professors were awarded $750,000 grant by the EPA to study Puerto Rican and Gulf of Mexico.

  • Patels donate $12M to start College of Global Sustainability

    When Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel first announced their endowment of $18.5 million in 2005 to create the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions, Pallavi Patel wanted to make sure the Center would be a “do tank, not a think tank,” her husband said Tuesday.

  • Catching up with freshmen first weeks

    After the sold-out football game against FSU on Saturday, freshmen on campus have experienced many of the realities of college life, and are preparing for midterms.

  • USF ranked 8th best university for employees

    USF has a new ranking to add to the list — Glassdoor, an online job and career community, ranked USF as the eighth best college for employees, based on worker feedback.

  • Candidate policies conflict on higher education

    Though the presidential debates, the first of which will take place Wednesday night, will be held on college campuses, higher education issues may take a back seat to issues such as economic growth rates, job creation and social issues such as gay marriage and abortion.

  • Students experience ‘dining in the dark’

    Helen Arnold warned the room full of diners to keep their arms low so they wouldn’t knock drinks over. She also told them to be wary of accidentally eating off their neighbors’ plates.

  • Priest holds forum on child sex slavery

    The Rev. Martino Thong Nguyen, the son of two political prisoners who fled to the U.S. with “$45 in (their) pockets,” said during his college days, he worked a full-time job cleaning toilets to put himself through school.

  • Limited room availability in Marshall Student Center

    Amid a busy student body, meeting space for student organizations is at a premium,  at the Marshall Student Center (MSC).

  • Dunkley arrested, suspended for battery

    Sophomore wide receiver Christopher Dunkley was arrested and indefinitely suspended from the team following the team’s loss to Florida State on Saturday night.

  • Crowded attendance for Michio Kaku speech

    The renowned theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, a prominent Discovery Channel and Science Channel figure and co-developer of string theory, drew more than 1,000 people to the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) Wednesday night.

  • UP releases updated information on Kappa Hall sexual battery

    New information on the Sept. 19 sexual battery in Kappa Hall was released Wednesday evening with a composite image of the suspect in an email alert sent by University Police (UP).

  • Florence and the parking dilemmas

    Students encounter traffic difficulties because of concert

    In preparation for Tuesday’s Florence and the Machine concert at 8 p.m. all Sun Dome parking lots, except Lot 22A, were closed all day, leading to congested traffic and irate drivers.

  • Health

    USF Health announces partnership with Lakeland

    The USF Board of Trustees officially announced the creation of the new USF Health System Tuesday, with Lakeland Regional Medical Center (LRMC) as its first partner.

  • UP responds to drug and robbery complaints

    According to an email from University Police (UP) spokesman, Lt. Chris Daniel, UP responded to a call reporting the smell of marijuana in Delta Hall Sunday night.

  • Peace Corps volunteer shares experiences

    Former USF student Dan Barrera spends his days working with a struggling artisan group in Madagascar as a business adviser.

  • Senator absences, vacancies lead to available seats

    Last Tuesday, while the Student Government (SG) Senate was in session, six out of 47 senators were absent from the fourth floor of the Marshall Student Center (MSC) and 14 had resigned or been asked to resign after realizing “there’s a lot of class” or had other obligations since they were elected in spring.

  • ‘Today’ show not coming to USF

    Despite attempts at wooing NBC TV anchors Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to host their segment of the “Today” show on campus, which included a grass-skirted Rocky D. Bull, a marriage proposal to Kotb from Student Government Vice President George Papadeas and an aggressive online voting campaign, Gifford and Kotb announced on Monday they would visit the University of Tennessee.

  • Transportation available after football games

    Prior to the anticipated USF-FSU football game Saturday, students said they were unaware of available programs that could make the difference between a safe ride home and a night at the police station.

  • Sexual battery shocks Kappa residents

    Residents of Kappa Hall, the residence hall in the Andros Complex, were shocked when they heard the news.

  • Housing complex to replace tower with complex history

    Situated on the corner of 42nd Street and Fletcher Avenue, the residential student building across the street from campus will be demolished so a new student housing complex can be built after a tumultuous history of ownership.

  • Invisible Children screens documentary on campus

     

    A group of volunteers from Invisible Children came to visited USF Thursday to show their documentary “Rescue,” and provide information about their organization.

  • UP reports sexual battery on campus

    University Police is investigating a reported sexual battery that took place in Kappa Hall around 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday.

  • Actress encourages youth vote

    Actress and political activist Rosario Dawson said she loved to share stories. (Includes exclusive interview with Dawson)

  • Genshaft address highlights USF achievements

    Despite the somber notes brought upon by budget cuts, hiring freezes and the Lakeland campus’ separation from the USF System, USF President Judy Genshaft’s annual State of the University address on Wednesday was bright and cheery. 

  • Few students take advantage of insomnia treatment program

     

    Christopher Ferlita, a junior majoring in accounting, uses his backpack between classes as a pillow to take a nap.

  • Are voter rallies effective?

    Voter registration success depends on student interest

    From the start of the semester, USF students and student organizations have intensified their efforts in educating and registering student voters at numerous voter rallies. 

  • USF trades Blackboard for Canvas

    Every USF student uses Blackboard to access course information, grades and class material — but some students have noticed a change when logging in to their courses, and soon all students will.

  • Rosario Dawson to speak on Voto Latino

    First to speak in this semester’s University Lecture Series (ULS) is actress Rosario Dawson, who will discuss issues facing students in the upcoming presidential election in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Ballroom at 8 p.m.

  • Travel restrictions limit study abroad options

    As violent demonstrations erupted across the Middle East, security risks escalated and the U.S. Department of State issued travel warnings and alerts to several countries in the region.

  • ‘Today’ show correspondent to broadcast live from campus

    Staff Report: Sara Haines, a news correspondent for the Fourth Hour segment of the “Today” show, will be shooting a live broadcast in front of a “Tropical Paradise”-themed Marshall Student Center near the bronze bulls on Thursday morning for Kathie Lee and Hoda’s college segment.

  • Counseling Center balances services with limited funding

    When Maria Lopez Fernandez was a sophomore, her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.

  • USF finalist for 4th hour of ‘Today’ show

    USF became one of six university finalists yesterday in a Twitter competition, the “Kathie Lee and Hoda College Challenge,” in which one winning school will host Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb's Fourth Hour segment of the “Today” show in the first week of October.

  • Limited tickets available for FSU game

    Requests for student tickets for the USF vs. FSU game on Saturday, Sept. 29 opened Monday at 9 a.m., and students are already talking.

  • Graphic

    BOG looks to performance-based funding

    As the Board of Governors (BOG) convened last week for its first meeting of the year following a tumultuous one in which $300 million in state funding was cut to the State University System (SUS), preparation for requesting funding for the next year began.

  • Nielsen brings opportunities to USF through new partnership

    College of Business Dean Moez Limayem describes USF’s new partnership with the Nielsen Company in three words: “Win win win!”

  • Voter Rally educates potential youth voters

    A major youth registration problem during the 2008 presidential election, has prompted Hillsborough County, USF Student Government (SG) and several other student organizations this fall to focus on educating and registering young voters.

  • Chick-fil-A petition receives backlash

    An online petition calling for the removal of Chick-fil-A from the Marshall Student Center (MSC) has received considerable feedback — both support and backlash -— from the USF community. 

  • Poll Rally

    Students register to vote at Poll Party

     

    Music, food and a friendly atmosphere made it easy for USF students to get informed and registered to vote.

  • USF professor reacts to consulate attacks

    The morning after news broke of the horrific attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and Embassy in Cairo, Egypt -— which resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats including U.S.  Ambassador Chris Stevens — Mohsen Milani, director for strategic and diplomatic studies for USF World, held a press conference to address the violent attacks. 

  • FAST A THON

    NFL players speak at annual Fast-A-Thon

     

    It’s not every day that NFL players take a position behind not eating. 

  • Students can attend Bucs game for reduced price

    USF students will now be able to purchase tickets to the Oct. 21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the New Orleans Saints for $15.

  • Planner

    Made in China

    Student planners printed overseas

    Every year, Student Government (SG) provides planners to students on campus, paid for by Activity and Service fees.

  • Brief filed to extend FERPA

    USF is one of 27 Florida colleges and universities filing an amicus brief to ask state courts to re-evaluate their stance on Family Education Rights and Privacy Acts (FERPA) and keep all student records shielded from public eye, according to a press release issued by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) on Tuesday. 

  • Job Shop opens with new opportunities

    Hernan Goicochea thought it would be a regular Tuesday consumed with studying in the Library — until he heard singing.

  • Students protest War on Terror on 9/11

    The students walked slowly around the inside and outside of the MSC, brandishing handmade signs with anti-war slogans and garnering the attention of student onlookers.

  • USF remembers 9/11 without memorial

    While many memories still remain, for the first time in 11 years, USF will not host an official memorial service to remember Sept. 11.

  • Campaign raises awareness for bike safety

    USF President Judy Genshaft and a group of bright yellow T-shirted students marched around campus at 9 a.m. on Monday, chanting “Walk wise, bike smart and drive carefully,” and throwing yellow T-shirts to students who passed them. 

  • USF prepares for budget cuts

    After a year of massive budget cuts pillaged the university’s cash reserves, USF President Judy Genshaft had more somber news to deliver at the Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting last week.

  • ULS speaker lineup to feature ‘name recognition’

    This semester’s University Lecture Series (ULS) lineup, featuring three speakers, reflects student demands for bigger names — and particularly reality TV stars.

  • USF holds first Bulls Walk and Bike Week

    The “USF Bulls Walk and Bike Week: Walk Wise, Bike Smart and Drive Carefully” is a four-day initiative that will startthis week, starting with a kick-off event at 9 a.m. Monday in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Amphitheater. Following the kick-off is “Walk with the Bulls,” where students can join campus and area executives in an official walk around campus. On Thursday, the initiative will end with a bicycle celebration event at the MSC.

  • Why not us?

    Obama visits three local colleges, skips USF

    He has visited the University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College and St. Petersburg College.

    But as President Barack Obama rallied a crowd of 11,000 at St. Petersburg College’s Seminole campus on Saturday, the mention of student loans and the affordability of higher education elicited a cheer from an audience he has yet to visit:

  • Graphic enrollment

    USF now 8th largest US public university

    Enrollment at USF has increased across the entire system — an intentional move according to administrators.

  • UP investigation: Suspect allegedly displayed private parts publicly

    Staff Report: University Police (UP) was notified Wednesday evening of a man exposing his genitals near the Library, according to a media release. Around 6 p.m., officers made contact with a suspect for the case. UP spokesman Lt. Chris Daniel said in an email to The Oracle. that the suspect’s identity cannot be revealed because the case is still under investigation.  

  • USF offers courses through Reddit

    More than 1,000 students from across the world are enrolled in free USF classes this semester. 

  • Collins Park

    Million-dollar park for students finished

    The Collins Park on LeRoy Collins Boulevard, outside the USF Library, was completed this week. 

  • First lady addresses women, young voters

    A week after Ann Romney captured the nation’s attention at the Republican National Convention with attempts to woo women voters and elicit softer images of a personable, caring former Gov. Mitt Romney, First Lady Michelle Obama attempted to do the same at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) with one additional demographic: young voters.

  • Ambassador speaks on U.S.-Iran diplomatic relations

    Ambassador Thomas Pickering, whose diplomatic career spans five decades, outlined Iran’s nuclear program and the security challenges it creates for the U.S. and its allies at the third event of the National Security Lecture Series on Tuesday.

  • Shooting suspect wanted near campus

    The Temple Terrace Police Department is looking for a suspect in a shooting death that occurred at 4:50 a.m. Tuesday just miles from campus.

  • Tuition statute overruled for immigrants’ children

    A federal judge in Miami ruled that Florida is discriminating against U.S.-born Florida residents, whose parents are undocumented immigrants by charging them out-of-state tuition.

  • Chikkk

    Professor petitions to remove Chick-fil-A

    Chick-fil-A in the Marshall Student Center serves thousands of students a year, but an online petition started by a USF professor on Change.org is calling for the vendor to be removed from campus.

  • USF unveils new center for student veterans

    USF’s 1,700 student veterans have a new place to call home.

  • Students protest for farmworkers’ rights

    The smiling faces and cheerful exchanges found outside Publix Supermarket on 53rd Street masked the underlying tension, as protesters united during Labor Day weekend to give a voice to laborers often invisible from dialogue — farmworkers.

  • RNC protests attract fewer than expected

    Though Tampa braced itself for images of pepper spray and riot gear to fill the news as thousands of protesters were expected to arrive with the Republican National Convention (RNC), the city found itself with fewer protesters than most conventions.

  • Students gather to watch Romney speech at RNC

    USF students gathered to watch Mitt Romney accept his GOP presidential nomination last night.

  • FRONTPAGE

    Ryan focuses on economy’s problems

    Wis. Rep. Paul Ryan’s speech officially accepts his GOP vice president nomination Tuesday night.

  • Speakers offer new insight on youth issues

    A main topic discussed during Conversations with the Next Generation, an event during the Republican National Convention was college students disinterest in voting.

  • Freshman

    First days for four freshmen

    Remember what freshman year was like? Four current freshman tell it like it is.

  • Convention Kickoff

    Romney secures Republican nomination

     

    Postponed because of complications from Tropical Storm Isaac, the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) was festive and productive, with Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney officially nominated as the GOP presidential candidate.

  • USF Housing experiences space shortage

     

    Some upperclassmen who applied were denied on-campus housing options, as freshmen get priority in housing assignments.

  • Young Invincibles host roundtable discussion at RNC

     

    Young Invincibles, a national youth advocacy organization based in Washington D.C., hosted an RNC roundtable composed of a diverse group of all ages and backgrounds.

  • Doctors for America support Affordable Care Act on campus

    Doctors spread awareness of Affordable Care Act merits. 

  • Things to Do: Aug. 28-31

    Bored? Here is a list of things to do around Tampa this week!

  • College Republicans take prime seat at Convention

    For the College Republicans at USF, the location of the Republican National Convention couldn’t be better.

  • Ron Paul rallies thousands in Sun Dome

    Even a tropical storm couldn’t keep thousands of Ron Paul supporters from coming to a rally held at the USF Sun Dome Sunday.

  • Conventional wisdom: MacManus reflects on 20 years of conventions

    USF professor of political science and political analyst, Susan MacManus, reflects on past conventions and shares her insight with The Oracle.

  • Library renovations mostly complete by start of semester

    The USF library undergone renovations expand its services ranging from STEM-related studies to job-seeking activities.

  • Busch Gardens now offers $50 pass to students

    One of the first surprises of this year’s Week of Welcome events was a new benefit offered to USF students.

  • Isaac delays start of semester

    During the Week of Welcome, the only unwelcome guest was Tropical Storm Isaac.

  • Drugs’ role in crash leaves family, friends in shock

    Michael Agana’s autopsy report raised more questions than it provided answers for his loved ones.

  • SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

    The last straw? USF Dining aims to reduce carbon footprint, one straw at a time

    Students and customers who request a to-go meal at a USF dining facility receive everything they need: the translucent green to-go box, a set of plasticware and a paper cup to drink out of.

  • USF a popular spot for Craigslist encounters

    The popular classified site Craigslist contains many posts relating to the USF area. But not all users are selling bikes or giving away furniture.

  • USF professor studies Carter's hometown

    A detailed anthropological study of a now-defunct, agricultural town where Jimmy Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the 39th U.S. President lived as a young boy, is in the process of being completed.

  • Faculty difficult to retain, recruit amid state cuts

    Over the past five years the University has lost more than $125 million in state support. But of more concern to some, is the brain drain that has accompanied it.

  • Former Poly chancellor resigns

    Amid an internal investigation exploring the financial mismanagement of the now pruned branch campus, the former regional chancellor of USF Polytechnic, Marshall Goodman, resigned from the university late last week.

  • iPhone update has 200 new features

    Louisana State University

    Students’ iPhones can get an upgrade this fall. At Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference on June 11, the next version of the iPhone’s operating system was announced — iOS 6.

  • The world’s tallest man stops growing

    University of Virginia

    Professors at the University of Virginia’s Medical Center have stopped the world’s tallest man from growing, according to press statement released Monday by the University’s Health System.

  • College-bound students engage in risky behaviors

    Duke University

    Sixteen percent of teens visiting college campuses admit to drinking alcohol during their stay. A recent study conducted by the Center for Adolescent Research and Education at Susquehanna U. and Students Against Destructive Decisions sought to examine the safety of student hosts and visitors during overnight college visits.

  • IT aims to reduce energy costs, CO2 emissions

    USF Information Technology (IT) is considering adopting a measure that could cut the annual computer energy consumption at USF by more than half — a move that would cut costs and decrease carbon dioxide emissions at a level equivalent to taking 400 cars off the road annually.

  • Sun Dome accused of poor acoustics, defends renovations

    The Sun Dome received criticism this weekend after the Fresh Music Festival, where performers and the audience complained about the sound, and even went so far as to stop the performance by chanting “fix it, fix it.”

  • New screening policy to prevent TB

    After news broke of one of the largest tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks in Jacksonville, Fla., students at USF can take some solace in a new policy designed to prevent TB from entering a campus familiar with the disease.

  • SG, student council to allocate Lakeland A&S fees

    After sitting untouched in a reserve cash account for months as USF transitioned its Polytechnic branch campus to becoming Florida’s 12th public university, about $1.7 million in student Activity and Service fee (A&S) funds are once again ready to benefit Lakeland students.

  • SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

    USF students win Mayor’s Hack-a-thon with HARTxt

    Fueled by Red Bull, candy and other “free food,” a team of seven USF students were given a challenge at the Mayor’s Hack-a-thon at the end of June.

  • Study links alcohol to isolation, lower grades

    University of Texas

    While some students use drinking as a form of socialization, a U. Texas study has found that alcohol use in teens may hinder rather than fuel a fun night out.

  • Healthcare ruling extends student coverage

    Carlos Hernandez breathed a sigh of relief last Thursday as the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act along with its mandate to enforce universal health insurance coverage was announced.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/APRIL STRATEMEYER

    Ron Paul to rally in Sun Dome

    With the Republican National Convention (RNC) coming to the Tampa Bay Times Forum in August, one Republican presidential candidate plans on making a stop on campus to rally with supporters.

  • USF Health expands UPC space

    Employees from the business side of USF Health are getting a little more room come August thanks to a new location at the University Professional Center (UPC).

  • USF professor runs for mayor of Bradenton

    The thought of running for Bradenton mayor didn’t really cross Richard O’Brien’s mind until the USF professor began receiving support from people in the community.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/DIVYA KUMAR

    Student loan debt woes not fully solved by Senate deal

    Daniel Satizabal, a senior majoring in civil engineering, will be graduating this August with $23,000 in student loan debt. He said he intends to borrow another $40,000 to do a two-year master’s program, which he hopes will improve his chances of getting an engineering job right out of college.

  • BOG approves 11 percent differential increase

    With a split vote, the BOG, which quibbled for hours Thursday on the topic of tuition differential increases and how to go about voting on them, approved USF’s request for an 11 percent increase after it initially shot down a proposal to increase tuition differentials by 9 percent.

  • Extended wear contact lenses pose safety risks

    Although contact lenses may be a more attractive and convenient alternative to glasses, some USF professors warn that they come with serious risks.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/APRIL STRATEMEYER

    Obama addresses student concerns, upcoming election at campaign rally

     In a his first Florida 2012 campaign stop, 137 days before the national election, U.S. President Barack Obama addressed a diverse crowd of more than 2500 people in states of dress ranging from T-shirts to tuxedos at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus Friday afternoon.

  • BOG questions USF need for tuition increase

    USF administrators faced a harsh line of questioning from the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) on Wednesday, the day before the BOG will decide whether to grant the university the requested 11 percent increase in tuition differential fees.

  • USF professor fights Heimlich maneuver’s use in drowning

    The Heimlich Institute has stopped advocating on their website for the Heimlich maneuver to be used as a first aid measure for drowning victims.

  • USF to receive sustainability award today

    USF, along with Arizona State University, was chosen by the 2012 Second Nature Climate Leadership Award board for showing the top innovation and climate leadership at the doctoral level.

  • Shadow faculty accounts conceal student emails

    For the past four years, students emailing professors with last minute questions or assignments may have had their emails lost in a cyberspace abyss unknown to faculty.

  • 11 percent: Tuition differential recommendation garners mixed reactions, questions

    The Florida Board of Governors (BOG) is preparing to consider the highly contentious recommendation by the USF Board of Trustees (BOT) last week to raise tuition differentials by 11 percent, four percent less than the full amount the university is allowed to request.

  • [re]Stitch inspires upgrades at Hillsborough River

    The Hillsborough River and its surrounding areas will become more accessible and pedestrian-friendly for USF students, Tampa residents and tourists who love to kayak, hike or spend leisure time there, and ideas from a USF competition could have an influence on the changes.

  • ­BOT to discuss tuition, fee increases

    On the table at today’s Board of Trustees meeting are proposals that may reach a little further into students pockets next fall.

  • Wellness Education to absorb REAL program

    The Relationship Equality Anti-violence League (REAL) program will be moved under the Department of Wellness Education within the Division of Student affairs by fall from the Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention, where it was created.

  • Gender identity to be added to non-discrimination policy

    When a student approached the Diversity and Equal Opportunity (DEO) office in Fall 2010 with concerns about her transition from male to female, she received emails back stating the DEO was “constrained to attempt informal resolution” as “USF is not bound by the laws or ordinances of the City of Tampa or Hillsborough County” to protect gender identity.

  • Study finds coffee delays onset of Alzheimer’s

    Coffee can give a boost when students pull themselves out of bed in the morning, but a new study reports it can also safeguard the brain against the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

  • USF area bobcats pose little threat to humans

    Word spread quickly Thursday that a bobcat had been sighted on campus. 

  • ORACLE PHOTO/APRIL STRATEMEYER

    Updated weather station brings campus forecasts online

    With its recently updated weather center, USF hopes to provide more than a weather forecast.

  • USF Physicians Group to restructure faculty salaries

    USF Physicians Group will see their pocketbooks shrink this fiscal year. Against a backdrop of national health care reform, USF is looking to save about $5 million by restructuring faculty pay to reflect the number of patients

  • USF looking to expand Classroom Capture for the fall

    Students absent from class may soon be able to listen to a lecture they missed through Classroom Capture a service that may expand starting in fall.

  • New Poly rallies support in final days of USF involvement

    With applications for Florida’s newest university’s Board of Trustees due today, the hotly contested Florida Polytechnic University that came about after the dissolution of USF’s Polytechnic branch campus has found some support.

  • USF could get portion of $200 million Internet grant

    USF could be one of six schools selected by the Gigabit Neighborhood Gateway Program, which is providing $200 million to help the U.S., which is lagging behind Europe and Asia in Internet speed and performance, be at the forefront of ultra high-speed Internet.

  • Alumnus named Tampa Police assistant chief

    When John Newman received his bachelor’s degree in criminol­ogy from USF in 1983, he did not expect that he would one day achieve the second-highest rank in the Tampa Police Department.

  • Poly faculty integration to begin

    By June 30, all faculty members at USF’s closed Polytechnic campus will be placed in a department within the USF System.

  • Moffitt Cancer Center trims costs with 40 layoffs

    About 40 employees have been laid off at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center since March in an effort to save money in underutilized areas.

  • USF involvement with new Poly to continue past July 

    USF’s involvement with Florida’s newest public university, Florida Polytechnic University, will stretch beyond the looming July 1 date when USF will be required to transfer all remaining assets from its now defunct Lakeland campus.

  • Audit findings lead to stricter attendance policy

    The Office of the Registrar sent email blasts and posted in the Registrar’s Chronicle, reminding faculty of the importance of student attendance.

  • Presumed tuberculosis case found on campus

      Dean of Students Kevin Banks otherwise cheery message to the student body had a bit of serious news.  “I certainly hope you are enjoying your summer break or at least a much lighter course load if taking advantage of summer session!” he wrote.

  • Alzheimer’s caregiver offers ‘perspective’ as stand-in CEO

    Francine Shebell met with operating staff at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute on Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, looking through digital microscopes and listening to updates on their research. At noon she attended a monthly meeting with laboratory investigators.

  • Traditions poll reveals students want live bull

    If the student body gets its way, Rocky D. Bull could be accompanied by an actual bull at football games.”

  • Dileo indictment, conviction spurs changes at USF Health

    A Tampa Bay Times article Sunday revealed a change in USF Health policies last year that was created after a former employee, Dr. Gerard Dileo, was indicted on federal criminal charges in Sept. 2010.

  • Campus construction projects slated for summer

    During the next 10 weeks, several construction projects will begin. The projects are expected to be complete by Fall 2012.

  • SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

    Passionate student remembered after fatal accident

    Hundreds of friends, former Plant High School bandmates, members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity he belonged to and loved ones gathered along Bayshore Boulevard on Monday and Tuesday nights to say their final goodbyes and share their memories of Michael Agana.

  • Marine Science research earns recognition, $15M in wake of oil spill

    The plumes are gone, but oil remains in sediment along the sea floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

  • USF surrounding communities to get a makeover

     

    The neighborhoods surrounding USF will soon be turned into an “Innovation Destination” by a coalition of Tampa’s public and private stakeholders. 

  • Task force may discuss university specialization

     

    Though Gov. Rick Scott’s higher education reform task force is still in its formative stages, task force members may discuss reducing duplicate university offerings and improving efficiency across the Florida university system.

  • Electronic stethoscope wins $50,000 award

     

    While traditional metal and rubber stethoscopes around the necks of doctors and nurses have become a symbol of the medical profession, a USF
    doctor and acoustical engineer have upgraded a version of the device for the digital age — and won a Cade Museum Prize for their invention.

  • Students share loan fears with senator

    Students gathered together to share burdensome tales about paying off higher education loans, as the specter of doubled loan interest rates loomed over a conversation moderated by one of Florida’s chief delegates.

  • Genshaft, McKeel pledge Poly job security

    A week made all the difference as USF President Judy Genshaft and Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, announced Monday that Polytechnic employee layoffs will not be imminent.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JESSICA VELEZ

    Charges of mismanagement engulf Poly

    LAKELAND — After a whirlwind Wednesday that revealed USF Polytechnic had taken disciplinary action against two of its administrators for financial mismanagement, the Lakeland branch campus is taking a closer look at its

    spending as it splits from the USF System.

  • Judicial branch spending causes internal debate

    With the signing of the Activity and Service (A&S) Fee budget last month, the judicial branch of Student Government (SG) received an increase of $11,754 in student-paid A&S fees, up to $59,968 from $48,215.

  • ORACLE FILE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    Herman Cain to speak on ‘success,’ solutions

    About three months after the NBC Republican Candidates Presidential Debate was hosted at USF, a one-time GOP front-runner will come to campus to talk about life outside the presidential race.

  • Article questions grad student grades

    A New York Times story published earlier this month questioned the high number of A’s and B’s among graduate schools, including at USF.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    Ombudsman honored for work with students

    Students on the verge of dropping out from USF have often found an alternative with the help of Student Ombudsman Samuel Wright.

  • USF, Obama discuss student loan debt

    As candidates race to charm young voters before the national elections in November, both GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have expressed their commitment to reducing student loan debt.

  • Heart Health Institute to serve as ‘economic driver’

    Though Florida’s State University System has seen $300 million in funding cuts, USF scored $6.9 million to start its USF Heart Health Institute.

  • Advisers added to meet USF’s strategic goals

    In an attempt to move away from faculty advising, USF has hired 43 new professional advisers during the past five years.

  • Polytechnic jobs uncertain as budget slashed

    USF President Judy Genshaft was forced to be the bearer of bad news Monday, when she visited USF Polytechnic after a bill signed by Gov. Rick Scott Friday effectively shut down the branch campus.

  • Scott approves new Florida Polytechnic University

    Gov. Rick Scott signed a much-debated bill Friday to immediately create a 12th public university in the state of Florida — effectively severing USF Polytechnic from the USF System to create Florida Polytechnic University and leaving many questions unanswered.

  • Real food activist speaks on importance of farm ethics

    Joel Salatin, a Virginia farmer who champions local and organic food production, told viewers of his lecture Thursday that he stands for producing food “just like Grandma did.”

  • USF hopes to raise out-of-state fees, enrollment

    When USF administrators request a 15 percent tuition differential increase from the Board of Trustees (BOT) today, they will also request an 8 percent increase in out-of-state fees.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ JASMINE ABNEY

    ‘The Buried Life’ returns to bring ‘love’ to campus

    The cast of MTV’s “The Buried Life” hope to fall in love among the palm trees of the MLK Plaza when they make their return to campus Wednesday.

  • Students read Holocaust survivor writings

    Words written by Holocaust survivors were read aloud by USF students and others Wednesday to show that the World War II-era genocide of more than 6 million Jewish men, women and children, was not solely a Jewish tragedy.

  • Gov. Scott recommends 5 percent tuition increase cap

    Though Gov. Rick Scott’s signing of the $70.8 billion budget saw $1 billion allocated to K-12 education, Florida’s public universities lost $300 million in funding and faces a suggested 5 percent tuition hike.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ BOBBY BISHOP

    Chaz Bono talks gender, celebrity, Cher

    Though he said his body isn’t perfect, Chaz Bono told students and community members Tuesday that he likes what he sees in the mirror.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ BOBBY BISHOP

    Meningall to resign as Student Affairs VP

    After seven years at the helm of Student Affairs, Jennifer Meningall has announced she would resign effective May 7 from the University.

  • SG event brings City Council to campus

    Tampa’s future will be up for review tonight as students will have the opportunity to ask questions of Tampa City Council members relating to USF and the city at large.

  • Chaz Bono to speak on ‘Transition,’ journey

    From the itinerary to the speaker himself, tonight’s University Lecture Series (ULS) event featuring LGBT advocate, writer and performer Chaz Bono will be unlike any other, said ULS Executive Director Carly Henry.

  • Gov. Scott set to sign state budget today

    Gov. Rick Scott will travel to a Jacksonville elementary school today to sign the $70.8 billion budget that has concerned USF students and faculty since its formation.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ BOBBY BISHOP.

    Obama visits Tampa to talk exports, meets USF community members

    President Barack Obama visited the Port of Tampa on Friday to herald the success of a trade initiative that created a USF department, delivering a small, private press conference in front of shipping containers and industrial cranes.

  • Professor reports to class from the ocean

    Professor Teresa Greely tried to distinguish the faces of the students filing in to her Introduction to Marine Life and Habitats class Thursday.

  • Student website voices concerns on possible Poly split

    With Gov. Rick Scott due to make his decision on whether the Polytechnic campus will immediately separate from the USF System within the next week, USF students are expressing their concern.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ABRAAO CHUANG

    SAFE Team budget increases despite unused funds

    Part 2 of a multi-part series examining A&S allocations

    The same night the Student Government (SG) Senate voted to further distance its relationship with SAFE Team, the SG-funded but University Police (UP)-monitored service that offers students golf cart rides and walking escorts it also voted to pump $158,176 more into SAFE Team’s budget.

  • 3-D printing software soon available to students

    Florida’s first Advanced Visualization Center (AVC) will open its doors in June, offering USF students the opportunity to conduct research in three dimensions.

  • ‘Real food’ initiatives stalled by Aramark policy

    A student group hopes to prepare data and ideas about on-campus dining facilities and serve it to the Office of the Provost in hopes of making USF’s food supply 20 percent “real” by 2020.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ JASMINE ABNEY

    Lynch, Masters crowned Miss, Mr. USF

    Donations, food and staging made the 2012 Mr. and Miss USF Pageant, held Tuesday in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Ballroom, one of the most elaborate ever.

  • USF pledges to help Teaching Academy students

    When the Urban Teaching Academy program appeared to be in peril Monday, USF President Judy Genshaft pledged to help all involved high school students have the opportunity to attend college.

  • SG president, VP officially offered interim salary for first time

    Though the student body president- and vice president-elects are now authorized to receive compensation for working during the time between when they are elected and take office, they aren’t cashing in on the full amount.

  • RNC searches for student volunteers

    With the Republican National Convention (RNC) coming to Tampa in August, the city, including some USF students, is preparing to welcome hordes of politicians, protesters and the politically active.

  • Research and Innovation, USF World positions split

    USF President Judy Genshaft announced a change in USF’s research endeavors Friday, as Paul Sanberg will immediately take over the position of vice president for Research and Innovation for the USF System.

  • ORACLE FILE PHOTO/KRISTIAN WALDEN

    Bulls Radio sees $52K added to budget

    Despite having nearly $60,000 left to spend by June 30, the end of the fiscal year, Bulls Radio will receive an additional $52,000 to its budget to operate next academic year.

  • Fed drops former student’s lawsuit against USF

    A U.S. District Court justice unveiled last week a case filed in 2008 by a former USF doctoral student, claiming USF’s College of Medicine falsified research data to obtain more than $2 million in research funding.

  • USF schedules around overcrowding

    Though recent reports say that USF’s population may be exceeding its capacity, some administrators say that isn’t the case.

  • Underwater robot takes to Twitter

    Tweeting is not just for humans. 

  • $13.6 million A&S budget passes with little debate

    The Student Government (SG) Senate unanimously voted to accept the nearly $13.6 million 2012-13 Activity and Service (A&S) Fee Annual Allocations — a more than $700,000 increase from last year’s budget.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JASMINE ABNEY

    Lara Logan shares stories ‘From Apartheid to Afghanistan’

    CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan has been on the ground of Afghanistan, Egypt and South Africa to cover stories, and on Tuesday night, she took to the stage of the Marshall Student Center Ballroom to share her experiences.

  • Polk County requests $700K back from Polytechnic

    Though the Polk County Board of Commissioners gave $1 million to USF Polytechnic to create a business incubator in 2009, the county voted Tuesday to try to recover $700,000 of the money.

  • Green fee council selects 5 new sustainability projects

    A new wave of environmentally friendly projects was awarded student-paid Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) funding on Monday, and could impact campus as early as this semester.

  • SG to vote on $13.6 million A&S budget

    The Student Government (SG) Senate will vote tonight on allocations for the approximately $13.6 million in student-paid Activity and Service (A&S) fees expected to come in for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

  • Lara Logan to speak on front-line reporting

    CBS News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan has spent her career traveling in turbulent territory, and will now come to USF to share her experiences.

  • Jaywalkers ticketed on campus

    Brandy Mamo, a sophomore majoring in communication sciences and disorders, got a $50 traffic ticket while at USF — and she wasn’t even behind the wheel.

  • Health insurance debate familiar to USF

    Though the U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act and its mandatory insurance requirement, USF has no plans to revisit its own mandate.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/DIEDRA RODRIGUEZ

    CAMLS grand opening brings prominent guests

    After nearly two years of preparation and construction, USF’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) held its grand opening Friday.

  • ‘Rent’ inspiration speaks on HIV/AIDS

    Scott Fried, an actor, HIV/AIDS lecturer and author, stood before USF students Thursday and pulled secrets from his proverbial “pocket” — phrases many might hesitate to say, such as “Should I have used a condom?” and “I should get tested for HIV,” before getting intimate with someone.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ APRIL STRATEMEYER

    Sun Dome amenities unveiled as completion nears

    When the Sun Dome reopens its doors for USF commencement ceremonies in May, students may not believe they’re in the same building.

  • Cause of dead fish discovered, origin unknown

    Though the University isn’t sure how they got there, USF Physical Plant employees pulled at least 12 dead fish out of Castor Pond on Monday.

  • SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

    ‘Judy Shirt’ popular with students, president

    When Student Government (SG) posted a promotion on Facebook for the annual Our Shirt competition, one submission stood out from the pile.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    Week-old smoking ban sees mixed response

    When Courtney Ettel and Tonya Weed, seniors majoring in criminology, sat outside Cooper Hall during their Tuesday night Spanish class and pulled out cigarettes, they said they could feel all eyes in the vicinity turn to them.

  • USF students try living below poverty line

    Stephanie Martell usually shops at Whole Foods or Publix.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ NATALIE IVIS

    Campus speaks out about Trayvon Martin

    Eighty-degree weather isn’t typically considered suitable for hoodies, but about 80 students wore the extra fabric Monday in memory of fallen Sanford teen Trayvon Martin.

  • ULS rider requests unusual but not ‘unreasonable’

    Contracts between University Lecture Series (ULS) speakers and the USF Board of Trustees often include riders, lists of requested items that go beyond mere speaking arrangements.

  • USF rallies for justice in Trayvon Martin case

    When Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year-old, was killed Feb. 26, he walked through the Sanford, Fla., community where neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman lived,  carrying a packet of Skittles and iced tea and wearing a hoodie.

  • USF plan waits for governor’s pen

    The Florida Board of Governors (BOG) met Thursday in Jacksonville to discuss the 2012-2025 strategic plan.

  • Special to the Oracle/Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

    Students arrested in Juniper-Poplar after scuffle

    A dispute between students resulted in two arrests at Juniper-Poplar Residence Hall on Thursday morning.

  • USF reaches final round of Climate Leadership Awards

    Though winning the competition would bring no monetary compensation, USF is hoping online video viewers will name it one of the nation’s greenest universities.

  • CLARIFICATIONS 3-26-12

       An article in Thursday’s Oracle, did not state Khalid Hassouneh’s full name on first reference.     In the same article, (BOARD OF GOVERNORS ARTICLE) Hassouneh said it is yet to be determined whether USF will appeal the Board of Governors Budget Committee’s rejection of the Academic Enrichment fee.

  • BOG rejects Academic Enrichment fee proposal

    The Florida Board of Governors’ (BOG) Budget and Finance Committee voted against USF’s proposed request for a new “fee-neutral” student fee.

  • Anti-abortion activists advocate on campus

    The Florida Justice Riders, launched by the Ohio-based nonprofit Created Equal, stopped at USF Wednesday as part of a statewide tour to speak out against abortion.

  • Israeli students share stories from the front lines

    They wanted to prove they were more than just soldiers on the front lines of Israel. They wanted to prove they had a face.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/DIEDRA RODRIGUEZ

    Cleaning up her act

    A USF senior custodian leaves troubled past behind

     

    She vacuums. She mops. She takes out the trash. She re-aligns chairs after a day of classes. She made a promise to them that she swore to keep.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    College of Business announces new dean

    After an eight-month search, the more than 5,100 students and 335 faculty members  in the College of Business now have a new dean — Moez Limayem.

  • Moffitt to open Publix pharmacy

     

    Patients at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center will soon need to go no further than the lobby to pick up prescriptions at the first-ever Publix pharmacy independent of a grocery store.

  • Newly renovated Sun Dome offers 200 jobs

    With its ribbon-cutting ceremony in late May and first event earlier that month, the renovated USF Sun Dome is looking to fill about 200 part-time positions with students and the general public

  • Apocalypse lecture series to discuss impending doomsday

    The world is set to end Dec. 21, 2012, according to the Maya calendar. 

  • Poly separation decision looms as questions remain

    Though Gov. Rick Scott had previously expressed doubts about creating a 12th Florida university while the current 11 are receiving budget cuts, a bill awaiting his signature could do just that. 

  • Burger King employee arrested

    A USF Burger King employee was arrested Wednesday night on charges of battery, burglary and possession of marijuana after allegedly striking a student multiple times in the head.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    Brian Goff, George Papadeas win runoff

    With 53 percent of votes, Brian Goff becomes 53rd student body president-elect

    Brian Goff, who had nearly lost his voice in a day of campaigning, stood among his screaming, jumping campaign members as he was named student body president by a margin of 159 votes.

  • USF Week cuts events, adds Cobra Starship

     

    A week after Jack's Mannequin was announced to play at Bullstock as part of USF Week, another surprise awaited USF students — Cobra Starship would be headlining the event.

  • TechSmart to become more ‘efficient’

    After a slow launch in fall, new changes to TechSmart are looking to increase the printing store's efficiency.

  • USF study questions possibility of life on Europa

     

    With a known universe so large it can defy comprehension, many believe the possibility for life beyond Earth exists. But a new study suggests nearby Europa may not be the most likely home for extraterrestrial life.

  • Pension plan changes ruled unconstitutional

    USF faculty, staff and other state employees having 3 percent of their annual salaries — or a $1 billion collective pot — put toward Florida's pension plan was ruled unconstitutional Tuesday in a circuit court.

  • Genshaft: Budget is ‘the best-case scenario’

    As state legislators enter a "cool down" period before voting on the House of Representatives and Senate's joint budget proposal Friday, USF President Judy Genshaft breathed a sigh of relief.

  • Moffitt seeks further expansion

    H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute is hoping to entice a different demographic of patients with a new "destination center," in addition to two new facilities opened in the last four years.

  • SG candidates face campaign violations

    Today is the last opportunity for students to cast their vote for either Sarah Pollei or Brian Goff to be the next student body president, but campaign violations could play a role in the outcome.

  • More USF funding restored in legislative compromise

    Florida House and Senate leaders raced against the clock Monday night to reach a compromise on the state's budget, which has placed cuts to USF at the center of heated debates.

  • Student Green Energy Fee sees second round of proposals

    New lighting fixtures and improved air conditioning units are just a few of the new projects being considered to make USF a greener campus.

  • ORACLE PHOTOS/EDUARDA CASTRO

    Student body presidential election results in runoff

    After three weeks of campaigning, the race for student body president narrowed down to two candidates Thursday — Brian Goff and Sarah Pollei

  • Matisyahu sings, beatboxes, speaks on campus

    Matisyahu, the Hassidic reggae rapper who topped charts with his music and performed at the Marshall Student Center Ballroom on Thursday, said he almost never became a musician at all.

  • Budget battle continues, math differs

    As the House and Senate work toward finalizing their budgets by March 8, USF still believes there are fundamental differences in the way the budgets are being calculated.

  • Students protest state education with walkout

    More than one hundred students voiced their dissatisfaction with education costs Thursday by leaving their classrooms and taking part in the a "sit-in" in the Marshall Student Center (MSC).

  • Proposed cuts would ‘decimate’ College of Pharmacy

    When the Senate voted last week to restore $3 million to USF's College of Pharmacy after proposing to slash its entire budget, many heralded it as a victory for USF.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    Student body presidents come from mostly Greek backgrounds

    The past five USF student body presidents have all been in fraternities, and this year's candidates have ties to Greek life.

  • Legislature not deciding tuition hikes

     

    If tuition rises at USF next semester, it won't be because of the Florida Legislature, which came to an agreement Wednesday to not raise tuition for any of Florida's 11 state universities.

  • Students to walk out of classes in support of education

    Empty classrooms may have students thinking spring break has come early this year. But while classes may officially be in session today, some students are hoping to make a powerful statement through their absence.

  • Matisyahu brings stories, music to ULS

     

    With a style that combines reggae and rap with his Hasidic Jewish heritage, musician Matisyahu will deliver a similarly unique lecture tonight for the University Lecture Series (ULS). Matisyahu will perform "An Acoustic Evening of Stories and Songs" at 8 p.m. in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Ballroom.

  • Student body election results to be announced tonight

    The Student Government (SG) Election Rules Committee (ERC) will host an announcement party beginning at 8 p.m. in the Marshall Student Center Room 3707. Supervisor of Elections James Bodden said the ERC plans to announce the voting results at 9:30 p.m. during the party.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ BOBBY BISHOP

    Poly accreditation not possible by July

    USF Polytechnic has two options for gaining accreditation as Florida Polytechnic University and each option requires a much longer wait than state Sen. JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales, claims it would.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ JAMEL MCNEIL

    Few females fill student body president role

    Christina Hughes and Sarah Pollei are the first women in years to run in a student body presidential election with multiple female candidates. Yet it has been 14 years since a woman has been elected USF's student body president.

  • Blue Heart Campaign targets trafficking

    Necessary Improvements to Transform the Environment (N.I.T.E.) has distributed more than 400 felt light-blue hearts with statistics on human trafficking to students this month, hoping they would ask why the hearts were not pink or red.

  • SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/CANDACE KAW

    London calling Herd of Thunder for parade

    USF's Herd of Thunder marching band had a royal surprise for the university Monday morning.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    The governor’s counterpart

    Anthropology graduate and Bull Runner driver shares a name, but not views, with the governor

     

    To most people in the state, Rick Scott is a household name. Yet the governor is not the only person with the name -— in one case, the governor even shares the name someone in the academic field he received criticism for dismissing.

  • USF political parties see little success

     

    Every few years, a group of students attempt to start a Student Government (SG) political party at USF, but staying power has eluded every party that has surfaced.

  • USF funds restored in Senate budget

    The Florida Senate's budget, which originally proposed slashing USF's budget by 58 percent, passed with significant reductions and is being heralded as a victory — by all parties involved.

  • Polytechnic separation bill passes Senate

    When USF Polytechnic students checked their email accounts Friday morning, they received a notice that USF President Judy Genshaft was coming to the Lakeland campus to speak.

  • SG elections begin today

    Voting for the student body president and vice president will be open 24/7 from today until Thursday.

  • Budget battle continues with few USF legislators

    As the Florida Senate prepares for an discussion today on its proposed budget cuts to USF and the immediate separation of the Polytechnic campus, the Legislature has become polarized concerning whether USF is being treated fairly.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    SG candidates spar in final debate

     

    Conflicting statements defined Wednesday's student body presidential debate, as the six candidates argued many key issues, including an on-campus football stadium and Student Government (SG) transparency.

  • Polytechnic evacuated for false bomb threat

    The day before the Florida Senate was set to discuss a bill that would immediately dissolve the USF Polytechnic campus, a bomb threat led to a campus-wide evacuation Wed.

  • Polytechnic bill creates ‘friction’

    The Polk County Board of Commissioners decided not to support or oppose USF Polytechnic efforts to kill a bill that would immediately dissolve the branch campus.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ JASMINE ABNEY

    ‘The Buried Life’ cast speaks on achieving dreams

    Excited to return back to Tampa, where they crossed off No. 36 on their 100-item bucket list, the cast of MTV's "The Buried Life" spoke to a packed crowd Tuesday night.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    Genshaft, Alexander strive for ‘fair’ budget

    Despite initial setbacks caused by her flight delay, USF President Judy Genshaft said her closed-door meeting with Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, and Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormand Beach, to negotiate a potential 58 percent decrease in USF's budget was "positive."

  • USF partners with Lightning for sports management program

    A new master's program sponsored by the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Lightning Foundation is slated to arrive next fall. Yet about 50 students have already inquired about joining since it was announced Thursday.

  • ‘The Buried Life’ stars to speak on campus

    The cast of MTV's "The Buried Life" will visit the Marshall Student Center (MSC) tonight for a lecture that will encourage students to ask themselves: "What do you want to do before you die?"

  • Suspected gunman seen on campus

    A man who aimed a supposed firearm at two students around 2 a.m. Monday on Holly Drive has yet to be found, said Lt. Chris Daniel, University Police (UP) spokesman.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    The story behind the smile

    Student flees Chavez-led Venezuela, finds success at USF

    Most of Tampa has seen her smile. But Andrea Carolina Gomez Rodriguez, a sophomore majoring in mass communications and a middle blocker for the USF women's volleyball team, hasn't always had a lot to smile about.

  • Bill causes alarm at Polytechnic

    David Hamilton, a USF Polytechnic academic adviser, said he left his job at the Tampa campus because he wanted to become a part of an independent Polytechnic university. Yet a proposed bill that would make USF Polytechnic independent ahead of the Board of Governors' (BOG) established criteria has him rethinking his career move.

  • Budget battle seeks compromises

    USF's proposed 58 percent funding cut sparked heated debate at Wednesday's Florida Senate Budget Committee meeting, but it also led to a partial compromise, with the re-injection of $25 million into the proposed University budget.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ JASMINE ABNEY

    SG debate addresses budget cuts, tuition

    Though their audience consisted only of their campaigns and Student Government (SG) officials, the six student body presidential candidates laid out their plans for leading the student body through potential budget cuts Wednesday in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Beef ‘O' Brady's.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ BOBBY BISHOP

    CAMLS offers high-tech medical training

    It has only been 10 days since USF's Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) opened its doors, but the new 90,000-square-foot facility is already setting many firsts.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ABRAAO CHUANG

    USF protests proposed budget cuts

    When USF President Judy Genshaft asked the USF community to protest a 58 percent budget cut in the Florida Senate's proposed budget, students, faculty, alumni and senators answered her call.

  • New online forum helps students, tutors connect

    A new Internet forum created by a USF student puts a high-tech spin on face-to-face tutoring.

  • First student body presidential debate to address budget, tuition

    The six student body presidential candidates will square off in the first debate of the season at Beef ‘O' Brady's tonight, tackling hot-button issues like the proposed budget cuts and tuition increases.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JASMINE ABNEY

    Genshaft: Budget ‘blatantly unfair’

    Senate proposes 58 percent cut from USF’s budget and another 14 percent to be held

    USF President Judy Genshaft sat still and expressionless, slowly sipping a Diet Coke as the bad news unfolded during an emergency Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting Monday — 72 percent of USF's budget may no longer be freely at its disposal.

  • Poly bill poses fiscal challenges for USF System

    The financial implications of a bill proposed by the Florida Senate to immediately separate USF Polytechnic became apparent this week with the release of the Senate's budget.

  • Student suspected to have tuberculosis, 150 others to be tested

    USF students received an email from Dean of Students Kevin Banks Friday morning at 5:33 a.m., informing them that one of their peers was believed to have a case of tuberculosis.

  • BOG student rep bill moves to Senate

    The Florida Senate Committee on Higher Education will begin its initial review today on whether the student representative to the Board of Governors should be elected by students or appointed by the governor.

  • SG to host roundtable to hear student concerns

    In an event that is the first of its kind, a roundtable discussion with Student Government (SG) will be held tonight to provide solutions to the gripes of an expansive student body.

  • Bill could create independent Polytechnic by end of year

    A bill proposed Wednesday could grant USF Polytechnic's campus independence by the end of the year, despite the compromise reached by the Board of Governors (BOG) after much battling.

  • Evolution expert seeks to inform creationists

    A centuries-old debate wages on tonight in the Fine Arts Hall (FAH) in a lecture highlighting Charles Darwin's birthday.

  • Pageant more than triples spending, leads to Miss Florida

    The Mr. and Miss USF Pageant, one of the University's longest-running traditions, will have a lot more cachet this year as April's Miss USF crown winner will advance to compete in the Miss Florida Scholarship Pageant.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ABRAAO CHUANG

    Canopy to be completed in installments

    After running into delays, construction of a new canopy over the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Amphitheater will be temporarily be put on hold to meet the needs of the MSC's  bookings.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/MARYAM SALEH

    Students stand in solidarity with Syria

    While the U.S. Embassy announced Monday  that it is pulling out of Syria amid peaking violence during the year-long struggle between government officials and rebels, a group of USF students worked on a banner to ensure that the people of Syria did not feel abandoned.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/ABRAAO CHUANG

    INTO keeps English accreditation

    A nearly two-year-long threat to the accreditation of USF's INTO English language program (ELP) came to a favorable conclusion for the University, as it announced Monday that its appeal to regain accreditation had been approved.

  • STUNT strives for NCAA recognition

    Cheerleaders may support athletes from the sidelines, but a new sport at USF striving for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognition aims to put them in the spotlight — and more women on sports rosters.

  • Poly leader quits, doubts USF motives

    Mark Kaylor, a member of USF Polytechnic's Campus Board, received a two-line letter Thursday confirming that he will be resigning from his position.  

  • Scott: ‘I don’t believe in tuition hikes’

    The many on-campus protesters who have decried tuition hikes during the past year have found a new supporter: Gov. Rick Scott.

  • ULS stays within budget as lineup changes

    The number of paid speakers in this year's University Lecture Series (ULS) lineup has almost doubled since its initial announcement in August.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/APRIL STRATEMEYER

    Job prospects looking up for USF students

    With significantly more jobs available now than in the last few years, the economic climate is finally beginning to improve, said Drema Howard, director of the USF Career Center.

  • Student group solicits peers for USF donations

    In spite of the climbing costs of tuition and fees, a new student organization is looking to USF students as a source of philanthropic revenue.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JACKIE GRIFFITH

    Mitt Romney wins Fla. primary

    The nine votes cast for Ron Paul in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) polling stations were enough to declare him the winner of precincts 352 and 353.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JASMINE ABNEY

    The president’s promises

    What the student body president has done during his term

    Three months are left for student body President Matthew Diaz to complete his tenure, as well as fulfill his campaign promises.

  • Student arrested for gun in dorm

    University Police (UP) arrested a 20-year-old USF student Tuesday afternoon after finding a .25-caliber pistol in his dorm room.

  • Rally offers mixed results

    The high spirits of a smaller-than-expected "Rally in Tally" troop from USF were dashed by absent representatives and legislators Thursday.

  • Florida primary polls open, voting locations on campus

    A week after the NBC Republican Candidates Presidential Debate took stage in USF's Theatre I, another political event will be held on campus today: the state's primary.

  • STEM tuition rate unlikely to change

    Though talks of incentivizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education with lower tuition seem to be off the table, raising the costs of STEM education is also unlikely.

  • Debate tickets given out ‘at last minute’

    The exclusive collection of students granted the opportunity to view the NBC Republican Presidential Candidates Debate live inside Theatre 1 was a result of limitations placed on student tickets by the network's decision with University Communications and Marketing (UCM).

  • C-SPAN campaign bus to visit campus

    C-SPAN's Campaign 2012 Bus will be parked for two hours today at the east end of USF Apple Drive near the Library.

  • Tuition could rise, students to lobby

    A proposed Florida House budget released Tuesday could have the state reaching deeper into students' pockets next year.

  • Billboards ‘brand’ campus

    Though the nation's eyes were on USF on Monday for the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate, nine

    billboards aim to remind the Tampa Bay area of USF's presence throughout the year.

  • Student superheroes spread science

    While some grant money is used to buy tools for experiments or plane tickets for travel, three engineering students used part of their grant to buy fabric for multicolored capes, tights and other superhero garb.

  • USF offers degrees at HCC campus

    A deal struck between Hillsborough Community College (HCC) and USF is about to make Bulls Country a little bit bigger.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JASMINE ABNEY

    Students observe candidates as campus liaisons

    Waiting in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Monday night, Briana Jones could hear political protesters demonstrating outside the NBC Republican Presidential Candidates Debate. It made her nervous.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/TONY GORDON

    Candidates come to campus for debate

    Discourse heats up as USF hosts its highest-profile debate yet

    In what moderator Brian Williams called the "critical stage" of the campaign season, the four remaining Republican candidates took stage at USF on Monday night in the latest national debate.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    Hundreds gather to protest GOP, student issues

    The presidential hopefuls at the NBC Republican Presidential Candidates Debate were not the only ones to spar with their opinions Monday night. Hordes of protesters were more than willing to express their own views for those outside the secured Theatre 1.

  • Gainesville pastor marches outside debate

     

    Terry Jones, a pastor from Gainesville who earned national notoriety after creating "International Burn a Quran Day" last year and the newest candidate to enter the race for the Republican nomination, led a handful of his supporters across campus Monday before the NBC Republican Presidential Candidates Debate. 

  • ORACLE PHOTO/EDUARDA CASTRO

    Students, public watch debate from tent outside theater

    Before the NBC Republican Candidates Presidential Debate started, the massive, white tent in front of Theatre 1 buzzed with quiet murmurs from students enjoying their fruit, cheese cubes and soft jazz music.

  • Arrest made in USF student shooting

    An arrest was made early Monday morning in connection to the shooting of a USF student at an off-campus apartment complex Saturday evening.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    NBC presidential debate arrives on campus today

    Following Saturday's South Carolina primaries, all four remaining Republican presidential nominees will take the stage in Theatre I tonight in hopes of securing next week's Florida primary vote.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JASMINE ABNEY

    Activist lectures on MLK legacy

    Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy "the right way," was the focus of a University Lecture Series (ULS) lecture given by contemporary social activist and Columbia University associate professor Marc Lamont Hill.

  • Select, SG students eligible for tickets

    Between 50 to 100 preselected USF students will have the chance to attend tonight's debate.

  • Student ticket status remains unresolved

     

    A flicker of hope flashed across Facebook and Twitter Wednesday, after re-tweets and shares spread a Student Government (SG) link offering students a chance to sign up for standby tickets to the NBC Republican National Debate being held on campus Monday.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/JASMINE ABNEY

    USF heightens security for debate

    University Police (UP) is preparing for the arrival of high-profile personalities and politicians on campus Monday, as well as the general influx of traffic expected with the NBC Republican National Debate.

  • Hip-hop intellectual Hill to speak at ULS

    A hip-hop generation educator and media personality will discuss the civil rights movement and how to bridge generation gaps  today in a University Lecture Series (ULS) speech honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

  • ORACLE PHOTO/BOBBY BISHOP

    Professor married to mayor, medicine

    It seems Catherine Lynch's only downtime is at 7 in the morning, when she relaxes with her hot cup of coffee and opens the newspaper to read about the city spinning around her -— her city.

  • SOPA-spurred protests mirrored on campus

    As Wikipedia, Wordpress and other websites "black out" today to protest recent U.S. legislation that could censor portions of the Internet, one USF computer society will go offline in solidarity.

  • Republican debate to bring parking closures, lack of student tickets

    Though USF will provide the stage for the Republican National Debate, most students and faculty won't have a firsthand look at the potential presidents. 

  • Polytechnic committee moves forward with independence

    After the initial sting from a flurry of angry letters subsided, USF and Board of Governors (BOG) leaders discussed the steps necessary to move forward with creating an independent Polytechnic campus.

  • HelloClass provides students instant access to course openings

    Luqmaan Dawoodjee, a junior majoring in marketing, doesn't like constantly checking the Office of the Registrar's website to see if seats open in a closed course during drop/add week.

  • USF braces for legislative season

    USF has packaged more than 700 pages of data during the past few months to prove to state legislators that the University is doing what it is supposed to.

  • Michelle Obama lauds USF in new PTSD initiative

    As part of an initiative launched Wednesday to create doctors to treat returning veterans, first lady Michelle Obama pointed to USF as one of three universities already on that path.

  • USF researcher disputes Alzheimer’s as a disease

    USF has been committed to finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease, with millions of dollars given or donated to the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute in the past year alone.

  • Less confusion nationally, but more at home

    USF clarifies that name will stay the same with new tagline

    The response was vehement.

  • USF to expand wireless access across campus

    Thanks to a grant funded by the student-paid technology fee, Information Technology (IT) will be strengthening wireless Internet access on campus this semester. 

  • Partnership forms to expand Moffitt

    The Tampa Chamber of Commerce partnered with H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center Monday and launched a campaign to promote a bill introduced Tuesday that would support the expansion of Moffitt. 

     

     

  • Gov. could appoint future BOG student rep

    A bill filed late last week could result in handing some power from students to the governor.

  • SG election process starts, adds reforms

    Monday marked the first day students could submit applications to run in February's election for student body president and vice president — an early start to an election that will see many changes.

  • Student Health Services offers care to faculty, staff

     

    Students may soon find themselves in line behind their professors at Student Health Services (SHS). 

  • Coed housing option won’t arrive in spring

    Dorm rooms in Holly and Kosove Apartments were slated to make USF the first university in the state to offer coed housing, with a pilot program in spring 2012.

  • Sign no smokeing

    USF discusses completing partial smoking ban

    When driving on Leroy Collins Boulevard, passersby see an LED sign planted on the median that reads, "A Healthier Campus Coming Soon! Smoking limited to designated areas Spring 2012."

  • Sun Dome

    SG close to $500K contract with Sun Dome

    A win-win deal between Student Government (SG) and the USF Sun Dome could soon be finalized, allowing construction on the facility to be completed and SG to save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

  • ‘Tampa Bay’ to be added to USF’s name

    USF affiliates are working on a logo change that would make the University's name more homey.

  • SG committee chairman ousted out of office

    A Student Government (SG) senator was voted out of his position Tuesday night for violating statutes.

  • Daniel Yeh’s NEWgenerator

    USF professor hopes to save resources through waste

    A USF professor is working on improving a machine that can create energy from human waste.

  • State senator accompanies Poly student to disciplinary meeting

    A Polytechnic student whose academic career is in possible danger brought a guest to his Monday disciplinary meeting: state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland.

  • Campus Recreation Center

    USF hopes to recoup PECO losses

    USF Tampa has been denied millions in requested maintenance funds for almost four years. Yet within the next two years, officials say its requests may be met in full.

  • Polytechnic student faces conduct violations

    The possible USF Polytechnic split and the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) decision to set criteria for its independence has resulted in numerous emails, letters and calls for investigation.

  • Pell Grant decisions postponed to later date

    With the failure of the congressional "supercommittee," came a temporary victory for Pell Grant recipients.

  • Marshal Scolar

    Student becomes first from USF to win Marshall Scholarship

    USF's first recipient of the Marshall Scholarship said funding for her education has not always been easily available.

  • Gold parking

    Gold Zone parking spaces leave empty answers

    It's a scenario with which many students are familiar. An empty parking space is spotted in a crowded garage, only to discover that it's reserved for Gold Zone (GZ) permit holders.

  • Student veterans lounge slated for spring opening

    A new lounge for student veterans in the former Administration building is expected for completion late in the spring semester.

  • New kiosks to speed up Campus Rec sign-ups

    The half-hour before any group fitness class starts at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) once was its own workout.

    Students would wait in long lines in the CRC lobby to collect a ticket stub that would allow them to enter the class, only to reach the front of the line and find out the class, which opened only 30 minutes in advance, was already full, said Kim Mallard, associate director of CRC.

  • UF president expresses support for independent Poly

    Another Florida university stepped into USF Polytechnic conversations Monday afternoon.

    State Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said last week he was ready to propose legislation that would move USF Polytechnic from the USF System to the University of Florida (UF) umbrella, because he felt USF System leaders showed a "lack of cooperation" in allowing Polytechnic to split.

  • NBC confirms times, shows to air on campus

    USF will host more than just the Republican primary debate planned in January.

  • New fee could come at no additional cost

    If all goes according to plan, USF students may notice a new fee tacked on to their Fall 2012 tuition — a fee that wouldn't cost any money.

  • New Alzheimer’s center provides individualized care

    The furnishings are bathed in soft greens and the large window panels allow light to trickle in and fill the rooms. Plants and a large aquarium with brightly colored fish are placed strategically throughout the 14,000-square-foot floor. Large open spaces exist throughout the kitchen and rest of the floor plan, but it's not for luxurious living.

  • Senator accuses USF leaders of ‘misleading’ BOG on Polytechnic

    The Board of Governors' (BOG) resolution on USF Polytechnic's potential split from the USF System left a volatile aftermath, including with one of the split's initial supporters.

  • President Judy Genshaft (right)

    Partnership with community colleges guarantees admits

    For some students, attending USF just became easier.

    USF President Judy Genshaft and the presidents of St. Petersburg College, Pasco-Hernando Community College and Hillsborough Community College signed a document Wednesday that guarantees admission to community college students with associate's degrees wanting to attend USF.

  • Sex education goes mobile

    Eric Buhi, a professor in the College of Public Health, has advice on safe sex that may be hard to ignore.

  • Professor recognized for sustainability efforts

    USF's green initiatives recently got gold recognition.

    Christian Wells, director of the Office of Sustainability and associate professor in the department of anthropology, was awarded the 2011 Black Bear Award by the Tampa Bay Sierra Club.

  • USF answers governor’s letter with in-depth report

    When Gov. Rick Scott had questions, USF had 106 pages worth of answers.

  • Govt. saves millions in Pell Grants

    Errors made in previous school years' financial aid applications have been reduced this year, saving the U.S. government millions of dollars.

  • Asin not engery drink

    Traditional Asian remedies act as alternatives to energy drinks

    Ginger and chili peppers could be the new Red Bull for students cramming for exams.

  • Board of Governors approves market-rate tuition

    A new tuition system could allow some master's students in the same program to pay up to three times as much as others.

  • Un-Occupied USF

    Occupy USF protesters decided to limit the scope of their protests to weekdays, and convene only for general assembly meetings over the weekend at 7 p.m. The protestors have no definite end date, though their Facebook page states they will occupy the grounds until January 2012. About 20 protesters gathered in the free speech zone outside of Cooper Hall on Wednesday night to show their solidarity against corporations that account for the top 1 percent of America and protest tuition hikes at USF.

  • BOG sets conditions for Poly independence

    USF Polytechnic was granted permission to seek independence, but the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) made it clear during its meeting Wednesday in Boca Raton that it will not happen overnight.

  • Ocupy the campus

    Campus activists kick off Occupy USF

    A crowd of angry protesters marched into the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center on Wednesday afternoon where they were greeted with smiles and handshakes from nine administrators. Senior Vice Provost Dwayne Smith led them to a conference room and wrote, "Welcome," on a white board.

  • OCUPY USF

    Protesters, administration brace for Occupy USF

    Students received specific instructions: Bring a sleeping bag, schoolwork and a towel for showering in Campus Recreation Center locker rooms. Leave behind tents, drugs, alcohol and violence.

  • Interdisciplinary Science Building still awaits PECO funds, slows construction

    Until USF receives more funding, the newest building on campus will remain unfinished.

  • Polytechnic purchases $10,000 sci-fi statues

    Darth Vader, Captain Kirk and E.T. are among the latest characters to join the saga of USF Polytechnic's financial decisions.

  • Lawsuit aims to give in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants’ children

    For some students, the process of proving residency to the Office of the Registrar may become a lot more paper-free.

  • Turkish scholar speaks on Armenian genocide

    In 2009, Taner Akçam's name was one of five listed in a file that was confiscated by Turkish police from a Turkish ultra-nationalist organization.

  • USF critiques new version of Poly business plan

    USF reviewed the fifth version of USF Polytechnic's business plan for its possible transition to independence at the request of the Board of Governors (BOG).

  • Non-discrimination policy could include gender identity

    USF is taking steps toward adding gender identity and expression to the list of categories protected under its non-discrimination policy.

  • Student loan debt nears $1 trillion

    By the end of this year, the U.S. will reach a milestone when the total amount of student loan debt is projected to top $1 trillion, according to Forbes,

  • Moms who supported Obama in ‘08 unsure about 2012

    MAITLAND — Cheryl Abbarno was the most excited she's ever been about a presidential election when Barack Obama was on the ballot in 2008, but she isn't sure she'll vote for him again.

  • Occupy protesters set to target busy Oakland port

    OAKLAND, Calif. — Thousands of Occupy Wall Street protesters escalated their tactics beyond marches, rallies and tent camps Wednesday and moved to disrupt the flow of goods at the nation's fifth-busiest port.

  • Big East reportedly invites six into league

    After weeks of speculation as to how the Big East Conference would respond in the wake of losing three member institutions to other conferences, it appears that it is finally ready to welcome new members.

  • Senators request independent entity audit Poly, Faculty Senate opposes split

    Two state senators and the USF Polytechnic's Faculty Senate sent letters in response to ongoing queries about USF Polytechnic.

  • NITE WALK

    NITE Walk finds safety issues on campus

    One hundred students, faculty and staff, all bundled in jackets, separated into groups and walked USF's campus for an hour in the dark.

  • Campus organization loses funding, student leader over sexuality dispute

    Elizabeth Gutheim-Bryant considered herself very religious.

  • Goodman replies to USF criticism of business plan

    USF Polytechnic Regional Chancellor Marshall Goodman sent a letter to the Board of Governors (BOG) Monday, addressing USF's concerns with the offshoot's business plan for a potential transition to independence.

  • Sun Dome

    Sun Dome renovations taking shape

    After nearly five months of construction, the Sun Dome offered glimpses of what its new facility would offer.

  • SHS offers free shots for flu season

    With flu season beginning this month, USF will arm students' immunities for free.

  • Reserve offensive lineman arrested

    A USF reserve offensive lineman was arrested Sunday by University Police (UP) on felony charges of armed burglary of a campus dorm.

  • Survey shows majority of Poly union not in favor of split

    Results from a survey conducted by USF's chapter of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF) union show a majority of USF Polytechnic faculty union members are not in favor of separating from the USF System.

  • Second chane

    Bozella speaks of second chances

    The day before the two-year anniversary of his release from a New York prison, Dewey Bozella spoke to a crowd of USF students in hopes that none would ever have to live the life he was forced to.

  • Students charged with drug trafficking

    Two USF students have been charged with 24 counts of trafficking illegal drugs, including marijuana, LSD and opium.

  • Obama discusses initiative to ease student loan debt

    With student loan debt approaching $1 trillion for the first time in U.S. history, President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday of a proposal to help students pay off loans accrued in college.

  • Innocent ex-convict to lecture about life journey

    Dewey Bozella, an amateur boxer who made his professional debut two weeks ago, served 26 years in prison for the murder of an elderly woman in 1977.

  • SGEF council approves about $277,000 in project funding

    In a unanimous vote Wednesday morning, the Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) council decided to use the student fee to fund four projects proposed earlier this semester.

  • Leading scholar speaks on Baruch Spinoza

    Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century philosopher, didn't believe in the immortality of the human soul — a mindset that one professor believes caused him to be excommunicated from his Portuguese-Jewish congregation in Amsterdam.

  • USF to host GOP presidential debate

    Just a little more than a week before the Florida primary, USF will host a GOP presidential candidate debate on campus.

  • Bidding begins for USF dining facility vendors

    Aramark, the company that manages all dining facilities on campus, is in the final year of its current contract with USF, and the bidding process has already begun for the University's next contract.

  • USF prepares for possible Poly financial audit

    After recent reports on USF Polytechnic's spending — including $140,000 on a promotional video for a new campus and $500,000 on a documentary about its construction — two state senators have called for a financial audit of the Lakeland campus.

  • On-campus armed robbery results in one arrest

    Three armed intruders held a USF student at gunpoint Saturday night and stole approximately $100 worth of his property.

  • USF reacts to Gadhafi’s death with happiness, uncertainty

    Jaber Mazzida couldn't believe it.

    A graduate student studying education at USF and a Libyan native, Mazzida awoke Thursday morning to reports that former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had possibly been killed. Around 10 a.m., Al Jazeera showed images of his corpse and by 2 p.m., U.S. officials confirmed Gadhafi's death.

  • USF students’ food waste adds up

    Nearly 200 students dining at Juniper-Poplar Hall on Friday got a taste of how much food they collectively waste on an average day — a total of 56 pounds.

  • Cancer walk

    USF team ‘makes strides’ for breast cancer awareness

    With temperatures in the low 60s, men and women shivered Saturday morning outside the St. Pete Times Forum adorned in pink bras. Others wore shirts that read "Real Men Wear Pink" or "Save the Ta-Tas." Some brought pets dressed in pink or dyed their pets' hair pink to add to the spirit of support.

  • Scott sends unexpected letter to Fla. university presidents

    University President Judy Genshaft received an unexpected letter last week.

    It was from Gov. Rick Scott, and he had 17 questions for USF.

  • FIRE ARMS

    Firearms trigger campus debate

    New regulations have called into question whether students will be allowed to legally carry concealed weapons on campus.

  • USF left off list of military-friendly schools

    USF, which ranked eighth in the nation for most veteran-friendly schools earlier this year, didn't make the list of hundreds of universities in G.I. Jobs Magazine's ranking of the top 15 percent of military friendly schools that it had made in 2010 and 2011.

  • UP, man on campus ‘scuffle’

    An altercation between a University Police (UP) officer and an individual on campus involved pills and pepper spray Monday night.

  • AIDS Speaker

    Speaker with AIDS urges students to get tested

    Janet Kitchen survived breast cancer 13 years ago. Seven years later, she contracted another sinister virus.

  • Former USF professor sentenced to probation

    His mugshot was sprawled across the cover page of local publications and he lost his job in the College of Marine Sciences after being accused of burglary and battery. However, former USF professor Qingnong Xiao has received some reprieve.

  • Crescent Hill completes security camera system

    By next week, a new security system on campus will allow University Police (UP) to supervise USF's parking facilities from anywhere in the world.

  • Canopy

    Canopy to cover Marshall Student Center amphitheater

    After months of planning and deliberation, a canopy will be constructed over the Marshall Student Center's (MSC) outdoor amphitheater later this semester.

  • Pat Tillman’s wife addresses student veterans

    When former-NFL player Pat Tillman was killed during combat in Afghanistan in 2004, the national media jumped on the story with books, movies and multiple headlines probing into the events surrounding his death.

  • Students raise awareness of sexual violence

    Austin Lueck usually wears a pair of Nike athletic shoes.

    Yet Thursday, Lueck, a freshman majoring in business and a member of the baseball team, donned a special pair — bright red patent leather stiletto pumps.

  • USF reacts to governor’s anthropology remarks

    In an interview Monday on Daytona Beach radio talk show "The Marc Bernier Show," Gov. Rick Scott expressed strong sentiments in favor of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields.

  • SG midterm election without glitches, unofficial results announced

    Unofficial results for the Student Government (SG) Senate midterm election were announced Wednesday night.

  • USF Polytechnic future a ‘complex equation’

    If the Board of Governors (BOG) decides to separate USF Polytechnic from the USF System, it wouldn't be the first time the University lost a regional campus.

  • PRIDE

    PRIDE Alliance celebrates National Coming Out Day

    Hoisting their rainbow-colored flag on Crescent Hill by the Marshall Student Center, PRIDE Alliance — USF's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) alliance — hosted a "coming out" ceremony to commemorate National Coming Out Day.

  • INTO exceeds goals

    INTO USF announced Tuesday its enrollment has exceeded its strategic plan for the 2011-12 school year by 16 percent.

  • Buckhorn: City of Tampa, USF to strengthen partnership

     

    Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn had one message for USF students.

    "It's a turning of the page in this city's history," he said to students Monday night in the Marshall Student Center Oval Theater. "Getinvolved."

  • Sexual battery charges against former Upward Bound mentor dropped

     

    Sexual battery charges against former Upward Bound (UB) mentor Herron Gaston were dismissed Wednesday.

  • USF shelves health care reforms, waits for national impact

    For Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Alan Kent, endless political discussions on health care reform can be boiled down to one question asked during September's CNN Tea Party Debate at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

  • BOT addresses possible Polytechnic separation

    After an unscheduled conversation about USF Polytechnic broke out within the USF Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting, members made it clear that if the campus does separate from the USF System, they want reimbursement.

  • USF to host town hall with Mayor Bob Buckhorn

    Students will have an opportunity to bring concerns directly to Tampa mayor, Bob 

  • Council to decide on Green Fee allocation

    Student proposals for on-campus energy efficiency will soon become a reality.

  • New graduate degrees for 2012 possible

    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.

  • Professor brings new meaning to old photos

    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.

  • Invisable babbies

    Survivor informs USF of Invisible Children

    As a 5-year-old, Agnes Aromorach slept in the cold and dark jungle at night to hide from soldiers and try to stay alive.

  • Tuition protest.

    Students advocate against tuition hikes

    Chants from members of Students for a Democratic Society's (SDS) could be heard across campus as they marched and protested the 15 percent tuition increase passed for Florida colleges.

  • SG expands employment funds, Campus Rec hours

    After a night of heated debate, Student Government (SG) passed a bill Tuesday that will use student-paid Activity and Service (A&S) fees to increase Campus Recreation Center (CRC) hours and fund student employment across campus.

  • ULS to host Invisible Children tonight

    For the second year in a row, members of Invisible Children, a non profit organization dedicated to exposing the lives of child soldiers in Uganda, will speak at USF toni

  • Parking lot light

    PATS to fix lights in Collins Boulevard Parking Garage

    For several weeks, the rooftop parking lot of the Collins Boulevard Parking Garage has been in the dark.

    It wasn't until last week that Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) noticed the rooftop lights for the garage were not working.

  • Rubio

    Rubio’s on-campus office serves many, attracts few

    Nestled in the Business Partnership Building, among hallways of local research and technology companies, lies an office meant to foster a different kind of partnership.

  • New act changes US patent laws

    The America Invents Act, which will change the patenting system nationwide, could shorten processing time for USF to be granted patents — depending on how much the inventor is willing to pay.

  • Occupy Tampa

    Occupy Tampa echoes protests in New York

    Student and local protesters alike advocated for changes, in response to the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests, with their own counterpart.

  • FLeX House ranks last in Solar Decathlon

    A solar house that has been two years in the making came in last place Saturday in the 2011 Solar Decathlon, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.

  • USF, UCF sources dispute Big East blocking

    Both sides of the argument say the other is simply being "petty," yet that hasn't dispelled rumors that USF President Judy Genshaft is the reason why the University of Central Florida (UCF) is being overlooked for admittance into the Big East Conference.

  • SKATEBOARD

    Alumnus invents Skatecase for student commuters

    One night, Alexei Novitzky dreamt he was walking down a street when a man wearing a black suit and sunglasses walked out of a building toward him. The peculiar man presented Novitzky with a contraption that soon became a reality: a skateboard briefcase.

  • LEED

    LEED certifications at USF in progress

    USF may soon become certifiably more sustainable.

    The Interdisciplinary Science Teaching and Research Facility (ISA) building applied to become Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified two weeks ago and is now awaiting approval.

  • Texas plan could reshape Florida’s education

    Some Florida university officials are trying to avoid being dubbed the "new Texas."

  • Duckling

    Ducklings at risk on campus

    Katelin Kaiser, a senior majoring in philosophy, said she was walking on campus Sept. 7 when she saw a duckling drop through the opening of a sewer grate near Cooper Hall. She rushed to the opening, she said, and looked down at the duckling six feet below.

  • Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Pulitzer winner speaks on history of cancer

    Stories of triumph or tragedy are common among those with cancer, but Tuesday night USF welcomed an author who wrote the story of the disease itself and won a Pulitzer Prize as a result.

  • UP dispels sexual battery rumors

    After University Police (UP) responded to a domestic battery on campus Monday night, rumors began to circulate that the University was on lockdown for a sexual battery.

  • American Jobs Act’s student impact uncertain

    When President Barack Obama announced his American Jobs Act, he said his intent was to retain and create jobs. Yet students looking for engineering, architecture, education or small business jobs may benefit from the act more than others.

  • Common

    Common speaks on ‘greatness’ for first ULS

    Rapper, actor and author Common kicked off this year's first University Lecture Series (ULS) speech with a freestyle rap, name-dropping Fletcher Avenue and Lee Roy Selmon before ending with, "I came to University of South Florida to talk about greatness."

  • Hot tub

    Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center opens

    With a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center is officially open.

    The new $11 million home of USF basketball opened its doors for the first time and the Bulls' student-athletes served as tour guides of the new facility, which houses twin practice courts and film, training, locker and weight rooms, as well as player lounges and coaching offices.

  • Common comes to USF for first ULS speech

    With a career spanning music, film, television and literature, hip-hop entertainer Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., better known by his stage name Common, visits campus tonight as the first speaker of this season's University Lecture Series (ULS).

  • Students can voice tuition hike opinions on SG ballot

    Increased tuition costs this semester brought uncertainty for Dustin Ponder's future.

    Ponder, a junior majoring in English, started his college education at the University of Florida in Gainesville. After his father died, he was forced to quit school and work for a few years until he could afford the costs of university tuition again, he said.

  • Healthcare

    Students show support for Affordable Care Act

    USF students teamed up with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and a nonprofit organization to educate others on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

  • New council to oversee Student Green Energy Fund expenses

    In the first school year featuring the Student Green Energy Fund, students will have a say in how the money will be spent.

  • Big East officials meet in New York City

    A meeting between the presidents and athletic directors from the remaining Big East schools was held Tuesday night in New York City, as the conference braces for more change following the departures of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

  • Cyclist accident and safety event occur on same day

    Hours before a public meeting was held to discuss cyclist and pedestrian safety in the USF area, a student cyclist was hit by a vehicle on campus.

  • UCH now part of Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division

    University Community Health (UCH) made its partnership with the Florida Hospital statewide network official with a name change — becoming part of Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division (FHTD).

  • Digital resource use increases on campus

    From streaming video and databases in the USF Library to reaching large numbers of iTunes U downloads, USF's educational resources are becoming increasingly more digital.

  • COE

    COE sees enrollment, enthusiasm decrease

    Andrea Kurjah thought education was her calling.

    After graduating from USF in 2007 with a degree in elementary education and working as a first grade and kindergarten teacher, Kurjah said she soon realized the field she had entered was not one that had the best interest of students in mind — primarily because of local legislation.

  • Unstoppable campaign nears deadline, may continue

    USF's Unstoppable campaign has raised roughly $500 million in two years. However, the program is still $100 million short of the goal set by USF President Judy Genshaft at its inception, and the deadline is approaching.

  • Board of Governors postpones Poly split decision

    After months of discussion among Polk County community leaders and USF Polytechnic officials, the possibility of USF losing one of its four campuses reached the Board of Governors (BOG), but raised more questions.

  • Feeding more than stomachs

    Students feed, talk with homeless

    Members of the student organization Project Downtown (PD) serve more than food to those living in Tampa homeless shelters. Their weekly visits come with conversations.

  • BOG starts 2012-13 budget process

    With the possibility of less state revenue for higher education in Florida, the Board of Governors (BOG) knows it's a long shot. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

  • Fitness

    The shirt off your back

    Some Campus Rec visitors are asked to change clothes for infection prevention

    Some outfit choices are forcing students to swap shirts or leave the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) to prevent skin infections from transferring to the equipment.

  • Ring

    Lost ring, symbol between mother and daughter

    When Sheryl Rainwater saw the ring almost three years ago, she knew it was perfect for her daughter Mikaella's 19th birthday.

  • ACLU challenges Scott’s drug testing law

    A lawsuit filed on Sept. 6 by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), could prevent welfare recipients from being subject to urinalysis drug tests.

  • USF students to help rebuild Haitian cities

    A local organization will attempt to rebuild Haitian cities affected by a major earthquake in 2010, and they are using USF students to do it.

  • Debate

    Republican presidential nominees square off in first Tea Party Debate

    In a debate that was the first of its kind, eight Republican presidential candidates sparred over politics Monday night at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

  • Student dies while saving others’ lives

    Though lightning sizzled through the sky, Justin Inversso, a USF engineering student and lifeguard at Adventure Island, continued to help others down from a six-story-high waterslide to safety.

  • SkyPad

    Delayed ‘SkyPad’ lounge opens today

    Fantasy meets reality today when SkyPad, a lounge area that includes a gaming room, opens to the public on the fourth floor of the Marshall Student Center (MSC).

  • Remembering 911 3

    9/11 ceremony reflects on past 10 years

    Two weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, former Congressman Jim Davis stood at ground zero — the base of what was once the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City. As he watched the burning embers, he said he felt anger for the first time since the terrorist attacks occurred.

  • CNN to host Tea Party Debate in Tampa

    What started as a grassroots political movement will now be running a presidential debate among Republican contenders, as CNN and the Tea Party Express host the first-ever Tea Party Debate today in Tampa.

    The debate, moderated by Wolf Blitzer, begins at 8 p.m. today at the Florida State Fairgrounds and airs on CNN from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

  • SG bus service to football game doesn’t meet passenger demand

    For about 30 minutes, Erin Doran with 30 other students said she waited for a Bull Runner to take them to the first USF football home game of the season.

    The bus never came.

  • 9/11

    Memorial event to honor 9/11 anniversary

    They said it was a day forever embedded in their memory.

    Now, Student Body President Matt Diaz, Lt. Col. Larry Braue and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) Aziz Talbani will co-host a memorial service tomorrow, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

  • Khawaja

    Muslim community still affected 10 years after 9/11

    The after-effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks remain noticeable in the lives of Americans, and the Muslim-American community is no exception.

  • USF military leaders reflect on 9/11 anniversary

    When Jess Beltran, a sophomore majoring in psychology, was a fourth grader in New York's Belmore school district 10 years ago, two planes struck the World Trade Center one hour's drive away from her.

  • Oil spill grant furthers USF research

    Within weeks of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers at the College of Marine Science were collecting water samples and raising controversy with their reports of subsea oil plumes.

  • Higher education reform proposals raise concerns at USF

    Gov. Rick Scott's proposed reforms to higher education have some University officials scratching their heads.

  • Selmon

    University loses visionary, mentor with death of Selmon

    Lee Roy Selmon, former University of South Florida athletic director and Hall of Fame Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end, was a man with multiple claims to fame. To senior safety Jerrell Young, however, he will be remembered most for his smile.

  • Poly officials discuss possible separation

    Officials from the USF Polytechnic campus discussed publicly, for the first time, the Lakeland campus' possible split from the USF system during the Polytechnic Campus Board (PCB) meeting Thursday.

  • Hotx

    Bulls upend No. 16 Fighting Irish

    It seems backward. The University of South Florida, the youngest program in a BCS conference, is not supposed to be able to travel to one of the cathedrals of college football and topple a program as storied as Notre Dame.

  • USF sponsors Riverwalk design competition

    Hillsborough County leaders hope a new competition will help integrate the Hillsborough River back to the heart of Tampa.

  • Diaz to address student body

    Student body president Matthew Diaz is expected to deliver a 15-minute State of the Student Body Address tonight, stating priorities for the fall semester.

    "I think the main thing ... is to give an update as to where we are and where we're going," he said. "We will give students an idea of what to expect to see in the fall."

  • No discrimination protection for gender identity at USF

    USF's anti-discrimination policies protect a range of classifications such as sexual orientation, race and Vietnam veteran status.

  • Study raises questions on learning styles

    Students may believe they have a specific learning method — be it auditory, visual or tactile — that allows them to obtain, retain and deliver information more effectively. However, a USF study suggests otherwise.

  • Breaking down fall freshmen enrollment

    USF's new freshman class spells change for the University both academically and geographically — a change administrators would like to see more of.

  • USF Provost’s Scholars Program starts

    A new USF program challenges 24 freshman students to graduate in three years.

    This fall semester, the Provost's Office and USF Honors College launched the Provost's Scholars Program (PSP).

  • Student clothing company to promote global relief

    A student-created clothing line will soon start selling T-shirts printed with such varying social commentary as, "I am a Sex Slave" to images of orphans in Africa.

  • accidents

    Traffic accident, medical emergency occur simultaneously

    Two emergencies occurred nearly simultaneously on opposite ends of Holly Drive at about 5 p.m. Monday.

    The first incident occurred on the corner of Holly and Palm drives, and involved a medical emergency on a Tampa HART bus.

  • Poly

    Community weighs in on possible Poly split

    When Grant Von Leue entered the USF Polytechnic campus as a freshman in 2007, he planned to graduate as a Bull.

    Yet, pending the outcome of a September meeting of the Board of Governors (BOG), the Lakeland branch of the USF system may become a separate entity — something Von Leue, a senior majoring in biomedical sciences, said he hopes will not affect his final year of college.

  • Solar House

    Team Florida puts finishing touches on FleX House

    Two years in the making, the FleX House is close to completion for an international competition.

    The net-zero solar energy home is being built by USF and other Florida university architects and engineers, both students and faculty.

  • Tampa prepares for new red-light cameras

    When Catherine Haas, a senior majoring in social work, turned right on a red light at the intersection of 56th Street and Fowler Avenue during her freshman year, she said she didn't think twice about it.

  • Sign

    Increased patrols ease traffic issues

    The beginning of a new semester is historically a time for traffic concerns.

    Yet this year, University Police (UP) spokesman Lt. Chris Daniel said he feels UP, along with SAFE Team and Allied Barton security, significantly decreased the number of accidents on campus during the first week of the semester.

  • ‘Is it worth it?’

    University officials aim to accommodate students as customers

    Provost Ralph Wilcox had a message to deliver during last week's faculty assembly: adapt or perish.

    Wilcox warned faculty Aug. 18 that the nature of higher education has been reduced to a commodity. In light of increasing tuition costs and a failing economy, students are expecting more from their universities, he said, and not all are happy with the return on their investment.

  • USF experts disagree with climate change challenges

    Though the validity of the climate change phenomenon has come under attack in recent months, USF officials maintain that the science is one of merit.

  • USF installs cameras in drivers’ cars

    Tampa drivers may be used to being photographed by red light cameras at intersections. However, a new national study will capture drivers' actions on film from inside their own vehicles.

    In an attempt to increase vehicle safety in the U.S., Congress approved the National Academy of Sciences launch of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), a federally funded $50 million study.

  • USF prepares for Hurricane Irene

    As the first hurricane of the season moves closer to the U.S., USF is planning for potential emergency situations.

    According to ABC News, Hurricane Irene is "shaping up to be the most powerful hurricane to strike the East Coast of the United States in years."

  • Towels

    Towel service at Campus Rec discontinued

    The center will save approximately $20,000 for the fiscal year after eliminating the free towel service

    Jeremy White, a graduate student in the geology department, was excited to try the new exercise equipment in the USF Campus Recreation Center (CRC), where he has worked out for 10 years.

  • BOG to discuss Polytechnic separation from USF System

    The USF System may say goodbye to one of its campuses, pending the outcome of an upcoming Board of Governors (BOG) meeting to discuss turning USF Polytechnic into its own university.

  • Bull Runner adds new off-campus route

    Students and faculty wanting to go south of the USF Tampa campus now have a free transportation option.

    On Aug. 1, the Bull Runner, which is free for students, began operating a new off-campus route — Route F — which services areas on McKinley Drive, East Serena Drive, and North 50th Street.

  • USF, local businesses create Tampa Innovation Alliance

    While the Tampa campus has undergone major renovations, USF is now setting its sights on improving the surrounding community with the help of the Tampa Innovation Alliance.

  • Graduate subsidized loans to be cut

    USF graduate students may feel the implications of spending cuts made during the summer's legislative season well after graduation.The Budget Control Act, which was created to reduce the U.S. debt by $2 trillion, was signed by President Barack Obama on Aug. 2 and included eliminating subsidized graduate loans starting July 2012 to support the maximum Pell Grant amount for another school year.

  • Students study abroad with Genshaft Scholarship

    When two USF students headed abroad to study this summer, their passport came in the form of a scholarship from USF President Judy Genshaft.

  • USF students start Text Exchange

    A new website created by USF students aims to "cut out the middleman" when buying or selling textbooks. Text Exchange, which was launched at the end of July, allows students to list their used textbooks so other students on the website can buy them directly.

  • ULS announces lecture lineups

    Scattered throughout the school year are opportunities for students to get up close and personal with prominent figures via the University Lecture Series (ULS), which will undergo changes this season.

  • Academic policies change for fall semester

    After Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Katharine Cole met a student who was in over his head academically, she said it was a sight she never wants to see again.

  • Campus Rec expands, opens for fall semester

    With students and faculty returning to their fall routines, staff members at the Campus Recreation Center are hoping they will add a new workout routine to their schedules.

  • Robert Rumans

    Who is the Scantron man?

    Robert Rumans is responsible for processing all Scantrons on campus

    Millions of names have passed through Scanning Services on Scantron forms. Yet, one name has arrived at this office every morning at a quarter past seven for the past eight years — Robert Rumans.

  • Bomb threat to USF Poly Campus proved false

    At 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, the Winter Haven Police Department (WHPD) received a call from an unidentified male warning of a bomb found at Polk State College (PSC). The caller provided no more information before hanging up.

  • MLK workshop teaches nonviolence

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is no stranger to USF life — his oldest son spoke on campus in January and his bronze bust overlooks the MLK Plaza. Yet, a two-day training course that begins Friday at 1 p.m. hopes to make King's philosophies more recognizable in the actions of students and the community at large.

  • electricians

    New student lounge to open for fall

    More space for work and play is coming to the Marshall Student Center (MSC) with a new and "enhanced" fourth floor student lounge.

  • Google

    USF hopes to join Google+

    Since Google+ launched its beta test June 28, about a million people have joined the new social network. USF hopes to be one of them.

  • computer lab

    Changes planned for A&S-funded services

    Some students who pay Activity and Service (A&S) fees to the University are unable to use some campus services, but Student Government Senate President Khalid Hassouneh said that will change before the state of fall 2011 classes.