Student body president can-didates Sammy Hamed and Andy Rodriguez did almost everything to get votes at Bull Market Wednesday.

Whether it was dancing and singing along with the Bulls Radio DJ or getting pied in the face for Bulls for Kids, each pushed their campaign before polls close today in this year’s student body election.

The last two weeks of cam-paigning were very amicable compared to elections of pre-vious years, as Hamed and Rodriguez could be seen jok-ingly encouraging each other’s campaigns all week. Each called this year’s campaign more “civil” and “friendly.”

Unlike last year’s election that saw over a dozen filed grievances, an SG Supreme Court hearing and a run-off

election, this election cycle has gone much smoother and nei-ther presidential candidate has been assessed any campaign violations by the Election Rules Committee.

Students can vote online at sg.usf.edu/vote, or visit several polling stations around cam-pus today located outside the Campus Recreation Center, Juniper-Poplar hall, the Marshall Student Center, the Argos Center and SG Computer Services.

In addition to the presidential candidates, there are also 102 candidates running for 60 seats in the SG Senate. The most competitive races are among 62 candidates for the 25 open seats allocated for the College of Arts and Sciences, 19 candi-dates for the eight seats for the College of Business and three candidates for two seats for the College of Public Health.

Voting closes tonight at 8 and results will be announced Friday at noon on Crescent Hill.

For five years, John Bul Dau walked a thousand miles to escape a country rife with star-vation and genocide. His trial did not end, however, once he reached safety.

Tonight, he will stand in the Marshall Student Center and

tell that tale of how a Southern Sudanese boy achieved the American dream.

Dau escaped twice from war-torn countries, South Sudan and Ethiopia, in 1987. He fled along with over 20,000 boys displaced during the Second Sudanese Civil War that killed 2.5 million.

During the exodus, the boys faced starvation, disease and

attacks from soldiers and wild animals. Half of them died before reaching a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

Then, a 1991 war forced the remaining 10,000 boys to flee from Ethiopia to a northern Kenyan camp, where the aid workers dubbed the survivors the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”

For the next eight years, the International Rescue

Committee offered the boys rehabilitation and education. Some learned how to manage a savings account or start their own business.

By 1999, it looked like the boys would not return to Sudan any time soon, as the fighting showed no signs of abating. The United Nations

Not long after her first motion was denied, USF Registrar Angela DeBose re-filed a request for a tempo-rary restraining order against the USF Board of Trustees, Academic Affairs and Vice

Provost Paul Dosal. The second motion, filed on

Friday to the Tampa division of United States District Court, was also denied.

According to DeBose’s second motion, she com-plained of “disparate treat-ment” and a “hostile work environment” to the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal

Opportunity. This filing was in response to alleged miscon-duct of her immediate supervi-sor, Dosal.

The hostile behavior, she stated, has persisted since she filed her complaints and has resulted in “irreparable harm to her reputation, health, career, (and) self-worth.”

Dosal, she claimed, subject-

ed her to continued isolation or exclusion from meetings.

DeBose claimed such treat-ment was the result of “institu-tional racism,” which she also cited as the university’s failure to promote minority faculty in the USF system.

She also cited the Civil Rights Act when referring

The Oraclew w w . u s f o r a c l e . c o m U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D AT H U R S D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 I V O L . 5 2 N O . 8 4

Opinion.......................................................4 Lifestyle......................................................5

Classifieds..............................................8 Crossword......................................10

The Index

InsIde thIs Issue

Montage

SPORTSUSF routs conference for Tulsa.BACK

LIFESTYLEAn abstract view in the Centre Gallery. Page 5

Student elections head into last day of voting

ULS features ‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ tonight

Student body president candidates, Sammy Hamed (bottom left) and Andy Rodriguez, took pies in the face for Bulls for Kids at the Bull Market Wednesday outside the Marshall Student Center. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

USF registrar denied restraining order

By Wesley HigginsN E W S E D I T O R

By Grace HoyteA S S T . N E W S E D I T O R

By Alex RosenthalE D I T O R I N C H I E F

n See ULS on PAGE 3

n See DENIED on PAGE 6

sports.........................................................12

Those with color blindness, sickle cell anemia or Down syn-drome must live their entire lives with their affliction encod-ed in their genes. But that fate may change, thanks to a green slug in Massachusetts shaped like a leaf.

USF researchers found first-of-its-kind evidence on the transfer of genes between sea slugs and algae, which could lead to improved gene thera-py for people who suffer from genetic diseases.

The two-year long study, released in December, found microscopic evidence that genes were once transferred between the emerald sea slug and the algae it eats.

The slug, native to Massachusetts, caught research-ers’ attention when they saw it was green and had chloroplasts, cells typically found in plants to create food through photosyn-thesis.

The chloroplasts can keep working through the slug’s nine- to 10-month life, according to Sidney Pierce, a USF professor and co-author of the study.

“So if you shine a light on the sea slug, it photosynthe-sizes just like a plant,” Pierce said. “Makes oxygen, fixes car-bon. Animals can’t do that, but here’s a slug that does it.”

The emerald sea slug gets its chloroplasts from the algae it eats, sucking them up and stor-ing them in special cells.

“I would say you have to think about it like your car,” for-mer USF graduate student and study co-author Julie Schwartz said. “Your car’s going to keep driving as long as you have enough oil, enough gas, enough whatever it needs, but once it runs out, your car’s not going to run anymore.”

Chloroplasts need proteins created from the algae’s DNA. The chloroplasts are the only

part of the algae kept by the slug.

“There’s a maintenance mechanism inside the slug’s cell to take care of those chloro-plasts, and animals don’t have the genes for that mechanism,” Pierce said. “So you have to ask: well where did that mechanism come from?”

The transfer of genes between multicellular organ-isms had never been found, according to Pierce. Finding out how it is done, he said, could lead to treating genetic diseases in humans.

“If we can find out how they were transferred, the mechanism’s transfer, you can go and start doing gene ther-apy,” Schwartz said. “There’s so many genetic diseases out there where … you have a gene that’s abnormal. So you can go and put a normal … functional copy.”

Previous studies over the past decade found biochemical evidence that a transfer had occurred between the slugs and the algae, likely thousands of years ago. However, Pierce said these studies were criticized with the idea that the results found had come from contami-nation.

“Now we have to prove that it was not contamination, it’s not just some fluke,” Schwartz said.

To find the evidence neces-sary to back up previous stud-ies, the researchers looked to find the algae genes on the actual slug DNA. They did this by first getting slugs in the lar-val stage of their life cycles and that had not come into contact with algae. The researchers then applied a marker for an algal gene to the chromosomes of the slugs, resulting in a match.

While these findings are an important step, Schwartz said there are still questions that need to be answered. While there have theories, scientists still don’t know for sure how the genes were transferred from the algae to the slug. Finding how this transfer occurred will be the next step to replacing defected genes in people.

“If an adult has, say, some defect in a gene, you can go and replace that gene,” Schwartz said. “You just have to find the mechanism.”

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 2

Small hope found on bottom of ocean floor

The emerald sea slug absorbs DNA from algae it eats, allowing it photosynthesize. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

By Michael MezichC O R R E S P O N D E N T

n Solar-powered slug absorbs algae DNA, reveals possibilities for gene therapy.

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 3

determined reuniting the boys with their families was not in the cards.

The U.S. Department of State agreed with the U.N.’s recommendation to resettle 3,600 of the boys to the U.S.

The lost boys, now men, were moved into apartments across the U.S., where they lived together. Many live together as a family to this day.

A 2006 documentary chron-icled the story of three of these men adjusting to life in a first-world country. The documentary was named “God Grew Tired of Us,” a sentence Dau said to rationalize the human suffering he saw.

The film documented their struggle to find a job, eat strange food and adjust to American culture while cop-ing with leaving their country behind.

Dau, who was a focus of the documentary, co-authored his first book that bore the same title of the film. The

documentary was a winner at the Sundance Film Festival and Dau’s book won National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers award.

Dau has since written a sec-ond book, titled “Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan.”

When Dau isn’t traveling as a motivational speaker, he is working as president of the John Dau Foundation.

His foundation opened the Duk Lost Boys Clinic in his home village. The clinic has given medical care to more than 110,000 patients, includ-ing thousands of vaccinations and childbirths.

Dau now lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife and three children.

The lecture, costing $7,850, is part of the University Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement. He is the second speaker this semester, after broadcast jour-nalist Soledad O’Brien last month. The third speaker has not been announced.

The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Marshall Student Center, room 2708.

ULSContinued from PAGE 1

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● T H U R S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E

Opinion4

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Lifestyle Editor: Ariana Matos .................. oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com

Opinion Editor: Isabelle Cavazos ....................... oracleopinion@gmail.com

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Assistant Editors: Sebastian Contento, Jacob Hoag Grace Hoyte, Brandon Shaik

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

The Oracle is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, during the summer.

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).

CORRECTIONSThe Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors. Contact Editor in Chief Alex Rosenthal at 974-5190.

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BY PHONE

College students don’t need to be treated like children

Things such as “trigger warn-ings” in school syllabi and bars against students saying anything potentially offensive seems like a version of college with training wheels attached.

Yet these protections would seem appropriate for college stu-dents if they are seen as chil-dren whose maturity hasn’t quite peaked, as one Slate column argued. If that’s the case, then students need a little sheltering with speech and sex codes, as the column suggests, in order to transition to college without feeling forcefully ushered into an adulthood for which they are too ill- prepared.

Just as students shouldn’t have to be barred from certain dis-cussion topics or literary works because of “trigger warnings,” they shouldn’t be introduced to

college treated as children if they are expected to change, grow or learn anything, which are kind of the goals of higher education.

Speech codes can include any-thing offensive alluding to racial or ethnic minorities. As the column noted, an example of this would be not allowing students to bring up discussions about sexual iden-tity in the classroom. But, while students should be courteous enough not to single out a specific group in any given environment, it’s also offensive to assume stu-dents can’t handle hearing anoth-er person’s opinion, no matter how obtuse it may be.

Sex codes, on the other hand, can be regulations against cer-tain sexual acts that aren’t nec-essarily against the law, such as intoxicated intercourse. However, codes that are in place for sexual assault prevention aren’t meant to childproof college; they’re there to make school that much safer and aren’t on par with speech codes.

Of course, “trigger warnings” can potentially be helpful to those who have undergone traumatic experiences. However, even this reason is far from assuming stu-dents haven’t reached a high enough level of maturity to handle certain topics.

It’s also important to note that “college student” is not an umbrel-

la term for young, traditional stu-dents. Still, to make the general-ization that college students have the mindsets of children isn’t fair.

For instance, the column claimed young people are impul-sive, give consent when they don’t mean it or can’t gauge actu-al consent and can’t articulate an argument without coming off as offensive.

Yet, this generalization assumes adults can’t be any of the above.

It’s belittling to think young students entering college can’t learn to handle a serious class discussion or that their chance to learn to effectively communicate should be taken away from the start.

After all, one will still have to eventually deal with uncomfort-able topics upon graduation. All speech codes can do in college is stave off those experiences even longer.

College should not be a bubble that keeps young adults from the diversity of opinions in the “real world,” and anyone who thinks college students are children who need to have walls put up around them should realize they can’t possibly mature with those walls there.

Isabelle Cavazos is a junior majoring in English and Spanish.

C O L U M N I S T

Isabelle Cavazos

What you said A recent letter to the editor in USA Today suggested

replacing the U.S. Supreme Court justices’ lifetime appointments with more limited terms to keep the court up-to-date with the times. Editor Isabelle Cavazos asked students their thoughts

about such a change.

“You definitely need new people in that type of role because they would bring

current awareness.”

— Ryan Elfallah, a freshman majoring in accounting

“I think it’s a bad idea. Once they’re appointed,

they have a good head on their shoulders. Our

generation has a lot of flaws that could be our

downfall.”

— Ashley Williams, a junior majoring in finance

“It would be good to not have people that are too

conservative and to change it up.”

— Moira Ungerleider, a sophomore majoring in business management

“They could still be judges. But when it’s such a

high-up position, it should be a limit of four to 15

years.”

— James Kelly, a junior majoring in information

studies and management

LifestyleU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● T H U R S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 5

Visual artist and USF stu-dio art graduate, Natalie Mackintosh’s paintings are perplexing and often a little disorienting, but while she doesn’t set out to baffle her audience, the pieces demand their viewer’s full attention.

Mackintosh’s “Unfamiliar Territory” will be on display until Friday in MSC 2700. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Centre Gallery will remain open for students to peruse Mackintosh’s abstract body of work free of charge.

Mackintosh describes her unique approach to art as simultaneously conscious and unconscious. The first step in her artistic process involves plotting the initial shapes of the piece in a purely objective manner.

“I record my own abstract

and concrete thoughts via painting using form, shape and color,” Mackintosh said. “I begin by consciously ignoring the content of my thoughts, yet being aware that they are there.”

She then enters into a trance-like state.

“I attempt to avoid overt narratives and obvious rep-resentative elements in the work,” Mackintosh said. “Each painting is a record of the passage of time and what I was thinking about, either consciously or subconscious-ly, when they were made.”

Mackintosh said her own paintings are like puzzles.

“I like to solve problems,” she said.

Abstract art challenges both the viewer and the artist to perceive things in a new way, essentially making each art piece a puzzle in itself. Because of people’s unique firsthand impressions, view-

ers will perceive pieces dif-ferently.

“When making these works, I am thinking constantly and also reflecting on contempo-rary life at large,” Mackintosh said. “Although I don’t depict actual narratives, I try to make this mental reflection visible through my choice of color, unusual juxtapositions, formal styles and my attempts to make things that don’t go together fit together.”

According to Mackintosh, the time it takes to create each painting varies, while the pool of experience and inspi-ration she draws from varies as well.

“Everything I have seen or felt, fragments thereof, might end up in my own paintings in abstract form,” Mackintosh said.

A Canadian native, Mackintosh credits her keen observations to her nomadic lifestyle. Traveling has attuned

her senses to subtle differ-ences between cultures and taught her to always keep her eyes open.

Mackintosh said USF played an important role in her development as an artist, as it surrounds her with a com-munity of people interested in contemporary art and pro-vides access to first-rate art facilities.

“I have many great profes-sors who are very active in the contemporary art scene in New York and globally that I can draw on for advice when-ever I need it,” Mackintosh said. “The MFA Studio Art program encourages students to be self-critical about their work. We receive a lot of feed-back, which helps us grow and develop.”

“Unfamiliar Territory” is Mackintosh’s first solo show. She has been working on it since early last sum-mer. Through jury selection,

Mackintosh was chosen to present her work after sub-mitting a proposal to the Centre Gallery.

Mackintosh admires con-temporary artists such as Charline Von Heyl, Sigmar Polke, Albert Oehlen and Neo Rauch and wants her fellow artists to know that although painting is difficult, opening oneself up to finding inspira-tion is important.

“Don’t give up,” Mackintosh said. “Painting can be very frustrating at times, but even-tually, if you work hard, you will make progress. Develop your own voice. Research other contemporary artists and become knowledgeable about what is going on in the world in general and in con-temporary art. Be open to all kinds of art. Keep in weird!”

The exhibit closes with a special reception Friday from 7–9 p.m.

New exhibit features grad student’s abstract view

By Zach Leete S T A F F W R I T E R

Natalie Mackintosh’s introspective work, titled “Unfamiliar Territory,” will be on display in the Centre Gallery until Friday. ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

The Florida Board of Governors (BOG) will meet today to discuss a number of items on its agen-da, among them whether USF should build a medical school in Downtown Tampa.

The plans to build a 12-story medical building is part of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s billion-dollar plan to revitalize large sections of the downtown area.

The plans to bring the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health Heart Institute to Downtown Tampa received enthusiasm from USF President Judy Genshaft and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

But when reviewing the project last month in Jacksonville, the BOG slowed down the momen-tum. Though no BOG members outwardly opposed the proposal, some said they needed to see a business plan before investing millions.

Instead, USF received a $5 mil-

lion installment of the $62 million requested to gather information the BOG needed by the time of today’s meeting.

USF had already present-ed to the BOG’s Facilities and Revitalization Committee with its plans for a new medical school in October, but some of the BOG members were not present during that meeting.

The plan calls for the College of Medicine and Health Heart Institute to combine into one 12-story building with floors for dining, classrooms, laboratories, a library and a clinic. The proj-ect would also feature a medical office and parking garage across the street, able to fit an estimated 1,750 vehicles.

The plans got underway in October when Vinik offered to donate an acre on the empty corner of Channelside Drive and Meridian Avenue, less than a mile away from Amalie Arena where the Lightning play.

According to an executive sum-mary presentation on the BOG website, the construction of the new medical school could cost up to $153 million, most of which

relies on state funding. The university wants approxi-

mately $130 million from state funding, including the $62 million the state had originally intend-ed to put toward a new medical school for USF’s Tampa campus. USF is hoping for its first $17 million installment by the end of 2015.

But even if the BOG approves the project, Genshaft won’t be able to put the ceremonial shovel in the ground just yet.

The project would then have to go to the Florida Legislature, convening March 1, for approval.

Though there seems to be enough approval already, accord-ing to the Tampa Bay Times, USF and Vinik sent lobbyists to Tallahassee to warm legislators to the idea.

The last hurdle is Gov. Rick Scott, who did not account for the medical school in the budget he proposed last month.

The Legislature can modify the budget, but Scott holds the power of veto. Buckhorn told the Tampa Bay Times, however, that Scott is on board with the downtown medical school.

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 6

BOG to consider downtown med schoolto USF’s internal promoting practices.

This racism, she claimed, is expressly demonstrated by Dosal. She further claimed he gave significant pay increas-es to white counterparts who were less qualified. DeBose claimed Dosal denied any opportunity to increase her compensation, reasoning she was one of the high-paid reg-istrars in Florida.

DeBose’s request was ulti-mately denied, and neither she nor Dosal provided any further comment to The Oracle.

While the U.S. District Court denied the second motion for a temporary restraining order, the court may decide whether to enforce a pre-liminary injunction once the defendants are served court papers. An injunction would restrict the university from fir-ing DeBose.

But first the court must decide whether it is with-in their jurisdiction before considering a motion for injunction.

DENIEDContinued from PAGE 1

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 7

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● T H U R S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E8

Classifieds Crossword To place a classified ad go to http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

Veterinary Tech/Assistant or Recep-tionist needed for animal hospital

close to campus. Part-time or full-time. Experience a plus, but will train. Email

resume to acahhiring@gmail.com.

HELP WANTED

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PT/FT Customer ServiceLooking for full or part time employees with strong customer service skills and an upbeat personality. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. and mechanical skills are a

plus, but not required. Please call Pinch A Penny 9 at 813-988-0306 and ask for

Gary or Tracy.Email pinchapenny9@verizon.net

Audit Intern - PaidLocal audit firm is looking for an audit

intern that has taken at least Intermediate accounting 1, to assist

with basic audit functions. This will be a paid internship with flexible hours.

Email travis@greencocpas.com

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 9

The Oracle is looking for

opinion writers.

For details, contact the editor at:

oracleeditor@gmail.com

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● T H U R S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E10

Freshman Laura Ferreira was one of five Bulls in double figures as USF routed Tulsa. Ferreira scored 11 points while adding 11 rebounds. ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

“We have a lot of impor-tant basketball left to play,” Fernandez said. “But I was really pleased with the way we came out and we responded. It all started with our shoot around and our last two prac-tices.”

The Bulls had a 36-23 lead at the half and stormed out of the gate with a 20-4 run to start the second half led by junior guard Courtney Williams’ 11 second-half points. She would finish the game with 17 on 8-for-17 shooting.

“The biggest thing for Courtney is to continue to grow and to play every posses-sion at both ends of the floor,” Fernandez said. “She made some spectacular plays.”

USF didn’t have to rely sole-ly on Williams in this game. Five Bulls scored in double digits with freshmen Laura Ferreira and Maria Jespersen, with each recording their first career double-doubles.

As a team that has won 14 of its last 17 games, USF was able to rebound Wednesday.

“We were upset about the loss (to East Carolina), so we came into the practices really wanting to prove to every-body that we were better than we showed at that game,” Jespersen said. “We shared the ball, we played better as a team and it turned out well.”

Sophomore Paige Cashin saw an increased amount of time in Wednesday night’s win, as she played for nine minutes.

“Paige has been practicing really well,” Fernandez said. “She’s probably had two of her best practices of the sea-son this week and we’re going to need her to develop and keep getting better because she’s only a sophomore.”

USF dominated the floor, nearly doubling Tulsa’s points in the paint and outscored the Golden Hurricane 25-2 in fast break points.

USF continues their home stand on Sunday against Temple at noon.

HISTORICContinued from PAGE 12

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 11

season, Eriksen said he still feels pretty good about the next couple of years.

Minimizing mistakes

Wherever youth go, mistakes follow. USF has had 16 fielding errors, 16 wild pitches and 38 walks in 2015.

“We can’t give opposing teams the extra opportunities via the errors and walks,” Eriksen said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m a staunch proponent for playing the game without giving them extra opportunities.”

The Bulls had trouble with giving up big offensive innings in their losses against No. 11 Tennessee and Fordham, where USF allowed two eight-run innings.

“We have to make the plays on ground balls so we don’t extend the innings,” Eriksen said. “Anytime your pitching staff gets into the 18-24 pitch range, it doesn’t help.”

Need for speed

Without an abundance of power hitters on the roster, USF has had to be creative with scor-ing runs, a task it has seen suc-cess with, as the team scored nine more runs than any team in the AAC.

The Bulls trade power for speed, and a lot of it.

“They can get the defense to move laterally just by a lead,” Eriksen said. “They just take one step and everybody’s flinching like crazy.”

USF sits second in the con-ference in doubles (12), first in triples (4) and have more stolen bases than any other AAC team.

The mobility of the team allows them to turn what may be a groundout to some into extra bases.

“You get down to the 7, 8 and 9 rotation in the lineup with (Astin) Donovan and Devine and then (Kristen Wyckoff) in the leadoff,” Eriksen said. “You have to love hitting (in the) 3, 4 and 5 spot because there will be some people on base for us that can make some things happen.”

Packed crowds

With hosting some of the

nation’s top programs comes standing-room-only crowds and an exciting, loud environment.

“I think anytime you have energy like that in the ballpark that we have, the girls play off of it,” Eriksen said. “I only had to get on the team one time in 10 games saying ‘You’re playing very boring right now; if I had a ticket I’d probably leave.’ Other than that, they’ve been pretty exciting; we just have to keep up that excitement.”

USF has played three oppo-nents in the top 15 and have 13 teams from the 2014 NCAA tournament field on the schedule, meaning big crowds throughout the year for USF.

“I don’t notice it too much dur-ing the games, but marketing is happy, the chief financial officer is happy, concessions is happy, so, that’s a couple people off my butt,” Eriksen said in regards to the large crowds. “I just have to put a couple W’s on the board so my wife can be happy.”

USF returns to action Friday in the USF Wilson-Demarini Tournament with games against Auburn at 2:45 p.m. and Marshall at 5 p.m.

USF coach Ken Eriksen has built this year’s team based on speed. USF leads the AAC in triples and steals. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

IMPACTContinued from PAGE 12

In four at bats Wednesday night, senior Kyle Teaf had one hit and one RBI as USF fell to No. 5 Florida 13-3. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

No. 5 Florida explosive in win over USFAs fans watched in bean-

ies and blankets, the Bulls couldn’t get their bats hot in a 13-3 loss to No. 5 Florida.

In 55-degree weather Wednesday night, a crowd of 2,059 was parted between USF’s green and gold and Florida’s blue and orange for the Bulls’ home opener.

“We’re going to try to learn from it,” coach Mark Kingston said. “We need to learn that we still have a ways to go because that’s a top-five team, and we’re not right now. It’s a good glimpse into where we want to be someday.”

The Gators (4-0) had no problem heating up early, as they capitalized off a critical error in the first.

With one on and one out for starter Tommy Peterson, Florida shortstop Richie Martin reached on a throwing

error by third baseman Zac Gilcrease.

Florida left-fielder Harrison Bader’s RBI-double then scored Martin and Buddy Reed, who had hit a one-out single.

Peterson (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits through 4 2/3 innings.

The Bulls’ bats were quiet until they posted two runs in the seventh inning. Left-fielder Kevin Merrell broke Florida’s perfect game and reached on an error by Martin.

Shortstop Kyle Teaf drove in Merrell with a single, but was caught trying to advance to second. Pinch-hitter Luke Borders hit a two-out RBI sin-gle to score right-fielder Luke Maglich, who had singled ear-lier.

Leading 6-2, the Gators cushioned their lead with a seven-run eighth to take a 13-2 advantage. Pitcher

Tommy Eveld allowed four of those runs before Ryan Valdes surrendered a two-out, 3-RBI triple.

The Bulls answered with a run in the bottom frame, but couldn’t shrink Florida’s lead any more.

Florida starter Brett Morales (1-0) pitched six no-hit innings, while striking out seven.

“His stuff was outstand-ing with great command,” Kingston said of Morales. “He was ahead of our hitters, and we had no answer for him.”

USF (2-2) hosts Wagner this weekend, beginning with a Friday game at 6:30 p.m.

“I told the team it was one game,” Kingston said. “I want us to have an attitude that we hate to lose to anybody — especially to an in-state rival. With that being said, we have to flush it and move on. It’s one game. It has nothing to do with how we’re going to play this weekend.”

By Tiana AumentC O R R E S P O N D E N T

Baseball

SportsU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● T H U R S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E12

Freshmen have no fear

With two outs in the bottom of the first inning Friday, freshman Kenya Yancy stepped up to the plate with her team clutching a slim 1-0 lead. The 5-foot-6 out-fielder showed her power send-ing a grand-slam shot over the left center field fence for her first career home run.

This is just a mere snapshot of the success of the freshmen USF softball coach Ken Eriksen has brought in for this season who are making an immediate impact.

USF has had five freshmen appear in at least six of the team’s first 10 games, which amassed 25 runs and 16 RBIs in 75 at bats.

“They really are (doing some great things),” Eriksen said of the young talent. “They’ve really been pushing the envelope with playing time and productivity measurements have been pretty darn good.”

Eriksen said early in the sea-son that he wouldn’t be afraid to start three or four freshmen at a time during the season, and he has stuck to that with 29 freshmen starts in the first two weekends.

“These guys aren’t fearing fail-ure,” Eriksen said. “They’re aware of it, but they’re also responsive and they’ve come back in games to do some great things.”

Eriksen credits the success of the younger crowd to the accep-tance from the older girls.

“I’m really proud of the fact that the juniors and seniors have accepted the fact that these guys are part of the team,” Eriksen said. “I think that’s the only way you can be successful and have a positive environment. A lot of credit goes to those upper-class players who make the under-class players feel very comfort-able.

“In female sports that’s rare. It’s rare that you have a 22-year-old woman accepting an 18-year-old girl into the program to be able to be productive. We hoping that the philosophy instilled here will carry on.”

With seniors like Veronica Gajownik, D’Anna Devine and Sam Greiner leaving following the

Softball

n See IMPACT on PAGE 11

USF (2-2) at Wagner (0-0)When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.Where: USF Baseball StadiumTV/Radio: 1010AM

TheRundown

Outside USFAfter much speculation of his career in Arizona being over, Larry Fitzgerald signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals. The 11th-year was set to make $16.25 million with a $23.5 million cap hit. Fitzgerald has 909 receptions and 12,151 yards with the Cardinals.

Quick Facts

What to watch for

Men’s BasketballTwo of the top teams in the AAC will play Sunday when Tulsa (18-7, 11-2) hosts Temple (19-7, 10-3) at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Women’s BasketballNo. 1 UConn (25-1, 14-0) will once again put its 24-game winning streak to the test when it plays at Tulsa (14-10, 9-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.Baseball

• Junior guard Anthony Collins moved into second place for assists in USF history with 537. He is 96 assists shy of becoming the Bulls’ all-time leader.

• USF women’s basketball now holds the best regular season record in program history after Wednesday’s win over Tulsa.

Historic season continues for USF

In a season that has seen a barrage of accolades including coach Jose Fernandez’s 250th win and USF’s first ever AP top 25 ranking, the Bulls added yet another piece of history to this storied season.

With a 79-46 rout of confer-ence opponent Tulsa (14-11, 9-5), USF (21-5, 12-2) women’s basketball secured the best regular season record in the program’s history.

Women’s Basketball

By Jacob HoagA S S T . S P O R T S E D I T O R

By Jacob HoagA S S T . S P O R T S E D I T O R

n See HISTORIC on PAGE 10

Freshman Maria Jespersen scored her first career double-double in Wednesday’s win. ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

n USF freshmen have early impact for coach Ken Eriksen.

Outfielder Astin Donovan is second among all freshmen with a .360 batting average, second only to Kenya Yancy’s .375. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU