Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Showing up 20 minutes before Maya Angelou was scheduled to speak as part of the University Lecture Series was not enough. It was like getting tickets to see a football game all over again! There were about 200 people in line in front of me, Monday night, as a chill in the air threatened to make my cold unendurable.

It was worth it though. Hearing Maya Angelou’s lecture is one of highlights of my time here at USF, I can already say that with conviction. She was so personable and relaxed as she spoke in front of thousands, not afraid to share personal information about her childhood and proud to proclaim the “rainbows in her life” who have inspired her to be who she is. She shared her poetry and the poetry of such figures as William Dunbar and William Shakespeare.

What made an impression on me was her laugh. It was a sort of high pitched cackle, a characteristic laugh that was so original it seemed like it could only come from her. Angelou made facial expressions, the type that shy introverts would be embarrassed to attempt. I didn’t laugh at all her jokes (partly because the sound carries so poorly in the Sun Dome I couldn’t hear it from row 1200) but when I heard words that impressed me I wholeheartedly applauded and gave her a well-deserved ovation as she brought the sign language interpreters to the front of the stage and bowed with them. That’s class.

Maya Angelou was as real and unpretentious of a person as they come. I could have stayed and listened to her all night.

Vice President Jennifer Meningall was found not guilty on charges of financial misconduct, last Wednesday, after an audit concluded that most policies and procedures were followed. VP Meningall was accused by former staff member James Dragna back in October of this year.

This sparked major controversy amidst students at a time when budget cuts and tuition fee increases made them especially attentive to any talks of financial corruption with Student Affairs funds. In response, students held a sit-in and used the lack of police and security due to budget cuts as one of their main platforms.

The question of corruption within the administration aside, this lack of security continues to be a real problem. USF has selected Allied Baron, a security company, to “complement” the police force which many people had opposed, some calling it a “band-aid” solution. It may not be what everyone’s looking for, but it’s a start. I just hope to see more progress in the future. With changes like new 230,000 square foot Marshall Center being built and (I’ve heard rumors) of bulls statues that cost $50,000 each to be put in the future, remodeled MLK plaza, let’s find some money to complete our campus security force.

For More Info:
Channel 10 (WTSP.com) covered the story when Dragna’s email first came out. This has the original email from Dragna that was sent to President Genshaft & Co. The Oracle (usforacle.com) has the full audit report that was released on December 5.

Like many other students, I went home to my parents this past holiday weekend. That is, I went home to a place where I could do my laundry for free and where there is an endless supply of food that only cost me the time it takes to do the dishes.

In between the calculus problems and time spent playing Caesar on my comp, I took a trip to the good ol’ library and got me some free! rentals. Between the six I rented (I’m bummed I didn’t get a chance to watch Cool Hand Luke), I was really impressed by Francis Ford Coppola’s rendition of S.E. Hinton’s Rumble Fish. How artistic! This guy’s such a genius, he turned a mediocre book into a movie I’d like to add into my permanent collection. This was released in 1983 and showed Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne in their younger days and was the first of Mickey Rourke’s movies I’ve seen. Check it out if you’ve got a chance..and Tyler Perry’s Mad Diary of a Black Woman wasn’t too shabby either except the love story is just like any other cookie cutter American portrayal of romance.

As a side note: I’m really excited about Turkey day coming up. MMmmmhhh…I love food. I don’t care about holiday weight. Bring on the turkey and honey baked ham.

There’s something I feel very strongly about; it’s a very sensitive topic to me and perhaps the other 50,000+ affiliates of this University (plus or minus a few loners who aren’t football fans). Yes, I have to speak about this because it’s been eating me up the past few days.

Right after the football game ended and the people I watched it with transformed into sailors whose tongues had no restraint, I was thinking “can’t do anything about it now, game’s over, it’s all good.” But no, that wasn’t the same opinion of the people who lived on my floor and certainly wasn’t the sentiments expressed by the many students I passed on the way to class, in the dining hall, at the information booth at the marshall center, my professor and the other 149 students in the class… the list goes on and on!

I recognize that there are a lot of bandwagon jumpers who supported the bulls’ cinderella story before Thurday’s game. It’s all very good and well that they helped to fill up the stadium but I have to agree with my professor who said “this is the time when the team needs us the most.”

Sure they needed us when we made Ray James so loud that West Virginia couldn’t convert and had to settle for a field goal when they were 4th and goal in our territory. What now? Here is when it becomes clear who the true Bulls Fans are.

Stick with your team and not just when the going is good. We get enough doubt from the other coaches who called us a fluke, and the commentators who called Matt Grothe a “poor man’s Tebow.” They didn’t just take a shot a Grothe, they’re talking smack about USF as a whole.

It’s hard to stay on top. In my view, the games get harder trying to hold a spot rather than making the ascent. Let’s help our fellow Bulls and remind ourselves which team we’re playing for.

What’s all this talk about VP of Student Affairs Jennifer Meningall and the mismanagement of funds? Apparently no one knows, which is why students held a sit-in last Tuesday to get some answers. I didn’t attend due to class but the Oracle had covered it in its last two issues.

The story is that former senior associate VP of student affairs James Dragna had emailed about 80 people, including President Genshaft, with an outline of accusations including VP Meningall’s mismanagement of funds, unethical behavior, appointing friends to positions, and hostility toward employees. What went down at the sit-in was that no one from administration showed up, even though the sit-in had been pre-determined and administration alerted.

This confusion just goes to show how obscure everything is. To the administration: why not just address the student body and set the record straight? This is relevant information that we students are interested to know about. That’s partly our money, is it not, that’s supposedly being mismanaged? In regards to the lack of funds being given to the University Police (one of the key topics at the sit-in), today’s editorial in the Oracle reminds us that this is a present danger for every USF affiliate on campus. Think of Virginia Tech. Now how scary is it that the policy staff can barely handle everyday crime? What is it, 4 officers are currently employed?

If anyone knows anything about what’s going on, let me know. I, like all the students I’ve encountered are only going off rumors and have only the Oracle to keep me informed.

A very cool thing happened in my Intro to Psychology class this week. As professor Jane Noll reviewed the differences between anterograde and retrograde amnesia, in walks President Genshaft, the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, the Head of the Psychology Department, and two other guests whom I can’t remember the names of but who were also at the executive level.

I first thought President Genshaft was doing a meet and greet or giving her two guests tours but instead, she interrupts my flustered professor with a certain eloquence and rhetoric that reminded me of someone who speaks politics all day, everyday. She surprised Dr. Jane Noll with an outstanding teacher award, only 11 of which are given to the 2400+ faculty at USF. Then hands were shook, my Professor nearly brought to tears, and President Genshaft invited anyone wearing any USF insignia on stage so a photographer could document the moment.

Unfortunately, after all the hullabaloo we still had to talk about amnesia.

President Judy Genshaft addressed faculty, students, and the community this past Wednesday (Oct. 3) to provide updates on all the happenings at USF.

I learned a few things. I didn’t know that USF was the 9th largest college in the nation, I didn’t know that President Genshaft was going to be in the Rocky Horror Picture show production, and I didn’t know that the school has officially made it a requirement that new students have their vaccination before they come to school, effective 2008. The facts are random I know, but I just listened to this speech for about an hour and I wasn’t able to catch everything. Something about a professor getting a $169 million dollar, multi-year research grant for his work on children’s diabetes, how USF received a 50-acre expansion for, I think, was the Lakeland campus, and that the crime rate has gone down 11% since last year.

President Genshaft was not the best orator, but her speech made me wish I had been there in person. I feel it’s important to stay connected with the community and know all the latest developments. There’s a lot of stuff going down; our now 5th ranked 5-0 football team is just the tip of the iceberg.

The other day I was disturbed about something a fellow USF student had told me. On Friday he had been at a bar and, not being much of a football fan, had only caught glimpses of the USF-WVU game. He then speculated whether all those USF fans in sold-out Raymond James were dedicated fans, true to their school, or people who just jumped on the bandwagon because the team is currently 4-0. As disturbing as it is to contemplate, it may be true.

I then sought to reflect on how dedicated I was. Yea, I did have school spirit enough to cheer on the Bulls and boo any West Virginia fan who tried to sit in the lower-bowl student section, but I did not bleed green and gold like administration wants me to. Yea I was all stoked for the USF-WVU game, but I did not camp out and wait two hours for a ticket to the game. Instead, I waited about a minute to get my ticket (boy are those sun dome people efficient!). If it had been sold out before I got my ticket, it wouldn’t have bothered me too much. I’m not a sports fanatic. I like to take things in moderation and cheer when I feel like it.

I AM against those who are here to jump the wagon while the going is good. The athletic department may not mind; they may only want bodies in the seats, more people buying the paraphernalia, and more mouths to make noise. This isn’t a bad thing, but really, where are you bandwagon-jumpers gonna be when the winning streak comes to an end (which would ideally be a few seasons from now…)? That’s what irks me. Be straight up, be real. The least you can do is go to the games to have a good time, cheer on your team but don’t be fake and bad-talk the team when the going isn’t so good anymore. It’s the least you could do as a “Bulls’ fan.”

Wussup everybody, it’s Jenna, somewhat of a newbie blogger but trying to bring you the news about life in Tampa and particularly from on the USF campus. If you don’t know what school this refers to, maybe you should check again to see if you live in Tampa. This school has been one of the hottest stories in town, all thanks to the USF football team who is now ranked #6 in the AP poll, and 4-0 in their season record. For more info, please see another blog because I’m not much of a sports writer…

What I do like to bring is info about campus life as seen from a newcomer’s point of view. I am a 2nd year transfer student and have only lived in Tampa for about 2 months. I still have a lot to learn, but so far I know to never take a free stress test in Ybor, I know that there is a song about the Andros Dining Hall that can be found on Youtube, and I know that if you want to go to the next USF football game, you better get your ticket early! Last game sold out to capacity and I’ve heard friends say that they were waiting in line for their student ticket approximately 2 hrs.

I like sports of all types (thanks to my brother who is a very athletic, SI-subscribing dude) and I have played tennis myself for about 5 years. I also like to shoot pool and play videogames but can’t do either because lately I’ve had to study a lot for school. Yes, I’m all about school and I realize that it comes first before the aforementioned stuff. Anyone else who’s a Biomedical Major, send me a shout; anyone who’s a Pre-Med major, please stop and chat because we’d probably have the most to talk about. Any paramedics out there? I’d love to pick your brain and hopefully get certified myself one of these days.

Anything else that I’ve left out??…oh yea, Go Bulls.