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2 months ago | 
usforacle.com | Michelle Plyam |Joana Riva |Clara Garcia |Clara García
Ava Porten was “forced” by her parents to take piano lessons when she was five years old, but developed a passion for singing through vocal lessons at age 10. At 20 years old, Porten, a junior business management major, was signed by the record label Distro by Benton and is now managed by Doechii’s father, known as Snatcha Da Boss. This meant Doechii’s Grammy for best rap album on Feb.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
usforacle.com | Michelle Plyam |Joana Riva
Walking through the Botanical Gardens in late October, visitors may have seen collapsed trees or the broken bridge leading to the medicinal garden. Hurricane Milton made landfall on Oct. 9, 2024 in Siesta Key, bringing a storm of devastation to Tampa Bay. The hurricane flooded the Gardens. The medicinal and wildflower gardens were left under four feet of water, and blank plots are now replacing some plants.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Clara Garcia |Clara García |Michelle Plyam
Test free week and final exam week will not occur this semester to make up for the lost class time during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the university said Monday. The final two weeks of the term will be normal instructional weeks, meaning classes will meet at their scheduled times — an exception to USF Regulation 3.011 Testing and Final Examination. Because of the adjustments, the fall semester won’t have to be extended and will still end on Dec. 12, the university said.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Maria Cortes |Michelle Plyam
Kristin Kosyluk said the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton looks different on everyone, and recognizing these differences is essential for supporting mental health. “We are not all in the same boat, but we’re all on the same rough seas,” said Kosyluk. “Some of us are in kayaks and others are on cruise ships.”Kosyluk is a professor at the USF Louis de la Parte Mental Health Institute. She said the “biggest thing” USF can do is provide tools for people to focus on their present needs.
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Oct 21, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Hannah Laubach Matson |Michelle Plyam |Clara Garcia |Clara García
Abigail Stephens, a senior health sciences major, said it is important to vote in Student Government (SG) elections. “It gives you a voice to shape the election through who you vote for,” Stephens said. “It is very self-rewarding to vote, and you can partly control the outcome of the election.”The timeline for the 2024 midterm elections was adjusted by SG Election Rules Commission and SG Advising after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
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Oct 21, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Michelle Plyam |Clara Garcia |Clara García
Both USF’s Riverfront Park and Botanical Gardens are temporarily closed due to Hurricane Milton, which battered the Tampa Bay area almost two weeks ago. Curator Craig Huegel said the Gardens have faced its share of hurricanes, but none quite like Milton. Huegel said he expects the Gardens to reopen on the first Tuesday of November, but the Botanical Gardens Club will announce the exact reopening date on BullsConnect and Instagram.
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Oct 17, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Michelle Plyam |Hristiana Ivanova |Lily Belcher |Clara Garcia |Clara García
Craig Huegel climbed into his golf cart Wednesday morning at the Botanical Gardens, with coffee in his cup holder and a shovel in his gloved hands. “There’s never been anything like this,” Huegel, the gardens’ lead curator, said as he surveyed the medicinal garden “ruined” by Hurricane Milton. He said the Gardens will stay closed to the public until the first Tuesday of November — but it will not look the same.
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Oct 3, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Camila Gomez |Joana Riva |Lily Belcher |Michelle Plyam
USF President Rhea Law urged the USF community to maintain a respectful and civil environment on campus ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. In a universitywide email on Thursday, Law said the university was aware of several on and off-campus events planned for next week to recognize the day. “Regardless of our personal views, we can best support the free exchange of ideas by maintaining civility and treating each other with respect,” she said. On Oct.
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Oct 2, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Michelle Plyam |Joana Riva |Lily Belcher |Clara Garcia |Clara García
There are thirteen species of bats residing in Florida, but USF students might be able to spot two of them at their own campus. Preston McDonald, a graduate assistant for the Department of Integrative Biology at USF, said the Brazilian (Mexican) free-tailed bat and the evening bat species have been sighted in the Tampa campus. To some this might be an omen, but McDonald thinks differently. “Bats are just fun.” McDonald said.
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Oct 2, 2024 | 
usforacle.com | Lily Belcher |Joana Riva |Michelle Plyam |Clara Garcia |Clara García
USF suspended a student and expelled another for their involvement in a series of protests in April. ORACLE PHOTO/LILY BELCHERJoseph Charry, a junior sociology major, had to move back home to Colombia after he lost his student visa due to his year-long suspension from USF. He said he was suspended due to his involvement with a series of April protests calling for the university to divest from companies that support Israel.
