In celebration of the season, faculty and staff are invited to attend the Holiday Reception Thursday, Dec. 8 from 3:30 - 5 pm in Davis Hall 130. Light refreshments will be served.

The holiday party will be hosted by Karen A. White, regional chancellor, V. Mark Durand, regional vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, Charles Brown, regional vice chancellor for Student Affairs, Max Kerlin, interim regional vice chancellor for Administration and Finance and Holly Kickliter, regional associate vice chancellor for University Relations.

"We hope that all will plan to attend," White said. "This is our opportunity to personally thank everyone in the USF St. Petersburg family for their superior service and teaching throughout the year."

Congressman Announces EPA Grant

Campus leaders and scientists joined Congressman C. W. "Bill" Young on the campus waterfront Monday for the announcement of a $727,000 grant from the National Center for Environmental Research of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This funding will help establish the Center for Science and Policy Applications for the Coastal Environment.

Regional Chancellor Karen A. White, USF President Judy Genshaft, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and Regional Associate Vice Chancellor Chris D'Elia shared the importance of this center which will focus on: the use, supply and quality of freshwater; the fate, effects, assessment and remediation of water-borne pollutants; water quality and quantity driven changes in inland and coastal ecosystems; and management and policy of coastal freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Campus partners and researchers attended the announcement, many of whom will have increased interaction with the USF St. Petersburg C-SPACE research project. They included Marty Kelly with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Gil McRae from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Wildlife Research Institute, Lisa Robbins of the Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies of the U.S. Geological Survey, Buck Sutter of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service/NOAA, Captain Joseph Servidio with the United States Coast Guard and Peter Betzer with the USF College of Marine Science.

White credited Congressman Young for his foresight in support of environmental research and noted that USF President Judy Genshaft has worked with him on a number of crucial appropriations, including this program.

"Our campus is committed to research that is relevant to our region. Water quality and supply is one of the most important issues to face our region, our state and our country," White said.

The program will be directed by professors Christopher D'Elia and James Gore who have extensive backgrounds in aquatic and ecosystem-based research.

Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs V. Mark Durand said this funding is the result of the work of a number of faculty over the last nine months. "This funding enables our researchers and colleagues to devote collective energy and investigation to critical environmental concerns such as water quality and supply in coastal Florida," Durand said.

Brody Offers Radio Listeners Tips To Avoid Scams

Rich Brody, associate professor of accounting, spoke to Newsradio 970 WFLA’s morning team Tuesday.  Brody discussed how to avoid becoming a victim of online fraud this holiday season.  He offered real world advice including:

• Guard your personal information – your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit.  Only provide your credit card or bank account number when you are actually paying for something.

• Use a credit card – you can always dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented.  Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, but most credit card issuers will remove the charges completely. Make sure you report the problem as quickly as possible.

• Beware of "spoof" or “phisher” emails.  These are deceptive emails that claim to be sent from respected or trusted websites – senders hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply or click on a link and provide sensitive, personal information,

As a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a professor, Brody has extensive real world and academic expertise in targeting and analyzing deception in many enterprises.

Statistics show online fraud is an area of rising concern as the holidays roll in and more people use the Internet to shop:

• According to VeriSign, E-commerce merchants rejected as "too risky" 7 percent of all orders placed online during the 2004 holidays, with most being turned down because of questionable credit card numbers or suspected identity theft.

• “Phishing” involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information from unsuspecting victims. About 750 million phishing e-mails will be sent between Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to MailFrontier.

U.S.-based visits to retail Web sites exceeded 10 percent of total Internet traffic for the first time ever last year, accounting for 11 percent of the shopping done on the day after Thanksgiving.

Schaleman Lecture This Thursday

A diverse audience of young and old, town and gown are expected at the 2005 Harry Schaleman Lecture. The evening is free and open to the whole community.

Sponsored by the USF St. Petersburg Honors Program and the Campus Lecture Series Alumni, the topic is "War & Memory: Gene Patterson and John Germany Reflect on World War II" and will be presented Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 pm in the Campus Activities Center.

Gene Patterson was a decorated tank platoon leader in Patton's Third Army. He went on to become editor of the Atlanta Constitution and editor emeritus of the St. Petersburg Times. During the civil rights movement he was a leading liberal voice among Southern white journalists. Some of his writing has been published in The Changing South of Gene Patterson: Journalism and Civil Rights 1960-1968.

John Germany also served under General Patton in France, from 1944-1945. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Germany is now a prominent Tampa lawyer with Holland & Knight, LLP. Tampa's main downtown library is named for him.

Patterson and Germany credit World War II with dramatic changes to their own lives and in American society and culture. For more information on the lecture, please contact Thomas Smith at 553-4583 or Greta Scheid-Wells at 553-4872.

Homecoming Game This Weekend

The homecoming game between the USF Bulls and West Virginia Mountaineers is this Saturday at 7:30 pm in Raymond James Stadium. All tickets with the original date for the USF-West Virginia game will be honored at the gate.

Individual game tickets are still available by calling 1-800-GoBulls Monday through Friday 8 am - 6 pm, online to Ticketmaster.com, or at the Athletics Ticket Office at Entry 3 of the USF SunDome Monday-Friday 9 am - 6 pm. Tickets are $29, $24 or $20 plus service charges.

The Bulls Roast, sponsored by the Alumni Association, begins at 4:30 pm in Lot 6D. This year’s Roast features a huge barbecue, island music, interactive games, free USF spirit supplies, Budweiser beer, children’s activities and scheduled appearances by the Herd of Thunder, Rocky and USF Sun Dolls and Cheerleaders.

If you did not purchase tickets for the October 22 game and would like to attend on December 3 it is not too late. To purchase tickets please click here. Limited tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis on game day.

A Florida Conversation with Gary Mormino

Faculty and staff are invited to attend a conversation with Gary Mormino, PhD, Duckwall Professor of History, Sunday, Dec. 4 at 1 pm at USF Downtown Center in Tampa. The event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Tampa Bay History Center and USF Libraries Florida Studies Center, the conversation will cover "Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida." A reception and book signing will follow. For more information or to RSVP, please call 813-228-0097.

High Stepping to StompFest

Stomp your way to the CAC! Attend the high school step show Stompfest Friday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 pm. The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Minority Recruitment.

Before the day of the show, tickets can be purchased for $5. Tickets purchased the day of the show are $7. All tickets can be bought starting Monday, Dec. 5 at the Campus Activities Center. Before the show starts, students can talk to an admissions counselor and those who apply can waive their application fee to the university. For more information, please call Steve Marshall, interim coordinator of Multicultural Affairs, at 553-4845 or sm@stpt.usf.edu.

Oil Drilling Debate at USF St. Petersburg

The Brown Bag discussion group will kick off its three-part energy series Friday, Dec. 9 at noon at the USGS on campus with Part I: Offshore Drilling. The discussion is free and open to all campus members.

Dr. Gene Shinn of USGS and Frank Jackalone of the Sierra Club will present both drilling perspectives which will be followed by a discussion. So mark your calendars and prepare your lunches. This is going to be a good one!

The Community, Science and Environmental Policy Brown Bag Discussion provides a forum for airing policy and science issues that affect the community. It facilitates communications between the public and the many science institutions located around Bayboro Harbor in St. Petersburg to jointly address issues of common interest.

Topics span land, the atmosphere and oceanic environments, and the interaction between them, humans, and other living organisms. Discussion also focuses on whether and how science and technology can provide solutions to our everyday problems. Each session fosters healthy and civilized debates on current and controversial topics.

Senior Honors Student Researched Gender Imagery

Cristina Gonzales, senior Honors student at USF St. Petersburg, recently attended the Popular Cultural Association in the South conference, where she presented her paper “Yo, Excuse Us While We Rap: Images of Women in American Hip-Hop Music.” She also received a travel grant of $500 to attend the conference, awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Research at Tampa.

“As an undergrad, you don’t ever think about publishing anything, but when you start researching a topic you are passionate about, it makes you want to share the information with everyone,” Gonzales said. The research she is so passionate about was initially for her class in Anthropological Linguistics, on hip-hop music and images of women.

By analyzing the lyrics of songs for the past 20 years, by both female and male artists, Gonzales says it seems that black women are more objectified than before. Women at first were only talked about in songs or seen in videos but gradually, with the emergence of talented hip-hop artists such as Queen Latifah and many more, the images began to change from stereotypes into strong female figures.

Gonzales researched African American culture and gender roles and determined that the images found in rap today actually reflect the history of African American women and the roles they have played in society. Gonzales says hip-hop is also a dialogue between female and male rappers reflecting on events and situations in society, as well as other rappers and music.

Gonzales said she is looking forward to presenting her paper for the Campus Women’s Collective in the near future. Since all recipients of awards from the office of Undergraduate Research are expected to submit their work for consideration at USF’s Undergraduate Research Symposium April 17, 2006, she might have the opportunity to present her research again. 

An Interdisciplinary Social Sciences major who specializes in Anthropology and Psychology, Gonzales has plans to apply to the graduate program in Cultural Anthropology. She is currently working on expanding her research into her Honors thesis.

Help Make Commencement a Success

Fall 2005 Commencement is Saturday, Dec. 18 at 2 pm and the Office of Student Affairs is committed to making the event memorable for all students. Held this year at Tropicana Field, there are 335 prospective USF St. Petersburg graduates for the ceremony.

In an effort to ensure the afternoon progresses smoothly, faculty and staff volunteers are needed to serve as marshals to assist students to their seats and to the stage. For more information, please contact the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at 553-4162, no later than Dec. 9.

Alumna Named New Campus Director of Financial Aid

Erin Dunn is the new Campus Director of Financial Aid for USF St. Petersburg. Dunn has been interim Campus Director since May 2005 and a Senior Financial Aid Officer since August 2002.

"I have always enjoyed being part of USF St. Petersburg. But what is more thrilling for me is the opportunity to grow with our campus as it evolves," Dunn said. "I am now in the position to create constructive changes for our students. It is an incredibly exciting time to be here."

Dunn received her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from USF St. Petersburg in 1999 and a Masters in Public Administration from USF in the Spring of 2005. She has held various positions at USFSP, Eckerd College and the American National College in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

"Erin brings a depth of experience and knowledge that creates an understanding of the absolute importance of financial aid in the recruitment and retention of students at USF St. Petersburg," said Frank Hohengarten, PhD, dean of Enrollment services. "This understanding, coupled with her infectious enthusiasm and ability to get things done, will allow Erin to make a great contribution as Campus Director of Financial Aid."

Davis Lobby is New and Improved

An extra 1,400 square feet of space is now available for students to use and enjoy in the Student Lounge in Davis Lobby. The space is ready to use with more furniture and space. The emaining lighting and ceiling work will be completed after hours.

This renovation and expansion is part of a campus-wide project to relocate the offices of Purchasing and Human Resources to Bayboro Hall to createan entirely administrative building.

Work continues to progress on the second floor of Davis where the completion of another 1,500 square feet will eventually house computer classroom for students, previously in Bayboro.

"The second floor space is almost complete," said Jim Grant, director, Facilities, Planning and Construction. "Once the mechanical equipment is installed, the computer classroom will be moved to Davis Hall."

Meanwhile, students can now take advantage of the expanded lounge as the overall project continues with construction.

Latest "Nessie" Sighting

Nessie was most recently sighted in the Webmaster's office. Nessie was ecstatic over the webpage that John Husfield was developing to inform the campus community about our participation in the National Survey of Student Engagement. For more information about NSSE 2006, please visit the Web site of the National Survey of Student Engagement.

For the latest information from HR, visit: USF SP HR Web site

Holiday Reminder

As the holidays approach, Human Resources would like to remind faculty and staff that the university will be officially closed Dec. 23, 26, 30 and Jan. 2. All faculty, A&P and USPS employees enjoy nine paid holidays, as well as two additional floating holidays designated by the president. Click here to see the complete list of university holidays. 

Toy Drive Continues

Collection points are now open across the USF St. Petersburg campus for the first Operation Giving Tree. The USF Ambassadors are collecting new toys at the Poynter Library, the College of Business, the Campus Activities Center, and the USF Barnes and Nobles Bookstore.

All toys will go to two local children's charities: USF YWCA Family Village, and ASAP. The last day to donate new toys is December 16th. USF Ambassadors will deliver the toys on Christmas Eve. For more information on the toy drive, contact Stephanie Handal, USF Ambassadors Community Service Chair, at 813-716-1526 or email shandal@mail.usf.edu.

Lecture to feature memories of war

St. Petersburg Times

Nov. 30, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Eugene Patterson, editor emeritus of the St. Petersburg Times , and John Germany, will be the featured speakers Thursday at 2005 Harry Schaleman Lecture at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Patterson, a tank platoon leader under Gen. George S. Patton in World War II, and Germany, a civic leader and former judge from Tampa, will talk about their memories of the war.

The event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the university's Campus Activities Center.

USF gets grant for coastal study

St. Petersburg Times

Nov. 29, 2005

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg announced Monday that it has received a $727,000 grant that will help create a center dedicated to the study, protection and management of coastal environments, especially those in the Tampa Bay area.

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