Free Food with a Side of Education Abroad

By: Ashley Martinez

On October 17th, the Global Living Learning Community hosted Tapas Night. Prior to the event, many eagerly anticipated what types of discussions would transpire during the night, but only one thing was certain: a promise for free food, which was thoroughly fulfilled. Upon entering a classroom in Juniper Poplar Hall, students were greeted by a table full of international dishes from plantains to yucca, to guava pastries, hummus and sushi. International students and Honors students alike stuffed their faces with home-style food they could only wish was served in the dining halls. Amidst all of the stuffed cheeks and bellies, Lisa Booth, also known as the mother of the Global Living Learning Community, ushered the students into the classroom.

The aura of the room was very relaxed as a representative from the International Affairs Department discussed the study abroad opportunities for the 2010 Summer and Spring semesters. Some of the more enticing awards discussed were scholarships specifically for study abroad are available for Honors students. Due to an agreement with other universities participating in “student swaps,” USF students are able to study abroad for the same tuition they'd pay in Florida.

Following discussion of study abroad opportunities was a chance to hear about the experiences students had studying abroad and are currently experiencing here at USF. Leonardo Cirigliano from Venezuela discussed his decision to travel to the United States and pursue his four-year degree here at USF. Cirigliano described life in Venezuela as more restricting, explaining that here in the United States it is safe for him to roam around outside, whereas in Venezuela, due to a high crime rate, he would be more restricted to staying indoors, at school or at the mall.

Chandrakanth Saravanan, a resident of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, also discussed his decision to pursue a four-year degree at USF, explaining that the Middle East does not have many universities, so it is essential to study abroad. Saravanan specifically chose USF because his father works and travels frequently from Dubai to the nearby Orlando.

Jacksonville native Linda Rogers also spoke about her experiences through Rotary International, having the opportunity to study abroad in Turkey for the summer and in India for an entire year. Rogers encouraged students to seize the opportunities they have at studying abroad.

“Traveling is what I want to do with my entire life,” Rogers said.

Monstars Win Annual Dodgeball Competition

By: Brian GoffOn September 23, over 90 players on 18 teams competed to be crowned dodgeball champions, but only one team walked away victorious. The top two teams each won a gift card to Chili's, but that wasn’t the top prize. These teams were playing for glory, for the right to call themselves number one.

The tournament, hosted by the Honors College Student Council, began at 5:30 p.m. The tournament was split into three beginning brackets of six, with each team playing three different opponents from their brackets. Points were assigned to the winning team based on how many of their players remained standing in the end. The two teams with the top two points would then move on to the next bracket. The next bracket of six teams, called the Winners Bracket, would each play three games with the top two teams moving on to the final four. The other two teams from the final four would come from the Consolation Bracket, which was created so that all teams stood an equal chance at reaching the final four.

It was clear from the beginning that there were two teams fated to meet each other in the final match: Balls of Fire and Monstars. Both teams swept through their initial brackets with intense focus on their court, so they had no knowledge of how the teams in other brackets were doing. They swiftly and handily destroyed all challengers such as Dodgeballs to the Face, Unpeggables, and Atkins 4 Fat Kids.

Both Monstars and Balls of Fire advanced to the Winners Bracket undefeated and ready to take on a new caliber of opponents. As fate would have it, these two great teams avoided playing each other in the Winners Bracket. As a result of this, both teams again easily demolished their competition and advanced through this round unscathed and undefeated again.

The Final Four rolled around and the crowd was anxious to see the two teams face off, but this time rules got in the way of their match. The two winning teams would each play a team from the Consolation Bracket to determine the players in the final match. Balls of Fire and Monstars would have to wait one more round to face off, and to ultimately decide who would claim the title.

Unfortunately, the match between Balls of Fire and Monstars never happened. Balls of Fire lost due to a technicality, running out of time, to a team from the Consolation Bracket. The Monstars went on to win their match and to easily defeat their competition in the final match. In a stunning display of might, the final match was over within seconds of it starting. Clearly, they deserved to be called champions.

The Monstars were led by team captain Ben Gillie who was joined by Brittany Berta, Meghan Wilhelmsen, Megan Lamb, Richie Ball, Rob Boelke, and Nick Stack.


Left: Team Monstars / Right: Team Pantalones Calientes. Photos by Kayla Richmond.