As some incoming fresh-men start their college careers this week and the Summer B semester begins, so does a series of new initiatives at USF to make summer campus life “bigger and better than ever.”

Most students can get directly involved with the new summer atmosphere through the First Fifty Days of Summer, a campus-wide program led by New Student Connections that creates a series of social and academic events for students on cam-pus similar to the fall’s Week of Welcome, but many are likely to see changes ranging

from increased programming to more course offerings.

While USF Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Miller said fall will always be the beginning of the academic year, summer can no longer be “a nap in the hammock.”

Summer vacation away from campus will continue to appeal to some, but accord-ing to Miller, there has always been a significant number of students who take summer courses and some incoming freshmen who start in the summer instead of the fall. In recent years, the campus has averaged 21,000 each sum-mer and Miller said the uni-versity has seen an increase this year.

“For those with a previous

summer experience, you’ll notice it will begin to feel dif-ferent on campus,” he said.

To boost student life on campus, Academic Affairs and Student Affairs created “Summer@USF” to do every-thing from increase course offerings to open job opportu-nities and other activities on campus.

“Historically we’ve had stu-dents taking longer to get their degrees because of the availability of coursework,” Miller said. “So what the new Summer@USF program is doing, since its centered on the student, is giving the stu-dent the opportunity to get the courses they need and not the only ones left but the courses they want and

the high demand courses that are hard to get into at other times.”

Leading Summer@USF is Cynthia DeLuca, USF assistant vice provost for Innovation Education who came to USF after working for 15 years at universities such as North Carolina State where she was in charge of enrollment management for summer ses-sions.

“I am a true believer that the summer should be an integral part for a student’s academic experience,” DeLuca said.

DeLuca said summer gives more opportunity for the uni-versity to offer courses that are in high demand and for students to take courses nec-

In a blend of the art world and the science community, an exhibit at the St. Petersburg Dali Museum showcased a medley of the two.

The audience for Thursday’s PLASM exhibit at the museum watched from the grass lawn as projected shapes ebbed and flowed on the building side.

David Fries, systems archi-tect for the Integrative Creative Technologies Group at the USF Institute for Research and Arts, said projected images resembled the biological appearance one might see on a microscope slide, designed to simulate biological reactions when exposed to light, sound and chemical reactions.

The art-science collaboration is derived not only from the muse-um’s namesake, Salvador Dali, but from what Fries said is a relation-ship between two fields that ben-efit from one another.

“Both artist and scientist observe the world,” he said. “Artists typically work to try to represent the world and scientists build instruments to observe it. Having different ways of viewing

the world may help with making sense of our observations with the world.”

The art-science dynamic allows for a bridge to be made between two fields, both looking to exam-ine the world, he said. USF stu-dents could study the simulation for their research as Fries is exper-imenting with mixing art and sci-ence and bringing that into his research here at USF.

Because PLASM, created by Fries in collaboration with inter-national artist TeZ, runs on unique mathematical algorithms, viewers will never see replicated images, making each viewing unique.

“New technology is creating ways to help create an experi-ence,” Fries said. “… There is some enlightenment that maybe through the artists, in their intui-tive perspective, may help with making sense of the myriad of data that we get in the science observational space.”

As one image slipped into the next, viewers repeatedly experi-enced something for the first and only time.

“These are almost like evolu-tionary artworks,” Fries said. “Perpetual artworks that have a

starting point in time and space that then change.”

For Fries, the fascination with PLASM comes in part from the fleeting quality of the work.

“It evolves and only at that moment in time is each configu-ration; you only get to experience it once, similar to our lives,” Fries

said. For Kathy White, deputy direc-

tor at the Dali Museum, PLASM was a good fit for the museum and the Dali approach.

“Our mission is largely educa-tional, exposing people to new ways of looking at things, espe-cially (Salvador) Dali, who was

really big on perception and visual transformation,” White said.

Fries also said the Dali philoso-phy fit with PLASM.

“Salvador Dali used science to inspire his art, he primarily focused on using relativity, quan-tum physics or optics,” Fries said.

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 AM O N D A Y , J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 I V O L . 5 1 N O . 1 2 9

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The Index

Summer to become ‘better than ever’ on campus

Art and science merge at Dali Museum

The art-science exhibit PLASM was projected onto St. Petersburg’s Dali Museum on Thursday, displaying an evolving simulation supported by USF’s Institute for Research and Arts. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Adam MathieuS T A F F W R I T E R

ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

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

n See SUMMER on PAGE 3

n See DALI on PAGE 3

M O N DAY, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E 2

essary for graduation, but may have limited availability in the fall and spring.

On the university’s web-site for Summer@USF, stu-dents are able to sign up for “1,000+ courses” and many general education courses are featured to fulfill graduation requirements, such as the nine summer credit hours for state universities.

In addition to offering more courses and increasing a stu-dent’s scheduling flexibility, DeLuca said summer can pro-vide positives ranging from stu-dents using their off-campus apartments that are typically signed on a 12-month lease to utilizing campus facilities that would otherwise be underused in the summer.

“Offering more classes in the summer, using those classrooms you might not be able to get a section of a cer-tain course in the fall or the spring because it has such high demand, and using that facility in the summer is what we’re

trying to do,” DeLuca said.To supplement more stu-

dents taking more classes, Miller said more services and opportunities from Student Affairs would be needed.

“One of the ways we are planning on doing that is through a dramatically expand-ed collection of internship pos-sibilities,” Miller said. “We don’t want to slow down a student’s path to a degree, so if a student is taking an intern-ship that is a 20-hour-a-week activity, they’d have to prob-ably enroll in fewer courses: Summer is for that.”

Miller also said some of these internship and job oppor-tunities would be available on campus, as he hopes to work with various departments to increase services to students, including more dining options on campus and counseling ser-vices.

The campus, he said, is “bet-ter with students on (it).”

Though the financial sus-tainability of summer courses was previously in question with the university possibly dipping into cash reserves to

pay faculty members whose courses had low registration, DeLuca said the goal for sum-mer is to increase to enough activity so that summer cours-es are self-supporting and gen-erating enough revenue so the university can “reinvest addi-tional revenue into summer programs.”

“We’re going to grow in phases and bring everyone to the table as we discuss this — the students, the staff, the faculty, the academic depart-ments and the academic ser-vice units,” DeLuca said. “We all have to be at the table together as we anticipate this growth. It’s not going to hap-pen overnight.”

In addition to Summer@USF, DeLuca is working to create initiatives such as “Maymester” and “winterses-sions.”

While Maymester would begin the Monday following spring commencement cere-monies, wintersession would begin as soon as the fall semes-ter ends and offer students the chance to take online courses over the holiday break. Both

would have a three-credit, or one course, cap per student and only offer classes in high-est demand, usually general education courses.

DeLuca said the courses would be “intense,” but pro-vide more flexibility for stu-dents and keep them on track to graduate within four years.

“Maymester is very popu-lar around the country,” she said. “… It’s an opportunity to provide flexibility to the student so they can get that course they need and still have June and July to work or do an internship or fulfill other obli-gations.”

Come August, DeLuca said students will receive a sur-vey from Summer@USF to gauge which courses are in demand and for the university to receive feedback about their summer experience at USF.

A full list of events for the First Fifty Days of Summer can be found at newstudent.usf.edu, and more information about Summer@USF and sum-mer courses can be found at usf.edu/summer.

M O N DAY, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E 3

“I saw the opportunity to bring this form generation using math with the Dali art perspective together.”

As for the future of PLASM, Fries and TeZ wish to continue showing audiences their work, as they have already done in the Netherlands and Montreal.

Fries also said he would likely continue exploring the possibili-ties of algorithms with students at USF. Specifically, Fries would perhaps explore how these algo-rithms work with 3D printing.

“It would be almost like the development would happen on each layer and be dropped onto the next layer,” Fries said. “So like building a building, but each of the floors have their own unique architecture.”

White said she thinks bringing back PLASM next year is possible.

“In the future, it would be fun to have in a formal event,” White said. “I think it would be great to do again.”

When Jozwiak was given the experimental medication, he was given hope. Given that a medication had worked for him in the past, he was cling-ing to the idea that this new medication could solve his problem. This was not the case, however.

“Going through that experi-mental medication gave me hope, maybe I can use this as a crutch to play again,” Jozwiak recalled thinking.

On the second evening, Jozwiak was administered the new medication. He vomited profusely as his body simul-taneously rejected both the medication and his new hope.

After a week in the hospital, hope was restored for Jozwiak. Doctors found a medication that put his heart back in rhythm and allowed him to begin working out with his teammates again after they returned from camp at Vero Beach in August.

“For a while there, I was thinking I was going to be able to make a comeback,” Jozwiak said. “I was so close, and then in Week 6 I kicked back into

AFib. And right then, it was very dark. I had been kicked down and I was making my way back and I just got kicked down again and it was very challenging.”

This final incident proved to be enough for Jozwiak. After meeting with coach Willie Taggart, his cardiologists and his family, he decided to pro-ceed with heart surgery in one last attempt to play football again.

“It was disappointing because we were counting on him to help our football team last year and then we had to use a freshman instead,” Taggart said. “That hurt us big time.”

While the surgery present-ed the junior offensive line-man with a legitimate way to continue playing football, he nearly backed out before going under.

“I’m laying there in pre-op thinking ‘Do I really want to do this? Is it worth it?’” Jozwiak said. “But, I had to do it, not only for football, but for my personal well-being.”

Even after the successful surgery, Jozwiak’s road back to football wasn’t easy. The surgery sidelined him for three

months during which he lost what he estimates to be at least 30 pounds of muscle.

More difficult than losing his strength, he said, was sit-ting out the season and watch-ing his teammates struggle. The Bulls only won two of their 12 games last season and an invested teammate such as Jozwiak struggled emotionally with watching his team lose.

“I was feeling the same pain that they felt because I know how hard they worked, all of them,” Jozwiak said. “It was a weird role for me last year because I got an opportunity to sit back and watch and that’s strange as a player. I couldn’t do anything to help them. I would try to say some-thing and keep them moti-vated, but it’s just different.”

Jozwiak’s goal was to get back on the field with his teammates. He worked relent-lessly in the weight room to get his muscle back. With his heart healed, his men-tal approach to football had changed. No longer would he take a single practice for grant-ed because he said he now knew that everything could be taken from him in a mere moment.

“My motivation was to put

the pads on and run out of the tunnel at Ray Jay,” Jozwiak said. “That’s a great feeling to run out with your brothers on the team and I never thought I would feel that again.”

Not only does he have a renewed vigor in the weight room, his spirits in general are continually high. Taggart said he can usually be seen encour-aging teammates in practice, or just sharing a friendly word in the locker room.

“I have a completely dif-ferent outlook on the game that is football,” Jozwiak said. “I would have given my left pinky just to practice last year, let alone play a game. Just being out there with my team-mates and practicing is better than anything and it was hard to have that all taken away. You don’t know when your last play is going to be so I appreci-ate every day we come in and work.”

Taggart agreed the men-tal change that Jozwiak has undergone is a drastic one.

“He was down, and you can imagine how a kid would feel when he wasn’t sure if he could play football anymore,” he said. “But I think being around his teammates encour-aged him. He’s awesome to be

around. You see him coming down the hallway now and he’s going to brighten some-one’s day. He’s what you want in all of your student-athletes.”

Not only did Jozwiak com-plete his turnaround, but said he is stronger than before and looks to be on track to start on the offensive line for the Bulls this season.

Suffering from atrial fibril-lation was difficult for Jozwiak and it forced him to experience some dark times. But from his journey, he has gained a fiery motivation that has pushed him to new heights.

“Because I know it could be taken away from me, I have the motivation to push past what I normally wouldn’t,” Jozwiak said. “That motivation will always be with me because of what I went through.”

He not only uses this moti-vation for himself, but gives it to the rest of the Bulls as well.

“He trains hard and he holds his teammates account-able,” Taggart said. “He always reminds them that just like that, it can be gone. So he tells them not to take a day off and to push themselves to the fullest.”

THORContinued from PAGE 8

DALIContinued from PAGE 1

SUMMERContinued from PAGE 1

LifestyleU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● M O N D A Y, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E4

Renewed USF paintball team aims for victoryDodging marble-sized balls

of paint flying through the air at 200 mph may be a hobby for some, but a competitive group of students has re-established a paintball team through USF Club Sports.

“I think the team is doing really well since just starting back up,” said Russell Page, a senior studying mechanical engineering at USF.

Sean Wodrich, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering who was recently named the USF Paintball Team’s president, is wasting no time in getting a team together in preparation for a tournament next month.

Last semester, USF placed fifth out of 26 teams in the Central Florida Paintball Series (CFPS). As a recently re-estab-lished team, Wodrich said the tournament served as a huge

lift in confidence heading into the next competition.

The team is scheduled to compete in the next CFPS event July 19-20. The outcome could be an early sign of the team’s readiness for the upcoming season, and Page said he is looking for a good start in the tournament in hopes of advancing to the later rounds.

When the team begins the practice in the fall, it will travel to play other club teams with-in the state including Florida, Central Florida and Florida Atlantic.

“The sport is a lot of fun and a challenge,” Page said. “Especially when playing schools like UCF who actually won nationals last year.”

In order for the team to com-pete at full strength, it needs to field a full squad of players. To fill the necessary 10 slots on a tournament roster, the club will

host official tryouts sometime in the beginning of fall for new players. A $25 beginner’s setup fee is required to try out.

As a club team, the Bulls have received no funding from the NCAA. Therefore, the USF Paintball Team has to survive on the help of sponsors.

Aaron Vega, owner of Tiki’s Paintball Shop, coaches the paintball team since his shop is the main sponsor for the team. The shop provides equip-ment, paintballs and jerseys. The team is also in contact with a new potential sponsor, Ruthless Wear, which could help the team by providing additional equipment.

Team practices, which usual-ly include scrimmages and agil-ity training, take place at West Coast Paintball in Palmetto, about 45 minutes from campus.

By Eric KennyC O R R E S P O N D E N T

The paintball team will hold tryouts early this fall. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

M O N DAY, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E 5

“It had a really good reputa-tion, it was young and I was fortunate enough to get my undergraduate education at a new school that had a lot of potential,” La Russa said. “It was just a really good experi-ence.”

Though La Russa was fortu-nate enough to go to college, his baseball career prevented him from living the typical col-lege lifestyle.

“Because I was playing baseball, I had no social inter-actions,” La Russa said. “I was either playing baseball, in class, or with my family so I wasn’t the typical student.”

He ended up playing at the professional level for 10 sea-sons, but never found true suc-cess as a player.

In 1973, he realized that playing baseball couldn’t sup-port a family so he began attending Florida State for a law degree. In 1978, he started managing in the minor leagues, and his path back to the MLB took shape.

He quickly succeeded and became a manager with the Chicago White Sox in 1979.

“Managing took over and I haven’t used my law degree,” La Russa said. “I have my license to practice law and I pay the dues every year.”

La Russa made it back to USF last year for a fundraiser

and was impressed with the growth it made since he left.

“It’s huge and it’s become very special,” La Russa said. “It had a lot of potential when I went and they have achieved all of that potential. It’s a won-derful school.”

While USF had a lot of potential back in the 1960s, so did La Russa. He said his work ethic was the driving force in his success as a player and manager. Graduating from college while playing baseball taught him that hard work can get you anything you want and that is exactly what happened to La Russa in his managerial career.

CHALLENGEContinued from PAGE 8

Yes, the FAFSA could be only two questions long

C O L U M N I S T

Isabelle Cavazos

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● M O N D A Y, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E

Opinion6

Students who fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may spend less time wor-rying as they fill out the form in coming years.

The beginning of every new year comes with the unveiling of the FAFSA and many students real-ize it is yet again time to fill out the 108-question application. In spite of the inherent hassle, it’s a neces-sary part of the love-hate relation-ship students have with a process that can provide Pell grants of up to $5,730.

However, two senators have introduced a bill that could dra-matically transform the FAFSA from the traditional one many students know.

Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado introduced a plan to reduce the current appli-cation down to two simple ques-tions that could make FAFSA fit on a postcard.

If the legislation passes, students could see a revamped application that only asks for their household income two years prior and their family size. As explained in an article by the American Enterprise Institute, the “prior-prior” income lets students apply earlier and know ahead of time the amount of grant aid they’ll receive.

While the application has helped make college a reality for many students, it has been any-thing but concise. Streamlining the application to ask the necessary minimum makes sense statistically and could help make the FAFSA more approachable for those who don’t complete it.

Such downsizing might call for skepticism and has already received criticism for not solving the problem of college affordability and student debt.

However, a simpler application makes it easier for students to have access to federal financial aid.

In a recent New York Times op-ed explaining their proposal, Alexander and Bennet referenced

a study conducted by professors from the University of Michigan and Columbia University that showed most of the questions on the FAFSA don’t actually determine financial aid.

The findings, obtained by pro-fessors Susan Dynarski and Judith Scott-Clayton and elaborated on in the New York Times’ Upshot section, revealed the differences in aid eligibility based on the longer FAFSA and one with fewer ques-tions are quite small. For instance, 74 percent of students’ Pell grant aid wouldn’t change and 91 per-cent would see a change of fewer than $500.

Of course, even what is con-sidered a small change could mean having extra grant aid for a textbook.

However, doing away with 90 percent of the questions would alter the average Pell grant by just $54 a year. While stripping the FAFSA results in some differences, it could make for a more accessible application for students to fill out.

As discussed in the Upshot arti-cle, an experiment by H&R Block found a correlation between receiv-ing help with filling out the appli-cation and an increase in college enrollment among low-income high school students. The con-clusion, as the article explained, is that students should receive more assistance with the FAFSA or the application itself should be simplified.

A shorter FAFSA would be a bet-ter deal for the approximately 22 million students submitting appli-cations, which was the amount in the 2012-13 year according to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Such a drastic update to the lengthy form may be difficult to imagine. However, it’s one that can reduce the stress associated with the application and can soften the step toward federal aid many students need.

Isabelle Cavazos is a junior majoring in English and Spanish.

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BY PHONE

Don’t mistake hashtags for activism

In her Dartmouth College com-mencement address, television writer and “Grey’s Anatomy” pro-ducer Shonda Rhimes had one important message for the gradu-ating class of 2014: “Don’t be an a------.”

Taking some time on the podium to ask the graduates to meditate on the experiences they had during their time at Dartmouth and to understand the privileges they have as graduates of an Ivy League institution, Rhimes urged the students to contribute to at least one cause. Her advice was accompanied by one stipulation: a hashtag doesn’t count.

In the world of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, the hashtag has become a sacred emblem of Internet pseudo-activists, also known as “slack-tivists,” with trending hashtags such as #yesallwomen, #notall-men, #takebackthenight, #bringbackourgirls, and the dated, but infamous #kony2012.

Earlier this year, dozens of Nigerian schoolgirls were kid-napped in the middle of the night

by the Boko Haram militants opposing education for women. Celebrities including Alicia Keys, Amy Poehler and Ellen DeGeneres took to social media donning som-ber faces and holding signs read-ing “#bringbackourgirls.”

This recent incident illustrates the nature of Internet activism: everyone is now thinking about the issue, but few are willing to do more than post a sulking selfie and slap a hashtag on it.

Hashtags are not the only form of slacktivism taking over the Internet. People can now retweet, reblog, share and like charities and causes they do nothing to support. However, it makes them appear as though they are informed, engaged and want all of their friends to know about global issues.

Of course, hashtag activism may not be monetarily progres-sive for a movement, but it can have psychological benefits that can lead to world-changing action. Artist and writer An Xiao Mina recently explained at the Personal Democracy Forum, a confer-ence about technology’s effect on politics, that this sort of activism is beneficial to building a stron-ger community and providing “emotional fuel.”

Though it is possible this fuel can cause social change to occur over time and with enough expo-sure, Internet activism has been known to spread ignorance and incorrect information to the mass-es creating more harm than good.

For instance, a pivotal moment in the existence of slacktivism occurred in March 2012 with the release of a video titled, “Kony 2012,” created by Invisible Children, a social activism group that attempted to raise awareness of the acts of war criminal Joseph Kony against Ugandan children.

Social media activists quick-ly took to the Internet to raise awareness for a cause they were blindly supporting.

Days after the release of “Kony 2012,” Ugandan journalist Rosebell Kagumire stated on Al Jazeera’s “The Stream,” the video simplified the situation in Uganda, explaining the war was much more intricate than Kony and was initially more “about resources and about mar-ginalization of people in northern Uganda.”

Walking around town, one is likely to see faded red stickers urg-ing “STOP KONY,” an antiquated emblem of ignorance, most likely adhered to a lamppost by some-one whose efforts ended there.

So when Rhimes asks Dartmouth graduates not to “be an a------,” she’s asking them to do more for the world — to commit time, efforts and resources to a cause that will be beneficial to the future. Those who have the ability to receive an education and hold opportunities for success need to support those who don’t.

Brandon Shaik is a senior majoring in psychology.

C O L U M N I S T

Brandon Shaik

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● M O N D A Y, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E 7

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As Thor Jozwiak laid in bed at Tampa General Hospital last June, he stared at the wall unable to sleep. Alone in his room he wondered if he would ever again be able to play the sport he loved.

“I’m laying in that hospital bed thinking my career is done,” Jozwiak said. “It was scary, very scary.”

The 6-foot-4-inch, 332-pound USF offensive lineman had dis-covered the previous winter that he suffered from a heart condi-tion known as atrial fibrillation. The condition causes an irregular heartbeat that forces the heart to work harder than normal.

Jozwiak was originally pre-scribed a medication to keep his heartbeat under control. This worked for him for several months through spring practices, but when the summer heat rolled around, his heart started acting up again.

“The second day of camp, the medicine just wasn’t working and I went down,” he said. “We were doing drills and my breathing got real heavy and my heart rate just skyrocketed. I blacked out for a second and just went down.”

That incident resulted in Jozwiak staying in Tampa General Hospital for eight days while his team continued to prepare for the upcoming season.

In the hospital, Jozwiak was put on several different medications to see if his condition could be remedied without surgery. At first, the doctors increased the dosage of his original medication. But this failed to make a difference and after two days they put him on an experimental medication.

SportsU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● M O N D A Y, J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 ● T H E O R AC L E8

A second chance in the game

La Russa takes on new challenge with Diamondbacks

In May, USF alumnus Tony La Russa was named Chief Baseball Officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he will oversee the attempted turnaround of a franchise with the current worst record in the MLB.

La Russa, a first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer due for induction on July 27 and three-time World Series cham-pion, is hoping to apply the work ethic he developed at USF to achieve success with the Diamondbacks, just as he did in a 33-year managerial career.

“You have to figure out what players you need in uniform and you need to get them to play the game correctly,” La Russa said in an interview with The Oracle. “It’s easy to

say, but it’s really hard to do.”Part of the reconstruction

of the Diamondbacks involves drafting successful new play-ers. They recently picked Lawrence Pardo, a former pitcher for the Bulls.

“He’s got a chance to make it,” La Russa said. “He wouldn’t have been drafted if he didn’t have the talent and now he has the opportunity to make some-thing out of it.”

Turning around the Diamondbacks will not be easy, but the discipline and leadership skills he acquired at USF and in the major leagues could turn it into his next suc-cess story.

La Russa won his first World Series as manager of the Oakland Athletics in 1989, the second of three consecutive World Series appearances with the Athletics.

“It was a dream come true.

I’ve dreamed of it ever since I was a kid,” La Russa said. “It was worth every bit of hard work and adversity that I went through to get there.”

He retired from manag-ing in 2011 and had his jer-sey retired by the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he won two World Series in 15 years as the coach.

“After 33 years of managing in the major leagues, it was time to pass the baton and look for some other kind of responsibility in baseball,” La Russa said. “You always have to be honest with yourself and I knew the time had come.”

It was a long journey to the Hall of Fame for La Russa, one that began 51 years ago as a professional baseball player who spent his free time going to college.

Unlike Pardo, La Russa never played at USF.

The Kansas City Athletics signed La Russa in 1962 as a middle infielder when he was just 17 years old. During the fall and winter, La Russa attended USF to obtain a bachelor’s degree in industrial management.

Playing baseball and attend-ing college simultaneously was unheard of back then, but to La Russa, his education was important enough for him to spend the extra time to do both.

“It was a commitment I made to baseball and educa-tion,” La Russa said. “I had to focus on my education in the winter, but the education I received was worth it.”

Born and raised in Tampa, La Russa was drawn to USF because it was local to him and it was a new university on the rise.

Tony La Russa was hired as the Chief Baseball Officer by the Arizona Diamondbacks in May. PHOTO BY JENNIFER STEWART, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

By Vinnie PortellS P O R T S E D I T O R

By Vinnie PortellS P O R T S E D I T O R

Thor Jozwiak trained for three months to gain the 30 pounds of muscle he lost from sitting out the 2013 season after heart surgery. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

n See CHALLENGE on PAGE 5

n Thor Jozwiak is ready to return to football after undergoing heart surgery last year.

n See THOR on PAGE 3