“You would think it is a normal coffee shop,” said Michael Glisson, who is considered the “Bean Dean” at Artistas Cafe. “You might even walk away thinking that.”

But Artistas Cafe, located inside Tampa’s Mercedes-Benz dealership, is far from ordinary. Everyone working on the front line of the cafe has been diagnosed with autism.

Artistas Cafe opened in 2011. According to Harold Heller, the dean of USFSP’s College of Education, it was started by Vicky Westra, who has a child with autism.

The name of Artistas Cafe refers to the artistic positions available there, Heller said. Employees are able to create art to decorate the cafe or serve coffee.

When the cafe was opening, board members saw the need for involvement from an educator. A physician on the board contacted Kim Stoddard, a USFSP education professor with a Ph.D. in special education, who joined the board.

As the program progressed the board realized the cafe could provide an alternative internship opportunity for education students at USFSP. Students needed the experience and Artistas Cafe needed help, Stoddard said.

An opportunity was created for both undergraduate and graduate students to intern at the cafe.

Heller said the cafe provides an opportunity for education students to become involved in the “transition” stage, in which students with disabilities transition from high school to becoming independent wage earners. Most other internships only involve the inclusion stage, where students with disabilities are included in the traditional classroom setting.

Artistas Cafe allows students with disabilities to, “develop skills that would make them successful in the work place and in other social setting with other individuals,” Heller said.

He hopes the program will get students excited about the transition concept. He wants to see it spread across Tampa Bay and the state.

“There is very limited work available for individuals in the autism spectrum,” Stoddard said. “USFSP is the only place offering students this opportunity.”

In summer 2012, Amber Sheppard performed her level two undergraduate internship at the cafe. Sheppard, who is prepared to graduate on May 5, selected the alternative internship setting because of her “strong urge to work with young adults that have autism.”

Sheppard’s primary responsibility at the cafe was to create an adult assessment guide for employees. She notes that there are many assessments available for students with autism, but few are made for adults. In order to expand, Sheppard said Artistas Cafe must demonstrate its usefulness, which she believes can only be done through assessments.

Sheppard said the work ethic in Artistas Cafe is “phenomenal.” She recalls only one incident between a customer and an employee during her internship, when a new employee gave a customer the wrong change. Sheppard wanted to step in and solve the problem, but the front line employees stepped in and resolved it quickly. After the incident, the new employee was discouraged, but Sheppard recalls the other employees rallied around him.

“They are not willing to accept the fact that someone is going to fail,” Sheppard said.

Four of the seven employees Sheppard supervised at the cafe were also attending college.

She said Artistas Cafe prepared her for her final internship in the classroom, which she is one week away from completing. Five of the 18 students in her current classroom have a disability.

“It’s a crazy classroom,” Sheppard said. She admits sometimes wondering what she was getting herself into, but she enjoys working with her students.

“It’s a great feeling when you see their faces light up because they got it,” Sheppard said.

She still plans to become a teacher, but her internship has made her much more open to having disabled students in her classroom. If she didn’t wasn’t to teach, she said Artistas Cafe would be the first place she would apply to.

After interning at the cafe, one USFSP graduate was offered a position at the cafe, Glisson said. The graduate accepted the job.

According to Glisson, Artistas Cafe is getting ready to open its second location at Jabil Headquarters in St. Petersburg. Glisson plans for USFSP interns to serve at every Artistas location.

Stoddard said the partnership is in “early stages” and Artistas Cafe and the College of Education are working on more opportunities for students in the master’s program.

Finals week is the only thing keeping that person from exiting your life forever, so you should probably say something. I should clarify that example with the teacher only applies to graduating students.

A lot can change over the summer. They could transfer, drop out of school, meet a significant other, or in the case of the teacher, get another job — all without knowing how you felt about them. And if they do return, they probably won’t even remember who you are since you never talked to them in the first place. Approaching them at that point might just be creepy.

You don’t want that to happen.

Put on whatever outfit makes you feel like you could accomplish anything in.

Do something new with your hair so it might attract some attention.

Throw a fist full of Altoids in your mouth and take a leap of faith.

Now the question remains: how do you go about it? You could give them a note before or after class (if you’re a shy one). You could make a huge display of affection during class by distracting everyone taking a final (for those of you that are showmen). You could even offer to help your crush cheat on the final (and risk expulsion).

As a last resort, you might want to consider simply asking the person out on date. Try to finish your final before they do (but don’t actually rush — you don’t want to risk an “A” on a maybe) and time it so you two can leave class at the same time. Strike up a conversation about how easy or hard the final was.

Get comfortable making conversation, take a deep breath and make your move.

“Iron Man 3” comes out this weekend. Ask if they want to see it with you — who doesn’t want to see that? If your crush doesn’t want to see “Iron Man 3” then you’re probably better off without them. Just get your date to meet you in the theater and let Tony Stark take care of the rest.

By the way, don’t actually throw a fist full of Altoids into your mouth. One or two should suffice. Good luck!

Do we want to continue to grow to 10,000 or even 15,000 students? Or are we satisfied at our current student population (which, depending on whose numbers you use to determine what a student is, is between 4,500 and 6,000)? If expansion is in the cards, do we want to attract freshmen, or do we want to attract upperclassman and students pursuing their master’s degrees? Will another residence hall be constructed? How long until the dorms in the University Revenue Building get turned into offices?

These are all questions that the folks in Bayboro Hall need to be asking, discussing and answering in the near future. We’re not going to have a new regional chancellor until July, and I’m sure that she’ll have her own vision for USFSP.

As the resident campus windbag I have my own thoughts on what this campus should do.

First, and most importantly, we must remain part of the University of South Florida System and not look to become an independent university within the State University System of Florida.

Second, anybody that had anything to do with the construction of the University Revenue Building should be the subject a legislative and gubernatorial investigation, and for good measure a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation. Those people should then be tried for possible grand theft. The increased fees, which were wrongfully used for construction and operation of the University Revenue Building, should be returned to the students that paid them.

Thirdly, the university should acquire, from the city of St. Petersburg, the rest of Second Street from Sixth Avenue South to Fifth Avenue South, and Sixth Avenue from First to Third Streets. This will allow students to move about campus in a way that does not resemble a human version of Frogger. At the very least construct a walkway over Sixth Avenue South from the second floor of the parking deck to the University Revenue Building.

Fourthly, there should be more parking on campus. This can be achieved by constructing a new parking deck, expanding the current one and by relaxing the rules when it comes to parking passes. After 4 p.m. anybody that has a USF parking decal should be able to park anywhere on campus without fear of getting an orange envelope.

If residential students continue to pay more for parking than commuter students, the red stickers should be assigned the second and third levels of the parking deck, with the fourth level serving as a mixed zone with the green stickers. How can Parking Services justify having the folks that spend the most time on campus make a 1.2-mile round trip from bottom to top back to the bottom? It is unjust. Also what is up with allowing green stickers to park in our parking zone while us red stickers cannot park in theirs?

Fifthly, there should be more options for meal plans at the University Revenue Building. An “unlimited” meal plan truly should be unlimited, not limited to three squares a day. There should be alternative plans for students who would only like 10 or five meals a week.

Sodexo should work to include the Tavern at Bayboro into its “sharkbites” program. (And by the way, what is up with that name? We are the Bulls, not the Bullsharks, no matter what certain people would like.) If “sharkbites” were allowed this year at the Tavern, I could’ve used them to purchase five and a half pitchers of Genesee Cream Ale, instead of not buying any frozen yogurt.

I also challenge anybody to have a burger at the University Revenue Building and then have one at the Tavern. I would wager than 11 out of 10 people would choose the Tav, which has bacon at all meals, in less than a heartbeat. If anybody said the URB had a better burger, then you are on some bad meth. (Point of clarification: all meth is bad.)

Sixthly, USF should combine all police departments. Fewer chiefs and a less duplicated bureaucracy would save money. This would also be beneficial because if an officer were needed on this campus, one would simply have to travel across the bay, instead of having a shorted staff on this side.

Seventhly, the Tavern at Bayboro should have more parking spots, or its non-student patrons shouldn’t be penalized for there being no parking. This would be a good faith gesture by the university.

Eighthly, the university should partner with more downtown businesses, including the Tavern at Bayboro, to provide students with more discounts so they do not have to eat the slop Sodexo likes to call food in the University Revenue Building.

Ninthly, the dorms in RHO should have laundry facilities on every floor, not just the odd ones. I remember a time when this was the case. Sure they may not have been as “green” as the current ones, but being a student I would rather pay fewer quarters to do laundry.

Tenthly, if another dormitory is constructed, it should have kitchens. Also, students living in dorms with kitchens should not have to purchase a meal plan. I can cook dinner at midnight in my dorm, when the University Revenue Building is closed.

These are some suggestions for the university to consider as my time here is coming to an end. No longer will they have a watchdog student from the Bush and Crist administrations to tell tales of how it used to be.

Students, do not take anything sitting down. If there is something that you do not like on this campus, change it; this is your university and administration is here to serve you not the other way around. Their six-figure salaries do not exist without you (and your money). The eternal struggle continues with another generation of students. Continue to pressure Bayboro to fund the University Revenue Building some other way, and demand your money back; us students got hornswoggled in that deal.

Go Bulls!

A social media outlet that I’ve avoided like the plague has wormed its way into my day-to-day against my best efforts.

Friends are angry that I never showed up to their party last weekend. Family members are hurt that I missed their latest reunion. Campus events may as well be conducted by secret societies unless someone scrawls it on the sidewalk in chalk. Discounts at restaurants and department stores are only available to those who “like” them on — you guessed it — Facebook.

Facebook calculated that more than a billion people around the world actively use the site each month. The United States Census Bureau estimates the total world population is well over 7 billion. How does the usage of a website by approximately 14 percent of the world’s population cause such a change in the way people communicate?

Many people don’t talk to each other about the important occasions in their life anymore. They’ve posted it with 20 tagged photos on their Facebook page and sent it out into cyberspace for the masses to scroll past as they skim over the day’s updates.

But the emotion of the moment is lost. If your friend “likes” your news, is that really the same as sharing the story with them over coffee? An “LOL” is not the same as sharing a laugh face-to-face or giggling your way through a phone call.

I miss the paper invitations from days gone by, and the Saturday afternoon phone call between friends to catch up on the week’s gossip. The stack of photographs of your vacation, still warm from the photo lab, is a distant memory. Hands had to be contorted into just the right claw to grip photos from the edges. Friends don’t let friends leave smudges. And if a picture surfaced of you passed out in a Perkins booth after a long night of drinking — or so I’ve been told — it could be torn into oblivion, not tagged by everyone you know on Facebook.

Let’s get back to that phone call. Or, gasp, visit one another just to talk. Throw a party and mail the invitations to your friends. Yes, the paper kind (of invitations, not friends). Take a photo of the moment and have it printed.

Remember how things were before Facebook.

The hot and dusty streets of the warehouse district in St. Petersburg fill with an unnatural sound around 3:30 p.m. on a Friday in April.

The noise echoes from one of the miscellaneous industrial buildings along 6th Avenue South. It’s a music recording space on the edge of society, called The Fuzz Factory.

Patrick McBratney is crouched on the floor of the open garage, a twisted snake of pedals spread out before him on the concrete. He twists a knob — a screech comes through the amplification cabinet next to him. He turns to a different pedal and maneuvers the screech into the sound of a sputtering car engine.

Sweat starting to pour from his face, he places a microphone inside of a metal box — and then drops it. A loop pedal records the resounding clang. He drops the box again and again, and the din grows louder as each clang is added to the mixture, until an offbeat rhythm develops. He smirks.

“It’s highly emotional trajectories of me,” McBratney, a USF St. Petersburg junior, said of his music. “You know, getting feelings and s*** out.”

It’s what some might call a lot of racket. But for those with an adventurous taste in music, there is a symphony in the cacophony.

The music is part of a sound movement described as “noise.” Varieties include experimental noise, harsh noise and harsh noise wall. McBratney, 23, performs under the moniker Lovebrrd, which he describes as new surrealist noise. He doesn’t confine himself to one subgenre.

“A lot of people stick with one style, and try to establish a recognizable sound. But I’m always changing,” he said. “My newest tape is harsh noise wall, but I do all different stuff. From field recording stuff to synth stuff, keyboards, sometimes bass.”

He has been making noise for six years.

Besides performing and recording his own music, McBratney also runs a music label called Lava Church. Through it, he produces and promotes musicians who make DIY music. Everything is released on cassette tapes.

He started the project shortly after moving to Florida from Colonia, N.J.

“When I moved to Florida I didn’t know anybody, I was alone a lot,” he said.

In 2010, he played at Bloodfest, a Tampa noise festival, with a friend from San Diego.

“It was cool, but people weren’t very personable. It left a sour taste in my mouth. I pretty much felt rejected, and that’s when I started thinking about starting Lava Church. I wouldn’t say it was totally out of spite, but it kind of was,” he said.

He went to Goodwill and got a dual cassette deck for recording. A friend from New Jersey mailed him a bunch of tapes. And then he started the label.

“Originally I just wanted to do it for my friends, and keep it smaller. But it really took off,” he said. “Now I’m trying to rein it back in.”

McBratney still only works with artists he has a personal connection with, but his range has expanded. What he intended as a project that would focus on Florida musicians has now incorporated over 20 artists from all over the world. He dubs the tapes and makes artwork for them from home.

“Everybody I’ve released for I still talk to, and everyone’s been happy with the releases,” he said.

Oddly enough, the noise artists of St. Petersburg were some of the last ones he met. A South Carolina artist he was friends with put him in contact with Sluggisha, and old school noise blog based out of Florida, and from there he was able to meet some local musicians.

Up until this point, he has made tape batches of varying sizes, and then made all of the releases available for download online.

“Now I’m changing the whole aesthetic and philosophy though,” he said. “I’m going to start making 25 tapes for each batch, and then as they’re ordered I’ll make more.”

He is toying with the idea of making CDs and downloads available upon request, partly because he thinks listening to a collection of music as it was recorded is important. Cassettes provide that physical outlet and offer an alternative to vinyl, which is costly to produce.

This summer, McBratney will go on his first ever tour, with fellow DIY artists Harmoos and Tender Cruncher. They have set up shows in cities throughout the South and the Northeast. Some will be house shows, while others will be at alternative venues similar to St. Petersburg’s Venture Compound, which he plays often.

McBratney said he likes to play shows in people’s homes when possible. “That’s where the energy is.”

He hopes to do much more than just perform. McBratney, technically a junior, is switching his major to anthropology, and he wants to combine his academic and artistic pursuits on the tour. He will create an archive of all the performances, and film a documentary about DIY music culture. He wants to know whether people feel like they are truly part of one big culture, connected through music and the Internet.

To ensure that the project is successful, he is trying to raise $500 for the tour through Indiegogo. So far he has raised $322.

“Some people I know don’t like crowdsourcing, and I respect that,” he said. “But I really think people are getting a big bang for their buck out of this, and it could benefit them. I want to expose people to cool music that they would never hear otherwise.”

Next year, he wants to try to get academic funding from the school to do an extensive research project on DIY music culture.

“I think that it will reach people. I’m going to submit to ‘This American Life’ even,” he said.

Playing, recording and studying music culture are what he wants to do with his future. Eventually, he would like to bring more exposure to the St. Petersburg music scene, which he feels has been great to him. He feels that USF St. Petersburg could be more involved, too.

“I started at USF Tampa, and it was too big, every class was huge. USF St. Pete is smaller and a better environment and I’d like to bring the community into what’s going on outside of it. I’ve seen one person from school at a show. I didn’t expect to see her there, but she really liked the music. People might not know that they will like it,” he said.

“I love Florida. It doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. When it comes time for me to plant my roots, I think it will be here.”

Lava Church is online at lavachurch.com. Learn more about Lovebrrd and the tour at facebook.com/lovebrrd.

Hixson said she has been working to strengthen the library’s connection with students by making it a place for collaboration and interaction. Collections on the first floor have been “weeded out” or moved to “bring the first floor to life,” Hixson said.

“People want a variety of styles and spaces,” Hixson said. “There is really no such thing as ‘what the students want’ because they like different things, and they don’t want the same thing all of the time.”

Students are encouraged to move and rearrange the new furniture on the first floor of the library. Much of it is on wheels. An individual can pull a chair to a favorite spot, and groups can create meeting areas with just the right table and seating arrangements. White boards can be used as temporary walls to increase privacy.

“There is no ‘where furniture belongs’ on the first floor,” said Tina Neville, head of library public services.

Coffee tables, floor and table lamps, couches, lounge chairs and ottomans make it easy for some students to feel at home in the library.

Christian Wintsch, a first year graduate student in the MBA program, said he likes to sit in his favorite chair with his legs outstretched on an ottoman. His computer fit nicely on a small, moveable tray attached to his chair. Wintsch said he comes to the library five or six days a week.

“It’s comfy,” Wintsch said. The more comfortable you are, the better you study and concentrate. It’s appealing, you have the view, you can lay back, it’s not constraining, it’s free-flowing. The surroundings are always changing on a daily basis, you do not know what to expect – things move.”

Ricky Cherry, a junior majoring in marketing, comes to the library five days a week for about four hours. He said the library’s ambiance is one of the reasons he stays on campus between classes, even though he only has a 12-minute commute.

“This is perfect, looking at the water, like you’re at home on your own couch,” Cherry said. “It’s relaxing and doesn’t make studying as big of a chore. It’s nice, a place to get away or get some work done. This illustrates that they care, and that we have a voice. I feel that students must have recommended this.”

“When I see people from class, we move the furniture closer together and this breaks the ice,” said Cherry.

In 2011, Hixson directed a Library Space Allocation Committee to look into redesigning the use of space in the library. Neville chaired the committee which studied library space design, learned about renovations in other libraries, and found out what students thought a library should offer.

Students participated in focus groups, and were given outline drawings of the library so they could fill in their ideas about using the space, said librarian Deborah Henry.

It was a surprise that some of the students like to be near books to put them in the mood for studying, and this is why the leisure reading collections remain on the first floor, Hixson explained.

Some students would prefer a quieter study area on the first floor, which is not designated as a quiet zone, Hixson said. She said that after new carpet is installed between the spring and summer semesters, an area on the first floor will be enclosed with glass walls to create a Scholars’ Lounge.

Another change will add to the number of computers students can use, in a layout that is more private and with more room to spread out than in the existing horseshoe configuration, Hixson said.

Hixson, Neville and Henry said they would love to have a café in the library, as would many students, but it is not completely under their control — financial and special issues would have to be addressed.

In the meantime, students are welcome to bring food and nonalcoholic beverages into the library (deliveries from restaurants are not allowed), as long as there are no open drinks at the computers and no food or drinks in special collections.

Henry said a student was stacking a small table on an upholstered chair to make a higher stand for his laptop, which he used while writing on a white board. Henry said they put a speaker’s podium in the vicinity where the student studies, and he found and used it, pulling out a flat shelf for his computer and using the slanted top for his book. She said he inquired if it was all right to use the podium, and he was pleased when she told him “we put it there for you.”

The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library is and will remain a work in progress.

“I would eventually like to call the library something other than a library,” said Hixson.

For now, Hixson said she uses a pet name, “Not Your Grandmother’s Library.”

Years later, Hossain has been awarded a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation to study malaria in Mali. Though his paleontology dreams may not be realized, Hossain is fascinated with entomology, the study of insects.

The fellowship will allow Hossain to study malaria in mosquitoes of the genus anopheles with John Beier, the world’s leading mosquito expert. Hossain will be a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami and doing fieldwork in Mali. He will be researching environmentally safe ways to eradicate the anopheles from the area.

Hossain, who will graduate in May with a degree in environmental science and policy, is the first USF St. Petersburg student to win this fellowship. Although he calls it “the granddaddy of fellowships,” he was surprised to discover that he was the first from USFSP to win. He believes it is a goal that many science majors should seek to achieve.

West African storytellers and historians called griots, who are responsible for preserving oral tradition will work closely with Hossain during his research. The griots are seen as leaders in West African society. By working with them, Hossain can ensure the methods he develops will be implemented into the community.

Hossain’s research experience sets him apart from other students. He first worked with Deby Cassill, a biology professor at USFSP, on her study of ants. Later, he and his friend Jaeson Clayborn worked together on a project about mosquitoes and ants. They presented the project at the International Symposium of Invasive Pests, where Hossain attracted to the interest of Dr. Jesusa Legaspi of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since then, Hossain has gained experience working with the USDA on several projects regarding invasive insect species.

Hossain views USFSP’s environmental science and policy as a “broad degree” and says its possibilities are endless. He found that there were no restrictions on graduate level courses, and took several throughout his USFSP undergraduate career. He says these courses were a good opportunity to get graduate level experience before applying to graduate school.

An afternoon with Robert Beasey, a student with cerebral palsy who uses a motorized wheelchair, revealed problems caused by lack of automatic doors, narrow ramps, tight restrooms and limited elevator access.

“A lot of things might be in compliance and meet the letter of the law, but it doesn’t mean they’re convenient or that they meet the spirit of the law,” said Barry McDowell, director of Student Disabilities Services.

One on-campus issue — the pressure required to open manual doors — meets neither the letter nor the spirit of the ADA law. While ADA does not require doors to be automatic, it does require them to be at least 32 inches wide, with a pressure of no more than 5 pounds. Using a pressure gauge, an ADA compliance expert from USF Tampa found that many doors on campus are not compliant. Fortunately, McDowell said this issue is easily fixed.

Door pressure adjustment will likely be high on the agenda for the SDS’s newest initiative, PAW, an acronym for Physical Accessibility Workgroup. The PAW committee contains McDowell, Beasey, an employee from the school’s facilities department, a faculty member with a disability and a representative from human resources.

PAW’s goal is to evaluate the campus, taking a look at each facility to see where accessibility lags. It is in in the process of developing a transition plan — something the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses have already done — that will serve as a prioritized list of tasks to be done.

Since pricing makes installing automatic doors in every building impractical, the workgroup will identify where automatic entrances are most necessary. While some automatic door openers can be installed for a few hundred dollars, as The Crow’s Nest originally reported, McDowell said USFSP’s automatic doors cost closer $3,000.

According to McDowell, most areas meet the bare minimum for ADA compliance. And in some cases, the minimum is tough to define.

The differences between the letter and spirit of the ADA law are further complicated by the law’s interpretation.

For example, the narrow ramp leading to the west entrance of the Science and Technology building was approved by an ADA consultant from the Tampa campus. However, the ramp’s base is only about 34.5 inches across and according to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities, which say, “The minimum clear width of a ramp shall be 36 inches,” this ramp does not meet the standard. A two-inch handrail further reduces the ramp’s width.

McDowell said if there were not a wider ramp on the north side of STG, improvements would be made to the ramp on the west side.

Restrooms are another critical issue for people who use wheelchairs. Though the Student Life Center’s downstairs restroom and has an automatic door and displays a wheelchair accessible logo, it does not provide enough space for most wheelchairs.

The upstairs restroom provides sufficient space but does not have an automatic door. For disabled students, a simple restroom break in the SLC becomes a drawn out process.

McDowell said renovating restrooms to accommodate wheelchairs is so expensive that it is rarely done to more than one stall — if any.

When construction of the University Student Center began a few years ago, it compromised accessible parking. Students in wheelchairs, with walkers, or with conditions that disabled them from walking long distances complained about not being able to get to the library.

Accessible parking is now available between the basketball courts outside the USC and the retention pond, but spaces are limited and still require a small hike to the reach the library.

Recently, SDS has been concentrating their efforts on accessibility in residence halls. While the Tampa campus provides disability-related accommodations in on-campus housing, USFSP does not.

The university has never had a student in a wheelchair live on campus but McDowell said he has a few students interested in doing so next school year.

“Until somebody needs it, we don’t address it,” McDowell said, explaining the problem within SDS’s procedures.

About 110 students are currently registered with the SDS office, with a range of physical, psychological, visual, auditory and developmental disabilities.

Though its name indicates a focus on physical accessibility, the PAWS initiative will encompass all types of disabilities, including visual and auditory.

McDowell notes that almost every course offered in the USF system uses online content. To make these courses accessible to everyone, SDS is working to make captioning and screen reading software for more readily available.

McDowell and his employees are constantly learning new ways to accommodate students with disabilities and help them achieve. He believes the PAW committee will grant SDS more power to make changes on campus.

Mark Lombardi-Nelson and Christa Hegedus officially secured the presidential and vice presidential spots after more than a month of debate.

Mark Lombardi-Nelson and Christa Hegedus officially secured the Student Government president and vice president positions for the 2013-2014 school year. After weeks of deliberation between the Election Rules Commission and the SG Supreme Court, Chief Student Affairs Officer Julie Wong intervened with a sweeping decision on April 18.

Lombardi-Nelson submitted an Appeal for Righteousness to Wong on April 15, after a decision handed by the Supreme Court disqualified him from the race — for a second time. After reviewing the appeal, Wong granted Lombardi-Nelson the presidency.

Jimmy Richards filed a case to contest violation points assessed by the ERC shortly after elections ended. Instead of holding a trial between Richards and the ERC, the court held a hearing for Lombardi-Nelson to defend himself on April 5. In its re-evaluation of the Lombardi-Nelson/Hegedus campaign, the court assessed 33.32 points, as opposed to the ERC’s original 10-point assessment. The court’s ruling disqualified Lombardi-Nelson and demanded Richards be instated as president. Wong’s decision declared this ruling null and void with no opportunities for further appeals being granted.

Lombardi-Nelson addressed issues of due process and improper procedure in his appeal as he had done throughout the review process. Primary concerns included the delivery of grievances in a timely manner and the authority of the Supreme Court’s assessment of points.

“USFSP and its Student Government should be reliable assets within the USF System, and I intend to continue moving the USFSP Student Government in that direction,” Lombardi-Nelson said in his appeal to Wong.

In an email, Wong said she had to weigh in the “proper procedure and process according to the student government statutes.”

In a memo released on April 19, Wong found the court to have “improperly assessed points.” She referred to a statute that said the court can reduce, reverse, or uphold points, but only the ERC can assess points.

Wong believes this case will create “greater utilization of student affairs advisors during the election so the process is executed without controversy.” She also suggested “a review of the election rules and procedures to improve process and accountability.”

The April 18 decision resulted in the nullification of the Supreme Court orders and the granted the ERC power to certify Lombardi-Nelson and Hegedus as president and vice president.

“I now know what I will be doing for the next year,” Lombardi-Nelson said.

Consequences for the Supreme Court’s inaccurate filing of the case and improper assessment of points — as outlined by Wong — include the potential impeachment of three justices, Russell Heller, Graham Reybitz, and Kendel Mott.

In his memo for impeachment, Sen. Jozef Gherman charged the justices with malfeasance, or willful disregard of the statutes. SG senate responded by selecting three senators for an impeachment committee. The assessment of charges may not come for some time, as an advisor for the committee has not been selected and two senators elected to the committee will end their tenure at the end of the semester.

Vincent de Cosmo, head of the ERC, announced certification for the presidency through an email addressed to all SG members.

As a result of the controversy in this election, de Cosmo believes, “everyone will be more strict and on top of rules … especially if they want things to go the right way.”

The 2013-2014 presidential term begins Monday, May 6.

The event, called “Locker Room Lunch” presented by USFSP Student Government in the University Student Center, provided both the campus and the St. Petersburg community with a free opportunity to meet with the Bulls’ newest leader. Taggart, a Bradenton native who graduated from Manatee High School, appeared to be right at home during his first visit.

After an introduction from USF System President Judy Genshaft, coach Taggart began the event with a conversation with Jim Louk, the radio voice of USF football. The conversation provided insight into Taggart’s journey to USF and why he chose to come take this job after being pursued by schools such as Wisconsin and Auburn.

“One reason is the passion that our fanbase has here in the state of Florida and in the Tampa area,” Taggart said. “Being around a program that is very passionate, a young program where the sky’s the limit, a program I really believe is a sleeping giant. Not often in this profession do you get the chance to come back home and be the head coach. That’s a big part of it, too.”

When asked how he planned to change the culture of USF football, Taggart noted that support from USFSP would be critical to the Bulls’ success this season. Though the campus and its students are geographically separated from Raymond James Stadium, cultivating passion for the football program throughout the region is one of Taggart’s foremost goals.

“They brought me here to turn it around, but I can’t do it by myself,” Taggart said to the lunch crowd. “It’s going to take every single one of us, including our students here at USF St. Pete. We’re all Bulls. We need to go into Raymond James and make it very, very hard for any opposing team to come into that stadium.”

Local fans were eager to ask Coach Taggart questions about his expectations for the upcoming season and beyond during the question and answer session that followed his talk. Fans asked Taggart questions ranging from his plans for the field to his home life. The 300 people on hand for the event got to know the new coach in a more familiar way.

Interim Regional Chancellor Bill Hogarth declared that the “Locker Room Lunch” was something that should become an annual event. Hogarth and the crowd seemed appreciative of Taggart’s enthusiasm about USF and the community.

“Our vision is to win multiple championships in a first-class manner,” Taggart said. “I want to make everyone proud. This is my area, and I want the entire country to know about USF. But it won’t be Coach Taggart doing it all; it’s going to be all of us.”

Samantha Ouimette is the sports editor of The Crow’s Nest. She can be reached at sports@crowsneststpete.com.

Photos by Thomas Boyd.