University of Tampa - Moroccan Yearbook (Tampa, FL)

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CAMPUS NEWS Students Attempt To Impeach Clifford Delo Sardines Student Government meetings came dangerously dose to being a battlefield at the outset of the Fall 1985 semester. The problem? Im- peachment proceedings were initiated against Senior Senator and Class President Bob Clifford who was not in Tampa for the semester. Clifford, a political science major, was one of three students selected to take part in an internship in Washington, D.C. He was accused of not fulfilling the duties of his office. In a Wednesday night impeach- ment hearing, arguments for both sides of the debate were heard. Stu- Rude Awakenings Sixth-floor residents of Delo Hall got six weeks of rude awakenings when a malfunctioning pay phone became Delo’s biggest tourist attraction. Apparently the phone would count the change inserted, then refund it. To hear the sleepless residents of the sixth floor tell it, about three-quarters of the University have relatives, friends, parents, kept wom- en, kept men, little nephews (usually named Timmy or Bobby), tax consultants, or lonesome little pets overseas, over hill, over dale or otherwise very far away. These individuals invariably needed talking to, sometimes until 4:00 a.m. The lines began forming about three weeks into the semester when word of the magnificent mouthpiece spread to the corners of the campus. Naughty little ten- minute calls to mom quickly escalated to full-scale electronic larceny as the callers began talking the international operators to death. By the second week. European calls were passe and the problem showed signs of fading. Eventually, General Telephone of Tampa got wind of the funny business and sent several communication commandoes to investigate. After catching one of the student delinquents in the act (mercifully, they did not give chase) the repairmen fixed the phone and let the sixth floor off the hook. dents supporting the impeachment of Clifford spoke against a blind loyalty to elected officials and called such loyalty “similar to the attitudes that resulted in the charge of the light brigade, the Manson murders, and the Nazi holocaust.” Student Government President Erica Edwards read two letters from the students interning in Washington with Clifford who advo- . cated Clifford’s retention. At the end of the debate, the impeachment effort failed amid the joyous shouts of Clifford’s fraternity brother’s, seated in the independent section. During the 1985-86 school year, the first and second floors of Delo Hall were where the girls were. An overflow of freshmen and freshwomen forced the former Delo guest rooms and a lonesome double to become the cram- ped home of several new females. Despite a lack of privacy, cram- ped, messy rooms, message board mayhem, and epidemic borrowing of clothes, the young ladies insisted that the close quarters did not harm their friendship. Green Monster Rears Head For those wondering what hap- pened to the Tampa City Center building, stop. It’s still there. It’s just been blocked from sight by the Barnett Bank Tower. Tampa’s own version of a green monster has reared its head over downtown, to the delight of some and the ridicule of others. For most of the 1984-85 school year it was a skeletal eyesore, a con- crete box growing out of a pit placed obnoxiously close to Ashley Street. It began to take shape during the sum- mer of ’85, with the additon of the white marble facade and blue-green windows. Some students have taken to the building. “I really like the way the sun catches it at the end of the day,” said one. Other’s think it is too imposing. “The damn thing is huge,” said anoth- er student. “When NCNB builds theirs, you won’t be able to see any- thing but the flanks of the buildings.” Barritt House Up For Grabs Barritt House, the residence of University of Tampa President Rich- ard Cheshire, was put up for sale. The Board of Trustees attached a $1.75 million price tag to the property. The 4800 square foot house, locat- ed at 3108 Prospect Road, was donated to the University in November 1967 by William and Edna Barritt. At that time, the property was valued at $150,000. The 2.5 acre property is not zoned for sub-divided, and a clause in the deed specified that the residence could not be sold for ten years. Barritt House may prove to be a valuable asset in the attempt to elmi- nate the University’s debt of over $1 million. 28 Features

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Friends to Remember: Elena, Juan, Kate New UT students may have won- dered where Florida got its “Sunshine State” nickname. Hurricane Elena ruined Labor Day weekend by doing a slow dance in the Gulf of Mexico and forcing Pinellas county and most of Hillsborough county to evacuate. Most of the UT students who did not find their own shelters were relocat- ed to King High School in Temple Terrace. For non-residents, it was no kind introduction to Florida. Later, weather was again a topic for discussion. Hurricane Juan had hit land in Louisiana, and was expected to take a turn toward the panhandle. Eventually, Juan broke into scattered, but copious, rainfall over the state and dissipated. The fun didn’t stop there. Hurricane Kate showed herself in late November, and UT was once again facing the possibility of evacuation. True pessimists dragged out their “EVACUATION SUCKS” T-shirts for another go-round. Fortunately, Kate only treated us to several cloudy, windy days and a few inches of rain. Florida’s reputation as “the next great place to make movies,” was solidi- fied by the success of “Cocoon,” a science fiction fantasy film directed by Ron How- ard. “Cocoon” was shot in Pinellas Coun- ty, and some scenes were shot in Plant Hall on the UT cam- pus. Those scenes were later cut from the film. Hillsborough High School, the county’s oldest high school, celebrated its centennial year. The school began in 1885 in an upstairs room in a building on Franklin Street. The cur- rent Gothic-style structure was built in 1927 and renovated in 1977. Over a thousand people attended the day- long celebration held on November 10, 1985. Madman Billy Ferry was put to trial and convicted for the 1983 firebombing of a Winn Dixie grocery store. The bombing caused the death of three innocent bystanders including a mother and her child. The trial had been delayed for over a year to determine whether Ferry was fit to stand trial. St. Pete Shows Off St. Petersburg, still burdened with the delusion that a professional baseball team is on its way real soon, was host to a real sporting event. The St. Petersburg Gran Prix rolled through Tampa’s Little Buddy November 1, 2, and 3. The course incorporated most of downtown St Pete’s brighter spots: The Pier, The Bounty, the St. Pete Yacht Club, A1 Lang Stadium and the Bayfront Center. It was indeed St. Pete at its dreamiest. For Race Director Bill McVey, it was a 10-year-old dream come true. McVey first conceived the race in 1976, while running the Precision Driving School in Tampa. After several years of hobnobbing with city officials, the go- ahead was given, supporters were mus- tered, and over 2,000 concrete barriers that would line the racecourse construct- ed. The city spent more than $1.5 million to construct the two mile circuit and its safety system. Of course, that cost could easily be deferred by the sale of 3 million or so Pepsis. FEATURES 27

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When What's-His-Name Speaks ... Vagrant Bludgeoned Members of the University commu- nity were astonished to hear that the body of a vagrant was found on campus, about a hundred yards from the Spartan Sports Center. Tampa Police Department Public Information Director Johnny Barker said that the death of Gordon White- cloud, 42, was the result of a blunt trauma to the head. The incident was labeled a homicide. Barker said that Whitecloud was not a resident of Tampa, and he added that the area in which the body was found was frequented by vagrants. Although the campus is regularly patrolled by police for the safety of students, residents began to think twice before walking home alone at night. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, chief of South Africa’s largest tribe, the Zulus, and the man that some political analysts call the most likely candidate for a black prime minister of South Africa, spoke before a crowd of over 300 in the University of Tampa Ballroom. Les Peters, a member of the Board of Trustees and a personal friend of Buthelezi, brought the leader of South Africa’s largest black political organiza- tion — Inkatha — to the University. Buthelezi is a strong advocate of Ronald Regan’s non-intervention poli- cies regarding the affairs of South Africa, and strongly protested the levying of sanctions against his country. Throughout his speech, Buthelezi stressed moderate and peaceful solu- tions to the problems in South Africa and the abolition of apartheid. Buthelezi’s speech and appearance at the University was the only of its kind during his tour of the United States. A Wilde Graduation Ceremony Put That Book Back! After losing more than $25,000 worth of books to theft since 1976, the Merl Kelce Library decided to install an electronic security system. The system will incorporate an FM radio transmitter in each book and a detection device at the library’s exit. “When you try to pass through the doors, an alarm will sound if the book has not been checked out properly,” said Library Director Lydia Acosta. The system is similar to ones used in many libraries and stores across the country, including the UT Campus Store. The system carries a price tag of $18,000, but will be paid for through donations and by an estate which left money to the library. After an evaluation of the 1984-85 Commencement ceremony, Provost Ed Wilde decided to make changes in the 1985-86 ceremony that displeased sen- iors. Wilde decided, after consultation with other senior staff members, to change the time and site of graduation from 6 p.m. on Plant Porch to 2 p.m. in the Spartan Sports Center. The date would also he changed, from Saturday, May 3, to Sunday, May 4. Wilde said that when he made the decision, he knew that he would “pay for making the decision without student input later on.” At the first senior class meeting of the school year, with Student Govern- ment President Erica Edwards presid- ing, a petition signed by seniors was presented to Wilde for him to take into consideration in deciding to change the graduation site. Seniors also suggested to Wilde that a student committee be set up to discuss the issue with Wilde and possibly find alternatives to his decision. Wilde was receptive to both ideas, saying he “would be happy to work with a group of people to look at alternatives, but the probability of change is small.” Poet Reads Work Renowned poet Philip Levine visit- ed campus in early November to read and share his work with members of the University community. Levine, from Detroit, has grown from foundry worker and holder of what he calls “other stupid jobs” to become one of America’s most widely-read poets. Levine was actively opposed to the Vietnam War. In his readings from Not This Pig and They Feed, They Lion, he addressed that issue, but also read selections that gave vivid descriptions of the plight of the working poor and the decay of his hometown of Detroit. Features 29