Campus Insider September 2021

USF Sarasota-Manatee campus’ Town Halls offer path forward during pandemic

The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus recently held its 50th virtual Town Hall meeting since the start of COVID-19, with Interim USF President Rhea Law and Provost Ralph Wilcox joining Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook to celebrate the milestone.

“You have really created a culture there at Sarasota-manatee that is unique,” Law told 200 or so attendees during the Aug. 27 online meeting. “You’ve been able to hold together with these Town Hall meetings, and it really is a good thing that you are able to celebrate, even if it’s virtual.”

As part of the meeting, USF deans collaborated on envisioning the future of the Sarasota-Manatee campus. The discussion, which included breakout sessions, featured an exchange of ideas about existing and possible new programs on campus.

Like other institutions, Sarasota-Manatee turned to technology to engage with students, faculty and staff at the pandemic’s onset in March 2020. Since then, the Town Halls have helped to unite the campus and remind staff and faculty of their shared vision to support and educate students.

“Our virtual town halls have been a key element in keeping the campus community connected and moving forward,” Holbrook said. “It was encouraging to see how quickly everyone adapted, and the participation throughout has been consistent.”

In-person classes resumed June 28, but many campus functions have remained virtual due to continuing health and safety protocols. The Town Halls likewise have continued virtually.

Led by Regional Chancellor Holbrook, the twice-monthly meetings not only kept faculty and staff informed about health protocols, vaccine developments and other important changes at USF, but they also featured intriguing guests, dynamic and wide-ranging discussions and exercises like “flash polls” to gauge employee attitudes.

Additionally, campus board members, alumni and other campus friends have become regular attendees, as have Staff and Faculty Council members and Student Government, who’ve given recurring updates.

The centerpiece of the Town Halls has remained the talks with prominent researchers and fascinating guests, including from outside the campus. Among them, Dr. Kevin Sneed, dean of the USF Taneja College of Pharmacy, and Dr. Donna Petersen, dean of the USF College of Public Health and chair of the USF Coronavirus Task Force, who explained the science behind vaccines and answered questions about their rollout and efficacy.

At another Town Hall, campus leaders invited renowned diversity and social justice expert Jamie Washington to a wide-ranging talk about race. An absorbing discussion, Washington invited faculty and staff to examine their own perceptions of race, including internal, unintentional biases, and discuss them openly. The talk included “word cloud” exercises to collectively gauge employees’ feelings.

Other Town Halls have focused on:

USF’s consolidation, which combined USF’s three separately accredited campuses into one university
Conflict resolution and problem solving
LGBTQIA+ Initiatives, including activities and opportunities during Pride Month
The proposed College of Oceanography and Earth System Sciences in St. Petersburg
The Manasota Black Chamber of Commerce, who provided an overview about its partnership with USF
USF’s nursing programs, including the Accelerated Second Degree nursing program at the Sarasota-Manatee campus.

The meetings also shed light on developments in the College of Education, USF’s ongoing partnerships with community organizations and the advantages and disadvantages of connecting virtually with students, faculty and staff.

Holbrook said the meetings offered an opportunity for the faculty and staff to learn more about USF, and each other, and to develop strategies for moving forward.

“Even when we cannot be together on campus we can still see, hear and feel the spirit of our great campus community,” she said. “We have proven that we can continue moving forward in extraordinary circumstances.”

USF to honor victims, heroes of 9/11 in ceremony on Sarasota-Manatee campus

The University of South Florida will host a special ceremony on Friday, Sept. 10, on the Sarasota-Manatee campus to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The ceremony will start at 8:15 a.m. with a flag-raising event and then shift to the campus courtyard. Included will be guest speakers, local first responders and representatives of the Armed Forces. The St. Stephen’s School children’s choir will sing patriotic songs and Robert E. Willis Elementary School student Adyson Shortridge will sing the National Anthem. Light refreshments will be served afterward in the Selby Auditorium.

Among the speakers will be USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook and retired New York City firefighter Garrett C. Lindgren.

Assigned to Rescue Company 3, Lindgren was among the first responders at the World Trade Center immediately following the collapse of the north tower. Afterward, he was among the rescuers at Ground Zero from Sept. 11 to Dec. 15, 2001, and suffered career-ending injuries while searching through rubble on Dec. 15.

“This year is special because it marks 20 years since the attacks that took place on September 11th, 2001,” said Carlos Moreira, director of campus engagement for veteran success and alumni affairs. “In a time of grief, the American people came together. They offered strangers and their neighbors a helping hand and reaffirmed to one another that we were united as one, as Americans. For this reason, we will never forget the victims, their families and the heroes.”

Three days before the ceremony, on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m., students, staff, faculty and community members will gather in the campus courtyard to plant 2,977 small flags in honor of each of the victims.

The annual remembrance has become a tradition at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Previous events have included an honor guard, a bugler playing “Taps” and the St. Stephens Episcopal School children’s choir, as well as military, first responders and community leaders.

Past speakers have included David Kotok, chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors, and Dan Hoffe, executive vice president of Capstan Financial Consulting Group.

Kotok escaped the World Trade Center’s south tower after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower. Hoffe was likewise in the south tower, and he was still inside when a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, hit the tower. Both said the tragedy left an indelible impression.

Holbrook said she was changed as well. At the 2019 ceremony, she summed up her feelings of that day, saying: “I remember a particularly intense feeling of the need to make eye contact, to greet people in some way, to reach out, to connect with people I passed on the campus of the university where I was at the time, even people I didn’t know. All of us were together in our suffering and for the nation and for the people who suffered intolerable loss and we all understood what others were feeling as well.”

USF Sarasota-Manatee campus staff recognized with Student Success Awards

USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Assistant Librarian Jessica Szempruch, Library Specialist Evan Fruehauf and Assistant Director of Student Engagement Kati Hinds were among the winners of the recent USF Student Success Awards.

The three were recognized in the “Regional Chancellor Award” category for developing and coordinating Virtual Book Club (VBC), a student organization created last year to engage and unite students during COVID-19.

“This award is incredibly meaningful to me, as working to create and sustain Virtual Book Club over the last year and a half has been amongst the most rewarding experiences of my career,” Szempruch said. “It is wonderful to be recognized formally for this work, but the joy I see weekly in the student participants is a reward in itself.”

VBC launched in May 2020 after biology major Scarleth Andino approached Szempruch and Hinds about creating the club. The two got to work and brought in Fruehauf to help organize and facilitate student engagement.

An immediate success, VBC attracted students not only from Sarasota-Manatee but also from the other USF campuses. The group meets virtually each week to select books and engage in lively conversations. Students under financial strain due to the pandemic can sign up for a complimentary book that will be mailed to their home courtesy of the Office of Student Engagement. About 15 to 20 students participate each week.

Although students have since returned to campus, VBC has shown no signs of slowing down.

“Virtual Book Club is continuing as strong as it has since its inception, with virtual weekly meetings throughout the year,” Szempruch said. “We plan to expand to include additional hybrid activities throughout the year as appropriate. The first book for fall 2021 is ‘The City We Became’ by N.K. Jemisin.”

Learn more about VBC.

The Regional Chancellor Award wasn’t the only Student Success Award presented to Szempruch. The assistant librarian for Sarasota-Manatee was also recognized, along with other USF Library team members, under the “Collaboration” category for helping to develop the library’s collection of Info + Data Literacy workshops.

The self-guided Canvas workshops, which run from beginner to advanced levels, enable faculty to augment their classes with a research component while also providing research support to students through a wide assortment of how-to workshops.

The workshops are particularly helpful to distance students, who may have difficulty visiting the library in person. Additionally, students completing the workshops can earn badges, which can be displayed on their resumes or on LinkedIn or Handshake.

“I am very proud to be recognized alongside my USF Libraries research and instruction colleagues,” Szempruch said. “Library faculty from across all USF campuses collaborated to create a robust offering of useful self-guided Canvas workshops and learning experiences to enhance student information literacy and research skill development.

“The offerings cover everything from the most basic library skills to advanced research scholarship,” she said. “I served as a peer reviewer for the group during the earlier phases of the project, and I am now serving on the workgroup tasked with continuing development and improvement of the offerings.”

Student Success Awards

Regional Chancellor’s Award

Myself, Kati Hinds, and Evan Fruehauf are the USF employees mentioned in the award. As you may remember from our previous conversation, meetings are weekly. USF Libraries recently posted this article I wrote on Virtual Book Club which answers a lot of your questions: https://lib.usf.edu/news/reading-together-virtually/

This award is incredibly meaningful to me, as working to create and sustain Virtual Book Club over the last year and a half has been amongst the most rewarding experiences of my career. It is wonderful to be recognized formally for this work, but the joy Isee weekly in the student participants is a reward in itself. Virtual Book Club is continuing strong as it has since its inception, with virtual weekly meetings throughout the year. We plan to expand to include additional hybrid activities throughout the year as appropriate. Starting this week, we are featured as part of Week of Welcome. The first book for fall 2021 is The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.

Reading Together, Virtually

The Virtual Book Club at USF Sarasota Manatee recently won the 2020-2021 Student Success Regional Chancellor Award!

With the move to remote instruction in March 2020, and the quick cancelation of on-campus activities, it soon became clear that some USF students felt isolated. There was a need for intellectually stimulating opportunities, and students wanted to connect with their friends and the campus community.

In April 2020, student worker Scarleth Andino contacted Jessica Szempruch, USF Sarasota-Manatee campus librarian, and Kati Hinds, Coordinator of Student Organizations & Leadership at the Office of Student Engagement. Andino had an idea: She wanted to start a student book club — a virtual one.

Szempruch and Hinds immediately started working to build the Virtual Book Club (VBC) in order to engage the students and bring together the USF Sarasota-Manatee community. They brought library specialist Evan Fruehauf on to the team, to help organize and facilitate student engagement, and officially VBC was born. The first meeting happened in May 2020, and the club continues to go strong, with planning underway for Fall 2021.

All aspects of student accessibility were considered in planning for and running VBC, including access to technology, ability to purchase books, students’ confidence in participating in online discussion, and what a welcoming, inclusive virtual environment might look like. From the beginning, students have recommended and voted on which books to read, and those under financial strain due to the pandemic, could sign up to receive a complimentary book funded by the Office of Student Engagement — which would then be shipped directly to their home.

Typical book clubs often have monthly meetings to discuss a book in full at one time, but VBC students desired more continuous engagement. From the onset, it was decided that books would be broken up into manageable chunks, with synchronous weekly meetings held on Microsoft Teams to discuss each section. Meetings typically have between 15-20 participants, and each book takes 4 to 6 weeks to complete. Towards the end of each book, the VBC team solicits recommendations for the next read.

Since its inception, VBC has read 8 books in total: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. The final Summer 2021 selection is This One Summer by Mariko & Jillian Tamaki. Since VBC’s founding, membership includes all three campuses and over 110 people have participated — made up of 80% undergraduate students, 15% graduate students, and 5% staff and faculty.

Between each meeting, VBC stays very active via a variety of formal and informal communications. A Microsoft Teams channel hosts asynchronous discussions and shares USF Libraries resources that enhance the book discussion or connect it to curriculum. In Spring 2021, a LibGuide was created to further enhance meaningful connections between USF Libraries resources and VBC picks. Student-led social media opportunities have also allowed students to share more casually and continue their book conversations. A student-led Instagram account, @usfsm_bookclub, posts book memes, interactive polls, and sends out reminders for meeting times — and a GroupMe chat allows for informal synchronous communications between meetings.

Extra event programming to complement the book themes has also been popular. For VBC books that have been adapted into movies, several Netflix Virtual Watch Parties were organized, allowing socially distanced members to share popcorn, conversation, and a relaxing evening with friends and fellow students. In conjunction with the selection of The Queen’s Gambit, students also organized a virtual chess tournament.

Student survey responses indicate that the virtual aspect of VBC was a game-changer: It allowed many students who may not otherwise be able to participant in campus engagement events with the opportunity to make meaningful interpersonal connections with other students. Students overwhelmingly said VBC participation made them feel more connected to others and gave them a place where they felt they belong. A full 100% of survey respondents said they would recommend VBC membership to other students, and this collaborative partnership has been impactful to the faculty and staff involved as well. It’s clear that during this socially isolating time, VBC created a space to foster engagement, build community, and provide the campus community with a sense of belonging.

Due to student interest, the VBC was a featured as a Week of Welcome activity for the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 semesters. Plans are well underway to continue with VBC virtually in Fall 2021, and staff from the USF Judy Genshaft Honors College are working with the VBC team about collaborating on future events too.

In August 2021, VCB was selected as a recipient of the 2020-2021 Student Success Regional Chancellor Award! This award honors the work of an individual, team, department or college for outstanding contributions made to advancing student success on the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses. The team will be celebrated at a virtual event September 13, 2021.

Students are invited to join VBC on BullsConnect at bullsconnect.usf.edu/VBCSM/club_signup. If you are a faculty or staff member interested in learning more about VBC, or getting involved yourself, please contact Jessica Szempruch at jszempru@usf.edu.

Collaboration

Honors the work of a team that has demonstrated the value of reaching across campuses, colleges and/or units to generate impactful programs and practices to advance student success.

With some wonderful Friday after news, I would like to congratulate everyone on winning the 2020-2021 Student Success Collaboration Award for all of your hard work, teamwork, and creativity building our collection of Info + Data Literacy workshops.

Jessica Szempruch, MLIS
Assistant Librarian

This is the website for the Info + Data Literacy workshops. There is a quick video and some easy text explaining the project on the site.

I am very proud to be recognized alongside my USF Libraries research and instruction colleagues. Library faculty from across all USF campuses collaborated to create a robust offering of useful self-guided Canvas workshops and learning experiences to enhance student information literacy and research skill development. These offerings are particularly helpful for reaching students who may not be able to come in person to the library, such as distance students. The offerings cover everything from the most basic library skills to advanced research scholarship. I served as a peer-reviewed for the group during the earlier phases of the project, and am now serving on the workgroup tasked with continue development and improvement of the offerings.

These Information + Data Literacy canvas workshops and other resources represent a curated instructional experience which can enrich any lower or upper-level course with a research component. Assign one or more self-guided Canvas workshops and learning experiences to students directly or in collaboration with your librarian.

Our canvas workshops and instructional videos can be accessed via:

A-Z list: Create your own playlist by browsing workshops, videos, and library guides that can be filtered by level, discipline, and theme.
Workshop Learning Outcomes: Browse through all the learning outcomes to identify workshops and videos that best meet your curricular needs.
USF Libraries Instructional YouTube Channels: These channels offer short video tutorials – concise, helpful videos to help users navigate library websites, find and use resources, create and manage citations & more.

USF to host benefit dinners to support hospitality and tourism management program

The USF School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Muma College of Business is presenting a series of benefit dinners to raise funds for this illustrious program.

The first dinner, Taste of the Past – Flavors of Today, is scheduled for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 15, at the beautiful Powel Crosley Estate, 8374 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, which is next to the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.

Enjoy a special night and dine on delicious cuisine provided by Milan Catering. The evening will include an opening presentation and a premiere dining experience guided by students in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management graduate program at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.

This USF hospitality program can take a student’s passion of food, travel, tourism and hotels and transform it into a rewarding career, but the program needs your support.

Visit usf.to/taste to purchase individual tickets or sponsorships.

Sponsors will receive:

Invaluable brand awareness for your business at the dinner hosted at the Powel Crosley Estate
A logo in an upcoming Bradenton Herald ad
Two tickets to one dinner event (a $150 value)

Future dinners will highlight other local caterers and restaurateurs.

For more information, contact Fran Bryant: francesb@usf.edu or (941) 359-4311.

WOW marks start of the fall semester at USF

USF students were welcomed to the Sarasota-Manatee campus with prizes, free snacks and a trip to Volcano Bay in Orlando as part of Week of Welcome (WOW), which kicked off last week.

A tradition at USF to mark the start of a new semester, WOW helps introduce students to university life and showcase activities and clubs on campus. “It’s a great way to get to know USF and show your Bulls pride,” Sarasota-Manatee campus Student Governor Riffat Islam said.

The events began on Saturday, Aug. 21, with tickets to a Bradenton Marauders game at LECOM Park, followed on Monday with a Super Secret DIY activity, which included DIY prizes, and a meeting of Virtual Book Club.

Other events during the week included a Professional Clothing Closet; a Student, Staff and Facul-Tea Party and a trivia night. The week wrapped up with a visit to Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park.

“Coming as a transfer student, I didn’t know anybody and seeing everyone here, it was really cool to feel welcomed at USF,” psychology major Brittany Roberto said.

A new addition to WOW, the Professional Clothing Closet stood out as one of the week’s highlights. Students entering the FCCI Rotunda on Tuesday were met by racks of clothing, from dresses, belts and shoes to men’s suits.

Career Services launched the closet four years ago to help students supplement their wardrobe ahead of job interviews. The resource is free and offered year-round to students. Contact Career Services Coordinator Toni Ripo for more information, aripo@usf.edu.

This was the first time the closet was paired with Week of Welcome.

“I think it was just a great way to introduce students to Career Services and let them know that we have this resource for them,” said Career Services Coordinator Toni Ripo, who was among the staff and faculty who greeted students.

“It’s important to look your best because first impressions are so important when you go to an interview,” she said. “When you look your best it shows that you care about yourself and the person you’re meeting.”

Also on hand was leadership coach and alum Lauren Henry, class of 2016, who offered style tips to students. Henry previously worked as a stylist for six years.

“I’ve always loved fashion, and I’m passionate about helping students to put their best foot forward and succeeding in the workplace, so I thought this would be a nice way to give back to USF,” she said.

View a video recap of the Professional Clothing Closet on the Sarasota-Manatee campus YouTube page.

Students finished the week with the Student, Staff and Facul-Tea Party – a mixer for students to meet staff and faculty in a relaxed setting – and a trip to Volcano Bay, a water theme park in Orlando. The all-day event was held Saturday.

“My favorite WOW event definitely has to be the Student, Staff and Facul-Tea Party,” criminology major Elizabeth Kemker said. “The university does a really good job about connecting students with the staff and faculty and creating more of a personalized experience.”

USF School of Risk Management and Insurance receives donation from Florida Surplus Lines Association during FSLA convention

The Florida Surplus Lines Association (FSLA) has provided a $30,000 endowment to USF’s School of Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) in the Muma College of Business, supporting a $1,000 annual scholarship. The FSLA donation is the first endowed scholarship dedicated to students in the RMI program.

FSLA board members announced the commitment during a presentation with the USF director of the School of Risk Management and Insurance, Steven Miller, at the organization’s annual convention in St. Petersburg, Aug. 25-27.

“Working with FSLA is a great opportunity to bring surplus lines into the conversation for our risk management and insurance program,” Miller said. “We are grateful for their generous donation and proud to have their voices as a part of the board guiding the curriculum for the school as well.”

FSLA’s donation will fund a merit and financial need-based scholarship for full and part-time students in the RMI program to support their education while leaving a lasting legacy. Additionally, a FSLA member will serve on the USF School of Risk Management and Insurance advisory board, a student-focused organization designed to assist with mentoring and internship opportunities within the industry.

“We are honored to be the first solely endowed scholarship donor for the USF School of Risk Management and Insurance,” incoming FSLA President Kathy Colangelo said. “We look forward to working closely with USF administrators and students in the risk management and insurance programs to introduce them to great opportunities for learning and growth in the insurance industry.”

The Florida Surplus Lines Association represents excess and surplus lines agency member firms and associate members in Florida. For the past 60 years, FSLA has promoted the regulatory and legislative interests of FSLA members and the Florida surplus lines industry, with a focus on supporting opportunities and insuring risks throughout Florida. The FSLA is recognized as among the top three surplus lines associations in the country.

Albert Geraci, FSLA’s education chair, called the donation an “investment in the future” of the RMI industry.

“The surplus lines market has more than doubled over the last 20 years, with estimates showing that growth will continue,” Geraci said. “It is important that we connect with and attract diverse talent. Such talent is needed for the critical risk management challenges we face, which require customized solutions. No two days are the same.”

Outgoing FSLA President Michael Franzese said: “Florida’s insurance challenges are increasing for a number of reasons. In our industry, we must never stop learning and recruiting forward thinkers and problem solvers. It is going to take several years to grow the RMI school, but we’re excited to initiate this partnership and happy to see the industry being prioritized in the state university system.”

Added Senior Associate Vice President of Development Jennifer McAfee of the USF Foundation: “We are very appreciative of FSLA being the first solely dedicated scholarship donor for this budding program. The scholarship will provide the opportunity for a student in the risk management and insurance school to be supported in their academic ventures and introduced to great career opportunities.”

To learn more about the USF School of Risk Management and Insurance, visit www.usf.edu/business/schools/risk-management-insurance, and to learn more about the USF Foundation, visit www.foundation.usf.edu.

For about the Florida Surplus Lines Association, visit www.myFSLA.com.

Ableism Town Hall discussion set for Sept. 30

USF students, faculty and staff are invited to a virtual Town Hall presentation about ableism, the discrimination of people with disabilities in favor of those who are able-bodied, on Thursday, Sept. 30, from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

The discussion will feature Patricia Owen, coordinator of services and outreach in Student Accessibility Services (SAS) on the USF campus in Tampa. Before joining USF, Owen retired from the Air Force. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School.

The talk will focus on the history and impacts of ableism, how to recognize and avoid ableism and what USF can do as a community to fight ableism.

“Discrimination of any kind is wrong,” said Hawa Allarakhia, a graduate assistant in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (DIEO). “An individual with a disability is as capable as a non-disabled person of completing any task or achieving any goal. I hope that this virtual Town Hall serves as a learning opportunity for faculty, staff and students to become more aware of how they interact with people who have a disability.”

RSVP at sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/ableism. Visit the Teams link here to attend.

The discussion is the first of two ableism-themed events planned by the DIEO. In collaboration with Student Accessibility Services, the office is planning a second discussion as well, What I Wish My Professor Knew, on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m.

The session will feature student panelists in an open forum, sharing their experiences and suggesting strategies for faculty to help them and others succeed in the classroom.

The DIEO is seeking eight students registered with SAS for the two-hour panel discussion. Contact Allarakhia at hawa1@usf.edu by Oct. 1 to be considered for the panel.

USF researchers explore sexual violence within accounting firms in new article

USF criminologist Fawn Ngo, retired accounting professor Nicholas Mastracchio and two University of Miami professors explore a rare side of workplace harassment in a recently published article, Sexual Harassment Among Male and Female Public Accountants: An Exploratory Study.

The article, published in “Deviant Behavior” (Routledge) in February, examines the prevalence and correlates of workplace sexual harassment among a sample of male and female certified public accountants.

While the Me Too movement and scandals involving public figures like former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo have spotlighted issues of workplace harassment, the researchers say there is a lack of empirical studies that specifically examine sexual harassment within the accounting industry.

Their article explores whether indicators of sexual harassment differ by gender. Results indicate that while male and female respondents both have reported incidents of sexual harassment within and outside accounting firms, female respondents had a higher risk of sexual harassment. In addition, the article notes that two organizational-level measures – management’s view of workplace sexual harassment and whether the firm has made adequate provisions to deal with the issue – serve as significant predictors of harassment.

“We hope the results generated from our study will prompt organizational management to consider strategies that can effectively challenge tolerance and complacency about workplace sexual harassment and create respectful and hospitable work environments that do not derogate individuals based on sex,” said Ngo, a faculty member on the Sarasota-Manatee campus.

Mastracchio, who worked at a large regional CPA firm in upstate New York for 30 years, said the timing of the article couldn’t be better, given the spate of harassment scandals in recent years.

“When the Me Too movement got underway it was my opinion, based on my experience, that these issues rarely existed within CPA firms and perhaps all professional firms,” Mastracchio said. “I wanted to see if my hypothesis was correct. It turns out it was not. Harassment issues continue to be disclosed today and there continues to be a need to counter these issues.”

Ngo and Mastracchio wrote the article with University of Miami researchers Nicole L. Piquero and Alex R. Piquero, who published a review of prior research on the topic in 2013. The article examined the nature of victim-aggressor relationships and explored workplace violence across a range of professions, including health care, social work, education and criminal justice.

Brunch on the Bay impacts student lives

Brunch on the Bay will return to the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus on Sunday, Nov. 7, and tickets and sponsorship packages are now available.

It has been a long, challenging 18 months for our students, with many feeling the financial impact of the pandemic as they’ve balanced work, school and home life. Simply stated, our students need our community’s support now more than ever.

Consider attending the 27th celebration of Brunch on the Bay, one of the region’s premier social events of the season, to invest in our students and the future of our community.

Attendees will enjoy exquisite cuisine from local restaurants and caterers, wonderful camaraderie with friends and the opportunity to support student scholarships.

MEET SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT JENNIFER EUBANKS

Brunch on the Bay and Badger Bob's Scholarship recipient Jennifer Eubanks is a non-traditional, first-generation student who made the decision to return to college after a 20-year gap to focus on her family.

“Scholarships and Brunch on the Bay have been an important part of my success. I couldn’t be where I am today without them,” she said. “Being able to take the stress of the financial burden away and truly being able to focus on my studies has reaffirmed my decision to go back to school, and it’s made all the difference in the world.”

For Jennifer and countless other students, scholarships helped turn dreams of a college education and enriching career into a reality. To hear Jennifer’s story, click on the video link here. To learn more about Brunch on the Bay, visit sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/brunch or contact Pam Gleason at pjg@usf.edu or 941-359-4603.