THIS WEEK AT THE U
Burglary at Lakeside Village
Campus safety has always remained a priority of the UMPD, keeping students and faculty safe from crime.
UMPD released a statement on Jan. 19, 2024 regarding an offender that approached a UM female student in Lakeside Village Lobby D, asking if he could walk her up to her residence.
UMPD stated that the male followed the UM student in the elevator and forced himself into the victim’s residence. Nothing was taken from the apartment and the victim was not harmed.The UMPD followed with some crime prevention tips in an email to students to help keep the community safe from further incidents such as this one.
This crime advisory left many students in fear as to the possibility of future break-ins and the safety mechanisms in place on campus. Students across campus have been on high alert that their residence could be next and that this experience was scary to hear for many living on campus. Yet many students also feel safe in their space such as Allie Bishop, a sophomore, who is a resident of Lakeside Village who said that “overall Lakeside is really safe and her apartment and bedroom lock so there is little worry”.
The UMPD has not given the student body any updates nor any formal statement notifying that the suspect has been found.
U KNOW FLORIDA
South Florida braces for a drop in temperature and extreme weather events
Extreme low temperatures, tornadoes and heavy rainfall are set to sweep across the South Florida region in late January to early February, leaving residents reaching for their winter coats and bracing against extreme historical weather events.
People across South Florida counties are typically not prepared for a winter such as this, with temperatures dropping into the 40s in the West Palm Beach area.
While Florida is known for its endless summers, the weather change has already started to bring damaging storms such as tornadoes to the Fort Lauderdale area and heavy rain and strong winds across Central Florida resulting in lower temperatures to many parts of the Sunshine State.
Ashley Fanning, a junior at UM majoring in meteorology, suggests that this phenomenon can be explained by “El Niño,” a climate pattern caused by the unusual warming of waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
According to AP News, 2023 was reported as being the hottest year ever on record for Florida, aligning with the extreme weather patterns kicking off 2024.
As for the continuation of the cold front, the National Weather Service is predicting an unsettling pattern for approximately the next two weeks, with several fronts passing through Florida and higher chances of rain showers.
IN CASE U MISSED IT
Son of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. dies at 62 years-old from a long-time battle with cancer
Son of civil rights legend Martin Luther King, Jr., Dexter Scott King, died on Monday, Jan. 22 at the age of 62 from a vigorous battle with prostate cancer. Dexter King passed away peacefully while asleep in his home in Malibu, California.
With his role as chairman for the King Center, a non-profit historical landmark exhibiting MLK related artifacts, Dexter King felt a sense of duty to carry on his father’s legacy and protect his family’s renowned name.
He became an attorney and aimed to carry with him the attributes that his father embodied as an activist figure and role model.
He stepped down as President and Executive Chief of the King Center in 2003 and became active in the film industry, and even played his father in the “Rosa Parks Story” (2002).
Dexter King’s death comes as a shock and symbol of the continuation of the King family legacy and desire for the beginning of a movement of equality in the U.S. during the 1960s era.