As part of UM’s 75th Anniversary celebrations, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, addressed the nation’s educational challenges to an audience of professors, faculty, students, students, alumni, and representatives of the community at UM’s Storer Auditorium on Nov 13.

Paige, who has served as School Superintendent in the Houston area and was Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University, was invited to UM to speak about the nation’s position on education.

“He has a real feel for education,” said Leonard Miller, Life Trustee of UM, Chairman of the Board of Lennar Corp., and Chairman of South Florida Annenberg Challenge. “His sense of collaboration in the way he brings in the community gets things done”.

“I came because I thought it would be interesting to learn about the field I plan to go into,” said Rebecca Stead, senior in Elementary Education.

Among Paige’s most noted achievements is his involvement in creating the first independent school district in the Houston area, a model for the national charter school concept.

During his lecture, which was hosted by the School of Education, Paige shared a proposed bill by the Bush Administration known as No Child Left Behind.

Among the agenda for the bill is defining curriculum standards; setting clearer academic goals; giving more control and flexibility to local school districts; and expanding parental choice.

“This bill will allow us to educate one hundred percent of our children,” said Paige. “However, this is a difficult task that will require all of us to work together”.

“Magic happens in the classroom when teachers and students come together under these efforts,” he said.

Paige mentioned that all these efforts must be confined to data-based research in order to assure that ineffective actions are not taken based on public opinion. Also, he stressed the importance of including the local community in the schools.

“Currently, 32% of fourth graders can’t read at a proficient level,” said Paige. “This is not an educational system worthy of our great nation.”

“We not only have the capabilities, we have the responsibility to better our educational system,” Paige said.

Paige also said that once the bill is passed, five billion dollars will be dispersed into the nation’s schools in order to aid in the formation of reading programs.

“I am very happy that a significant amount of money will be going towards reading literacy,” said Cindy Amar, Counselor at Claude Pepper Elementary School and Alumni from the UM School of Education. “At the same time, I am opposed to the idea of viewing schools as a business”.

“I think it’s important for the government to talk and get feedback from teachers out there in the field”.

After the speech a Q&A session took place.

Issues of teacher accountability in regards to student achievement, special education, funding for construction of school buildings, standardized testing criteria, and the availability of federal funds for higher education were among the issues discussed.

“I think it’s important to learn the standards of the country as a whole in relation to education,” said Julie Defina, Elementary Education major. “Most of the courses offered here only mention guidelines for the state of Florida”.

In summation of the ideals set forth in relation to the nation’s system of education, Paige quoted the words of our nation’s greatest leaders, Martin Luther King:

“We may have all come on different ships, but we are all on the same boat when it comes to education”.

A male student was taken away in handcuffs after an act of violence brought the Coral Gables police to the University Center (UC) Tuesday afternoon.

A UC Information Desk employee who arrived for work immediately after the incident subsided said he saw an African-American male in handcuffs in a first-floor office of the UC.

“All I heard is that he was choking a girl and took her to the floor,” he said.

“The guy was 5’7 or 5’8 and immensely built,” the source said. “He was huge for his height.”

Officers Faborido and Cuerdo from the Coral Gables Police Department were called to the UC at approximately 1:30 p.m., the time of the incident.

“I’m not at this point able to divulge any information.” Lt. Bill Gurlock of the Coral Gables Police Department said.

More information concerning the incident will be available in upcoming issues of the Miami Hurricane.

In their 8th year running, the Indian Students Association is planning for their annual Divali show this Saturday. Divali is the Hindu Festival of Lights.

This year, with a new committee board, the emphasis of the show has shifted from religious to educational.

“I don’t want to say that we’re being really politically correct but that’s what’s so great about this board,” said Roshan Shah, public relations director for ISA. “Not even all the Hindus in the organization understood the significance of everything, so we made it more educational. The content is the same, but the emphasis has shifted.”

ISA is one of the most active student cultural organizations on campus with over 60 student members taking part in the festival this year.

Members of the board include Additya Vora, president; Mitesh Jivan and Deepak Thani, webmasters; Angelique Kirpalani, secretary; Neha Patel, freshman representative; Shah and four others.

The organization is made up of some students of Indian ethnicity, much less all of Hindu denomination.

“The board realizes that our members are made of a lot of different religions-Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs-so we wanted to make it not just an event for Hindus, but an event about cultural understanding,” Shah said.

Shah also said that the ISA board decided that they needed to attract more people who were not Indian to the show.

There will be 25 dances exhibiting Indian culture from all over the country such as Bengali and South India. UM’s Filipino Student Association’s Mag Ka Isa dance troupe will also perform, as well as students from Coral Reef high school.

“We’re really close to ISA and they asked us to dance to add diversity,” said Theresa Maramag, Mag Ka Isa dance captain.

They will be performing the Filipino national dance called the Tinikling in which dancers jump through bamboo sticks placed on the floor imitating the Filipino tikling bird, said Maramag.

“It will be a full night of culture and education,” said another ISA PR director, Quang Ton, who is also president of the Filipino Students’ Association on campus.

“It’s eclectic, mixing different generations, but it will also be humorous,” Ton said.

The event will be hosted at the North Miami Performing Arts Center because the cost of having it on campus is too high, Shah said.

“We wanted to bring it back to the university at Gusman Hall but they have less seating,” Shah said.

In addition to cultural dances there will be a play done by the masters of ceremonies and a Hindu prayer- or aarti.

An aarti is a short prayer made to the Hindu god, Ganesh. While a song is played and a picture of Ganesh is laid out on the altar, participants rotate small candles in clay dishes called diyas.

The profits from the festival go towards an as-of-yet undecided charity and an annual cruise the members of ISA take at the end of the school year.

“Usually, we make quite a nice profit. This is our biggest event,” Shah said.

Tickets are being sold in the Breezeway today for $10, $15 and $20. For more information, contact Shah at 305-689-4939.

The first thought that ran through most people’s minds after hearing about the plane crash in Queens, New York, early Monday morning on Nov. 12 was: “Not again,” and the first question: “Was it another terrorist attack?”

But for senior Nicole Mingo, the fear was immediate and the question was much more personal.

Nicole heard the news about an hour after the crash, driving to school with her boyfriend.

She panicked.

There was a major possibility that her mom was on that flight.

“I kept calling and calling her, but apparently so was everyone else because it was busy,” said Nicole.

Eventually, to Nicole’s relief she got through.

Nicole’s mother, Emily, has been a flight attendant for American Airlines for the past 30 years, and Nicole’s fears were understandable because her mother flies constantly from New York to Santo Domingo, the same route the flight was taking before it crashed.

“She’s always flying, and she could have been on that flight – she was supposed to be,” said Nicole. “I had no idea until I spoke to her where she was.”

Fortunately for both Emily and Nicole, a senior fight attendant had outbid her for that flight, and Emily Mingo did not fly that day.

“Everyone wanted to fly on Veteran’s Day because if you fly on one holiday in November, you don’t have to fly on Thanksgiving,” explained Nicole.

While Nicole has always been afraid of flying, her mother, naturally, had become used to it.

“She’s scared now and she’s distraught,” said Nicole. “It hasn’t hit her yet, but she knew the whole crew on that flight.”

Nicole’s dad, Roy, a general manager for Special Services at American Airlines, agreed that his wife is distraught, but said she is not scared to fly.

“She’s upset because the crew was made up of friends of ours, but there is more sadness than fear,” said Roy. “Flying is safer than driving a car and security has been extremely tight since Sept. 11.”

Juniors Paloma Helm and Chris Fererras were also flying out of JFK airport in New York last Monday.

“There was no way I wanted to fly but I had to get back to school,” Helm said.

JFK Airport was closed until 6:30 p.m. on Monday so Helm and Fererras had to reschedule their flight in order to make their connection in Georgia. They eventually got a flight heading to Fort Lauderdale.

“Our flight was supposed to be sold out but there was no one on it,” Helm said. “there was some turbulence towards the end and I got so freaked out.”

Roy Mingo explained that he doesn’t fear for his wife, himself or his daughter, all of whom will be flying again by next week.

He said that both the planes his wife flies in-the airbus and the Boeing 757-are safe.

“My dad’s been in love with planes since he was a child, and he’s not scared at all,” said Nicole. “But I’ve always been scared.”

Despite her reservations, Nicole will be going home for the Thanksgiving break.

Many students share Nicole’s worries about flying home this Thanksgiving, and have had to decide whether to stay in Miami or go home.

Junior Diana Silverio, who has always been cautious about planes, is now more frightened than ever and has chosen to stay rather than go to her home in Cancun, Mexico, for Thanksgiving.

“I don’t like flying, and I wasn’t sure about whether to go home or not,” said Silverio. “The flight to Cancun is not long at all, but I’m just too scared to go on a plane so soon.”

Other students are going home regardless. Junior Eric Figueroa has no fears about flying home to Dallas, Texas, next week.

“Honestly, I’m not scared,” said Eric. “Security’s tighter than ever. I’m more skeptical about flying, but it’s not going to keep me from doing it.”

Helm lives in Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands. Although she is not flying home for Thanksgiving, she is definitely making the trip for Winter break.

“I have to fly home for Christmas. Everything will be ok by then, plus I think this crash was an accident,” Helm said.

Figueroa, whose mother is also a flight attendant for American Airlines, admitted that he does fear for her.

“I’m terribly scared for my mom,” he said. “She’s up there much more often than I am.”

His mom, however, is confident about flying.

“My mom loves it, she’s not scared,” said Eric. “If she’s not scared, and she does it all the time, then why should I be.”

Three members of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity were sanctioned this week by the Office of Students for the Oct. 5 theft of 9000 Miami Hurricane newspapers.

Disciplinary action and names are kept confidential by the administration at UM in accordance with the Buckley-Pell Amendment to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act- a federal statute which denies federal funds to educational institutions that do not maintain confidentiality of student records.

“We cannot comment on individual discipline,” said Dean Singleton, assistant dean of studnets.

However, the Hurricane has confirmed that two of the students have been suspended for the spring semester must perform community service as well as pay the Miami Hurricane $4800 as restitution for the theft.

The third student has been put on probation.

These members of AEPi stole most of the Oct 5.issues of the Miami Hurricane – which published a front page story reporting that AEPi pledges had been accused of racist activity – from newspaper racks in over 30 locations on campus.

Three days later, AEPi representatives met with Dean Sandler to confess that AEPi brothers as well as non-members were responsible for the theft.

The newspapers were returned to the Office of the Dean of Students by 1 p.m. the same day.

“The students who returned the papers were not the ones who stole the papers,” said Singleton.

University administration would have charged AEPi with the theft had they not received information that charged three students with the theft, according to Dr. Patricia Whitely, Vice President for Student Affairs.

The Alpha Epsilon Pi National Organization has decided not to take any action against these three members because they have only received unofficial reports of the sanctions, according to Sid Dunn, executive vice president for the AEPi national organization.

Dunn said if they received official word from the UM administration about the sanctions, the national organization may take action.

However, because of the Buckley Amendment, it is doubtful whether Dunn will ever receive official confirmation.

“I don’t think that anybody should take things that don’t belong to them. Our investigation found that the chapter was not involved as a fraternity, rather, it was three individuals who acted on their own will,” Dunn said.

“We support our chapter and we want to protect it. We encouraged the men to step forward from the beginning,” Dunn said.

AEPi president, Daniel Miller, received word from the national organization not to comment to the Hurricane about the sanctions.

“This has been a troubling time for the newspaper and the campus community as a whole. These students tried to prevent the campus from reading the Hurricane,” said Jordan Rodack, Editor-in-chief for the Miami Hurricane.

“The penalty was harsh but just. I thank the university administration for taking such action. I think this will show the rest of the university not to stomp on our first amendment rights,” Rodack said.

“We want the UM community to learn from this. We want to send a message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated,” said Dr. Whitely.

“The Hurricane looks forward to putting this behind us as we continue putting out the best newspapers ever,” Rodack said.

Some remembered his charisma. Others remembered his sense of humor.

Still others, with a sensible chuckle, remembered his accent.

“Chad had a funny Indiana accent that we’d kid around about all the time,” said junior Jason Seuc, a brother of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.

“He was a very easy-going, sociable guy who just wanted to be happy and make sure those around him were happy, too,” added Seuc.

Family, friends, university administrators and fellow Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers echoed the remarks at Wednesday’s memorial service honoring 18-year old Meredith, who drowned in Lake Osceola last Monday.

More than 150 people- members of various fraternities, sororities and other organizations- attended the service held at Gusman Hall, and for 45 minutes, rivalries and competition became trivial.

Head of Chaplains Joe Lortie began the service with a prayer, followed by a brief reflection by President Donna Shalala.

In her discourse, Shalala said “I’m not wise enough to know why our Lord took Chad at the beginning of his life.”

“Every time I see an empty chair in the library or a class . . . I’ll think of Chad,” she added. “We honor his memory and spirit by living our lives more thoughtfully. Only our students can honor his spirit.”

Father Frank Corbishley followed Shalala with a few words of reassurance by reminding students “whether [they] live or die, [they] are the Lord’s possession.”

In his sermon, head Chaplain Lortie said Chad made a number of decisions last Monday morning that have gone ringing throughout the university.

“This is a time to reflect and eventually a time to laugh again, because in my heart I believe Chad would want it no other way,” said Lortie.

“I pray that Chad’s life will change each of our lives for the better . . . I believe deep in my heart that that will be his cry as well.”

Deviating from the program, and before the closing prayer, Kappa Sigma president Travis Montgomery approached the podium to speak a few words of his friend.

According to Montgomery, all the Bible verses, expensive flowers and attractive pictures were in vain if people did not know the genuine essence of who Chad was.

“[Chad’s] eyes got ten times bigger every time you talked to him, and until you were done he wouldn’t stop,” said Montgomery, of Meredith’s inherent love for those around him.

“He was all about loving people, that’s why his eyes got so big,” he added. “He was, in every way, an angel.”

According to Dean of Students William Sandler, Meredith’s parents made the decision to organize the university memorial after receiving a myriad of support from Chad’s university community.

“As soon as we knew the parents wanted to hold a service on campus, several of us jumped in and met last Friday to coordinate the event,” said Dean Sandler.

The Chaplains, the Office of Vice President for Student Affairs, the Office of the Dean of Students, the Office of the President and the Kappa Sigma fraternity were among those who helped organize the event.

With the memory of a friend and a collective strength carry on, folks left Gusman Hall to the tune of The Eye of the Tiger, Meredith’s favorite song.

“If [people] remember one thing of Chad,” said Montgomery, “it’s to let your eyes get ten times bigger when people talk to you.”

A reception at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house followed the service.