UMTV is offering the free concert tickets to see Green Day for whoever comes up with the best name for the new mascot. Ballots can be found in the office of the School of Communication.
Elsewhere – Police charge alleged student sniper with misdemeanor
(U-WIRE) DARMOUTH COLLEGE.-The Hanover, N.H., police formally charged Michael Volodarsky ’08 with misdemeanor reckless conduct last week for a Feb. 7 incident during which Volodarsky allegedly fired a BB-gun shot, striking Michele Nudelman ’05 in the leg.
Officers apprehended Volodarsky at French Hall last week and brought him to the police station for booking, Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone said.
Volodarsky said in a statement to The Dartmouth that he spent the previous day, Super Bowl Sunday, at Zeta Psi fraternity. After the Super Bowl, he and his friend, a Dartmouth College sophomore, went onto the roof to smoke cigarettes.
At that time, Volodarsky and his friend, identified only as Matt, noticed a BB gun sitting on the sill. They decided to shoot the gun at the garbage dumpster and at a sign by Butterfield Hall, Volodarsky said.
“No one was intentionally aiming at a person,” Volodarsky said.
But Nudelman, who was walking home from Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority when she was hit, said she turned around and shouted, “What the hell?” before running inside and calling Safety and Security.
Volodarsky’s arraignment is scheduled for March 15 at 8 a.m. If he pleads not guilty, he will have a trial sometime in May, local prosecutor Chris O’Connor said.
UMNEWS – Gift establishes graduate program in cancer biology
The UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center will launch a multidisciplinary graduate program in the study of the biology of cancer. The launch is being made possible by a $1.6 million gift from University of Miami trustee David Fuente and his wife, Sheila.
The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology will be directed by David Helfman, a distinguished scientist recently recruited from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
UMNEWS – Alumnus endows faculty chair at School of Law
University of Miami alumnus Michael Klein, B.B.A ’63, J.D. ’66, and Washington, D.C., attorney and businessman has endowed a faculty chair by making the largest gift ever to the UM School of Law. His gift of $2 million will establish the Michael Klein Distinguished Scholar Chair.
“I was able to attend UM on scholarship. Given my good fortune, I felt it right to repay that generosity,” Klein said.
“This gift is a significant stepping stone for the law school to continue its growth and momentum,” UM President Donna E. Shalala said. “It will enable us to continue to attract outstanding faculty who will produce outstanding lawyers.”
Klein is senior partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, a Washington-based international law firm.
CALENDAR
TODAY – Mar 11
Two hundred and fifty Miami-Dade County Public School students with physical disabilities will participate in an inspirational experience at the Treasure Island Hurricane Challenge 2005 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UC Patio. Students from the University of Miami’s Physical Therapy Class of 2006 and 2007 will lead the children through a variety of pirate-themed adventure stations.
Applications for orientation assistants are due today by 5p.m. in UC 236. Download an application at www.miami.edu/orientation.
The University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and WDNA 88.9 will host a benefit concert at 8 p.m. at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall. The performance will feature UM’s Concert Jazz Band, conducted by Dante Luciani, performing the compositions and arrangements of Alan Baylock. A donation of $10 will benefit the University of Miami and WDNA 88.9.
The Division of Infectious Diseases will host the UM Winter HIV Sympsium: Immune Regulation, a one-day symposium at the Apex Center on the seventh floor of the Lois Pope LIFE Center. The symposium, hosted by the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, will focus on what is known about immune regulation in the presence of HIV infection. R.S.V.P. to Ana Ayala at 305-243-5359.
The Lowe Art Museum presents The Art of Table Decorating, the 13th annual Beaux Arts fundraiser and will feature four days of creative table decorations, cocktail receptions and silent auctions at the Lowe. The tables will be on display from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $15.
The Hurricane receives national newspaper award
The Hurricane recently received second place in the Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper of the Year “Best of Show” competition, in the four-year colleges, weekly newspaper category. The award was presented at the 2005 National College Newspaper Convention in San Francisco on Feb. 27.
HAIRCUTS FOR CHARITY
Cutting For A Cause: Myra & Company stylist Steve Padilla cuts off six inches of junior Amy Williams’ hair on Wednesday, March 9 for the LINK’s semi-annual Locks of Love hair drive. Approximately 40 students donated their hair to make wigs for children who have lost their hair to cancer. The number of students donating this semester was lower than last semester, a drop which organizers attribute to the rainy weather that forced the volunteers to move from their usual location in the Rock to the UC Ballrooms.
Tax return deadline is approaching quickly
Multi-digit numbers and unfamiliar terminology often discourage people from completing their tax returns. Many college students, however, are facing the task of completing tax returns for the first time.
If you earned more than $4,850 in wages during the past year, get that W-2 form ready to file your annual tax return.
You must file a tax return for 2004 if you have “unearned income of more than $800, or if your gross income is more than $800 and exceeds your earned income by more than $250,” according to the official Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website.
Earned income refers to income you earned from working, which is different from unearned income, obtained from investments. Gross income is the sum of your earned and unearned income.
As college students earning income from wages, filing your taxes can be as easy as signing up for a credit card. Dr. Shirley Dennis-Escoffier, professor in the Department of Accounting, recommends the IRS website for an outline of the tax filing process.
“It is the students’ responsiblity to get their W-2s.”
|
The first step is to collect personal information, particularly your Social Security number, W-2 form and any other one-time income. The W-2 form is an annual statement of your earnings and withheld taxes from each of your employers.
The second step is to obtain an e-file service, such as H&R Block online, or a tax software like Turbo Tax. If money is a problem, the other alternative is to download the 1040EZ file from the IRS website and manually fill it out yourself. As the name implies, the 1040EZ is quite easy, designed specifically for people with low incomes and no uncommon income sources.
The final step is to submit your form, electronically or by mail, before April 15.
If you are required to file and have not yet received your W-2 form, contact your employer or you can have the IRS call them for you.
By law, employers are to have sent the W-2 forms to their employees by Jan. 31. For those with Federal Work Study jobs, W-2 forms were already sent to your permanent addresses during the month of January.
Although employers send out the forms, “it is the students’ responsibility to get their W-2s,” Dr. Dennis-Escoffier said.
If you have worked in a state that taxes its residents’ income, you must file a state tax return in addition to the federal one. The procedures are separate, yet similar. To file a state tax return, download the appropriate form from your state’s tax board website. The state of Florida, however, does not tax income.
About the W-2 Form |
| You should receive a Form W-2, “Wage and Tax Statement,” from each employer you worked for to prepare your federal tax return.
If you do not receive your W-2 by Feb. 15, contact the IRS for assistance at 1-800-829-1040. Have the following information ready: – The employer’s name and complete address, zip code, identification number (if known) and telephone number – Your name, address, zip code, Social Security number, telephone number – An estimate of the wages you earned, the federal income tax withheld, and the dates you began and ended employment. If you misplaced your W-2, contact your employer and be prepared with the information listed above. Your employer can replace the lost form with a “reissued statement.” source: www.irs.gov |
>> For more information on filing taxes, visit www.irs.gov or call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
Bryce Pham can be contacted at b.pham1@umiami.edu.
UM 2003 graduate serves in Iraq
And you thought midterms were tough.
Carlos Perez, UM class of 2003, recently returned from service in Iraq. A former member of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Perez is currently a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Inspired by his father, a Green Beret, Perez joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in college. He signed up for the army on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, 30 minutes before the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Although he had originally wanted to be a Judge Advocate General, Perez eventually decided to follow in his father’s footsteps instead.
However, for Perez, the desire to serve his country was the central motivation in embarking on a military career.
“I have a very huge sense of civic responsibility,” Perez said. “I feel that my place in this world is to be a soldier.”
As part of his job, Perez was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, where he supervised a network of computers that supported the communications needs for the U.S. Army Rangers and other Special Forces units.
Traveling from military base to military base, Perez said he spent most of his first five months “buried in work.” Between the dining facilities featuring daily doses of fried chicken, driving between bases and the office environment of his particular job, he actually gained 20 pounds.
“I never got to go to the gym when it was open because it would get mortared all the time,” Perez said. “It was a nice facility, but the job came first.”
Circumstances changed for him on Dec. 21, 2004, following a mortar attack on a military dining facility near Mosul, Iraq, that claimed the lives of approximately 14 servicemen.
“After that I was able to go out [in the field] a little more,” Perez said. “I went out to the countryside mostly with Iraqi officers and got to interact with them.”
Perez feels his time spent out in the field was inspiring.
“It felt better that I’d gone out there after I’d seen the rebuilding process, and how the Iraqi army was being stood up again with the right mindset,” he said. “I definitely felt better about what I was doing out there.”
Perez said that some of the issues raised concerning supplies of armor and other equipment are being dealt with effectively. According to Perez, it simply is not possible to fix these problems overnight.
“Right now the Army is going through a unique change in structure to create completely self-contained brigades,” Perez said. “It’s not that there’s a disparity between National Guard units and those of the regular Army-it’s just an issue of supply and demand as to where the money for these essential components goes.”
| “It felt better that I’d gone out there after I’d seen the rebuilding process, and how the Iraqi army was being stood up again with the right mindset. I definitely felt better about what I was doing out there.”
– CARLOS PEREZ, |
Despite any problems that have occurred, Perez says he is proud of the mission in Iraq and believes that U.S. involvement helped free a terrorized people.
“Those people need us, make no mistake about it,” Perez said. “We may have gone in for whatever reason, but those people need us.”
Scott Wacholtz can be contacted at s.wacholtz@umiami.edu.
Students dive into dolphin rescue mission
A group of UM students is working on-site at the Rosenstiel School of Marine Science with the rough-tooth dolphins that were stranded in Marathon, Fla. on March 2. The Marine Mammal Stranding Team (MMST) was notified on the first day of the incident to help the dolphins that are alive but in critical condition. Of the 80 dolphins that came ashore, only 15 were able to swim away, and more than 30 have died since.
“We work with the Marine Animal Rescue Society and Marine Mammal Conservancy,” Kate Fisher, junior and treasurer of MMST, said. “We’re in the water with them, keeping them stable and keeping their blowholes above water to breathe.”
For many on the team, this is the biggest stranding they have helped with.
“The first night we got to the site at 1:30 a.m. We stayed with them the whole night,” Daniell Washington, freshman, said. “It was really an inexplicable experience-it was amazing to be able to be there with them.”
Most of the stranded dolphins were females. Two were mothers who struggled and gave birth to stillborns.
As many as 13 of those dead were euthanized by marine doctors who believed the near-death conditions of these dolphins were making them suffer.
Even those who were alive needed physical help.
“They needed to be held up or else they couldn’t breathe,” Dr. Linda Farmer, professor of marine science, said.
One possible reason for the stranding of the dolphins is that active sonar used by U.S. Navy submarines around the Florida Keys that day caused the dolphins to become disoriented. Dolphins and other marine mammals are known to be keenly sensitive to sound waves; they depend on them for communicating and finding mates, among other things.
Another possible explanation is that the health of the dolphins predisposed them to getting lost.
According to Dr. Farmer, this illness may be caused by the genetics of this dolphin population.
“This is the third or fourth time in recent years this happened for this species, the rough-tooth dolphins,” Dr. Farmer said. “It could be weak health.”
Scientists will perform necropsies-the equivalent of autopsies-on the dead dolphins, particularly examining their acoustic membranes to find evidence of damage caused by sonar. They will also collect genetics samples to see if there is a connection among the dolphins that may have caused the stranding.
“We’ll have to wait for the necropsies to know the cause,” Dr. Farmer said.
In the meantime, the students will be working with the dolphins until they can be released.
“We’ve already been down there a week, and we will continue to help them as long as they need us,” Fisher said. “It could be anywhere from weeks to months. Our main goal is release.”
MMST is currently collecting donations for supplies for the dolphin rescue effort.
For more information, email mmstumiami@yahoo.com.
Megha Garg can be contacted at m.garg2@umiami.edu.
Bryce Pham can be contacted at b.pham1@umiami.edu.
POLICE BEAT
Pick up the paper every Friday to read the Public Safety call log and learn ways to protect yourself and your belongings.
Safety Tip of the Week: Here are some safety tips from Director Christensen of Public Safety.
Bicycle safety tips:
* Wear a helmet. More than 70 percent of bicycle-related fatalities are the result of head injuries.
* At night, always wear light-colored clothing and make use of lights and reflectors to increase visibility. More than half of adult bicycle fatalities occur during twilight or nighttime hours.
* Ride with traffic. Don’t ride against the flow of traffic.
* Be careful and always be alert.
* Park in well-lighted and well-traveled areas, use bike racks on campus.
* Protect your bike. Keep it properly locked when unattended.
Public Safety is now giving away U type locks free with bike registrations while supplies last.
If you are a victim of a crime, call the Department of Public Safety at 305-284-6666 or if calling from a campus phone dial 8-6666.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 28
9:30 a.m. 1311 Miller Dr. Theft
THURSDAY MARCH 3
7:52 p.m. 1241 Dickinson Dr. Theft
SATURDAY MARCH 5
2:41 a.m. 1231 Dickinson Dr. Vandalism
4:10 a.m. 1231 Dickinson Dr. Arrest
4:37 a.m. 1239 Dickinson Dr. Arrest
2:20 p.m. 1211 Dickinson Dr. Burglary to Vehicle
TUESDAY MARCH 8
2:11 a.m. 5185 Ponce De Leon Burglary
10:50 a.m. 5185 Ponce De Leon Theft
5:20 p.m. 1306 Stanford Dr. Fraud
8:14 p.m. 1300 Memorial Dr. Simple Battery
Overwhelmed, exhausted from rat race
Dear V,
I can’t believe it’s gotten to this point, but for some reason this semester has been tougher than any other in college or high school. I have my five classes that to any student would not be considered difficult. They aren’t, but keeping up with the workload this semester has proven more challenging than expected. Keeping up friendships is not easy, especially when my closest friends don’t go to UM and especially when there’s always something going on-the drama never ends. Starting a new relationship is much more difficult than I dreamed. Keeping up at home with my parents and trying to be helpful rather than a burden is near impossible.
I’m a perfectionist in ways I didn’t even know it. My sister and my mom think I took on too much this semester, but five classes and work don’t seem so crazy to me. I can do it. I know I can.
But if I can, why is it so hard to get through a week, a day…?
I’m tired beyond belief. My brain works in short spurts. I’m struggling to keep up, and I hate getting mediocre grades. I expect more from myself because I know I can do it.
Suddenly, though, I feel I’m less and less of what I thought I was. Just the thought of possibly taking only 12 credits next semester makes me feel nauseous and like a failure, but I don’t know what else to do.
How do I go back to enjoying the work and the fun in my life? Taking less credits shows that I can’t handle what everyone else seems to be doing fine on. What do I do to keep my sanity and my health?
Please, help me figure out how to save me from myself…
Exhausted and feeling like a failure
Dear Reader,
Please stop yourself in your tracks and listen to what I have to say because your problem is not uncommon to people who expect a level of astonishing accomplishment from themselves: You are being too critical and way too harsh on yourself. Let us not forget that you are a human being with passion, talent and lots to offer. You are not, however, a programmed machine who is capable of giving of yourself 24/7. You are allowed to get exhausted! Anyone who thinks that they can do it all and be legitimately happy is kidding themselves. Believe me, I’ve tried the five hours of sleep per night and put on the obligatory “I want to kill myself” smile life-that kind of lifestyle is not living, and it doesn’t work. The quality of your work and what you give is much better than the quantity of the work that you do. Let’s be honest here, we are surrounded by a fair share of peers who are burnt out grumps because they take on too much and only do satisfactory jobs; you’re only kicking yourself in the ass if you expect the best but don’t have the time to make the best happen.
This leads me to another subliminal problem lurking around in your letter. You need to stop comparing yourself to other people. Thank God we’re not all carbon copies of one another, only the same tasks would get done over and over again! Instead, you need to recognize and ascertain your strengths, your weaknesses and your interests and put them to work for you. Screw other people; you’re never going to live if you’re bumming around in their accomplishments instead of striving towards your own. Sure, Bobbo might be the president of every club around, but does he have any real friends? Does he get any sleep? Is he happy besides the fact that he is going to have a three-page resume? You need to involve yourself in activities for the sole reason that you have genuine interest in them, not because you feel obliged and pressured by your “superior” peers. I have a feeling that this mini rat race you’ve got going on in your head is what is overwhelming you.
So, from here, it’s time to decide what is a must and what must go. Obviously school is your number one priority. You’re at college to learn about the unreliable narration schemes of Jane Austen and the chi-squared test, not to run around from one meeting to the next like a headless chicken. After you’ve established your academic schedule, your second priority should be friends and family. You will be miserable without them. Remember what John Donne said: “No man is an island unto himself,” and no one likes to be around agitated, bitchy islands, which is what you will turn into if you don’t heed Donne’s message. Yet, even before you establish any type of rigorous schedule for yourself, you need to take care of your own primary needs first because you’re not going to make it through the day without sleep and proper nutrition. Keep your mental health in check! If you neglect yourself before neglecting the exterior world, you are going to end up physically and emotionally exhausted if not in the midst of a mental breakdown-they happen to college students more often than we’d like to admit to ourselves.
Best of Luck!
V.
Fact O’ the Day…According to a 1996 study, men from New York produce the highest amount of sperm in the country, while men from L.A. produce the least…
Dear V is published every Tuesday and Friday. All submissions are anonymous and confidential. She can be reached at dearv@hotmail.com or in the office of The Hurricane.