With football on the mind, the Student Government [SG] Senate met Wednesday, expressing excitement for the FSU game.
The meeting started with the swearing in of the new Hecht Residential College senator.
The first item of business was a resolution to support UM’s decision to become a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference [ACC], presented by Billy Bludgus, chief of staff of external affairs. Senate passed the resolution with unanimous consent.
The second item of business was a bill to ratify the Fall 2003 elections referenda results. These results were that, by a vote of the students, there should be an increase in the Student Activity Fee of $2.50. This increase will go directly to the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee [SAFAC] to support the funding of current and future student organizations at UM.
Committee reports followed, with updates from academic affairs, university affairs, public relations and special events.
Current projects for academic affairs include talks with school senators and their constituents and eliminating the “W” when students withdraw from a class and just having a single “drop by” date.
From the university affairs committee, expect some major changes around school; they have become a “task force” for things that need to be changed on campus. Their projects include fixing the desks in classrooms and repairing the handicapped ramps in various locations throughout campus.
Additionally, they plan on making sure the ‘Cane Card readers on vending machines and in the laundry rooms are working properly. Also, they are working on putting dry-erase boards in the Learning Center instead of the old fashioned chalk boards that are currently there.
The major project that they are undertaking is the extermination of the “furry friends” that live around the School of Music and Eaton Residential College.
Special events is continuing to plan for UNICCO Appreciation Day, scheduled for Nov. 17.
Also brought up at the meeting: Category 5 will establish an email list-serv. Anyone wishing to be a part of it should contact any Category 5 member or go to a meeting and get involved.
The next meeting is on Oct. 16 in the UC I-lounge.
Other projects and plans for events include the current “Freshman for a Day” project being established by members of the executive branch of SG. This is an event that would allow high school students to come to UM for a day and experience the life of a college student.
Finally, suggestion boxes have been placed all around campus and in the residential colleges. If you have something to say or have suggestions, fill out a form and put it in the box. Any suggestion is welcome.
Anyone with questions or concerns can contact any Student Government officer or Senator and he or she will contact the proper individuals.
For more information on Student Government, visit the SG website at www.miami.edu/sg, stop by the office in UC 214, call (305) 284-3082 or send an e-mail to studentgovernment@umiami.edu.
Senate meetings are held every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. and are open to the public.

Brad Lonberger can be contacted at c.lonberger@umiami.edu.

Starting this year, the College of Engineering is offering aerospace engineering as a major rather than a concentration, as it had been previously offered.
“After having the aerospace concentration option for seven or eight years, students, parents and the ROTC program had expressed interest in opening it as a major,” Dr. Singiresu S. Rao, mechanical engineering chair, said. “Especially in Florida, we’ve been observing growing interest in the field and yet only one other university in Florida [University of Central Florida] offers it.”
According to Rao, before opening the program, the mechanical engineering department looked into aerospace engineering in schools such as Case Western Reserve, Notre Dame, UCLA and UCF in order to design the major to be at a similar yet competitive level.
According to Dr. Ge-Cheng Zha, head professor of the aerospace engineering program, UM is fully equipped to accommodate the necessities of the major.
“Compared to other schools around the country, we are relatively new, but we are well-staffed and have good facilities, including a laboratory,” Zha said.
Currently, 17 students are enrolled in the new program, and Rao hopes this number will increase as word gets out about the major.
Aerospace engineering focuses on analyzing, designing and developing vehicles used in flight, such as commercial, military and space aircraft. Classes at UM include aerodynamics, propulsion, aerospace structure and flight dynamics, along with the usual mathematical and scientific requirements of the College of Engineering.
“We learn about how airplanes fly, like what speeds are needed for landing and takeoff, and how much engine power is needed,” Sam Havener, senior, said. “We’re actually going to a simulator a couple of times to apply our knowledge.”
This simulator is owned by the ROTC program, which works hand in hand with the engineering department. In fact, learning how to fly on the simulator is required in the aerospace program.
Students also acquire firsthand experience through a senior design project and internships.
“In class, students do senior design; that is, they participate in a senior design project that gives them hands-on experience,” Zha said.
Recent designs include a propeller and a micro air vehicle.
In the past, internships have included working at a helicopter factory, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin and the US Navy.
According to administration, several students have received lucrative job offers from these internships and the largest job market for this career is in the United States, where aerospace engineers are hired for either large aircraft manufacturing companies or by the government, including military institutions.
According to both Rao and Zha, the average beginning salary of an aerospace engineer is between $50,000 and $60,000 a year, which is comparable to that of a mechanical engineer.
The addition of the degree program to the College of Engineering has been met by both praise and apprehension from students.
“I think it’s better to have it as a major than as a concentration because as a concentration you don’t have all the tools of aerospace,” Mark Bianco, senior, said. “You also miss out on parts of the mechanical engineering program when you take the aerospace studies concentration.”
Not all students agree.
“The concentration is a better option because the job market for aerospace engineers fluctuates every decade,” Alex Conley, senior, said. “Mechanical engineering gives you more choices.”
For more information on the program, visit the College of Engineering website at www.miami.edu/engineering or contact Dr. Singiresu S. Rao at srao@miami.edu.

Patricia Mazzei can be contacted at pmazzei@umsis.miami.edu.

UM’s marine school announced Wednesday the addition of a new research center devoted to the study of marine conservation and fishery issues. The school is currently one of the world’s foremost institutions for research on coral reefs, aquaculture techniques and commercially important fisheries.

The new center will be located at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science [RSMAS], in Virginia Key at Key Biscayne. The University reached a $3 million agreement with the Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based foundation that finances work in the areas of culture, education, health, public policy, religion and the environment, to open a center that would further marine research.

The new center, to be called the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, is officially open and is expected to be fully functional in a couple of months.

“This new institute is a great opportunity for Rosenstiel and the University,” Robert Cowen, a professor in marine biology and fisheries, said. “Not only does it bring additional resources, financial and intellectual, but it also provides expanded visibility to our school.”

The dean of RSMAS, Otis Brown, said the main goal of the institute will be to focus on marine and ocean conservation research and how to link basic science understanding with policy formation. With this goal in mind, it allows the school to have a powerful voice in the national debate over declining ocean life and increasing oceanic pollution.

“This announcement comes at a critical time for the oceans,” Joshua Reichert, director of environment programs at the Pew Charitable Trusts, said. “As more and more Americans demand greater protection for our coastal waters and ocean wildlife, the Pew Institute will provide the sound science needed to solve the challenges facing our oceans.”

Within the first year, the institute plans to produce reports on the impact of recreational fishing and ecosystem-based fishery management. Future efforts will focus on the development of effective, science-based solutions to address the various threats facing marine fish and ecosystems. These findings will be widely disseminated to policy-makers and to the public.

To coordinate these efforts, an advisory board will be set up to establish research priorities, and the institute’s executive director will be Ellen Pikitch, a fisheries scientist and Pew fellow.

Most recently, Dr. Pikitch was the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Ocean Strategy Program, and she is an expert in the assessment of fisheries management, including those of large coastal sharks, bluefin tuna and Caspian Sea sturgeons. Her work helped ban the practice of shark-finning, in which the fins are chopped off and the shark, while still alive, is thrown back into the ocean.

Also joining the institute is Dr. Elizabeth Babcock, a fisheries expert and new assistant research professor at UM.

“The addition of Professors Pikitch and Babcock to our faculty will substantially enhance our programs in sustainable fisheries and conservation,” Brown said in a press release. “We will expect them to teach, do research, become involved with UM and community activities and mentor students.”

The institute will also administer the Pew Fellow’s program, in which marine researchers are awarded a stipend of $150,000 to pursue their work.

Students are sure to benefit with this new center and the additional resources.

“Our students will be exposed to world-class scientists as they visit for meetings, workshops and research in association with the Pew’s Fellow program,” Cowen said. “The students will also benefit by an expanded marine conservation and revised fisheries curriculum, which is under development.”

Although RSMAS is a graduate school, those working at the school say that undergraduate students will also benefit from the new institute.

“Our faculty teaches hundreds of undergraduates in the marine science, marine affairs and meteorology programs,” Brown said. “These students will have access to the new faculty members and to the Pew Fellows when they are visiting and giving seminars.”

For more information about the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, please visit www.rsmas.miami.edu. To learn more about the Pew Charitable Trusts, visit www.pewtrusts.com.

Angelique Thomas can be contacted at aperivale@aol.com.

The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre opened its 65th season as UM’s most prominent playhouse with a sold-out production of Noises Off on Oct. 9. The play will continue to run until Oct. 18.

Noises Off was written by British playwright Michael Frayn in 1982. The play is a slapstick comedy about the frenetic on- and off-stage high jinks of a second-rate British touring company. The story follows the acting troupe’s progress from dress rehearsal to a ruinous closing night performance of a mediocre sex comedy, Noises On.

Noises Off earned Frayn his third Evening Standard Theater Award for “Best Comedy of the Year” for the play. The show first opened on Broadway in 1983 and was nominated for four Tony Awards. The revival production of the play opened on Broadway in 2001 with a cast that included Peter Gallagher, Faith Price, stage legend Patti Lupone and Katie Finneran, who won the 2002 Tony for “Best Featured Actress in a Play.”

Musical theater major Corrine Palermo plays the dim-witted actress Brooke Ahston. Palermo says that she enjoys playing Brooke because she is able to take on the role of someone who is completely different from her.

“She’s a major airhead and thinks she’s a great actress even though she’s had no theater training,” Palermo said.

Ariana Shore, senior, plays the role of the faded leading lady Dotty Otley; Paul Haasch, senior, plays the womanizing director, Lloyd Dallas; Brian Blattman, senior, plays the aging actor, Frederick Fellows; and Dan Weisberg, senior, plays the alcoholic actor, Selsdon Mowbray.

Other cast members include Douglas Ghizzoni as Garry Lejeune, Lauren Potter as Poppy Norton-Taylor, Maura Hannigan as Belinda Blair and Randall Pollard as Tim Allgood.

“The cast is amazing,” Palmero said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be working with these people in such an unbelievably well-written comedy.”

Many UM students who were unable to make last week’s performance are looking forward to tonight’s free show, thanks to the Ring’s “Totally Free Tuesdays” program.

“I’ve heard that Noises Off is a really funny play, and when you add that it’s free, it’s an even better deal,” Carlos Sanchez, junior, said.

“Totally Free Tuesdays” was initiated last year and, according to organizers, met with so much success that the theater decided to continue the program for another year.

Similar “Totally Free Tuesdays” will be offered for other plays throughout the school year.

“My friend saw a production of Noises Off somewhere else and she told me that it was really funny,” said junior Ilana Nathan. “I’m going to try and see the free performance today.”

Students must present a valid UM ID to view the free performance tonight. For exact show times, contact The Ring Theatre.

Horacio Sierra can be contacted at h.sierra@umiami.edu.

ALL ABOUT ‘NOISES OFF’
Synopsis

The play is a slapstick comedy about the frenetic on- and off-stage high jinks of a second-rate British touring company. The story follows the acting troupe’s progress from dress rehearsal to a ruinous closing night performance of a mediocre sex comedy, Noises On.

Performance Dates

Oct. 15- 18 at 8 p.m.
Students $6 – General $14 – weeknights, matinees
$8 – General $16 – weekend performances

The box office is open noon to 5 p.m. on weekdays and two hours before each performance.
For more information on the Ring Theatre, visit www.miami.edu/ring. To order tickets, call 305-284-3355. The Ring Theatre is located at 1312 Miller Dr.

JOSEFINA BAEZ: The Afro-Dominican performance artist performs her act Dominicanish at Pearson Residential College. Her performance was sponsored by La Casa Cultural, Theater Arts, African American and Latin American Studies and the Foreign Language/Literature Department.

Former U.S. Attorney General and Florida gubernatorial candidate Janet Reno visited campus last week to discuss her career, her views and her brief stint on Saturday Night Live, in which she remembers going to the NBC studio and meeting Will Ferrell, who was wearing her signature blue suit.

“Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves a little more than we do, and we have to laugh together,” Reno said to the audience.

During her lecture, Reno admitted that she never dreamed she would make it thus far.

According to Reno, she was one of only 16 women in her graduating class at Harvard University, and upon leaving she found it difficult to obtain a summer job in Miami because she was female.

At present, not only is Reno the first female U.S. Attorney General, she also is the longest serving Attorney General since the Civil War.

“Never give up if someone discriminates against you, because you can do anything if you put your mind to it,” Reno said.

The main focus of her speech, however, was to encourage students to get involved in public service.

Reno remarked that public service can be very rewarding and advised not to do it for the rewards, but instead because it is the right thing to do.

“Doing the right thing is the easy part. The hard part is deciding what that right thing is, which requires good hard fact-finding and objective thought,” Reno said.

At one point, Reno defended her decisions concerning Elian Gonzalez, stating that she feels she made the best decision possible given the circumstances.

Reno said she knew she could not be everything to everybody, and if she did she would only end up miserable.

Reno went on to recall the day when there were Elian-related protesters outside of her home, and she remarked that she was not angry but felt instead a certain joy for the protesters simply because America is one of the few countries where the public is able to exercise freedom of speech in such a way.

Reno also spoke about many of her policy concerns, primarily cost-effective, government-sponsored health care that can result in early prevention of illness in many cases.

Reno also mentioned that civil liberties must not be sacrificed for the sake of national security. Reno deems racial profiling as an injustice and feels the government should focus more on hard evidence.

Reno also spoke of her view on gay marriages, stating that the legal aspect, not referring to the religious aspect, of marriage should be granted because so many laws depend upon marriage, such as adoption. Reno feels that if gay people are allowed to teach young children or care for children in hospitals, they should be allowed to have the opportunity to adopt a child, provided the child is offered a stable, loving home.

Additionally, Reno advocated that the most effective way to reduce crime and violence is to incarcerate repeat offenders and find alternative forms of punishment for first-time or non-violent offenders.

Reno also said that she is very concerned with Florida governor Jeb Bush’s approach to education, stating that education is the backbone of this nation. Reno feels that the public education system is in a crisis, and current problems will not be solved by vouchers or by the FCAT.

One audience member asked, “At what point in your life did you decide you were a democrat?” Reno replied, “When I was able to understand that Roosevelt was paralyzed from the waist down and his many contributions to this nation.”

Reno says she feels she is able to do more public service now that she is out of office and admits that, since she has left office, a great weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

Reno added that she does not plan to seek any political position in the near future.

Caralyn Pearson can be contacted at c.pearson@umiami.edu.

Festival Miami music continues

Festival Miami 20th Anniversary Season celebration is going strong with 12 concerts remaining through Oct. 25. Week four presents a phenomenal roster of performances with a wide appeal, from winds to strings and families to fusion.

On Oct. 13, the UM Wind Ensemble will be conducted by Gary Green, in a world premiere performance of Thomas Sleeper’s Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble. Also to be performed is Michael Daugherty’s Rosa Parks Boulevard and Andrew Rindfleisch’s The Light Fantastic. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $8 for students.

On Oct.14, the Amernet String Quartet makes their Miami debut. This brilliant quartet, winner of the Gold Prize at the International String Competition of Tokyo, performs Mozart’s Quartet in C major, the Brahms Quartet in C minor, and the Giannini Piano Quintet with Paul Posnak, piano. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $8 for students.

On Oct. 16 at 8 p.m., enjoy an evening of Klezmer Kraziness. The Klezmer Conservatory Band, America’s foremost Klezmer and Yiddish repertory ensemble, performs favorite Klezmer classics along with exciting original compositions. This wild and crazy bunch from Boston will have you singing, clapping, stepping and dancing through the aisles, carried by their whirling melodies. Presented in collaboration with the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies. Tickets are $20 for adults; $10 for students.

On Oct. 17, legendary Afro-Cuban pianist Zenaida Manfugas makes a return engagement to Festival Miami, joining forces with fellow pianist and EMI recording artist Mauricio Vallina for an evening of danza y romance. This concert is presented in collaboration with the UM Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $10 for students.

Oct. 19 highlights one of today’s most important figures in Cuban jazz as Grammy award-winning pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba weaves strands of Cuban and American jazz. Born in Havana, Cuba, his musical heritage continually influences his rhythmic, exciting creations, transforming life’s daily routines into something more beautiful and significant.

All Festival Miami events are held in the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall on UM’s Coral Gables campus unless otherwise noted. Tickets may be purchased directly from Festival Miami or through Ticketmaster. To order tickets or to obtain a complete schedule of events, visit the festival’s website at www.music.miami.edu or call 305-284-4940.

Jeb Bush recognizes UM student’s song written about September 11

Jennifer Rainee, a freshman at UM, wrote the song “Tomorrow’s Light” the day after the crashes on 9/11. She was sixteen at the time and filled with emotions she tried to put into words. The summer before she began college, she produced the song with Ricky Hitchcock and mailed it out to many people in the music industry. One specific person was Governor Jeb Bush. He responded with a letter thanking her for the song and encouraging her to share her song with everyone.

Crew team will clean your house

The men’s crew team is raising money by doing your chores! For $15 per person per hour on a Saturday or Sunday of your choice, a rower will do any house or yard work. Money raised goes toward travel expenses so the team can compete in national regattas such as the South Eastern Championships and the Dad Vail National Championships. For more information, contact Wes Geyer at 305-761-6343 or 305-689-3838.