The UM Gamma Omega Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity was suspended for 30 days on March 21, 2005 under alleged violations of international fraternity policy and the University Code of Conduct, as well as financial delinquency to the national fraternity.

Dr. Pat Whitely, vice president for Student Affairs, issued a statement with the latest update:

The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity has conducted a review of its chapter at the University of Miami. International officials and local alumni have met with the student members and University officials. The chapter has also accepted a variety of conditions for its continued affiliation with the Fraternity, including participation and sponsorship of educational programs, election of new officers and the reconstitution of the chapter’s membership. The reconstituted membership list will be provided to the chapter on May 2. The Fraternity, University, and mutual local alumni are committed to partnering in support of the chapter and in establishing clear conduct expectations.

Patricia A. Whitely

Vice President for Student Affairs

University of Miami

As finals approach, an ever-present issue for students and faculty alike looms in the horizon: cheating.

According to the Undergraduate Student Honor Code, cheating is a violation that includes “copying answers from another student’s exam” and “using a cheat sheet or crib notes in an exam.” The Code also defines plagiarism, “representing the words or ideas of someone else as your own,” and collusion, “working together on an academic undertaking for which a student is individually responsible.” Penalties for cheating range from probation and University service to suspension and expulsion.

Dayle Wilson, associate dean of students, said relatively few cheating cases are reported.

“Most complaints [to the Honor Council] come from plagiarism,” Wilson said. “They’re usually from the entry-level courses.”

According to the Honor Council, during the 2003-2004 school year, nine cases of cheating and two cases each of collusion and falsification, compared to 24 related to plagiarism, were reported. Wilson noted, however, that “not all cases are reported to the Honor Council.”

Faculty members feel especially strong about cheating. Tonya White, lecturer in the Department of Computer Information Systems, said she thinks all students should take cheating seriously.

“The academic integrity of the University affects the value of everyone’s degree,” she said.

Tonya White takes several steps to prevent cheating during her exams, including preparing multiple versions of the exam, trying to change the exam each semester and spreading out students in the examination room to make looking at other papers harder. She has reported students to the Honor Council, which she says is “an extremely fair and professional jury of peers to the defendant.”

Dr. Michael Miller, a history professor, deals with a different type of cheating: plagiarism.

“The first thing I do is to treat students as adults and as honorable people who are above cheating,” said Dr. Miller, who assigns essay assignments based solely on the lecture material, which he feels makes cheating more difficult.

Dr. Miller says the Internet is at fault for creating major problems related to plagiarism, which prompted him to switch his assignment approach. He described a time when more than six students in a class plagiarized substantially on a paper.

“The case was depressing, occupied several weeks of my time and interfered with the focus of the course,” Dr. Miller said. “Students who cheat are also cheating other students out of combined readings and writing exercises that have traditionally been a part of a college education.”

Cyndi White, teaching assistant in the Department of English, uses a completely different approach to plagiarism altogether.

“I try to prevent cheating by never duplicating assignments and always requiring an element of originality and creativity for the student,” Cyndi White said. “If a writing assignment requires a student to respond in a manner that is individual for him or her, then there is no chance for cheating, as every student has different ideas and opinions.”

She assigns papers and essays “a bit on the unconventional side” to avoid such situations.

“I once had a student fulfill an essay assignment by writing a 40-page research-based screenplay-talk about original,” Cyndi White said.

Students have mixed feelings about the issue. Jimmy Sachdev, sophomore, maintains that cheating is “trying to take advantage of someone else’s work, plus you don’t learn anything.” Sachdev has seen classmates been called on cheating.

“I think it’s bad, but it’s so common I don’t feel we can be so harsh-although we could fail [the cheater] on that test or paper,” Sachdev said.

Will Yeingst, sophomore, says he sees “people cheating and copying papers all the time.” Indeed, according to the Center for Academic Integrity at Duke University, 75 percent of students admit to cheating at least once.

Jay Rooney can be contacted at j.rooney@umiami.edu.

UMNEWS – Cuban heritage collection receives former Cuban president’s collection

The University of Miami’s Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC) has received the Fulgencio Batista ZaldIvar Collection, consisting of thousands of documents-correspondence, memorabilia, photographs and books-owned by the former Cuban president.

Donated by Batista ZaldIvar’s widow Martha Batista and his children Mirta Ponsdomenech, Fulgencio Ruben Batista, Elisa Aleida Batista, Carmela Batista, Jorge Batista, Roberto Francisco Batista, Fulgencio Jos

Many students will turn to Starbucks for caffeine-rich coffee to help them stay focused and awake while studying for finals. However, some find that caffeine is not strong enough for them, and certain students will ingest medications prescribed to people with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactive disorder, known respectively as ADD and ADHD.

The most commonly prescribed of these medications are Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta. These drugs are stimulants that target the central nervous system and show a wide range of effects on users. Students seek them because the stimulants are known to prevent drowsiness and enhance a user’s ability to concentrate.

“It opens a whole new door to my thinking process,” said Christopher Bentler, a senior who takes Adderall before long study sessions. “Somehow it lets me look at things in a different light.”

Bentler is not alone in his non-traditional study habits.

“Everybody takes it,” said Melanie Weinstein, a freshmen living in Hecht. “It’s very common in the dorms.”

Weinstein, unlike many of the drug users she is referring to in Hecht, is actually prescribed to an ADD medication known as Focalin, a newer drug that is less strong than the prevalent drugs on the market.

Following the prescription of her psychiatrist, Weinstein was taking one pill “whenever [she] needed to pay attention to something” for a few months when she developed adverse reactions to the drug.

“Two hours after I would take it I would suddenly get really depressed,” Weinstein said. “It was so horrible that I stopped using it permanently.”

Despite the positive side effects-she claims that at times Focalin dramatically improved her ability to focus-Weinstein’s overall experience leaves her affirming that ADD and ADHD drugs are “never safe,” because “you never know what they will do your body.”

It’s possible that Weinstein’s bad reaction could have been much worse. This past February, Canada indefinitely suspended all sales of Adderall after receiving a report that 20 sudden deaths have occurred in the U.S. since 1999 among persons who were taking the drug. The FDA has no plans to change the status of the drug in the U.S., as it concludes that there is no decisive evidence to prove that Adderall was the cause of these deaths.

The debate over the safety of Adderall and other ADD and ADHD medications is not new. Psychiatrist Daniel Amem writes in his book Healing ADD that “stimulant medications are among the safest and most effective medications in psychiatry…with little potential for abuse.”

On the other hand, Dr. Malcolm Kahn, director of Psychology at the Counseling Center, strongly disagrees with Dr. Amem’s viewpoint. He refers to the commonly prescribed stimulants as “powerful drugs” and “absolutely unsafe” to take without prescription. Even with a doctor’s prescription, Dr. Kahn believes that “a whole list of medical problems can arise from taking the drug.”

In an informal survey taken in his abnormal psychology class, Dr. Kahn claims that students reported these drugs to be “readily available on campus,” corroborating Weinstein’s thoughts. He also stated that students in his class have admitted to procuring the pills “for partying.”

Despite reported deaths and other adverse effects, it seems students will continue to use these drugs, though not necessarily because they are uninformed.

“I’ve seen the downside,” Bentler said. “I’ve seen people get addicted to Adderall and stop being able to function without it.”

However, he said this knowledge would not stop his own usage, because he was careful, and because “there’s just nothing like it.”

Dave Maggiotto can be contacted at d.maggiotto@umiami.edu.

It’s been a year to remember. It started with a bunch of hurricanes. Historic moments, for both the U.S. and UM, followed, culminating in the 2004 presidential election. Second semester began amid a tragedy that hit the world; tsunami relief efforts are still ongoing today. UM faced its own tragedy, as the community felt the loss of one of its own and banded together for the future safety of students. Along the way, the University has experienced everything from groundbreaking events and pride to controversy and loss, resulting in an unforgettable year.

The Presidential Debate ENERGIZES CAMPUS

UM was placed in the national spotlight when President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) came to campus for the first presidential debates of the 2004 election, held at the Convocation Center. Amid the celebrity sightings, media blitz, tight security and parking fiascos, students experienced history in the making. When Election Day finally came around, students made sure that their vote would count, some waiting in lines for hours to place their ballot.

Fraternity suspensions

UM was taken by surprise as two of its long-standing fraternities, Pi Kappa Alpha and Lambda Chi Alpha, were suspended within two weeks of each other. The allegations ranged from alleged sexual battery to violations of the University Code of Conduct. The Pike investigation recently came to a close, while Lambda Chi’s is ongoing.

Student death sparkS COMMUNITY ACTION

Freshman Ashley Kelly died when she was hit by a car at a busy U.S. 1 intersection, causing the UM community to question the safety of its pedestrians. Students held vigils in memory of Kelly and are petitioning for the construction of a pedestrian overpass to ensure that the tragedy doesn’t happen again.

University VillagE BReAKS GROUND

After being in the works for over a decade, University Village was finally approved. UM’s first housing development on campus in 35 years broke ground on March 23, 2005, and is scheduled for 2006 completion.

Our namesake for a

reason

Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne put the campus in a state of alert as students stocked up on everything from bottled water to canned food and went in search of a full tank of gas. Lockdown became a familiar state of affairs; students crammed into the Convocation Center and dorms, while others headed home. Luckily, UM and the city of Miami were mostly spared.

Natural disaster affects UM community

As tsunamis hit the coasts of Africa and Asia on the other side of the world, students felt the effects at the University and immediately took action to help. Nearly every organization on campus participated in fundraising relief efforts, showing the heart of the UM community.

Stomach virus outbreak

More than 200 students reported symptoms related to Norovirus the day before winter break, causing many to reschedule travel plans and miss finals. The resulting investigation cleared the Chartwells cafeterias as the source of the outbreak.

The death of the Pope

A religious leader, the only Pope that most students ever knew, passed away in April. As the black smoke rose from the Vatican, students attended vigils and paid their respects to Pope John Paul II.

Spiritual leader visits UM

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader and world visionary for peace, inspired the University when he spoke on “A Human Approach to World Peace” to a packed crowd at the Convocation Center.

Administrative overhaul FOR NEXT YEAR

The University is welcoming many new faces to campus this fall. Dr. Michael R. Halleran will be the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Sam Grogg will take over as dean of the School of Communication. The new provost announcement of the replacement of Dr. Luis Glaser is expected soon, while the search for a new dean of the medical school is under way.

TODAY

Last day of classes for the Spring 2005 semester.

‘Canes Night Live will host Mad House at 7 p.m. on the IM fields, which will include an inflatable obstacle course, Halo-themed laser tag and food from Popeye’s. There will also be a raffle for Gameboys, iPod shuffles and many more prizes.

Multicultural Student Affairs will host Finals Fiesta from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Plaza between the registrar’s office and the Rat. There will be international food and music.

Just Kidding, UM’s improv group, is looking for students to perform in a 24-hour Comedy-A-Thon. All types of comedic acts are welcome and each will be given as much time as needed. The event will be held in the Barber apartment, located on the ground floor of Hecht, at 6 p.m.

The Wellness Center presents Fitness Fest with Studio Cycling in the Atrium, Kickboxing, Guts & Butts and Step in Multi-A. All events are from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Belly Bust will be from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Rathskeller.

SATURDAY

Beginning of Reading Days.

President Shalala and Larry Coker, head football coach, will make guest appearances during the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre and Alvin Sherman Family Stage 2004-2005 season finale, Good News! The show begins at 8 p.m., and the theatre opens for seating at 7:30 p.m. Admission for faculty and staff is $16.

The Civic Chorale and UM Alumni Singers will lead a kick-off concert event celebrating the 35th anniversary year of the Civic Chorale at 7 p.m. at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors.