TODAY – March 25
UM Fusion is holding a stretch and dance technique workshop from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in UC Ballroom D as part of Dance Fusion 2005. For more information email umfusion@yahoo.com.

The Belly Bust Comedy Show starts at 7 p.m., sponsored by RAB and Hurricane Productions.

Cuban Solidarity Week, hosted by Jovenes por una Cuba Libre, ends today with “Solidarity with Cuba’s Prisoners of Conscience.” Photographs of Cuba’s political prisoners will be placed around campus.

SATURDAY – March 26
Pulitzer-prize winning composer/pianist William Balcom and mezzo-soprano Joan Morris will perform at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall at 8 p.m., presented by the Frost School of Music. Tickets are $20 Adult/$15 Senior/$10 Student. For more information call 305-284-4940.

The Indian Students Association is hosting the 2nd annual South Beach Bhangra, a national dance competition, at the James L. Knight International Center at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $23 to $33. For more information, visit www.southbeachbhangra.com.

The final event of Dance Fusion 2005 will be held on the UC Patio at 8 p.m. featuring diverse styles of dance.

MONDAY – March 28
Last day to drop a course for the Spring 2005 semester.

Fall 2005 Registration Appointments available on EASY.

TUESDAY – March 29
Canes for Cancer Awareness is sponsoring a Cancer Research Lecture from 6-7 p.m. in the UC I-Lounge.

For most students, spring break is a chance to forget about their responsibilities and work on their tans for a week. However, some students used the time to learn while helping with serious issues affecting communities throughout the country through the UM’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program.

“The issues span the spectrum, but the overall purpose of ASB is to expose college students actively to various social programs around the country and help them to understand the root problems,” site leader education co-chair Alex Ortiz said. “We want to get them to actually be conscientious and ultimately active citizens who ask why these things happen and who make the community a priority.”

This year, students had several options of what issues they wanted to focus on, including hunger and homelessness, animal rights, the environment and HIV/AIDS. There were 15 student and faculty site leaders, between 40 and 50 student participants and one of the lowest drop rates the program has ever had, according to Ortiz.

“I decided to do ASB because I enjoy community service, like the idea of traveling and had heard nothing but good things about the organization,” Kara Brown, Hunger and Homelessness site participant, said. “I thought it would be nice to have a complete break from classes but still spend the short time I had off doing something productive.”

The seven women in the Hunger and Homelessness group were sent to Boulder, Colorado to work with the organization StandUp for Kids. After two days of intense training they became street counselors for the organization. During their time in Boulder, the participants spent their days reorganizing the center’s clothing closets; in the evenings they went on outreach, providing bag lunches and listening to youth on the streets.

“Initially it was a little shocking because it was difficult to imagine that a wealthy city like Boulder had a significant homeless population,” said Brown, a sophomore and first time ASB participant. “However, they actually have 10,000 residents who can be classified as homeless.”

Another group went to New York City to work with Momentum AIDS Project, an organization that gives support to HIV/AIDS patients through nutrition education, housing, and job searches. The twelve UM students prepared and served meals and interacted with the patients to show them that people were there to listen.

“Definitely when I went I had a stereotype that AIDS patients were a certain way,” Swati Chalavarya, sophomore and first time ASB participant, said. “They were so surprised that we would actually sit down with them or shake their hands.”

Whether it was helping kids with homework or fighting for human rights, the ASB participants came back feeling that they had made a difference.

“They told us that we were putting a face to the disease [AIDS], that they are human too and not invisible,” Chalavarya said. “We came back wanting to express what we learned to others.”

“ASB boasts that it can provide a life-changing experience, and they are absolutely correct,” Brown said. “This year, the Hunger and Homelessness site is especially unique in that we are taking what we have learned with Boulder’s chapter of StandUp and using it to restart the Miami chapter. We are all excited that, in a way, our spring break doesn’t have to end.”

>> For more information about ASB, contact the Butler Volunteer Services Center at 305-284-GIVE.

Catherine Howden can be contacted at c.howden@umiami.edu.

A fire in the Engineering building last week caused a stir in the midst of an otherwise quiet spring break at UM.

The fire was detected at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 14. An empty laboratory room on the first floor of the building caught on fire and was unattended for 45 minutes before it was discovered. During that time, the flames engulfed the entire lab room and extended to the neighboring classroom.

Once it was brought to the attention of those working inside the building, the police department was notified and the evacuation process began.

The professors, staff and students present at the time exited the lab and waited while the Coral Gables Fire Department extinguished the fire and assessed the damage. There were no reported injuries during the incident.

The 21-member crew of firefighters put out the flames in a matter of fifteen minutes.

“The cause of the fire is still unknown, but it does not appear to be intentional,” Coral Gables Fire Division chief Charles Davis said.

Dr. M. Lewis Temares, dean of the School of Engineering, confirmed that the fire was an accident.

“We take many precautions to ensure the safety of everyone in the building,” Dr. Temares said. “Many years have gone by without problems of this extent and all we can do is remind everyone to be as careful as possible in their laboratory experiments.”

The immediate destruction involved the two rooms directly hit, in addition to extensive smoke damage throughout the entire building. Further investigation of the edifice revealed that the fire caused serious damage to the electrical system.

“The electrical wiring for the entire building has to be redone after being burned,” Temares said. “We are expecting the delay to keep it closed for at least three weeks.”

For the time being, the offices and classes have been relocated to other areas of the campus, primarily the Physics building.

Insurance will cover the majority of the costs to repair the electrical system and physical damages done to the lower floors. However, the University will incur the fees of the deductibles.

“Everyone has been so supportive and helpful during this period of relocation while the building is under construction,” Temares said. “We are experiencing minimal discomfort thanks to the understanding attitudes and those willing to accommodate our situation.”

Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s.arnold@umiami.edu.

The UM Gamma Omega chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) charter was suspended earlier this week.

“The international fraternity-located in Memphis, Tennessee-suspended the chapter effective Monday afternoon,” said Greg Singleton, Associate Dean of students. “It’s an initial 30-day suspension and there will be an extensive investigation both from the national fraternity and the University working in concert.”

Pike is accused of violations of international fraternity policy and the University Code of Conduct, as well as being financially delinquent to the national organization, Singleton said.

“The University is working closely with national headquarters, local alumni and the executive director,” said Dr. Pat Whitely, vice president of Student Affairs. “In the interim, all chapter related activities have been suspended, pending the outcome of the inquiry.”

According to Singleton, the brothers will not have to move out of their house during the investigation.

“We expect all of our student organizations to adhere to both University policy and state law, and while we strongly support our Greek organizations on campus, there are also expectations of membership on campus,” Singleton said.

Singleton will be meeting with national representatives of the fraternity some time next week. At this time, there has been no decision made concerning the future of Pike.

>> The Hurricane will continue to follow up on this issue as details become available.

Megha Garg can be contacted at m.garg2@umiami.edu.

The University of Miami announced Monday that the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will be Michael R. Halleran, currently the divisional dean of Arts and Humanities and a professor of classics at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“In addition to the social sciences and sciences, Dr. Halleran understands the complex needs of the rest of our institution,” UM Provost and Executive Vice President Luis Glaser said.

Halleran received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1981. A specialist in Greek literature and Greek intellectual history, he has been teaching the classics at the University of Washington since 1983. In 1997, Halleran was appointed to the position of divisional dean of Arts and Humanities, oversaw the re-creation of the Simpson Center for the Humanities, created a new Center for Digital Arts and launched a revision of foundation courses at the college.

“Out of such an exceptionally strong pool of candidates, he emerged as both a superb scholar and someone who gets glowing reviews as an administrator,” UM Librarian William Walker, who chaired the search committee, said.

Selected by a committee made up of both faculty members and College of Arts and Sciences students, Halleran said that he was attracted to UM because it is setting an example for other universities in the future.

“When I think about what universities will look like in 10 to 12 years I think a lot of them will look like UM because of its cultural diversity of students,” Halleran said. “I think it’s a wonderful university in one of America’s greatest cities.”

Halleran will be replacing Dean James Wyche, who announced his resignation from the position in May.

His main focus upon arriving in Miami will be to learn more about the University and how he can contribute to the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I don’t come in with a ten-point plan,” he said. “What I need to do is a lot of listening-to chairs, faculty, students and staff. Every campus has its own culture, so I need to learn more. That’s one of the things I find exciting. I think I’ll learn a lot.”

Since UM is a relatively young school, founded in 1925, Halleran looks forward to working with the potential that the University has for furthering its reputation.

“It’s a young campus-I like that. Being younger makes one more nimble. You don’t have tradition telling you ‘this is how you do it,” he said. “I’m thinking about faculty and students. Those are the two main ingredients. I’m thinking, ‘Can I recruit people to an exciting place that has a strong upside and opportunities?’ and the answer is yes.”

A native of New York, Halleran has lived in Seattle for the past 22 years and will move to Miami with his wife, Rebecca, and three kids in July. He looks forward to taking on the responsibilities that await.

“My job as a dean is to create a culture of opportunity. That’s my main focus as a dean. That’s what education is really about. There are a lot of things in place at UM so that one can extend that culture of opportunity.”

Natalia Maldonado can be contacted at n.Maldonado@umiami.edu.

President Donna Shalala, along with Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dean Colson and Mayor of Coral Gables Don Slesnick, officially broke ground on University Village last Wednesday, March 23. The Village will be on 12 landscaped acres near Red Road and Brescia Avenue. This will be the first new housing development on campus in 35 years, with 800 singles in 271 units for upperclassmen, law and graduate students. Shalala hopes that the creation of such housing will help encourage students, who may otherwise have lived off campus, to stay involved in campus activities.

“Our students are thrilled about this new housing option which will allow them to stay involved in the UM community,” Shalala said.

As of now, only 27 percent of students can live on campus. The Village will include landscaped lawns, additional security for the area and extra parking for residents. The complex will also have a full-time manager. After 13 years of planning thusfar, University Village is scheduled to be completed by 2006.

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.
Credit Card Security precautions:
The fraudulent use of credit cards is not limited to the loss or theft of actual credit cards. A capable criminal only needs to know your credit card number to make numerous charges, including cash withdrawals against your account.
* It is a good idea to copy both front and back of all your credit cards and keep the copies in a safe and secure location. This will enable you to cancel your credit cards as soon as possible if they are lost or stolen.
* Endorse all credit cards as soon as they arrive and carry the minimum number of cards that you actually need.
* Unless you are sure you are dealing with a reputable company, never give your credit card number over the phone.
* There is a current scam in operation around the country. This involves the con artist asking to verify your credit card number in order to win a prize. The thief informs the victims that if their Visa card begins with the number four, the victim wins a prize, however all Visa cards begin with the number four and all Master cards begin with the number five. The victim is asked to produce personal information including their credit card number. The only prize that the victim gets is a fraudulent charge on their bill.
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.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 9
2:04 a.m. 1311 Miller Dr. Theft

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16
1:04 a.m. 1239 Dickinson Dr. Theft
1:00 p.m. 5185 Ponce De Leon Theft

FRIDAY MARCH 18
2:40 p.m. 5050 Brunson Dr.
Vandalism
3:40 p.m. 1101 Stanford Dr.
Burglary
5:30 p.m. 5500 San Amaro Dr. Theft

MONDAY MARCH 1
10:27 a.m. 5501 San Amaro Dr. Theft
8:31 p.m. 5185 Ponce De Leon Assault
Disorderly