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Unblemished

The Miami Hurricane
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The baseball team claimed another series by sweeping this weekend’s meeting with the University of South Florida. As a result, Miami remains undefeated on the season, improving to 7-0. The Hurricanes haven’t started a season with seven wins since 1992.

Miami completed the sweep Sunday in front of 1,767 fans at Mark Light Field with a final score of 9-4. The game was marked by an impressive offensive showing in which the Hurricanes exploded for nine runs on 13 hits.

Miami’s bats came to life around the fifth inning, with a Paco Figueroa RBI single that gave the ‘Canes a 3-2 lead followed by a Ryan Braun two-run home run to left field.

The ‘Canes kept coming and in the sixth inning added another three runs thanks to a Danny Robitaille base hit to left field and a Figueroa sacrifice fly.

Head Coach Jim Morris described the game as “the best we’ve played this season.”

The series began with an impressive come-from-behind victory in which the Hurricanes found themselves with a 9-2 deficit throughout the greater part of the game.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the ‘Canes began a rally in which they scored nine unanswered runs to come out on top with an 11-9 win.

In the eighth inning right fielder Brendan Katin smashed a two-run home run to put Miami ahead 10-9. The final run came from a Danny Figueroa single.

Saturday’s game was somewhat of a role reversal, with Miami fighting to hold off the rallying Bulls while capitalizing on their three errors. The outcome, however, was another Miami victory, this time by the score of 7-5.

Paco Figueroa said after the game that there was no emotional letdown after the previous nights’ dramatic win.

“You always want to blow a team out, but we’re just glad to get another win under our belt,” he said.

The Bulls always remained within striking distance, but Ryan Braun helped Miami widen the gap with a home run over the right-center field wall to give the team a 7-4 lead.

Braun said the team knew the Bulls would be a formidable foe.

“Yeah, it’s obviously nice to have the big hit, but the Bulls are a quality opponent, and in situations like that you need to have big hits,” Braun said.

Things became especially heated in the eighth inning when South Florida Head Coach Eddie Cardieri was ejected after stepping on the field to challenge a controversial strike call made by umpire Josh Miller. During the following play, the Bulls’ Nick Cardieri, the head coach’s son, argued a strikeout call prompting his own ejection.

All those matters aside, Morris was pleased with his team’s offense.

“Sure, anytime you get 13 hits and nine runs and we took advantage of their mistakes, you’re doing a good job,” he said. “Paco Figueroa broke the game open, and Ryan Braun was really hitting hard.”

Morris said the defense deserves recognition for its improvement over the weekend.

“Chris Perez had really good stuff today and we played better defense this weekend, particularly the last two games.”

Mike Soto can be contacted at m.soto3@umiami.edu.

King, Revealed

The Miami Hurricane
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The Hurricane’s Chris Hamilton sat down with ‘Canes sophomore forward Anthony King.

The Hurricane: How does ACC play differ from the Big East?

Anthony King: There a lot more points scored in the ACC and the game is a lot faster. The Big East is known as a more physical league.

TH: What do you do to get pumped up for a game?

AK: I don’t really need anything to get me pumped up for a game. Just playing in the ACC and making other the teams pay for passing on me is enough.

TH: You’re from Durham, N.C. How did you escape schools such as Duke and UNC?

AK: Recruiting was on and off throughout out high school. Miami got me down here, and I’m happy I’m here.

TH: How long did it take for the team to buy into Frank Haith’s system?

AK: It was probably during the Florida game. We came back and beat Florida on the road and it really said a lot about our team.

TH: Which is more fun: blocking a shot or throwing down a dunk?

AK: Wow. I have to say blocking a shot. It’s much more intimidating and if you get them good, they won’t be back.

TH: Do you ever get heckled at road games?

AK: I haven’t, not yet at least. I got a little bit when we played at UNC. But when we go to Duke, I have a feeling the Cameron Crazies will be all over me.

TH: You have a tattoo in memory of your brother on your arm. What does he mean to you?

AK: He is my brother. He passed away, but he means everything to me. He was like a father to me.

TH: You blocked an ACC-record 13 shots against FAU this year. In the same game you also recorded UM’s first ever triple-double.

AK: Yeah. It was pretty special. It’s something no one can take away from me.

TH: Do you ever feel like the basketball team is overshadowed by the football team?

AK: I think in general all basketball in Florida is overshadowed by football. It’s a football state with some basketball players.

TH: You don’t get a Spring Break like the rest of us. If you did have one, where would you go?

AK: Back home to be with my Mom.

TH: What ACC team would you not want to play in the ACC tournament?

AK: I don’t think we’re avoiding anyone. We are 6-5 right now. We played well in the first half at Wake and beat Maryland. I think we can play with anybody.

TH: Why do you wear the No. 50?

AK: Well, in high school I wanted No. 33. But David Noel, who plays for [North] Carolina now, wouldn’t give it up. So I said I’d try No. 50.

TH: What do you hope to have accomplished by the time you leave Miami?

AK: A name for myself. And a lot of respect.

Chris Hamilton can be reached at c.hamilton2@umiami.edu.

Saving the world (right after cartoons)

The Miami Hurricane
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Someone called my cell phone on Friday. That alone was strange enough. It wasn’t from anyone I knew or the group of people who keep calling my phone asking if I am selling my townhouse-unless that’s what they’re calling Pearson these days. It was an automated message telling me to go to a website to look at an ad for some music deal.

Now I’m not going to continue on with my cell phone story because there isn’t much more to it. Sometimes I just find myself in this need to be indignant about something. I want to just take a stand and I want to rant my heart out about something that deeply offends me of some great importance and then that somehow change the world. But for this week, I’m just numb. So to hide it, I latch onto complaining about something stupid. Like a cell phone call that really didn’t inconvenience me all that much.

It’s called “compassion fatigue,” or becoming exhausted from caring too much. A name given to the burnout experienced by people in care-giving professions, it is now extended to cycles of public indifference in the face of world tragedy. Most recently I’ve found it in an article by Brent Gregston on WorldPress.org in reference to the tsunami. There’s also an earlier book, Compassion Fatigue by Susan Moeller that I remember reading selections of in high school. I’m not suggesting reading the book or the article, I just mention them because I didn’t make the term up and it’s a good way to describe what I’m feeling. It’s a sense of “meh” or, “I’ll save the world after cartoons.”

I could blame it on society or the media or a big green dinosaur, but at the end of the day I still control my brain, and while studies could say that’s not my fault at all, I’m not sure. It’s like a never ending cycle of inaction: I care a lot, then I do a whole lot of stuff, then I wonder if all this doing is really the right thing to do because I don’t really know enough to determine the whole scope of the issue, and then I’m confused.

There’s bound to be a middle ground between ignoring it and a grand action. Maybe it is doing something small consistently. I can’t say it’s a solution, but it’s something. Other than that, I’m hoping the automated message will call my cell phone some more so I can declare it a trend and have something to be indignant about.

Elaine Ayo can be contacted at e.ayo@umiami.edu.

Are we really living in a porn nation?

The Miami Hurricane
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Congrats, Campus Crusade for Christ and Michael Leahy! Porn Nation was a perfect hook for Campus Crusade to bring in a new audience to evangelize to. And what did Mike get? Well, if you were at the presentation (or had downloaded a bootleg copy off the internet like me) you’d know that Mike was once a sex addict. His parents failed to give him a comprehensive sex education, and when he got out on his own he threw self-control to the wind and became a “compulsive masturbator.” He then brought this burden upon a wife and children, which he ended up leaving for another, female, sex addict.

Time for a therapist, right?

Nah. It’s time to listen to the voices in your head.

Mike turned to God! The funny thing is, if you’re a complete weirdo (like me) and created a transcript of a bootleg copy of his presentation, you’ll see that a lot of the language he used to describe his pornographic compulsion he later used to describe his religious compulsion. In fact, at the beginning of the presentation, he warns people of the dangers of funneling down all your needs to be fueled by one source. Apparently religious zealotry is exempt from Mike’s own rule of logic.

So why try to cross over into the realm of physical addictions to spread the word of God?

Mikey admits in his speech that sexual addiction isn’t common amongst college students. However, in his mind, things can “take a nasty turn” in such an “open” environment. It sounds like he’s making a case against childhood oppression that many American religions breed.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but, gosh, UM is pretty good at making sure only the best and brightest are admitted in to this school. We’ve all had to exhibit self-control in our lives to get where we are now. And if we can force ourselves to sit down for six hours to write a research paper, I’m pretty sure we can keep our hands out of our pants, for most of the day at least.

What’s wrong with a little dilly-dallying in the wonderful world of sex? Well, for Christians, it isn’t what God wants for us. So what’s my motivation? I believe in evolution. Sex is part of our biological nature. We are sexual beings, and to deny that is unnatural.

And if my sexual sensibilities weren’t already offended enough, according to the Mikester, society has “duped” females into becoming sexual aggressors! Heaven forbid a woman isn’t ready to settle down or recognizes that a man just doesn’t have what she needs in a husband, and use him for sex! No, the American culture is too sexualized. And all those media giants, headed by men, have fooled us women into believing that we actually could share in 50 percent of the glorious phenomenon that is premarital sex.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the Porn Nation website’s student message board:

“I loved when a question was asked about other ways to cure your addiction other than God you stated there really is no there way. I’m glad you kept it on God.”

Whoops! I guess if you’re a Muslim, atheist, or of any other “unacceptable” religious orientation, you’ll just have to make sure the keyboard doesn’t get too sticky.

Margaret Scott can be contacted at mscott2@umisis.miami.edu.

SG Senate is halting democracy

The Miami Hurricane
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I am a na

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Miami Hurricane
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Re: “We bare some of blame for ‘nigger,'” 2/11

I am a former UM student from the ’60s era. I read The Hurricane online and read this article. I have a couple of comments that I’d like to share with you.

When I went to UM, we had a healthy black population on campus owing to large federal grants and the civil rights movement of the ’60s and matching funds. Ray Bellamy was UM’s first black football player and for that matter, the first to integrate any southern University from Texas to the the Atlantic Ocean, including FSU and UF.

The number of hate mails and death threats Ray received that began with that horrible word in all its forms (endearing or not) is untallyable. He was the Jackie Robinson of Southern College Sports. He also served a term as elected President of Student Government at UM. No one to this day uses that term with him and in no form is it endearing to him. As a friend of his I can attest to that.

This is no assault on Vontilla Steven, but just another opportunity to pass on the recent history of why that word is so attrocious. I used to watch Ray suffer with the racism when he walked around campus or didn’t get the recognition he deserved, plus the bags of hate mail that arrived on a timely basis.

I also recall Richard Pryor discussing how when he went to Africa, there were no “niggas” there, and that he would never use that expression again-and never did. It has lasted with me to this moment since I heard it on his movie Live In Concert in the ’70s.

As you might guess, I am 54 years old and far from a fuddy duddy, but nevertheless, I have thought it was long overdue for black folk, including my own wife, a UM grad , to quit using the expression. I think its time. I am a Jew and we would never think of using kike , yid or shinny as an endearing term.

Thanks for your article.

Harmon Brody, alum

Adi

The Miami Hurricane
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Adi

ETC.

The Miami Hurricane
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Nominations for the Laurel Awards, which recognize staff, graduate, and student assistants in the Division of Student Affairs, are now being accepted. Go to www.miami.edu/laurelawards to nominate a candidate. Deadline is Friday, April 1.

Elsewhere – New male birth control pill could be new wave of the future

The Miami Hurricane
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(U-WIRE) AMHERST, Mass. –

“Don’t worry, I’m on the pill.”

One day, that could be a man speaking.

With the new agreement between the Norwegian-based company Spermatech AS, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, that day may come sooner than you think.

Spermatech researchers are in the planning stages of creating a drug that could possibly block sperm’s ability to swim as well as its ability to fertilize an egg.

This would not be the first attempt in creating birth control for men, but it would be the first to avoid tinkering with male hormones.

Previously, researchers have found that it is extremely difficult to suppress sperm production while maintaining normal male hormone levels. A drop in a man’s hormone levels would likely cause a lowered muscle mass, a loss of sexual drive, and other testosterone-related effects.

This new drug would instead affect a specific protein in the production of sperm that would inhibit their movement while forgoing the hormonal side effects that women currently experience in taking the pill.

“I think it’s great that we’ll be given a chance to contribute in the act of birth control,” said Dirk Barron, a junior at UMass. “A birth control pill could act as a back-up to condoms, which might break during sex.”

UMNEWS – New name reflects new programs

The Miami Hurricane
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To reflect programs it is incorporating and its increased interdisciplinary focus, the University of Miami School of Nursing has a new name: the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

The health science program, formerly administered by the College of Arts and Sciences, prepares students for a variety of health-related careers, from pharmacy and nutrition to health care administration, health policy and international health. Approximately 70 new students enroll in the health science program each year. The school’s new building, now under construction, will be known as the M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies.

“This expansion positions our School to educate the next generation of leaders in a variety of health care fields,” says Nilda Peragallo, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies. “Integrating the Health Science degree into our curricula will enable us to enrich the learning experience of all our students and propel our School to the next level of excellence in the education of health care leaders. We welcome UM’s Health Science students and look forward to providing them with a comprehensive, quality education.”

CALENDAR

The Miami Hurricane
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TODAY – Feb 15
The University of Miami Purchasing Department’s Cellular Vendor Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the University Breezeway at the UC. Representatives from various vendors such as Nextel, Sprint and Cingular will have informational booths.

“Preserving the Past”-Traditional African tales will be retold and reenacted by UM students for children of the community in the New Gallery at 4 p.m.

The tailgate party for men’s basketball vs. Wake Forest starts 5 p.m. outside the students’ entrance to the Convocation Center.

WEDNESDAY – Feb 16
The Commuter Student Luncheon will be from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in the Lewis Room at the Rathskeller. President Shalala will be joining the lunch and is interested in meeting with students to hear about their experiences.

The School of Law’s Center for Ethics and Public Service and the athletic department present “Winning with Integrity: Ethics, Academics and College Athletics” from 5 to 6:30 p.m in the lobby of the Whitten University Center.

THURSDAY – Feb 17
The tailgate party for women’s basketball vs. Maryland starts 5 p.m. outside the students’ entrance to the Convocation Center.

Career Expo will take place in the Wellness Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Representatives from a wide variety of companies & organizations will be on campus to share employment and internship opportunities with students. Professional dress is required.

Porn: a new angle

The Miami Hurricane
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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the question was posed: Has porn become the norm? On Thursday night, Michael Leahy, a recovering sex addict, addressed approximately 200 UM students at the Gusman Concert Hall about the effects of an ever-growing sex-saturated society.

“We are totally saturated with sexuality in our culture and yet nobody is talking about it,” Leahy said, introducing the scope of the discussion. “We are going to take a very close and personal look at the effects of the sexualization of our culture; not just pornography, but the pornographic attitudes, behaviors, and content that comes at us day to day.”

The format for the 90-minute multimedia presentation entitled “Porn Nation-The Naked Truth” included a series of seven- to 10-minute video conversations with advertisers, former sex addicts, counselors, psychologists and even an ex-Playboy Playmate, concerning how the media uses sex to sell and the unfortunate repercussions such actions have on those who watch. From its role in influencing the incidence of rape and eating disorders, porn, Leahy claims, affects women differently than men-for men it’s a means of arousal but for women it becomes an expectation.

“I learned through pornography basically that the value of a woman is based on the sum of her body parts, that women wanted to have sex all the time, and they were their to serve my purposes as a sex object and pleasure toll,” Leahy said, describing the perception he got from porn when he was addicted.

The problem Leahy finds today is that the message being sent and received hasn’t changed from when his addiction began 20 years ago. As a result, Leahy considers the impact technology is making on the availability of porn and the aim of the $12 billion-a-year porn industry in targeting women and couples, as the modern cause for the rise of “sex syndrome,” or as he defined it, “the increased compulsivity for pornographic material as a result of increased exposure.”

Following each video segment Leahy candidly revealed more and more about his personal struggle with sex addiction. He went from having married “the love of his life” and having children and a successful career in the information technology field to nearly committing suicide because he lost it all.

What saved Leahy? He described to those who remained after a four-minute intermission how he was able to build and solidify a spiritual relationship with Christ.

“I don’t know any way that I could possibly be where I am at today without giving my life over to God,” Leahy said.

Austin Gehm, freshman, who considers himself a “half sex addict,” attended the lecture and thought the overall message was positive, although he did not relate to the spiritual aspect of Leahy’s story. He said he would change the way he used porn and was not worried about the effects of porn use later in life.

“Heck no. I love watching porn and I’m pretty good at controlling stuff like that,” he said.

Others like senior Brady Bradshaw, a member of the Campus Crusade for Christ, the organization who sponsored the event, agreed strongly with the message.

“I don’t appreciate the media sexualizing me and making me feel like I have to look a certain way,” Bradshaw said.

For more information on the issues discussed, visit www.bravehearts.net, the website for the organization Leahy founded to help students build lives of sexual integrity. To participate in a sex survey to see if you exhibit behaviors related to sex addiction, visit www.mysexsurvey.com.

Paul Fajardo can be contacted at p.fajardo@umiami.edu.

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