U-WIRE) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Title IX experts said recommendations made Thursday by President Bush’s advisory commission could significantly weaken the federal law that determines gender equity in schools.
The Commission on Opportunity in Athletics’ 15 members recommended only mild changes to Title IX, the education act that prohibits gender discrimination in federally-funded public and private schools, after mulling over earlier this week two dozen proposals.
The panel voted 7-7 on a proposal allowing schools to have 50 percent male and 50 percent female athletes, regardless of student body makeup, to comply with Title IX. A proposal to eliminate Title IX’s “proportionality” requirement failed 11-4.
The commission, which met in Washington and only looked at sports, will send a report to U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige, who will consider changes. Only Congress can fundamentally change the law, but Paige can alter the way schools have to comply to it.
In a major decision, the panel struck down 11-4 a proposal to eliminate Title IX’s “first prong,” which requires universities to closely mirror the ratio of male and female athletics to the ratio of male and female students.
The panel also recommended not counting the number of overall athletes for compliance, but establishing a predetermined number of roster spots on each team. The panel also recommended to not count walk-on athletes and nontraditional athletes.
In addition, the commission voted 8-7 against proposing surveys to determine the interest in men’s and women’s sports for determining proportionality of genders.
IU kinesiology professor Phillip Henson, a former Olympic track and field director, said he would like to see interest in individual sports taken into account when determining the number of male and female athletes.
He added that non-revenue, men’s sports teams have been cut unfairly as schools try to comply with Title IX.
As for a solution to reaching proportionality, Henson said football players shouldn’t be counted because no women’s sport recruits as many players, tipping schools toward inequality.
Title IX requires federally funded schools to meet one of three “prongs” — the school’s male-female athlete ratio to be “substantially proportionate” to its male-female student ratio, to show continuing increase in opportunities for women, or to show that it is “fully and effectively” accommodating women’s interests and abilities.
Since Title IX’s inception, the number of women participating in college sports has increased fivefold from 1971 to 2002. But about 400 men’s college teams were eliminated during the 1990s.

The School of Architecture has been trying to build a new school for years, after a previous plan fell apart because a donor withdrew the donation promised to the school.
“The school has been planning this specific building for several years. Actually, when the School of Architecture moved into its current buildings, the intention was that these buildings would be temporary headquarters,” professor Joanna Lombard said. “So just about every student and faculty member associated with the School of Architecture has been waiting for the new building as long as we have been a School of Architecture.”
Jorge M. Perez, founder and CEO of The Related Group of Florida, a Miami-based real estate development company, and member of the University’s Board of Trustees, has donated $1.25 million to the UM School of Architecture. He has also committed to help raise the $250,000 needed from other supporters for the school.
“It’s always wonderful to give back to the community in which you live and work. It’s very exciting to participate in providing a learning center of this magnitude for the architectural students at the University of Miami, an institution I am very proud to be involved with,” said Perez.
“Mr. Perez has made significant contributions to this community, and as a member of the Board of Trustees and through the generous gift, he greatly enhances the quality of the University of Miami,” President Donna E. Shalala said.
The new architecture school will consist of an 8,600-square foot building designed by architect and urbanist Leon Krier. The building will provide a lecture hall for daily teaching, a gallery for exhibitions and a classroom with multi-media capabilities and will accommodate the school’s visiting lecturer’s program that brings celebrated architects to Miami for public presentations.
“Leon Krier is one of the leading architects of our era. He is an important thinker whose ideas have inspired much of the work that goes on here, so it is appropriate that he would design the first major building of the School of Architecture,” Lombard said.
“My hope, and one that is widely shared by generations of students and faculty, is that this building is the beginning of the rest of the School of Architecture.”
“When Elizabeth showed me the plans for the building, I fell in love with it,” Perez told a Miami Herald reporter. “It’s not a large building, but it really is a work of art. And I think a great school of architecture should have a great building.”
The school expects to break ground within one year. The new building will sit comfortably among its “quite graceful and minimalist” companions, said School of Architecture Dean Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.
“Mr. Perez continues to make his mark in urban development in South Florida,” said Plater-Zyberk. “The School of Architecture is honored to be part of his commitment to his community.”

Kathleen Fordyce can be contacted at K4Dice@aol.com

Top 5 Women’s Teams

1. Eaton’s Angels
2. Ghetto Girls from Eaton
2. Bad Girls from Mahoney
4. Women on Top from Stanford
5. PT Threesome from Hecht

Top 5 Men’s Teams

1. Shindig Samurai from Pearson
2. On Probation from Eaton
3. Backdraft from Pearson
4. The Fire Hose from Hecht
4. The Nancy Boys from Stanford
Final Results
1. Hecht.
2. Stanford
3. Eaton
4. Pearson
5. Mahoney
6. Apartment Area

Sportsmanship Award
Men’s: Spider 6 from Hecht
Women’s: PT Threesome from Hecht

Spirit Award
Men’s: Alpha Q from Stanford
Women’s: PT Threesome from Hecht

If you were on campus this past weekend, you may have noticed several interesting sights, including random people rowing in Lake Osceola, groups of screaming girls wearing matching t-shirts and a generally high energy level near the dorms.
You’re not crazy; these are simply the effects that UM’s annual Sportsfest competition has on residents.
“Our goal is for everyone to have a wonderful time playing together on their respective teams, cheering for their college and enjoying a fabulous weekend,” said Norm Parsons, Wellness Center director.
This past weekend was the 18th annual Sportsfest, a friendly competition between teams made up of students from the dorms and apartment area.
Only Hecht and Stanford were involved in the first Sportsfest in 1986. A new dorm was added to the mix each of the following three years until all residents were included.
There are 63 teams this year, each with its own self-defining, often sexually suggestive, name. Every year the sexual innuendoes seem to get more and more provocative.
This year, it has been said that the event should have been called “Sex Fest” instead of “Sportsfest” because of many of the teams’ names and the fact that many participants cut their T-shirts to be more revealing.
Among some of this year’s most obviously risque, albeit hilarious, names were Pearson’s “Fokers”; Mahoney’s “Bad Girls”; Eaton’s “The Well-Hunggarians”; Hecht’s “Homerun Hoochies,” “The Naked Nine,” and “MT Threesomes”; Stanford’s “Alpha Q,” “Fourplay,” “Nasty Trix” and “Yankmes.”
Other names included “Plumber’s Union,” “Ladies of Scum” and “Your Mom.”
Sportsfest is generally the same each year: teams compete against each other in sports events for the title of overall champion.
Events range from sports like football, basketball, volleyball and track and field to more outrageous: mystery events, board games and human bowling.
“Each year the student committee, residents from each college, puts their touch on Sportsfest by adjusting some of the events, tweaking the rules, deciding on awards, etc.,” Parsons said.
Scoring is done each year by Jimmy Orhberg, a former Sportsfest participant. Orhberg lives in Orlando, where he works at SeaWorld, but travels here each year to do the computerized scoring.
“Jimmy developed the scoring system,” Parsons said. “He’s an invaluable part of the event.”
Some students expressed concern about the canoe race in Lake Osceola because of the seven-foot crocodile that has recently made the lake its home.
“There’s no way I’m going into crocodile-infested waters,” said Jose Candelaria, a Hecht freshman.
However, a rescue boat stayed in the water for the entirety of the race, and no one spotted the crocodile.
Although Sportsfest is a friendly event, meant to encourage residents to interact with one another and develop a sense of community, some said teams became a little too serious about the competition.
Hecht and Stanford Residential Colleges have long been fierce competitors, especially after last year, when Hecht won the championship and broke Stanford’s 10-year winning streak.
“We’ll demonstrate good sportsmanship, but not at the expense of losing,” said Michelle Boyd, a resident assistant [RA] at Stanford.
Others weren’t so excited about the competition to begin with, but the enthusiasm seemed infectious.
“My RA bribed me into this with a free T-shirt,” said Jessica Solomon, a team captain. “It’s a lot of work, but the end result will be worth it.”
Overall the event is played in fun and everyone comes out a winner.
“Playing sports isn’t fun if it’s die hard,” said Shelly Steele, Solomon’s co-captain. “For our team, it’s about involvement and having a good time.”

Jacklyn Lisenby can be contacted at j.lisenby@umsis.miami.edu.

Rumors of an alligator living in Lake Osceola [Lake O] have been around for decades, and no one really knew if the stories and supposed eye-witness accounts were true.
Recently, however, the Miami Hurricane has discovered that a seven-foot American crocodile [not an alligator] has been in Lake O for the past three weeks and has been traveling through the Coral Gables waterways for over six months.
“This is a rare event – it’s the same as having a bald eagle on campus,” said Tim Regan, biologist for the Division of Wildlife of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “Enjoy it while you have it.”
According to experts, most Americans don’t know the difference between an alligator and a crocodile – for this reason, many are referring to the crocodile in the lake as a “croco-gator.”
Crocodiles are larger and more aggressive than alligators and have narrow, pointed snouts.
Alligators are darker with broader snouts.
According to Henry Christensen, director of Public Safety, UM administration has requested to remove the crocodile, but the state refused the request.
“We tried to get rid of it, but this type of crocodile is a protected endangered species,” Christensen said. “The only way we can remove it is through permission by the state.”
However, Christensen says that the state informed him that the crocodile is not dangerous and that they are relatively timid animals when it comes to interactions with humans.
“The state says there has never been a case of an American crocodile attacking a human being in the United States,” Christensen said.
Regan says that if crocodiles are removed from an area they like, they will usually end up wandering back.
According to Public Safety records, small alligators and manatees have periodically been spotted in the lake.
Usually, these animals migrate somewhere else or are removed by Pesky Critters, a company that specializes in removing dangerous animals from residences, businesses and other areas where the animals pose a threat to people.
“We get calls about alligators and crocodiles every blue moon,” said Dedrick Watson, telecommunications officer for Public Safety. “They don’t really hurt anybody.”
“I was walking around the lake one afternoon when a Public Safety officer, who was patrolling the campus, pointed out to me in the middle of the lake an alligator,” said Sarah Artecona, assistant vice-president for Media Relations. “I would estimate it was about 4 feet in length. I barely saw it, but it came up and skimmed the surface and then went back down.”
Some are fond of the animal and think it is a welcomed addition to the renovations going on around campus.
“I think he should become our new mascot,” junior Evelyn Vilaboy said.
Most students, however, see the crocodile for what it is: a wild, cold-blooded predator.
“The best way to escape a crocodile is to run in zig-zags because it gets them dizzy and they can’t chase you because their legs aren’t built that way,” junior Lauren Kellner said.
“My biggest concern is that people are going to have a few too many [drinks] and get a little ‘liquid courage’ in them and start playing crocodile hunter,” said Todd Hardwick, owner of Pesky Critters. “If someone gets hurt, no one’s really going to ask the crocodile what happened.”
“Crocs are cool, but not in our lake,” junior Grace Dyjak said. “I can hear it now: ‘Oh, how cute; look at the little croc in the pathway.’ Yeah, right!”
“I haven’t noticed too many ducks lately,” said Rachel Williams, a Coral Gables resident who frequents the lake. “In fact, I think I’m going to be keeping my kids away from here for a while.”

The Miami Hurricane will continue to investigate popular urban legends at UM through the month of February.

For suggestions of urban legends to be researched, please contact Jorge Arauz, News Editor, at xxarauzxx@yahoo.com.

TODAY
Atlanta Public Schools will be conducting on-campus interviews.For information, and to submit your resume if you qualify, log on to CaneTRAK at www.miami.edu/toppel or call Toppel Career Center at 305-284-5451.

Join A Week For Life and watch a movie in the I-Lounge at 8 pm. For more information, call 284-GIVE. Refreshments will be served.

Save a life by becoming a blood donor. The Wellness Center will hold a blood drive from 4 – 9 p.m. in the atrium. For more information, call the Wellness Suite at 305-284-5433.

Come see Brown Sugar starring Mos Def, Queen Latifah and Taye Diggs, in the Cosford Theater at 8 and 10 p.m. Free for students; just bring your Cane Card.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 5
The School of Business Administration invites you to attend the 2003 Northern Trust Lecture Series at 7 p.m. in the Storer Auditorium. The lecture will feature Jeffrey L. Bleustein, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc., who will speak on Celebrating Freedom, Adventure and Individual Expression: 100 Years of Tradition. The lecture will be followed by dessert. R.S.V.P to 305-284-2875 or eventsmanagement @miami.edu.

Missing Students: Columbine Revisited presents the Untold Story. Come hear about the extraordinary life of Rachel Scott. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. in Gusman Auditorium and is free to everybody.

A Week for Life continues with a speaker: A Boy, A Girl, A Virus, and the Relationship that Happened Anyway, at 7 p.m. in the Mahoney/Pearson classrooms. A reception will follow in Dr. Moore’s apartment at 8:30 p.m.

Join PRSSA for their first general meeting of the semester at 6 p.m. in the UC ballroom B. Come find out about their semester plans and membership.

Sigma Gamma Lambda hosts an informational session at 8 p.m. for all interested at the Rathskeller in the Lewis Room. For information, contact ProudlyStand@yahoogroups.com.

The Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies presents the eighth annual Futernick Family Lecture: What is the Most Difficult Mitzvah to Keep? by Rabbi Jack Riemer; author, editor, lecturer and former Senior Rabbi – Beth David Congregation. The lecture is from 8 -10 p.m. at UM Miller Center, 105 Merrick. It is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information or to R.S.V.P. contact 305-284-6882.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 6

Join A Week for Life at a Candlelight Vigil at the Merrick Fountain at 8 p.m. For more information, call 284-GIVE.

Hurricane Productions invites you to stop by the patio in the UC to hear Project O play from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

The Department of Multicultural Student Affairs presents “Access Granted,” at 4 p.m. in the UC ballrooms. Access Granted is an open forum for black students to discuss issues affecting the black student community at UM. Special guests from the black faculty and staff will dialogue with students and address issues on campus and in the South Florida community. For information or to RSVP contact MSA at 305-284-2855. Refreshments will be provided.

The Vice Provost and College of Arts and Sciences Dean James H. Wyche and the Interdisciplinary Studies faculty invite you to an open house and dedication of the Reshefsky Family Seminar Room at 4:30 p.m. on the Dooley Memorial Building patio, in front of room 125. For information, call 305-284-2017.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7

Attention all graduating seniors: the deadline to apply for May graduation is today. Applications must be done through the EASY system.

Applications are due for Kids N’ Culture classroom instructors. The time commitments are Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 3 a.m. Applications are available at the VSC in UC 241.

On Saturday, Feb. 1, space shuttle Columbia plummeted to Earth in flames. Aboard were 7 astronauts: Commander Rick Husband, an Air Force colonel from Amarillo, TX; Pilot William McCool, a Navy test pilot; Payload Commander Michael Anderson, who had traveled to Russia’s Mir space station in 1998; Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, an engineer who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s; Mission Specialist David Brown, a Navy jet pilot as well as a doctor; Mission Specialist Laural Clark, a diving medical officer aboard submarines; and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space.
During a recently televised conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Ramon said, “I call upon every Jew in the world to plant a tree in the land of Israel during the coming year. I would like to see at least 13 or 14 million new trees planted in Israel exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the launching”. Officials with The Jewish National Fund (JNF) accepted the challenge immediately by planting trees in honor of Ramon, whose first name means “tree”. To plant your tree in Israel in honor of Ilan Ramon and the rest of the Columbia crew, call 800-542-TREE or visit www.jnf.org.

Come attend The Second COOL Summit on Learning the Lessons from Social Movements, co-sponsored by Campus Compact, Florida Compact, Florida Campus Compact and Miami-Dade Community College. This event will take place Feb. 21-23 at Miami-Dade Community College, Wolfson Campus. It’s a great way to build relationships and learn with 200-250 student activists and leaders, faculty, non-profit professionals and others. The registration fee of $40 includes all meals. For more information and to register, go to: www.floridacompact.org or contact the Butler Volunteer Services Center at 305-284-GIVE.

Attention Sophomores: The Nu Kappa Tau chapter of Mortar Board is proud to announce their second annual Golden Torch Scholarship for Sophomore Leadership. This scholarship recognizes an outstanding sophomore who has exhibited the principals of Mortar Board: leadership, scholarship and service. The sophomore selected will receive a scholarship in the amount of $500 at the end of the Spring 2003 semester. Students applying must be of sophomore standing (30-60 credits); exhibit exemplary leadership, scholarship and service; and submit a complete application, with at least one letter of reference. Applications are available in the Academic Development Center, UC room 201, and are due no later than Friday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.

Join Black Awareness Month for the Harlem Renaissance Royal Ball at the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel on Feb. 15 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Prizes will be awarded for best dressed. Tickets are on sale now in the breezeway from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $22 the week of the ball.

It happened early Saturday morning.
“I was shocked. I woke up to watch cartoons but all I saw was these pictures of objects falling through the sky – I didn’t know what was going on,” freshman Melissa Soule said.
“I was sleeping when my mom called and woke me up,” sophomore Sarah Hunts said. “She told me to turn on the TV and there it was.”
“I was shocked when I heard the news,” sophomore Kristy Curtis said. “At first I was really worried that it had been terrorism or something.”
“I hope that this doesn’t end the whole space program because it is so amazing,” Curtis said.
For many, the Columbia tragedy stirred up memories of the Challenger Expedition disaster on Jan. 28, 1986.
“I was only five years old when it happened, so I don’t remember the Challenger, but my mom was almost in tears because it brought back so many memories,” junior Tim Wheaton said. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to experience this twice.”
“I remember the Challenger; it was such a heart-wrenching time,” Mary Ann Stein, a Coral Gables resident, said. “I think that it’s harder now though, just because it brings up all of the old memories.”
On board the space shuttle Columbia were seven crew-members.
Commander Rick Husband was married and a father of two. He had wanted to be an astronaut since he was in fourth grade.
Pilot William McCool was married and had three children. He described his first trip into space as “beyond imagination.”
Payload commander Michael Anderson was married and had two children. He was proud to be one of only a handful of black astronauts.
A former circus performer and gymnast, Mission Specialist David Brown told his parents how beautiful the earth is from space, comparing it to an IMAX movie.
Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in space, had dreamed of going to the moon since she was a little girl.
Mission Specialist Laurel Clark was married and a mother of two. In a recent radio interview from Columbia she discussed the beauty of life, calling it a “magical thing.”
Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space, was married and had four children. With him, he had brought a drawing by a 14-year-old boy who had died in a Nazi concentration camp. The picture was of Earth as the boy had imagined it would be from space.
“I can’t imagine what the families must be feeling,” freshman Ken White said. “They were waiting at the space center for them to land. Then they heard the news.”
“I was listening to the radio and Power 96 has decided not to have DJs this weekend – they said it’s because they don’t feel right laughing and having fun,” White continued. “I think that’s really cool – you know, it shows how many people have been affected.”
For some students, their childhood dreams of being an astronaut take on a whole new meaning.
“I remember when I was little I wanted to be an astronaut,” Wheaton said. “I thought it would be cool to walk on the moon or something. This just makes me realize that it is so much more than that.”
As the investigation into this tragedy continues, people should be reminded to try to look toward the future in a positive manner.
“As bad as it may sound, I’m glad that they got to go to space,” freshman Joseph Lakes said. “So many people dream of being an astronaut, and their dreams actually came true.
“It must have been beautiful to see the world from space.”

Leigha Taber can be contacted at l.taber@umiami.edu.