In the words of Henry Miller, “The aim of life is to live and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” Point being, living life and being aware of your surroundings, other people’s emotions, or the plain beauty of a sunny day in Miami, should be a top priority. Free your mind and take in the sights, the sounds, and the effects of being aware of truly living life every minute of the day.
Weighty Problems for Dieters
While this is college, the land of late-night munchies, weekend binge drinking, and all-you-can-eat dining halls, this is also Miami, where “thin” has always been “in” and bathing suit season is year-round. For every student leaving the dinner line with heaping plates of pasta, pizza, and burgers, there is another taking puny portions of lettuce leaves or hollowing out a bagel with a spoon in hopes of preventing the “freshman 15.” What many people don’t know is that their diets and extended workouts may be responsible for increased weight problems.
The medical community long ago linked dieting to eating disorders and extreme weight loss: Most individuals (women in particular) that suffer from anorexia or bulimia first acquired problems while dieting to lose five pounds. However, recent studies suggest dieting itself might cause weight gain: One study of teenage girls found frequent dieters gained two pounds per year more than girls who did not diet at all.
We are a culture that applauds weight loss, regardless of how it’s accomplished, whether it’s through diet pills, “low-carbs” or downright starvation. In fact, our culture is so obsessed with shedding pounds that Americans pay between 40 to 50 billion dollars a year to the diet industry. And college students are no exception. A whopping 91 percent of women surveyed on college campuses have attempted to manage their weight through “dieting” an attempt to keep with the trend of the beautifully endowed.
The average dieter has a wide range of regiments to choose from, each providing detailed instructions regarding meal plans, snacking, and exercise:
Atkins requires high protein and low carbohydrate intake.
The South Beach Diet promotes a high protein intake and argues the difference between “good” fats and carbs to “bad” ones.
Pritikin requires strict adherence to a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
Ornish claims that one can “eat more and weigh less” by focusing on a diet centered upon high fibers and lowered fats.
Weight Watchers, which is based primarily on portion control, allows the dieter to eat whatever he or she may like, but in a reasonable amount.
However, research reveals the results in weight loss are nearly identical for every brand-name diet.
Experts say it is possible to avoid weight gain without either starving oneself or completely altering eating habits. Nutritionists advise people to monitor liquid calories, especially those in sodas, juices, smoothies, and alcohol. Late-night snacking is acceptable if the munchies are healthy. Pizza is fine, but be smart about your toppings and limit your portions. Lastly, exercise whenever you can. Take the stairs as opposed to the elevator. Take a walk instead of a drive. If the treadmill gets boring, take an aerobics class, which is much more interactive, and if you can’t make it to the gym, try doing a few easy exercises at home.
So rather than going to the extremes and participating in die-hard dieting making life and an obsession with appearance a constant stress, eat smart, work out, and don’t forget to indulge every once in a while.
Nicky Zailcka can be contacted at n.zailcka@umiami.edu.
American Apparel: Starting a Movement in Fashion
Vertically integrated, exceptionally efficient and extremely popular, American Apparel (AA) and its sweatshop-free clothing line is the new face of apparel production.
Founded by Senior Partner Dov Charney, American Apparel is a garment company committed to producing quality products while maintaining a healthy environment for its workers, maximizing recycling, and producing all products on American soil. The only garment company of it’s size that doesn’t rely on outsourcing, everything is produced in the factory in downtown L.A.
The largest garment factory in the United States, as a company that mass-produces almost 250,000 t-shirts a day, the business model of American Apparel is almost surreal. Youth driven and completely vertically integrated, every part of production occurs in the 800,000 square-foot L.A. factory, excluding dying which occurs in local dying houses.
Combined with incredible efficiency of production, American Apparel’s workers are treated with the utmost care. Paid between $14 and $15 dollars an hour, every AA worker has access to an ATM card, free health clinic referrals, dental insurance at $1 per week, and a free, regular on-site massage if necessary. Unlike overseas counter parts, American Apparel is not a sweatshop but instead a healthy and environmentally safe atmosphere where workers are treated as people and not just laborers. As added care, English classes are offered to any workers whose first language is not English in addition to over 60 hours of training a year to make sure that every worker has the best in training.
As American Apparel’s mission statement says, “We are trying to rediscover the essence of classic products like the basic t-shirt, once an icon of Western culture and freedom. Our goal is to make garments that people love to wear without having to rely on cheap labor.” It is exactly this goal that American Apparel is accomplishing with more speed everyday. Listed as the fastest growing company for consumer apparel in the U.S., AA reaped more profits than both Gildan and Fruit of the Loom in 2001, brands that used to be America’s classics.
Although American Apparel’s products are slightly more pricey than their competitors, stretch baby rib or loop terry cotton fabrics are worth the few extra bucks. Nevermind that American Apparel has over 40 different colors to choose from and a variety of styles of apparel, ranging from tees to panties for women, boxers for men, and one piece jammers for babies.
If that isn’t enough to convince you that AA is the future of efficient business, the environmentally addicted don’t have to fret because American Apparel has debuted the Sustainable Edition, a line of apparel made with 100% USDA Certified Organic Cotton in lieu of directing attention to the use of pesticides during cotton cultivation. This new line of garments offers the six most popular consumer styles and blatantly promotes the political movement that American Apparel is subtly supporting.
Simply stated, “American Apparel is striving to pioneer a political movement of human rights.” Join American Apparel’s movement for better business, better quality products, and equality of all workers, by supporting the product. Who doesn’t like a good cotton tee anyways?
Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.
American Apparel
American Apparel is the largest stocked T-Shirt company is the United States.
Retailers around the world include stores in L.A., Montreal, New York, Toronto, Portland, London, Frankfurt, and Berlin. To our excitement, American Apparel will be sharing the softest cotton with Miami, opening a location in Lincoln Road.
720 Lincoln Rd.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Hours to be announced!
Volleyball sweeps Florida State
It seems that Miami has Florida State’s number in sports this year. First, it was the football team with its unbelievable victory a few weeks ago. On Friday, the volleyball team destroyed the Seminoles in three games at the Knight Sports Complex.
Playing in their first ever ACC match, the ‘Canes didn’t look like a team that was picked as an underdog in their initial home match of the year. They were able to dominate Florida State in just about every aspect of the match.
Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch agreed that the victory wasn’t a bad way to start off play in the ACC.
“That was a great start to conference play for us,” Welch said. “I knew they would come in pumped up to play Florida State, and it showed with the way that we were able to execute.”
Everyone chipped in for Miami on a night where it defeated the Seminoles 30-28, 31-29, and 30-24 in front of a crowd of 788. Senior Valeria Tipiana led the Hurricanes with 22 kills, while sophomore Jill Robinson added 53 assists. The all-around production was critical to the ‘Canes winning their third straight match.
With the victory, Miami and Florida State have traded wins with each other the last four times they have met. In game one, the Hurricanes dominated in the early going with kills from Tipiana and junior Karla Johnson, as well as a block from red-shirt freshman Ciara Michel. The ‘Noles were able to make a game out of it and draw close, but the Hurricanes finally put them away with another Tipiana kill.
Game two proved to be a lot more competitive as Florida State led throughout, only to see Miami tie the score at 25. The Seminoles then had a game point opportunity after they reeled off four straight to take a 29-26 lead. But with the help of a self destructing Florida State offense, the ‘Canes were able to take five straight points and the second game 31-29.
In the third game, the Hurricanes were able to control the tempo once again and hold their rival to a .132 hitting percentage, as they won the game decisively, 30-24. Besides the excellent blocking up front, Miami was able to tally 50 digs, including a season high 22 for senior Jamie Grass.
After being swept last season in Tallahassee, Welch never thought the team would be able to do the same against the Seminoles, especially considering how competitive the ACC is.
“In this stage in the ACC, you never think you are going to sweep three games,” Welch said. “I was very pleasantly surprised to take the first three against a quality team like Florida State.”
After a couple of road matches this week, Miami returns home Friday night to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. Welch said she feels the team will still be riding on the Florida State high.
“This win gives us confidence and we’re excited to defeat a team who was picked to finish ahead of us in the standings,” Welch said. “We have one ACC team down, and now we can look forward to the next opponent.”
Douglas Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu.
REPORT CARD
Offense: C-
The running game looked sharp, but throwing for less than 100 yards against Houston is downright inexcusable.
Quarterback: D-
Head Coach Larry Coker has been the staunchest defender of Brock Berlin, but even he criticized the senior signal-caller after his abysmal performance Thursday night.
Running Back: B+
Tyrone Moss feasted on the defenses of Houston and Louisiana Tech and is running the ball with a vengeance. Frank Gore is battling a sore knee, but is it imperative that he gets healthy for Georgia Tech.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C+
Nine different receivers caught passes for the Hurricanes, but the leading receiver, Roscoe Parrish, had only three catches for 26 yards. Someone needs to step up in this unit and make plays for Berlin.
Offensive Line: B-
The o-line was solid in its run blocking, but Berlin was sacked five times, which is uncharacteristic of a Miami quarterback. Granted, Berlin ran into a few sacks himself, but the o-line needs to do a better job of pass protecting.
Defense: B+
The defense finally proved that it is indeed human as the Hurricanes gave up their first offensive touchdown of the season. However, the unit still only gave up one score, which came after a Berlin fumble gave the Cougars great field position.
Defensive Line: B+
Baraka Atkins broke the game open with his fumble return, and it is fun to watch that big guy motor down the field. The rest of the line did a decent job of dealing with some weird Houston formations.
Linebackers: B
Most of the big plays have come from the d-line or the secondary, so the linebackers don’t get much publicity. Roger McIntosh and the gang are quietly doing a formidable job making fans forget about Jon Vilma and D.J. Williams, however.
Secondary: B
There weren’t any huge plays from the secondary, which is surprising, but Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb did not exactly test them either, which is not surprising.
Special Teams: A
This unit looks worlds different from last year, as players are blocking kicks, making vicious tackles and winning the field position battle.
Coaching: B
Kudos to Coker for finally showing some frustration with his inept passing game. We’re not asking you to bash your starting quarterback. We just want to know that you realize how poor our offense has looked this season and that it cannot continue.
compiled by Eric Kalis
Offense must shape up for Hurricanes
When the clock hit 0:00 in Houston, reality set in. Despite a 38-13 Hurricanes victory, Brock Berlin had passed for just 99 yards against a Houston team that lost to Rice.
Berlin’s 13-for-23, 99-yard effort was far from impressive. The Hurricanes did win, but the offense was rather pathetic for the third straight game. Berlin admittedly struggled; in fact, even Head Coach Larry Coker noticed. After the game, Coker said he was very disappointed in the passing game and that the Hurricanes did not get much at all from it. He said they needed to work on it.
The question becomes: Is it possible for the passing game to improve? Berlin’s struggles are combined with wide receivers that cannot get open and when they do, can’t catch the ball. The combination of a struggling quarterback and perhaps a worse wide receiver corps makes the passing offense’s future look very bleak.
This was Houston the Hurricanes were playing, not FSU or Virginia Tech. To struggle offensively against FSU can be explained by citing a high level of competition. To struggle offensively against a Houston team that couldn’t beat Rice cannot be explained.
This 38-13 win was a lot closer than it looked. In fact, it was alarmingly close. The Hurricanes’ defense and special teams scored twice, once on a blocked punt and the other on a fumble return for a touchdown. If you take away those 14 points, this is a 24-13 game. Also, Houston was in the Hurricanes’ red zone five times and came away with just 13 points in those five trips. The Houston offense had more total yards than Miami (287 to 279). In other words, Houston’s offense did better against Miami’s defense than Miami’s offense did against Houston’s defense.
This was a game that the Hurricanes should have won 48-0. Houston is another Louisiana Tech type of team, a team that Miami should have no trouble with. But UM struggled mightily on offense and even the stellar defense looked vulnerable.
I know Miami won the game and maybe I am being overly critical. However, did Miami look like a team that can win the national title? I don’t think so. The offense has been unimpressive in all three games. It hardly ever has a real drive, and the only time it scored was when the defense got them the ball in good field position. Look at their scoring summary in the Houston game: The first touchdown was scored on a blocked punt. The second was a Frank Gore touchdown run, but the drive lasted eight plays gaining 31 yards. The third scoring drive was eight plays for 54 yards, with a Tyrone Moss touchdown run. After another defensive score, the final scoring drive was four-plays for 33-yards, capped off by a Moss touchdown run.
So basically, its longest scoring drive was 54 yards, and the others were all less than 35 yards. While you can’t blame the offense for getting good field position, anytime it gets the ball with the length of the field to drive, it comes up short. This offense has not shown an ability to win a game. Therefore, the Hurricanes are going to try to win the national title riding the coattails of their defense and hoping the offense just doesn’t make mistakes.
Darren Grossman can be contacted at d.grossman@umiami.edu.
‘Canes defeat Houston despite offense
Tyrone Moss had a career-high 148-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns and special teams came up with big plays as No. 4 Miami (3-0) blew out Houston 38-13 at Reliant Stadium.
Tavares Gooden recovered Anthony Reddick’s blocked punt in the end zone for the Hurricanes’ first score, and Baraka Atkins scored on a 58-yard fumble return to help the ‘Canes cruise to the easy victory.
The defense had a strong game but allowed its first touchdown of the season when Houston (1-3) quarterback Kevin Kolb scrambled for a six-yard score late in the first half. Kolb went 11-for-28 for 153 yards and was able to cause problems for the vaunted Hurricane defense.
The Cougars were led by tailback Ryan Gilbert, who gained 88 yards on 26 carries.
A continuing problem for the Hurricanes has been the passing game, as quarterback Brock Berlin struggled mightily, going 13-for-23 for 99 yards with five sacks.
Head Coach Larry Coker openly criticized Berlin for the first time this season.
“We have to pass better,” Coker told The Miami Herald. “Under 100 yards passing and five sacks are not going to get it done, so we need to improve there.”
After Reddick blocked the aforementioned punt to stake Miami to a 7-0 lead, Berlin had an opportunity to connect with a wide-open Sinorice Moss, but the ball was severely overthrown. Coker was outspoken about this missed opportunity.
“You have to make that play,” Coker told The Herald. “Again, the first play was a good call and it was well executed. There was just no pass and catch and that’s the fundamental part of it. It’s a junior high play. If we make that play we’re in good position to go and score a touchdown early. We just didn’t do it.”
After Gooden’s touchdown, Frank Gore scored on a four-yard run to give the ‘Canes a 14-0 lead. Moss added a one-yard run in the beginning of the second quarter to make it a 21-point game.
The two teams traded field goals and Kolb scored his touchdown at the end of the half to make the score 24-10 as both teams headed to their locker rooms.
Kolb’s touchdown was set up by a Berlin fumble, which left Coker visibly frustrated.
“A fifth-year senior quarterback cannot give the opponent a touchdown before the half,” Coker told The Herald. “You never like to go into halftime on the negative end of momentum. That’s totally a foolish play we can’t have.'”
Atkins basically put the game out of reach with his fumble return, making the score 31-10 with 9:03 left in the third. Houston would add another field goal and Moss would score a five-yard touchdown to finish the scoring.
While the outcome was never in doubt, the game left fans wondering if the Hurricanes can truly win their sixth national championship with the lack of offensive production shown in the first three games. Coker told The Herald that he thinks a full week of practice will help his team get into a rhythm before it travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech next Saturday.
“I’m glad we didn’t pass for 100 yards,” Coker joked. “It gives us something to do this week.”
Eric Kalis can be contacted at e.kalis@umiami.edu.
Cancel classes for the sake of education
Debate week has finally arrived. Despite all the headaches, in the end, it will finally pay off when the student body has this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel the excitement of American politics as all the major networks setup shop on campus for live political discussion, and the school puts on a first-rate series of events throughout the day, leading up to the big show that evening. I plan on taking full advantage of this chance to enjoy all the work that my fellow students, this University and I have done, as long as it doesn’t take place anytime between 8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
From what I understand, the decision not to cancel classes this Thursday is final. However, I must voice my concern that doing this is only going to ruin opportunities for the student body to get involved with politics, while certainly doing nothing to help increase student political awareness any further than all the other events would.
For example, CNN has planned an entire day of live broadcasts from the UC Patio. We’re talking about shows like Crossfire, Inside Politics, and Wolf Blitzer Reports. These are shows that have helped foster and feed my love for politics. Yet, when I finally have the opportunity to participate and see these shows live, I have to choose between my weather forecasting class and Crossfire.
On top of the CNN broadcasts, the C-SPAN School Bus will be open during a time when many students will be in class, as well as the panel discussion, “Covering the Campaign,” which is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., something I won’t be able to attend. We even had this problem two weeks ago with the “9/11 and the Presidential Election” panel discussion, where, apparently, turnout was relatively low, almost entirely due to its time, 1:45 p.m.
I do understand that, due to the large number of events, it would be impossible to schedule all of them in the evening before the debate, and I also know that we are at the University of Miami to learn, first and foremost. Yet, I can’t help but be disappointed that this educational opportunity is going to pass the students by, while we all still have to deal with traffic, parking and security problems.
It’s unfair that the students have to choose between their classes and getting involved. It’s hypocritical to emphasize the importance of politics and then throw a slew of obstacles in the way of taking advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. And it’s unjust to waste all of the hard work our university’s employees have done by having low student turnout at the events.
Luke Kosar can be contacted at l.kosar@umiami.edu
How the war in Iraq will win the war on terror
Since Sept. 11, one of the biggest questions flooding our political debate has been how best to win the war on terror. Many people have a problem with the way that President Bush is trying to win this war. The focus of these complaints revolves around the war in Iraq. I will explain to you how the war in Iraq will win the war on terror.
In order to win the war on terror we must understand why the part of the world that breeds terrorists hates America so deeply. All of those living in Middle Eastern countries look at America and see how prosperous and wealthy we are. They see our tremendous buildings and our luxury houses. They see our influence in the world, and our unprecedented military sophistication. Because of the proud and dominant history of the Arabian Peninsula, Middle Easterners are enraged to see our society far more prosperous than theirs. Using the tool of state controlled media, many Arab and Muslim leaders deflect all this anger and rage toward America and Israel. These leaders have engrained in the hearts and minds of their people that it is America’s fault that we are so successful while they continue to live in misery.
The truth is that these Middle Eastern countries are so far behind the Western world because of the tyranny and oppression that has engulfed the region. No country can prosper, and no American will be safe, until these governments are accountable to their people. In this world of order, everyone must be held accountable for their actions. If I commit a crime, I go to jail. If you don’t study for an exam, you get a bad grade, and if the government does not act according to the desires of its citizens, it will be replaced. When Jimmy Carter acted cowardly during the Iran hostage crises, he was held accountable. When George H.W. Bush did not follow through with a campaign promise, he was held accountable. And when Saddam Hussein stole billions of dollars from his people, and murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens, he must be held accountable! Middle Eastern leaders must act according to the desires of their citizens, not themselves. Otherwise, Middle Eastern countries will never progress and they will slip further into the pit of hatred and intolerance and terrorism will never end.
When Iraq becomes a vibrant, functional democracy, its elected officials will act according to the desires of its constituents. A country such as Iraq, with a highly educated population and tremendous natural resources, will become a successful, prosperous, and wealthy first world country in due time. When this happens, the secret will be out. It is not America that is holding the Middle East back. It is the tyrannical dictators that make the populations suffer for their own personal benefit. And that will be the first and most difficult step to achieving a free, prosperous, and peaceful Middle East.
David Abroms can be contacted at d.abroms@umiami.edu.
The Dalai Lama didn’t really speak to students
I was one of those lucky enough to attend the speaking of the Dalai Lama, and it really was a unique opportunity. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but walk away disappointed.
Before readers start getting angry with me, allow me to say that yes, he really is a peaceful, warm, genuine person. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who is as affable, honest, and relaxed before such a massive audience. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have heard him.
I just wished he had really spoken to us. Yes, he spoke of peace, of the futility of violence, of how we are not alone in the world, and how the future was looking brighter. He spoke simply, honestly, and it all made sense. Mostly, because it was all things that we knew, things we had either heard before or figured out on our own.
Whenever I ask someone what they thought about it, I always get the same basic answers: how he radiated peace, how they want to give him a hug, etc. When I ask if they think that maybe he was dumbing it down for us, people shrug and say that it was expected, that there are plenty of college students who are too shallow or too dumb to think of these things for themselves.
That bothers me. I want to meet these mystical dumb, shallow students that everyone looks down upon and are such a great majority that the Dalai Lama had to hold back. I want to meet that elusive student that had never thought that maybe, just maybe, violence was not the answer.
Some people argue that yes, it was a simple message, but we needed to hear it again. Why, because he said it? That’s not right. He may be a great man, but the message should be greater. This is a message that should matter to us no matter who speaks it, be it the Dalai Lama or not. He tells us he is but a humble monk, but I’m not sure if people really listen.
I honestly believe he was holding back and not saying all that he truly wished to say. Not only did he stick to the basics, much as he might with a child, but at times he was even evasive. When it came to the war in Iraq, he gave no real opinion.
I understand why he did what he did, in front of thousands of young Americans. He gave us the only thing he could, his example. I just wish he had felt that he could really share his wisdom with us, and I hope someday I get the chance to truly hear him speak.
Endre Enyedy can be contacted at e.enyedy@umiami.edu.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR RE: “Conservatives want to get back to the good old days,” 9/24
RE: “Conservatives want to get back to the good old days,” 9/24
Patrick Gibbons’ column stands as astounding evidence of the battle that conservative students face every day on college campuses.
As President of Advocates for Conservative Thought (ACT), I contacted The Hurricane about our Conservative Awareness Week (CAW), and in response, I was interviewed by reporter Courtney Patton on Monday, Sept. 20. Courtney and I talked for over an hour about CAW, the issues we were tackling, and what it means to be conservative. As a result, Courtney wrote a factually-based article titled, “ACT gets vocal on the issues.” This article, however, was only shown in the online version of the paper and not included in the printed edition. Instead, The Hurricane decided to include an opinion piece by Mr. Gibbons that was erroneous, disturbing, and irresponsible.
Mr. Gibbons’ article column contradicts ACT’s message and is an example of an uneducated hatred for the conservative philosophy.
Unlike Courtney, Mr. Gibbons did not talk to ACT to hear about CAW. Yet, his article was somehow found to be qualified to be included in the paper. In the piece, he makes assumptions of what it means to be a conservative, without taking the time to hear what conservative students really think.
Mr. Gibbons delivers a message of hate, while ACT’s intentions are to inform and educate the UM community. In an act that is beyond reproach, especially considering that there are members of ACT who are Jewish, Mr. Gibbons makes a comment comparing ACT to Nazis at the conclusion of his article. I fear Mr. Gibbons may have thought his comment to be clever; however, it was undoubtedly one made out of ignorance.
To foster the type of hatred that Mr. Gibbons was clearly trying to induce in his article is reprehensible, and I think The Hurricane needs to take into account its responsibility as a source of information and thoughtful opinion to the UM community.
I encourage readers interested in factual information to log on to www.thehurricaneonline.com and read the article titled “ACT gets vocal on the issues” to hear what ACT’s Conservative Awareness Week was really about.
Sarah Canale
President, Advocates for Conservative Thought
RE: “Hip-hop culture is rapping against American ideals.” 9/21
Kudos to Don Donelson for writing what a lot of people think, but are afraid to say, when it comes to rap music. I agree with most everything he wrote and have a few things to add myself.
Yes, hip-hop is a multi-billion dollar industry. To me, that’s just a sad commentary on our society. I’ve seen many interviews with Russell Simmons, and he’s no rocket scientist…he was just the first one to mass-produce the genre. People talk about the “political voice” the industry has, but where’s the credibility? Is it Al Sharpton leading the way to some riot or protest that involves reverse discrimination?
Hip-hop advocates also talk about the “positive” side of hip-hop, but what about all the infernal idiots who scream unintelligible lyrics into the mike about “get rich, quick fix” schemes involving crime, thugs and anti-social behavior? Why don’t they mention that aspect of the industry?
They’d probably say, “Well, white people just don’t understand the music.” No, we don’t struggle to understand the music, we probably struggle to understand why it must be accompanied by the violence, degradation and disrespect towards women (“bitches and hos”) and the overall negative message it sends to the young, black listeners. Other than Bill Cosby, where are the black community leaders (nationally and locally) who should be standing up and denouncing this behavior?
Maybe instead of the artists talking about “bling-bling, mofo,” they can address some real issues in their music.
Nah, that wouldn’t sell very many albums, would it?
Barry Landesman
Class of 1984
Editorial A whine-free campus
Although the majority of UM students has been embracing and enjoying the intense debate experience thus far, some have made it their business to engage in complaining marathons. Given the invaluable opportunity we have to experience a presidential debate firsthand, this griping is unacceptable.
Stop fussing over having to wear green UM lanyards with our ‘Cane cards attached to them. Wearing identification is no big deal and requires minimal effort. In fact, many of us were used to this practice in high school, and we’ll most likely have to comply with it again in the future. Requiring identification is an essential security measure that only lasts four days. And, being concerned about a possible “negative fashion statement” is ridiculous. Fashion ought to be the last thing on our minds this week.
Stop complaining about the Wellness Center closing. Oh, we love our first-class gym, and it’s vital to maintain an exercise routine, but the Wellness Center is one of the reasons why we have the Presidential Debate on campus – had we not had it to use as a media filing center, we may not have been eligible to host the event. Plus, the Wellness Center has done its best to provide students with as many services as possible in spite of its closing, rescheduling yoga and aerobics classes in the UC Ballrooms for the time being. And, if you miss the treadmill, there’s a simple solution: Jog outdoors (hurricane permitting, of course)!
Stop whining about parking. This may be the biggest inconvenience stemming from the debate, considering that the parking on campus (or lack thereof) was already problematic before this event brought along numerous lot closures. Since last week, commuters in particular have had to deal with increased traffic and parking quite a hike away from class in the grass lots – grass that turns into mud with the frequent rain. Despite this hassle, we should keep putting our game faces on and dealing with it, showing what good sports we are (well, at least off the football field!).
Finally, stop protesting about midterms. It’s unfortunate that debate week coincides with one-third of the way through the semester, which means that many of us will not be able to attend some events due to exams. Professors should have foreseen this and postponed their tests until next week. However, it’s too late to do anything about it now. Syllabi are set in stone and the University decided against canceling classes because it wants students on campus as much as possible to live and breathe politics. Groaning won’t get us anywhere.
Let’s ignore these trifling problems and just be appreciative for a few days. All in all, it’s exciting to juggle class with debate volunteering, attending special events, and absorbing the excitement around us. We’ll be missing it come Monday of next week.