The spotlight will be on Greek life this week as a made-over Greek Week takes over campus.

“We’ve tried to make changes to make the experience less competitive and more fun,” Tim Williamson, Greek Week co-chair, said. “We think people will enjoy themselves more, and it’s a great opportunity for the Greek community to come together for a good cause.”

The driving force behind the activities is to raise money for United Cerebral Palsy [UCP].

Last year, Greek Week raised $10,000 for UCP.

The first major event was the Greek God and Goddess competition.

During the event, contestants were asked questions that ranged in topic from the effects of philanthropy on individuals to what candy contestants would choose to be.

“It’s what’s on the inside that counts,” said Robert Castro, of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, explaining why he wanted to be a Tootsie Pop.

Natalie Tick, of Kappa Kappa Gamma, was crowned Greek Goddess.

Jay Wetzel of Sigma Phi Epsilon was chosen as Greek God, perhaps because of his answer when asked what super-power he would choose to have.

“Let’s be honest,” Wetzel said. “I don’t really need any super-powers – I’m already awesome at life.”

Before opening ceremonies on Friday night at the Rathskeller, Greek Week warmed things up with a four-day blood drive at the UC.

“I’m thrilled that people who aren’t Greek came and participated in something that will save lives,” Williamson said. “I encourage people to come out and watch all the events going on as well.”

The Saturday Dance-a-Thon should be the biggest money-making event for the week, with Greeks dancing for eight full hours to help UCP.

The biggest crowd pleaser, however, is the Organized Cheer, with all 16 sororities and fraternities competing against each other.

“As far as the sororities go, so much hard work is put into the Organized Cheer,” Jacky Beato, publicity co-chair for Greek Week, said. “It’s great to see the sisters performing, and the fraternity skits are always funny.”

Many see Greek Week as a chance to break the stereotype that many non-Greeks may have about fraternities and sororities.

“Greek Week allows the Greek system a chance to showcase itself and prove that we’ve changed from the days of Animal House,” Castro said. “We get to show others we believe in a common creed and believe in supporting our community.”

There are still many chances for everyone to get involved before closing ceremonies Sunday.

Organizers for Greek Week want all students to know that whether for enjoyment, camaraderie, philanthropy or a mixture of the three, all are encouraged to come out and join in the festivities, regardless of Greek affiliation.

For more information about Greek Week, contact Kara Miller, coordinator for Greek affairs, at 305-284-8848.

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

The backbone of Student Government [SG] elections is the Elections Commission. This 20-person team works to publicize, arrange and legitimize the entire elections process.

In the past, voter numbers have averaged the 1,000-student mark. Their aim was to increase voter turnout to 2,000 students this year, and they nearly accomplished this in last week’s elections with a turnout of 1,957 voters.

The time dedication to this cause is immense. Planning for the spring elections began in December, and during elections the commissioners were up until after 1:30 a.m. each night for trials. This year the elections were crazier, with eight presidential candidates and many student leaders in the race.

The Elections Commission is neutral, and their goal is to keep things fair – not to prosecute only certain candidates. They do not have the power to sway the election; commissioners enforce the codes by giving warnings to or writing up candidates who break the rules. The Supreme Court determines point violations, and if any candidate reaches 20 points he or she is disqualified.

Don’t forget to vote in the SG presidential runoffs. Voting continues today and tomorrow in the UC Breezeway.

SG Meetings are on Wednesdays in the UC Ballrooms from 4 to 6 p.m.

For more information visit the SG website at http://www.miami.edu/studorgs/sg.

Amy S. Lawrence can be contacted at aslawrence@umiami.edu.

Last week, The Hurricane reported on the Advocates for Conservative Thought [ACT] affirmative action bake sale and the counter-bake sale put on by various minority and international student organizations. However, while the counter-bake sale was held in the UC Breezeway last Wednesday, as scheduled, the ACT bake did not occur until two days later.

Over 150 students gathered on the Rock as the bake sale went on in the UC Breezeway.

“We heard about [ACT’s] plan, and we were expecting them to be out there Wednesday,” Myriam Bien-Aime, sophomore, said. “We can’t let something like this go on – we can’t be disrespected on campus.”

Dr. Patricia Whitely, vice president for Student Affairs, hopes that the student leaders of the various organizations involved, including ACT, continue to discuss these issues in a different venue.

“UM is a very diverse campus, and how they chose to deliver their message, in my mind, was hurtful to our minority students,” Whitely said. “This is a very diverse campus. I personally saw in their eyes the hurt that they experienced. I’m not sure that that’s necessary to have conversations about different opinions.”

However, Sarah Canale, ACT co-president, felt the reaction to the bake sale was a measure of its success.

“We wanted the issue of affirmative action to be discussed on campus, which was clearly obtained,” Canale said. “We wanted to present the racial injustice of affirmative action, and that’s the metaphor of the bake sale, so that goal was achieved as well.”

ACT passed out a flyer saying, “Our bake sale is only as racist as affirmative action is,” and encouraged students to “take a stand” and oppose affirmative action.

Many students mentioned that ACT is supported by SAFAC, which uses the student activity fee that all UM students pay to allot money to organizations on campus. Thus, some argue that they are indirectly paying to be singled out.

“I am so shocked. What ACT is doing is straight up wrong,” Ciara Mohamad, sophomore, said. “People do not come to this school to be discriminated against.”

Students from United Black Students [UBS] signed up to be a part of ACT’s email list and plan to attend ACT meetings in the future.

Andrea Kiser, ACT co-president, said that while typically only students with a conservative view participate in ACT, everyone is welcome to be a part of the organization.

According to Bryan Jones, president of UBS, approximately 1,000 people have signed a petition in support of the minority and international organizations, expressing concern that the ACT bake sale was disrespectful to many students.

“Honestly, we can’t do anything about those people,” Jones said. “Everything we are going to do to counter that is positive.”

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

TODAY
In celebration of Greek Week 2004, the infamous O-Cheer (Organized Cheer) will be held on the UC Patio starting at 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY
In honor of Safe Spring Break Week, the Center for Women’s and Men’s Resources presents the Vagina Monologues in the Storer Auditorium at 7 p.m. For more information, please call 305-284-6120.

The Cinematic Arts Commission presents Bad Santa at the Cosford Cinema at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Admission is free with ‘Cane Card.

THURSDAY
In honor of Safe Spring Break Week, the Center for Women’s and Men’s Resources presents the Vagina Monologues in the Storer Auditorium at 7 p.m. For more information, please call 305-284-6120.

FRIDAY
In celebration of Greek Week 2004, the Greek Week Mystery Event will be held on the UC Patio starting at 6 p.m. For more information, contact either Julie Beltz at jgbeltz@hotmail.com or Tim Williamson at timmer00@hotmail.com.

SATURDAY
In celebration of Greek Week 2004, the Dance-A-Thon, Greek Week’s main philanthropic event towards donations to the United Cerebral Palsy Organization, will be held on the Rat from 3 to 11 p.m. For more information, contact either Julie Beltz at jgbeltz@hotmail.com or Tim Williamson at timmer00@hotmail.com.

Football schedule changed

In response to requests from fans and with the cooperation of the Atlantic Coast Conference and opponent schools, the ‘Canes have changed the 2004 football schedule to avoid any conflicts with the Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah holidays. The home game against Louisiana Tech has been moved from Saturday, Oct. 16, to Saturday, Sep. 18, and the home contest against Louisville has been moved from Thursday, Sep. 16, to Thursday, Oct. 14. All dates remain tentative and subject to change, and game times have yet to be announced. Family Weekend, originally scheduled for the Oct. 16 game, will now be held in spring semester 2005.

Law symposium to discuss entertainment & sports

The University of Miami School of Law Entertainment and Sports Law Society presents its Seventh Annual Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium Friday and Saturday, Mar. 5 and 6. This two-day event will be filled with panel discussions led by noted attorneys and leaders in the sports and entertainment fields, along with lectures from some of the brightest minds in the business. The event will provide networking opportunities for all to enjoy. Cost is $20 for UM students, $30 for any non-UM student or $70 for all others. For additional information please contact Tania at UM_ESLS@yahoo.com, visit http://currentstudents.law.miami.edu/esls or call 305-284-6887.

Graduate research contest deadline approaching

The deadline for submission of abstracts for the Graduate Student Association’s Research & Creativity Forum is Mar. 5. Cash awards will be given. For more information, go online to www.miami.edu/rcf.

Yearbook needs writers

The Ibis yearbook is in need of writers. The theme of the book this year is school spirit, and they want to include as many voices and reactions as possible in the book. The Ibis covers anything and everything that happens on campus and even things off campus, like summer blockbusters or the World Series. Everyone is encouraged to submit their stories, even if they think it’s not something that would be included. The stories are usually 250 through 300 words, but the editors can work with longer stories as well. There are plenty of assignments that need to be covered, and stories printed in the yearbook are considered published work, so it looks great on resumes! The Ibis yearbook wins awards every year, why not be a part of it? All quotes and stories can be sent to ibiswriter@hotmail.com or dropped off at the yearbook office in the UC 229. Include your name, year and an email address.

Following a week of serious mudslinging, rumor-spitting and complaint filing with the Elections Commission, The Hurricane sits down with the two SG presidential runoff candidates for a candid interview.
When Vance Aloupis was in kindergarten he wanted the lead in The Ugly Duckling, so he negotiated with teachers and students to ensure he would get the part. He also sang “I’m a Swan” all night long.
“Vance has been coming up the ranks since he was a little boy,” Pam Aloupis, his mother, said.
She said Aloupis is the mediator in the family, always smoothing things over among his seven siblings.
“I can promise you that if you asked all of my children about Vance, they would say, ‘He’s my hero,'” she said. “He’s always calling them and telling them how much he loves them.”
Aloupis has two adopted Chinese sisters whom he went to pick up with his mom at an orphanage in China. He spent seven weeks learning their native language of Mandarin.
Aloupis is also part of the Grace Children’s Foundation based in Manhattan.
Aloupis brought his leadership skills and involvement to UM when he became VP of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, after just one semester and became director of Up ‘Till Dawn and publicity chair for the Get Out the Vote initiative this past year.
“I’ve made my leadership involvement on campus a gradual experience,” Aloupis said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to just jump into a dozen leadership positions.”
“I like to focus on what I’m doing and dedicate myself to whatever I’m working on,” he said.
Aloupis admits that he is not all that people may make him out to be.
“I go out to the Grove every now and then, but most of the time I just like to take it slow,” Aloupis said.
Aloupis has a tattoo of a big cross on his upper back that he designed.
“It’s really about spirituality,” Aloupis said. “I have faith on many levels, in many aspects of my life.”
Aloupis, who has worked with Billy Bludgus on Up ‘Till Dawn and a number of volunteer events on campus, says he looks forward to continuing to work with Bludgus and his ticket.
“We work really well together – I’m glad the fact that we’re running against each other isn’t going to affect that,” Aloupis said.
Aloupis says he and his supporters are proud that they have not been involved in all the dirty campaigning going on around campus.”We haven’t allowed ourselves to be a part of all the drama,” Aloupis said. “We’ve stood our ground and remained strong in running a clean campaign based on platform and character.”
Aloupis says he guarantees his continued involvement throughout campus, regardless of the runoff results.
“There’s no reason not to stay involved,” Aloupis said. “We’re going to push our platforms no matter what.”

It was a breezy Saturday afternoon when The Hurricane sat down in the UC Patio to interview Billy Bludgus. Less than a minute into the interview, a Chartwells employee interrupted the interview and sparked up a conversation with the candidate.
“Can’t talk now – I’m in the middle of an interview with the school paper,” Bludgus said.
“You running for something?” asked the employee.
“Yeah,” Bludgus replied.
“Good – get it!” said the employee.
This encounter is typical for Bludgus, who has been involved in over 30 committees, focus groups and leadership positions since he set foot on campus. Currently, he’s SG chief of staff external and captain of the cross-country team.
Bludgus says he lives his life on the theme of service and that his involvement stems from a deep-rooted personal life philosophy and spiritual background.
“If there’s anything I would think people would say of me when I die it is that I was a man of service,” Bludgus said. “I think I was put on this earth to better the lives of other people and make their lives a little bit easier.”
Bludgus’ mom, Dee, vouches for her son’s words.
“Billy was always the one to say, ‘I’ll do it,'” she said. “He’s never hesitated to help anyone who needed it.”
She also said that her son, a Bayonne, NJ resident, became a local star when he earned a six-county “Teen Hero Award” his junior year in high school.
“He was in all the local papers,” she said.
Something that not everyone knows about Bludgus: he has two tattoos and a tongue piercing.
“I have a tribal sun tattooed on my left shoulder signifying life and energy and a Chinese symbol for strength and endurance on my right shoulder,” Bludgus said. “I try to live my life according to those principles.”
Bludgus gave his perspective on this year’s SG elections.
“With all that’s going on, there’s probably the least to question about our ticket,” he said. “The guys in the orange shirts have been well-behaved.”
Bludgus said he’s friendly with his runoff competition and respects him as a candidate.
“I think Vance is a real people person,” he said. “He’s really friendly and outgoing.”
Bludgus said he was pleased with the voter turnout and attributes it to the dedication of the candidates and their supporters.
“It’s both ridiculous and spectacular,” Bludgus said. “It was a true rainbow of campaign shirt colors on top of the Rock the other day.”
“Let’s hope the number of voters carries off into the runoffs.”
Bludgus says he will continue to play an active role in SG, even if he loses the race.
“SG holds a strong place in my heart, and I wouldn’t even think about giving it up,” he said.