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Applebaum growing up quickly as ‘Cane

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Blonde and beautiful with an incredible backhand: you’d think this girl would let it all go to her head. That’s definitely not the case for the Melissa Applebaum, a sophomore on the women’s tennis team.

The high school all-star from Coral Gables is all about heart and considers herself the most humble of creatures. One could wonder if she underestimates the magnitude of all that she has accomplished and all the great things that lie ahead.

Being the No.1 high school player in the state of Florida, and No.11 in the nation, Applebaum began her journey with the University of Miami as a freshman.

“She is a ‘Cane, she is a ‘Cane through and through, she loves UM,” Ray Applebaum, her father, said. “She had the chance to go anywhere in the country, she had scholarships anywhere she wanted to go, and this is where she ended up going. And that’s very unusual for somebody that lives in the same town.”

Applebaum finished her freshman season with a 21-10 singles record and a .667 winning percentage.

Applebaum lives and breathes the sport she plays. In her last match versus South Alabama, Applebaum proved that she is a formidable competitor. Coming away with a win after a defeat against the University of Alabama, Applebaum said that she needed to prove that she is a fighter and that a defeat could not break her spirit.

“This match was pure heart; this was just me proving to myself that when I am down and not playing my best tennis I can still hold out,” Applebaum said. “I had been working so hard for a week and a half to get over my loss; it was a tough loss for me and I came back this time. I was ready, I was ready to fight and do anything I could if I had to stand there for four hours I was ready.”

Applebaum’s fans adore her modest and competitive nature, as 12-year old Brett Williams said, “I love to come out and watch the women play tennis, but one of my favorites is Melissa because she’s so competitive.”

From her encouraging shouts after winning a point to the brazen stare in her eyes when she needs to get the job done, her personality is displayed all over the court. When it comes down to it, she is an average young woman who loves Chandler on Friends and reading Message in a Bottle.

Hopefully for Applebaum, her drive and competitive nature will lead her to the Big East Championship and the NCAA tournament.

“This is in my blood, for games like this, this is why you play tennis, you play tennis to compete, for moments just like this when you’re down and out, and you bring it back and you win it,” she said. “Moments like this are worth everything, this is why I work my butt off and cry on the court. I do it for moments like this.”

Antoinette Cordova can be contacted at a.cordova1@umiami.edu

Hoyes shows drastic improvement with consistent preparation

The Miami Hurricane
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John “Shauny” Hoyes, a sophomore tennis player at the University of Miami, is conquering challenges on the court and in the classroom by adhering to significant but simple habits that lead to success.

Head Coach Bryan Getz has recognized these qualities in the improvement of Hoyes’ game over the past year.

“Shauny’s a great example of getting the work in.,” Getz said. “He’s improved a lot since the fall, and that’s mainly because he has adopted a very consistent work ethic.”

Hoyes, who is a resident of Miami, said that he was “born a ‘Cane” and always wanted to play tennis for the University of Miami.

“My father also played for UM and that has sort of drawn me to wanting to be a Hurricane,” he said.

The overall spirit displayed by the students and the academic and athletic opportunities presented by the university were a major factor in his decision.

Both of his parents are also major players on the tennis court of support.

“My parents push me to do well in the classroom as well as on the tennis court,” Hoyes said. “Just knowing that I have them behind my back just makes me feel like I can do anything if I really stick to it.”

Hoyes’ father was not the only one to influence his interest in tennis.

“I’d have to say that Arthur Ashe would be the most influential athlete to me,” he said.

Hoyes said that he could relate to Ashe on several levels, but still realizes that, “I can’t even imagine what he had to go through, with the increased racial strife in America at the height of his career.”

“He is not only remembered for his tennis but for what he has done off the court to help many less fortunate people…I think that’s the most important aspect of his career.”

Hoyes has had some ups and downs in his career, but prides himself on consistency in his preparation for matches.

“I just stick to my game plan no matter what,” Hoyes said. “Another habit I try to practice is staying positive.”

Throughout the remainder of the season, Hoyes will make his main goal to simply stay healthy. He said that he wants to maintain a solid singles and doubles record, but is more focused on helping the team win the Big East Championship.

The University of Miami will be hearing a great deal more about Hoyes and his teammates for years to come. The team has no juniors or seniors and is primed for success with existing and potential talent.

Hoyes, as a second year player, is working on taking his coaches advice to live for the present to heart.

“If you stick to something and just keep at it, it will eventually happen.”

Larry Nolan can be contacted at l.nolan@umiami.edu.

Men’s basketball extends losing streak

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It was only fitting for the men’s basketball team to lose their 10th game in a row by 10 points.

Miami dropped Tuesday night’s game to Seton Hall 76-66 at the Convocation Center.

The ‘Canes are now 13-15 with a 3-11 record in the Big East. They can just as much kiss a berth into the Big East Tournament goodbye. It seems like a long time ago that the Hurricanes had just won two in a row on the road over St. John’s and Virginia Tech and were sitting pretty near the top of the Big East standings. But the 10 losses have put them near the cellar and in danger of missing their own conference tournament.

This has been Miami’s worst season since 1993-1994 when they lost all 18 Big East games and were 7-20 overall. Every night during their current losing streak, there has been one opposing player who the Hurricanes have had absolutely no answer for. Tuesday night he came in the form of 5’10” senior point guard Andre Barrett, who poured in a game-high 23 points. Barrett hit his first eight shots on the night with his first miss coming midway through the second half. He had 12 points in the first 10 minutes of the game.

“The story of this game was our inability to contain Andre Barrett,” Head Coach Perry Clark said. “He really set the stage for a lot of the stuff that they did.”

The Hurricanes’ transition and interior defense left much to be desired as the Pirates scored at ease, hitting 54.9 percent of their shots. Darius Rice had a team-high 19 points in the losing effort, as he shot 5 for 11 from the field. Robert Hite added 18 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

Miami started the game on fire, building an 11-5 lead, but quickly gave it all back as Seton Hall went on a 14-5 run to grab the lead and never let Miami get within five points the rest of the night.

With a 32-25 advantage at the half, Seton Hall continued to pound the ball inside throughout the second half as it built a 14-point lead. The ‘Canes used a 7-0 run to cut the lead to seven with 10:20 to play.

Miami cut the Seton Hall lead to five at 66-61 after two Rice free throws, but the offense went cold with less than three minutes left. Barrett and second leading scorer Kelly Whitney (20 points) proved to be too much for whomever Clark threw

With less than 30 seconds to play, the crowd of 2,401 began to realize the dubious streak would extend to 10 games and showed their frustrations with a chant towards Clark. Seton Hall Head Coach Louis Orr spoke very highly of the Hurricanes after his team improved to 18-7 on the year, however.

“Miami’s a tough team, a dangerous team,” Orr said. “They’ve had so many close games and come from behind games; they are in every game they play. Those guys play hard, but sometimes it is tough to get over that hump”

The loss left the Hurricanes even further behind Virginia Tech in the Big East standings for the last spot for the trip to New York. All Miami can do now is take care of business in its final two games of the season, while hoping the Hokies lose out.

UM returns to action on Tuesday as they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Villanova in their final road contest of the year. The final home game will be Saturday March 6 against West Virginia.

“We have to go into the next two games relaxed,” Rice said. “We still have a chance and we can’t pressure ourselves into thinking we have to win. We know what we have to do and we have to stay lose and do it.”

Douglas Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu.

‘Canes need major changes

The Miami Hurricane
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When looking at the men’s basketball season, I begin to wonder how things got so bad so fast.

About a month ago, the team sat at 13-5 and seemingly had a chance at making the NCAA Tournament, despite its out-of-conference schedule being weak. They also had won three Big East conference games. There were legitimate debates going on about whether or not this team would make the NCAA Tournament if they won 19 or 20 games with their strength of schedule. That was over a month ago, on Jan. 21, the date of the Hurricanes’ last victory over Rutgers at the Convocation Center.

Since then, the ‘Canes have lost 10 straight games and are sitting at 13-15 overall on the season. There are still debates about the men’s basketball team, but now there are mainly two. Will Perry Clark be fired, and will this team win another game the entire season?

To lose nine games in a row is pretty difficult when you have talented players like Darius Rice, Robert Hite, and Guillermo Diaz. To go 0-4 in overtime on the season is also not an easy task. I would think this team would win one game by accident. It hasn’t happened yet, and here’s why.

The problems with the Hurricanes start with the fact that they may be the worst defensive team in the history of college basketball. Men’s basketball games remind me too much of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, because all the opponents seemingly do is dunk the basketball. In the Valentine’s Day loss against Syracuse, the Orangemen had 10 dunks and countless open lay ups and shots in an easy victory. They shot almost 87 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes of the game, and over 70 percent in the first half. How any team could let another team shoot that high of a percentage is mind-boggling.

The four overtime losses is a direct tribute to the fact that this team cannot make a defensive stand when it needs to. In the 10 game losing streak, they could have won at least four of these games if they knew how to play defense. They could have gotten a big defensive stop when they needed one and converted a basket on the other end. Instead, this team gave up easy lay ups and dunks without adjustment.

Perhaps the only thing more frustrating than watching the Hurricanes attempt to play defense is watching them try to run their offense. The offense consists of passing the ball around the perimeter and having someone launch a three pointer, most of the time with a defender right near him. The ball rarely goes inside the three-point line, and the ball goes into the paint with even less frequency. This problem is not all Clark’s fault, however. You can only play with the players you have and the team lacks a post presence. Rice, despite his lanky frame, cannot post up very well, and Will Frisby and Rodrigue Djahue are not strong enough offensive presences. Putting that aside, the Hurricanes rarely even try to go inside, so defenses don’t respect the paint and defenders crowd the perimeter, making it harder for Miami to score. That is why ‘Canes fans have seen so many leads slip away and so little scoring from Miami in the closing minutes of a tight game.

So, to answer the two questions I brought up earlier, Clark is definitely in the hot seat. It seems like everyone is against the ‘Canes’ head coach. In the Syracuse game, several students had t-shirts on with the words “Fire Perry.” There have been “Fire Perry” chants at each game and the alumni are becoming more and more disgruntled with this basketball team.

To Clark’s credit, he is one of the nicest guys in sports. In a time where so many programs have morality problems, Clark is a class act and always nice to everyone. I can honestly say that I like Clark as a person, and I appreciate the kindness and respect that he has always given me. However, as a basketball coach, his decision-making often comes into question. Also, this team seems to lack direction and leadership that can be at least partially attributed to coaching. The team is frustrating to watch and when I look at the lack of defense and direction it has, I have to think that a change is needed.

As for winning another game this season, I do think this team will win another game at some point. They still have Seton Hall and West Virginia on the schedule, which are winnable games. However, don’t be surprised if this team loses out the rest of the way and misses the Big East Tournament. It will be a sad day for this program if they fail to make the Big East tournament because only the bottom two teams will have that honor. In close games, a good team that is well coached finds a way to win. This team always finds a way to lose. That speaks volumes about the direction this basketball program is headed.

Darren Grossman can be contacted at d.grossman@umiami.edu

LETTER TO THE EDITOR To Whom It May Concern:

The Miami Hurricane
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This letter is being written with the intent of expressing concern for the manner in which the Advocates for Conservative Thought attempted to show their views on affirmative action Feb. 25. This group planned to have an “affirmative action bake sale.” Irregardless of one’s view on this touchy topic, the derogatory nature of the sale is extremely upsetting to many students on campus, especially women and minorities.

Illustrating afirmative action by charging differential amounts to students based on appearances does NOT begin to show the mechanism or purpose of affirmative action – it just portrays this group as racist. By attempting to hold this bake sale (which was allegedly cancelled due to lack of volunteers, but maybe they were just scared?), ACT has shown a complete disregard for the respect and dignity of students at this campus.

It is extremely disturbing to couple the actions of ACT with the comments that were made last week by SG vice-presidential and presidential candidates regarding minorities at this campus — anyone remember minority groups being called “small people” or “disorganized organizations”? If you stopped by the breezeway this Wednesday, you would have seen three of the largest minority groups on campus (COISO, SpectrUM, and UBS) passing out free food and information about what affirmative action really is and how it actually works. So much food was brought in by concerned students that a large part of it was donated to a homeless shelter. Hundreds of students stopped to sign the petitions being circulated. It seems that these “small” people got “organized” enough to make a huge statement.

This goes to show that when the groups that are often ignored by many facets of student life get together, a huge impact can be made. Our groups have expected decency and respect in all that we do, and this attempted bake sale was a blatant disregard of that. As students at such an extemely diverse university, we have the duty to respect and learn both from and about those around us. By portraying our views in a disrespectful manner, nothing positive can be accomplished.

Sincerely,

The Students of The Council of International Students and Organizations (COISO), SpectrUM, and United Black Students (UBS)

Diversity needs advocacy and defense

The Miami Hurricane
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The University of Miami stands as one of the most diverse schools in the country. Equal opportunity and harmony among students of various cultures, races and religious beliefs exist here. We thought we would never have to worry about the shallow minds of the prejudiced and the racist. Well, never say never: in this great month of Black Awareness, the UM student body has just witnessed how culturally tolerant it truly is.

The on-campus Advocates for Conservative Thought have distributed an email protesting the unjustness of affirmative action, and, if I may quote the author, “Affirmative action is Special Olympics for black people.” Furthermore, the group has also been selling “Affirmative Action” cookies in the Breezeway at special rates for blacks (25 cents) and $1 for everyone else.

As a university on the rise, we must first understand who we are. If we take pride in claiming that we are a diverse school, we must take pride in our fellow student body no matter its background, race or creed.

As an African-American first and VP of SG second, I’m greatly offended by the racist gesture of this organization. Although there is such a thing as freedom of speech, one must think before speaking. Be considerate of those you are trying to demean, and, first and foremost, please do your research.

I’ve found many flaws with this group’s efforts to protest.

Firstly, it’s arguing for the abolition of affirmative action, without properly defining it. The proper definition of affirmative action is: “Strategies used to recruit and select qualified individuals from an underutilized applicant pool, (Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law); it’s not handouts or “special Olympics for black people.”

Secondly, to the Advocates for Conservative Thought: if any of you feel that UM uses affirmative action in any of its admission procedures, please listen carefully. According to the admissions office, UM doesn’t use any form of racial preference in selecting African-Americans for this school. Every black person you see on this campus has earned their way, in your words, “respectfully,” into UM.

I want to commend United Black Students, the Council of International Organizations and the Federation of Cuban Students for adopting a non-retaliation strategy in handling this ordeal. We can’t expect everyone to be in complete harmony. All we can hope is to learn from one another.

Chris Clark can be contacted at cclark@umsis.miami.edu.

Howard’s end: A long, strange trip it’s been

The Miami Hurricane
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Oh Howard, we hardly knew ye.

It seems that the media’s utmost contempt for outsiders and energizers has finally succeeded in destroying former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s presidential aspirations, much like a Bush administration does to levelheaded thought in America. After three long months of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and – shame on you – even Terry McAuliffe slamming Dean on his supposed gaffes and character flaws, the vigor and excitement has once again been sucked out of yet another presidential campaign.

Perhaps Howard wasn’t exactly the most polished politician. But wasn’t that much of his appeal? After four torturous years of neo-con pandering and politicking, this nation was just about ready for another straight shooter.

Semantics, sadly, have as much value placed on them as anti-Semitism in our 24-hour cable news-obsessed society.

“I want to be the candidate for the guy with a Confederate flag waving from his pickup truck,” says Howard “New Conductor of the Straight Talk Express” Dean. “Racist!” says Rush “Donovan McNabb” Limbaugh.

Are you kidding me?

It’s a shame that the right will pounce on a supposed linguistic misstep like that when they’ve been courting just that constituency since Nixon ran. Dean tries to welcome all 300 million of us into his vision for America, and he is decried as racist. He gets caught screaming on a somehow crowdless audio feed that must have been used back in ’64 in the now Ed Sullivan Theatre for four boys from Liverpool, and all our unsubstantiated fears that he’s got a temper as hot as the sun are suddenly proven.

I must say that I’m not entirely innocent of the Howard Hating. I, like many of the young liberals out there, jumped on the campaign early on. I went to my meet-ups, got my buttons and shirts. But then I heard he couldn’t be trusted with his finger on the button. He was unstable, inexperienced. It wasn’t until the beginning of the end that I started to realize what an immense and important impact he had not only on this race, but on all future races.

He harnessed the power of the Internet. He excited young America in a way that hasn’t been seen since the ’60s. Most importantly, he set the tone for this campaign. He wasn’t going to let Bush get a free pass into the White House in November. He called out the Democrats for being wusses and made them stand accountable for letting the right run roughshod over them. Because of Dean, we are starting to get our two parties back instead of the right and the right lite.

It was incredibly sad to see Howard go, but his duty is done. And I may be mistaken, but I see something on the Sunday morning Washington, D.C. horizon, and it looks like Tim Russert is sitting beside him. Unless my eyes deceive me, I think Ralph Nader may yet heat this campaign up even more.

Patrick Gibbons can be contacted at p.gibbons@umiami.edu.

EDITORIAL True Colors shine through

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The last of the Trial Court hearings regarding candidate violations of Election Codes ended Wednesday night, a little after 1 a.m., bringing to an end three nights of agonizingly unfounded accusations, immature finger-pointing, and heated outbursts, mostly from the candidates that are frustrated at the fact that they don’t have what it takes to take over SG.

Basically, the Elections Codes are guidelines that must be followed by all candidates during the elections process, ranging from restrictions on wearing ticket-affiliated shirts in certain parts of the UC to illegally distributing campaign materials. Candidates are assessed a certain amount of points for every infraction. For the most part, however, those running for office decide to let minor infractions slide, in honor of good sportsmanship. This is definitely not the case this year.

First let’s get one thing straight: Breaking the rules is breaking the rules, but having your buddies lurking on permanent lookout in the UC – with their neon vomit-colored campaign shirts and hi-tech camera phones ready to collect “evidence” against fellow candidates – is pathetic.

What’s more, most of the candidates filing repeated complaints have been virtually invisible during campaigning. To them we ask: Where have you been? We know you’ve been hiding in the bushes trying to catch your competition breaking the rules, but why haven’t you been dedicating the same amount of time to spreading your ideas throughout campus and reaching out to the student body? After all, aren’t these the people that will be voting for you?

All of the candidates should have followed the example set by those who withdrew their complaints in the spirit of fair elections. They didn’t blatantly ignore violations, they tried to address alleged violators before actually writing anyone up.

That shows true leadership and respect for others as well as for themselves.

Vance, Don, Chris and Peter, as well as their respective tickets, have lead clean and ethical campaigns from day one.

However, other candidates seem to believe that the way to win is to compulsively write up the competition. In fact, most of the violations have been brought up against Vance by the same people that like to hide in the bushes.

Is winning by default really winning? Well, for some people it seems to be.

Obviously, focusing on these petty violations is merely a weak attempt at disqualifying the most qualified candidates.

The worst part is that all this exaggerated drama has caused friendships to end and reputations to be tarnished.

Bottom line: Is it all really worth it?

If anything, the actions of all of the candidates has taught us who the pros are and who the cons are – We now know the true colors of some of UM’s most “respected” student leaders.

That said, the governing forces in this whole circus – the Election Commission commissioners and the Trial Court justices – should be commended for comporting themselves in a polished and professional manner despite having to sit through dozens of unfounded claims and self-made rumors.

To the losers hiding in the bushes: Next time focus on your own campaign and maybe you’ll have a chance at winning.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR To the Editor:

The Miami Hurricane
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I write this letter to you first as a student of UM and second as a presidential candidate. As the student body becomes more involved in Student Government, and as more candidates (20 this year) run for those top three positions, we can expect to see more competition between the campaigns. Three years ago one would never find the presidential hopefuls outside all day working the crowds. One would also not see a student dress as a pirate to attract attention while handing out flyers. But as the creativity of these campaigns has soared, the distances some candidates are willing to go has astounded me. The election has rules, which are enforced by the Election Commissioners to assure that no one is able to seek an unfair advantage or to illegally change the opinions of students. But this year the rules have blatantly been used as an offensive weapon by one ticket against others. Instead of these rules ensuring that the best candidate will win, they have been twisted to possibly allow the biggest snake to win.

I write this letter to educate the leaders of this campus and the student body of the filth I have seen during this election. But, please, do not believe that it extends to all of the tickets. I have made several great friends during this experience. Two of my competitors for the presidency could easily become some of my best friends. I would be proud to work with or for them if either they or I should win. But there are those who do not seek to serve their school through service but only to deceive it and better only their own positions.

Sincerely,

Peter Maki

Student Government Election Results

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Student Government Election Results

1957 students voted in this semester’s elections, that’s over 900 more than last years.

Be sure to vote in run offs for President, Vice President and Treasurer on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week in the UC Breezeway.

President

Billy Bludgus 586 30.30%

Vance Aloupis 456 23.60%

Carlos Echeverri 239 12.40%

Peter Maki 229 11.80%

Chris Clark 178 9.20%

Don Donelson 159 8.20%

Scott Wacholtz 42 2.20%

Joshua Arcurio 41 2.10%

Vice President

Ben Everard 509 26.70%

Minal Ahson 478 25.10%

Peter Groverman 278 14.50%

Andy Cohn 266 13.90%

Justice T. Walker 257 13.50%

Adele Bagley 111 5.80%

Treasurer

Amy Landau 546 28.9%

Stephanie Berg 365 19.3%

Paty Escuder 321 17%

H. Skylar Zwick 251 13.30%

Saran Stewart 198 10.50%

Victoria Alegret 194 10.30%

Hurricane Productions Referendum

Yes 985

No 679

Abstained 293

School of Architecture Senator

Ramiro Munoz 4

College of Arts & Sciences Senators (2)

Mike Levine 337

Kelly Dorfman 224

Sarah Uddin 194

Rebecca Sanchez 154

Serwat Farooq 92

School of Business Senator

Brandon Winston 317

School of Communication Senator

Pamela Schiess 106

Alejandra Aranga 87

Moises Jacobs III 32

School of Education Senator

Melany Valverde 3

College of Engineering Senator

Mariana Rego 86

Joie Zambito 62

School of Music Senator

Trent Watkins 2

School of Nursing Senator

Silia Sagre 16

Commuter Central Senator

David Abroms 195

POLICE BEAT

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Safety Tip of the Week: Here are some tips from Officer Henry L. Christensen, director of the Department of Public Safety. One of the best safety tools we have at our disposal is our cell phones. Just a few years ago, only Dick Tracy had one, but today we all have that convenience. When we are out and about we should use our cell phones to report any suspicious activity we might see or experience. If we are in any way concerned for our safety, they are an instant link to help. Keep your cell phone on and always take it with you while walking, jogging or in your car. Not only will your cell phone make you feel more secure, but your loved ones will have peace of mind as well. Program Public Safety’s number on your cell phone to report anything on campus or to request an escort.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19

1:07 p.m. 1231 Dickinson Dr. Burglary
1:43 p.m. 1211 Dickinson Dr. Grand Theft
5:09 p.m. 1300 Memorial Dr. Grand Theft

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21

1:08 a.m. 1239 Dickinson Dr. Vandalism
3:15 a.m. 1239 Dickinson Dr. Vandalism

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 24

1:22 p.m. 1310 Campo Sano Ave. Burglary

For more information on crimes and crime prevention, contact Public Safety at 305-284-6666.

Africa Summit 2004 provides insight into U.S.-Africa relations

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UM recently hosted Africa Summit 2004, an event that brought together U.S. State Department policy makers and members of the academic community to facilitate discussion on the future of U.S.-Africa relations as well as provide a local African-American historical perspective.

“I think it is important, especially at this juncture [in history], to talk about U.S.-Africa relations,” said Dr. Edmund Abaka, UM history professor and organizer of the event. “I think a conference like this is the beginning – it will get the conversation going.”

The program began with a tour of historic Coconut Grove conducted by Thelma Gibson, a member of UM’s Board of Trustees. Gibson, 77, is a Coconut Grove native who wrote Forbearance, a chronicle of the African-American experience in Coconut Grove.

“This area used to be called ‘Colored Town,'” Gibson said. “Our community has had many names over the years.”

Dorothy Fields, founder and director of the Black Archives Foundation, conducted the second part of the tour. She said that the main mission of the foundation is to develop a research center that chronicles black history in Miami from 1896 to present.

Kevin Morris, a member of the Black Alumni Association, said he learned things about the community that he had not appreciated while he was in college.

“I lived on campus for four years,” Morris said. “But I really didn’t know the history of the Grove or the other places in Miami – it was nice to learn about my history.”

After the tour, the program featured a conference discussing U.S.-Africa relations. The conference also included a display of traditional African drumming and dancing by the group E=Mc2, as well as speakers from the U.S. State Department.

Phillip Carter III, deputy director, East Africa Bureau spoke about the Bush administration’s agenda for Africa, while Myra Burton, from the Office of the Historian, provided a historical perspective on U.S. relations with southern Africa during the Cold War.

Providing the academic component of the discussion was Dr. Edward Kissi of the Department of Africana Studies at the University of South Florida. A native of Ghana, Kissi provided a different perspective to the discussion.

“U.S.-Africa relations is essentially the relationship between one country and an entire continent,” Kissi said. “This seems to show that traditionally, the United States has not viewed Africa as a particularly important theater.”

Senior Jen Brown felt that the Africa Summit served a very important role on campus.

“I think it’s very important to have a summit like this on campus,” Brown said. “I feel I’m gaining knowledge from all parts of the discussion.”

Senior Jessie Baity, an International Studies major, agrees.

“UM doesn’t have any programs specifically on Africa,” Baity said. “This conference is helpful because it’s allowing me to get to know issues that I may not have a chance to learn about.”

The final two speakers were Nigerian diplomat Rabiu Shehu, of the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta, and Dr. Phil Omara-Otunnu, the chair of Comparative Human Rights for the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO].

Shehu discussed the growing AIDS crisis, while Omara-Otunnu highlighted the human rights situation in places like Congo and Rwanda.

“I think this conference has been successful because it serves a need,” said Steve Dixon, a graduate student in the History Department who helped organize the event. “In the past, some of these issues weren’t addressed.”

For more information about Africa Summit 2004, contact Dr. Edmund Abaka at eabaka@miami.edu

Scott Wacholtz can be contacted at s.wacholtz@umiami.edu.

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