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Women’s volleyball looks to finish strong

The Miami Hurricane
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On a diverse team where momentum is the name of the game, each Hurricane brings to the table a specialty that together advances the group as a whole. In its hopes for a first National Championship as a comeback program, the new millennium volleyball team continues to have its ups and downs. Momentum is on the upswing as the ‘Canes head toward their final regular season match.

Freshman middle blocker Francheska Savage has exploded in her first season of play, and currently leads UM with a .331 hitting percentage. She is fifth in the Big East in that category.

“I’m proud to be a Hurricane,” said Savage. “I’m very fortunate to be where I am at right now…Besides school, [volleyball] is everything right now.”

In just her first season at Miami, she is helping to lead her and her teammates to where they want to be.

“I visited here and Central Florida, and I think I made the right choice,” she said. “I just liked the group of girls and the coaching staff was excellent.”

She played club volleyball during her last two years in high school, claiming it prepared her for the next level. Coming from Fort Myers High School on the west coast of the state, she finds UM’s program to have a much faster pace.

“You don’t have time to sit down and relax, you just keep going.”

Savage was a red-shirt freshman last year and thus saw no action against opponents, but her preparation for four more years of eligibility grew during that time.

“I’m happy I finally get to play, ’cause it seemed like in practice I’d be working hard, but I knew I wasn’t going to play. Now I think I have something extra to work for,” she said.

Middle blocker Karla Johnson had a career-best 10 blocks against Syracuse on Friday, while outside hitter Leyre Santaella Sante had 21 kills, the most of the season thus far.

After falling to a No. 4 Nebraska team at the NCAA Tournament last December, the ‘Canes are fired up in their desire to return, this time with higher expectations. Now sitting in the number three spot in the Big East, they must make every moment of their next (and final regular season) match against Virginia Tech count.

Currently, Notre Dame has the top spot in the conference for blocks with an average of 3.84 and opponent hitting percentage (.136). St. John’s leads the Big East in hitting percentage (.257), with Miami and Pitt both close behind at .256. The Hurricanes are second in kills averaging 16.42 per game. Miami holds the number two slot for assists (15 per game) and kills (16.42 per game). Individually, libero Jamie Grass is fourth in digs with 3.76 per game.

Last season the ‘Canes finished behind Notre Dame in the Big East in the regular season, and subsequently defeated Duke and Wisconsin to advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinal. The team is in just its second (and final) season of Big East play, as it moves into the Atlantic Coast Conference next year with the rest of the UM Athletic Program.

With more time left on the court before the end of the season, the ‘Canes are eager to leave their mark as a Big East team.

Melissa Teich can be reached at melissateich@hotmail.com.

Women’s soccer has reason to be proud

The Miami Hurricane
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Despite a 9-9-1 overall record, there were many positives that can be taken from the women soccer team’s season.

The Hurricanes defeated a Top 10 team for the first time in school history when they upset the Connecticut Huskies at Cobb Stadium on September 26th. The team also played the top teams in the Big East closely, losing in overtime to a Notre Dame team that was ranked No. 2 in the nation. Notre Dame’s win over Miami made them 19-1-1 on the season, so for the ‘Canes to take a team that good to overtime says something about the direction in which the program is headed.

It is true that the Hurricanes still lost, and a loss is never a good thing. But when you lose to an elite team in a tight game, it is hard to be completely negative. This program has been lingering around mediocrity now for the last few years. Next year, I believe the women’s soccer team will make a jump into the thick of the Atlantic Coast Conference race.

The reason for being optimistic starts with the emergence of leading goal scorer Lindsey Yach. Yach’s nine goals and three assists gave her a team-high 21 points on the season. She also showed a flare for the dramatic, scoring four game-winning goals, the only Hurricane to register more than one game winner. The ‘Canes’ scoring threat will not end with Yach, however. Junior Britney Butcher had a disappointing season, scoring just three goals and five assists in 19 games. The slow year from Butcher may actually be a blessing in disguise. Butcher will be returning for her senior season and will have extra motivation to prove that the 2003 season was a fluke. With Butcher and Yach, the Hurricanes should have a formidable offense next season.

The most encouraging sign from the 2003 season came between the goal posts. Alex Alford, a freshman goaltender, played very well throughout the entire season. Going into the year, goaltending was one of the biggest question marks on the ‘Canes. Alford put that to rest by allowing just 1.60 goals per game and totaling five shutouts on the season. Alford still has three seasons left in her Hurricanes career, so Miami has a starting goaltender for years to come.

The heart of the matter is that this season did not accomplish what the ‘Canes were hoping for. The 9-9-1 record is a little deceiving, however. The Hurricanes outplayed their opponents in several games, and really only got beat in one category: the scoreboard. If you judged the team based on their performance, they would have been far above .500. The offense never came around the way the team had hoped, causing the Hurricanes to struggle scoring goals, losing a bunch of one-goal games. As a matter of fact, five of the ‘Canes’ losses were decided by one goal or less, and three of those five losses came in overtime. The Hurricanes were 1-3-1 in overtime this season, which shows how easily this could have been a productive season.

Overall, 9-9-1 was definitely not where the Hurricanes wanted to be. In the pre-season, the ‘Canes’ aspirations were to compete for a Big East Championship and to make the NCAA Tournament. They fell short of all of those goals, but that does not necessarily mean that this program took a step backward. Rather, this program is still moving in the right direction and has young, impressive talent for next season.

Next year may finally be the season that the women’s soccer team emerges from the rest of the pack. They may finally make the jump from an average to an elite team. With a solid goaltender and two legitimate scoring threats returning for next season, there are reasons to be excited about the women’s soccer team.

Darren Grossman can be reached at DRG215@aol.com

BRIEFS

The Miami Hurricane
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Baseball

The University of Miami baseball team will open its 12-day fall baseball schedule on Monday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. at Mark Light Field.

Head Coach Jim Morris’ Hurricane squad is coming off their eighth trip to the College World Series in the last 10 years with a fifth-place finish this past June in Omaha.

Miami returns all eight position starters, its top four starting pitchers and its entire bullpen from last year’s team that finished 45-17-1.

The fall slate begins on Monday with a six-inning intrasquad game. Fall practice continues through Nov. 22 when the Hurricanes will hold a nine-inning intrasquad game at 10:30 a.m. at ‘The Light’ on Scout Day.

Miami opens the 2004 regular season on Friday, Feb. 13, with a three-game series against the Florida Gators at Mark Light Field. Prior to that, the Hurricanes will welcome back former players for the annual Alumni Game on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m.

Call 1-800-Go-Canes for season and individual game ticket information or check out UM’s official athletic website www.hurricanesports.com for updated information on the baseball team.

Men’s basketball

University of Miami senior forward Darius Rice has been named one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2003-04 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award.

The Naismith Awards program, now in its 36th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.

The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts. Members of the board were asked to name top male and female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award.

A preseason 2003-04 All-Big East first-team selection, Rice averaged a team-high 18.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals earning third-team All-Big East and first-team All-District honors last season.

Rice ranked among the Big East Conference leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made last season. Four times during the 2002-03 season he hit a three-point basket at the end of regulation to either win the game or send it to overtime.

Rice, who was named to the preseason Wooden Award list in August, is one of six Big East players on the preseason Naismith list including Andre Barrett from Seton Hall, Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor of UConn, Notre Dame’s Chris Thomas and Hakim Warrick of Syracuse.

How the University can raise a Billion dollars

The Miami Hurricane
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Donna Shalala is doing her best to act like a car salesman when it comes to bilking prominent residents and alumni to build futuristic looking buildings for a university that his too little space to expand. Now I know getting a few million dollars is easy to get. But I think you should consider other possibilities to raise that $1.2 billion.

One of them includes monopolizing the drug cartel shipments that come into the ports of downtown Miami. I think the University of Miami needs to hook up with Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano and John Gotti Jr. to assemble an army to attack all the warlords who are running the cocaine and heroin shipments. Drugs count for billions of dollars a year and I think the University of Miami Medical School can scrap together enough money to pay off all the state and federal politicians not to look into their activities.

Well since you folks do not want any bloodshed or dead bodies all around campus, why not you turn the upstairs of the UC Breezeway into a casino at night. I think you will benefit tremendously if you can dig up Bugsy Siegel’s grave and clone him so he can come back and make a gambling joint for you guys. He was the first guy to make Las Vegas into what it is today. His motto, “Bigger Pay Means Longer Play” means that you will go broke.

While this idea will not make a billion dollars, a few million could be nice. Why not put spy cameras in the freshman towers and go online and offer the public voyeuristic cameras of college students. You could see lots of eighteen and nineteen year olds showering and changing clothes. I am pretty sure that people all over the world would pay to see that.

Finally, if you want to raise tuition, why not we slash a few departments at the University of Miami. I know you guys already heard my rants about the nursing place. What about the Pre-Professional advisors? They don’t really tell you anything useful or important. If you want to get into law, dentistry, or medicine, just figure it out for yourselves. Or, if worst comes to worse, go to Medical or Dental School in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Seth Bleicher can be contacted at sethbleicher@yahoo.com.

Our President who once worked for the president

The Miami Hurricane
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Donna Shalala, clothed in green from her jacket to her slacks, beamed for the cameras.

She had elfishly appeared on the 50-yard line during a commercial break, smiling and

shaking hands with a representative from the Miccosukee Tribe that had helped us out with a million bucks to get the first Presidential debate. Next was a crowd of rich-looking people holding several large cardboard checks. Wave and smile to the crowd. A few minutes later she was on the sidelines, chatting and taking photos with a conspicuously clad Ken Dorsey, who was recognized by quite a few students.

She’s been in the papers steadily for weeks. First it was for Momentum, the campaign for the University of Miami’s empty pocketbook

At the WTO and the FTAA: What we learned in Seattle

The Miami Hurricane
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I was there in 1999 when the Emerald City looked more like San Francisco protesting Vietnam in the 60s. Little did we expect the sensationalized propaganda our city would receive due to a few idiots (claiming to be self-proclaimed anarchists) who decided burning cars would be more effective than holding up signs. The World Trade Organization’s decision to convene in liberal Seattle brought protestors from around the nation and world.

Miami will be home to a new wave of protests as the Free Trade Area of the Americas rolls into town November 17th. The three-day convention between the 34 democratically elected nations from South America and the Caribbean is presumed to be the most politically controversial period since Elian Gonzalez. What are we prepared for and what should we be expecting in light of what happened in Seattle in 1999?

The top three things to be expected are massive organized protests, bumper-to-bumper downtown traffic and exceedingly annoying media coverage. While this doesn’t sound too bad, actions like bringing in the National Guard, declaring a State of Emergency and enforcing a Miami-Dade county curfew pose serious problems. To clearly understand how this disorganization could happen means examining WTO and sharing what we learned in Seattle.

Between November 29th and December 3rd 1999 an array of political activists; including labor, environmentalists, pro-democracy, and human rights advocates stationed themselves in downtown Seattle for the World Trade Organization. While the media attention focused mostly on they havoc-creating self-proclaimed anarchists, most individuals exerting their first amendment rights were peaceful and boisterous.

I’d go out on a limb to say Miami is not even close to half the liberal city Seattle is. Although there probably is a self-proclaimed anarchist or two living in a town near you, this city doesn’t get too excited over strikes, initiatives and trade agreements. Miami’s reserved views on domestic city politics can be partially attributed to its internationally diverse population. However, the FTAA is an international convention and many protestors will not be from Miami but from around the country and world.

The Miami-Dade police have been training for weeks and in some cases months for these protestors, some of which may resort to violence. They city of Miami has also distributed pamphlets describing what the FTAA is and how downtown can prepare for such a convention. They are doing everything Seattle did not do when it was anticipating the World Trade Organization. A lack of organization in Seattle created unfamiliar situations and quick reactions. Miami police and government officials have studied what Seattle did wrong and are ready to implement their plan of action. The question remains now if they will be capable of rising to such challenge should the unexpected happen.

Jessica Piha can be contacted at jessicapiha@hotmail.com.

EDITORIAL: Where’s my SG?

The Miami Hurricane
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As a university moving to the forefront of local and national political activism and awareness, it’s imperative that we hold our own Student Government [SG] to the same high standards and criticism as we do local, state, and national governments.

Sure, SG was named “Best SG in Florida” last year, but don’t forget that was under very different leadership, one that accomplished everything they said they would and that was almost always accessible to students whenever they needed.

So far, a lack of initiative, production, and communication has led to a dysfunctional (or non-functional) SG this year. Their list of accomplishments include- hold on a sec there’s got to be something- oh yeah, they extended library hours during finals to 24 hours, and also extended Ibis Ride hours on Halloween. According to students we’ve spoken with, SG should have added more shuttles, not more hours.

More recently, SG has proven to The Miami Hurricane that it needs to change. After receiving many complaints regarding SG’s performance, we decided to begin investigating their actions, or lack thereof. We requested a copy of their constitution, which we never got because they were “updating it.” We also requested a list of Cabinet and Senate members, which we never got. Last week, we requested a copy of the SG budget and financial records and were instructed by Carlos Echeverri, SG speaker, that they “see no reason” to provide us with the information.

Apparently he forgot to read the SG constitution, which states that all matters of SG are open to the public.

When The Hurricane attempted to contact Echeverri regarding this issue, we were repeatedly ignored. Several phone calls, voice mails, email messages, and personal visits to the SG office were ignored.

Finally on Friday, we visited the SG office and found SG President Scott Sadowski sitting in his office. After explaining to him the issue of our requests repeatedly being denied, he merely told us that we had to speak with Mr. Echeverri. When questioned about how else we could contact Mr. Echeverri, he said he knew he had a cell phone, but didn’t know the number.

In addition to the utter disregard of the constitution, the mere fact that the President had absolutely no idea how to contact the Speaker of the Senate made us wonder. How can SG be serving the students? How can they communicate student needs and concerns to the administration, if the President doesn’t even know how to get in touch with his Speaker?

What is a student to do?

Most importantly, stop by YOUR SG office (you elected them after all) and see what they have been up to this semester. Schedule a meeting with SG president Scott Sadowski to discuss any and all problems that you may be having

You can also ask for the minutes from Senate meetings to find out what they deem important matters, or ask them for their financial records to see just how much they spend on their dinners out or lavish retreats.

And, if they tell you, like they told The Hurricane, that they see no reason to give anything to you, kindly tell them to open their constitution, the reason is right there in Article II Section III: “All records of Student Government shall be on public record and available on request at the mutual convenience of the Senate and the party requesting access.”

FACULTY PROFILE: JACKIE SOUSA: Busy editor makes time for teaching

The Miami Hurricane
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Students are often critical of professors who have dedicated their lives to academia and not ventured out into the real world. They are worried that a person without professional experience in their field will not have any practical knowledge to impart.

Students need not worry about lack of experience with journalism professor Jacqueline Sousa.

Sousa has been teaching at UM off-and-on for five years and has working experience as a reporter and editor for over 15.

“Teaching was something I always wanted to do but could never fit into my schedule,” Sousa said. “It’s very difficult to do as a reporter, since you never know when news is going to break and you can’t keep a steady schedule.”

The Cuban-born Sousa grew up in Hialeah and attended UF, majoring in journalism. She worked as a reporter for the Atlanta Business Chronicle and The Wall Street Journal, covering government regulations of businesses in the southeastern United States before she became the one-person bureau in Miami for The Wall Street Journal.

Sousa said that after reporting for 10 years she became interested in editing and became editor of the Daily Business Review and then of the “Business Today” section of The Miami Herald.

She is now editor of the quarterly magazine, Coral Gables Living.

At UM, Sousa teaches introduction to media writing, reporting and magazine planning and editing. Her favorite class is introduction to media writing, despite the notion some students might have that professors prefer high-level courses rather than introductory ones.

“This class covers the fundamentals of writing, which often are missing from the work of many beginning writers,” Sousa said. “When I get to teach the basics, I feel like I’m helping the profession in a small way.”

Sousa also likes seeing the practical benefits of her teaching.

She recalled one of her students who had stories appearing on the front page of a local Miami metro paper where she was interning.

“I was excited that the experience had fueled her passion and interest in journalism,” Sousa said.

Sousa’s experience in the field undoubtedly helps in teaching the reporting class. Likewise, students in her magazine planning and editing class can benefit from Sousa’s current position as editor for Coral Gables Living.

Coral Gables Living is a lifestyle magazine that publishes stories of interest for residents of Coral Gables and its surrounding areas. The magazine covers compelling people, customs, events, businesses and issues, as well as cultural and historical information about the region.

“We launched it in the fall of 2002, and since then we’ve added columns and features, streamlined the design of the magazine,” Sousa said. “Yet, it’s a never-ending process – I’m always scouting for good writers and photographers and looking for fresh angles and perspectives.”

However, Sousa doesn’t simply edit the magazine.

“As a business owner, I wear many hats – from business strategist to circulation director to janitor – I don’t have the luxury of solely focusing on editorial,” Sousa said. “I’m enjoying it, and we’ve had a great response to the magazine.”

Sousa says she enjoys her career and encourages students to do the same.

“You have to be excited about what you’re doing, especially when you’re doing it eight, 10, 12 hours a day,” Sousa said.

Patricia Mazzei can be contacted at pmazzei@umsis.miami.edu.

SG UPDATE: Senators push to hold exams on Monday & Friday to discourage student drinking

The Miami Hurricane
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This week’s SG Senate meeting began by ratifying three new senators. Peter Grovermen will be the commuter south senator, Francine Madera will be the commuter central senator and James Pascual will be the apartment area senator.

Additionally, SG voted to allocate $750 to C.O.I.S.O. for their annual international student Thanksgiving dinner.

Jason Guercio, chief of staff for internal affairs and undergraduate representative to the Faculty Senate, reported on the Faculty Senate meeting held Oct. 29.

Among the major items presented was the progress of the Momentum Capital Campaign.

Additionally, Dean Sandler reported on the Center for Alcohol and other Drug Education. Among his points were the heightened emphasis on alcohol and drug issues, including the death of a fraternity pledge in Lake Osceola in fall 2001 and the closing of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity house on San Amaro Drive.

A number of senators present encouraged their fellow senators to schedule exams on Fridays and Mondays to discourage students from going out and consuming alcohol on Thursday nights and over the weekend.

Paul Orehovic made a detailed report about the fall 2003 enrollment.

Professor David Wilson reported on behalf of the committee reviewing and revising the General Education Requirements, specifically the writing requirements.

For more information on SG, visit the SG website at www.miami.edu/sg, stop by the office in UC 214 or call 305-284-3082.

To contact SG, e-mail them at studentgovernment@umiami.edu.

Senate meetings are held every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. and are open to the public.

PUBLIC SAFETY: Safety alert: Report of indecent exposure on campus near Lake Osceola

The Miami Hurricane
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At approximately 1:20 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, two subjects were seen near the pathway along Lake Osceola by the School of Architecture, appearing to be heavily intoxicated. One of the subjects began to masturbate while walking. Both subjects were seen fleeing on foot down the pathway around Eaton Residential College.

The first subject is described as a white male 30-35 years old, approximately 5’8″, 170 lbs., thin build and tan complexion. He was wearing red shorts at the time of the incident.

The second subject is a white male 30-35 years old, about 5’8″, 190 lbs. with short straight blond hair and a medium build. He was wearing blue shorts.

Anyone with information regarding this crime or information that may lead to the apprehension of these individuals is asked to call Public Safety at 305-284-6666 or Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS, where callers will remain anonymous and become eligible for a cash reward.

To request a campus security escort, call 8-6666 from a campus phone, use an emergency blue light telephone located throughout campus or call 305-284-6666 from any cell or off campus phone.

The Miami Hurricane will continue to follow up on this case as more information becomes available.

Lyricist Lounge Tour brings ‘Rapper’s Delight’ to UM

The Miami Hurricane
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Rappers Sugar Hill Gang, Jin, Clipse and Roscoe P. Coldchain came to UM as part of the Lyricist Lounge Tour. Students said the artists, fresh off the European part of their tour and tired from a transatlantic journey, still managed to stir up the crowd and give a memorable performance.

“I feel like I’m part of history, watching Sugar Hill Gang perform,” Dorothy Jackson, junior, said.

The show, organized by Hurricane Productions, opened with a rap-off contest between students that showcased their creativity, followed by a performance by Jin, whom students described as having a “natural charisma and out-of-this-world lyrics.”

Jin performed a couple songs and then made way for the Sugar Hill Gang. Although the group did not play many of their own songs, they did perform their international hit single, “Rapper’s Delight.”

During the performance, a group of UM girls were invited to go onstage and dance with them.

Among them was a girl who is being recruited to play for the women’s basketball team.

“It’s really great that we got a recruit,” Tamara James, sophomore, said. “It’s really special for her.”

In an interview with Sugar Hill Gang prior to the show, lead singer “Wonder Mike,” as he is called by his fans, said that he was inspired to become famous when he saw the Beatles movie A Hard Day’s Night.

“As I watched that group of four British boys being chased by frenzied fans, I told myself, ‘That’s what I want to do,'” Wonder Mike said.

His dream came true years later after the release of “Rapper’s Delight.”

Wonder Mike said that he saw the rap scene evolve from being fun and carefree to a more serious and violent context.

“It’s always evolving. It’s human nature to push it to the next level, but that’s not me,” Wonder Mike said.

He said that he likes to listen to different types of music, ranging from rock to the eclectic piano sounds of Yanni.

The Sugar Hill Gang still write their own songs, and when asked where they derive their influences, Wonder Mike responded.

“Creativity is half inspiration and half what you do with it,” he said. “It’s not from whom you derive your music from, but what you do with it.”

Jin agreed.

“True, creativity comes from within; nobody can give it to you,” Jin said. “You know, I’ve been rapping since the sixth grade, never took it seriously until I was 17.”

For more information or a listing of upcoming events, visit Hurricane Productions at www.um-hp.com or call 305-284-4606.

Abhishek Shah can be contacted at ablashek@hotmail.com.

STUDENTS LOSE HAIR FOR LOCKS OF LOVE

The Miami Hurricane
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