Dear Hurricane,

I’m a freshman living on campus. My mom keeps nagging me about getting a meningitis vaccination. I’ve heard about meningitis, but I don’t know exactly what it is. Is it contagious? Is it transmitted through sex, saliva, cuts? OR is it airborne? Basically I want to know if I really need the vaccination or if my mother is overreacting.
-Confused in the Residential Colleges
Dear Confused,

Questions about meningitis always arise at the start of the fall semester. Meningitis is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection. The disease can occur either as Meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, or Meningococcemia, the presence of bacteria in the blood.
Each year, meningococcal meningitis strikes between one to three individuals for every 100,000 Americans. Studies indicate that freshman living in on-campus housing have a slightly greater risk of becoming infected. According to statistics, 100 to 125 cases of meningitis occur each year on college campuses; five to 15 students will die as a result.
Meningococcal bacteria are transmitted through the air via respiratory droplets and through direct contact with infected persons. Therefore, intimate contact, such as kissing, or sharing items that have been in your mouth such as cigarettes or drinking glasses increase an individual’s risk of becoming infected. In addition to intimate contact and dormitory living, the American College Health Association also identifies exposure to active/passive smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and bar patronage as risks for meningitis.
Symptoms resemble influenza (flu) and include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash, nausea, vomiting and lethargy. It is important that students who experience two or more of these symptoms seek medical care immediately. The disease progresses rapidly, often in as little as twelve hours, and may lead to shock or death.
Methods of preventing meningitis are limited. Individuals should practice good hygiene, such as frequent hand washing. Stay clear of people who are coughing and sneezing. Avoid the behaviors that increase the chances of contracting meningitis (e.g., sharing cigarettes, utensils or drinking glasses).
Fortunately, a safe and effective vaccine is available to protect individuals against infection. Antibodies develop within two weeks after immunization and protection lasts for approximately three to five years. Vaccines are able to prevent approximately two-thirds of cases on college campuses. Student Health Services offers the immunization for $70 to all UM students. Shots are available on a walk-in basis; appointments are not necessary.
For more information on meningitis, visit the American College Health website at www.acha.org or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov. For more on the meningitis vaccine, please visit www.miami.edu/student-health, or call X8- 5927.
Do you have a question for Hurricane Health Watch? If so, please e-mail jtiberian@miami.edu.

Sincerely,
Lilly DeArmas

Lilly DeArmas is a sophomore majoring in biology. She works as a CHAMP counselor at the Wellness Center.

This summer, Minal Ahson, a junior double-majoring in microbiology and religious studies, volunteered with Cross Cultural Solutions, an international grassroots volunteer placement organization. Ahson conducted her volunteer work in Tengeru, a small village outside of Arusha, Tanzania. She was awarded the Patrick Stewart 2003 Human Rights Scholarship from Amnesty International for her project to research the HIV/AIDS and healthcare situations in the village. This is the third installment of a four-part series, in which Ahson describes her experiences and volunteer work in Tanzania.

Journal Entry #3
Observing the HIV/AIDS situation in Tengeru was interesting. Everything is very hush-hush. Things are not spoken about. We had two nurses from a district hospital come visit us, and they told us about the situation in the area. They did not have very good statistics, but they were able to tell us that about one in four people had HIV or AIDS in the region. They were also estimating about a 50 percent unreported rate. That means about half the people living in that area had HIV/AIDS!
There is also a huge stigma associated with HIV in the region. HIV/AIDS in Tanzania has been referred to as kaukwa [“stumbling” in Swahili], Titanic and “accident.” It is a shame to die from HIV/AIDS. Often patients are referred to as “immunocompromised” by doctors. Even at the orphanage I went to, no one was really sure if the children had HIV/AIDS. Even if it were known, there isn’t much that can be done for them, since antiretrovirals are very expensive there.

Mama Simba told me a story about a wife who contracted HIV from her husband. The husband died, and the wife remarried and then had a child, even though she had been counseled against it. She told Mama Simba that she did not want to live alone. Counseling is a new form of prevention that has been started. Sex is something that is kept behind closed doors. Sometimes the information is passed on to girls from a kungwi, a lady who passes on the rituals and traditions to the next generation during initiation rites, but many adolescents do not understand how they can protect themselves. They are one of the most at-risk groups. Other at-risk groups include bar owners/attendants, truck drivers, miners and soldiers.

Quick Fact: About one in four people had HIV or AIDS in the region.

It’s a part of the culture for families to take care of ill family members, so oftentimes they would get infected just by being a caretaker. It was extremely sad to talk to the locals. Everyone knew someone who had died or was dying of AIDS. While I was there, I was able to visit a lady who lived down the road. She had been bedridden for two years and finally felt well enough to get up. Her son, who was probably my age, was financially supporting his mother, his sister and himself. Although I could not communicate with her because of the language barrier, I held her hand.

I also visited a hospital, where I was able to see the lack of resources and technology. As I stepped into the dimly lit room, the patient lying on the bed turned his head slightly to acknowledge my presence. The doctor examined the patient’s eyes. It was noted that the patient’s right pupil was dilated – the same side of the head that the patient had fallen on three weeks earlier. Within minutes, the doctor was able to piece together the patient’s history and outward biological signs to determine that the patient was suffering from bleeding of the brain. CAT scans are a luxury for hospitals there, so doctors must be adept at reading and understanding a patient’s every signal. A simple procedure could have easily taken care of a brain bleed in the United States, but in Africa, where resources are few and money is even scarcer, the problem could have led to death. I asked him what normally happened to patients that had the same condition, and he replied, “There’s not enough money for their children to eat at home, so there is little chance for them to even come close to the resources they need to be treated properly. So they normally die.”

Minal Ahson can be contacted at mahson@miami.edu.

NOT SORE LOSERS: University of Florida vice president for Student Affairs Mike Rollo and Kyle Jones, UF Student Government president, smile for the camera while wearing UM sweatshirts in front of a prime location on their campus after losing a bet with Dr. Pat Whitely, UM vice president for Student Affairs.

Following several problems at last weekend’s football game against UF, UM administration has implemented new guidelines for the Orange Bowl.
“We know that there were things that weren’t perfect,” Dr. Pat Whitely, vice president for student affairs, said. “We are trying to make adjustments for this weekend.”
“This past game, overall, was one which the Orange Bowl has never seen, particularly the crowd, since 1985 or 1986,” Whitely said.
Students agree.
“I have never seen a game like this one,” Ryan Moore, sophomore, said. “I don’t know anyone who didn’t go to the game.”
According to reports, at least 17 students were ejected from the game and several cases of fraud occurred with persons having someone else’s ‘Cane card.
“There were so many people pushing each other that I’m surprised more didn’t get thrown out,” Janet Ross, freshman, said.
At one point, the ramp that leads to the student section was shut down.
“We apologize for the fact that we had to close down the ramp,” Whitely said. “We had to identify available seating both in the student section and in the west end zone.”
UM administration told The Miami Hurricane that several changes will be put into effect beginning Saturday for the East Carolina game.
Among the major changes, the plazas will open at 4:30 p.m., two and one half hours before kickoff.
Parking lots will open five hours before kickoff and no tents will be allowed in parking lots unless there is a vehicle parked in the space.
“Many students took up parking spaces with tents,” Whitely said.
However, according to students, the most appreciated change is the expansion of the student section.
“An additional 1,200 student seats will be available,” Whitely said. “This will leave us with 7,600 total seats available.”
Half of the additional seating will be located directly above the student section; the other half will be located in the west end zone.
Students who sit in the overflow seats will receive tickets to their seats, not wristbands.
“I’d be a little disappointed not to be able to sit in the student section,” Ross said. “But it’ll be better then not having a seat at all.”
Whitely also said that the entire southeast plaza, where students enter, will be more efficient.
However, Whitely also stressed that, while they will be more efficient, they will also enforce the rules more.
“There will be no exceptions for law, graduate or medical students who have not paid their athletic fee,” Whitely said.
Whitely said that students will notice a greater presence of Orange Bowl employees and security.
“We had a problem with the encroachment factor on Saturday,” Whitely said. “We had 300 to 400 non-students sitting in the student section including UF students and recent UM alumni.”
Whitely said that all graduate, law and medical students need to check on EASY to make sure they have paid their athletic fee.
“We want everyone to come and enjoy the game and to have a seat,” Whitely said. “This is a good problem – it shows the spirit that the school has.”
For additional information or feedback on the new policies, contact the Office of Student Affairs at X8-4922 or Student Government at X8-3082.

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

Two years after the tragedies of 9/11 brought the UM community and country closer, UM students, faculty, employees and friends once again joined together in remembrance of the victims.
Among the most talked-about of the events, UM’s Cosford Cinema premiered a 9/11 documentary film by UM alum Mike Trebilcock.
The documentary was described by those who saw it as a vivid account of how the South Florida Task Force II, an Urban Search and Rescue Team, hurried to rescue victims from the collapsed World Trade Center.
Trebilcock was a member of that team.
According to the film’s invitational flyer, the film, though graphic with the realities of the catastrophic event, is not meant to shock, but rather “to honor and commemorate the September 11 victims, and pay tribute to New York’s uniformed services.”
Trebilcock, who received his Master of Fine Arts degree in motion picture production at UM in 1997, worked off-duty to create the documentary and is pleased that many of the local firefighter-rescuers were invited to attend.
“There’s an extreme compassion I felt that comes through in the film,” Trebilcock said. “Even watching the events on September 11 unfold, any firefighter feels that it could have been him in there.”
Trebilcock has worked on other films of a political nature, including The Devil’s Corridor, the true story of a Black Panther revolutionary.
“This film is a tribute to the FDNY and the New York Port Authority Police, as well as the 28 urban search and rescue units that teamed up to help,” Trebilcock said.
During the film, a ceremony was held on the Rock that included testimonials from people directly affected by the events of September 11.
Those present sang patriotic songs and held a candlelight vigil that symbolized each person’s light spreading into darkness.
Overall, organizers were pleased with the 9/11 remembrance events.
“It was a great opportunity to take time out of our busy schedules to reflect not only on the tragic event, but on how fortunate we are to be alive – to be free,” said Robert Castro, intern for student affairs.

Jaclyn Lisenby can be contacted at jlisenby@umsis.miami.edu.

Thief suspected of robberies at UM dating back to April

The suspect of a string of burglaries on the UM campus between April and August of this year was arrested on Labor Day after two School of Communication professors confronted him.
The suspect, a 31-year- old male, was apprehended at Granada Boulevard and Bird Road, after a BOLO was issued.
He was charged with eight counts of burglary of an occupied structure, two counts of grand theft and one count of the possession of burglary tools.
Detective George L. Baixauli of the Criminal Investigations Division confirmed that the suspect has a record of past burglary offenses.
However, Baixauli was unable to confirm the suspect’s relation to the campus, if any, due to possible interference with the ongoing investigation.
According to the official police report, both witnesses observed the suspect inside the private offices of the fourth floor of the Wolfson Building at 1:30 p.m. on Labor Day while trying to retrieve paperwork from their offices. Witness 1 questioned the suspect’s presence, not recognizing him as student or faculty.
At that point, the suspect claimed that he was a security guard working for the dean in reference to the recent burglaries in the building.
Both witnesses then noticed that several previously locked offices had been unlocked, and their respective file cabinets and drawers had been opened. In addition, the office containing the master keys to the building had been broken into.
Before the witnesses could further question the suspect, he fled the scene.
The witnesses contacted UM police and a BOLO was immediately issued.
At 2:10 p.m., an officer stopped the suspect and asked him what he was carrying in his backpack. The suspect then answered that he was carrying a camera and a laptop. He also stated that he was coming from the UM cafeteria, where he had just ended a class.
The suspect remained under police surveillance until the witnesses positively identified him, at which point he was arrested and taken to the Coral Gables Police Dept.
According to Baixauli, the total cost of the stolen items, including audiovisual equipment such as flat screen monitors and projectors, is still being calculated.
Baixauli went on to say that the string of thefts occurred in the Wolfson, Memorial, Merrick and Law School buildings.
According to the police report, the suspect at the time of arrest had in his possession two video cameras and a laptop computer, totaling an estimated $10,000.
The Miami Hurricane was able to conduct a phone interview with Witness 2, who said that the suspect could be released if a deal is made with the prosecution, based on information learned at the District Attorney’s Office on Sept. 8.
UM Police maintain that these types of crimes can be easily avoided on campus.
“Most of these buildings [on campus] have security measures,” Baixauli said. “We just need them to engage these methods – they need to turn on alarms and lock doors.”
Baixauli also noted that on campus, in general, doors have been found unlocked, and alarms have not been activated when they should.
“Crime is based on opportunity,” Baixauli said. “The simple preventive methods that the University of Miami campus already utilizes could help reduce such crimes if used consistently.”
The anonymity of the witnesses was protected in this article to ensure their safety. Locks affected by the missing keys in the Wolfson Building have been changed.

Fizaa Dosani can be contacted at f.dosani@umiami.edu.

UM Law ranks with Hispanics

The School of Law recently placed second in Hispanic Business magazine’s list of Top 25 Law Schools for Hispanics. The magazine cited “a diverse faculty that is nationally recognized for its academic excellence and a talented and diverse student body drawn from around the country and Latin America and Europe” as reasons for the high ranking. Dean Dennis Lynch said, “It’s no wonder that so many Hispanic students choose UM as the place to launch a successful career in law.”

Hurricane license tags available
When it’s time to renew your vehicle’s license plate, why not show your Hurricane spirit with a UM collegiate license tag? When you renew your registration at your local tax collector’s office, simply let them know you want to replace your current tag with a specialty license plate. If it is not time to replace the metal plate (every five years), you will pay a few additional dollars. The UM specialty tags cost an additional $25 each year, which goes back to UM. For more information, contact the Specialty License Plate office at 850-414-2541.

Sign up to Help the Hometown

Homecoming 2003: Hurricanes Help the Hometown site leader applications are available in the Volunteer Services Center (UC 240). Applications are due Friday, Sep. 26. Make sure to sign up for an interview time when you turn in your completed application. For more information, contact VSC at 305-284-Give.

Write a letter to be unlisted
Students who do not wish to be listed in the new University of Miami’s Telephone and/or E-Mail Directories, must notify the Registrar, in writing, on or before Friday, Oct. 17.
Bring your letter to the Office of the Registrar. Include in your letter your full name, student number, information to be deleted from the directory (phone and/or address, e-mail or complete deletion including name) and be sure to sign it. The Office of the Registrar has forms in the office that ask for all this information. For more information, contact registrar@miami.edu.

Leadership Summit approaches
The Center for Student Leadership and the Toppel Career Center bring you the 2003 Leadership and Career Summit: The Game of Life. For a $5 deposit, you can enjoy a free lunch and a full day of workshops. For a $10 fee, you may also participate in a fully catered etiquette luncheon at the Faculty Club. Sign-ups are going on now in Student Activities, UC 209, and will carry on until Wednesday, Sep. 18. Don’t miss out on all the fun!

MEISA students talk music
Join MEISA (Music & Entertainment Industry Student Association), a network of students who are talking about the latest trends in music, discussing current issues involving the music industry and meeting and networking with industry professionals at meetings. Past guest speakers include pop music critic for the Miami Herald, producers, remixers and entertainment lawyers. To get more information about meetings, the organization and conferences we attend, send e-mail to mykal_sumter@hotmail.com.

Richter web site redesigned
The Richter Library’s web site, recently redesigned and featuring a Flash-based navigation system, is now live. This fall the site will launch both an e-chat reference service and robust meta-database interlinking system. Faculty and staff are encouraged to have a look at the Richter Library web log to read more about some of these new services.

TODAY
Don’t like that English professor? Don’t forget that today is the last day to drop a course without a “W.”

If you feel like changing the world, start with the campus by joining Student Government. Today is the last day to sign up for Student Government elections.

Show your letters at Fraternity Bid Day on the UC Patio at 5 p.m.

SATURDAY September 13

Attention Freshmen: It is time to invade the Orange Bowl for Stormfront in full FORCE! Come to the Rock at 3 p.m. to sign in and get ready for the game with Sebastian. The floor that signs in the most people will receive a free pizza party. Also, enjoy your trip to the Orange Bowl as Category 5 takes you over to your student tailgate with FREE food, FREE drinks and music. Finally, it will be time to enter the Orange Bowl and receive your FREE t-shirt! FRESHMEN FEEL THE ‘CANE SPIRIT AND GO ‘CANES!!!

MONDAY September 15

Hispanic Heritage Month begins with food from the Latin Market and the sounds of live Latin music. Performances by Grupo Prisma and Salsa Craze will be on the UC Patio from 12 to 2 p.m. Don’t forget to enter to win a trip for two to the Dominican Republic.

The Judaic Studies Program Brown Bag Lunch Series invites you to works in progress by Dr. Ira Sheskin, associate professor of geography, fellow of the Miller Center and director of the Jewish Demography Project. Dr. Sheskin will speak on “How Jewish Communities Differ: Perspectives from Demographic Research” on Monday, Sep. 15, from 12 – 1:30 p.m. at The Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, 105 Merrick Building. The event is free and students are welcomed. You can bring your own lunch or, if you prefer, we can order you a wrap, chips and soda from Chartwells for $7.25. Please R.S.V.P. by Friday, Sep. 12 to 305-284-8180 or aberezin@miami.edu.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund is volunteering at the Town Hall Meeting at Miami Senior High. If you’re interested in participating, meet at Stanford Circle at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Elena Gonzalez at miamischolarchapter@hotmail.com.

TUESDAY September 16

Join the Hispanic Scholarship Fund at Miami Beach Senior High to host an event about the importance of a college education. Contact jrangel@hsf.net for more information.

WEDNESDAY September 17

C.A.C. presents X-2 at Cosford Cinema at 8 p.m. Bring your ‘Cane Card and get in free.

Hillel presents Steve Gifsteter, writer for Maxim and ESPN and author of “Student Body Shots” from 2 to 3 p.m. at Hillel.

ACLU College Freedom Tour stimulates political awareness among UM students
Hustler’s Larry Flynt featured guest speaker

Students got a taste of political activism this week when the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] kicked off its first-ever College Freedom Tour on campus.
Designed as a political forum to educate students, the featured guest speaker was civil rights and liberties activist Larry Flynt, president of Hustler magazine.
Other guests included students and leaders involved with ACLU as well as performers Dead Prez and DJ Kuttin Kandy. According to organizers, all of the artists and speakers involved were political people who, at one time or another, had been censored for exerting the right of free speech.

“They are able to bring a special perspective to the forum,” Rosa Clemente, National Youth Communications Coordinator of ACLU, said.
“We are hoping that students had fun and enjoyed tonight’s events, but we also want them to become aware of our mission, the importance of protecting civil liberties,” Alessandra Soler Meetze, Communications Director of ACLU, FL, said.
ACLU is a national organization dedicated to protecting the human rights dictated in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The speakers concentrated on the First Amendment right of freedom of speech, and how that right has been affected since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

“Not in our name will you wage a war against the Bill of Rights,” Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said, referring to the Patriot Act, passed in October 2001.
According to Rachel Olander, a student speaker from the University of Central Florida, the Patriot Act reinstated CIA powers to spy, monitor actions and confiscate property in the name of fighting terrorism.
Currently, under the provisions of the Patriot Act, hundreds of immigrants are being held in prison without being formally charged with a crime and without access to attorneys.

“The passing of the Patriot Act was my inspiration to get involved,” Olander said. “I just couldn’t sit back and be angry anymore.”
Larry Flynt openly condemned the actions of the Bush administration post-9/11, the conservative Supreme Court and many of John Ashcroft’s policies.
“What did we do after 9/11? We got right in the mud with the people who did it to us,” Flynt said.

Flynt also argued for the rights protected by the First Amendment.
“If you are not going to offend anyone, you don’t need the protection of the First Amendment,” he said.
Flynt then further said that no one has the right to suppress something simply because it is offensive to someone else.
Students in the audience got involved when they had the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers.

One student wanted to know how he could voice his opposition to the Patriot Act.
Jeanne Baker, President of ACLU, FL, advised writing letters to Congress representatives and passing resolutions within the University to display the feelings of the students.

“The ACLU is very active in Miami and is working on [a resolution] in Miami-Dade right now,” Baker said. “It is a very effective way to express ourselves.”
The College Freedom Tour will visit a total of eight campuses around the nation, including University of Maryland, Harvard University and University of Washington in Seattle.

“I was pretty surprised we actually had something like this on campus,” Chris Martinez, sophomore, said. “I hope we have more events like these in the future.”
UM will soon be hosting various politically themed events, including the “Get Out the Vote” campaign. Also, UM is a contender site for the 2004 presidential debates.
For more information on the ACLU College Freedom Tour, contact Anthony Romero at aromero@aclu.org, or visit www.aclufreedomtour.org.

Megha Garg can be reached at mgarg@umsis.miami.edu.