More than 110 strangers assembled at four locations around Miami-Dade County Wednesday night to build a grassroots campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, 15 months before the presidential election and more than six months before the Florida Primary Elections.
These strangers were united by a web site, Meetup.com, which allows people with similar interests to vote on a venue to meet and discuss a topic of their choosing.
Still smarting from the losses of Democratic favorites Al Gore and Janet Reno in 2000 and 2002, respectively, Democrats in South Florida are organizing and campaigning for their candidates earlier than ever.
The Titanic Brewery in Coral Gables attracted 30 participants. The crowd included people of all ages and some UM students.
Dean supporters were organized into groups of eight to 10 people to take part in “The Great American Conversation” over food and drinks. People expressed their worries about the nation’s current problems and discussed reasons why they support Dean’s bid for presidency in light of them. The issues most frequently discussed by the crowd included Dean’s stance on the economy, the war in Iraq, universal health care and gun control.
“Dean is a new voice. He’s different from the other Democratic candidates,” Tim Golden, a law student at UM, said. “I voted for Nader in ’00 because the difference between Republicans and Democrats was minute at best then. Dean is more interested in non-centrist ideas.”
“Dean puts forth his own issues rather than finding out what the electorate wants and tailoring his manifesto to meet the numbers,” Kevin Finn, a Ph.D. student in foreign languages and literature at UM, said.
Dean, the former governor of Vermont, campaigned vigorously over the summer and even landed on the covers of Time and Newsweek when polls showed him evolving from a dark-horse candidate frequently labeled as “too liberal” by political pundits to the front-runner, surpassing former shoe-ins Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, North Carolina Senator John Edwards and former vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman. Dean’s nascent success has come along with attacks from the press and critiques within Dean’s own base that his supporters are mostly affluent, white Americans with internet connections.
The Meetup crowd at the Titanic Brewery did give a hint of Miami-Dade County’s diverse ethnic and racial population, but it was far from proportional to the county’s actual makeup. Supporters discussed this issue and asked each other what they could do to spread the word about Dean to people from different socio-economic backgrounds and overcome the digital divide.
According to Dean’s campaign staff, more than 105,000 people signed up to “meet up” in September around the U.S. and other countries.
Miami Dean Meetup organizer Meghan O’Connor said that the crowds at the monthly meetings hovered around 20 to 25 until July when it expanded to 60 and then surged to 100 in August.
“The reason that people come to these meetings is because the more they hear about Dean in the media, the more they feel that he’s looked at the facts about the issues facing our nation, and that he’s not just a typical politician,” O’Connor said.
For more information or specific meeting details, visit www.meetup.com.

Horacio Sierra can be contacted at
h.sierra@umiami.edu.

Sep. 3 marked this semester’s first session of the Student Government Senate. Running with the momentum from last year, SG has planned a lot to improve the lives of students at UM. The first session was dedicated primarily to procedural adjustments to the statutes of SG, but there was discussion about how SG plans to better serve the campus community.
Some of the first items up are a student panel to discuss the newly implemented smoke-free zone surrounding the dorms, the planning of a UNICCO appreciation day and increasing interaction between the senators and their constituencies.
Many of the senate seats are up for election this month, so there are plenty opportunities for students to get involved and let their voice be heard.
For more information on Senate, or to get involved in SG, call X8-3082 or stop by the SG office in UC 214.

The Miami Hurricane will update the student body regarding all of the issues SG is working on throughout the semester. A summary of the SG meetings will be printed in every Tuesday edition of the paper.
SG Senate meetings are held every Wednesday from 4 – 6 p.m. in Senate Ballrooms C-D on the second floor of the UC.

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 second installment of a four-part series, in which Ahson will describe her experiences and volunteer work in Tanzania.

JOURNAL ENTRY #2

My first day of volunteering was something I will never forget. We drove to Nkoaranga, which is on a small mountain. My placement was in somewhat of a compound, with the orphanage; secondary, primary and nursery schools; a vocational school and hospital all in the same area. We pulled up in front of the nursery school, and about 50 kids ran up to the van to greet us, as if we were celebrities! It was amazing how happy they were to see us. They all would yell, “Good morning.” I later learned they picked up the greeting from radio programs and would use it at any time of day.
I met the headmistress of the secondary school, who introduced me to the rest of the teachers. They were so excited to have me there. It was amazing how much respect they gave me. They told me I could teach any subject I wanted. I decided that I was not fluent enough in Swahili to teach biology, so I settled on English and math. While I was being given a tour, the students were eager to greet me and practice their English. They felt special that I had come all the way from America to see them. I felt very humbled and grateful for their open arms.
The orphanage was a short walk from the school, and as soon as I walked in, two children ran to me and glued themselves to my legs. The condition of the orphanage was extremely sad – holey clothes, no shoes and diapers changed only once or twice a day. Many of the children had diaper rash, and a few others had rickets and other similar developmental problems from the nutrition-less diet of rice and beans or noodles and porridge. The children are adorable, but the extremely sweet women that run the orphanage are so loaded-down with the everyday washing of clothes and preparing of food that the children are unable to get the attention they crave. Although there was a language barrier, the kids loved to sit in our laps, dance with us and wear our shoes around. Everyday I would leave the orphanage with my hair all messed up because they had not seen hair like mine and wanted to play with it.
The nearest city to Tengeru is Arusha, which is where the United Nations Trials for Rwanda were being held. The city itself has many diverse groups living there, making for a unique mix of tradition and culture. It would not be unusual to see a South Asian walking next to a traditionally dressed Maasai, one of the prevalent tribes in the region. Whenever we went to Arusha, the local shopkeepers bombarded us to buy their goods. We were often called mzungu (which literally means white person, but really means foreigner), and were asked if we wanted to go on tours or safaris.
That weekend, a few of us did in fact go on a safari. The first day, we drove to Lake Manyara, where we saw animals that I have only seen in books and on television. Giraffes, antelopes, baboons, monkeys, elephants and exotic birds walked around in their natural habitats. Our tour guide informed us that it was mating season, so that made for an interesting time. The second day we went to Ngorongoro Crater, which is actually the largest unbroken caldera (formed by a volcanic explosion) in the world, and is about 610 meters deep. From the lodge, you could see herds of elephants, antelopes and giraffes moving around. The next day, we drove down into the crater and were able to see lions, ostriches, hippopotamus, zebras, wildebeest, rhinoceros, warthogs and many other animals. The ground of the crater was covered by wildflowers because rainy season was just ending, and seeing the animals run around freely was surreal. It was definitely an experience that I will always cherish.
Minal Ahson can be contacted at mahson@miami.edu

PROFILE OF TANZANIA
Area: 341,200 sq.miles
Capital: Dar es Salaam
Currency:
1 Tanzanian shilling = 100 cents
Languages: Swahili, English, local dialects
Religions: Animist, Christian, Muslim
Total GDP: US$ 21,000,000,000
Imports: US$ 2,028,000,000
Population Growth: 2.96%
Death Rate: 13.6/1000 people
Life Expectancy: 52.1 years
Population Density:
31 people/sq.km

Photo by: Steve Freeman

ROUGH RIDER: Lindsay Alvarez mounts a mechanical bull at the Rathskeller Thursday night to win second place in a bull-riding competition.

As mentioned in our last article, Greek recruitment is here! Panhellenic recruitment began yesterday with the first of the recruitment rounds. The following is a guide taken from the Greek Life website at UM on the Panhellenic recruitment events.

PANHELLENIC FORMAL RECRUITMENT

Round 1
During this night, you should make a friend in each of the suites so you will recognize a familiar face in the nights to follow. Also, try to find something that will help you identify the different sororities.
What to Wear: Dress nicely. A skirt, dress, or pants are fine. Something you would wear on the first day of school and comfortable shoes.

Round 2
You should focus on meeting many different people in each suite. This round is crucial because this is when you have to begin to narrow down your choices. Find out about things such as finances and activities.
What to Wear: This night is a little more casual than round one. Dress comfortably, yet neatly in either shorts or pants, as you may have to sit on the floor.

Round 3
This night is the perfect opportunity to find out what each sorority has to offer you. Know what you are looking for, because this is the night when you will have the best chance to ask questions.
What to Wear: This night is a bit dressier than the other nights so plan on wearing a nice outfit that you might wear out to dinner. However, there is no need to go out and buy new clothes.

Round 4
The last night of recruitment is the most important. If there are any lingering questions or details, this is the time to straighten them out. This is the night that each woman has to make her final decision.
What to Wear: This is the dressiest night of recruitment. Wear a cocktail dress or a nice suit. No prom dresses or ball gowns are necessary.

Bid Day
Today is the day that you will be formally tapped into Panhellenic sisterhood!
What to Wear: A BIG, dark T-Shirt. The sorority you get a bid from will send over your Bid Day shirts and you will wear them underneath your big, dark t-shirt. You have to change so you may want to wear a sports bra underneath your shirt, too. After you reveal what sorority you are pledging you will be spending the rest of the afternoon getting to know your new sisters.

Fraternity recruitment is coming to an end this week, with the traditional smokers taking place. This is typically the last event before bid day.
Bid day will commence at 5 p.m. at the Rock. It is recommended that those men who have gone through recruitment arrive early to see if they received a bid and to accept them if they wish.

That’s all for this week in Greek Life. We look forward to hearing from all the Greeks to see how recruitment went. Don’t forget to send your stories to us at greekhurricanes@yahoo.com.

Remember, “Let the Letters Do the Talking!”