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Housing Headache

The Miami Hurricane
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Students feel powerless toward housing policy changes
Many wait hours to sign up only to find no guarantee of housing at the end of the line
Within the past week, the Miami Hurricane has received over a dozen complaints from students regarding the housing situation on campus, primarily the new amendment stipulating UM’s ability to administratively change housing assignments and force students to move into the Holiday Inn, the lack of on-campus dorms available for current students and the unrealistically long lines to sign up for housing.
The Miami Hurricane attempted on several occasions to contact Jon Baldessari, assistant director for Residence Halls in charge of housing assignments, to schedule an interview to discuss the complaints, to no avail. On Friday, the Miami Hurricane went to the office of Residence Halls to speak with Baldessari, only to discover that he was unavailable to meet with us. We then requested to speak with his secretary, Dianne Wall, but the front desk attendant, who refused to give us her exact name or title, said she could not contact Wall or vouch for her whereabouts. The Miami Hurricane then requested to speak with Robert Redick, director for residence halls, and were told that he was out of town attending a conference.
Reporters for the Miami Hurricane later discovered that Baldessari and Wall were directing the long lines of students waiting to sign-up for housing.
“This is ridiculous,” Rafael Evans, freshman, said. “It’s a horrendous and horrifying experience.”
Recently, the Miami Hurricane has learned that the resident assistants [RAs] in all of the residential colleges will be moving into single rooms, to make their current double rooms available to residents.
However, students currently living in single rooms in Hecht and Stanford have not received notice that they will not be able to live in these rooms next year.
Even though these students are signing up to retain their singles, they will not be notified that they are displaced students until the Department of Residence Halls sends them a letter stating that they must move into the Holiday Inn because their room is unavailable.
Students are outraged at the deception and misinformation presented to them by the staff at the Department of Residence Halls.
Sometimes students have waited up to five hours to sign up for rooms and many have missed class and work or rescheduled appointments to make up for the amount of time it takes to sign up for a room.
“I was under the impression that this was organized, but it’s really not,” Anna Becker, freshman, said. “We’ve been waiting for over four hours.”
“I figured this would happen,” Greg Carr, freshman, said. “They need to have more than one line.”
Upperclassmen who have been through the housing process in the past expressed shock at how frustrating the situation is this year.
“I can’t believe how long that the lines are; they have never been so bad,” Jake Golden, junior, said.
Many students said they expect more from the UM administration.
“With as much money as we pay, the school should have a better system,” Danielle Vann, freshman, said.
Many students believe that UM administration has accepted too many incoming freshmen, and they feel under-appreciated and unwelcome on campus, mainly because they will be the first to go if spaces need to be filled at the Holiday Inn.
“If they don’t have the room for students to live on campus, they shouldn’t be admitting them,” Shaneca Adams, freshman, said.
“This is really frustrating, and there aren’t many rooms left,” freshman Emily Ely said.
“They really need to work on building new housing, like University Village, because this is unacceptable,” Sarah Hutchins, sophomore, said.
Some students are even considering transferring to another school if on-campus housing is not made available.
“I attend UM because of the academics,” Jennifer Steeb, freshman, said. “If they make me go to the Holiday Inn or anywhere else off campus, I would transfer because I’d be missing out on campus life.”
“I think one way to resolve this issue is to make the admissions process more competitive,” Steeb said.
Several students are also criticizing the staff of the Department of Residence Halls for their lack of organization and professionalism.
“The approach to the system needs to be changed,” Kristen Greenberg, freshman, said. “They have three people with pencils in there signing everybody up.”
“They need more housing and a better system of signups,” Jake Golden, junior, said.
According to Mike Johnston, former Student Government [SG] president, SG has worked to help make the housing sign-up process easier this year by offering a week of express sign-ups for students wishing to keep their same room.
However, Johnston says the current housing process is unacceptable and he says he will work with Scott Sadowski, new SG president, to come up with a solution.
“The current housing sign-up situation is very poor,” Johnston said. “I’m very upset about it and will work with Scott to fix the situation.”
For any questions, comments, concerns or complaints, contact the Department of Residence Halls at 305-284-4505.

Jorge Arauz can be contacted at xxarauzxx@yahoo.com; Leigha Taber can be contacted at l.taber@umiami.edu

film review: Spirited Away ***1/2

The Miami Hurricane
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Spirited Away, like so many foreign films, bears little resemblance to American cinema. Yet, because it’s animated, Western audiences have oft-compared the film to favored cuddly hits like Monsters, Inc, Aladdin, and Ice Age.

This month, after winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, it is being re-released in theatres, and the mainstream parallels have finally started to detour. Moviegoers are beginning to realize that this film, directed by Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke), does not prance around in the same wonderland playground as Mickey and friends, and that is a grand admission.

The film starts with a young girl, Chihiro, riding in a car with her parents. When they take a wrong turn, her dad suggests they examine a mysterious tunnel. On the other side, they find what looks like an abandoned theme park, but soon learn that it’s actually a bathhouse for spirits, which take the form of strange monsters. Viewers (who don’t watch “Adult Swim” on Cartoon Network) might find it odd when Chihiro’s parents begin eating food and quickly turn into pigs. Welcome to Miyazaki’s fantastically warped vision.

As the plot progresses it becomes quite scattered, submerging totally into the vivid spirit world where Chihiro becomes a lowly employee. She encounters many spirits and bizzare happenings, leading up to the ending, when she tries to save her parents and herself.

Spirited Away is too far out there for a review to inflate it with rationality. Moreover, it true significance resides in the beauty of the mature animation and music. Chihiro meets many fully conceived creatures along her journey, some friendly and some jerked out of a Pok

album reviews: Songs: Ohia molds a country masterpiece, Xiu Xiu divides joy, and Lil’ Kim pays her plastic surgeon

The Miami Hurricane
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Xiu Xiu
A Promise
***

There are two ways to listen to music. You can use music as filler for other activities: driving, studying, making love, whatever. Or, you can also really listen to music, casting aside all distractions in order to better experience and comprehend the art as it has been created. If you aren’t interested in delving into music and exploring its every facet and feature, stop reading. Xiu Xiu is not the band for you.
Xiu Xiu takes their name from the Chinese film Xiu Xiu the Sent Down Girl, a film that only rivals its absurdity with its hopelessness. For those that heard Xiu Xiu’s last EP, Chapel of the Chimes, a sorrowful tone resounds throughout that album which carries over into this release. However, the opening track, “Sad Pony Guerilla Girl,” hints at unseen hope within this recording.
Comparisons have been made between lead singer Jamie Stewart and Robert Smith of The Cure. Perhaps this is true thematically, but the sound of the vocals is more reminiscent of the Omaha singer/songwriter sound (think Bright Eyes or Simon Joyner) crossed with the exuberance and gritty edge of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. It may be no coincidence then, that the closer on this album is a plaintiff melody entitled “Ian Curtis Wishlist.”
Much of this record is spent fiddling with bizarre instrumentations, trying to find the sound that melds most perfectly with Stewart’s tortured vocals. In addition to traditional drums/guitar combos, each track uses feedback, toy sounds, and programmed computer glitchery to create a new atmosphere for the band’s experimentation. Xiu Xiu has found the perfect combination on the track “Apistat Commander,” which combines a half-dance-y minimal beat with lots of feedback and detuned synth noise to produce an unsettled feeling mirrored by the lyrics and the vocal delivery.
This record is not a source for background music, but if you are looking for a CD that challenges your idea of music as well as rewarding you with a fresh take on unique expression, this is your new favorite CD. If nothing else, it’s worth listening to just to hear Xiu Xiu’s unique take on Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”

– James Hush
Lil’ Kim
La Bella Mafia
* 1/2

As far as female rappers go, they usually stop before they go anywhere. Lil’ Kim has taken every opportunity that she’s been given. It’s too bad that Biggie can’t feed her anymore, because now she’s desperate like a female gremlin in an elevator.
If rap today has taught us anything it’s that shouting out B.I.G’s name is enough to get people shaking their ass. Juggling with that assumption, people should be moving to almost every single one of Kim’s songs. Ok, it’s embarrassing to admit, but I can sit through most of this album. There are banging beats (at least for the next few months) but the material is so tired; it’s hard to believe that people can still make songs about their money being more legit than other people’s money. Kim loves Hummers and hates hummers, what a surprise. Even though the production is the only thing somewhat fresh on this album, there are a bunch of snaggle tooth beats in there too.
Havoc from Mobb Deep pops up to intro “Hold it Now,” a song that he produced, even though it’s basically the instrumental to the Beasties’ classic “Paul Revere.” Every skit on the album is terrible; not that skits are ever good, but these are fantastically worthless. The hook to “This is a Warning”: “Someone’s gonna poison your food/ Someone’s putting tags on your toes,” sounds like some kind of joke (plus: do food and toes rhyme?). As a matter of fact, the only time a rhyme sounds alright on La Bella Mafia is when it’s someone else (Twista, 50 cent, Styles P) or a dusty B.I.G. bar. Kim’s plastic body has spawned a plastic album, but for some reason it’ll be gold in another week and I’ll still try and dance with your girlfriend when “The Jump Off” featuring Miami’s Mr. Cheeks comes on.

– Sven Barth

Songs: Ohia
The Magnolia Electric Co.
****1/2

From the opening notes of “Farewell Transmission,” the first track on the new Songs: Ohia record, it’s apparent that we’re in for something new. When I get promo CDs from labels, I try my best not to read the bullshit review sticker on the front of the cases, as they usually read like hip references picked out of a hat: “This is what Captain Beefheart would have made if he had heard Kid 606” or “Angular art-punk ala A Common Ratio but with more of a mid-Eighties Miles Davis influence.”
Naturally, I was a bit skeptical when someone said that this record landed “somewhere on the radar sonically between Bob Dylan’s Desire and Bob Seger’s Beautiful Loser,” but by the time I got through the first chorus of “Farewell Transmission,” I understood the ambitious connection. Songs:Ohia (Jason Molina) has shed the stripped down instrumentations of Ghost Tropic and Impala in exchange for a full band ’70s rock sound. Molina’s signature vocal stylings remain intact, his voice wavering on even the most confident of lyrical outbursts. It’s a haunting delivery that syncs so well with this disc’s distorted riffs and wailing slide guitar, I wondered why Songs: Ohia hadn’t been making this type of music all along. When “Farewell Transmission” creeps to an end after seven and a half minutes, it miraculously feels like three.
“I’ve Been Riding With the Ghost,” the album’s second track, is simply the best cut off this record. The intro baits you into believing that Molina has returned to a more comfortable equation, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and a lyric-free chorus in the background. Without warning, it slides into a dark backwoods rocker – the kind of song drunk rednecks would listen to if they had any taste. My only gripe with this track is that at just over three minutes, it’s literally too short.
By the third track, “Just Be Simple,” it becomes painfully obvious that there is not enough well written country music in the world. Molina’s simple, honest approach to songwriting lends this weary ballad more Midwestern legitimacy than all the world’s pickup trucks and cowboy boots ever could. “And everything you hated me for, honey there was so much more, I just didn’t get busted.” Teetering on a non-existent perch somewhere between bravado and resignation, Molina captures in one song what it took David Allen Coe an entire album to suggest.
By track four, “Almost Was Good Enough,” a mud-splattered malaise wraps itself around your heart, and Molina makes the painful shift from a world-weary romantic to a jaded cynic, but not in an obnoxiously ’90s Janeane Garofalo kind of way. The gloom gets so thick mid-song that Molina actually makes an aside, “Did you really believe, (come on, did you really believe) that everyone makes it out?” While the tempo is still more upbeat than most of the other tracks on this record, the sullen ’70s Southern rock vibe keeps this track more of a drinker than a dancer. This is when the comparison to Bob Seger really starts to make sense.
Only the most diehard country lovers will appreciate the fifth cut on this record, “The Old Black Hen,” as Molina hands the vocal reins over to Lawrence Peters, a guest vocalist elsewhere on the album. Peters delivers straight and pure, and the result is a song that would sound at home on a compilation next to Loretta Lynn and Bill Anderson. Slightly distorted guitar chords join a tinny honky-tonk piano and (yes) fiddle players – the most faithfully textbook country arrangement on the LP.
Has Scout Niblett always sounded this much like Cat Power’s Chan Marshall? This question cannot be ignored when Niblett takes over lead vocals on the album’s sixth song, “Peoria Lunch Box Blues.” As the title suggests, this song recreates the bland, stagnant surroundings of suburban Illinois during a rainy fall day. Niblett does a much better job than Peters of invoking the spirit of Molina, preciously stashed away in his beautiful lyrical composition.
Molina is back on track seven, “John Henry Split My Heart.” This song brings to mind the road anthems of the ’70s, songs that consumed the spirit of the open road, driving across six states just because you’re able to do so. That trip is actually a perfect metaphor for this album in general. Looking out at an endless horizon of potential and mystery, Molina occasionally looks back over his shoulder to reflect on his past choices, in both life and music.
The final cut of the album, “Hold On Magnolia,” meshes Songs: Ohia’s newly honed country influences with the sincere blues that put Didn’t It Rain, his last album, on a lot of last year’s top ten lists. If the initial response to this record at WVUM is any indication, Magnolia Electric Co. will be included on the same lists for 2003, and it deserves to be.

– James Hush

The staff of Life & Art can be reached at HurricaneAccent@hotmail.com. New tracks by Xiu Xiu and Songs: Ohia (sorry, no Kim) can be heard on WVUM 90.5.

190 – a savory, though pricey eatery for Miami’s bohos

The Miami Hurricane
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After your first dining experience at 190, the new bohemian caf

South Beach strikes a Nerve, but can it last?

The Miami Hurricane
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Nestled up on Miami Beach, a safe distance from the iridescent glow of trendy hotel-laden Collins Ave, the newest child of music and Miami lifestyle stands beckoning clubbers of every background to try something different.
“Club goers are a very large and diverse population,” says Rodolphe Pieper, one of three owners of Nerve, the newest addition to the beach scene. In fact, most SoBe club attendees have yearned for the same redundant techno/extravagance/beauty formula in lavish themed dEcors and extraordinary, hedonistic settings. Has Nerve slapped a fresh pack of cards on the table? Is its audience really ready to take off their night sunglasses or are they the same bunch of obnoxious and brazen phonies pervading the strip on Washington Avenue?
Set off the normal beaten path of the Miami party scene, the less-than-obvious new home of Nerve is one that Pieper is ready to usher into this era of glitz and glamour. His aspirations of turning the otherwise taciturn area west of Collins into a Miami disco Mecca have begun in full swing.
After a last minute ad campaign that swept over the beach like wildfire, Nerve opened its doors Saturday, March 15th to some success. Flyers featuring some well-known cartoon characters and other not so well known adult comic figures kept everyone wondering just what to expect once the doors had opened.
The promise of a Phazon sound system (Nerve has the largest of any other club of its size) and notable progressive house and trance DJs gave Nerve instant street cred-of course, that is, if you’re into the mainstream techno scene of SoBe’s nightlife. Resident DJs Roman Ricardo and Michael Storms hold down techno on Friday and Saturday nights, while Mark Leventhal spins commercial hip hop on Monday nights. Thus, in terms of the music, you know what to expect and the inventiveness of the record crates here is debatable.
Surrounded by throngs of beautiful men and women (most of whom work for him), Pieper relaxes in the company of friends, including the area’s most famous drag queen and Buster, the promotions director for 93.1 FM, and the typical Miami jet-set on a Friday night. “A club is like a child,” he explains. “You nurture it as much as possible, but ultimately it makes its own decision as to what it will be.” Sounds like a truism, yet perhaps the guy has a point.
As a place first described on its website (NerveMiami.com) as neither a club nor a lounge, but rather a “space,” Nerve quickly “seems to be becoming a club,” Pieper says. But unlike any other venue of its kind on the beach, looking too “last season” or “blas

News Briefs

The Miami Hurricane
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Hip hop producer and DJ Prince Paul is finally emerging from obscurity: his new album, Politics of the Business, hits stores on May 6 and the lineup of guests looks juicy (Fatlip, MF Doom, Masta Ace, DJ Premier, the Beatnuts and Planet Asia, among others). Supposedly, dude is parodying hip hop and describes the LP as “fast food music,” but, honestly, ya’ll can’t sleep on everything this guy’s done in the past with De La Soul and Stetsasonic, so show some respect.

If any of you are interested in the sexual experimentation (and myths) that flooded through the ’60s and ’70s, cop the new memoir by Kathy Dobie, The Only Girl in the Car, exploring the recklessness and ambiguity of teenage sex. The story focuses on a year in high school during the days of Jimi Hendrix and flower power when the author was a self-ascribed “slut” and was trapped into having an orgy with four guys when she was 15.

One Love, a flick that’s the Jamaican version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is currently in post-production and set to hit the screens in 2004. Ky-Mani Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, plays the lead role and also cameod in 2001’s Shottas, a film about the country’s underworld. We don’t know what to anticipate from One Love, except that the title is clich

Ron “the Hedgehog” Jeremy busts a freestyle and disses Jenna

The Miami Hurricane
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Writing an introduction for a Ron Jeremy interview is like writing one for the president; nearly everyone already knows who he is. If you were sheltered as a child, let me get this over with quick: he’s the world’s most famous porn star, ever.

Besides steadily porking his way through decades of skin flicks like Hershe Highway and Coming in America, Mr. Jeremy has kept his clothes on long enough to slip into a few mainstream/cult flicks like Orgasmo (as an evil porn-star) and Detroit Rock City (as an announcer for a strip show).

A recent no-gloss documentary on his life, Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, not only examines how much endurance this guy has, it also reveals how much his profession demands it. From fending off harsh criticisms from a younger generation of female gyrators, to blurrily hopping on countless flights for movie shoots and parties, Ron is a consummate businessman with trash bags for a briefcase. Oh yeah, and there’s the whole issue of hell.

This is an unprotected Life & Art interview with the legend himself.

Q: So, what’s your favorite microwavable food?
RJ: Oh, this is good. Microwavable food?

Yeah.
RJ: None. Somehow I find that nuking has a flavor all it’s own; I never ever, ever microwave anything. I guess pasta, like certain kinds of ravioli. I’d rather just eat it cold. I’m very big on leftovers. I love to go to a restaurant not eat everything there, and just wrap it up; some of mine, some of yours, whatever the guy next to me is eating…

Q: So, your nickname’s “The Hedgehog,” you play a lot of Sonic the Hedgehog?
RJ: No, but should I sue ’em for taking my name away?

I think you’d look a lot better in a ball spinning around than him.
RJ: Thank you for that. Al Goldstein (publisher of Screw magazine, etc) wants to change my name to “Manatee” because I’m an endangered species. They’re little fat things that float.

Q: Of all the fake boobs in Miami, which ones are the tastiest?
RJ: Your mom’s. Ha, ha, ha.

Woah, look out!
RJ: I couldn’t help that. I actually prefer natural, I’m a big, big, big fan of natural. Big, small, large… they usually tend to be more sensitive. I really wanna talk girls out of doing it; no girls get a boob job once. They get it done two or three more times in the course of five or 10 years and that’s ridiculous because their nipples don’t work as well.

Q: What advice would you give to, well…say me, if I wanted to get started in the porno business?
RJ: You couldn’t. I’m kidding. Who do you spank the monkey to? The girl. We’re props. You call World Modeling in L.A. and you go with a girl. If you go with a girl, you’ll have a job in two weeks, if you go alone, two years.

Q: When you meet guys, many are probably picturing you naked. Is that weird?
RJ: Once in a while, but it’s not that much of a problem. I like when women often make a comment. I don’t get girls wanting just to do me, but I often do get girls wanting just to see it – that happens a lot. And I go, “Well, show me yours and I’ll show you mine.” And they say, “Well, yeah, but I’m not in the business.” And I’ll say, “Yeah, well I clocked out.” Then it becomes very romantic.

Q: You did a song with DJ Polo (Kool G Rap’s DJ in the Cold Chillin’ days) “Freak of the Week.” Wanna drop me a freestyle?
RJ: R-o-n that’s who I be/ For those who can’t spell Ron Jeremy/ Went freaky way before they made ecstasy/ Dennis Haas gave me the extra key/ So I called up Polo and he called G/ Let’s go to the Bunny Ranch one, two, three/Soon as I step up to the door/ Let’s get buck naked do it on the floor/ With a sexy young lady that I adore/ When she’s exhausted I look for more/ Thank you Daddy D now that’s the score/ American and African and two Jamaicans/ If you give it to me girl I’ll be partaken/ Just the Freak of the Week there’s no mistakin’/ See me swinging from a hammock tied to a tree/ Seven hotties with their bodies all over me/ I never meant to be a teenage hunk/ But I made a lot of dough with my tree trunk.

Q: Classic. How does it feel to be one of the few guys alive that can get away with wearing a Hawaiian shirt?
RJ: Robin Williams does that a lot. They imitated me on “Saturday Night Live” and Jon Lovitz was wearing one I thought was great. It’s fun, they’re nice and comfortable; I like to wear sweat pants and Hawaiian shirts. I’m a big fan of comfort, I don’t like to wear tight pants even though it might make the schmenka look better.

Q: That makes sense. (This doesn’t.) Would you ever do a “Porno for Peace” with Linda McCartney?
RJ: Isn’t she dead?

Oh yeah.
RJ: Well, I’m stiff and she’s stiff that would be kinda of interesting. Should I wear a black rubber? Oh, that’s disgusting.

Q: You’ve got a comedy act right?
RJ: I discuss some of the bad things about porn. Can we say dirty words on this?

Don’t worry about it.
RJ: That car cost me 150 anals and two D.P.s. In fact Jenna Jameson had a beautiful fur coat she wore, and these feminist activists are yelling at her, “You know how many animals had to die for that fur?” Please, do you know how many guys she had to blow to get that fur…not bad huh? (Editor’s note: Insert drum roll here.)

Q: Is there anyone that should be in porn that’s not?
RJ: Your mom! Again with the mother!

Q: How about Strom Thurman?
Um yeah, that’d be interesting. I’ve directed a lot of people who are on the fringe of celebrity-hood: John Bobbitt, Divine Brown (the Hugh Grant hooker) called it a Doc-Hugh-Drama, I directed a Miami Dolphin, a big huge black guy, that was called Back Field in Motion, Ice T, Vince Neil, Lemmy from Motor head…

Q: What’s a blooper you can give me that I can publish?
RJ: It’s funny as hell. There was a movie years ago I was helping direct. One of the lights that gets really close sometimes, called the “sun gun” or the “see light” – we were doing one of those up-and-over angles where you go underneath the guys legs, and see him doing the girl you know, straight down? We call it the Australian angle – the guy goes “down-under.” The camera made it underneath the guys legs, shooting the “insertion” close ups, well, the light got too close and we started to smell something. And sure enough they’re burning his ball hairs. He sealed it with a double flip twist into the pool. That was very entertaining.

I’ll bet none of you were ready for that rap, Ron gets busy son! If you still need more Ron (and I know a lot of lonely dorm rooms that do) go next door and borrow a tape.
For more info, visit www.ronjeremy.com.

Girls interested in a summer trip to L.A. can reach Sven at big_sven@hotmail.com.

Haitian Week gives UM some Caribbean flavor

The Miami Hurricane
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Haitian Week opened with sweetness as Plant Kreyol gave out free rum cake on the Rock as part of an opening celebration Monday.
“This week is a celebration of our culture, especially through music food and history,” Dimiteri Austin, president of Planet Kreyol, said. “This is something the whole campus can get involved with to experience different things.”
“It has a touch of Haitian love,” Winnie Eliassaint, interim advisor, said.
Also on Monday, a candlelight vigil was held for the Haitian detainees at 7 p.m. During the ceremony, “Bold People,” a poem that illustrates the experiences of those who were detained, was read.
“I don’t think that it’s fair the way Haitians are being treated, and I think that we should do everything we can so that our voices can be heard,” Lauren Lassifer, sophomore, said.
Vera Lafosse, vice president of Planet Kreyol, described her experience when she visited a facility in Palm Beach that houses Haitian detainees, some of which had been detained since 2001.
“You could really see the strength in their eyes, hoping and wishing to stay in the U.S. to have a better life,” Lafosse said.
Other events included an Art Fest at the Lowe in which Rosie Gordon-Wallace, owner of the Diaspora Vibe Gallery, shared slides of Caribbean artwork with students. One of the many artists included Daniel Ramirez, who created a large-scale model of the twin towers, created two years before the September 11 tragedy, in which clay faces of victims stuck out of the windows and large American flags on canvas lined the bottom. Ramirez is referred to as a “warner,” a Caribbean name given to those who project future events.
“I like how [Gordon-Wallace] connected the whole Caribbean together through artwork,” said freshman Chelsea Comeau, freshman and third-generation Haitian, said. “I wanted to get an idea of my country and culture and how it looks through photographs and art.”
Gordon-Wallace also encouraged students to take an active role in the preservation of Caribbean artwork because it does not receive the same recognition that other art does.
“Culture is a business,” Gordon-Wallace said. “I am empowering you to make that business yours. Man creates value and the only way to be valued and respected is for documentation.”
Gordon-Wallace went on to say that culture remains alive through our food, through our music and through our conversations.
“There is a lot we have to be proud of and I can’t do it alone,” Gordon-Wallace said.
The art show was followed by a panel discussion entitled “Haitians Overcoming Adversity”, in which Alix J.M. Apollon, vice-president of Legal Service to UPS Latin America and the Caribbean, gave advice to students.
“Half the battle is won by just being here at UM,” Apollon said. “Once you get an education then you can go for other things.”
Lauline Mozard, freshman, was motivated by the discussion.
“It was interesting to see the path certain people have taken to get where they are in life and the hardships they had to overcome,” Mozard said.

Today, a Karnaval, which is similar to Mardi Gras, will be held at the Rat from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. On Saturday at 7 p.m., a free banquet will be held in the UC Ballrooms as part of the closing ceremonies for Haitian Culture Week.

Marquita Bell can be contacted at m_bell01@hotmail.com

News Briefs

The Miami Hurricane
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From Feb. 20 through 23, the University of Miami’s Interfraternity Council attended the Southeastern Interfraternity conference. At the conference, UM’s IFC won awards for Outstanding Program, Alumni Development, Publications and Fraternal Excellence. Additionally, they were awarded honorable mention in the categories of Philanthropy and Community Service, Recruitment and Scholarship Programming. Dave Fenster, the current Vice President for the University of Miami’s IFC, was elected President of the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference. Congratulations, gentlemen, on a job well done!

The UM Purchasing department joins a national drive to collect old cellular phones for victims of domestic violence. The program, started by the Wireless Foundation, Motorola and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, collects wireless phones and then refurbishes, reprograms and distributes them to victims in need. The Purchasing department will be collecting phones beginning Monday, March 17, through Sunday, June 1. For more information on the campaign call 1-888-901-SAFE or visit www.donateaphone.com. To contact Purchasing regarding drop-off, call Annette Bringas at 305-284-3093.

Meals not quite as good as mom’s home cooking? Got a kitchen but do not know how to use it? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, Chef Angel Velasquez’s beginner cooking class is for you! Learn culinary skills, stocks, sauces, emulsions and baking skills during the four-week series. Afterward you get to enjoy the delicious food you learned to expertly prepare. The cooking series begins April 2 and continues each Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. through April 23. Fee is $79 for members and $99 for non-members. The fee includes instruction, supplies and tastings. Register in the Wellness Suite or call 305-284-5433 for more information.

Join COISO in one of the biggest spring events at UM! International Week features over 20 international and multicultural student organizations. Each day of the week, a different region of the world is represented. During International Week 2003: Around the World in 8 Days, take a journey around the world. On this journey, you will experience the world’s cultures through the eyes of UM’s brightest cultural attaches – the international students. Expect a week filled with celebration, education and interaction, as we bring the world to the University of Miami in eight amazing days. International Week is April 4 through 12, 2003. For more information, contact COISO office and speak to Nikki or Minal at 305-284-3548.

There are spaces available in Summer 2003 faculty-led UM courses abroad taught by professors in the College of Arts and Sciences. We are having an information session next week for each course. Call Chris at 305-284-3183 with questions. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2003. For more information, visit www.studyabroad.miami.edu.

Campus Calendar

The Miami Hurricane
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TODAY
Learn about the Life of an Outlaw with AKA while watching 8 Mile at 7:08 p.m. at the Hecht Masters Apartment.

Don’t miss Greek Week opening ceremonies at 4 p.m. at the Rat. The theme is “The Great Greek Agoura.”

Planet Kreyol presents Karnaval at the Rat from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

SATURDAY MARCH 29
Be sure to Toss it Up… and party at the Rat with AKA from 9:39 p.m. to 2:08 p.m. It’s a white-out party featuring DJ Scoobs. Non-UM students are five dollars. The attire is all white.

Greek Week presents “Running of the Bulls in Pamplona” as Olympic Day at 11 a.m. in the Wellness Center.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Join Planet Kreyol for the Haitian Culture week Closing Banquet in the UC Ballrooms at 7 p.m.

MONDAY MARCH 31
The Asian American Student Association presents Asian Awareness Week beginning with Anime Night. Don’t miss Japanese animations showing in Mahoney Classroom 104 starting at 7:30 p.m. Popcorn and beverages will be served.

The Department of Multicultural Student Affairs presents “Access Granted,” at noon in the UC Ballrooms C and D. Lunch will be provided. Access Granted is an open forum for black students to discuss issues affecting the black student community at the University of Miami. Special guests from the black faculty and staff will be present to dialogue with students and address issues on campus and in the South Florida community. Please RSVP by Thursday, March 27 by contacting MSA at 305-284-2855. Check out the Unified Newsletter at www.miami.edu/msa.
Greek Week hosts their keynote speaker at 6 p.m. in the UC ballrooms.

The Center for Research on Sports in Society in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and School of Law present the CRSS Distinguished Lecture, The Business of Sports Agents, presented by Ken Shropshire, J.D., David Hauck Professor of Legal Studies at the Wharton School. As a commentator, his views have appeared in USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and on NPR and Nightline. The lecture is at 7 p.m. at the Storer Auditorium. Please RSVP to 305-284-3690.

Stanford Residential College is hosting the first ever Career Carnival! Come and talk to advisors and professors from all different colleges: Communication, Business/Law, Arts and Sciences and Pre-Med and see what they did in order to succeed. Plus: internship ideas from the Toppel Career Center and Grad School planning with Kaplan. Lots of fun carnival food, games and prizes, including FREE books for Kaplan classes and 50 percent off the class, resume paper and envelopes, CDs and much more! This event will be from 7 to 9 p.m. in Stanford Residential College. Please Contact Sara Miga at smiga@miami.edu with any questions.

The School of Music is having a media writing and production concert at Clarke Recital Hall at 8 p.m. The event will feature both undergraduate and graduate students’ original songs. For more information, contact Kristina Noss at 786-877-7434 or Alex Lyons at 215-570-3247.

TUESDAY APRIL 1
Asian American Awareness Week continues with an Asian Cultural Fashion Show. Student models will be showcasing various, authentic, ethnic and historical costumes from various parts of Asia. The fashion show will be in the UC I-lounge at 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 2

Don’t miss India Day, dedicated to Indian culture, customs and traditions, as part of Asian American Awareness Week.

Did you ever want to kick butts? If so, participate in the UM chapter of STRIKE Cigarette Trade-In day in honor of Kick Butts day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the UC Rock. Smokers can trade in a pack of their cigarettes for a UM visor. For more information, contact 305-284-6524.

Nordstrom at the Village at Merrick Park invites you to “Opening a Multi-Billion Dollar Store” with presentations by Vicki Lopez, store manager, and MaryAnn Gunther, Human Resource Manager. The event will be from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Storer auditorium. Be sure to attend to find out about paid internships offered all over the U.S. Refreshments will be served. RSVP is not needed. Dress is casual. For more information, contact 305-284-4052.

Multi-million dollar face lift lies ahead for the UC

The Miami Hurricane
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A new $30-40 million state-of-the-art University Center [UC] is in the process of being planned by UM administrators and students to be funded through upcoming fundraising efforts, as part of President Donna E. Shalala’s Capital Campaign.
“We as an institution need to bring the UC into the 21st century,” Richard Walker, director of the UC and Student Life, said. “We are looking to expand out from our current location and to move things around.”
Dan Westbrook, associate director for the UC, says that those who use the UC on a daily basis have needed a new building for years.
“Our building is old, and much of its design and functionality were originally matched to the needs of the 1960s,” Westbrook said. “Over the years, many students and administrators have been very creative in modifying old spaces to better serve the students of the ’80s, ’90s and today, but there is a limit to what can be done.”
“Nothing can alter the fact that the air conditioning systems, wiring and plumbing, and other infrastructure components in the UC are at or beyond their expected lifetimes,” Westbrook said.
According to Walker, Tulane University has just completed a $37 million renovation on their UC.
As for the planning of the renovation, UM is working with the firm Brailsford and Dunlavey. The same firm helped in the planning of the Wellness Center, which cost an estimated $13.5 million.
Recently, the firm has worked with several focus groups on campus including commuter students, resident students, faculty, UC staff and employees, in order to determine specific renovations.
Some suggestions for additions to the UC include retail stores, hair salons, movie theaters, a bowling alley and restaurants.
“All of us are very anxious to see what the priorities of our patrons actually are,” Westbrook said. “We look forward to working with students, staff, faculty and alumni in making sure the UC remains a key provider of services and programs for the University of Miami.”
The results of the focus group studies will be available in May.
The UC renovation is just one of several other construction projects recently taken on by the University.
“Student life is like a wheel with three components, the Wellness Center, the Convocation Center and the UC,” Walker said. “We want the UC to be as nice as the others in order to complete the wheel.”
Many students are looking forward to the renovations.
“The UC is one of the most student-oriented buildings I’ve seen on college campuses,” Oscar De La Pena, senior, said. “I’m looking forward to the renovations.”
“The improvements will be beneficial to the entire University community,” Ricky Rodriguez, freshman, said.
However, not all students agree with all of the suggestions.
“I wouldn’t want a hair salon, unless haircuts were included in my tuition,” Christina Coleman, freshman, said.
Currently, a survey has been developed to find out which improvements or changes the UM community would like to see made to the UC.
Students who fill out the survey will be included in a drawing to win either a $50 Dining Dollar certificate or a $50 Bookstore gift certificate.
The deadline to complete the UC renovations survey is today at 5 p.m.
To complete the student survey, go to www.facilityplanners.com/survey/miami/student. To complete the staff and faculty survey, go to www.facilityplanners.com/survey/miami/faculty.

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

Reno Uncensored

The Miami Hurricane
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Janet Reno, former attorney general and candidate for Florida governor, held a Q&A session with students this week, organized and moderated by the UM Council for Democracy.
“I think Reno’s visit is significant in that some of our nation’s political leaders can realize that the University of Miami is an excellent institution with an intellectual and involved student body,” David McCombie, president of the UM Council for Democracy, said.
Reno, who graduated from Coral Gables High School, told the Miami Hurricane that she’s always glad to return to the area.
“I’ve visited Gables a lot since I graduated,” Reno said. “It’s always good to go back.”
Reno also told the Miami Hurricane that she respects UM President Donna E. Shalala’s work, both as UM president and as Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration.
“Shalala was a splendid Secretary of Health and Human Services and she understood the issues,” Reno said. “She could bring people together in a very effective way, and from what I’ve observed, she’s been doing the same thing at the University of Miami.”
During the event, the audience asked questions regarding both national and international issues such as the war, the environment, the economy, Florida elections, domestic security and her appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Students attended the event for a variety of reasons.
“I was hoping to hear some liberals talk for a change,” Elliot Stark, sophomore, said. “I watch too much CNN and I’m tired of that nonsense.”
“I’m just trying to get some insight into what she did when she was the attorney general,” Frank Bayless, senior, said.
Omid Ghaffari, junior, says that he was impressed by Reno’s answers during the discussion.
“I found Janet Reno to be very informative; she had interesting points of view and I really like the answers she gave,” Ghaffari said. “She really showed a lot more understanding of the situations here than she did when she was running for governor.”
Reno told the Miami Hurricane that she’s looking toward the future.
“I want to do some writing and I want to continue to speak out on the issues that are important to me,” Reno said. “I want to work on a community that I was born and raised in and that I care a lot about.”
McCombie said he hopes that students benefited from the event.
“I hope students come away from our events with the realization that exposing yourself to a wide variety of viewpoints from all political affiliations is a healthy thing to do,” McCombie said.
For more information on the Council for Democracy, visit www.CouncilForDemocracy.org.

Arnab Basu can be contacted at basuarnab@hotmail.com.

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