UM freshman Becky Buran, an Indiana native double majoring in media management and sociology, played for big money on the syndicated game show Hollywood Squares as part of their fifth-annual college tournament.
Buran was one of 14 students from colleges and universities throughout the country. During her game, she competed against a student from Emerson University in Boston.
“The worst part was the practice session the day before the game,” Buran said. “I did so bad, I couldn’t even play tic-tac-toe.”
Buran’s show aired Feb. 21 on CBS 4, with her winning over $11,000 cash and an eight-country tour of Europe.
“I’m taking the trip this August with my boyfriend,” Buran said.
Among the stars that were on the show with Buran were American Idol’s judge Simon Cowell as Center Square, Joan Rivers and Carmen Electra.
“It was a really fun experience; they sent me out to California for four days,” Buran said. “They put me up in a hotel and everything.”
Buran recalls the audition-process.
“I went to the auditions at UM to get on the show. I had to take a test and play the game and they took pictures,” Buran said. “We were judged on personality and our knowledge of the game.”
Buran says she almost didn’t make it onto the show because she was out of town when representatives called to let her know she had been selected.
“They called me right before Thanksgiving and left a message, but my roommate wrote down the wrong number so I was trying to call them back,” Buran said. “They finally called me back again that night – they were about to call the back-up.”
Buran says that her mom was very excited to watch the taping of the show.
“My mom works at a hospital and her boss rented out an auditorium for all of her coworkers and bought them all lunch,” Buran said. “It was like a big screening.”
“It was strange to see myself on TV. I was more nervous for the airing then I was for the taping,” Buran said. “I watched the show with my boyfriend and his roommate. We had a little party.”
Buran recommends that anyone interested try out for the show next year.
“The people from Hollywood Squares are coming back next year for auditions,” she said. “I recommend everyone to go for it – it was so much fun and it’s easy money.”
So what is Buran going to do with the money?
“I’m going to start furnishing an apartment for next year and of course go shopping – I’m going to buy lots of shoes,” Buran said. “And I’m going to save a lot, too.”
The contestants on the Hollywood Squares college tournament with the four highest scores in the preliminary rounds will move on to the semi-finals, which will air on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. To find out if Buran is one of those students, catch Hollywood Squares on CBS 4 at 7:30 p.m.

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

Sean Klitzner, a UM sophomore, has been voted 2002 “Boy of the Year” by Boy Crazy! Magazine, winning a $10,000 scholarship and a brand new Volkswagen Beetle with his new title displayed on the hood.
“It was quite a surprise when I actually won because it’s almost a ‘too good to be true’ scenario,” Sean Klitzner said.
Klitzner is currently a motion pictures and theatre major. He found out about the contest through a friend of his family, who suggested he enter to get his name and face out there. Sean took their advice and entered himself in the contest.
“I’m looking to entertain through acting, stand-up comedy or even directing and writing movies. So I thought this would be a good way to get started,” Klitzner said.
Klitzner went through a rigorous selection process and was selected from thousands of entries. He was named “Boy of the Week” in February 2002.
“Obviously looks played a big role, but most of the girls chose the guys who gave them good advice and who were just friendly and there for the girls when they needed us most,” Klitzner said.
Girls all over America pick the Boy of the Week and then at the end, all the winners are pooled together and the girls choose the Boy of the Year.
“I knew I had a pretty good shot of winning. I got a lot of fan mail through the website and some good responses from people,” Klitzner said. “After winning Boy of the Week, I got a really good vibe from all the girls and it brought even more fan mail for me.”
Klitzner found out he won in mid-November. He received the call while he was in class.
“I left class immediately when I found out it was Boy Crazy! Magazine that called. I did not know what it was about though, but I had a good feeling about it,” he said. “When I called them back they told me I had won. The feeling is unexplainable. I was ecstatic.”
Along with the scholarship and car, Klitzner also wins an appearance on the cover and centerfold of the magazine.
“Most of the people I know found out about the win. I get my fair share of teasing, but it’s well worth it,” Klitzner said. “It’s usually my buddies’ favorite conversation starter to the girls I talk to at parties.”
In his spare time, Sean likes to play numerous sports, including intramurals at UM. He has also been playing the piano for 12 years.
Klitzner is open to trying another competition similar to this one, and he thinks it will help him break into showbiz in the future.
“I’m just looking to get started as an actor like every other actor out there. Instead of waiting on tables and waiting for the opportunities to come to me, I’m looking for them myself,” Klitzner said.
You can visit the Boy Crazy! Magazine webite at www.boycrazy.com to see Sean Klitzner’s bio page and pictures.

Kathleen Fordyce can be contacted at K4Dice@aol.com.

Three-eyed flying fish, giant flesh-eating squid and mutated monster snakes have all been living in Lake Osceola [Lake-O] for decades. At least, that’s what everyone thinks.
“My group has lunch out on the patio of the Rat every week, and we have a good view of Lake Osceola,” Khaleem Mohammed-Ali, President of Solutions Interdisciplinary Forum, said. “What’s with those giant fish? Mutants released from a botched experiment? And how about the several times we have seen dozens of fish leaping high out of the water, as though they were being hunted by a large predator? And the ‘lake monster?'”
Earlier this month, the Miami Hurricane confirmed that alligators, crocodiles and manatees have all made their way into the lake in the past.
In 1947, UM began the excavation of Lake Osceola [Lake-O], which is named in honor of the Seminole Chief Osceola, who refused to yield to Civil War troops. UM sold the leftover soil to the City of Miami in order to raise money for the project. It then used it in the construction of the Rickenbacker Causeway.
In an article printed in the Miami Hurricane, Jack Maurer, director of the UC from 1964 to 1984, remembered the lake suffering from a “duck malady,” whereby every few years, dead ducks would start appearing.
“I remember [people] telling me they were out there scooping ducks into boats,” Mauer said. “But that’s part of life, I guess.”
Stuart Bloch, the Student Government [SG] president from 1962-63, said SG’s most important contribution during his administration was bringing in a live ibis as the UM mascot.
After suffering from malnutrition for two weeks, “Icky the Ibis,” the first ibis on campus, was taken to what was then the Crandon Park Zoo, where he died in captivity.
Disgruntled students then went looking for Bloch and tried to throw him in the lake.
“The whole student body was like the Humane Society!” Bloch, now an attorney, said. “There was an ‘anti-Stu Bloch’ campaign, and there were even some funny jokes about it.”
Since its inception, Lake-O has played host to a variety of activities that have been confirmed to have actually taken place.
During the 1960s, the Hurricane Skiers performed parasail routines, human skiing pyramids and water ballet in their yearly shows. During Sportsfest and Cane Craze, racing canoes have occasionally capsized, dumping the shocked and displeased rowers into the lake. At one point, UM even discussed the feasibility of constructing a floating concert stage in the center of the lake, but the money was never donated or raised.
It wasn’t until a few years after the completion of the Rat that swimming in Lake-O became prohibited. Legend has it that a senior taking a shortcut back to the dorms decided to swim across the lake rather than walk. He bet his friends that he was up to the task, supposedly after an evening of drinking, and started swimming across. Two days before graduation, and 20-feet from the opposite side, he drowned.
Last year, Chad Meredith, a freshman majoring in political science, drowned in Lake-O after he decided to take a late-night swim in the lake. Since then, new signs have been posted around the lake reminding students that swimming is prohibited.
The Miami Hurricane will continue to investigate popular urban legends at UM through the month of February.

For suggestions on urban legends to be researched, please contact Jorge Arauz, News Editor, at xxarauzxx@yahoo.com.

Last week, the Miami Hurricane reported that it would investigate the manner in which last week’s Student Government [SG] Presidential Debate was conducted in order to determine whether any rules or regulations were violated by the Elections Commission.
As of press time, there had been no formal complaints filed against the Elections Commission for the incident that occurred at the debate last Wednesday night in the Rathskeller in which the moderator of the event and the chair of the Elections Commission decided to ask one final question after it had been determined that the debate had concluded.
The question, referring to the Honor Council, was considered by many to be biased in favor of Robert Castro, who is currently the vice-president of the Honor Council.
“We have looked into the issue and have reviewed videotaped footage of the debate and have determined that there was no tampering of the questions,” Mike Johnston, SG president, said. “The primary problem that occurred was that the candidates answered the questions more quickly than anticipated.”
Members of the Commission say they consciously conduct the elections and campaigning process in a professional and unbiased manner.
“Once we step into anything that has to do with elections, we turn off the friendship button and we interact strictly as an Elections Commission,” said Jennifer Rodriguez, sophomore and elections commissioner. “We know how to separate our personal lives from our professional ones – we have to, especially because most of us have worked closely with several of the candidates in the past.”
Despite the controversy, some students believe that the question was fair and represented an aspect of UM academics of which all of the candidates should have been knowledgeable.
“The question asked at the debate was fair and broad enough that each one of the candidates could answer it, regardless of their position on the Honor Council,” Arnab Basu, sophomore, said. “The honor code is an intricate part of this university, and all students and student leaders should be aware of it.
“If any candidate running for president of Student Government is not familiar with the honor code at UM, then I will definitely not be voting for that individual.”
The Elections Commission is a student-run volunteer group that organizes, implements and plans all aspects of SG elections. However, Elections Commission members and officers do not have any access to votes because the system is computerized through EASY. Without an Elections Commission, there would be no elections.
According to Renee Dickens-Callan, advisor to the Elections Commission and director of Student Activities and Leadership Programs, she believes the students working with the Elections Commission have effectively conducted this year’s elections.
“We have very dedicated and caring members who volunteer their time to help run the election process,” Callan said. “When they are constantly questioned and attacked it is hard to convince them to stay on another year.”
“It’s been hard for the Elections Commission this year because we have a lack of manpower; this is a volunteer-based group,” Rodriguez said. “All of our members and officers are freshmen and sophomores.”
“There are a few people who complain about how the Elections Commission is run, but when it comes down to it, these people don’t want to get involved,” Riesgo said. “We do the best we can with the resources that we have.”
Callan says that, although SG is responsible for recruiting new members to the Elections Commission, each year she helps in the recruitment process by making flyers available at all resource fairs and on bulletin boards in the Office of Student Activities.
“Unfortunately, not a lot of people apply, and some of the committee members do not stay,” Callan said.
According to Johnston, steps are being taken to ensure that a similar controversy, such as the one that occurred at the Presidential Debate, does not repeat itself.
“We are currently working on a proposal that states that a member of the Elections Commission cannot moderate a Student Government presidential debate,” Johnston said. “We are continually revising codes and adding new ones as the need arises.”
“This has been a learning experience,” Riesgo said. “I really hope that this doesn’t affect people going out and voting.”
All of the questions asked at the presidential debate are public record and any request to view them should be directed to the Office of Student Activities at 305-284-6399.

Jorge Arauz can be contacted at xxarauzxx@yahoo.com