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Total domination

The Miami Hurricane
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The Hurricane women’s tennis team took care of business against Drake University on Thursday night in convincing fashion.
In fact, the match couldn’t have been any more routine for 18th ranked Miami, who rolled past the visiting Bulldogs 7-0 in under two hours of play. The victory improves Miami’s record to 11-3.
Miami sophomore Megan Bradley made short work of Cindy Skogerboe in the second singles match as she coasted to a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
“After our loss to Washington, we were all looking to improve and try and see what areas we need to concentrate on. I think the past two matches we have buckled down and tried to do that,” Bradley said.
Since the loss in Seattle, UM has posted two shutouts in as many matches. Before Drake, the ‘Canes beat the University of Portland 7-0.
Head Coach Paige Yaroshuk is not surprised by the last two victories.
“[With] a Portland and a Drake we expect to cruise through the matches,” Yaroshuk said.
Bradley also did some damage in doubles play as she teamed up with Melissa Applebaum to beat Drake’s Annali de Bruyn and Rebekah Thomas, 8-1.
Applebaum faced de Bruyn moments later in the first singles match. The match had a similar outcome with Applebaum recording a 6-3, 6-0 win.
In the other two doubles matches, the duos of Mari Toro and Sara Robbins, as well as Igna deVilliers and Abby Smith, posted victories for the ‘Canes.
Bradley couldn’t point to just one leader who has guided the Hurricanes since the loss to Washington.
“Everyone has been pretty much doing their part. Everyone has been winning their matches so in terms of leadership; it’s basically everyone just trying to step up individually,” Bradley said.
The next two weeks will provide an exciting, intense level of tennis for Miami. Yaroshuk will take her squad to play five matches in the state of Virginia over the next two weekends. The ‘Canes will receive their opportunity to face No. 16 Virginia Commonwealth University on March 29 and No. 13 College of William and Mary on April 6.
“What we are shooting to do is get the girls to play this relaxed when we see VCU and William and Mary in a couple weeks because they’re just stepping out onto the court now and they’re just playing relaxed tennis. They’ve got to do that in a pressure situation,” Yaroshuk said.
If Miami can post wins in Virginia, its Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking will likely rise. In women’s collegiate tennis, the top 16 teams in the country host the NCAA regional tournaments.
“William and Mary and VCU are ahead of us so each one of those teams are going to pose a great opportunity and we need to keep the teams that are behind us, behind us,” Yaroshuk said.
Miami will resume its quest for the sweet sixteen of women’s college tennis on Saturday, March 29 against Virginia Commonwealth in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Ben Wolf can be reached at b.wolf@umiami.edu.

Sports Briefs

The Miami Hurricane
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Women’s track and field
The University of Miami women’s track and field team opened the 2003 outdoor season recording four victories, qualifying eight for the NCAA Regional Championships and breaking two school records at the Hurricane Invitational at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, FL.
Junior Jennifer Penrose won the shot put with a school-record and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 15.79 meters (51-09.75). Penrose, the 2001 Big East Champion, surpassed her own school-record by more than two feet.
Senior Adrienne Moss finished second in the shot put and also qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a toss of 15.08 meters (49-05.75).
All-American Charlette Greggs led a 1-2 Hurricane finish in the 200-meters posting an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 23.19 seconds. Senior All-American Sashanie Simpson finished second with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 23.69 seconds.
Simpson later joined senior All-American Patricia Pearson, sophomore Wiande Moore and senior All-America Saraque Whittaker in winning the 4×400-meter relay. Their winning time of 3:39.36 qualifies them for the NCAA Regional Championships.
Senior All-American Gina Harris won the long jump with a leap of 5.87 meters (19-03.25), while senior Megan Cobb broke the school-record in the hammer throw with a mark of 48.48 meters (159-01.00).
Other Hurricanes qualifying for NCAA Regionals include freshman India Ransom in the 100-meters, sophomore Amber Williams in the 100-meter hurdles and the 4×100-meter relay.
Miami returns to action at the Florida Relays, March 27-29, in Gainesville, FL.

Men’s Track and Field
University of Miami junior Kenneth Frank qualified for the Big East Outdoor championships recording a time of 14.90 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, FL.
The Hurricanes also received strong performances from freshman Alex Brutvan and senior Dan Boniface in the 3,000-meters. Brutvan finished third with a time of 8:46.65 while Boniface finished fourth with a time of 8:52.68.
Miami returns to action at the Florida Relays, March 27-29, in Gainesville, FL.

Swimming and Diving
The University of Miami swimming and diving team completed the final day of NCAA Championships Saturday night at Auburn University in Alabama.
Junior Manon Van Rooijen was the sole competitor for the Hurricanes. The Dutch Olympian swam in the 100-yard freestyle and finished 13th overall in the consolation final with a time of 49.82.
“(Van Rooijen’s) first swim was decent, she looked a lot better than she did (during the previous day’s swim),” coach James Sweeney said. “She definitely finished better than before.”
Van Rooijen holds both the University of Miami and Big East Championship record in the 100 free as well as the 200 free.
Her top time in the 100 free is 49.11.
Sweeney noted that due to the difficulty of qualifying for NCAA’s, it is rare that a swimmer performs better in the actual championships.

– Courtesy of the sports information department.

Men’s tennis overcomes injury

The Miami Hurricane
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An injured Hurricane men’s tennis team refused to be stopped by unranked Dartmouth, defeating the Ivy League school 5-2 Friday.
The ‘Canes won the match despite being without No. 1 singles player Todd Widom, who sat out after being hospitalized for an unknown viral infection in his throat.
Sophomore Zachary Hood and freshman Tim Krebs returned on Friday after being unable to play for months.
The Hurricanes struggled early on in doubles play, losing two of the three matches. However, when the singles matches began, the momentum swung in the direction of the Hurricanes, who won five of six matches to earn the victory.
“As a team they played well, sub-par in doubles, but they came back in singles and got a win,” assistant coach Ari Widlansky said.
In a fast paced match, UM senior Andrew Golub and freshman Colin Purcell defeated Neal Bobba and Drew Dinkmeyer 8-4 in No. 1 doubles. Hood and freshman Shauny Hoyes lost to David Webb and Andre Reyes 8-0.
Despite the loss, Hood was satisfied just to return to the court.
“There were no expectations,” Hood said. “I just went out to see what I could do.”
The third doubles team also suffered a loss as Jesse Daer and Borko Kereshi defeated junior Luis Manrique and freshman Eric Hecthman.
In No. 1 singles Golub beat Bobba in straight sets, 6-2 6-0 while Hecthman defeated Webb 6-3, 6-4 in No. 2 singles.
No. 3 Luis Manrique had a closer match with Drew Dinkmeyer. After winning the first set 6-2, Dinkmeyer came back and won the second set 6-1. But Manrique was able to hold off Dinkmeyer in the third set to win 6-4 and take the match.
Purcell, the fourth ranked singles player, defeated Kereshi in straight sets.
Hoyes had an easier match by only giving up two games in defeating Andre Reyes 6-2, 6-0.
The final singles match resulted in Miami’s only loss as Krebs had to retire in the third set.
The Hurricanes were scheduled to take on No. 33 Tennessee at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, but that event became one of several canceled at the University due to heavy rains.
The stretch without Widom will likely continue through Sunday’s match against Notre Dame, but Golub isn’t worried about overcoming adversity.
“We are 3-0 without Todd Widom,” Golub said. “We have a chance but we need to step it up.”

Mother nature gets in the way of UM sweep

The Miami Hurricane
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UM bats too much for Eagles
Hurricanes outscore Boston College 35-13 in series
For the second time in as many weekends, the University of Miami baseball team had its three game weekend series shortened to two on account of rain. Miami was scheduled to play Boston College on Sunday afternoon when a torrential downpour left much of Mark Light Field under water.
The teams waited for about an hour before calling the game when it was determined that field condition and Boston College travel plans would not allow the teams to fit in the final game of the series.
The ‘Canes were looking for a three game sweep of the Eagles after winning Friday night’s game and dominating Saturday night’s game 17-5 in front of 2,402 fans at Mark Light Stadium.
Saturday, Miami improved to 19-4 on the season after a balanced team effort.
Miami starting pitcher Vince Bongiovanni recorded his fourth win of the season going 5.1 innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs while striking out six and walking four.
“I thought it was a good game for us,” head coach Jim Morris said. “First of all we played good defense and (Vince) Bongiovanni threw well. We swung the bat well and a lot of guys got hits. I thought it was a complete team effort.”
Bongiovanni had all the run support he needed as the Hurricanes tallied a 13-run cushion before the Miami sophomore was chased in the top of the sixth. Prior to his exit, Bongiovanni had thrown five innings of shutout baseball.
The Hurricane offense was led by sophomore Richard Giannotti who has been on a tear lately since returning from a shoulder injury. Giannotti was a triple short of the cycle as he went 3-3 on the day, while driving in four runs and scoring two.
In addition to Giannotti’s offensive barrage, second baseman Adam Ricks and outfielder Brian Barton each had two RBIs. Ricks and Barton both transferred to UM from California schools with the intent to put up big numbers as Hurricane starters this season. The ‘Canes relied on a full team effort that included eight other players driving in a run.
The Hurricanes never allowed the Eagles to get close and helped their cause by not committing an error.
The ‘Canes were not as dominant Friday night but with the help of some Boston College miscues and one big inning, Miami exploded for an 18-8 win in front of 2,117 fans at the Light.
Three Miami errors helped keep the Eagles close at 9-8 until the Hurricanes broke open the game with a nine run, five hit eight inning to take an 18-8 lead. Boston College pitching imploded during the inning, aiding the UM assault by issuing two walks and hitting three batsmen.
“I thought we looked good, swung well and put up a bunch of runs,” Morris said. “And number one we got a win. Our guys got it done when it counted.”
‘Canes third baseman Gaby Sanchez led the offense going 4-5 with three RBIs.
Hurricane relief pitcher Marcelo Albir picked up his first win as a Hurricane with the victory.
After going 4-0 this week, Miami now travels to Homestead tomorrow night to take on Harvard before coming back to Mark Light Stadium for a three game series against the second ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Ryan Ellis can be reached at msgnyc@yahoo.com.

Football team suffers tragic loss

The Miami Hurricane
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The Miami Hurricanes football team tragically lost a member of its family Thursday morning.
Al Blades, a defensive back for the Hurricanes from 1996-2000, died in a car accident after celebrating his 26th birthday.
The driver of the car, Martel Johnson, 26, also died as his Mazda hit a bridge abutment and careened into a canal. Witnesses told South Florida newspapers that the crash was a result of a race between Johnson’s car and another unidentified car.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took Blades to Parkway Regional Medical Center in North Miami Beach, but Blades had already died as a result of drowning.
“The University of Miami is deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our former football players, Al Blades,” head coach Larry Coker said. “Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the Blades family.”
Blades death comes only a little over a year after ex-Hurricane football player Chris Campbell died when his car hit a tree.
“Chris Campbell was my roommate and that kind of put things in perspective for me at one point in my life, and time went on and I started to relax,” wide receiver Kevin Beard said. “This happening refocuses you, you take things more seriously and you appreciate more things.”
Beard attended Plantation High School in Ft. Lauderdale where Blades played football in the mid-90s.
The Hurricanes conducted their third spring practice Friday despite having lost one of their most spirited ex-teammates. Although Blades last played on the team in 2000, he stayed in touch with many of the players and people involved with the program.
When he played for the ‘Canes, Blades was known for his high intensity and big hits on the playing field and his kind heartedness and sense of humor off of the field.
“He was always the leader of the party on and off the field and having fun and getting everybody going and a motivator,” offensive line coach Art Kehoe said. “It’s a shame.”
Blades also had two older brothers, Bennie and Brian, who played for Miami in the 80’s and went on to have long careers in the NFL.
Blades leaves behind a three-year-old son named Al Jr.
“I talked to a lot of his friends and they said his son is just like him, and he always wants to be around his dad,” Beard said. “And that just goes to show you what kind of man he was.”
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s office performed an autopsy on Friday, but blood-alcohol reports will not be available till later this week.
Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale will hold the funeral services at 1 p.m. on March 29 and the service is open to the public.

-The Hurricanes held a short scrimmage at Greentree Practice Field on Saturday and will continue practice this week. They will hold another scrimmage this Friday at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale at 6 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the scrimmage.

Nate Johnson can be reached at NPJ44@aol.com.

End of the road for Hurricanes

The Miami Hurricane
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Women’s basketball unable to hold lead late
Saake and Hartlaub end careers with loss
In a year of ups and downs for the UM women’s basketball team, it was the most unfortunate recurring trend that led to the end of the ‘Canes season.
The No. 11 seeded Hurricanes fell 91-85 in overtime to No. 6 seed New Mexico Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Miami held an 11-point lead at halftime but allowed the Lobos’ to shoot 68 percent from the field in the second half.
The ‘Canes also struggled mightily with their shot in the extra period, hitting just 4-14 from the field. Despite blowing another double-digit second half lead, head coach Ferne Labati attempted to put a positive spin on the final result.
“My kids played with their hearts,” Labati said. “They never gave up. The crowd was a factor.
The Hurricanes were unable to tune out 16, 151 fans at the Pit, the largest crowd ever to attend a first-round game in the NCAA women’s tournament. While Miami silenced the Lobos faithful in the first half with mistake-free basketball and effective shooting, nothing could prevent the noise that came with every New Mexico basket in the second half.
Mandy Moore hit four three-pointers during a 17-6 Lobos run early in the second half, cutting a 14-point Miami advantage down to three (55-52). Moore scored 16 of her 18 points during the final 20 minutes, while Jordan Adams led all scorers with 27 points.
UM guard Tamara James was one of several Miami players caught off-guard by Moore’s long-distance shooting.
“She really wasn’t a threat to us in the beginning of the game,” James told the Sun-Sentinel.
James led the ‘Canes with 23 points, while Yalonda McCormick, arguably Miami’s most improved player this season, scored 20. Following two missed free throws by Adams, McCormick had a chance to win the game in regulation, but came up short on a jumper from the left elbow.
The overtime brought out the best of the Lobos offense as Adams scored four quick points, and Cristal Garcia and Chelsea Greer each hit buckets to give New Mexico an insurmountable 87-79 lead.
“We felt at halftime that we could close the gap a little at a time and gradually get control of the game,” New Mexico coach Don Flanagan said. “If we could do that, we felt the crowd would be a factor.”
Saturday’s loss marked the final time Meghan Saake and Alicia Hartlaub would don a Miami jersey. Saake played a strong all-around game, scoring 11 points, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing seven assists. Hartlaub scored two points in eight minutes of action.
The Hurricanes, who earned their first NCAA tournament bid since 1998, end the season with an 18-13 record.

Jeremy Marks-Peltz can be reached at jmp310@hotmail.com.

Ready for Take Off – a poem by Whitney Friedrich

The Miami Hurricane
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Online reservations-
the click, click of computer keys,
like M-16s loading up drown the
screams that ring out over Iraq as
our American Express cards bend in pain
from the rising price of travel.

The plane gains altitude,
And passengers grip their upright coffins-
They drink vodka tonics as children
Living in darkness scream in a place
we watch on the ten o’clock news.

Flight attendants please,
[double] cross-check and prepare
for takeoff. Ladies and gentlemen,
sit back and enjoy your non-stop ride to
World War III.

Then, seatbelts buckled, the plane rocks in
the turbulence that the pilot was too much of
an amateur to avoid and the plane goes down in
a screaming stream of smoke and ash and
ignorant glory as a voice crackles over the
intercom and the stench of burning hair envelops.

I wonder what this button does…

Whitney Friedrich can be contacted at
witz615@aol.com.

US and allies deliver Saddam’s day of reckoning

The Miami Hurricane
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Finally, after 12 years of United Nations prevarication, the time of reckoning has finally arrived for Saddam Hussein. It is indeed tragic that it has come to this, but at least this problem will finally be solved. No longer will we be menaced by the totalitarian whims of the “Butcher of Baghdad.” A new day will dawn, both for the security of the American people, but also for the security of the people of the Middle East and indeed the rest of the world.
Still even as the doom and gloom scenarios dreamed up by the paragons of naivetE have thus far failed to materialize, many Americans and citizens of other nations have taken to the streets to protest this necessary measure. I’m at pains to understand how blocking traffic on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago or the main street in San Francisco’s financial district will convince President Bush to order a withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, but if it makes them feel like they’re accomplishing something, hey, knock yourselves out – you’re providing me with hours of comedic entertainment. Just don’t get in front of my car; I’m having trouble with the brakes.
When this is over Iraq – in the interim anyway – will be free. Its people will prosper as the natural resources of the nation are used to enrich the people, not an anachronistic dictator obsessed by delusions of grandeur. No longer will it be considered an outlaw state. Iraq will once again take its place among the honorable nations of the world. Whether it remains prosperous will be the sole domain of the Iraqi people. They may choose well or they may choose poorly. The bottom line is, the Iraqi people will have the choice not Saddam Hussein or his staunchest ally France.
If we are lucky, Saddam Hussein and his murderous offspring are already dead. If not, there is no doubt they will shuffle off this mortal coil in very short order. The world and the Iraqi people will ultimately thank us for the gift of liberty. The people of Iraq will remember who came to their aid and rescued them from the nightmare that has lasted nearly a quarter of a century. When that day comes, no one will be able to find even one anti-war protester. They should all hang their heads in shame.

Scott Wacholtz is a senior majoring in Political Science and is a veteran of Desert Storm. All anti-war whining can be slooped to aramis1642@hotmail.com

Bush rhetoric may be hypocrisy of the worst kind

The Miami Hurricane
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Last week, against the will of most of the world, our nation began one of the most virulently disputed wars in history. I have already stated my opinion on this war, and it will not change. Now I want to state what I think we should be doing instead.
On September 11th, a small religious terrorist organization committed an atrocious act of violence. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of terrorist groups just like Al Qaeda that would attack us just as quickly given enough money and organization. If the object really were to avenge and honor those who died, we would be working to obliterate the economic base of these fundamentalist terrorist groups, working with other nations so that they will not house terrorists, and most importantly, working to engender understanding between our country and that region so that it will not continue to breed terrorists.
Don’t agree? Well, when was the last time Iraq crossed our borders and attacked us? When was the last time a small terrorist group crossed our borders and attacked us? Get the point?
Also, Bush’s strategy for defending our country involves making preemptive attacks on nations that pose potential threats to our security. To follow this plan, we must next attack North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and multiple other nations who are potential threats. In short, we must start a world war by ourselves against multiple nations who have committed no crime yet, and against the public opinion of more than half of the world. We must spare no expense, recoil at no amount of bloodshed until every possible threat to our security is defeated. As terrible as that sounds, if it is not carried through, all the rhetoric that has been flung around about the humanitarian reason for fighting Iraq will be proven for what I suspect it is: hypocrisy of the worst kind.
I have a few more words on the war and then I will have said my peace. I am tired of the president’s arrogance and of the belief that God is on anyone’s side in war. I am tired of the ignorance of the American people (polls show that 40 percent of Americans believe that Hussein was responsible for September 11th, and the Bush administration has done nothing to set the record straight). I am tired of the media lying down and letting Bush off easy. They came up with hundreds of questions for Clinton about a blowjob, but about the lack of factual evidence to justify war they seem to be drawing a blank.
Oh, and about those weapons of mass destruction: if they exist, why are so many Iraqi soldiers surrendering instead of using them to fight?

Travis Atria is a senior majoring in English Literature. Flame mail can be directed to Batman7777@aol.com.

EDITORIAL : Things to be proud about?

The Miami Hurricane
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As war set in, the world felt its weight.
Miami seems to be ignoring that weight. South Beach experienced no shortage of patrons this weekend. Televisions in the UC and the campus cafeterias, set to CNN or Fox News last week, are now set to NASCAR racing, and nobody seems to mind. Protests on campus have seen little support and fizzled out. Apathy seems related to ambiguity: as no one is sure what to think, what to do, and how to react to war, they change the channel, turn their shoulder, and question America.
You may not be proud to hear that Coalition forces laid siege to Baghdad as Nazi forces laid siege to Britain in World War II. You may not be proud to hear accounts of innocent Iraqi civilians caught under the bombs and tanks of Coalition advances. You may not be proud to hear of violent anti-war and pro-war demonstrations in America and around the world this past weekend. Some of you are probably searching for reasons to maintain faith in American society, politics, and life.
You can be proud, however, of the people of Goodwill Industries. Yes, that innocuous, run-down, back-alley thrift shop you frequent when looking for cheap clothes is a major component of the military-industrial complex. Surprising, but the nonprofit social-service organization is a major supplier of camouflage fatigue trousers, military fleece jackets and coveralls. Goodwill Industries is also the sole maker of internment flags for American soldiers. Recently, as war revved up and we the students grew increasingly uneasy and confused, orders for many products from Goodwill Industries went up markedly. What separates Goodwill from other military-industrial contractors, such as Boeing, is that Goodwill’s mission is to provide education, self-confidence, and employment skills to people with disabilities.
Also this past week, overshadowed by 24-inane-hour war coverage, was a huge victory for the environment. The U.S. Senate voted 52-48 last Wednesday to block oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The pro-environment vote was even more remarkable coming when it did, on the eve of war, with every Senator under enormous pressure to approve the centerpiece of President Bush’s energy plan.
For months, lobbyists have been making the case that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the slowest, most expensive and most destructive way to ensure America’s energy security. In the end, eight Republicans joined most Democrats and proudly defended America’s most spectacular birthing ground for Arctic wildlife.
How are Iraq and the Arctic related? With oil, that most precious commodity. What the environment and its supporters won was a life-saving reprieve for the Arctic Refuge, not permanent protection. The champions of big oil are sure to be back within weeks, if not days, with more pro-drilling bills. Now with war and instability in Iraq-a nation with the world’s second-largest oil reserves (up in flames)-the energy debate will soon intensify.
Just as many anti-war demonstrators claim to be against the war but in support of American troops, you can still oppose the war but be proud of the people of Goodwill Industries in their mission to promote disabled citizens upward through the strata of society. Moreover, with bombs over Baghdad and rioting in the streets, you can still be proud that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is, at least temporarily, safe from destruction.
So, find more things to be proud about in this era of violation, of invasion, of “shock and awe.” Look to the streets of Tel Aviv, where people feel safe enough to walk around and NOT carry government-issued gas masks and poison gas antidotes. Look to elementary school classrooms, where at least now children are getting a comprehensive education about Middle East geography, culture, and politics. Pride and disgust, in these times, are two sides of the same coin.

Confluence to provide forum for student opinion

The Miami Hurricane
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Students can speak with ease in the new literary student journal Confluence, the first student-run literary journal of the humanities at UM. The publication will feature original writings from undergraduate students expressing their opinions about current events.
“The journal was created as a response to academic outlets for undergraduates to express their creative faculties,” Christian G. Wilson, founder and editor-in-chief of Confluence, said. “It will provide the undergraduate student body with the possibility to become published in an academic publication.”
So far, 21 entries have been received, half of which have already been selected for publication.
“I think that this is the chance for students to talk and express themselves. It is a good topic right now,” Emilie Leibovitch, senior, said. “Terrorism and threats question if we are still free. Students will be confronted by many opinions and might gain an open mind- it’s good to hear what others are saying.”
Other students agree and look forward to reading the journal.
“Students who have strong opinions now have somewhere to express them,” Francine Madera, sophomore, said.
The journal is sponsored by the Philosophy Department and by the UM College Democrats and will be published in chapbook format each semester. This semester’s theme is “Democracy and Its Discontents: Are Americans Still Free?”
The deadline for entries is Mar. 28 and all entries must be an original work from an undergraduate student, double-spaced with a maximum of 1,000 words.
Students must include their full name, their major, class, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address. All entries should be sent to umjournal@hotmail.com
Students who are interested in working for the journal as an editor, a vice-editor, or as a reviewer should contact umjournal@hotmail.com.

Marquita Bell can be contacted at m_bell01@hotmail.com

Shalala and group read work of renowned Lebanese poet

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UM President Donna E. Shalala gathered with students and faculty last Thursday for a group reading of Kahlil Gibran’s book, The Prophet, hosted by the Solution Interdisciplinary Forum.
“Reading poetry in a group arouses the pleasures of art and life, as we come together to share and learn from each other,” Khaleem Mohammed-Ali, president of Solutions, said. “I am most touched that we were able once again to introduce people to a book they may not have otherwise encountered- Kahlil Gibran, the most famous Lebanese writer, is in danger of being forgotten by our generation.”
Before beginning the event, President Shalala shared her Lebanese heritage and told of how her father used to read parts of Gibran’s poetry to her.
“For every Lebanese child, [The Prophet] is like a fairytale,” she said. “It was very much a part of my childhood and growing up.”
Some students could identify with Shalala’s experience.
“I read the book when I was really young,” Jason Obeso, a junior majoring in English and creative writing, said. “It has a beautiful style and I just wanted to reacquaint myself with the book again.”
Gibran’s best-known work, The Prophet is a partly autobiographical book of 26 poetic essays that was published in 1923. The collection has been translated into over 20 languages and teaches of the mysteries of life in a spiritualistic way. The book touches upon everything from freedom, pain, and self-knowledge, to friendship, beauty and other aspects of life.
“This is an interesting time to be reading Arabic poetry given the state of the world today,” Dr. Thomas Goodmann, faculty advisor for Solutions literary events, said.
For many, reading brought about a sense of comfort and community.
“At a time when our country is at war, it is important to strengthen our communities,” Mohammed-Ali said. “The Prophet is about community; it is about sharing and learning from one another.”
Because of its emotional undertones, many were moved to tears and expressed their gratitude for being able to share in Gibran’s work, including Dr. Benjiman Webb, director of the honors program.
“It was a dramatic ending,” Mohammed-Ali said. “Professor Webb was visibly moved after reading the final chapter. He took a deep breath and said: ‘That’s heavy stuff!'”
Solutions next event, “Artificial Intelligence: Ambition and Ethics”, an interdisciplinary panel discussion with a biologist, a computer scientist, and an ethicist, will take place Thursday, at 6:30 p.m. in LC 120.
For information, e-mail Solutions at solutions.studorg@miami.edu.

Angelique Thomas can be contacted at aperivale@aol.com

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