A few days after Sep. 11, Sireen Karam emptied out her half of her dorm room into a couple of suitcases, bought a last-minute ticket and boarded two airplanes before arriving home.

“I didn’t want to be hassled because of my religion or race,” confided the 20-year-old former UM business major during an interview from Alexandria, Egypt, where she is currently studying.

“My parents were sort of worried, but ultimately it was my decision to leave,” explained Karam, who entered the university with a superb application that netted the Stanford and Business Dean’s scholarships, which when combined slashed more than half of her tuition.

At least seven other students -four from the Middle East and three from Brazil- who left UM shortly after the terrorist attacks, returned to Miami in time for spring classes.

“Traffic in our office has increased dramatically,” said Teresa de la Guardia, director of the Office of International Students, who added she’s glad that foreign students are being more serious about keeping their status inline.

Indeed, some of the rules of the game concerning foreign students seeking degrees at American universities are beginning to change in considerable ways.

For starters, universities will be required to follow students’ moves more closely.

“We’re moving aggressively to launch SEVIS by Jan. 2003,” said Daniel Kein, spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Washington D.C., in reference to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System; a program designed to track and monitor students who enter the county on student visas.

The INS is currently requiring universities to report students who haven’t graduated and are no longer enrolled-an added responsibility that was not customary in the past.

Adequate student tracking will require a colossal effort, considering that out of the roughly seven million non-immigrants who entered the United States last year, approximately 500,000 walked in with a student visa.

The INS has identified 315,000 aliens -including three of the Sept.11 hijackers- who should be deported for overstaying their stay on U.S. soil.

In the future, all foreign male applicants will be required to fill out a form disclosing any sort of weapon training, and prospective students from countries that have supported terrorism in the past, will undergo tighter screening that could take up to 20 extra days, according to new regulations mandated by the Department of State.

Due to the volatile state of events shortly after Sept. 11, UM’s Office of International Admissions cut down recruitment trips by approximately three-quarters last fall.

“We have tried to recruit in some of the regions where we were not able to in the fall, but we haven’t been able to reach all of the countries and cities we normally visit,” said Mark Reid, director of International Admissions.

One curious trend the International Admission staff noted in recent months is a rise in undergraduate applications from Middle Eastern women, who in the past, have been overwhelmingly outnumbered by men.

Some of the essays prospective students of Muslim decent submitted with their applications to UM after September 11 “were almost apologetic in tone,” according to Reid, who said many felt compelled to elucidate on the true nature of Islam, in an effort to counter negative stereotypes Sept. 11 cast on the faith.

UM’s Intensive English program, which has been tremendously profitable in the past, has suffered enormously from visa rejections. According to Reid, enrollment to similar programs across the country has slipped to about 50 percent.

Such figures upset members of the National Association of International Education (NAFSA) who warn that countries such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and France are aggressively pursuing a larger share of the international student market.

And quite a market it is.

According to NAFSA figures, the more than half a million international students who studied in the United States during the 2001-2002 academic year generated more than $11 billion for the county’s economy, making international education the fifth-largest U.S. service-sector export.

In terms of the job market, sources familiar with recruitment and immigration law agree that the aftermath of Sept. 11 will have little impact on international students who wish to extend the one-year practical training allowed by their status to a lengthier stay in the American corporate world.

“It’s always been very difficult for them [international students] to get visas and work in this country,” said Jim Smart, director of the Toppel Career Center, who added that scant opportunities for non-citizens are not 9/11 related but rather economically driven.

The UMTV news program, NewsVision, was recently awarded first prize for newscasting in the National Broadcasting Society competition. This is the fifth year the program has placed first in the live newscasting category. UMTV, the on-campus television station, has produced NewsVision for the past ten years.

UMTV Executive Producer Garrett Russo also received an honorable mention in the category of News Package.

“Because the program has won so many times, we have to make it better every year,” said producer of the show and broadcast journalism junior Maureen Capasso. “We are proud to have won it again for UM.”

As recipients of the award, six communication students and two faculty members working on the show were invited to attend the awards ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chris Osborne, of CNN, was the emcee for the ceremony.

The students attended a four-day conference where personalities of the industry, such as Jeffrey Kofman of ABC News and UM alumnus Brian Hegner of Fox Sports, gave lectures on production, networking, and marketing.

The competition is open to all chapters of AERho, the National Broadcasting Honors Society, of which Capasso is the UM chapter president.

The National Broadcasting Honors Society is very competitive, as over 100 schools have chapters, including the University of Florida and Penn State.

Capasso and Garrett stress the importance of the contributions of the people they work with on the show.

“Carolyn Cefalo, our advisor, is tremendous,” said Capasso. “She keeps us in line, and definitely should be recognized for the success of the show.”

Students participating in UMTV are working hard to make next year’s show even bigger and better.

“It’s important to realize that it’s entirely campus-run,” says Capasso. “The next time you pass someone filming on campus, you might end up on an award-winning show!”

The trophy that NewsVision received will be displayed in the School of Communication.

You can catch NewsVision on channel 24 (on campus) at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

The Student Government Senate overwhelmingly shot down a bill last Wednesday that proposed that the Honor Council adopt standards of precedence for sanctions of honor code violations.

Twenty-four senators killed the proposal, which was first put forth before the student body last week by senators JD Barbosa and Carlos Echeverri. Five senators voted in favor and two abstained. About eight senators were not present.

The proposed recommendation asked that the Council adopt a guideline of sanctions for honor code offenses, Barbosa said.

They presented the proposed legislation in the wake of a surprising report in the Miami New Times that Andre Johnson, the famed UM wide-receiver, was given a weak sentence for plagiarizing a paper in a sociology course he took last semester.

Citing the Buckley Amendment, the federal statute that forbids the disclosure of student’s academic records, university officials have been mum about the case.

At the meeting, Barbosa argued that some cases are “extremely similar” and therefore should have “extremely similar” outcomes.

He also recommended that council members have access to files of past cases only after their deliberation and that the records be tracked with number codes to protect the identities of the previous violators.

The senate held off the vote last week because some senators felt they were not well-informed about the Honor Council procedures.

They agreed to continue discussion this week after learning of the process from an Honor Council representative.

Barbosa said he thought it was a “real shame” that the bill had not passed.

“There was a pre-thought notion that [it] had to do with that case,” Barbosa said. “In reality, I don’t care about that case except that it brought to my attention that precedence was not used.”

“With all things being equal,” Barbosa continued, “you are assured a similar ruling” to avoid one that is “ridiculously way off.”

Barbosa added he felt the bill was not thoroughly discussed. Senator Ted Sheibar made the motion to eliminate the bill. Senator Michael Holt argued against the proposal.

“The policies that we have in place are so good and well-thought out that they address the fairness issues that this bill attempts to address,” he said after the meeting.

Holt also said he does not think council members should have access to past records-even if the names are omitted-because “there is a risk involved that a student reviewing the files might be able to determine the identity” of the offender.

The student representatives voted after a brief question-and-answer session about Honor Council procedures with Dean of Students and Honor Council Secretary, William Sandler, Jr.

When asked about the review process, Sandler said the Council members are given a case manual but are not bound by it.

“No two cases are alike,” Sandler said.

When making its decisions, the five-student panel considers the circumstances, the student’s character and academic history, among other factors, UM officials have said.

“There’s a big difference between a 45-year-old housewife, who does something wrong and a student who wittingly plagiarizes,” Sandler said. “She may have a more legitimate excuse.”

University of Miami’s first African-American dean, Dr. James Wyche, will join the College of Arts and Sciences this Aug. 1.

Wyche, an established biology professor and researcher, was also appointed Vice Provost by President Donna Shalala.

According to the Miami Herald, Shalala-who has known Wyche since 1981 when he taught at Hunter College where she was then-president-said that Wyche will restore the College of Arts and Sciences to “pre-eminence on campus.”

As for Wyche, he said that the location and diversity of Miami is what drew him to our “premiere private institution.”

“The University of Miami is in a very important corridor that links North America to the Caribbean and South America,” Wyche said. “Miami is the South East cultural hub.”

Wyche spent 14 years at Brown University as a professor and associate provost in the school’s division of biology and medicine. Most recently, he was interim president of Tougaloo College [a historically black college] in Jackson, Mississippi. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. from Brown University, and a B.S. from Cornell University.

“He’s a big catch for us,” Shalala told the Herald. “He’s very competitive in the marketplace.”

Prior to joining Brown in 1988, Wyche was on the faculty of Hunter College from 1981 to 1988 and the University of Missouri-Columbia from 1974 to1980.

Wyche has served in a number of positions with the National Advisory Research Resource Council, National Institutes of Health, and is extensively published in the field of cellular biology. He is also an active member of the American Society for Cell Biology, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and has served on various national and international scientific committees.

With his focus on the sciences, Wyche said that the first departments he wants to strengthen are math and chemistry.

“As a new person coming in, obviously I’ll be bringing some of the things from my experience bag. I’d like to take some of the premiere departments like psychology and use them as models and also create natural interfaces between departments to benefit the students and the university,” Wyche said.

Students in the arts may wonder if Wyche will forget them as he builds up the science disciplines. However, Wyche explained that his work as the Executive Director of the Leadership Alliance-a consortium of 23 colleges and universities, including leading research institutions, historically black colleges and six Ivy League schools, whose purpose is to increase graduate enrollment of minority scholars-has given him a lot of experience in other academic areas.

“I’ve had a different set of experiences from other scientists. I was able to get involved with a number of the non-science departments and I certainly want to build on that experience,” Wyche said.

During his tenure at Brown, Dr. Wyche was a proponent of interdisciplinary study and diversity in education, according to a press release sent out by UM Media Relations.

“I’d also like to extend our international outreach. I would like the school [department as of next semester] to work in concert with the other Arts and Sciences departments,” Wyche told the Hurricane.

Wyche said that the one area he feels he needs to cultivate is his relations with UM students.

“It’s something I have to learn a lot more about. I will be trying to link up with grads and undergrads to see what things will embellish their experience. I want to stress programs that lead to leadership,” he said. “We look forward to a good sharing relationship.”

Sigma Alpha Mu officially kicks off its inaugural SAM SLAM today, 6:30 p.m. at the Rock with special guest appearances by President Donna Shalala and Sebastian the Ibis, organizers said.

Pronounced “Sam Slam,” the weeklong event will raise about $2,000 to benefit children born with HIV/AIDS, through the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, organizers said.

Elizabeth Glaser, founder of the foundation, contracted HIV from a blood transfusion in 1988 and then unknowingly passed it on to her two children Ariel and Josh. She died in 1994.

“Think about when you were fifteen,” said Israel Andrews, founder of SAM SLAM and current Sigma Alpha Mu brother. “Now think about everything you’ve done since then. None of that would have happened if you were born with this disease. Think about that: being born into a life of death where the life expectancy is 15 years of age.”

To help raise funds, SAM SLAM pitted four participating sororities against one another in different events, organizers said.

Penny Wars began in the University Center on Monday and runs until Wednesday. It features a basketball tournament called Bounce 4 Beats, Andrews said.

“You’ll hear our brothers say, ‘a little change goes a long way. Help end pediatric AIDS,'” Andrews said. “It shows how this campus is more than just school. It shows that people care and get involved. Stopping by and taking the time to understand what our philanthropy is about is most important. Even if they only donate 30 cents, that 30 cents will go a long way.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea, a lot of fun,” said Brette Glick, a Delta Delta Delta sister. “It’s like a little mini-homecoming.”

Opening ceremonies will be followed by an event called SAM Manhunt. Thirty Sigma Alpha Mu brothers will scatter across campus, each with 20 condoms, organizers said.

“The sorority girls have to find a brother and ask him for a condom,” Andrews said. “It’s a good event because it helps promote safe sex. We want to make it public that we as college students take our responsibilities seriously.”

Events tomorrow include a cheer competition beginning at 7 p.m. at the Rathskeller, followed by a brotherhood auction.

The black-tie auction will sell 12 Sigma Alpha Mu brothers to the highest bidder. The brothers have promised prospective buyers anything from back massages to dinner at a fancy restaurant on South Beach, Andrews said.

“I’m looking forward to the auctioning of the men,” Glick said. “It’s always nice to see a man in a suit.”

Events on Saturday also include two 16-year-old guest speakers who will share their experiences of being born and living with HIV.

Ana Garcia, South Florida Representative for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, will also speak.

The talk is open to all University of Miami students and takes place at 1 p.m. in the Flamingo Ballroom.

Closing ceremonies are slated to take place on Sunday, capped off by the first ever awarding of the SAM SLAM Cup. The name of the winning sorority will be engraved on the trophy and passed on each year, Andrews said.

“I had always thought about doing something big for my fraternity,” Andrews said. “If you want to do something huge, you got to reach out and go campus wide.”

Andrews came up with the idea for SAM SLAM in early May last year after learning about pediatric AIDS in a genetics class, he said.

“The greatest thing about Greeks on this campus,” Andrews said, “is that if you have an idea, you’ve got a whole fraternity or sorority behind you, supporting you. This event never could have come to fruition without the support of my brothers.”

Andrews sees this event as a positive example of Greek life on campus.

“The Greek community on this campus has really come together this last year,” Andrews said. “We’ve had to face a lot of adversity, but because of philanthropies like this and others I think we’ve shown that Greek life on this campus is nothing but beneficial.”

Sigma Alpha Mu chapters at Florida International and Tulane have also expressed interest in carrying the event at their universities next year.

“We’re hoping that it spreads nationwide and becomes a legacy,” Andrews said.