re-take yearbook organization Photos
All organizations need to go the new IBIS Yearbook web site (www.miami.edu/ibis) and register to re-take their yearbook photos. The yearbook staff will contact you with your scheduled time. Photos will take place from today until Feb 15 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and will take approximately 20 minutes per group. FYI, if you have applied for SAFAC money and fail to show up for your picture, you will forfeit your SAFAC money. Please contact the yearbook staff if you have any further questions.

Ambassador of the republic of belarus
The Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus, H.E. Valery V. Tsepkalo, will give a speech at the University of Miami. The Ambassador will discuss the current situation in Belarus, Belarus’ relationship to the former Soviet countries, and Belarus’ perspective on terrorism. Students and faculty are welcome to join us today at 10:30 a.m. at the Faculty Club Patio Room.

Black Awareness Month

today
CAC film at the Cosford Cinema-“Shallow Hal”.

Do you enjoy film, cultural events, food, and more? Join UM’s French Club (no language skills required). Our next meeting will be today at 5:30pm in UC 241. Elections for new officers will be held-Come get involved! If you can’t make it, e-mail umfrenchclub@hot.mail.com.

Delta Sigma Pi, one of the nation’s largest professional business fraternities is tabling for recruitment. They will also be hosting an informational meeting today from 6-7:30pm in UC237.

The Miami Hillel will hold its 4th annual Bid for the Bachelor fundraiser tonight at 8pm.

Wed 13th Feb
Karaoke Night at Rathskeller 7-9pm.

CAC & BAM film at the RAT, “The Wiz” at 9pm.

Legacy CD, make your own CD 11-5pm Lower Lounge.

Workshop: Managing midterms, term papers, and projects at 1pm.

Thurs 14 Feb
Lonely hearts comedy jam at Rathskeller at 9-11pm.

Workshop: Managing midterms, term papers, and projects at 12:30pm.

Study Abroad information session in UC Flamingo Ballroom A, 12-2pm today. Receive Valentine’s Day rose and hear from past participants about their adventure. For details contact 305-284-3434 or come by Allen hall 212.

Fri 15th Feb
Friday Grove on UC Patio from 11:30am-1pm-Rhumboogie.

Happy Hour at the Rathskeller from 4:30-8pm.

Today is the last day to apply for Summer 2002 graduation and have your name included in the Commencement Book.

Sat 16th Feb
Funday! Check-in on UC center patio.

The UM Equestrian Team is hosting its second annual IHSA Hunter Competition, at Tropical Park, today. The show will begin at 9 a.m. and runs all day. Admission is free and the show is open to the public. If you would like more information, contact Maria Angeles Linares at
305-284-2237 or e-mail mailto:mlinares@miami.edu.

Sun 17th Feb
WWF No way out! The Rathskeller from 7-9pm.

Mon 18th Feb
The Department of Psychology is hosting its second annual Community Lecture Series: Psychology in Film. The next film and discussion will be Tuesday’s with Morrie at the Storer Auditorium in the Business School. For more information call Undergraduate Academic Services for Psychology at 305-284-3303 or visit www.psy.miami.edu.

Info Fair and Sex Carnival today from 11am-4pm at the UC Patio. Come out and join the condom taste test or one of the other many games!

Quilts Processional today at 10:45am at the Rock-come and carry a quilt made to recognize someone who has died from the aids virus.

Tues 19th Feb
CAC film, “Monster’s Inc”.

Candlelight Vigil, today at 7pm at the Rock-join us for a quiet moment of reflection upon the lives of those living with aids, those we have lost to aids, and to renew a sense of advocacy and activism.

Wed 20th Feb
Comedian at the Rathskeller at 9pm.

A week for Life will host Jeanne White, the mother of Ryan White who became the face of AIDS in the 1980’s as one of the earliest reported child cases of the disease. Students, faculty and staff are invited to come and hear her speak today at the Wesley Foundation at 8pm.

Thurs 21st Feb
African Students Union (ASU); Come learn about African culture, dances, and songs. Open to all UM students. Meetings are every other Friday in UC classrooms. Next meeting will be today in UC233. For more information contact Alta Louissaint at 305-689-9699.

Coffee House. The Wesley Foundation is the place to be every Thursday night. Come and enjoy live bands, free coffee, and a relaxing atmosphere. Tonight the Coffee House will be welcoming the wonderful jazz combo, “Apple Juice” to the stage. So take a study-break from 9-11p.m. on Thursday nights at the Coffee House.

Delta Sigma Pi; One of the Nations Largest Professional Business Fraternity is sponsoring a T-Spot (Thursday night party) at the Rathskeller tonight from 9p.m.-12a.m..

Fri 22nd Feb
Friday Groove from 11:30a.m.-1p.m.; “Tower of Power Ensemble”

Happy Hour at the Rat with a DJ from 4:30-8p.m.

Life Party tonight at 10p.m. at the Rathskeller-come party! They are celebrating Life! There will be music, food, and fun

Sat 23rd Feb
Athletic Department and Intramurals; Papa John is sponsoring a Celebrity two-ball competition at the Miami Arena today during the men’s basketball game against Notre Dame. Participation is free to all UM students and faculty. Three contestants will be paired with a local celebrity. For more information call Derek Stocker at 305-284-2943.

Mon 25th Feb
Body Wise Week at the Wellness Center.

The weekend transportation provided by the University of Miami shuttle bus service around campus may soon be extended, according to Shuttle Service Coordinator Vernell Davis.
The University of Miami Student Government and UM Parking and Transportation Services are considering other possible places of interest that the shuttle services could transport students to.
“The Shuttle should run to South Beach on weekends. It would be fun and would help prevent alcohol-related incidents,” said junior Martin Genet.
While some students, like Genet, welcome the new option of possible stops, other students are satisfied with the current shuttle stops, but would like to see them made available more days in the week.
“It would be nice to take [the shuttle] on Thursday nights to the Grove. More kids from UM go there on Thursdays than on Saturdays anyway,” said junior Alexandra Janelli.
Weekend shuttle services are rarely filled to capacity, according to Hurry ‘Cane shuttle drivers.
“It will not happen,” Davis said. “Thursday nights are school nights and [the school] doesn’t want to promote partying on school nights. Dean Sandler would never allow it.”
The shuttle service is operated only during the fall and spring semesters, and is free of charge to all UM students, staff, faculty, and visitors.”
During the school week, the shuttle is designed to help provide convenient means of transportation to major campus buildings, all university parking lots, and to the Metrorail station.
Running anywhere between five and 15 minute intervals, depending on the time of the day, the Hurry ‘Cane service attempts to provide convenient transport for students and faculty from parking lots to school buildings and to residence halls.
When Friday rolls around, the Hurry ‘Cane shuttle service offers additional services to off-campus locations, including Coconut Grove and the Shoppes at Sunset Place.
Shuttle services depart from Stanford Circle and run to Sunset Place from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, while shuttle services are available to Coconut Grove on Saturdays from 8 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.

Fridays: Shuttle services depart from Stanford Circle and run to to Sunset from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m..

Saturdays: Shuttle services depart from Stanford Circle and run to to Sunset from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. and are available to the Grove from 8 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.

Three female students allegedly defaced a banner they deemed offensive to women, created by the Hillel Jewish Student Center to promote their upcoming Bid for the Bachelor event.
According to Hillel Senior Vice President, Melissa Dolinsky, a meeting which was taking place last Tuesday at the organization’s central office was interrupted around 6:30 p.m. when three female students “barged right in and demanded to know who was in charge of the organization,” said Dolinsky.
When Hillel President, Reagan Wagh, went outside to speak with the outraged students in private, they presented to her pictures that they had torn from the banner, which had featured two laminated pictures-the first of a bare-chested man sitting with a woman in a halter-top and the second of a woman wearing a bikini.
The three unidentified students informed Wagh that they were all taking a Women’s Studies class together at UM, and that they thought that the pictures on the banner were “demeaning to women” and “took it upon themselves to rip down the [pictures on the] banner,” Wagh said.
The Hillel committee had already modified the banner before it received approval from UM to hang on a corner of the Campus Green, near the Memorial Building, Wagh said.
Certain body parts of the women on the banner could be seen easily through her clothing in the original laminated poster, so they had to be colored over to make the graphic more presentable, said Jamie Kaminetsky, Hillel Program Director.
“We just wanted the pictures for eye candy,” Dolinsky said. “We weren’t trying to offend anyone. We just wanted to get people to notice [the banner] so that they would come to our event.”
The pictures that had been torn off were balled up by the upset students, making them unusable if replaced on the banner, Wagh said.
“People spent a lot of time, energy, and money on this banner,” she said. “It’s not right that these girls would just tear something down just because they don’t like it. If they had a problem with it, they could have come and talked about it with us, not just tear it down.”
After the three girls were reported to the school, the banner was officially removed and is currently in the possession of the Dean of Students, said Hillel council members.
The students and their motives are under investigation by the university, although no officials would comment on the issue.

Luay Ahmed Al Saleh graduated in 1993 from the UM School of Architecture and is now making a name for himself in Kuwait by running an architectural firm.
After attending Onondaga Community College where he received his two-year degree, Al Saleh applied and was accepted to the University of Miami School of Architecture.
Al Saleh saw the UM School of Architecture for the first time when he came to Miami to visit a friend.
“I fell in love with the environment and the weather,” Al Saleh said.
“I think the School of Architecture is a great school with great professors. I learned a lot from them,” Al Saleh said. “The people at the University of Miami are great and they believe in what they do.”
Al Saleh is now a successful architect managing his own firm in Kuwait.
One of his accomplishments is a housing project he nicknamed after himself-a Luay Designed Homes.
“I was impressed by Luay’s enthusiasm and his blend of creativity, simplicity, and practicality in designing these unique homes,” said Dr. M.U. Shaikh, Al Saleh’s Foreign Student Advisor when he first came to the United States.
The housing project was completed three months ago and began when a developer he was working with gave him full authority to do what he wanted, Al Saleh said.
He said he wanted to design it similar to a village that is enclosed by a wall, and the homes in the center.
He combined Kuwait’s traditional architectural styles with today’s modern designs to build the homes, Al Saleh said.
“The homes do not stand out from the background, but blend in. There are no sharp corners and each has one very tall room called a tower. Each home has it’s own character,” said Dr. M.U. Shaikh, Al Saleh’s Foreign Student Advisor when he first came to the U.S.
People had mixed opinions about the design, Al Saleh said.
“Some people didn’t understand the concept,” Al Saleh said. “Modern Kuwait and the Kuwaiti people have been propelled into the 21st century that they’ve lost their connection to their own history.”
“The project sits very close to the old city, so it brings about old memories to people that see it,” Al Saleh said.
After graduating in 1993, Al Saleh moved back to Kuwait and worked for an architectural firm for seven years before he opened up his own.
He first arrived in the United States to attend school in Syracuse, New York in 1985.
Dr. Shaikh has kept in contact with him and talks to him often.
“I don’t ever remember seeing him without a smile on his face, even when he had a problem,” Shaikh said.
“He is a very friendly person and a ladies’ man,” he said.
Shaikh remembers ladies going up to him and asking that he introduce them to Luay and give them his phone number.
As a student, Al Saleh made academics his number one priority, Shaikh said.
“This guy is going places,” Shaikh recalled one of Al Saleh’s professors at Onondaga Community College, James Ruddoock, saying to him.

Campus police have reported two on-campus burglaries this January at the University of Miami.
UM Campus Police made an arrest last week for a burglary in the Mahoney Residential College, although it is not confirmed if the suspect is linked to other burglaries earlier in January, which occurred in the on-campus apartment area.
Efren Candelaria, a student living in Apartment Building 23, was burglarized once in November and another time in January.
Candelaria and his roommates were asleep when the second robbery occurred.
“It’s frustrating. Twice in two months? I don’t even feel safe anymore. It’s ridiculous,” Candelaria said.
He and his roommates suspect that the perpetrator in their Jan. robbery somehow obtained a copy of the key to their door.
According to Derek Bramble, Candelaria’s roommate, the university will not change the locks on their apartment door nor allow the roommates to do so without receiving a fine.
Students living in the apartment area say they are especially concerned about robberies because the Coral Gables campus is so open and anyone is free to come and go. They said that the university is not doing enough to ensure their safety.
“Due to our completely open campus, I worry especially about students living in the apartment area. Besides being able to just walk on campus, I’ve always questioned the purpose of the main gate where anyone can drive in without being questioned,” said Michelle Camargo, an apartment resident and fourth year architecture student.
“As a student residing in the apartment area, I don’t feel safe. With so many people being robbed, my roommates and I resorted to locking our doors while we’re home. I feel that it is such a travesty to feel so unsafe, especially on campus,” Jenessa Joseph, a third year broadcasting journalism student living in the apartment area.
Students said they feel that the university is slacking in their response to these burglaries.
“I’ve heard about many robberies on campus and I worry that no precautions are being taken. University officials have done nothing to stop future robberies or to assist the victims of these burglaries,” said Marian Martinez, a fourth year architecture student.
“I have heard through the grapevine about robberies. I didn’t hear this dangerous news from my RA, who is supposed to watch out for my well-being,” said Roberta Freitas, a junior who has lived in the apartment area for a year and a half.
“I find it terribly disturbing that nothing is being done by the University to compensate lost property of the students or to catch the thief. I feel as though we pay damn good money to go here, our safety should be top priority,” Freitas said.
“When is the University going to start doing something about this? When someone gets raped or killed?” Candelaria said. “I’m seriously contemplating the idea now of moving off campus. I’m getting the feeling that this school doesn’t care about us or at least doesn’t show support.”
However, university officials say they have been addressing the issue of students’ safety.
“Student safety is of paramount importance to the university,” said Dr. Pat Whitely, Vice-President for Student Affairs.
“It is important that students feel safe living on campus, regardless of whether it is a residential college or the apartments, and if improvements are necessary we will address them,” Whitely said.
“During school breaks like Thanksgiving and Spring Break, we do increase bike patrol and do hire off-duty police officers to patrol the campus because we know students are not here,” said Henry Christensen, director of Public Safety.
The Department of Public Safety gives a synopsis of any crimes that occur to the Director of Residence Halls, which in turn is given to the Residential College security, said Capt. Clusman.
However, this does not ensure that resident students are notified of recent crimes.
Crime alerts are also posted on the University of Miami web site to inform students and faculty.
Students can look at the crime log to find out statistics on crimes on campus.
“Students also need to become partners in campus safety and keep their doors locked,” Whitely said.
“If students have specific concerns that need to be addressed, I would be more than willing to discuss at anytime,” Whitely said.
“Maj. Henry Christensen tells me he is meeting with Derek Bramble on Monday to discuss his concerns, which apparently involve him being turned down by the Department of Residence Halls to issue him a new key,” said Margot Winick, Assistant Director of Media Relations.
Watch out for the next issue of the Miami Hurricane where we take a look at con artists on campus.

An accident in a UM dormitory left a transfer student in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

At around 4 a.m. on Thursday morning, cries for help were heard coming from outside the Mahoney Residential College.

Vice President for Student Affairs, Pat Whitely, said a first floor resident, who chose not to comment, was awaken by the cries and went to a resident assistant for help.

According to university officials, Maria Paola Ramirez was found lying on the ground outside, unable to move.

Whitely said the 21-year-old transfer student apparently first exited through the fire escape door, which is prohibited for students.

A warning on the door is printed in white letters: “FIRE EXIT ONLY-Violators will be prosecuted.”

Ramirez, a marketing major, then most likely went up the stairs, got out to the ledge, and fell off between the second and third floors of Mahoney, Whitely said.

“She was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center and is currently at Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition,” Whitely said. “She has sustained a serious injury.”

Jackson Memorial Hospital lists Ramirez in critical condition.

Most students and resident assistants in the Mahoney/Pearson Residential Colleges were not aware of the incident.

“All I know is she’s paralyzed,” a second floor resident said.

Ramirez’s suitemates also did not know what had happened. All they were told is that she was in an accident. They assumed it was a car crash.

As of Sunday evening, The Hurricane cannot confirm if Ramirez is paralyzed.

Charles Clency, Residence Coordinator for Mahoney, would not comment on the accident, except to say that a young lady fell.

“I don’t know if we can say at this point what the prognosis is because I’m not sure anyone absolutely knows,” said Whitely. “But it is a serious injury.”

Not only is her prognosis unknown, her motive for being out on the ledge has also yet to be determined.

“We don’t expect any foul play,” said Whitely.

Ramirez’s parents flew in Thursday and met with Whitely and President Donna Shalala.

“The University is deeply saddened by this tragedy,” said Whitely. “We are offering her parents and her family support during this very difficult time.”

A social worker for the university is on the case, as are the police and UM officials.

“It’s obviously a very tragic situation,” said Whitely.