For the first time in 2002, Mark Light Stadium was active on Saturday night, with many familiar names filling the atmosphere. Names such as Charlton Jimerson, Mike Rodriguez, Tom Farmer, and Greg Lovelady – only this time they weren’t sitting in the home dugout.
These were just a few of the many members of this year’s UM Alumni team, which comes out every year to take their stab at the current UM baseball team. The game also serves as the final test before the regular season.
Team members from last year’s national championship squad were just a few of the over 50 alumni that showed up to play in this year’s game.
Some of these Alumni, like last year’s champions, are just getting their start into pro ball. Others have long since been retired after playing for the Hurricanes as far back as the 1940’s.
Nothing has changed, though. They still love the game, and they still love the team.
UM Alum Ed Contreras, who played on the team from 1957-1959, was on hand and entered the game wearing the exact same glove he used during each game of his UM career. It didn’t fit on his hand, but he wore it anyway.
The best in UM history were sent out on Saturday night to see if this year’s team is ready to defend the national title.
The young Miami squad showed up to play, and gave the brand new scoreboard at Mark Light Stadium a bright debut by lighting it up for 20 runs – as they went on to pound the Alumni by a final score of 20-3.
A lighthearted Hurricane head coach Jim Morris expressed his thoughts on the game.
“This truly is a fun experience,” Morris said. “There are some great players out there, but at the same time we can’t get disillusioned by coming out here and winning 20-3. The Alumni aren’t in game shape, but its good for our team and our program. It’s good to see other pitchers, and it’s great to have these guys back. It’s fun to rag on them a little bit if they get ripped.”
Ripped is exactly what the UM hitters did by smashing 24 hits. This was especially true for the all-important freshman class, which will play a huge role on this year’s team.
“The great thing about having a young team full of freshmen is their competitiveness,” Morris said. “They are constantly fighting so hard just to get into the lineup, it steps up their game a little bit.”
With 13 Hurricanes signing into the pros, freshman outfielder Danny Figueroa was asked about the shoes he would have to fill this year.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Figueroa said. “Playing in the wake of a guy like Jimerson is a tough job, but I grew up coming to these games and UM is where I want to be.”
Figueroa is joined on the team by his identical twin brother, Paco. The twins are products of Gulliver Prep High in Miami, which was the same school attended by UM shortstop Javy Rodriguez. In total, there are 18 players on this year’s roster from South Florida.
The Hurricanes will do it for real next weekend when they open the 2002 season at home against the Tennessee Volunteers – a team which the Hurricanes eliminated from the College World Series just a year ago.
The first game will be played Friday night at 7p.m. at the Light, with Troy Roberson taking the mound for the ‘Canes.
The season opener will be followed by two afternoon contests against the Volunteers at 1p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Mark Light Stadium with Kiki Bengochea and T.J. Prunty the scheduled pitchers, respectively.
UM crushes Alumni, 20-3
UM continues dominance
The Hurricane men’s basketball team was taken to overtime in its last two games, squeaking past its Big East foes at Miami Arena. But on Thursday night against the Villanova Wildcats, there would be no need for an extra period. The ‘Canes routed the Wildcats, 76-58, thanks primarily to a 27 -3 run to start the game.
Before the crowd of nearly 5,000 had a chance to settle into their seats, sophomore Darius Rice had a three-pointer and an ally-oop courtesy of Marcus Barnes. Rice finished with 30 points, just five shy of his career high.
“I could feel the shots,” said Rice, who finished 10-of-15 from the field, with four three-pointers. “I thought I could make every shot I took. My teammates did a good job of finding me open. We discussed it in the locker room before the game and we agreed that we didn’t want to play another overtime game.”
Miami looked to be a team on a mission as they dominated early and often, coasting to its 18th win of the season. Dating back to last year, this was the thirteenth consecutive home win for the ‘Canes.
“The first 10 minutes was the best we’ve played,” UM coach Perry Clark said. “Everyone wants to talk about Rice’s 30 points. I want to talk about his 10 rebounds and his defensive play. We all know he can shoot, but lately he has been showing that he is becoming quite a complete player.”
Rice and Co. forced 26 Wildcat turnovers and had the edge on the defensive boards, out rebounding Villanova by four.
“We weren’t strong enough or tough enough to make plays,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “They are as good as I’ve seen. These guys hammered us.”
Villanova did rally to avoid further embarrassment. The Wildcats cut the lead to 62-51 with just under two minutes remaining in the game, before strong Miami foul shooting put the game away for good. Villanova was led offensively by guard Gary Buchanon who had 15 points and 3 assists.
While Rice was the star for Miami, senior leader John Salmons chipped in with 15 points and 33 strong minutes. James Jones along with Elton Tylor added the muscle in the paint to shut down Villanova’s interior presence.
Miami next plays at home tonight at 7:30 against the Boston College Eagles. If they want to beat the Eagles, the ‘Canes are going to have to come out with the same intensity. Boston College is led by one of the best guards in the country in Troy Bell, who is averaging over twenty points per game. The Eagles are coming of off a 10-point loss to Duke at home but are 4-0 on the road this season.
Miami will look to make it 14 in a row at home and continue to garner national accolades.
“We wanted to make a statement because people were saying we couldn’t sustain our level of play,” Salmons said. “This program never gets the respect it deserves.”
Letter to the Editor
In response to the article written on students and their cell phones while in class, let me say this loud and clear: Huh?? In this land that’s in its own little world, where Gucci shades, Porsche convertibles, and breast implants are as common as the warm weather, you don’t have to be a genius to know that 99% of the calls students get during class are not emergencies. Lets just admit what this is really all about: social calls.
A sorority sister trying to figure out where and with who to eat lunch for the day. A roommate wanting to know which club to go out to that night. Or someone exchanging gossip while standing a whopping fifty feet away. Well God, let me stop the presses! Those are some real can’t-wait crises, huh?
I am glad professors have cracked down on the annoying little gadgets that are cellular phones. Nobody has the right to disrupt an entire class for the sole purpose of social interaction. I couldn’t tell you how many times somebody’s phone has rung during one of my classes, even though they’re supposed to be off, and it totally interrupted the flow of discussion or lecture. No, lectures should and will not wait for somebody’s social life.
So just turn the damn things off or silence the ringer. I understand that sometimes people forget, but I also know that a lot of times they don’t. And with today’s technology, most cell phones come equipped with a vibrating option and caller ID, so if it is really dyer then the student can be notified quietly enough and not disturb the whole class.
I own a cell phone and yes, I sometimes need to take a call, and yes, I’ve forgotten to turn it off before class a couple of times. Hey, we’re human. But there is no way in hell I believe in intentionally letting my personal business interfere with others for the whole hour and fifteen minutes that class lasts. I have too much respect for those who are trying to learn and for the professors who are trying to teach. And my education is just too important to me.
Unfortunately, however, there is the sad realization that there are those here who are treating school like a paid vacation and frankly don’t care. Kudos to professors for taking a stand against this increasingly irritating and abundant abuse of technology. One missed call could ruin a life? Oh, for Godsake, go back to the valley.
Derek Bramble is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism.
Analyzing the Living Wage
Very shortly University of Miami administrators will grapple with a faculty proposal recommending pay increases to hundreds of UM employees and contracted workers to match state minimum wage standards (p.c. definition- “living wage”). By now these same administrators recognize the precariousness of their position as measure proponents maneuver them into a “lose-lose” situation.
The proposal essentially asks the administration to demand, through contract negotiation, that UNICCO, one of the largest labor services contractor at UM, and other service contractors, raise their wages for their lowest paid UM workers to an arbitrary figure that matches a supposed state of poverty. This bureaucratic fallacy is highly problematic, flies in the face of reason, and harms the least skilled and poorest of the workers it is intended to help. Across the United States, similar proposals are floated time and again. The usual shakedown artists are the same self-anointed; denizens of departments such as linguistics and English literature in places like MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, Duke and the University of North Carolina. These “progressives” remain unflagging in their unwillingness to accept the realities of human incentive and the concept of supply. And it seems that more than a few reside here at UM as well. They believe that politics should flow from the conscience and not the rational interests of mankind. And in a highly charged atmosphere of political correctness, they know the UM administration can’t appear insensitive to the plight of the benighted
This salary “shakedown” will come in the form of increased tuition and or fees necessary to pay for increased contractor service charges. UNICCO will readily agree to pass on this cost to UM, which has finite dollars with which to negotiate. Wages will rise and the least skilled or least experienced workers fired to pay the increased cost of the new minimums for the remaining and more efficient laborers who will labor longer and harder to meet the same demand. The American Enterprise Institute restates an economic truism of which the vast majority of economists are in agreement. “All else being equal, if you raise the price of something (labor), then the demand for it (by employers) will decline. Price controls (minimum wages here), no matter how “soft”, inevitably distort the process of supply and demand, creating disincentives to conserve and to supply.” As one student government insider alluded to me, the minimum wage has also encouraged a lackadaisical attitude toward self-improvement despite the many programs the private sector, including UNICCO, has provided to enhance opportunity to move up and out. We still see some people choosing to remain in the same low skill jobs for years.
That’s a bitter word. Choose.
Of course, this economic buggery is the result of a shop-worn technique of the well intentioned; the guilt-laden obtuseness of “social responsibility”. Supporting arguments for such chicanery in the media and on American university commons usually sound something like this. A father (or mother, as is oft cited) of numerous children struggles to juggle several minimum wage jobs to support a family. On its face, this is clearly wrong and socially unjust. Wealth should therefore be confiscated via executive fiat and re-distributed. This would be applied using the most “broadly shared sacrifice possible”, one UM faculty senate member was quoted sharing our pain in concise descriptive terms.
If the stroke of the President’s minimum wage pen cures poverty, why not set the rate at $10 an hour? How about $50 dollars an hour? At that rate everyone makes at least $100,000 a year.
The reality is more like this. The U.S. Department of Labor says that over 60 percent of all minimum wage earners are between the ages of 16 and 24. Most of these are not working poor struggling to feed a family but younger people trying to get entry-level job experience. Fewer than 14 percent of minimum age workers are heads of households trying to support families.
So what is the UM predicament? Well for starters, UNICCO is one of more than 100 UM contractors. UM has no legal standing to check or ensure that they, nor any other service providers, comply with said wage increases except to price out would be cheaters through contract negotiation and approval. Is UM to renegotiate nearly two hundred service contracts? Can UM keep these companies that have now accepted unfunded contractual requirements from firing workers that can no longer be afforded? The cost of providing the service hasn’t dropped and neither has the demand for service, if you follow me.
If companies, corporations, governments, and universities negotiate, than why can’t low-skill individuals for their own wages? The truth is that most individuals already do. Ask any graduate student assistant trying to earn their degree. Labor, like Coca-Cola and Pizza Hut, is subject to the same law of supply and demand. There is no such thing as intrinsic price or value of anything. Price, worth and cost are always negotiated and are constantly changing. Stanford economist Thomas Sowell puts it succinctly: “Free market economics is not about ‘distributing’ anything to anybody. It is about letting people earn whatever they can from voluntary transactions with other people.”
Steve Stanley is a graduate student in the international administration program of the School of International Studies.
News Briefs and Campus Calendar
n TODAY
The University of Miami Alumni Association is recruiting a select number of eager, responsible, and spirited students to become members of the UM AMBASSADORS, a growing influential group of student leaders dedicated to strengthening the link between students and alumni. As a UM Ambassador, you will have the unique opportunity to network and interact with members of the University’s alumni community while participating in activities throughout the year including Alumni Weekend/Homecoming, Pre-Game Parties, Alumni Club Activities, and the Second Annual Alumni Appreciation Week.
To become a member of the UM Ambassadors, students must meet the following criteria:
* Be a full-time student pursuing an undergraduate degree at UM.
* Carry a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA and be considered in good academic standing.
* Display leadership characteristics through involvement in other extracurricular activities.
* Be able to participate in the required number of activities and meetings of the organization.
* Submit a brief essay in conjunction with the application.
* Complete an interview process with the Office of Alumni Relations.
Applications are available now! Please contact Leslie Monreal in the Office of Alumni Relations at (305) 284-2872 or email lmonreal@miami.edu, or you can pick up an application at the UM Ambassadors Table in the UC Breezeway on Tuesday, Jan. 29 through Thursday, Jan. 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you would like more information on UM Ambassadors, an information session will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 3:00 p.m. in UC Room 233. Applications are due Monday, February 4! Good luck!
Today
CAC movie- Moulin Rouge
QuantUM wants you if you are interested in any aspect of film, entertainment or theatre. Informational meeting today at 6pm in the Flamingo Ballroom A or go to www.gotoquantum.com.
The intramural department needs basketball officials. It is holding an emergency officials’ training today at 5pm in the Wellness Center classroom. Students with or without work-study are needed. Starting wage is $6 per hour. For more information call 305-284-8518.
Wednesday 30 January
Last day to drop a class without a “W”.
Workshop: How to get work done and still have time for a life at 1pm.
Information session for UM Ambassadors in UC 233 at 3pm. This is a group that serves as the official liaison between UM students and the Alumni.
The next Smoking Cessation Program. Free to all UM insurance holders, will begin today. Call Jennifer Pinto at 305-243-3209 for more information.
“Once in a blue moon” at the Rathskeller from 9-12pm.
Attention all business majors or minors Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity, will be having its spring recruitment. If you are interested in networking with business professionals nationwide, while making lasting friendships stop by our information session today at 7:30pm in the UC Ballroom. For more information contact Zoraya Davila at 305-502-5756.
Thursday 31 January
Workshop: How to get work done and still have time for a life at 12:30pm or 4pm.
The Tennis Club is having a general meeting today at 6:30pm in the Wellness Center classroom. Tennis players of all ages and levels are invited. Come and see what the hype is all about.
Come and meet Carlos Coto, class of ’88, who will be on campus to talk to students today at 4 p.m., in room 4028 of the Frances L. Wolfson Building. Carlos was the head writer for NBC’s “The Pretender,” has written for other television programs and films, and has a new series under consideration by network television. He’s currently in Miami to finish a script under contract for an HBO.
Friday 1 February
Black Awareness Month
Friday Grove on UC Patio from 11:30am-1pm.
Happy Hour at the Rathskeller from 4:30-8pm- Erica Summers.
Monday 4 February
Guns N Violence Awareness Campaign
Application deadline for UM Ambassadors.
Tuesday 5 February
Asian Music Students Concert (various artists) today at 8pm-10:30pm at Victor E. Clarke Recital Hall in the L. Austin Weeks Center. Admission is free.
CAC sneak peek at the Cosford Cinema from 9-11pm: Collateral Damage.
Wednesday 6 February
Open mic/ poetry night with BAM at the Rathskeller from 7-9pm.
Workshop: Getting the most from reading your textbooks at 1pm.
Tibetan Monks perform “Sacred Music and Sacred Dance for World Healing” tonight at 8pm in the Gusman Concert Hall. Doors open at 7:30pm, event is free to UM students while $5 for other students/seniors and $8 for general admission. VIP passes available in UC 206 (preferred seating). For more information contact Breana Burkett at 305-284-4606.
Karaoke Kraziness. A fun musical event in the Allen Hall courtyard from 12-1pm … we’re looking for all IEP students to participate. Talk to Maria in the IEP office for more information and lyrics to Karaoke songs. (This event is open to IEP students only.)
Join the Wellness Center today between 5-7pm in its Atrium for Healthy Heart Day, an event providing information to protect both aspects of your heart-physical and emotional. Information will be available on nutrition, healthy relationships, and preventing sexual transmitted infections and sexual assault. For more information call 305-284-6524.
Thursday 7 February
Workshop: Getting the most from reading your textbooks at 12:30pm.
Friday 8 February
Friday Grove on UC Patio from 11:30am-1pm.
Happy Hour at the Rathskeller from 4:30-8pm- Erica Summers.
Tuesday 12 February
CAC film at the Cosford Cinema.
Wednesday 13th February
Karaoke Night at Rathskeller
Workshop: Managing midterms, term papers, and projects at 1pm.
Thursday 14 February
Lonely hearts comedy jam at Rathskeller at 9-11pm.
Workshop: Managing midterms, term papers, and projects at 12:30pm.
Friday 15th February
Friday Grove on UC Patio from 11:30am-1pm.
Student’s hard work, dedication pays off
If you think that you are too busy and stressed out with school, think again. You have not met Asma Uddin.
Now a senior, Uddin proves that determination can lead to great accomplishments in anything you do.
She has recently won a statewide competition for her essay entitled “Dismantling Boundaries: A Defense of Max Black’s “Metaphor”” and was invited to speak on her essay at the Florida Collegiate Honors Conference on Feb. 26th.
On campus she is frequently on the President’s Honor Roll, has three majors, and is involved in numerous student organizations, several of which she started on her own.
“UM is what you make of it. You cannot rely on a school to determine your future. You must take the initiative,” said Uddin.
Involved in the Privileged Studies Program in the College of Arts and Science, Uddin will graduate summa cum laude in the Spring with a Bachelor of Arts and majors in Biology, English, and Religious Studies. After graduation, she will attend law school at the University of Chicago. Uddin aspires to go into patent law or become an academic.
Her leadership roles include: Vice President of Phi Beta Kappa, founder of Solutions, the umbrella organization of UM’s Book Club that concentrates on bringing together students and faculty to discuss various books, Newsletter Editor of the Islamic Society, founder and editor-in-chief of Cornerstone Islamic Literary Magazine and Literary Editor of the student-run INPRINT Literary and Entertainment Magazine.
Outside of school Uddin volunteers as a guardian ad litem for abused children through the Department of Children and Families.
She serves as a neutral third party advocate in court to help determine the best interest of children suffering from abuse or neglect.
“I am the mouthpiece for these children,” said Uddin.
She has also done an extensive two-year independent study on classical/qur’anic Arabic, interned at a law office, and has spent 133 hours studying Islamic texts through the Islamic Studies Program.
How does Uddin handle such a full platter?
“I was trained to be very statified,”she says.
Her days start at 8:30 am and end around 2:30 am. Uddin says she spends about 70% of her time doing school-related functions.
The remainder of her time goes to her family and fiance.
Fridays are Uddin’s “no homework” nights where she forces herself to do anything but work.
Since Uddin does not like to waste time, she keeps herself busy; but, she also knows when enough is enough.
Her advice to other students is to know your limits, and keep in mind your goals.
“Whatever your goals may be, be passionate about them. Be sincere in what you are doing. Do not do something just for the prestige,” said Uddin.
Uddin originally came to UM on a full scholarship after her parents told her she could not go to the University of Chicago.
She had ivy league dreams of going away for college, but decided to create her own ivy league here at UM when she was told she could not leave Miami.
“I have created my own ivy league here at UM by taking the best professors and more difficult classes,” said Uddin. “I have not limited myself to my major. I have taken classes in French, and Philosophy.”
Most importantly, Uddin lives to show that it does not matter where you are, but what you do with your time while you are there.
Uddin, 21, is of Pakistan decent and has lived in Miami her entire life.
She is the eldest of four children and comes from a strong religious background. Uddin says that her motivation is greatly attributed to her foundation in faith.
On an average semester she takes anywhere from 15 to 19 credits. Though, this semester Uddin is trying to take it easy, she says, considering that she is writing her honors thesis.
COSO Challenges students
While the University of Miami has set a goal of $1 million for this year’s philanthropic contribution to the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and the Keys, many student organizations have taken the initiative to try to meet and beat this target amount.
COSO, the Committee on Student Organizations, launched the first COSO Challenge last October. Created as a competition between all the student organizations on campus to see which could raise the highest amount of money to give the most back to the community, the COSO Challenge made a promising start.
“The winner of this year’s COSO Challenge gets the privilege of selecting a charity to be the beneficiary of next year’s COSO Challenge,” said Andy Hooper, COSO Ombudsperson.
In addition, the highest contributing student organization of each month will receive a prize of $40 from SAFAC, the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee, given with the intention of being used toward a pizza party, or similar celebration. SAFAC has also agreed to match the amount raised by the largest contributing organization, up to $1000.
The goal for the Challenge is $5000, though to date, only about $1000 has been raised. Hooper informed the Miami Hurricane of the waning support for the challenge in the past couple months.
Competition was hard-fought between the different clubs at the Challenge’s inception in October, Hooper said. November met with similar results, the Graduate Student Association having contributed the highest amount during both initial months.
But the competitions during the months of December and January have sadly shown a marked loss of interest by contributing student organizations, according to Hooper.
Even so, there will more than likely be another COSO Challenge next year, and hopefully many more to come in subsequent years, organizers said.
The final date to be eligible for the COSO Challenge is fast approaching. For those interested in getting involved, collection cups,may be picked up in the Student Activities Office during office hours. Collection cups may be turned in at any time, with no limit to frequency.
Although the money will be donated sometime in mid-March, COSO has set its deadline for the challenge at Jan. 31st.
RUNOVER!!!!
Enrollment to increase as a result of championship?
With the recent Diamond Anniversary, Presidential Inauguration, and an increasingly competitive student body, can the University of Miami hope to reach a new plateau in applications and enrollment, as a result of the freshly gained Rose Bowl National Football Championship?
“I don’t think it is going to impact it,” asserted Vice Provost and Dean of Enrollments, Paul Orehovec.
“Winning a National Championship is great for name-recognition-a great value added to the University. Everyone likes to be associated with a winner. And it’s terrific press with respect to the character of the student athletes.”
But Orehovec emphasized his dedication to the academic core of the University, which he believes is the major attraction here in Coral Gables:
“None of our top 5 or 6 years [with respect to enrollment] was a National Championship year. The University’s just hot!” Orehovec said.
Dean Orehovec lauded the academic virtues of the UM. He expressed his deep esteem for the school’s escalating scholastic accomplishments and standards.
“Last year, more than half of our enrolled students were in the top ten percent of their high school classes, and it’s getting higher. That’s exactly who we’re marketing to,” said Orehovec. “The last few years, we’ve been on a roll.”
“Top scholars don’t only look at a competitive sports program for encouragement when applying. They compare the combination of qualities like academics, community, student life, athletics, and more,” stressed Orehovec.
Orehovec sees the National Championship as a “rallying point,”-just like the additions of the Wellness Center and the upcoming Ryder Center-“which will help build a stronger sense of community at the University, another reason to come together.”
Orehovec also noted that, as a consequence of surprisingly high enrollment last year which also caused problems with housing. It is possible that the University may reduce acceptance levels to readjust student body size in the coming semesters.
City parade honors football champions
The busy metropolitan streets of Miami came together in honor of the undefeated Miami Hurricanes football team.
Beginning promptly at noon on Friday, over 10,000 fans took time off from work or school to enjoy a tickertape parade on a day proclaimed by local Miami politicians as “University of Miami Hurricanes Football Day.”
From buildings’ rooftops over six tons of shredded paper fell onto the streets packed with cheering fans.
The celebration started at Bayfront Park, and traveled down Flagler. The procession continued until it reached the county courthouse.
The parade caravan consisted of convertibles, pick-up trucks, and fire trucks. Each vehicle was heavily covered with mounds of shredded paper and filled with massive football players, their coaches, and their families.
Head Coach Larry Coker and his wife Dianna rode in a 1959 canary-yellow Dodge Custom Royal, providing one of many highlights of the day’s festivities.
“[The parade] was like a movie. I thought I was a gladiator coming back from Rome,” said offensive lineman Joel Rodriguez. Awestruck players like Rodriguez took in the excitement and waved to their fans.
Meanwhile, other players went one step further, dancing in the streets and hurling piles of the tickertape paper at one another, and any fans willing to participate in the melee.
Riding together, team leaders quarterback, Ken Dorsey, and safety, Ed Reed, took turns displaying the national-championship trophy to the crowd.
When the parade came to its final destination, the players hopped out of their vehicles and made their way to the main stage which was set up on the steps of the county courthouse. While walking the short distance from the cars to the stage many players stopped occasionally to sign autographs and take pictures for fans.
Once everyone from the parade was properly seated on stage, the next event of the UM Football Day began.
Speakers at the courthouse rally included Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, Miami commissioners, Joe Sanchez and Johnny Winton, University of Miami President Donna Shalala, Athletic Director Paul Dee, Head Coach Larry Coker, and trophy bearers, Dorsey and Reed.
Although city politics came into the picture at one point when the crowd booed Alex Penelas. The attention was mostly focused on the team.
The crowd gave their loyalty and complete support for rookie coach, Larry Coker. Coker had to wait until the cries or “Larry! Larry!” died down, just to be heard. In his speech Coker had nothing but good things to say about the City of Miami and his team. Coker praised his team, commenting that they had won with “class, dignity, and respect.” The perfect ending to the perfect season.
The day’s events ran smoothly and the parade was a tremendous success according to all those in attendance.
Unfortunately, since classes at UM went on as scheduled, few students were on hand to attend the occasion.
While news helicopters hovered above from a distance, covering the event for their respective television networks, students were allowed to watch the parade on television with what little time they had in between classes.
When asked what he thought of the decision to maintain the class schedule and not participate in a Dade-wide school holiday, linebacker Jonathan Vilma commented that he “would have liked to see students given the day off from school; but that’s beyond my control. It’s [President Shalala’s] school; she does what she wants with it.”
Now that the football season is officially over, fans and players look to the future for what is to come of the team.
Next season, the Hurricanes will lose several key players such as Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey and Phillip Buchanon. The Hurricanes hectic 2002 season will include face offs against top teams and rivals Florida and Tennessee.
While fans are already excited over Sportsline.com’s prediction of another championship season next year, players look forward to some time off from football.
Vilma plans to catch up on the sleep he missed out on during the fall. Meanwhile offensive linemen Brett Romberg looks forward to working out and spending quality time with his new puppy.
Party continues on UM Green
Rounding off a full day of parading through the streets of Miami for the Hurricanes Rosebowl Championship was the official University of Miami celebration. The festivities were held at the University Green located between the University Center and the Richter Library, Friday night.
The celebration included food, a fireworks display, and a live music performance from Libido.
According to local news reports, an estimated 1500 hardcore fans were present to cheer on the hometown heroes.
“The ticker-tape parade just wasn’t enough for me,” said Jose Davila, a fan from Florida International University. “This [championship] is too big a deal to celebrate with just one party.”
In honor of the event, a stage and television screen were set up to introduce the players and show video clips of the football season’s greatest plays.
A special message from President George W. Bush was also presented to the audience.
In his message, President Bush commended the Miami Hurricanes football team for being a positive influence on the youth of America and for pulling off a perfect season.
He also acknowledged the difficulties they must have endured as a result of having to balance athletics with academics.
“I agree with the President,” said sophomore Lacey Hickle. “It takes a lot of self control and discipline to accomplish what these players have attained”.
“I was very surprised at the President Bush’s speech,” said Maria Gonzalez. “I didn’t expect him to take the time out of his busy schedule to congratulate our school-wait! Now that I think about it, we deserved that!
“Hell, this team deserves to run the whole country themselves!” Gonzalez said.
Among the guest speakers at the event were the mayors of South Miami and Coral Gables, UM alumnus Roy Firestone of ESPN, The Voice of the Hurricanes, Mark Vandermeer, and President Donna E. Shalala.
President Shalala thanked the fans for putting up with the heat of September, the rain of October, and for showing their support in the stands.
“Not only is our team the greatest football team in America,” said President Shalala. “They are the greatest looking”.
“It’s important to remember that this was Coker’s rookie year,” said Jason Kaulffman. “He is only the second coach in history to go undefeated during his rookie season”.
Throughout the celebration, local television stations had live broadcasts, including NBC 6, WSVN 7, CBS 4, Noticiero 51, Telemundo, Eyewitness News 10, and Univision.
Power96 and WQAM News Radio also covered the event.
“I think this is fabulous,” said Tony Segreto of NBC 6. “I’m a proud alumnus of UM and this is great.”
“I’ve been on TV twice,” said Leo Wilson, a 10-year-old Hurricanes’ fan who came to the event with his older sister.
“I feel like a movie star…now I know how the football players feel,” Wilson said. “I’m going to be a ‘Cane when I grow up!”
Most of the fans enjoyed the festivities and were happy to bask in the glory of their team.
“I’ve been following the ‘Canes for 32 years,” said Mary Graulick, a fan at the event. “I’ve gone through all of the coaches along with the team.”
“I was the first person to shake hands with Larry when he stepped off the bus after they arrived from their triumph at the Rose Bowl,” Graulick said.
Coach Coker has thanked the media and community for the support they have given to the team. He said he is looking forward to opening the door on
yet another victorious season.
‘I Am Sam’
I Am Sam shows audiences that love, not intelligence, is what determines if one is a good parent. The movie is a powerful and moving story with true performances from Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer that will have you reaching for the box of Kleenex right in the first scene. The validity of the plot and the cast’s realistic portrayal of the characters make the movie superb.
Judging from the trailer, the movie looks like your typical dramatic film with a happy ending. It was not until I read magnificent reviews and talks of Oscar nominations, that I decided to see the movie. I was totally blown away by the caliber of acting.
The movie tells the story of Sam Dawson, played by Sean Penn, a single, mentally challenged Starbucks employee, who raises his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) with the help of his mentally challenged friends. At the age of seven, Lucy is taken away from her father by a social worker, who wants to place her in foster care.
Dawson struggles to find a lawyer that he can afford to help him get his daughter back. But with an hourly wage of $8.00, Dawson cannot hire a good lawyer. He luckily finds a woman by the name of Rita Harrison, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who takes his case pro bono to prove to her co-workers that she is not as cruel and insensitive as they portray her to be.
Unfortunately, Harrison is everything her co-workers think of her-a high-powered, self-absorbed attorney without a heart. She takes the case for all of the wrong reasons, but ends up gaining more from the relationship with Dawson than she suspected.
By the end of the movie, Harrison’s prissy attitude alters for the better, ultimately winning the audiences’ liking. Throughout the trial they develop a great bond of friendship that teaches her how to love.
I Am Sam deals with the controversy of parenting by disabled persons. Harrison and Dawson fight to get Lucy back in a legal battle that is very familiar to many mentally challenged persons today. Dawson’s intelligence is that of a seven-year-old.
Once his daughter turns seven, however, she deliberately tries to prevent further education for fear of being smarter than her father. It is the court’s job to evaluate Dawson’s ability to raise his daughter. In this particular case, the ending is appropriate and will leave both sides in agreement over the fate of the child.
Richard Schiff (The West Wing) plays the opposing lawyer. Another famous actor in this strong cast is two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest of Law and Order. Both characters add new conflicts and angles to the plot, while giving very strong performances.
Penn’s performance as a disabled single parent is magnificent. Penn’s portrayal is natural, and believable without being offensive or stereotypical. In the movie there are people with actual disabilities that play themselves along side Penn. The viewer will not be able to tell the difference.
Penn’s performance is comparable, if not superior to Russell’s Crowe’s performance in A Beautiful Mind. Even though Crowe took home the Golden Globe for best actor, my bet is on Penn for the Oscar.
I Am Sam: rated PG-13, now in theaters.
Starsailor is Here
With the release of The Bends and OK Computer, Radiohead inspired a surge of British bands that have become almost like a trend. Travis and Coldplay lead the pack of sensitive musicians, who with high pitched vocals, pained lyrics and slow guitar strums, have taken over the U.K. charts and, to a certain extent, the U.S. charts.
The new artist to emerge and be most talked about in recent months is Starsailor, a Northwest Britain quartet, who more than any of the other groups, gives the most average music fan an intense experience of quality, passion and hope.
Named after a Tim Buckley LP, Starsailor formed in the beginning of 2000. With influences that range from Neil Young, Van Morrison, and both Tim and Jeff Buckley, the band released their first full album Love is Here the second week of 2002. Backed by much critical acclaim, a stunning performance in David Letterman, and a long string of magazines and newspapers’ features, there is little doubt Starsailor is on the way to becoming the next big thing, not only in U.K., but also in America.
Love is Here has made a jump in the Top 200 charts to number 145, up number 3 in the Heatseekers chart and has remained number 1 in the Alternative New Artist chart since its release. The album has also just received Platinum status in the U.K. and is currently number 12 in the album charts.
Starsailor’s front man is 21-year-old guitarist James Walsh, whose ardent voice closely resembles the late, great Jeff Buckley. His lyrics contain a baggage of pain, anticipation and drama. The indie rock foursome is also composed of James Stelfox on bass, Ben Byrne on the drums, and the last to join and complete the sound Barry Westhead on the keyboards.
Although the whole album is solid from start to end, the stand-out tracks are the first single Fever, their latest radio airplay gainer Good Souls, and the beautiful anthem Lullaby. Most of the album keeps a slow to medium tempo, except some faster and heavier tunes.
Starsailor has taken a common sound and by complementing it with other styles, has found an identity all its own.