Miami Hurricane, February 17, 1989

              Volume 66, Number 35
University of Miami
Friday, Feb. 17,1989
Spring
festival
planned
‘Block party’ will be new Carni Gras
By MARK THIEROFF
Opinion Editor
inspection
policy
University of Miami President Edward T. Foote II was told to “put his foot down” Wednesday and decide whether UM should continue advertising on the Neil Rogers’ show on WIOD-AM (610), a Coral Gables attorney said yesterday.
By JOHN ROG
Staff Writer
In an effort to replace the canceled Carni Gras festival, the University of Miami is planning an event to be known as Spring Fling — a Hurricane Block Party. The event will be held in conjunction with the Lowe Art Museum's Beaux Arts Festival the weekend of March 4 and 5.
According to Mike Spears, chairperson of the Spring Fling executive committee, the event will be much different from Carni Gras and will include concerts, contests and a variety of shows.
Spears said the big event of the weekend will be a volleyball tournament to be held both days. Other events will include belly-flop and tanning contests at the pool, a scavenger hunt, a “fun run” through campus on Sunday, Big Wheel races, a Win, Lose or Draw contest and eating contests to be sponsored by Velvet Creme Donuts and East Side Marios.
In addition to the participatory events, students will be treated to many different shows throughout the weekend. So far. the University has lined up jazz and reggae bands, a fireworks show, and possibly a big-name band or comedian for Saturday night. Also scheduled to appear is “Goof the Aquanat” who will perform tricks off of a boat on Lake Osceola.
Spears said he does not expect the problems with Carni Gras to affect Spring Fling. He said the event is not designed to make money and all of the events and shows will be free.
In addition, everything will be held on campus so Coral Gables does not have to approve of the event or its location.
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Burning up the books
Because of air conditioning work, temperatures rose in the Otto G. Richter Library Wednesday night. Despite the heat, Robin Zdravkovic and Robert Kocs managed to get some studying done.
SQ: Room
By ROBERT MILLER
Staff Writer
The Student Government Senate voted Wednesday to censure the University of Miami Residence Halls Office and the administration for its procedures regarding health and safety inspections of student rooms.
In the bill, SG resolved to censure RHO for not adequately notifying students about the inspec-
tions and for not heeding the concerns of SG and the student body.
The original wording of the bill resolved to "condemn” RHO and the University, however, Joelle Cooperman, Honors Student Association senator, objected and said "condemn” was too harsh a word.
Speaker of the Senate Marc Os-ter suggested replacing it with “censure.” After a discussion
about the actual meaning of the word and consultation with a dictionary, the authors accepted "censure,” and the bill passed by acclamation.
According to the bill, SG approved a senate action last November which called on RHO to notify students one week prior to the health and safety inspections.
According to C. Dean Furman, speaker pro tempore and co-author of the bill, the University
had 30 days to respond to the bill, but Dr. William Butler, vice president for student affairs, requested an extension. So far the administration has not responded, Furman said.
“This is just another example of the administration’s overall lack of concern for the students,” Furman said.
According to Furman, students were notified only three days before this semester’s health and
no
Trustees: End radio mess
Jack Thompson said Trustee Richard Plummer told him that the trustees: “told Tad Foote to put his foot down and resolve this extremely unpleasant situation.”
Thompson has repeatedly complained to Foote and others about Rogers’ allegedly racist programming. He wrote to Foote, saying UM advertising could hurt the University’s image.
Advertisements for UM athletic events currently run on Rogers’ morning talk show. Rogers has said the commercials are not advertisements, but promotional spots the station runs for its broadcasts of sporting events.
Also this week. United Black Students President Johnny Taylor told The Miami Hurricane his group may stage a protest if UM does not pull its ads from the show.
Taylor said he will meet with Foote in early March to discuss the matter.
“Hopefully, we can deal with President Foote, and the ads can be moved from his (Rogers')
show,” said Taylor. He added that if the meeting does not end the situation, UBS will hold a demonstration at a baseball game broadcast by WIOD.
Other groups such as the Miami-Dade chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Hallandale City Commission have also voiced concern over the show.
Hallandale Mayor Sonny Rosenberg said, “I would think the University of Miami would hold themselves above this type of programming."
Foote was unavailable for comment.
good
safety inspections, and they were not told of the nature of the inspections or of the general time and manner in which they would take place.
Ken DeMoor, chairperson of the senate’s University Affairs Committee and co-author of the bill, said he considered RHO’s actions to be a “slap in the face.”
SG further called for the administration to speedily consider last semester’s bill and the other bills waiting on Butler's desk.
Trustee
bequeaths
estate
By AMY ELLIS
News Editor
Thirty-five acres of farm land have been willed to the University of Miami by Board of Trustees member Frank Smathers, Jr., according to Dr. Rita Bornstetn, vice president for development.
The land, located oft of Old Cutler Road, south of Snapper Creek, is currently the residence of Smathers and his wife and contains many rare tropical plants, Bornstein said.
According to David Blumberg, chairman of the board's executive committee, the land will most likely be used for research and to enhance the study of biological sciences.
UM President Edward T. Foote said the donation would “solidify UM as a major world-wide center for tropical sciences.”
Smathers served as an ex-oficio member of the board from 1953 to 1955 when he was president of the Alumni Association. He was elected to the board in 1956.
In addition to Smathers’ gift, the University also recently received $150,000 from the Ford Motor Company to provide for minority scholarships, Blumberg reported.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, it was also announced that the University had reached $446 million in its fund-raising campaign.
According to Blumberg, the original goal was $400 million and there are still 11 months left in the campaign.
It was also reported that the executive committee authorized the administration to replace the chilled water systems at UM’s School of Medicine, a project that will cost $973,000.
Please see page 21TRUSTEES
German program offered
By ASTRID ROMERO
Staff Writer
Wer eine Fremdsprache nicht kennt, weiss nichts von seiner eigenen. —J. W. von Goethe
(He who does not know a foreign language knows nothing of his own.)
Under a foot of snow, in the middle of the Black Forest in West Germany, the small town of Glatt will host the University of Miami’s first intersession abroad.
The three-week intensive German program, coordinated by the Office of International Programs, will allow students to immerse themselves in a total German experience.
“We have chosen Glatt because it does not have any American tourists, and the student will be forced to speak," said Dr. Benjamin Webb, assistant director of International Programs and the only full-time German professor.
The small group participating in the session will spend 25 hours a week studying the language. Webb will travel to Germany for the program and, together with two teaching assistants from the Universität Tubingen, will teaching at an elementary or intermediate level.
“The only way to learn German is to go there,” said Sue Walsh, a junior majoring in English. “I really want to go in that three-week program."
Kara Kreutner, a junior studying broadcasting said, “I want to go next Christmas in the intersession program. My whole family is from there, and I want to learn about my heritage.”
According to Webb, the exact cost of the pro-
gram has not been determined yet.
"We anticpate it will be around $1,800, but we are not sure. However it will be competitive with any similar program in the United States,” Webb said.
The fee includes air fare, room and board at a private inn, health insurance and U.S. college credits.
UM also offers semester and year-long study abroad programs with two German universities, the Universität Heidelberg and the Univeritat Tubingen.
According to Webb, students majoring in German are required to spend a year abroad.
"We’re the only language that targets that. We really belive in international studies,” Webb said.
“There’s no way one can learn German fluently from a textbook," said Michael Kuring, a junior majoring in mathematics with a minor in German. “You have to have the experience of using it, not just knowing it."
Financial aid is available for the longer programs, and the cost should not exceed that of a year or a semester at UM.
“If everything is done on a deadline, we guarantee that it will not cost more to stay there than it does here," said Ron M. Soltani, a financial aid advisor at the Office of Financial Assistance.
When traveling overseas, students are advised to get an International Student Card which saves money on entertainment, train and airplane fares and public transportation. The Office of International Programs will be the only place issuing international IDs in Miami, starting in one or two months.
Little leaguers
Two local youngsters observe the action of the University of Miami baseball team Sunday night at Mark Light Stadium.
RHONA WISE/Special to the Hurricane