Miami Hurricane, January 27, 1995

              SCREEN-SAVING
A UM graduate student gives PCs a Hurricane personality.
ACCENT, page 6
THE BOYS OF SPRING
Baseball returned to South Florida as UM played against alumni Saturday ni ght at Mark Light Stadium.
SPORTS, page 8
TUESDAY
JANUARY 31, 1995
nrmdrre>IIB>HMr2. NUMBER 29
UM DISCOUNT CARDS STILL AVAILABLE
The Gold Card is still available to UM students. No, not the American Express Gold Card, but the UM Discount Gold Card.
Student Government, co-sponsor of the card, had 8,000 cards at the beginning of Term I. Now, there are only 200 remaining, said SG President Adam August.
The card lists those businesses who have special student discounts available, if a student has a Cane Card. Some of the businesses offering discounts include Burger King, AMC Bakery Centre, Jiffy Lube and many more.
Students interested in a card can get one at the SG office in UC 240, or, as a service of SG, you can call 284-3082 to have one mailed to you.
“The best thing about the card is that it’s free, unlike the coupon books you pay for,” said August.
The discounts expire on Aug. 31, 1995, and August said that they are going fast.
—WILLIAM WACHSBERGER
KOSHY NAMED DIRECTOR OF MINORITIES OFFICE
Aley Koshy has been named Director of Minority Student Affairs, effective February 1. Koshy has held the position of Interim Director since July, 1994.
Koshy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UM in 1989. She received her Juris Doctor from the UM School of Law in 1994.
William Butler, Vice President for Student Affairs, wrote in a memorandum that Koshy “will continue to seek ways to improve minority student retention...while keeping open the channels of communication."
—T.J. KATZ
UNIVERSITY MODERATES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
The 12th Annual Intercultural and International Communication Conference will host leaders from the media and the field of communication to discuss the hot issues they are facing in today’s society.
The conference will be held on Feb. 2 -4 at the Sheraton Biscayne Bay. Representatives from UM foreign institutions will be presenting their views on topics such as research on music and culture, mass media and the relation of intercultural communications to international cinema, to businesses and to education.
Among UM faculty involved in the conference, Leonardo Ferreira, assistant professor at the School of Communication, will be moderating the forum on research on mass media.
For more information on the conference, contact Mitchell Shapiro, director of graduate studies at the School of Communication, at 284-2265.
— MONET FOUNTLEROY
------EHEJf----------
NEWS
The new Student Wellness Center is proceeding according to schedule and should be finished by late September.
Page 2
OPINION
Study-abroad provides excellent new opportunities to learn.
Page 4
ACCENT
Tekno Comix is the newest sensation in the world of comic books, thanks to Leonard Nimoy and Gene Roddenberry
Page 6
AN ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS HALL OF FAME NEWSPAPER
Cafeterias to close for renovations
By GAURI GAONKAR
Hurricane Staff Writer
Recent renovations in UM’s food service program have created some irksome problems for students and administrators, including closings of major cafeterias.
The Hurricane Cafeteria, normally a popular lunch spot which accepted the meal plan, has already closed its doors. Additionally, the nearby Ibis will eventually close on February 15th.
Although the Ibis is still open for lunch, the meal plan is not accepted during the Ibis’s busiest hour, from noon to 1:00.
Among many students, this has led to anger and frustration.
“I would always go to the [cafeteria] near my classes. Now I have to walk much farther to one of the residential dining halls because the Ibis doesn’t even accept the meal plan during the normal lunch hours,” said freshman Mamata Engineer.
Steve Ellison, food service supervisor of the Hurricane Cafeteria, said that although the Hurricane has closed, there has not been a great upsurge in attendance at the residential
“I'm not so sure the changes are for the better. At least at the Hurricane, you could get a nutritious, balanced meal, but now, basically, we can choose among a wide variety of junk food. “
BINITA MANDAL freshman
dining halls.
“We have not increased our staff members or made any remarkable changes,” said Ellison. "Apparently, there are a fewer number of meal plans this term anyway, so the number of students balance out.”
Ellison said the new renovations, which have been in planning for several years, would greatly enhance the
University’s dining services.
The plans for the Hurricane include four stations run by Daka: The World’s Fair, a hot entree line; the Market Square: Leo’s Street, a deli; and a coffee company. Taco Bell, Fuddruckers and Panda Express are also expected to be a part of the renovations.
However, many students are not completely in favor of the upcoming changes.
"I’m not so sure the changes are for the better,” said freshman Binita Mandal. “At least at the Hurricane, you could get a nutritious, balanced meal, but now basically we can choose among a wide variety of junk food."
However, other students said they were more optimistic.
"Personally, I’m looking forward to the changes. I think the new food court set-up will provide a significant amount of variety," said sophomore Roger Bhan. “Formerly, the biggest problem with campus food was that the selection became stale too quickly.”
The construction of the new food court is still in it’s rudimentary stages, but according to Ellison, completion is anticipated in August 1995.
New online services available at library
By LOUIS FLORES
Assistant News Editor
Howard Stem fans and news buffs can now share opinions and gather information at the Otto G. Richter Library through a little-known source on the Internet.
By selecting option four on any of the IBIS terminals, the Richter’s gopher server links to the Internet, a global computer network of shared databases and information.
Lyn MacCorkle, associate professor, said students should use the gopher link to find files containing information on many subjects, including Radio talk show host Howard Stern, who is frequently mentioned in E-mail comments in discussion groups available for students to read.
“I want them to use it to learn about the library, to find out what is available on	the
Internet,"
MacCorkle said. “And I hope that if a student is confused by the richness of	the
resources available that they will ask for help from a librarian."
Junior Doug Mece said he knew of the accessibility to the Internet through the gopher server, but never played with it.
“I saw it in some lit-erature when f transferred here, but I have not messed with it,” Mece said.
Students can also access online college news-papers, such as those from Cornell and Columbia universities.
The CNN Newswire, weather forecasts by metropolitan regions, and job postings are also accessible to students via
the Richter gopher server link. The CNN Newswire, which provides real-time updates on news events such as the ongoing O.J. Simpson trail, the recent earthquake in Japan, and President Clinton’s State of the Union address are available.
Sophomore Kristin Volcko said she had never heard of the service before, but plans to use it for school work now that she knows how to access it.
“I’ll probably be on it all the time,” Volcko said.
MacCorkle said she wants students to volunteer feedback on their experience with the gopher server link.
“If they could find more sites that they want added to the system, just tell us,” MacCorkle said.
STERN E-MAIL
Anyone wishing to access Howard Stern-related E-mail files can do so by following these steps.
■	If your terminal displays the message "IDLE," hit return twice.
■	Select option *4"
■	Select option "12"
■	Select option "4"
■	Select option " 16"
■	Type "radio"
■	Select option ”22’
FERNANDO BATTAGLIA I Hurricane Stall
Honors program provides ways to excel
By ARMANDO BONICHE
Hurricane Staff Writer
For 38 years, the UM Honors Program has given students the option of gaining more from their education.
Comprised of students from the schools of Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Music and Nursing, the Honors Program grants students the opportunity to graduate from UM with “general honors” in their respective areas of study.
Students currently classified as honors students must meet a set of requirements in order to graduate with general honors.
These requirements include taking a minimum of six honors credits per academic year, sustaining a grade point average of 3.0, and having a total of 24 credits, 12 at the 200 level or higher and 12 outside one’s major, in honors credits by graduation.
Although most honors students have been involved with the program since their first
year at the University, transfer students and students not currently involved with the program are welcomed to join according to Perri Lee Roberts, director of the Honors Program.
"At the end of the year, outstanding students are invited to join [the Honors Program] over the summer,” Roberts said.
Over the years, the Honors program has grown considerably from 200 students in 1981 to almost 2,000 last year. But despite this notable increase, the number of graduating students with honors has remained constant.
“Although the Honors Program has gotten a little bit bigger, the number of students graduating hasn't gotten any bigger," said Roberts.
Roberts cites several factors involved in the significant attrition rate of Honors students.
“The Honors Program has been used to recruit, gathering students who later can’t meet the distribution [of requirements],”
said Roberts.
“Also another area of improvement is to get students to see the Honors Program as a mental program, not a series of requirements,” said Roberts.
Several aspects of the Honors Program are currently under examination.
Students successfully completing the Honors Program are honored in the annual Honors Day convocation held in May and have general honors noted on both their transcripts and diplomas.
These students have, through the years, excelled in their chosen professions as doctors, lawyers, teachers, researchers and public servants.
“Our graduates have done very well,” said Roberts.
A recent University publication, provided by Eileen Campbell of the Honors Program, noted the success of many graduates of the Honors Program.
See HONORS, page 2
RSMAS to study reef damage
By ARMANDO BONICHE
Hurricane Staff Writer
Last November, following more than two years of rapid recovery after Hurricane Andrew, coral reefs off Biscayne National Park were once again ravaged by the forces of Tropical Storm Gordon. Today, much of the reef lies damaged and buried in rubble.
The damaged reefs currently being studied by scientists at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science are comprised primarily of elkhom coral located at the southern border of Biscayne National Park.
According to Diego Lirman, a marine biology doctoral student at the RSMAS studying the damaged reefs, many living fragments of coral were buried under rubble.
“A lot of growing fragments were buried under rubble, but the weather has prevented any further survey of the damage ”
Elkhorn coral, which grows rapidly upward in extensive branches resembling the antlers of an elk, lie in relatively shallow waters. According to Lirman, the shallow reefs received considerable damage
“Usually, policy in a National Park is to let things take their natural course. ”
DIEGO URMAN doctoral student RSMAS
Steve Blair with the Restoration and Enhancement Section of Dade County, contrasted the major damage to shallow water reefs with the damage suffered by deeper reefs surveyed.
“Unlike the shallow water reefs, the damage was not as severe to reefs at depths of 15 to 65 feet.”
Presently, no steps have been taken to remedy the damage caused by Gordon. Unlike the steps taken to restore a damaged reef after a ship grounding for instance, the reefs off Biscayne National Park will be allowed to recover by themselves.
“Usually, policy in a National Park is to let things take their natural course...the damage was not as significant allowing nature to take its course," stated Lirman.
Lirman noted that if nothing major happens, no significant recovery will be notable until four or five years down the line. He also added that recovery, the development of new colonies lost during the storms, can produce a very different reef.
“Every time something major happens, it [the coral reef] changes and grows back into something different.”
“Regrowth can even result in a better reef than before,” added Lirman.
Blair maintained that the recovery of the elkhorn coral, especially after two ocean storms, can go either way.
“A similar species [of elkhom coral] in Jamaica came back after fragmentation from a storm, but after a subsequent storm it couldn’t come back.”
Blair also mentioned that poor weather associated with the current winter season may imperil the regrowth of the coral fragments remaining after Gordon.
On the positive side, the damaged reefs do provide Lirman and his colleagues with the opportunity to study reef recovery first hand, particularly after two significant ocean storms.
“Studying the recovery can tell me how reefs cope with disturbances...reefs have seen storms for thousands of years and have a way of staying around,” he said.
from the waves associated	with
Gordon.
“Usually shallow reefs are further damaged by waves breaking in shallow water,” said Lirman.
Biologist
I