Miami Hurricane, February 08, 1994

              Changes planned for general honors program
By LUCIA BOBRIN
Hurricane Staff Writer
The Honors Program is planning to modify the General Honors Program. The changes are part of the unofficially named "Honors Program 2000.”
“We have been running our honors pro-
i;ram the same way for a long time,” said ohn Masterson, Vice Provost and former director of the Honors Program. “We are looking at ways we can take [the Honors Program] to the next level.”
Masterson said he asked the program’s current director, Andrea Heuson, to look into the matter of modernizing the program. The University Graduating Honors Committee suggested three main modifications.
First, freshman honors students will be required to go through a common educational experience course similar to the current freshman seminars.
Masterson said this change is part of a
current trend in higher education.
“There has been a greater focus on the freshman year experience throughout the country and at the University of Miami,” said Masterson.
Beginning next fall, the Honors Program will begin encouraging freshman to take the new honors freshman seminar. The honors common educational experience will fulfill a basic requirement and overlap with the present freshman seminars at least initially.
The second suggested change would have seniors in the Honors Program take a capstone course in their major, enroll in a high-level interdisciplinary class or write an honors’ thesis.
Heuson said this suggestion was made partly in response to the findings of a survey of students in the honors program conducted by a School of Communications class last semester.
"(Honors Students] said they didn’t feel
unique or respected,” said Heuson. "The senior common educational experience will change this.”
Heuson predicts the Honors Program will start encouraging the senior option a vear from now.
Heuson hopes that both the freshman and senior courses will eventually become requirements for the General Honors Program. Current students will not be subject to the requirements because honors students are governed by the Honors Bulletin and requirements that they entered the school under.
These two changes are in process of being reviewed by faculty and are not definite.
The ideas must go through Dr. Master-son’s office, the Faculty Senate and other academic offices before they can be incorporated into the program, said Heuson.
The third change affects the Honors Student Association (HSA' Now primarily
a social club, HSA would begin to include service into its agenda under the plan. Heuson said this change is still vague.
Faculty response to the changes has been positive.
"The honors thesis sounds particularly good...The senior course would be something concrete to end the honors program experience with,” said Catherine Judd, an assistant English professor currently teaching an honors course. "I would even like to see the freshman common experience seminar expanded to all students. It is a good place to have a rigorous introduction to writing.”
Assistant Professor Kevin Payne said he likes the idea of an interdisciplinary course in students’ senior year.
“Too often students don’t put together what they learn in their different classes. There is a lot of support for that [the interdisciplinary course] independent of the
Honors Program,” said Payne who currently teaches an honors section of second semester calculus.
Students also find the recommended changes to be a step in the right direction.
“[The senior requirement! would be an asset to a person in the program. It adds something more to saying that you’re an honors student," said Neta Kalichman, a sophomore honors student.
Junior honors student Carmen Fanego agrees. “It (the senior requirement] sounds like a good idea. An honor thesis is very impressive."
Other students are wary of the extra work load that would accompany the course.
“If my senior year was stressful, 1 wouldn’t take it [the seniors honors course]. Maybe it would be better as an elective," said sophomore Annabelle Hernandez.
Organization to build monument
By KIMBERLY WEISSMAN
Hurricane Staff Writer
Since 1989, Omtcron Delta Kappa, the first national honor society at UM, has been trying to build a monument.
Now, the group is just waiting for the Board of Trustees’s final approval of the momument, said Ernie Varela, president of ODK.
“At the time, members were concerned that the first honor society at the University of Miami had nothing to show for its existence on campus,” said Varela, who was monument chairperson in 1991-92.
ODK plans to complete construction of the monument by summer, Varela said.
With $17,000 worth of fundraising, tentative approval on site and design and a groundbreaking with the charter president, school officials and ODK members in May 1992, the initial site chosen for the monument was the Merrick Building Breezeway.
Plans came quickly to a halt because of the destruction and devastation of Hurricane Andrew in August, 1992.
Because of the damages to the UM campus, the University of Miami hired a landscape architect and commissioned a master plan for the rebuilding of the hard-hit campus, including new greenery, fountains and monuments.
The first drawing of new plans was completed last December. No organizational markers are included in the area ODK had previously planned to build their monument.
Becoming one of the various reconstruction projects that will take place over the summer, the monument’s new site has been approved at the end of the Memorial Building Breezeway.
“Being an academic society, the new location is ideal since it is centered in the core of the campus,” Varela said.
The ODK monument, to be positioned at the end of the walkway to the middle of Memorial, will include seating, landscaping and identifying markers of ODK.
Waiting for the approval by the Board of Trustees, Varela said that finalization will take place in the next couple of months.
“The building process actually shouldn’t take too long, and we look forward to seeing it completed in the near future,” he said.
CHRIS BERNACCHI/Photo Editor
■ HERE COMES THE BRIDE: UM Pitching Coach Lazaro “Lazer” Collazo married Michelle Card during the seventh inning of the UM vs. Tennessee baseball game Saturday at Mark Light Stadium.
Wedding tops list of stunts
By DARIN KLAHR
Contributing Editor
Mark Light Stadium has been home to many innovative and even weird events over the years. There was an 11-course dinner served on the field in 1977, the Miami Maniac was married in a “wedding” on ESPN in 1984 and Friday, a helicopter delivered University of Miami Head Baseball Coach Jim Morris and former UM coach Ron Fraser to the field, before Fraser threw out the first pitch.
Saturday night topped it all, though.
In what could have been the longest 7th-inning stretch, UM
Assistant Coach Lazaro “Lazer” Collazo, 29, exchanged wedding vows with Michelle Card on the pitcher’s mound in front of 2,345 witnesses.
Collazo coached the team to their 3-1 victory over the University of Tennessee until the wedding, when he came out of the dugout dressed in a tuxedo.
After Tennessee shortstop Allan Parker flied out to center field to end his team’s half of the inning, ushers rolled out a red carpet from the visiting dugout to home plate. Miami players then formed a wedding aisle, holding their bats high above, from home plate to the pitcher’s mound.
Morris was the first to walk down the aisle, joined by the bride’s mother. Among those who followed were former Hurricanes Rob Murphy, now a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Gino DeMare, a minor leaguer with the Boston Red Sox. Pastor Steve Debardelaben presided over the the 16-minute ceremony, after which bride and groom were whisked away in a waiting limousine by the visiting dugout.
"I stole him,” bride Michelle said. “I told my bridesmaids I needed him alone for at least three minutes. We went around the block and then he coached the last two innings.”
Dallas Cowboys player to discuss discrimination
By NELSON KLAHR
Hurricane Staff Writer
As a Jewish player in the National Football League, Alan Veingrad was always in the minority.
It was uncommon for a young Jewish boy to aspire to play in the National League Football, but Veingrad did.
Veingrad, an offensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboys, retired after his team won Super Bowl XXVII on Jan. 29, 1993 in Pasa-dena, Calif.
Veingrad, however, said that during the seven years he played football, instances of discrimination and prejudice against his Jewish religion did occur.
Veingrad will speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Rathskeller about his experiences as one of the few Jewish players in the league and in the world of sports. He said he sees prejudice not just in sports and not just against Jews, but in other sectors of society and against other minorities.
Veingrad will address "negativism” and
will share specific personal experiences he faced as a Jewish football player. He will be discussing problems faced not only by Jews, but by all minorities in the professional world.
"Making fun of someone's culture is just a sign of ignorance,” Veingrad said.
The event is sponsored by the University of Miami's Hillel organization.
Veingrad played with the Green Bay Packers for five years and played with the Dallas Cowboys for two years, earning a Super Bowl ring in 1992.
Veingrad said there are only a "handful” of other Jewish football players in the NFL, such as offensive tackle Harris Barton of the San Francisco 49ers and tight end Jay Nove-selski of the Minnesota Vikings.
The best solution to prejudice is education, said Veingrad.
“People are ignorant in general; they speak before they think,” he said.
Veingrad has spoken on several occasions to > oung children and adults about this is^ue.
■ COWBOYS: Retired Dallas football player Alan Veingrad will speak to students at 8 p. m. Tuesday night at the Rat.
Public hearings to discuss fate of Radio, TV Marti
By JASON ZDANOW1CZ
Managing Editor
Despite a recent survey showing overwhelming interest in TV and Radio Marti among Cubans, the fate of the broadcasts remain uncertain. The future of the stations is the subject of two days of public hearings conducted at UM Monday and Tuesday.
U.S. Information Agency Director Joseph Duffey recently appointed a three-member advisory panel that will recommend whether to shut down TV Marti and whether Radio Marti is cost-effective and objective. Duffey appointed the panel following a Congressional mandate that the Cuban services be reviewed. The panel is scheduled to report its findings next month.
“In cost-benefit terms, is it proper for American taxpayers to continue paying for these broadcasts,” asked Peter Straus, chairman of the Congressional committee. Much of the conversation at Monday’s session was concerning the technological feasibility of transmitting to Cuba. The avail-
ability of satellite disks, televisions and radios was a question. Though some speakers said it has been possible to get some items into Cuba via tourists and visitors, it is difficult to get some of the larger items in.
A survey conducted by Florida International University found that 96 percent of 100 interviewed Cuban refugees said that they had tuned into Radio Marti when they were still living in Cuba. Furthermore, 88 percent of the refugees said that they thought the information Radio Marti broadcasted was credible.
One of the challenges facing Radio Marti, however is whether or not the station’s broadcasts violate Voice of America charter regulations requiring that its services be “accurate, objective and comprehensive”
Hearings were conducted Monday at the Lowe Art museum. The hearings are scheduled to continue Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the third floor conference room of the North-South Center, located at 1500 Monza Ave.
International students find home at UM
By CRISTINA I.PRAVIA
Contributing Editor
When choosing a university to attend, Margarette Mahotie didn’t want to go far away from her native Haiti. She had heard about the University of Miami’s reputation for being a global university and decided to come here. The diversity she found on campus has made her feel right at home.
“There is a sense of being home and being understood," said Mahotie, a senior who is majoring in psychology and French. "You have a lot of international programs, like
United Nations day, and clubs and we almost meet everyday. You learn of different cultures and you have friends from all over.”
Mahotie is one of about 1,555 international students enrolled at UM last fall. Although Mahotie is from a Caribbean country, many students come as far away as Japan or Australia.
Last fall, more than 108 countries were represented at the University with China having the greatest number of students
See page 3/ INTERNATIONAL
This Issue
■ UNDER FIRE: Men’s Basketball Coach Leonard Hamilton: Should he stay or should he go?
See Sport», page 10.
■	BLACK AWARENESS MONTH: Students prepare 1or a fashion show.
See Accent, page 8.
■	Should the United States cancel the embargo against Cuba?
See Opinion, page 6.