Miami Hurricane, October 08, 1996

              Volume 74, Number 11
University of Miami
Tuesday October 8, 1996
Alumnus killed in Aero Peru crash
Xavier Cuellar, 30, graduated in August
Photo Illustration by GABRIELA BLAETTLER/Staff Photographer CRIME ON CAMPUS: Incidents like car theft are an increasingly common occurence for students at the University of Miami.
I n T hix I smi i1
Meet Miami’s Real World cast on page 6.
By KELLY RLMNE
News Editor
Xavier Cuellar, an intemationul student from Mexico, was killed in the Aero Peru plane crash in the waters off Lima, Peru on October 2.
A memorial mass was held last night at the Episcopal/Anglican Church Center, on what would have been Cuellar's thirty-first birthday.
Mitzi Wilkinson, assistant director of the graduate business program, said Cuellar was well-liked by his teachers and friends.
"You never saw him without a smile on his face and he was a lot of fun," Wilkinson said. “I knew him well.”
Oiomar Tiffer met Cuellar two years ago when she started the MIBS program. They became close friends. She also remembers Cuellar as a
happy person.
"He was a very smart guy, very caring and very into giving advice and caring about people." Tiffer said.
Cuellar graduated in August from the Masters in Business Studies (MIBS) program in the School of Business. As a graduate of the MIBS program, Cuellar received a master’s degree in business administration and a master of science degree with a concentration in international business. Cuellar was also working for Black and Decker as an intern since January, and was on a business trip for the company when he died.
Wilkinson said Cuellar had just finished a plan for a distribution system for Black and Decker.
"He had just designed a new warehousing and distribution system,” said Wilkinson. “I believe
they were going to implement that companywide."
As a student at the School of Business. Cuellar was involved in MIBSA, the student association affiliated with the MIBS program. Wilkinson said the students in the MIBS program were all friends.
"They are all just like family and it's just a huge loss to those people," said Wilkinson.
Cuellar's friends learned of his death from one of their other classmates, a graduate now living in Santiago, Chile.
"His group of friends knew that he was travel-
See CUELLAR • Page 2
Photo courtesy of liad Harfouche
ALWAYS A SMILE: Ziad Harfouche (right) remembered his friend Xavier Cuellar (left) as someone who was always happy.
Political debates start with the economy. See page 8.
Is students' property safe on campus?
By SARAH GUARNACCIA
Staff Writer
Since the beginning of the 1996 fall semester, the University of Miami campus has seen its share of theft, criminal mischief and harassing phone calls. However, even with recent break-ins to the on-campus Apartment Area, some students do not feel that they are in any danger.
"That’s Miami,” said sophomore Ivan Vento, who has not been a victim of campus crime.
Most students feel the crime that exists in the city of Miami reflects the crime that happens on-campus.
"My mom thought I would get robbed," said senior Ken Wilbur. "But generally, I think that the campus is safe. Crime is really a broad word, but in terms of theft, it is really not that bad.”
Students at UM who have been victims of crime still feel the campus is a safe place to be.
Freshman Kalpana Puppala's refrigerator was stolen from outside of her room where her brother had left it for her. Puppala said she regrets the event look place, but she said anyone could have been a victim, on this
campus or anywhere else.
"It could happen anywhere. I don't think it had to do with one specific location," Puppala said.
Raena Latina, a UM alumna, parked her car overnight at a meter outside the Lowe Art
museum on Stanford Drive. The ncxr morning, Latina found the right rear view mirror of the car had been ripped off.
"You don’t go out to your car expecting it to be vandalized," Latina said. "It was just one of those things."
Latina said there was nothing campus security could have done.
"For someone to catch it. they would have to be right there,” she said.
The experience taught her to be more careful, Latina said.
"I will think twice about parking in areas where there aren't too many cars," she said.
Latina said regardless of what happened to her, she feels safe.
"When I went to UM, I felt safe on the campus and I feel safe now," Latina said.
See CRIME • Page 2