Miami Hurricane, February 27, 1996

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Not anymore. Here are some low-cost alter rfafives to that expensive trip
ACCENT, Page 6
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Cançs fall shorf in. Pittsburgh:
Women's swimming and diving comes within within 1 second of winning it's first Big East title.
SPORTS, Page 4
The Miami Hurricane"“
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1996
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI • CORAL GABLES, FLA.	FEB 2 8 199b VOLUME 73, NUMBER 31
NEWS
BRIEFS
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
Applications for the School of Communication scholarships for the 1996-97 academic year are now available.
More than $17,000 will be awarded to students majoring in a variety of communication areas. Good academic standing is required for all scholarships.
Financial need must also be demonstrated for some.
Applications may be picked up from Luis Herrera in Merrick Room I22B. The deadline for returning applications is February 29.
For more information, call the School of Communication at 284-2265.
PSYCHOLOGY PEER ADVISORS NEEDED.
Psychology majors who are interested in becoming peer advisors are invited to attend an Information and Training Meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on March 5 in Merrick 208. Peer advising is a paid position requiring approximately 80 hours of work each semester, beginning fall 1996.
To be eligible, students must have completed at least twelve hours in Psychology and have an overall GPA of 2.85 or better. Before the meeting, students should become familiar with the UM Undergraduate Bulletin, especially sections on policy.
If you are interested but unable to attend the meeting, please call the advising office at 284-3303 or Dr. Victoria Noriega at 284-1756.
SPRING 19% STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
Student Government elections will be held until tomorrow. Students can vote in the UC Breezeway. the Residential College Computer Labs, the first and third floors of Ungar Building, Registration Services (WI21A), Merrick 104, Merrick 107, College of Engineering, and from personal computer by modem. Business students can use the Business School Computer Lab. Voting takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Students are allowed to vote only for offices that represent their current school or upcoming class.
All students can vote for Student Government President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Class is determined by the number of credits.
For more information, contact the Student Government Office at 284-3082.
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YESTERDAY'S
HEADLINES
South Beach's popularity surged in 1986 when the city of Miami Beach started a huge publicity campaign to drag spring breakers just a little bit further south. This occured after Fort Lauderdale Beach passed a city ordinance banning the long-standing tradition of open • containers on the beach and beach-front r-rn sidewalks and ry,
*	roads. Tyi
May'sl üthBirthday
Students celebrate 15 years of friendship
By MARK PEIKIN
Staff Writer
Perfect weather, committed participants and positive attitudes contributed to the succ-sj. of the 15th anniversary of UM's FunDay that took place Saturday
To capture the theme Happy Birthday FunDay: Celebrating 15 Years of Friendships," 300 mentally handicapped vouth and adults were paired up with UM student buddies. Together they participated in festivities held at the University Center from mam until 5:30 p.m.
The mentally handicapped youth who came to UM from both Dade County Public Schools and group homes from the surrounding area were the event’s special citizens.
Special citizens and thmr buddies were divided into groups after opening ceremonies. Throughout the day, the groups alternately participated in events entitled “Rock,” “Field,” ‘Music,” “Arts and Crafts” and “Storvtime” events.
The Rock event featur-d live performances by the I egacy dance group, the UM Band of the Hour, the Sunsations and the United Black Students hip-hop dance group, Kaos.
Kaos dancers Kareen Street and Kenya Sowell said they were
impressed with the diversity at FunDay
“It’s good getting all these people together in a positive atmosphere," Sowell said.
Field activities included a Moonwalk and volleyball games. Participants enjoyed free sno-cones and popcorn.
Students from the music therapy department donated their time to teach the “Macarena" dance and to demonstrate various musical instruments.
In conjunction with one of the day’s themes, “Hat’s Off to FunDay," participants made birthday hats Other arts and crafts projects included decorating birthdav cards and constructing maracas
During Storytime, special citizens and their buddies watched a Winnie
See FUNDAY
• Page 2
(left) Freshman Michelle Dinatale hangs out on the patio with her buddy, (top) Will Sions flies over Scott Soens during a Skate Club demo at Funday.
Photos by EMILY KEHE/
Photo Editor
Goodwill mission shot down by Cuban MiGs
Carnaval Miami, Calle Ocho will not be held
Taxable tuition affects students
College Press Service
Students who received tuition money from their employers in 1995 might be in for a shock this April: It’s taxable.
Unlike other years, when a special provision in the Internal Revenue Service code allowed for up to $5,250 in tuition assistance to be tax-exempt, all help from employers is now considered income
Unfortunately for students, many companies ignored or missed an IRS warning that the provision was expiring in 1994, said Anthony Burke, IRS spokesman.
"Employers should have drawn the conclusion,'Oh yea, I should be withholding,”’ he said.
Some employers figured the provision would be restored — a reasonable assumption in good times but a bad guess in a year when Congress and the president haven’t agreed on a budget.
It’s possible that the provision could be restored in the future. But for now, if employers failed to withhold federal and state taxes from tuition money, students hear the brunt of the bill, Burke said.
The IRS isn’t certain how many students would be affected, or how many companies neglected to withhold. Their recommendation is simple: Check it out with your employer.
“Students should go buck to their employers and find out if the employer withheld on this,” Burke said.
If the employer didn’t, students need to find out exactly how much the company spent on tuition assistance
HIV cases spread
Fewer men behave responsibly
By SUZY BUCKLEY
News Editor
Despite numerous education efforts, a new study has found that HIV is spreading among homosexual young males.
Preliminary results from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s first Young Men’s Survey showed that seven percent of young homosexual and bisexual men are infected with HIV, the AIDS-causing virus.
"While HIV prevalence has stabilized among older men who have sex with men — particularly among white men — several recent studies have indicated that HIV prevalence is high among younger men who have sex with men," the ( DC study found.
Sherri Johnson, co-president of the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community at UM, said, “Especially in South Florida where South Beach is the ‘in’ thing, everyone is out concerned with having a good time and not being touched by the disease.”
Interviews and studies of 1,781 men between the ages of 15 and 22 comprised the study. Males who frequented bars and night clubs in six urban cities like Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were tested.
According to CDC spokesperson Terry Gammond, the center hopes to use the results to find out why a generation
See HIV • Page 2

By LOUIS FLORES
Staff Writer
Juan Carlos Del Valle knows his friend didn't die in vain.
Del Valle’s friend, Mario de la Peña, 24, was one of four men shot down by jet-powered Cuban MiGs Saturday morning while flying in two single-engine Cessna airplanes near the coast of Cuba.
“I am in complete shock of the whole incident. I think it is a complete tragedy. He was 24 years of age. It is a complete disgrace," Del Valle said. “When I heard the news, I was immediately appalled."
The planes, which were shot down off the coast of Cuba, were flying routine search and rescue missions on behalf of the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.
Jeff Hall, a petty officer and spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard office in the District 7 headquarters on Bricked Avenue confirmed that four Miami men, Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Armando Alejandre, Jr. and de la Peña, were reported to have been aboard the two downed planes.
They are missing and presumed dead.
A third plane flown by the founder of Brothers to the Rescue, Jose Basulto, returned safely to Miami.
It was learned on Sunday that Basulto's plane briefly entered Cuban air space.
As of Sunday evening, the Coast Guard had not found any debris nor any survivors.
“We have three ships searching right now,” he said Sunday. "Right now, all our aircraft has stopped searching.”
A search on Monday was evaluated late Sunday night.
"We will decide Monday morning if we are going to search or abandon." Hall said.
Brothers to the Rescue is an active Cuban-exile group in Miami which had at least twice violated Cuban air space in order to drop leaflets to incite public resentment of Fidel Castro.
Official U.S. reaction has been critical of the Cuban government’s actions.
President Clinton delivered a speech Saturday night in reaction to the downing of the planes.
“I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms,” Clinton said.
“This violation of international law will not go unanswered,” said Secretary of State Warren Christopher in a Sunday news conference from the White House.
There is no excuse for the downing of two civilian U.S. aircraft, said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).
“The Cuban regime knew who they were,” said Ros-Lehtinen. ‘This was not a stealth mission."
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting Sunday night to discuss the situation.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Madeline Albright, said she believes the military action taken by the Cuban government was not justified.
"It is basically an illegal act,” she said.
Another announcement was made Sunday. The Kiwanis Club of Little Havana released its plan to cancel Miami's annual Calle Ocho festival held each March. The Kiwanis Club sponsors Carnaval Miami, a series week-long festivities which ends with the famous Calle Ocho block party.
Petty officer Hall said that there has been word from the / State Department that the planes were downed over international waters. He said that is where the Coast Guard’s search has been focused.
Hall added that the only signs of a possible site where the planes may have landed on water were two oil slicks whirl were spotted in international waters. He said the slicks created by the fuel on board that floats on the water at impact.
“The slicks were a mile apart, and they were approximately 18 miles north of Havana,” Hall said.
“A country does claim under international law 12 nautical miles of ocean off their coast,” Hall said.
Del Valle said he didn’t understand why the planes were assaulted if they were Cessnas which carried no weapons, especially if the single-engine planes Hew over international waters.
“The Cuban government took it upon their selves to break international law," Del Valle said.
For U.S. citizens navigating the waters off the Cuban shore or piloting air craft near Cuban air space. Hall offered them
advice.
“A broadcast to mariners is sent that asks them to respect the 12 nautical mile limit to Cuban territorial sea," he said.
“It is put out over marine band radio. They are short wave radio stations. They broadcast information to mariners, and they tune in to it. It’s done periodically.”