Miami Hurricane, March 27, 2001

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Volume 78, Number 42
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Tuesday, March 27,2001
God from the machine
Week brings spirituality to school
By Ernesto Londofto
HSlricane Staff Writer
INo, there’s no midterm; it’s not even adass. But “Religion I01,’’being held tonight as part of the University’s Religious Diversity Week 2001, should prove to be more than a valuable learning experience for all those who attend, according to UM Chaplain Rev. Joe Lortic.
“What it is is a chance for students to say why their religion is meaningful to them,” said Lortie of the 7 p.m. question-arid answer session to be held in UC Room 245.
“Students from different religious backgrounds will share testimonies about their relationship with God and their experiences with religion,” said Ljtrtie. The event is open to the public aQfi refreshments will Ire served at the event.
^The oponmn ceremony for Religious Diversity Week, which is cosponsored by the Department of Religious Studies and the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs, was held yesterday in the UC Patio.
Dr. Patricia Whitely, a former cam
pus chaplain and current vice president for Student Affairs, spoke about the importance of religion on campus at the ceremonies along with current UM chaplains and students.
Ironically, Religious Diversity Week came about at UM three years ago as a sort of public relations crusade, when it was created as a project for one of PR professor Donn Tilson’s classes.
The project has grown and now works in conjunction with the University’s Muslim Center, the Islamic Society, the Hillel Jewish Student Center and various campus Christian groups, among others, according to Ada Orlando, staff associate at the Religious Studies Department.
“Through these events, we want to generate awareness about religious diversity and hopefully establish bonds between different religious groups,” said Orlando, who is herself a Baptist.
The Lowe Art Museum is also involved trying to strengthen those bonds this week, as it will exhibit a collection of Christian art today and shift gears tomorrow to display African-American and Native American works. Admission to all exhibits is free.
Students who wish to exhibit their own spirituality are welcome to post
prayers on the “Prayer Wall” at the Rock, just outside the Bookstore.
Those working out at the Wellness Center Thursday arc up for quite a challenge; a complete soul workout.
That’s when Cafe Unity, an event featuring poetry, drama and music with religious themes, will give students a chance to re-evaluate their spiritual health and its significance for a balanced life, according to Lortie.
Cafe Unity will be closing the week and will be held at the Wellness Center Atrium at 7 p.m. People from all religious backgrounds are invited to attend.
Orlando said she does not think there is prevalent friction among individuals of different faiths on campus at UM, but that “people do stick to their own.”
Lortie said hostility based on differences in faith is not a problem at UM compared to other places he has worked at.
“There’s a lot of dialogue between chaplains at UM,” he said. “We abide to a code of ethics to prevent problems.”
“We always encourage students to freely express their religious beliefs and experiences, as long as they don’t attack or denigrate others’,” said Lortie.
A CONFERENCE OF FAITHS:
between on-campus
Rxtoiustration by Aviv Wei
Religious Diversity Week’s organizers seek to strengthen bonds communities with a week of shared activities and dialogues.
Sandler’s accomplishments draw national attention
By Paioma Helm
Hurricane Staff Writer
Dean William Sandler is a giving man.
tor the past 38 years, as the dean of Students at UM, he has helped thousands of students during their times of need. For his career of student support, he has been justly rewarded.
On March 5, Sandler traveled to Boston to attend an American College Personnel Association (ACPA) conference. The ACPA, the leading national professional organization in his field, made him a Diamond Honoree for outstanding contributions to the field of Student Affairs.
As well as a certificate, he was given
HURRICANE FILE PHOTO
DEAN OF THE HOUR; William Sandler was honored with the American College Personnel Association’s award for contribution to the field of Student Affairs this month.
a pin, which he brought back to Miami and both are now kept in his office.
“There are lots of difficult situations that come up in a studenfs career and a student’s life. I get involved with them and that’s pretty much why I got the award, because someone said,‘You do a great job doing that,’” Sandler explained.
Sandler has spent a lifetime in higher education. He attended school at Mansfield University and then Dmn State University. He worked as a residence coordinator at Penn State and, after that, served as dean of men at Pacific Lutheran University.
For the past 38 years, however, he has been dean of Students at University of Miami.
“He has been highly effective in developing fair and impartial student-centered programs in order to enhance learning opportunities for all students,” an ACPA biography said of Sandler. “He has developed and administered programs for discipline, leadership, academic integrity, volunteer services, alcohol and other drug education.”
“My favorite part is helping students who are in need,”he said.“Every day, there is someone who needs something and if I can help the par ents or the student,or a fellow admin istrator, that’s where I come in. I’ve always been a helper my whole life,” Sandler said.
Sandler’s dedication to his job has become well-known among cowork ers over the years, including former assistant dean of Students Allison Gillespie.
“Dean Sandler is the epitome of what makes a great dean of Students. An investigator, disciplinarian, inter mediary, but most of all, a counselor, listener and advocate,’ said Gillespie. “I have never met or worked with anyone with a higher level of ethics and integri ty, making the right decisions in a sometimes unpopular time.
“One of the greatest things I will take with me from the University of Miami is that I got the privilege to work with the Dean and that I can now call him my friend.”
Students come to Sandler for a variety of problems. It is his job to sit down with these students and help them though their difficulties.
“I look at it as a person who gets in trouble is a person who needs help,” he explained of his outlook.
College students are not the only people who come to Dean Sandler for help, though.
“I even get high school students referred to me. Someone says, “Oh, I knew you when I was in school 30 years ago and you were such a big help and I know this youngster needs help,’” Sandler said.
Sandler has also directed his efforts at the greek system. He has helped the sororities and fraternities grow over the years.
Dr. Patricia Whitely, vice president of Student Affairs, explained that the greek system isn’t the only thing that Sandler has helped create.
“Dean Sandler is the consummate professional; always there for students,
See DEAN • Page 3
Sierra Leone serves as starting point for Human Rights Week
By Jacqueline Browne
Hurricane Staff Writer
Have you ever thought about what it would be like if your rights were suddenly taken away? That’s the question Amnesty International is asking students during this week’s Volunteer Action Week.
“The purpose of this week is to bring awareness about human rights violations issues to students and faculty in the UM community through a series of events. To educate them about these events and allow them to take action through the signing of petitions,” said senior journalism and sociology major Anna Colmenares.
Colmenares, along with fourth-year architecture major Jackie Genard, are the week’s main coordinators.
Events started yesterday evening, with a talk about rape in prisons in the Mahoney Pearson classroom I0l by speaker Cassandra Collins.
The issue is a personal one for Collins, whom, after having been convicted of writing bad checks, said she was raped while in prison. Her lecture served as an introduction for this week’s events and the idea that though the U.S. is a great country, it is not always perfect.
Americans need to try to change things here first before looking at other countries, said Collins.
The original cause behind this week’s events was human rights violations in Sierra Leone and Mongolia, which were the focus of today’s Volunteer Action Week activities.
In these countries, rebels control the diamond resources and are using the profits from the selling of dia-
f
monds to fund their terrorists actions, say critics. The rebels have allegedly killed, maimed and raped numerous citizens of their very own country.
Betty Charles, a third-year international studies and French literature major, is Amnesty’s secretary.
“If we don’t buy the diamonds then we can help end the problem. No money, then no arms, then no conflict,” Charles said of the situation in Sierra Leone.
Doctor Edmund Abaka, a professor in the University of Miami’s History Department, is lecturing on the subject of “blood for diamonds” in Sierra Leone and Mongolia today at 12:30 pm. in the UC International Lounge to explain what is going on in the two countries.
Also today, in the I l ounge, petitions are going to be signed that will go to the governments of Sierra Leone, Mongolia and the United States to try and prevent the sale of diamonds from the two countries.
Tomorrow at 8:30 p.m., at the Cosford Cinema, Amnesty is hosting a showing of Dead Man Walking. The movie is free and open to the public and will be introduced by a guest speaker, to be announced, who will talk about the death penalty in the United States.
“We want people to make educated decisions,” Charles said. “States and countries that don’t have the death penalty tend to have a lower crime rate.”
See VOLUNTEER • Page 3