Miami Hurricane, March 08, 2002

              Inexpensive Spring Break alternatives
ACCENT page 7
Reporters and anchors act as celebrities
OPINION page 9
The Miami Hurricane
Coral Gables, Florida
Volume 79, Number 39
WWW.THEHURRICANEONLINE.COM
Since 1927
Friday, March 8,2002
DAVID EPPOLITO/ lurr* ;ine St iff
PASS THE FLAME: Students light candles Wednesday night at Lake Osceola to honor lost ones at the candlelight vigil organized by Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol.
Vigil sparks light
By Seema Gohil
Hurricane Staff Writer
“Every seven minutes someone dies because of an alcohol or drug relat ed incident,” was the message at the candlelight vigil organized by Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol |GAMMA| Wednesday night at Lake Osceola.
It was a sad and sobering ceremony. The vigil is an annual event brought trrompus by (ennifer Brack, Assistant Dean of Students.
“It provides a nice time to stop and reflect on the people we’ve lost and how that loss will affect our future choices. It shows us what a tragedy death really is," Brack said.
All the Greek chapters at UM were represented and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Pat Whitely was also present.
The ceremony began with everyone dedicating a candle to someone they
See VIGIL • Page 2
DAVID EPPOLITO/ Hurricane Staff
JUST SAY NO: Guest speakers at the vigil empower students to make safe decisions about drinking.
‘A Change in U’ takes election
Johnston, Levine, and Dar sweep with platform ideas
By Danielle Scott
News Edit«
Hard work has paid off for student govern ment spring elections ticket “A Change in You...’Cause it’s time.” After six days of relen,-less campaigning three for elections and three for the elections run offs- Mike |ohnston, lustin Levine and Mahala Dar have come out victorious, winning the titles of SG President, Vice President and Treasurer, respectively.
All three candidates were involved in run-offs after last week’s Monday Wednesday election. They had each gotten the most votes in the first election, but by less than 51 percent of the votes - which by SG Elections Commission rules - is not enough.
lohnston, a junior majoring in industrial engineering, beat competitor |D Barbosa by over 100 votes- 516 386.
Levine, a junior in marketing and law, defeated Gina Yacone 491 407, and Dar had 500 votes to Martinique Busino’s 377.
The team’s platform included: increased lighting on pathways on campus; regulating the amount of edition changes in textbooks; creating a new senate seat tor the Volunteer Service Center; changing the regulations for on-campus social events; and expanding IBISride shuttle service to Thursday, Eriday
and Saturday nights.
“Our platform ideas are concrete ideas that can actually happen,” lohnston told the Hurricane. “We don’t want to heat around the bush, we want to get things done. We don’t want to waste time talking; we're going to have our ideas become a reality."
lohnston has had over three years experience in student government as freshman senator, Chief of Staff, and Speaker of the Senate. He is also the student representative on the Board of Trustees.
He has been instrumental in implementing a pilot recycling program in Hecht Residential College, the IBISride shuttle service to Coconut Grove, and the renovations	to
Hecht/Stanford Residential Dining Hall, which will begin in May.
Levine was not previously involved in student government, but he is a member of l ambda Chi Alpha and has served on the Greek judicial board.
“The same students are always running for office and there should be more diversity when it comes to those who represent the student body,” Levine said. “I’m not here for a resume, I’m not here tor any financial aid, I’m here to make a change."
Dar, a sophomore majoring in criminology, was SG sophomore senator, prior to her new position as treasurer.
lohnston and Levine were at the Rock all day Monday through Wednesday this week, handing out flyers and encouraging UM students to vote. The only other campaigners around were for Barbosa.
“We don't want to beat around the bush, we want to get things done."
- Mike Johnston, SG President Elect
Womens History Month kicks off
UM organizations sponsor activities to create awareness
By Seema Gohil
Hurricane Staff Writer
“Behind every successful man there is a woman; behind every successful woman there is a man,”- Anonymous.
March I commemorated the beginning of Women’s History Month |WHM|. Il was first declared by (Congress in the late 80s and has been celebrated ever since.
The Women’s Resource (enter |WRC| at UM, in conjunction with other organizations - COISO, Sexual Assault Response Team [S.A.R.TJ, Women’s Commission, Islamic Society, Yellow Rose Society, Center tor Alcohol and Other Drug Education, Counseling (inter, Wellness Center, the Theatre Department and Multicultural Student Affairs have planned a host of activities tor the entire month.
“ We want to create awareness about women’s issues on a campus and national level,"said Tricia Shatley,director of WRC.
“We arc trying to bring women together ore campus to provide a forum to discuss issues affecting women, such as eating disorders and violence against women,” Shatley said.
One of the highlights of the past week was the Pink Party on the UC Patio, where the WRC and its event co-sponsors- ISIS, COISO and The Islamic Society- handed out pink carnations and provided free food and entertainment.
Il he(ped create greater awareness of WHM, organizers said.
“One of the main obstacles we have laced thus far is getting women to work with the WRC. They are unaware of our projects and an uninformed of the benefits we offer," Shatley said.
“We need women, and even men, to come in and get involved to create projects that will ultimately benefit themselves," she said.
An upcoming event during WHM includes a presentation on March 7, given by Dr Pamela Demian, assistant director of UM Counseling Center. The lecture is titled “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History"
"Women’s Health Issues” presentation is scheduled tor March 20 at the Wellness (Center.
"We want to get students thinking about how they can take can; of themselves,” said Carolyn Eberhardt,a counselor lor S.A.R.T.
S.A.R.T., along with the (enter for Alcohol and Other Drug Education, will sponsor a “Kristen’s Story" presentation on March 20 in the UC Flamingo Ballroom, about a young woman’s acquaintance rape and subsequent suicide as told by her mother, Andrea Cooper.
“It’s going to be powerful! It s one thing to hear the facts and another to have a real story,” Kbenhardt said.“I expect that Kirsten’s story will give human meaning to the information."
On March 21 the Women’s Commission will hold an awards breakfast with a keynote address by Arva Moore Parks on “ The Pathway to Greatness.”
“We want to highlight the lives of historical women and the impact women have on society,” Shatley said.
"Women play a very important role in society and they deserve a lot of respect. Women’s History Month is a way of showing them this respect,” said Wendy Cintron, j sophomore in the school of arts and sciences.
Another highlight of the month is a presenta tion on March 29 by Amy Richards,co-author of “Mamfesta: Young Women, Feminism and The Euture,”a book about third wave feminism.
“The Motherline" presentation on March 31 is sponsored by UM theatre department
RUSSELL WOTTUSIAK / Photo Editor
YUM: Students take part in events during Women's History Monthi “Its all about getting women together, to talk about issues that affect thcm-economk.,acadcm ic, social, and to highlight fheir achievements,” Shatley said.
In addition to these, the WRC has numemus other events planned tor the rest of the month.
Students can pick up a calendar of events from the WRC office in UC 236 “There’s something tor everyone! This is the month few women to come together,"Shatley said.
Tight spaces damage cars in campus parking lots
Bystander apathy compounds problem
By Rebeca Oliveira
Hurricane Staff
After a tiring day, walking from class to one’s car, the straw that breaks the camel’s hack: the car is dented and scratched, and there is no culprit in sight.
Notorious for the small, cramped spaces, University of Miami parking lots are also known for their propensity for damage.
“The parking spaces are so small. It’s ridiculous,” said Travis Atria, sophomore.
“That’s why 1 don’t drive to campus," said Endre Enyedy.a junior.
junior Chris Paniewski once had his car dented. Paniewski waited until the culprit showed up and confronted him— hut all turned out well, he said, since the guy paid for repairs.
“My car was damaged, but the person was nice enough to leave me a note,” said Atria. “I was lucky the guy left it. I made him pay, though.”
However, many students are not that courteous and simply leave the scene.
“A lot of people just get in their cars and drive away after doing the damage,” said Dennis Campbell, security monitor of cam pus police “The big problem is that people don’t report the incidents.”
Bystander apathy also plays a role in the problem— although many students witness minor accidents, tew will take the time to report them.
“I see people hitting other cars all the
See PARKING • Page 3
UM students prepare for Alternative Spring Break 2002
Volunteer student organization offers chance to assist communities nationwide
By Angélique Thomas
Hurricane Staff Writer
What are your plans tor spring break? ( fiances are, you’ll be spending your time doing nothing at home or hitting the beach and the night scene if you opt to remain in Miami.
Not for some University of Miami students.
These students are taking the initiative to jazz up their spring break by participating in Alternative Spring Break | ASB|,a volunteer stu dent organization that assists communities nationwide.
“The students are basically immersed into the local communities where they are working with specific issues," said Yasmin Bootwala, chair of Alternative Spring Break.
“T he issues range from camps tor children wi4> cranio-facial disorders; welfare rights
issues in the third poorest district in the nation; to working with fine arts in the schools. This year we have about 70 participants,” Bootwala said.
Alternative Spring Break began at the University of Miami about twelve years ago when Hurricane Andrew hit.
Volunteers joined together to help the people who were affected by rebuilding a destroyed community.
Since then, ASB has become a large, well-devekiped program that plans to send students to eleven sites nationwide, including Orlando where they will tackle a long held concern ahoy'
urban poverty by helping iheelderly; Arizona, to help victims of domestic violence; and Louisiana, to lend a hand in wetland restoration.
Alternative Spring Break draws students from all majors, as well as professors who are interested in the issues and who hope to have more contact with the students.
Students began preparing for Alternative Spring Break 2002 by filling out an application in the' tall, tolkiwed by an interview. The first meeting was held last December.
Alternative Spring Break holds several fundraisers to raise money for the trips. “We did a wonderfully successful ASB raffle this year,"
Bootwala said.
“We will have our semesterlv buffet tundrais er on April 2nd on the UC patio under the canopy at lunch time. We appreciate all support that we can get,” she added.
Students eager to participate in the next ASB might not have to wait until spring break 2003 to get involved.
“We hope to offer a fall break site next year for the tong weekend to give more people an alter native break experience even if they cannot go over spring break. Winter trips are also on the horizon of possibilities," Bootwala said.
Making use of the time students have off from classes is important, not only for having a memorable experience but for promoting per sonal growth this is what Alternative Spring ^roak has to offer to their participants