Students Toward A New Democracy (S.T.A.N.D.) is claiming that the University of Miami is censoring its freedom of expression.

As final exams and paper deadlines loom, the last thing on students’ minds is enjoying a ride on a pirate ship or relishing in a delicious funnel cake. But this Friday between 8 and 10 p.m. on the Green and the Rock, stressed students can take a day off at the annual Canes Carnival, hosted by Canes Night Live (CNL).

Sophomore Bridgette Well’s upcoming role as NYC Woman in QuantUM’s production of “I Love You Because” involves her enacting a Jewish landlady, a lesbian and a cocktail waitress, but deep down she’s just another small town girl. Or is she? Well hails from Oconomowoc, Wis., a city 40 minutes from Milwaukee with a population of 12,382, less than the total amount of enrolled students on the UM Coral Gables campus. While her hometown may be about the same size as UM, it’s a world away from the life on campus.

Starting Monday, SpectrUM will be hosting their annual Pride Awareness Week advocating the organization’s mission to “celebrate diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity” across campus. The week’s events will include marriages on the Rock, a panel discussion about the intersection among religion and beliefs, sexuality and ethics and, for the first time, a campus-wide day of silence.

Concern about on-campus dining is an age-old issue at the University of Miami. At the end of last semester, a new auxiliary services executive director, Sandra Redway, was appointed. Together with the recently inaugurated Student Government executive board, the Department of Dining Services is ready to face the challenge of satisfying its clientele.

Around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, students, faculty and staff received notice from UMPD that a suspicious package was found at the University Village Scodella Parking Garage.

Minus Glee’s Dalton Academy dreamboat Blaine (Darren Criss) and loveable Kurt (Chris Colfer), the Tufts University’s Beelzebubs awaited a crowd that began lining up more than an hour before it began. And the Beelzebubs, the university’s oldest all-male a cappella group, were equally, if not more, excited to perform on the unique Rathskeller stage.

Amid the Middle Eastern décor and the smell of herbs at Fort Lauderdale’s The Culture Room, I sleepily stood on the second-floor HiBar ready to discover a semi-underground indie rock band on a school night. But Ra Ra Riot’s first concert in South Florida definitely kept me wide awake.

On March 10, the popular Hasidic Jewish musician Matisyahu will perform at the BankUnited Center’s Fieldhouse on campus. Sponsored by Hurricane Productions, Matisyahu will host an acoustic session followed by a discussion and a question-and-answer period.

Though the Cinematic Arts Commission offers movies at convenient hours and the ability to catch a big-screen flick in your pajamas, many of UM’s 16,000 students seem to be oblivious of the Cosford’s options. On Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, CAC shows recent releases and advanced screenings for some movies before they hit commercial theaters.