8:00 a.m. Wake up to the sound of an alarm buzzing. Snooze for about a half-hour because class isn’t till 9:25. Stumble out of bed, check the closet and realize, “Who cares what I look like this early,” and stay in flannel PJs and sweater and simply whatever footwear requires the least effort to put on. Goofy slippers? Sneakers? Reefs? Reefs will work-it’s Miami, after all. Get backpack and CDs and drive to school, using the time to wake myself out of a sleepy slumber and get ready for class.

9:00 a.m. Pull into school parking lot. Silently congratulate myself for scheduling classes this early. Contemplate parking in the Ponce Garage, and use the few minutes the shuttle takes to get you to class to get a few minutes of extra shuteye. Go to class still feeling very much like a zombie.

10:40 a.m. Class is over, and I’ve still got an hour and a half to kill before my next class. Make some use of that time, instead of sleeping at a nearby dorm. Study in the library, catch up on reading or have lunch in the food court with friends or go back to the library and take a power nap.

Noon. Go to my car before class, and pick up some books that I didn’t feel like carrying around all day. As I walk to my spot, I shake my head that I’m not leaving to the cars that are stalking me, hoping to take my parking spot.

1:30 p.m. Class is over, but I’ve got two hours till my next one. Just enough time to hang out at the ACS-the Association for Commuter Students -go to a club meeting, or leave campus and go to the mall.

3:30 p.m. Go to class-same as usual, except with fewer sleepy people. When a project requires your group to meet outside of class, everyone picks your place over the dorms.

4:45 p.m. The day is over but the options are endless. Visit friends in their dorms, work out at the Wellness Center, or go home, lie down in a nice couch and remember my dorm days without a regret in the world. Later, much later, go to sleep. But don’t forget to set the alarm clock.

Natalia Maldonado can be contacted at

n.maldonado@umiami.edu.

A day in the life of a typical commuter student usually begins with an alarm clock going off an hour and a half before class. Then the real mission begins: dealing with traffic.

Some may question why one would want to make a commute to UM if the residential colleges offer everything any student could want. Answers to this question vary. Some people simply like the exercise. Students travel to school by car, bus, MetroRail or bike. Others believe that no one enters the real world until they start living on their own. This is the core reason many students give for choosing to live off campus, as it gives them the freedom to make their own decisions, allowing them to make their mistakes on the way and to learn from them.

For commuter students, the University Center (UC) is the place to congregate. Equipped with tables, chairs, couches and television sets, the UC provides commuters with a comfortable, homey atmosphere to socialize between or after classes. The UC is home to the offices that offer services to commuter students, such as Commuter Student Affairs (CSA), room 236, and the Association of Commuter Students (ACS), room 207.

Among the services provided by CSA is the Great Start program, an overnight, pre-orientation program designed to help incoming commuter freshmen become better prepared for college life. Incoming commuter students spend two days and a night on campus in the residence halls.

One of the special perks offered to commuter students are Commuter Luncheons, also hosted by CSA, where students have the opportunity to meet representatives from various UM departments and share thoughts and discuss issues that affect commuter students. President Donna E. Shalala and Vice President for Student Affairs Pat Whitely have both been among the luncheon representatives.

The Association of Commuter Students (ACS) has made its mission to help commuters sense that the University community is more of a home away from home. For a nominal membership fee, members have access to amenities such as a refrigerator, microwave and television as well as the ability to meet a variety of commuter students who have to deal with comparable traffic situations.

For more information on CSA, call 305-284-5646 or visit www.miami.edu/commuter-affairs.

For more information on ACS, email ACS@listserv.miami.edu, or visit www.miami.edu/studorgs/acs.

Last May, as Mahoney Residential College bid farewell to an associate master, Hecht Residential College greeted the same man as its new resident master. His name is Vince Cardinal.

As the Chairman of the Department of Theatre Arts, Cardinal is no stranger to UM. For the past four years, he has not only interacted with college students, but has lived among them as well.

Each of the five residential colleges at UM is home to one resident master and two associate masters. Based on the housing systems of Cambridge and Oxford Universities in England, these scholars live within the residential colleges and open their doors to residing students. The resident master meets with the entire residential staff on a weekly basis in order to plan various activities and programs for students residing at the complex.

Cardinal said he enjoys being such an integral part of campus life.

“Hecht has over 20 years of history,” Cardinal said. “I hope to build upon that past in order to continue to meet current students’ needs and give them the best college experience possible.”

As chairman of the Department of Theatre Arts, Cardinal runs the academic department for theater students. He is also the producer at the Ring Theatre and generates five to six productions annually.

Cardinal’s play The Colorado Catechism has been produced internationally along with the screenplay Paollo Pasta and served as a writing consultant for The State on MTV. He was an assistant to the head writer of the soap opera One Life to Live and received a regional Emmy nomination for his musical comedy First Day of School.

Tom Recktenwald, junior, has had the opportunity to interact with Cardinal as both a theater student and a Mahoney resident.

“Mr. Cardinal is well versed, experienced, honest and to the point,” Recktenwald said. “His main goal is to take care of his students and ensure that we enjoy what we’re doing.”

Cardinal said he is excited about his new role.

“It’s a great way to be part of the University community,” Cardinal said. ” I love to see students grow and develop, and this is one more opportunity to do so.”

In addition to Cardinal, two new associate masters, Jennifer Vellenga and Evelina Galang, will join the Hecht staff. Mario Barnes will be a new associate master at Pearson Residential College.

Neha Patel can be contacted at

n.patel9@umiami.edu.

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) at UM is the place where students come to enhance their academic success.

The ARC offers programs to enhance textbook reading skills, develop organizational management tools and provide insight into establishing effective relationships with professors and instructors, as well how to begin to prepare for life beyond college by taking control and being responsible for today.

All UM students can take advantage of peer tutoring to develop deeper understanding through additional, special or corrective instruction in almost any subject for two hours per week. The ARC is piloting an online tutoring support program that will be available to registered students in the evening when the Center is closed.

The UM Experience (UMX) course has been developed to blend academics with leadership, learning, networking and community-building skills to enrich a student’s collegiate years. In small class settings, the UMX faculty serves as mentors providing individualized attention to new students. UMX provides students with a working knowledge of the University’s academic requirements, advising system, various degree programs, and policies and procedures of the institution.

For students with documented disabilities, the ARC provides services through Accessibility Resources. Academic accommodations are assigned on a case-by-case determination and are subject to documentation review.

The ARC welcomes all students to visit the Center and take advantage of these free services. Its sole purpose is to assist students while they work to achieve their academic goals.

For more information visit www.umarc.miami.edu or call 305-284-4790 or 304-284-2800.

Working while attending classes is a common choice for UM students. Part-time positions help students pay for books, food and entertainment, among other expenses.

Student employment positions provide students with great experiences that complement their classroom learning. Any student can log onto the EASY system and find a listing of available jobs.

Three employment program options exist at UM for undergraduate students: Federal Work Study Program, Student Assistant Program and Miami Commitment.

Federal Work Study (FWS), including Community Service Work Study, is a federally funded financial aid program awarded to students based on their eligibility determined by the on time completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and other financial aid criteria.

Funding for this program is limited. Students are awarded a specific amount and may not earn beyond the approved amount as indicated in their Financial Aid Award letter. Jobs may be with on-campus departments or with off-campus community service agencies.

Students are allowed only one FWS assignment at a time; work schedules are flexible to accommodate students’ class schedules. Typically, a student works 10 to 15 hours per week. Pay rates depend on the responsibility of the position.

Students without federal funding are considered Student Assistants and can find jobs in many of the same departments as Federal Work Study students. However, the University must give preference to students in need of financial assistance in their hiring practices. Student Assistants make anywhere from $6.15 to $8 or even higher when they can offer advanced computer skills or have exceptional administrative experience.

Miami Commitment is a selective student employment skill development program at UM. Students admitted as incoming freshmen receive an invitation to apply to the program before the start of the Fall semester.

For more information about Student Employment, visit www.miami.edu/student-employment.

The center of life on campus for the past 40 years has been the Whitten University Center. The UC, as it is more popularly known, houses a myriad of University staples, from student organization offices to the Convenience Store.

Yet, according to Daniel L. Westbrook, director of the UC, the University community has asked for new services and spaces during the last decade “that can’t be met simply by redecorating.”

Enter the Student Activity Center, a plan that would renovate the current UC and build a brand-new, three-story student activity center on what is now the site of the Rathskeller.

The new building would include a two-story Rathskeller and more than 10,000 square feet of undergraduate, graduate and law student organization offices; a media center for the newspaper and yearbook offices; and a new studio for WVUM, the University’s student-run radio station. It would also have more meeting rooms and retail space, and a “huge” multipurpose room on the third floor.

The second phase of the project would renovate the current UC, adding a 400-seat theater and more office space. It would change the Flamingo Ballroom to a dance practice area with wooden floors and mirrored walls. New swimming pool locker rooms would be constructed, and the sundeck would be expanded.

The two buildings would be joined by a patio plaza, which would be terraced to the water. A new outdoor stage would be built closer to the lakeshore, creating an amphitheater-like effect.

So far, students seem receptive to the plan.

“The project seems like an awesome idea,” said Patricia Coronado, junior, “even though I am not going to have the opportunity to enjoy it.”

The amenities for the new center were decided upon after a series of student surveys and focus groups were held in 2003.

No specific construction dates have been set, as the building design has to be finalized and approved by the University and the city of Coral Gables. Once approved, the University will entertain a bidding process to find a builder. Construction is estimated to take 18 to 24 months once it begins.

Westbrook said the goal is for freshmen to see a completed facility upon graduating.

Until designs are finalized, the exact construction costs are undetermined. However, Westbrook said that the project will be funded jointly by UM and the student body, with half of the funds to be raised as part of President Donna E. Shalala’s Momentum campaign. The other half will be raised by students, if they approve a referendum expected to be on the ballot at some point during the upcoming school year.

Patricia Mazzei can be contacted at

pmazzei@miami.edu.

Student involvement is significantly different on a college campus than in high school and perhaps more enriching because of the array of different options. At UM, there are more than 200 registered organizations. They include everything from a highly developed and functioning Student Government and programming boards to organizations for almost every ethnic group represented among the campus population.

The road to getting started can sometimes be confusing, and because of the wide number of options it may be a challenge to pinpoint the organizations that best fit each student. In order to alleviate this difficulty, the Smith-Tucker Involvement Center, affectionately referred to as the STIC, was created as a compass by which students can find their bearings and navigate their time at UM.

“The office is useful because of all the information that we have available for students,” Cynthia Chapel, assistant director of the STIC, said. “What is cool is that we have the Student Organization Handbook and the CANEctions Involvement Guide, everyone in the office is always on hand to help and provide guidance to students.”

The STIC is a valuable resource to those individuals who take advantage of it-it’s the center for all of the different groups on campus to gain input and exchange ideas.

“I would encourage students to drop by and find out what there is to be involved with on campus,” Chapel said. “College is an adjustment and getting involved outside the classroom can often make that transition an easier one.”

If by chance one still does not pique interest, students are given the opportunity to create an involvement group through the STIC. A few guidelines must be met in order to initiate a new organization, like being a student for a designated amount of time, having at least 25 interested students, an advisor who is staff at UM and a written constitution.

The University community holds that being involved as a student will not only make for a better experience, but will create opportunities to learn outside the classroom and the STIC is one of the ways that that belief is put into action at UM.

Stacey Arnold can be contacted at

s.arnold@umiami.edu.