ChatGPT, the latest edition of a chatbot software developed by Open AI in late November 2022, has shocked many. The chatbot can complete a wide range of tasks in seconds, including writing an essay, poem or letter about a given topic, generating code, translating a passage, conducting research and answering complex questions in a markedly human way. It distinguishes itself from other chatbots with its nuance and ability to fine-tune its own responses with further information from the user. At the University of Miami, like many educational institutions, questions of a new threat of cheating or plagiarism have abounded.

The Miami Hurricane has received screenshots confirming the planning and cancellation of an event between Zeta Tau Alpha (Zeta), a sorority at the University of Miami, and UM’s former Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) chapter. The messages posted to the Zeta GroupMe chat by the sorority’s social chair, describes an off-campus birthday party for a male friend and explicitly states it is “not a closed event with any fraternity.”

As 2022 began, COVID-19 unexpectedly surged back into students’ lives. A product of the Omicron variant, the first month of the year warranted the question: will things ever return to normal? As the Orange dropped in Bayfront Park, counting off the last seconds of 2022, Miami and Florida had shed nearly all masking mandates, reopened streets and dissolved most remaining pandemic-era restrictions.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Florida Gamma chapter (SigEp), a social fraternity established in 1949 at the University of Miami, will close its chapter effective immediately, following the fraternity’s National Headquarters' review of an anonymous report of drugged drinks at a pool party. The anonymous report also describes a video of many members of the chapter chanting about murdering and raping women before hosting their “Adult Swim” party on Saturday, Oct. 1, at an off-campus house in Coral Gables.

When Hurricane Ian struck Pinar del Rio, a province in the westernmost tip of Cuba, the entire island went dark, leaving 11 million Cubans without electricity. A couple days later, videos began to emerge of Cubans demonstrating in the streets. They may be the largest protests since July 2021. At the time of writing, most of the island remains dark, save for Varadero and Havana, two cities with a heavy amount of tourism. Officials claim to be working to restore power across the island, but Cubans and Cuban-Americans are skeptical. “I think the government is taking advantage of the fact that the hurricane passed,” said Alejandra Hernandez, a sophomore biochemistry major whose grandfather, aunt and cousins live in Matanzas, Cuba.

UM issued a statement midday Tuesday announcing that all classes will move online, beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27 through the end of Wednesday, Sept. 28. “Based on the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, the University of Miami is moving all classes on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses to an online format,” UM said in a statement sent through UM’s Emergency Notification Network (ENN).

The U.S. News’ “Best National University Rankings” placed the University of Miami at #55 for the second consecutive year. Again, its ranking ties that of Florida State University (FSU). The U.S. News rankings are the most popular of their kind in the United States, helping to guide students and parents as they sort through hundreds of public and private universities and colleges. U.S. News’ “Best” series reaches over 40 million people monthly. Yet, the fall in rankings doesn’t appear to dampen the number of students applying to and attending UM. According to UM’s 2021-2022 Factbook, UM’s acceptance rate fell from 36% in 2017 to 28% in Fall 2021, while the number of students applying rose to over 42,000 from 30,634 in 2017.

The object of impassioned battles in school board meetings and debate among university faculty, Florida’s newest laws aimed at regulating classroom instruction have grown to have an increasing impact on students’ education. House Bill (HB) 7, known as the “Stop WOKE Act,” is among the most well known and controversial of these laws. According to Flordia lawmakers, the law’s provisions aim to “protect individual freedoms and prevent discrimination in the workplace and in public schools.” The bill’s language is in response to the supporters’ interpretation of Critical Race Theory (CRT), a school of thought that has drawn simultaneous praise and criticism in recent years despite existing as far back as the 1980s.

Joe “Jose” Martinez, sitting Miami-Dade County (MDC) commissioner of District 11, surrendered to police on Tuesday morning after Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle filed unlawful compensation and conspiracy charges against him. He was booked at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Doral on Tuesday morning.

For the first three weeks after Hurricane Andrew, there was no electricity in Miami-Dade County (MDC). In the northern part of the county, buildings remained mostly intact, but trees laid across roads and yards, blocking emergency vehicles, repair services and pedestrians. August 24th marks the 30th anniversary of the category five hurricane whose eye blew through the south of MDC before continuing West. The storm touched all of MDC, including the University of Miami.