The Involvement Fair and Spring Ting was held on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the UC Patio. This year COSO teamed up with Hurricane Productions to present the event to students. The involvement fair was a way to gather information about UM’s 200 plus student organizations and many different UM departments. It also helped students learn how to get involved. The Spring Ting was a fun way to get away from class and included entertainment such as games, food, and giveaways.
Compiled by the Hurricane News Staff

The Leadership Institute at UM hopes to provide students with the opportunistic tools that will mold effective leaders and help in the networking process for current students and student leaders.
“This is a 40-hour certification program where students can choose among different workshops and weekend leadership training sessions,” said Cynthia Chapel, graduate asst. for Student Activities and Leadership Programs.
The Institute will offer informative non-credit workshops and seminars on a variety of topics as part of a program that allows students who participate the chance to graduate with a leadership plaque and certificate.
The workshop topics include cross-cultural awareness, rewards and recognition, empowering others, and creating a sense of ownership and retreat planning. Some of the objectives of the workshops include learning how to network with people, effective communication skills, different leadership models, and ways to motivate and recognize others.
“These workshops are not like regular classes,” senior Valerie Figueredo said. “You get a chance to interact with other students, there are no assignments and no tests”.
Figueredo, who is the co-chair of COSO and the president of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, completed the required 40 hours of training and ethics courses last year.
“A lot of people that go to these workshops are already involved in student activities and organizations and want to become better leaders,” she said. “But even if you are not involved in any organization the workshops will definitely help you prepare to work through team situations after you graduate and start working.”
Figueredo said that the workshops were very effective and by being active in many activities she really got to apply what she learned.
“With over 80 members in the fraternity, there’s bound to be conflict,” she said. “From the workshops I learned how to handle situations without making people angry, how to listen, how to remove emotion and focus on objectivity, when to compromise, and when and where to seek help if necessary.”
Chapel said that this is an opportunity for students to develop the skills necessary to effectively lead others. She explained that students must complete certificate requirements within two years of initial enrollment. After the completion of each level, students will receive a certificate. The certificate levels include Bronze, Silver and Gold.
“This is definitely worth it,” Figueredo said. “It is completely fun- you don’t dread going to the workshops”.
The next Spring 2003 leadership workshop will be held in UC 233 on Feb. 26 at 12:30 p.m.

Andrea Alegria can be contacted at nealegria@aol.com.

SpectrUM [formerly GLBC], is looking forward to an informative and all-encompassing semester loaded with lectures, informative meetings, and fun activities and programs, all aimed at uniting and educating the UM community.
“We’ve seen an increase of enthusiasm, interest and activity,” said Allison Gillespie, advisor and director of special projects for SpectrUM. “We’ve become a more visible group on campus.”
Chris Vazquez, president of SpectrUM, says that the GLBC changed its name in response to an opinion column that was published in the Hurricane last semester.
“We changed our name following an opinion column saying that our name wasn’t inclusive enough of the queer community,” Vazquez said.
Last Thursday SpectrUM, in conjunction with the Counseling Center, the Wellness Center, and BACCHUS hosted an informative lecture session entitled “Sex, Drugs and Clubs”.
Jennifer Brack, assistant dean of students and assistant director for the Center For Alcohol and Other Drug Education, spoke with students about such drugs as ecstasy, ketamine (Special K), GHB, rohypnal (roofies) and OxyContin.
“This is a really important issue,” said Steve Priepke, treasurer of BACCHUS.
“So many people have difficulty finding the line between having a good time and being smart.”
Gina Yacone, vice president for BACCHUS, told of a personal experience in which she saw spaceships ready to take off and giant monsters trying to attack her, after she drank from a drink that had been drugged.
“I couldn’t believe it, I spend my time talking to middle school, high school and college students about being smart and not getting stuff in your drinks- I was like ‘How could this happen to me?’,” Yacone said. “Well, guess what- it happened to me.”
According to a survey conducted last year, 6.2 percent of UM students definitely know of someone being given a date rape drug; 9.1 percent of UM students think they know of an incident but aren’t sure.
“I’ve had people in my office more frequently then I’d like,” Brack said. “We have even found a bar where the bartenders were putting drugs in the drinks.”
Brack gave some important advice for students as well.
“If you suddenly fell tired or really drunk and you don’t know why, like if you’ve only had one or two drinks, tell someone immediately,” Brack said.
Students were provided with Drink Safe Coasters that can test for drugs.
“If someone you know is over-dosing on a drug, do not second guess yourself by worrying about getting yourself or someone else in trouble,” Brack said. “Do what you would want them to do for you.”
Above all, Brack encouraged safety.
“Be educated, and be smart before making a choice,” she said.
Also at the lecture, Janet Tiberian, assistant director of wellness and recreation, presented students with “Sex in the CD”, a virtual video game dealing with sex and STDs.
Students participated in a trivia contest in which two teams, the Lubricators and Friction, tried to answer questions such as: “According to the World Health Organization, how many sex acts are performed each day worldwide?
The answer: 114 million.
“The game was so cool, I want the CD,” sophomore Cate Dundon, member of SpectrUM, said.
Overall, SpectrUM members and officers hope that the lecture session will be the first event in a series of activities planned by the organization.
“People should come to our meetings,” said Laura Pfau, director of SpectrUM Social
Committee. “We do a lot of fun and informative stuff.”
SpectrUM is planning a formal dance later in the semester.
For information on the meeting schedule of SpectrUM, contact the Counseling Center at 8-5511.
For information regarding safe partying, visit www.drinksafecoaster.com, www.partysafe.org and www.dancesafe.com.
If you suspect that you or someone you know has been drugged, or if you have a confidential question, call 1-800-DRUG-HELP, a 24-hour emergency information line.

Leigha Taber can be contacted at l.taber@umiami.edu.

Students who currently live on campus and want to live on campus for the next academic year (2003- 2004) must do the following:
1. Pay a $250 non-refundable housing deposit at the cashier’s window on the first floor of the Ashe Building by Friday, February 21.
2. Complete financial registration for the current spring semester by Friday, February 21.
Only eligible, on-campus students who do both of the above by Friday, February 21 will be able to sign up during the housing sign-up period following spring break.

UM students say they are confused about the recent letter of notification and mass e-mail that was sent out to residents requiring that a $250 housing deposit be paid to the Department of Residence Halls by Feb. 21, instead of the usual deadline in April.
According to Jon Baldessari, assistant director of Residence Halls for Marketing, the early deadline is meant to facilitate the housing registration process for both students and housing officials.
“In past years, we’ve taken the deposit at the same time that rooms are assigned, but that really slowed down the process,” said Baldessari, who noted that dealing with checks and other details has often created long lines and unnecessary waiting in past years.
Initially, many students believed that the new deadline was part of a plan to make on-campus housing available to a rush of incoming freshman in Fall 2003.
“Between 55 and 60 percent of students return to on-campus housing each year, and we want to focus on those people, the people that really do want to live on campus,” Baldessari said.
According to Robert Redick, director of residence halls, UM’s supply of student housing did not meet demand last August, resulting in floor lounges in Hecht and Stanford to be converted to student rooms. Also, housing for intensive English, law, and grad students was eliminated and their spaces re-assigned to undergraduates. Some students were housed in the Holiday Inn and even some RAs had temporary roommates the first several weeks of school.
“To better address the problem this year, a change has been made in continuing student housing sign-up this spring,” Redick said. “This change has been made to determine a month earlier the actual number of continuing students wanting to return. This earlier date will give us the opportunity to implement better options while students are still here, if too many continuing students want to return.”
In the past, if demand was too great, the Department of Residence Halls didn’t know it until students were leaving for the summer, which restricted the options for handling the problem, said Redick.
However, some students and parents worry that the early due date may lead to a financial crunch to come up with the $250 non-refundable deposit. In the past, many students used their tax returns to pay for the deposit.
“I don’t think that it’s particularly inconvenient for me, but I wonder if it’s not taking advantage of people not knowing where they want to live next year,” said Janet Givens, mother of sophomore Erica Givens. “I guess that arranging housing might be enough of an ordeal that they need to get people through as early as possible, but it just doesn’t seem like a convenient window of time for everyone.”
“I had a heart attack,” freshman Christie Creamean said. “I was worried that I couldn’t come up with that much money that fast, but I talked about it with my mom- she said that living on campus was probably the best thing for me, so we would find the money somehow.”
Baldessari said that the Department of Residence Halls is aware that some students have personal and financial issues that could keep them from paying in time, and they plan to be as understanding as possible with these students.
“That’s why we started mailing out flyers as soon as students got back from winter break. We wanted to give students as much notice as possible, so that if they really wanted to live on campus, they would have the time to come up with the deposit,” Baldessari said.
According to Baldessari, students unable to pay the deposit by Feb. 21 will be placed on a waiting list and moved into university housing on a space-available basis. He also said that his department would always be willing to look at individual cases, but that wait-listed students had a slim chance of getting a housing assignment and would be encouraged to look for housing options off campus.
“We also plan to use the Holiday Inn again next year,” Baldessari said. “We’ll be placing some transfer students and exchange students over there. We tend to try to put an older population in the Holiday Inn, people that have been away from home and are better suited to the slightly different environment.”
Baldessari estimated that around 200 students would be housed in the Holiday Inn for Fall 2003.
The only other major change in housing policy for next semester is that students wishing to remain in the same room will be eligible for express signup. Students will be guaranteed an assignment to their current room immediately upon payment of their housing deposit if they so choose.
Freshman Anna Creed, a current resident of Hecht, said that she plans to stay on campus next year.
“It’s convenient,” said Creed. “You get to meet a lot of people. I wish that the deadline wasn’t so early though. We would be able to make a much better decision later in the spring about the people we want to live with then we can in February.”
The Department of Residence Halls works with Commuter Student Affairs to provide an information listing for students who are interested in off-campus housing. Information is available on EASY regarding apartments available in the area, potential roommate matches, and other such housing issues.
For additional information, contact the Department of Residence Halls at 8-4505 or by email at housing@miami.edu.

Kirsten Miller can be contacted at moongoddess_33@hotmail.com

President Donna E. Shalala has appointed Jerry Lewis as UM’s VP for communications and Christine Morris as associate VP for communications for the School of Medicine.
“I love working with faculty,” Lewis said. “University’s are great places to work. I am really looking forward to working closer with President Shalala.”
“[Lewis] brings depth and breadth of knowledge, experience, talent, and enthusiasm,” Shalala said. “He is a respected communications professional, known for his vision, organization, and collegiality.”
Lewis, a 14-year veteran of UM was promoted from his position as assistant VP for communications at the School of Medicine. His responsibilities will include media and community relations, web developments, and marketing efforts. One of his biggest tasks will be the UM’s fundraising campaign, which will try to raise money for scholarships and new buildings, among other things. In the past, Lewis has held positions at Virginia Commonwealth University, Marine Oil Corp., and at Office of the Governor and the Department of Planning and Budget in Virginia.
Lewis says he is excited to be back on the Coral Gables campus.
“It feels like home,” he said.
Shalala believes that Lewis will be an asset to the UM community.
“Jerry Lewis is a respected professional with a strong background in higher education and communications,” Shalala said. “One of his top priorities is developing and executing the communications strategy for the University of Miami’s upcoming comprehensive fundraising campaign.”
Morris, who was promoted from the position of executive director of Media Relations, will now be responsible for the communication, media relations, and marketing for the medical campus. Prior to joining UM last year, Morris was a journalist and held positions with The Miami Herald and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, KT.
Morris says the first call of duty will be to concentrate on the 50th Anniversary of the School of Medicine and the ceremony that will be held next Friday. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the web.
Lewis and Morris worked together for a year at the School of Medicine. Shalala has often referred to them as “the fearsome twosome”.
“We make a real strong team,” Morris said. “We will continue to tell the story of the University of Miami.”

Kathleen Fordyce can be contacted at K4Dice@aol.com