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Since its opening, Miami Chicken Company has drawn mixed reviews from students. Charley Pollard, a sophomore majoring in music performance, said he has found a new favorite meal on campus: the Mac and Cheese Waffle Cone. “The texture is very good, and the chicken is very well fried and super tasty,” said Pollard. “The sweetness of the waffle cone and the savory flavor of the mac and cheese really makes a difference, especially with the spiciness of the buffalo sauce.”

“It’s about bringing back traditions that we’ve had for years at the university and bringing a new touch to what homecoming looks like this year,” said Grace Tenke, chair of the Homecoming Executive Committee.

During the all-day celebration, employees at "The Rat" offered tired students a break from class with an activity dubbed “Stuff a Plush.” Attendees stuffed fluffed animals, such as turtles, sloths and more, taking some students back to their adolescent adventures to Build-A-Bear.

“It was exciting to kind of get back to normal; the campus was more lively; but rules on masks and things of that nature are inconsistent,” said UM Football wide receiver Jarius Howard, a junior majoring in broadcast journalism.

The watch party began at 3 p.m. As students checked in, they were greeted by volunteers from both organizations and offered free pins, stickers and stick-on phone wallets. Additionally, Whip ‘n Dip provided special, UM-themed ice cream to attendees.

Sandra Perez-Alvarez, a secretary for three years in the theatre arts department, said that the opening weeks of classes left her concerned about the number of students not wearing masks as required. “The students are still not respecting the mask mandates, which is overall disappointing,” said Perez-Alvarez, a UM employee for nearly 11 years. The university recently updated its masking policies to require mask-wearing in outdoor settings while in groups of four or more.

The announcement comes on a day when Florida set a daily record for positive test results, reporting 27,584 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Friday. The previous high of 26,203 confirmed cases was set on Wednesday.

“I have a seven year old at home, so I hope that while I’m doing my part to keep the students safe, they’re doing their part as well to not allow me to transmit something back to my household,” said UM chemistry professor Valentine St. Hilaire.

“Last year I thought that it would have been the most challenging time, but if anything I think we’ll have more challenges this fall than what we could have anticipated,” said Student Government President Landon Coles.

Despite rising COVID-19 infection rates in South Florida, the University of Miami will open its doors for in-person classes on Aug. 23 after announcing updated safety protocols to prevent the spread of the Delta variant.

UM is returning to fully-in-person learning for the fall semester, forcing many students to leave family members in dangerous conditions abroad as they return to campus.

Langesfeld, 26, lived in apartment 804 of the 13-story complex with her husband of six months, Luis Sadovnic. Family members have not been able to reach them since June 24, when at 1:30 a.m. the beach-front condo-complex inexplicably crashed to the ground.