Distraction Magazine Fall 2024 Issue

THE TEAM

Editor In Chief_Sal Puma

Exectuive Editor_Lizzie Kristal

Managing Editor_Caleigh Russo

Art Director _Marita Gavioti

Assistant Art Director_Charlotte DeAngelis

Photography Director_Valeria Barbaglio

Assistant Photo Director_Ethan Dosa

Executive Digital Editor_Amanda Mohamad

Co Social Media Manager_Remi Turner

Co Social Media Manager_Morgan Black

Event Head_Devin !ompson

Fashion Director_Chloe Hatcher

WTF Section Editor_Julia Hecht

Special Section Editor _Veronika Valia

H&W Section. Editor_Jay Moyer

Fashion Section Editor _Victoria Fondeur

Treasurer_Ford Kern

Faculty Adviser_Randy Stano

Supporting Faculty_Tsitsi Wakhisi

Even though we feel summer all year round here in Miami, seasonally it has le us and now we embrace fall. !is year the ghosts and ghouls aren’t the only ancient evils we have to worry about. !e election is right around the corner and it’s sending up a shiver up our spines. Since well before fall, the election has already shaped up to be one for the history books. Shots were $red and new candidates were hired, a continuous turn of events that le us all guessing what was coming next.

!ere’s only so many ways one can explain the events that have happened so far, so instead of focusing on a few very interesting weeks we wanted to dedicate this issue to our country as a whole. If American history isn’t your thing, don’t worry. We didn’t just copy and paste lessons from your highschool textbook.

!e Americana special section of this issue covers topics all about the USA. Voting for the $rst time, dive bars, and even the many conspiracy theories us Americans have come up with over the years. Our own students even shared how they serve and feel served by the country, within our ROTC and patriotism articles. We wanted to go deeper into the red, white and blue surface and get picking at the people inside.

-Hope you enjoy!

ABOUT US

!e magazine is produced four times per year, twice a semester. City Graphics and Bellack Miami printed 2,000 copies of the magazine on 8.5 x 11 inch, 60-pound coated text paper 4/4. !e entire magazine is printed four-color and perfect bound. Most text is nine-point Minion Pro with 9.8 points of leading set ragged with a combination of bold, medium and italic. All pages were designed using Adobe Creative Suite CC so ware InDesign with photographs and artwork handled in Photoshop and Illustrator. For additional information, visit distractionmagazine.com. Questions and comments can be sent to 1330 Miller Drive, Student Media Suite 202A, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, dropped into SSC Student Media Suite Suite 200 or emailed to distraction305@gmail.com. All articles, photographs and illustrations are copyrighted by the University of Miami.

WE LIKE YOU

When it comes to contributors, we’re not picky. Whether you’ve found your niche in a biology book, you’re notorious for doing “nothing” at the comm or business school or you’re halfway into your college career and still wave that “undeclared major” ag, we want to hear what you have to say. Distraction is an extracurricular/volunteer operation made for students, by students, and covers the full spectrum of student life here at !e U. If you want to get involved or have any questions or concerns email us at distraction305@gmail.

THE GUIDE

Welcome to your roadmap — from the how-to’s to the best-of’s, The Guide covers it all. Up your Fantasy Football game with strategic sports betting. Indulge in smutty romance novels with the rest of BookTok. Tread lightly if inviting a third to your private party. Whatever you’re looking for, let us guide you.

photo_lizzie kristal.

BET ON IT

Sports betting tends to come at a high cost with a possible high reward. While weighing the risk versus the reward may scare many away, plenty love to test their odds. Whether it is betting on one’s favorite team or player, placing a parlay or putting down a wager, sports betting’s thrilling nature has captured the interest and intrigue of the public.

words_lucy carlson-pietraszek. photo_ava stroshane. design_sal puma.

Stando&t transfer p,a-er, Ca. Ward, has p,a-ed a h&ge ro,e 1n the ’Canes s&22esses th1s season. In the $rst four games playing for the ’Canes, he threw for 1,439 yards. Hopefully that success caries the team throughout the rest of the season.

“People love to take sides, whether it be a debate or gambling. !ey like the competition, and they believe they will win,” said Jim Larrañaga, head coach of the University of Miami men’s basketball team.

What was illegal as little as six years ago largely a%ects the sports world today. Betting is an emotional investment as much as it is a $nancial one, likely one of the reasons its popularity is so high.

“[Sports betting] infuses heightened emotion into the experience and adds individual mental participation in the importance of the outcome,” said Brian Biagioli, graduate program director for strength and conditioning in the Department of Kinesiology Sport Science at UM.

How to Bet

“ !ere’s a few ways [to bet] — either through a bookie, which is a person who you place your bets with and pay instead of a computer. Or you can go through apps like Hard Rock, Dra Kings and FanDuels; there

are so many,” said Morris Riley, a senior at UM.

Everyone tends to bet di%erently and has strong opinions on the speci$c betting medium.

“I usually bet through bookies or people I know who run their own sportsbook. Up until a couple of years back, this was the only way,” said Johnathan Nolan, another Miami resident and avid sports bettor.

“I bet through the Hard Rock app,” said Lee Sterling, owner of Paramount Sports. Other top sports betting mobile apps include Boom Fantasy, Vividpicks, Dra Kings, Fanduel Sportsbook and Superdra

Speci$c terminology is critical to understanding the fundamentals of how sports betting works. When you go to place a bet, the plus [+] is representative of the underdog team. !e minus [-] represents the team that is favored to win. !e negative is how much you must risk in order to pro$t, and the plus is how much you risk to lose. Odds change when more people bet on a

particular team so that sportsbooks have a better chance of having a 50-50 or equal payout.

Fantasy Football

!e weekend a er Labor Day isn’t just any weekend. It’s the kicko% of football season and, thus, the inevitable beginning of the year’s most signi$cant sports betting time. Friend groups come together and compete in a “friendly” way while wagering their money and pride for an entire football season: Fantasy Football.

“[!is type of betting] tends to have individual and group e%ects - the latter through levels of comradery — so it is more fan-based,” said Biagioli. !is can be said about many teams, including our UM Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins.

Betting Timeline

How o en people bet depends on their identity, $nancial situation and willingness to risk money.

“I probably bet four times a week if UFC is rolling simultaneously with football,” said Nolan. “When football is out, it’s like once or twice a month when UFC is on. Saturday nights during the football season, I usually bet big on my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins.”

“I bet on sports most every day, and I bet on football, basketball, hockey and the UFC,” said Sterling in contrast.

Possible Risks

Sports betting is not always fun. It involves real and sometimes devastating results.

Windy Dees, professor and graduate program director in sport administration at UM, explained some of the risks of sports betting.

“Debt and gambling addiction are real, and people su%er mightily from both. Athletes gambling on their games and policing the integrity of sports is also a big problem,” said Dees. “If the integrity of sporting events cannot be protected, then the outcomes are compromised, and fans will no longer buy-in.”

Nolan talked about his personal experience with the risks of sports betting.

“I’ve won plenty and lost plenty. Too much to count for sure. De$nitely sat through two weeks of losing $6-10k and de$nitely went through weeks of winning $10k plus,” said Nolan.

“My biggest score was $13,500 and my biggest ‘L’ was probably back-to-back $3k losses on the Dolphins.”

Affecting the Sports Industry

It’s important to note that sports betting doesn’t only a%ect the people who bet. It also a%ects the actual sports industry as a whole.

“From a research perspective, sports betting is bene$cial to sport organizations because fans who wager on games are more involved or committed. !ey tend to

watch more sports in general, stay tuned in for longer, and spend more money on the product,” said Dees. “From a $nancial perspective, sports betting is a behemoth at producing revenue. !e American Gaming Association reported that Americans spent $120 billion on legal wagering in 2023 and the revenue from those wagers [once you accounted for the payouts for winnings] was $10.9 billion.”

Sticky Situations

Something you may not expect when learning about sports betting is how o en Wa&e House comes up.

Yes, Wa&e House. When talking to students, professors and even professional sports bettors, almost all of them had something to say about Wa&e House when it came to sports betting punishments.

One of the most interesting angles of sports betting, especially regarding fantasy football, is the punishments.

Sometimes people who create a fantasy football league will require the loser of the league at the end of the season to do something embarrassing or funny.

“One common one I’ve heard the most is they have to go to a Wa&e House for 24 hours and they can have an hour taken o% for each wa&e that they eat,” said Sterling.

Asking other students around campus, there were some that mentioned holding embarrassing signs, participating in a physical $ght or even renouncing your American citizenship.

Sports betting can be fun and rewarding when careful of the possible risks. It has skyrocketed in popularity amongst all sports and generations throughout the years.

“Overall, we are seeing gambling explode and U.S. sports leagues and fans are embracing it, but we are still very much in the initial stages of the process,” said Dees. “When it comes to the legalization of sports wagering, you need to invest as much in protection as you do in implementation.”

Betting 101

When it comes to sports betting, it is arguably all about the strategy. Now, strategy isn’t going to hold you over for the entirety of betting as you can not control the actions and outcomes of the actual games. However, there are many di%erent ways to bet online and the di%erent types of bets in general.

Money Line Bets: Money line bets are by far usually one of the most common types of bets because you are solely betting on one team to win rather than a bunch of details hoping that they all lining up together.

Point Spread: !is type of bet relies on the margin of victory in a game instead of whether or not they just win or lose.

Over/Under: An over/under bet is based on the total score from both teams overall and whether or not it will total over or under a given number.

Parlay Bets: !is kind is a cheaper type of bet that is based on multiple bets hoping that they all happen in order to get a larger payout — only getting paid if everything happens. !ey can be worth more because the odds are not as probable.

Futures Bets: !is involves betting on the future of some type of sporting event relating to championships or the total number of wins in a season for a team. !ese can also be in reference to speci$cs about a certain player.

The 1nfa.o&s “Waff,e Ho&se

P&n1sh.ent” involves a Fantasy Football loser sitting in a Wa&e House restaurant for 24 hours. !ey could reduce time by one hour for every wa&e eaten, resulting in a rather satiated punishment.

EHa31ng tro&4,e f1nd1ng -o&r ne5t sp12- read? Here are some apps and sites to recommend books that will have you in heat: Goodreads, Wattpad, Tailored Book Recommendations, BookBub and Radish.

Call it a comeback from the internet’s fanfiction era — “spicy” novels have many bookworms both in love and lust. Whether you’re cringing at the idea of it or glued to your seat — or both — here’s all you need to know about the genre taking BookTok by storm: smut. words_jay moyer. design&illustration_sovannreach po.

rotica is on the rise. With an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us” which hit theaters in August, more attention is falling onto her explored genre of risqué romance. !e smut fad is far from novel, but it’s now being placed under a new, harsher light that subjects it to substantial scrutiny.

What is smut? According to WordPress, the genre includes any book with one or more “sexually explicit scenes.” It stretches from light, romantic stories to heavy, graphic stories, practically indistinguishable from straight-up porn.

Smut stories are o en packed with tropes. Slow burn, enemies to lovers and forbidden love are just a few classic tropes in a smut novel. !ese tropes make smut stories predictable and easy to jump into while building some of that gripping sexual tension that a story sometimes needs.

!e smut umbrella includes a wide range of sub-genres. Smutty romance, for example, is driven by emotional relationships with some tasteful sex to spice things up. Like regular historical $ction, historical smut reimagines actual events and places from

the past. Mystery and thriller smut take on darker themes of violence and crime, giving rise to shockingly popular tropes like “ma$a smut,” another popular theme on BookTok. !rough TikTok, smut continues to carve its corner of the mainstream literary world. Avid readers and contemporary writers have been creating content and building a community, named “BookTok”, since 2020. While BookTok encompasses a plethora of genres not limited to smut , the online community fuels the $re for smut’s popularity.

“!e BookTok community encompasses multiple genres and has content appealing to a wide range of audiences,” said one avid reader, who, out of respect for their privacy, this article will refer to as Emma. “Especially in the age of digital libraries, there are more opportunities for people to engage with the genre without feeling embarrassed.”

Smut of Many Forms

Creators who are open about the kind of dirty novels they read help to normalize the genre. !ey promote books

that reveal unconventional sexual dynamics, represent queer stories, and appeal to the female gaze. On one hand, they’re breaking down the stigma around sexual content. On the other, they are breaking down the stigmatized barrier, which makes people feel embarrassed or ashamed to read smut.

“A lot of smutty novels in the past were relegated to lonely romantics,” Emma said. “But as society and the genre have evolved parallel to one another, smutty

novels have taken on a more public feature.”

“Of Fire and Stars” by Audrey Coulthurst, for example, is a fantasy romance with two female love interests. In contrast, “Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston is more of a realistic, political drama involving two male love interests. !ese books have been acclaimed on BookTok, especially by the LGBTQ+ community.

Many smut books nowadays are written by women, for women. !ey tell the stories of women who get to live out romantic and sexual fantasies; these novels have opened the door for female authors to be open and vulnerable about sexual experiences.

!e openness of today’s smut novels doesn’t come without criticism. Critics have accused authors like Colleen Hoover of glorifying domestic violence with books centered around abusive relationships. Her books “It Ends With Us,” and “Ugly Love” both feature female protagonists who endure abuse from their male love interests. And that’s just scratching the surface, not to mention other popular smut books that explore dark sexual fantasies.

!e men in these darker smut books are o en brooding and toxic, with complicated pasts. Ana Huang’s “Twisted” series is another example of this trope, with an added element of the hyper-masculine “alpha” male. It’s up to the critical reader to discern whether these relationship dynamics should be romanticized or read cautiously.

Easy Lovin’

For some, smut is meant to be an easyreading genre. !ese are the kind of books for the beach or an airport, not requiring much thought.

“Smut books are the fast food of books,” one student said who we will refer to as Bea. “!ey are easy to consume and enjoyable and entertaining to read, so they are very popular.”

While they may lack depth in certain areas, smut books don’t need to be looked at too critically, according to Bea.

“It does get a bad rap because people assume the people reading smut are dumb or aren’t reading real books,” she said. “Reading smut is great, but I don’t think that should be the only thing you read; there’s so much more out there.”

!e students in this article both like books that are more than a sum of their sex scenes. Regarding her favorites, Bea said she is a fan of Ali Hazelwood, who writes books about women in STEM. She also recommends “Verity” by Colleen Hoover. Emma’s favorites are “A Court of !orns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas and the “Fourth Wing” series by Rebecca Yarros.

“While there is an appeal to smutty books that are just in it for the smut, there are a lot of novels out there which have a really engrossing plot,” Emma said. “!e adult content is just a bonus to drive the narrative.”

Whether you’re looking for a sweet escape from the mundane or just to kill time, dive into a diversion full of passion and romance.

A few more steamy reads that are great for a first foray into the world of smut:

Reading Recs The Deal

Elle Kennedy

Twisted Games

Ana Huang

Mile High

Liz Tomforde

Breakaway

Grace Rilley

Consider Me

Becka Mack

Say You Swear

Megan Brandy

Addicted to Him

Monica Murphy

s.&tt2an 1.pro3e -o&r .enta, hea,th. In addition to providing an outlet for stress relief, spicy novels can also catalyze catharsis for readers, allowing them to experience the characters’ highs and lows and assisting them in processing their own emotions.

Three’s A Crowd?

They say that two’s company and three’s a crowd, but how true is that statement? Bringing new things into the bedroom is a great way to keep sex interesting. But what about bringing new people instead? Whether it’s a few adventurous people or an oh-so-curious couple, being invited to a threesome has become increasingly common.

Gett1ng a th1rd 1n the .15 can be a lot emotionally, but also physically. So if you want to try it out, maybe your dorm’s twin bed isn’t the best place to do it.

Many have watched “Challengers” in theaters over the summer and want to play, though is the court big enough for three? words&design_sal puma.

icture this: you’ve been talking to someone for a while and can con$dently say you’ve reached “friends with bene$ts” status. It’s late, and you’re texting each other, planning your next hangout. !en, all of a sudden, they pop the audacious question.

“How would you feel about a third?”

Having a third in the mix isn’t a revolutionary idea. Sex with more than one person has been recorded since the ancient Greeks were getting freaky in their temples. But, for a while, such a thing was considered taboo — an act of sexual deviancy, if you will.

Lately people have become more open to all things sex, and that’s partially due to representation of intimacy of all kinds across the media. For threesomes, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” movie, starring Zendaya, brought the act into the limelight.

Whether it was pairing the movie’s fastpaced soundtrack with any picture of a pop culture trio or some resurfacing fantasies about old hookups, the movie got people talking about how a trip to the Ei%el Tower might be worth it.

“I never really thought about being in a threesome, but the movie did make me interested enough to try,” remarked a current UM senior who we will refer to as Art for

“If I’m attracted to both [of the people], how bad could it be?” said Art. When asked

If “Cha,,engers” sparked -o&r se5&a,,ad3ent&ro&s s1de, you’re not alone. Feeld, an app for engaging in ethnical non-monogamy has had a 119% uptick in engagement the last two years, and they attribute that to the movie’s success.

about his $rst time Art said, “It was weird at $rst but a er a while you just stop thinking about it.”

However, how does one go about getting the invite? Do you ask separately, or do you create a group chat? Apparently, it’s not that deep.

“I was invited to my $rst threesome. Some guy I was talking to at the time just asked ‘hey would you mind if a friend of mine came over too?’ He was hot so of course I said yes,” said Art. “!ere was no big proposition about it, just an ask, and when I went over, there were three people on the bed instead of two.”

A junior in college, who we will call Tashi in this article, has been the one to extend the invitation and has similar opinions.

“Being very formal about it can make it weird. I asked a guy if this other girl I know could join us. When he said yes, I started it o% like I would text any other hookup,” said Tashi.

Now, getting the party together is only half the battle. For someone new to this matchup, what are the rules? !ere’s no handbook and no chess clock either. House rules only.

“I try not to think about it much, but when I am in a threesome, I’d keep a mental note to give both people an equal amount

of time,” said Tashi. “I wasn’t counting the seconds in my head.”

“When we started I just kinda stood there and they both started kissing me,” said Art. “I just let them take the lead on things. I had no clue what I was doing anyway. Did end up enjoying it, though, once I got used to it.”

“Knowing the other person does make things a lot easier. My $rst threesome I hooked up with both of the people before, so it made things way less awkward,” said Tashi.

While seemingly receiving glowing reviews, not everyone has had such an easy experience when adding a third.

Another UM senior, who we will call Patrick in this article, has con icting feelings about it.

“!ere is always one out of the two I like more … I start to almost ignore the other person,” said Patrick.

Art shared something similar. “I already knew one of the guys, so I felt more comfortable interacting with him during it. It was hard to open myself up to them while also focusing on other things.”

On paper, a threesome might seem better. Two is greater than three, and double the sexual partners means double the fun, right? However, it seems three might actually be a crowd.

“It was a good time, but looking back at it, I don’t think I would do it again,” said Art. “It felt like just sex for the sake of sex. And, yeah, that’s all a hookup is. But if I’m hooking up with one guy, I can have the delusion we might keep talking a erwards. In a threesome, you’re too busy making sure

everyone’s having a good time to think that.”

Patrick agreed. “Having more than one person was a lot for me. I already have to hype myself up whenever I go [hook up] with just one person.”

What also plays a big part in both of their hesitance to join one again links back to their romantic preference.

“I’m not [polyamorous] so while I’ve been attracted to multiple people at once, I haven’t wanted to be with more than one of them at a time,” said Patrick. “I just like devoting my time to one person, even if it’s a hookup. Not the healthiest thing in the world but because of that [threesomes] just aren’t my thing.”

“I would be open to the idea of becoming the third in someone’s relationship,” said Art. “!ough I’d have to know both people well $rst. And it would have to be as an actual partner, not just an on-call threesome partner.

Spicing things up in the bedroom isn’t for everyone’s palate. Even if it’s vanilla, having someone else on the table — or bent over it — can be a lot. !ough, if you’re willing to venture into threesomes, it’s good to at least get your bearings on the concept.

Keep in mind what you’re personally looking for. If you want to settle down, it might not be the best choice, but just looking for some quick fun, go right on.

Tashi put it best: “very rarely anything comes out of a threesome, but at least you might leave with a good story.”

’Canes V. Hurricanes

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season carries a chilling forecast: 25 named storms and 13 hurricanes — seven of which are predicted to be Category 3 or higher. No need to fear; hurricanes have been hitting Miami long before the University of Miami made this natural disaster their namesake. If there is anything Miamians can do, it is to thrive in the unstable weather — they even enjoy it. Here’s everything you need to know to weather the storms this season like storm-wrangler. words_allie litzinger & communitywire.miami. design_sal puma.

Hurricane season saw its kicko% even before the start of the fall semester, with Hurricane Beryl ripping its way through the Caribbean in late June. Hurricane Debby rolled around before midterms, hitting Tallahassee and the Florida Panhandle in early August. And recently, Hurricane Helene is making headlines tearing through Florida, Georgia and North Carolina in late September.

Although Debby spared South Florida, the storm season — which o cially ends during the last full week of classes in November — brings constant warnings and foreboding predictions of tropical disturbances churning in the Atlantic.

!e threat of a hurricane hitting Miami can leave University of Miami students, especially those new to South Florida, feeling nervous during the storm season.

“Oh, I’m petri$ed,” said $rst-year business student Brooklyn Matt. “Growing up, lightning and thunder were always my biggest fear, but I think the people around me will help me prepare,” said the native New Yorker.

While Matt has yet to experience her $rst South Florida hurricane, Alin Gurdikyan, a graduate student, remembers Hurricane Irma vividly and the impact the 2017 storm had on her family.

“It was my $rst year living here so we didn’t know anything about hurricanes,” said Gurdikyan. “My family started packing up and started driving, but the hurricane

followed our direction,” she said, noting that trees were being uprooted. “We were almost gonna crash; we had to move from hotel to hotel to get to safety.”

Matthew Shpiner, executive director of Emergency Management at the University of Miami, said the university works year-round to keep UM and its community safe and prepared.

“It’s a part of life living in South Florida,” said Shpiner, adding that South Florida is in a hurricane evacuation zone for major storms, Category 3 or higher. “It’s not a common occurrence, but we still need to be prepared for it.”

Prior to midterms, there have been two major Hurricanes to hit Florida. !at suspected highly active season has $nally started.

Hurricane Helene hit Western Florida as a Category 4 late September. Helene is now the eighth named storm, $ h hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2024 season.

Helene has been the deadliest hurricane in the Atlantic since Hurricane Maria in 2017. Helene hit Georgia and the Carolinas especially hard as they are not as prepared for hurricanes.

Coming less than two weeks behind was Hurricane Milton. Milton gained strength to a Category 5 in the gulf until it made landfall as a Category 3 near Sarasota.

As it came across the state, it caused numerous spin-o% tornadoes. Milton called

The Great M1a.1 H&rr12ane of 19:; devastated South Florida and nearby islands.

!e ood damages were large looking east on Flagler Street at the 12th Avenue intersection

!e storm gave Florida an early start to the Great Depression, estimating $235 billion in damages if it were to hit Florida in 2018. photo_gerald nk.

for a suspension of UM classes for almost a full week as a precaution.

Both storms caused death, high storm surge, ooding, and mass destruction.

What is a Hurricane, Anyway?

Hurricanes start as tropical storms over the ocean and are classi$ed as hurricanes when winds reach up to 74 mph. Hurricanes require warm water and strong winds.

When these factors combine, winds start moving in a spiral, creating a hurricane. !e faster the winds, the more dangerous the storm.

Hurricane season typically runs between late May and November, so this information is more pertinent for the fall semester.

“ !e hurricane center forecasts are $veday forecasts, so maybe as early as $ve days out, there is indication that there may be a threat,” said Robert Molleda, meteorologistin-charge of the National Weather Service’s Miami Forecast O ce. “But we aren’t always going to have that timeframe. Sometimes they can form close to us, so it’s important to keep a level of readiness.”

Hurricanes are rated on a scale from 1 to 5, with Category 1 being the tamest and Category 5 the strongest. Categories are classi$ed by their wind speeds:

Category 1: 74–95 mph

Category 2: 96–110 mph

Category 3: 111–129 mph

Category 4: 130–156 mph

Category 5: 157 mph or higher

What Do I Do if One Comes?

Hurricane preparedness is essential for people who want to prepare for the possibility of one making landfall.

For the latest updates and advisories on whether to evacuate, tune into the local TV news and radio stations and check the national weather service’s website.

“If you are even remotely plugged in through sources of information, you could see the latest information on any storms that are out there,” Molleda said.

Follow directions from local o cials; if told to evacuate, either head to a hurricane evacuation center or seek shelter that is not in an evacuation zone.

Be “Hurricane Prepped”

Weather emergency o cials advise residents to stay away from all windows, skylights and glass doors if they are staying in one place.

Adam Baranovsky, a UM graduate student, said that as someone who has experienced hurricanes in the Northeast, he is ready to weather the South Florida storm season.

W1nd and f,ood1ng h1t M1a.1 hard during the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926. Branches coated the ooded ground, and automobiles le out were torn to shreds. Flooding ruined many citrus crops across South Florida. photo_ nlay b. matheson

“I’m hurricane prepped, so I think I’ll be $ne,” said Baranovsky. “I know what to do during a hurricane. I’ve prepped extra everything. I know to stay away from windows and have extra clothing and food.”

O cials also advise residents to stay in a small interior room, such as a closet or hallway on the lowest level of their homes. If needed, cover or board up windows.

Residents should charge all electronics while still having power, since electricity may go out. Stock up on food and water, ashlights, a $rst aid kit and other necessities.

Note for storm enthusiasts: While the h ‘eye’ of the hurricane is calm, do not venture outside as the eye passes, because the second half of the storm is coming.

What can I do to pass the time during a storm?

With a lower-category storm, some enjoy staying in, since many take this opportunity to spend time with friends and family. Many also take this time to relax, maybe by getting creative with arts and cra s, building puzzles or playing board games.

If the power has yet to go out, there is no time like a hurricane to binge-watch a comfort series.

Hurricane Parties

In a more traditional sense, hurricane parties are when friends and family come together under the safest roof bringing food,

alcohol and other important resources to ride out the storm together. Hurricane parties can help keep party-goers safe while providing companionship; sometimes, these parties last days.

But what do college kids do when classes are called o% ? !ey have their own version of hurricane parties.

Hurricane cakes, which detailed the swirling cyclone and its name in frosting, used to be sold at Publix.

However, they discontinued them a few years back a er receiving public backlash for “making light of a tragedy.” In response, some buyers took to X to express that the cakes should make a comeback.

While these cakes are no longer on the shelves, what’s to stop students from baking their own?

With or without the Publix baked showstopper, just stay sober enough to get yourself to safety.

“It’s not a big deal,” said Sherrine Predelus, a sophomore and Florida resident. “If one were to come, I’ll just go to Costco, get some things, get gas and go to sleep.”

What Do I Do After it Passes?

Even a er the storm, continue monitoring the weather on local media. Avoid ooded or muddy areas as they can contain oil, gasoline or other contaminants. Also be vigilant about downed power lines and wires — assume all

lines are live. When wading through water, be extra cautious because even six inches of water can sweep someone o% their feet.

“Depending on the severity of the storm, it may take time for the community to recover and some of the basic resources that we are used to having access to may not be in place, such as public transit, grocery stores etc. so plan accordingly for post storm,” Shpiner said.

Resources for Students

Students living on campus should take heed of all hurricane preparedness signs in the dorms.

Pay attention to advice from RAs and university personnel as the storm forms. UM provides storm alert advisories throughout the threat and duration of a storm. It also maintains an Emergency Preparedness website: prepare.miami.edu.

!e O ce of Emergency Management on campus o%ers Zoom hurricane preparedness training sessions, “Hurricane Preparedness: Weathering the Storm,” multiple times per month.

UM o cials go over what to expect before, during and a er a hurricane and o%er tips and information on hurricane forecasts. !e presentation includes a question-andanswer and discussion section.

Hurricane History

22 hurricanes within a 30-mile radius of campus have impacted the University of Miami since its inception in 1925. Here are some of the main ones.

The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926

It was the first year of classes for the university when the Sept. 18 storm caused classes to start late. The university shelved its plans for a 50,000 seat football stadium on campus. The storm actually gave UM athletic teams their name, The Miami Hurricanes, and mascot, the ibis.

Hurricane Andrew 1992, Category 5

In the wake of this storm, the fall semester was postponed for almost three weeks. Reportedly, 400 sta! and faculty members lost their homes.

Hurricane Katrina 2005, Category 1

Flooding and wind damage caused road blockages. Students living in the dorms were without power and could feel the rain and wind inside from leaking windows and air conditioners.

Hurricane Wilma 2005, Category 3

Campus was closed for a full week; many were out of power. On-campus damage was minimal, however, the residential colleges experienced some roof damage and leaking.

Hurricane Irma 2017, Category 3

Classes were canceled for almost three weeks; some students left Miami. The storm caused millions in damages. Post storm, debris were all over campus.

A ho&se was ,eft as a p1,e of de4r1s a er Hurricane Andrew blew through on Aug. 24, 1992.

HAPPENING

Happening tackles today’s hot topics and inspiring innovators. Add a mic to your shopping cart, because anyone can start a podcast in 2024. Find the skimpiest corset at Urban Outfitters, because Fantasy Fest — and its local alternatives — are calling your name. Embrace your ultimate individuality by taking inspiration from today’s top It Girls.

photo_lizzie kristal.

In :0:4 the U.S.

aged 1: listened to podcasts every month. re ects a signi growth in podcast listening as just 10 years ago, only 15% of people listened to podcasts monthly.

These days, there are too many distractions; society has developed a toxic tendency to tune one another out. However, a specific form of mainstream media proposes a solution to these problems — behind their headphones, millions are tuning back into reality by replacing their go-to tunes with podcasts. The recent surge in podcasts has allowed celebrities and public figures to prompt meaningful conversations spanning topics of all di!erent depths. The recent popularity of podcasts has allowed public figures to expand their brand or, for some, stay relevant while providing the public with accessible and diverse entertainment options.

Sorry, What’s a Podcast?

Let’s start by de$ning podcasts. Podcasts are digital or video $les that can be listened to on a device for informational, educational or entertainment purposes. Podcasts quickly turned from single episodes into full series, where hosts create seasons of content and post them. Most hosts bring on guests who keep listeners engaged and provide a new perspective to each episode.

While podcasts have existed since 2004, their creation popularity has experienced a signi$cant in ux recently. Much of the recent spike in podcast popularity sources from celebrities starting their own podcasts.

Launching a podcast seems to be a common choice for celebrities who want to expand their business endeavors or simply keep their name relevant in the public eye. O en, they’re a $nal attempt at redemption for celebrities who have been out of the limelight for a while.

Differentiating Podcasts

Celebrities who launch podcasts aim to gather an audience based on a niche related to their personality or career. Di%erent types of celebrity podcasts include TV show rewatches, banter-based conversations, popular culture reviews, fashion critiques, celebrityon-celebrity interviews or unscripted brain-rot-based discussions that go nowhere. For a celebrity, gathering listeners can be as easy as speaking into the mic without any plan.

Connor Wood and Brooke Averick’s “Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast” is the perfect example of two in uencers whose personalities words_remi turner. illustration&design_marita gavioti.

are entertaining enough on their own to keep listeners plugged into a combined podcast.

“Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast” is one of those celebrity podcasts where the two’s comedic chemistry outshines any topics of real importance. !is iconic internet duo has no limits, or $lters for that matter. If you love meaningless rambling, give their podcast a listen.

For a celebrity that needs more intrigue to hook listeners, a script, special segment or constant guest appearance is necessary. No shade to Taylor Lautner, because the Team Jacob roots run deep, but “ !e Squeeze” podcast he hosts with his wife is an example of a celebrity pods that tends to be a little dry and less talked about.

!e media realm has become so oversaturated with celebrity podcasts that some argue they’re ruining the art of podcasting all together. However, one can also argue that celebrity podcasts allow listeners to feel more connected with their favorite popular culture icons and understand a certain topic better from a celebrity perspective. Who better to break down all the drama in Hollywood than the stars themselves?

It’s when celebrity hosts speak on a topic that listeners assume doesn’t apply to them that the public gets a little skeptical.

For example, on “Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain,” Chamberlain tends to take on more of a philosophical approach to topics. For those who don’t normally stan Chamberlain, her line of reasoning could be seen as unreliable due to a lack of degree or real education in philosophy. To the people who get Chamberlain and her relatable opinions on life, she is really just a girl with a microphone and a vast audience.

Popular Celebrity Podcasts

Seemingly every celebrity today has a podcast. Even Jojo Siwa has her own podcast called, “Jojo Siwa Now,” with an about description stating, “High side ponytail and bows. !at was then, THIS is NOW.” Sounds like a pretty accurate description, except for the missing bit about how her dream podcast guest would be one of her exes.

!e celebrity podcast of all celebrity podcasts is none other than “Call Her Daddy” by Alex Cooper. !ough Cooper began her career as a podcaster before entering the limelight, her podcast has morphed into one of the most famous of them all.

On the most listened-to podcast by women, ‘Father Cooper’ asks other celebrities the burning questions we all want the tea on. From favorite sex positions, to the worst icks, or childhood trauma, Alex uncovers it all and

leaves nothing out.

Listeners are also really intrigued by the Kelce brothers’, “New Heights” podcast, ever since Travis began his love story with the pop icon, Taylor Swi .

Another popular celebrity podcast is the recently-released “Hot Mess” podcast hosted by Alix Earle. !e Tik Tok phenomenon, and University of Miami alumna, uses this platform as a big post night-out debrie$ng session where she explores topics like her dating rumors, recent travels and navigating life a er college.

!e podcast shout-outs are nowhere close to being over, so sit tight. UM junior education major Annie Codega, said her favorite podcast is called “Emergency Intercom.”

“An unserious podcast hosted by two best friends in the LGBTQIA+ community with a ton of wit,” said Codega. “Emergency Intercom,” featuring Enya Umanzor and Drew Phillips, can be streamed on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

One celebrity podcast especially known for its star-studded guest lineup is “ !erapuss” with Jake Shane. “ !erapuss” is a therapy style talk show with past guests including Charli XCX, Snooki, Elizabeth Gillies, Joe Jonas and more. Jake takes all of his Pussies — Jake’s unique fanbase name — on a deep dive into random thoughts and feelings.

Final mention is the current numberone podcast on Spotify, “ !e Joe Rogan Experience” with Joe Rogan. Hosted by a retired UFC color commentator and television host, “ !e Joe Rogan Experience” is a purely comedic podcast with long-form conversations and expert guests getting silly. Rogan famously hosted Elon Musk, where smoking weed, $dgeting with amethrowers, and the nature of reality came into play in the timespan of just two-and-a-half hours.

Why Listen?

Podcasts are all about convenience. For the always-multitasking individuals, podcasts are the perfect outlet for absorbing information or receiving entertainment while also working on something else simultaneously.

Summer Nelson, a sophomore at UM

double-majoring in political science and broadcast journalism, explained how listening to podcasts while doing something else has become second nature.

“Most of the time when I am doing various miscellaneous tasks, I personally enjoy having background, and if I am not playing music then it is one of two current go-to podcasts, ‘5-4’ and ‘Swish and Flick Podcast,’” said Nelson.

Podcasts became such a large part of popular culture because of their accessibility and room for creativity. COVID-19 de$nitely had a lot to do with people not only listening to podcasts, but also starting their own. Anyone can start a podcast about anything, and if you’re engaging enough on the microphone, chances are you’ll start to build a following.

UM senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Media Management, Trevor Green, explained that starting a podcast is really simple from a creator’s perspective.

“On a podcast from day one, you can start to monetize with only 5,000 views. From the money standpoint, it is a lot easier to branch into compared to other saturated mediums,” said Green.

!e rise of podcasts is nowhere near slowing down. Stay up to date with what endeavors your favorite celebrity is working on, because you never know if they could launch the next best podcast tomorrow. A lot of the recent attention towards podcasts can be attributed to celebrities and in uencers, especially when it comes to Gen Z listeners.

Aris Montero, a UM senior studying creative advertising, said, “Public $gures doing their own podcasts have allowed me to notice their rise in popularity.”

If tuning into a celebrity’s audio rant is your way of getting into podcasts, so be it, the stars will be waiting for you.

Bes1des 4e1ng enterta1n1ng, pod2asts a,so ha3e a .&,t1t&de of .enta, hea,th 4enef1ts. Feeling lonely? Many podcasts feature in-depth, meaningful discussions or personal stories that make listeners relate and help them to feel socially connected.

Bett- Boop .akes a st&nn1ng 2ost&.e 1dea — from the eye-catching reds to the shimmering sequins.

F,-1ng Monke-s 1s a we,,-,o3ed 4ar opt1on for UM students, o en ocked with costumed festival-goers.

Sea s12k? Anything related to the ocean is perfect for a costume in Florida. Add some shells and netting — you’re set.

FANTASY FEST

N&d1t- 1s the nor. on Duval Street. Don’t be surprised by adults bearing it all.

When 1n do&4t, an1.a, pr1nts make a great last-minute costume. !row on a pair of ears to top it o%

YAY OR NAY?

F1nd1ng -o&r fr1ends 1n a 2rowd 1s a 2ha,,enge !is clever group sent sel$es to $nd each other’s whereabouts.

Ser31ng sewage group costumes can be $erce and simple. !e “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” inspired looks are ideal for groups of four.

Here at the “U,” tradition reigns true — from syllabus week to homecoming or “darty” Saturdays, University of Miami students are consistent with their party habits. However, one of the most prevailing traditions demands a great pilgrimage four hours south to Key West. Come Halloween weekend, Key West celebrates Fantasy Fest, a premier masking and costuming extravaganza attracting thousands of people in eccentric costumes — or lack thereof — galavanting around the streets.

words_ anika engel. design_lizzie kristal.

Lots of Logistics

“ !e craziest photos in my camera roll of all time came from my Key West trip last year,” said Charlotte Wenk, a senior majoring in nursing.

Students cram into hotels, Airbnbs and houseboats, o en sleeping on de ating air mattresses — a four-person hotel room can $t 10 for Fantasy Fest. Regardless of how many people cram into whichever type of lodging, it is imperative that students interested in attending Key West book far in advance before availability becomes limited and prices rise. Sure, it’s fun and exciting to plan costumes, however, logistics must be $gured out $rst: who is driving, who will supply their air mattress, who will fork over their credit card to book the hotel room?

Once the logistics are planned and the impending weekend rolls around, the action comes down to one area. UM students are most likely to be found on Duval Street, hopping between Fat Tuesday, Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Flying Monkeys Saloon and Rick’s Bar.

For those looking to enjoy a “zero proof” trip, there is plenty of history and activities to avoid the party scene and still have a wellrounded vacation. We recommend students grab a piece of key lime pie to enjoy on a walk to !e Hemingway Home and Museum, where American writer Ernest Hemingway resided. !ey can also add a $nishing touch to their costume with a long-lasting temporary tattoo and rinse it o% during a swim at Smathers Beach should they decide “getting inked” is not for them.

Finally, no UM student should leave Key West without browsing some of the souvenir shops for a laugh.

“My best friend got one that said, ‘I don’t need Google, my girlfriend knows everything,’” said Mia Summa, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “ !at pretty much gives you an idea of the kind of tees they’re printing over there.”

Halloween on the Homefront

If traveling all the way to the Keys isn’t your style, there is still a lot to do to celebrate Halloween here around campus.

Some Greek organizations remain present on campus to celebrate Halloween. Last year, Ali Yessios, a sophomore in the School of Communication and Paige Rock, a

sophomore in the Herbert Business School, attended a mansion party hosted by Delta Epsilon Pi, and both said they had a blast.

For the ravers of UM, Factory Town will be hosting Hocus Pocus from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. For three nights, ravers can dance the weekend away from sunset to sunrise.

Tickets for Halloween night sell for $43 while the following two nights sell for $62; prices will likely rise as the holiday weekend draws closer. With four stages and an impressive lineup, including artists such as ARTBAT, Eliza Rose and Nitefreak, we fear this three-night spooky bash might be magni$cent.

Given that Halloween coincides with midterm season, sometimes the best way to celebrate is a night-in with some festive Trader Joe’s snacks and a scary movie.

Get cozy on your couch with friends and try the Salted Maple Ice Cream, Pumpkin Flavored Joe-Joe’s, Maple Flavored Fudge and Candy Corn Popcorn. Regardless of if it’s spiders, killers or ghosts that make your palms sweat and heart race, 2024 horror movies such as “Immaculate,” “MaXXXine,” “Long Legs,” and “Tarot” are sure to leave you spooked.

“Immaculate had me on the edge of my seat … and Sydney Sweeney starring made it all the better”, said Juliana Bevacqua, a senior in the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.

The F,-1ng Monke-s 4e,o3ed dr1nk .en& rare,- d1sappo1nts From creative creations to the classics, they o%er it all.

Make Safety Part of Your Costume

No matter how you celebrate this spooky season, the most important thing besides having fun is to be safe.

Every student is entitled to their well-being; it is essential to take advantage of campus resources when in scary situations. Here are some tips to avoid feeling like a character in a horror movie:

• For students feeling a threat that crosses the line from spooky to unsettling, contact UMPD at 305284-6666.

• UMPD o!ers a 24/7 Safety Escort Service at no cost for students on campus with an average response time of 15 minutes.

• Also, Freebee, formerly Safe Ride, operates Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. as a free car service to and from campus and the surrounding area.

airs.miami.edu/student-

Who’s That Girl?

In the words of Charli XCX herself, “I’m your favorite reference, baby, call me Gabbriette, you’re so inspired.” In the age where influencers have become our new role models, finding the right ones to inspire confidence can be tricky. Luckily, a new age of It Girls is upon us, and I’m here to steer you in their direction. From an It Girl aficionado herself, here are my top picks on style icons, industry pros and the brattiest leaders of 2024. words_mary gorski. photo&design_marita gavioti.

Brat Summer and Charli XCX

@charli_xcx

Charli XCX’s new single “360” dropped May 10 in addition to her music video masterpiece, featuring the who’s who of celebrity cool girls, from Chloe Sevigny to Emma Chamberlain. Looks were served, jaws were dropped and lives were irrevocably changed. !en, just a few weeks later, in June, a new aesthetic emerged, and a summer prophecy was born: Charli XCX released “brat.” How could we have known that nothing would be the same? Following the album’s drop, Charli itted across the world, hosting release parties and attending Ibiza Boiler Room sets, each time giving a vibe we could only dream of emulating one day. Each out$t she wore di%ered from the next, whether it was something classic — like micro shorts, garters and a white long-sleeve tee — or something entirely her — like a custom lacy, sheer dress by Rafael Lapestritu that just screams indie sleaze.

But “brat” is about more than just fashion. It’s about the color green — Pantone 3570-C to be speci$c — party-girl chaos, Kamala Harris’s coconut tree or romanticizing 2014 Tumblr. Most importantly, it’s about not giving a f***. at’s the beauty of “brat” — it’s a burst of brazen authenticity. e honest-to-a-fault-lyrics that make you feel like you’re gossiping with Charli in the girl’s bathroom

at your favorite clubs are backed by hyperpop dance beats, perfect for a rave or a morning commute if you’re hip like that. And her authenticity makes Charli an It Girl worthy of the title.

It Girls have in uenced society since before the internet; as a Greek courtesan and model, Phyrne charmed her dinner party guests with wit and devastating beauty in the fourth century B.C. While, thankfully, times have changed, It Girls have not disappeared, nor has their in uence diminished.

We all know an It Girl — someone whose presence is simply magnetic. !ey seem e%ortlessly themselves, have killer style and an indescribable “it-factor,” but where do they come from? How do you become one yourself? What is the “it” that makes the Girl?

!ere’s no concrete answer, but it involves embracing yourself and exploring your passions, whatever that means to you. Following “brat” summer, the trend of being an It Girl is on the rise, which is a win for feminism and the much-needed encouragement for women to be entirely themselves — it’s the permission to just work it out on the remix.

“To me, ‘brat’ summer is just fun and feminine for everyone and I love that the trend is giving a positive and upli ing message on femininity,” said Erin Lanier, a senior majoring in marine a%airs and anthropology. “ !e album is also rated super highly, and I’m always happy to see a woman on top.”

Below is a short list of the many It Girls out there who exude “brat,” which I’ve dutifully compiled as you begin your journey to become not just an It Girl but !at Girl.

We a,, .1ght ad.1re the trend- 1t g1r,s we see on 1nstagra., 4&t dont o3erth1nk 1t. Post whatever picture you like, not what you think will get you likes. !e trick is to be unapologetically you.

Gabbriette Bechtel

@gabbriette and @nastycherryband

She is THE reference, the icon and chef extraordinaire. Gabbriette Bechtel, known colloquially as just Gabbriette, is a dancerturned-model-turned-lead-singer of Nasty Cherry-turned-internet icon. Having grown up wanting to be a backup dancer in music videos, Gabbriette found her niche in Nasty Cherry, the girl band started by Charli XCX for a short Net ix mini-series, and made lasting impressions.

If you need a mood booster for a night out, immediately play “Music With Your Dad,” arguably their best song. However, her girl-band days are behind her. Nowadays, Gabbriette is now seen modeling across the world, hosting curated dinners for famous brands and posting cooking TikToks from her kitchen, featuring her pet rat.

Her arms are littered with tattoos and she rocks a makeup look emphasizing her favorite feature: eye bags. She opts for chic and sleek looks for nights-out and casual, loose silhouettes on her day-to-day. !e Gabbriette makeup look is coveted by all cool girls and easily replicated thanks to her MAC Cosmetics lip combo, a moody neutral color epitomizing her esoteric nature.

Alex Consani

@alexconsani

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to wake up every day and just be so hot?

Alex Consani became the world’s youngest transgender model at 12 years old and has been killing it ever since.

You’ve maybe seen videos of her backstage interviews looking drop-dead gorgeous and delivering lines of self-love wisdom laced with humor or her infamous TikToks of her acting a fool in public on @CaptainCrook and @Ms.Mawma.

Her style is just as loud as her personality, donning Diesel mini skirts, bleached brows, lacy mini dresses, leather or sometimes a thri ed striped sweater. She always prioritizes sexiness, queerness and transness. Alex Consani is unapologetically herself, and I love her for it.

Lindsay Vrckovnik

@linmick and @verconiik

New York City’s darling knitwear enthusiast and lover of the great outdoors, Lindsay Vr(kovnik is a girl on the go. She is whimsical in nature and brings a lust for

life to everything she does, whether it’s her eclectic home decor, quirky out$ts, religious workout routine or world travels.

She is the proud owner of two dogs, a rabbit and a snake, which she takes almost everywhere because what’s life without your best friends? Vrckovnik owns and operates a custom knitwear brand, Verconiik, which has seasonal drops showcasing brightly colored and sustainably made shorts, hats, vests, dresses and sweaters, re ecting her inherent creativity.

Her day-to-day wardrobe is much of the same funky knits. She also oscillates between oversized mismatched suits to tiny dresses with a pair of sexy heels or just hiking shoes — forever a naturist icon.

Kaia Gerber

@kaiagerber and @libraryscience

Nothing is sexier than a girl who reads; model-actress Kaia Gerber does it well. She has an e%ortlessly classic style reminiscent of her mom’s, Cindy Crawford’s 90s supermodel looks, which feature wide-leg trousers and jeans paired with cotton basics, sneakers and a chic pair of sunglasses. And she never forgets the perfect accessory — a good book.

Her book club, Library Science, began in 2020 when she wanted to connect with other avid readers, friends, and fans, and have a platform for necessary but di cult dialogue on topics like queerness, motherhood, addiction, intersectionality and climate change.

Outside of her hobbies, Gerber is a true girls’ girl, cheering on her friends through life’s obstacles and celebrating their successes. Her sensible, chic style re ects her persistent curiosity and intelligence, making her both a role model for life and fashion.

Suki Waterhouse @sukiwaterhouse

She is mother, literally. Not only is Suki Waterhouse a model, actress and singer, but she’s a cool mom — not to mention she’s dating the internet’s vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, but this article isn’t about men.

She wears fur coats, sparkly mini dresses, chunky boots, thick eyeliner, shaggy hair and somehow still looks like an ethereal angel. Her maternity style was no di%erent. You can $nd her dancing around on stage and in music videos — glam, sparkles, baby bump and all. Waterhouse’s style has a laissez-faire essence, which translates into her music, and she says, “Yeah, I’m cool and fabulous. What

Her latest album, Memoirs of a n, carries that same mantra, walking the line between perfectly ridiculous

I.1tat1on 1s the 4est for. of f,atterSo even if you’re copying some in uencer’s post layout pose-for-pose — who cares? Just add a little spin on it to make it yours.

Devon Carlson @devonleecarlson and @wildflowercases

Devon Carlson is like if a girl was the sun. She’s an in uencer for her sense of style and the company Wild ower Cases she cofounded with her sister, but she’s notorious for her never-ending smile.

Carlson is the internet It Girl, vlogging her way through fashion weeks, Coachella, drop parties and her day-to-day life in LA. Suppose you’re looking for the latest fashion trends. In that case, I suggest pulling up Carlson’s Instagram as she cycles through her extensive wardrobe, pulling together a mix of designer, vintage, thri ed and custom pieces to create endless looks.

Her style is ever-changing but maintains a consistent self-expression, as seen in her a nity for looks reminiscent of the early 2000s — think lowrise pants, strappy heels, tracksuits, di%erent bags and big sunglasses.

So, What?

Okay, so yeah, all these girls are really cool. What does that have to do with you? You just have to own it. Whether that means dyeing your hair, writing a novel, or just dancing the night away with friends, do what you will.

But do it loudly, happily, and without a care. Natalie Gutierrez, a senior computer science major, saidsays she wears an out$t that makes her excitedhappy to feel con$dent.

“Sometimes, I feel really uncon$dent with myself, and when I put on my cute out$t, it just makes me feel so much better about myself,” said Gutierrez, a senior computer science major.“Not only that, but it’s a way to express who I am because clothes are an opportunity for self-expression.”

EASHED UN

Dog parks are prime spots to make friends — furry and not. Miami has plenty of green spaces for pups to roam free, not to mention the added bonus for time with other dogs. Dogs meet dogs, owners meet dogs, and owners meet owners — it’s a win for all. Meet some furry faces and get inspired to bring your pet to a hotspot for paws.

words&design_lizzie kristal. photo_valeria barbaglio.

• Tropical Park

• Blanche Park

• Bark Park Dog Park

• Coconut Grove Dog Park

• Trails & Tails Dog Park

• Margaret Pace Park

• Village Green Park

• Perrine Wayside Dog Park

• Amelia Earhart Bark Park

• Haulover Dog Park

Daisy Randal

Edna

Lluna Puppy Parks

WHAT THE FORK

What the Fork is a foodie’s paradise, stu!ed with mouth-watering recipes and hidden-gem restaurants. Take a trip to Italy with Erba’s Miamian twist on elegant Florentine cuisine. Embrace your enthusiasm for fall with scrumptious pie recipes. All-day breakfast never sounded so good as we explore everything the new Centennial Village Dining Hall has to o!er. We are serving up the latest dishes, so grab a plate and dig in.

photo_lizzie kristal.

Er4a’s 2o2kta1, .en& 1n2,&des “Aper1t13os,” “Garden” and “R12h B B1tter” 2ategor1es, featuring creations like a “Blood Orange Spritz” or “Field Day.” Try the “La Bandita” for $19, an Erba twist on a Negroni with Mezcal, Antica Torino and Mole Bitters.

ERBA

Combining Florentine flavor with Miami’s vibrant flare, Erba brings Italy to the heart of Coral Gables. Why voyage to Europe when you can experience authentic Italian food minutes from campus? Erba combines the traditional with the trendy under one roof, assuring a new wave of Italian food.

words_ clare lanscioni. photo_ethan dosa. design_ andres alessandro.

“Erba is going to bring a di%erent light to what Italian cuisine can be,” said Braden Soristo, chef de cuisine — or head chef — of Erba. “We try to bring in in uences from the farms that are around us, from $shermen we use, as well as our own farm, and then just doing fun twists on classics.”

Chef Niven Patel and Mohamed Alkassar, founders of Alpareno Restaurant Group and owners of restaurants Ghee, Orno and NiMo, own Erba as well. It started as a pop-up in Dadeland but now has its permanent location in the LifeTime building.

Caroline Yarbrough, a junior majoring in history and art, visited Erba with her friend for dinner. As a Coral Gables Lifetime Living complex resident, Erba’s location in the LifeTime building is practically at her doorstep.

“It is really convenient to have such a nice restaurant below my apartment because now you can stay local for a good meal,” said Yarbrough. “ !e customer service is very attentive and they actually seem to care if you like the food.”

A $ne dining scene, Erba takes pride in its service and atmosphere. With red walls and hints of bold colors echoing throughout the seating area and walls, Erba has a slight retro feel that brings out a classic Italian vibe. !e attention to unique details transports diners to Patel’s Italian inspiration.

Take, for instance, a wall showcasing an extensive wine display, antique serving plates with decorative trim, and a prosciutto slicer strategically placed in the open — impeccable Italian decor..

!e restaurant is in uenced by Patel’s time in Florence, but also focuses on the culture here in Florida.

Speci$cally, Erba translates to herb in Italian, and the restaurant has its own farm called Rancho Patel, which is the primary source of produce under FEAL Hospitality in Homestead.

“It actually used to be Chef Niven’s backyard,” said Soristo. “We

don’t like to use the term farm to table, but talk about dirt to table.”

Soristo was executive sous chef for the THesis Hotel before joining Patel and Alkassar in the development of Erba.

“It took me and Chef Niven about two weeks and about eight menus to $nally get the menu down to what we wanted it to be,” said Soristo. “It’s funny to look back on the menus and see how they develop from one point to the next and see when we $nally found our identity.”

Once the Erba identity was created, it was time for the grand opening, which took place on Oct. 5, 2023.

Soristo took full control of Erba’s opening, with experience on a team that had opened restaurants in the past. !is time it was his turn to take the driver’s seat.

“It was a smooth opening. A lot of people came, including friends and family, and they said they would have believed we had been open for a couple years,” said Soristo. “It was de$nitely a di%erent experience and kind of an eye opening moment to see it all come together and see how the sta% just owed right in.”

Anthony Ponzio, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said he noticed the ow of the sta% and the big impact from Erba’s focus on service.

“ !e attentiveness was unlike any other Miami restaurant I’ve been to,” said Ponzio. “I was slightly shivering and the waiter asked if I was cold and brought me a scarf;

I have never experienced service like that. !ey were so on top of their stu% with the customers and making sure everything went smoothly.”

Soristo says he and his sta% prioritize ensuring everything goes smoothly from start to $nish.

“We are really good at handling stressful situations. We like to say ‘be a swan,’ because a swan on top of the water just glides, but what you don’t see is underneath the water their feet are paddling like hell,” said Soristo.

All the work the Erba sta% puts in is displayed through the service and food.

“ !e customer service and the food was 10 out-of-10. It was literally delicious,” said Ponzio. “I got the rigatoni to start and I shared the lamb which was my favorite.”

Yarbrough said she had a similar dining experience.

“Erba just had great Italian food, I had the mozzarella arancini which was really good, and the ravioli which had a delicious tru&e sauce that was so avorful,” said Yarbrough.

Erba focuses on bridging the old world of Italian dishes into the new world.

“We don’t like to do everything the same and we think about how we can change dishes and break the mold and be di%erent,” said Soristo.

Erba does exactly that. !e focaccia bread that is served in the beginning of each dining experience is accompanied with what looks like a normal candle, but is actually rosemary butter that turns into a melting pool to dip the bread in. In a similar unconventional manner, many dishes on the menu are accompanied with fresno chilis and fresh garnishes, elevating what might be considered classic Italian dishes into something unique.

“Chef Niven’s background is Indian, so his avors are out of this world to me,” said Soristo. “Actually seeing how to build those avors, how to layer avors on top of each other and create what we call avor bombs is really cool to see.”

Patel’s knowledge of building avors paid o% and he ended up winning Miami New Times Best Chef of Miami 2024.

Erba is on the expensive side, but because of its location, it is a great option for Miami students to eat locally for a special occasion or with family.

“We do see a decent amount of students from University of Miami with family, not too many on their own,” said Soristo. “It’s kind of intimidating going to a restaurant of high caliber and it’s expensive, but we have options for students to dine.”

One of these options is Miami Spice which is going on right now until Sept. 31, where Erba o%ers a $60 menu for three courses.

“I just want people to enjoy themselves, all we ever do in a restaurant is throw a party everyday. !e main thing is for our guests to leave happy and ful$lled and want to return,” said Soristo.

The 2as&a,,--e,egant de2or 1n Er4a sh1nes in its attention to detail. !e Florentine restaurant is located in the Coral Gables LifeTime building. It opens every day at 5:30 p.m., with a daily happy hour from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Er4a’s ho.e.ade 2a3ate,,1 pasta she,,s stea, the show in their Niman Ranch Lamb Shank dish, served with San Marzano tomato and walnut gremolata and going for $54.

AUTHOR’S TASTE TEST

Mozzarella Arancini | $22

The perfect small starter bite. It’s a simple cheesy risotto on the inside with a golden-brown, crispy exterior. The texture is insanely satisfying and it is paired with a tomato sauce before being topped with a mountain of prosciutto that is shaved freshly in front of you. The bite was simple, but all the ingredients worked harmoniously together, highlighting the quality of the dish.

Sweet Corn Ravioli | Special O!er

The sweet corn ravioli, has a creamy tru e ricotta filling that blends perfectly with the sweetness of the sauce and corn. This pasta has a distinctive flavor with garnishes of lime zest and a kick of Calabrian chili, adding that kick to what would normally be a standard ravioli. The cherry tomatoes burst in your mouth and I think the dish has elements of sweetness, acidity and a bit of spiciness that makes it well rounded.

Menu

You can $nd Erba’s menus on their website: erbamiami. com/menus. !ey have dinner, cocktail, beverage and dessert menus posted.

Hours

Monday - !ursday 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Friday & Saturday

5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Sunday

5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Reservations

Erba has a page on OpenTable to manage their reservations. You can book as late as a day in advance.

Cacio E Pepe Pave | $18

The cacio e pepe pave is a potato dish I have never seen before. Erba transformed a classic pasta dish into an updated form with thinly sliced potatoes, layered and fried to make a crunchy bite. While I liked the peppery flavor of the sauce, I needed a little more of it to appropriately dip each piece of potato in it.

Maine Lobster Chitarra | $68

The Maine lobster chitarra is a flavor-packed pasta dish with fresh elements to balance it. The pasta has a great texture and is coated with a creamy lobster-flavored sauce. The fennel on top adds a hint of licorice taste, combined with the kick of the Calabrian chili and the lime zest, which cuts the creaminess and brings some acidity. The lobster was cooked perfectly and this dish felt elevated with layers of flavor.

Olive Oil Cake | $18

Pistachio Gelato | $14

The pistachio gelato is made in-house and packed with pistachio flavor. Unfortunately, for me, the flavor was a little too much. The gelato is a tad grainy because of how much pistachio it contains, so I would skip it the next time. However, if you truly love pistachio, you will love this dessert.

The olive oil cake is the dessert that ended my experience at Erba perfectly. It is an insanely moist cake with hints of olive oil and nutmeg in every bite. The caramelized plum adds a nice sweetness and the juice makes the cake even more moist. Then the mascarpone gelato on top makes the perfect bite with its creaminess and tartness. The cake tastes like a warm cozy hug. I would go back just for this dessert alone.

Miami’s food scene is as diverse as its culture, and there’s something for every craving — and every wallet. Whether you opt for hole-in-the-wall ramen joints or boujee sushi lounges, this bucket list has choices for a variety of tastes and occasions. So, get in the car, and words&design_sal

AMERICAN

PIE

Berries, apples, cinnamon … oh pie! With the summer coming to a close, cozy pajamas, “Gilmore Girls” and pumpkins are revving their engines. Whether you are Jeremy Allen White from The Bear in the kitchen or an amateur sous chef at best, these recipes will have you wanting the last slice.

words_victoria fondeur. photo_valeria barbaglio. design_charlotte deangelis.

In the tr&e F,or1da st-,e, add a twist to your classic apple pie with signature key limes. Beloved by the Florida Keys, the citrus fruit adds a dimension of tartness to an otherwise doughy, sweet apple base.

Classic Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pie crust

8 Granny Smith apples cup all-purpose our cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp salted butter

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Spray the pie pan with cooking spray and place the pie crust in the pan. Peel and thinly slice the apples. our, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice into a pan and cook on medium-low heat until the apples are slightly so ened.

5. Pour the apple mixture into the pie pan.

6. Place the slices of butter on top of the apples.

7. Place the second pie crust on top and cut four slits in the top.

8. Whisk an egg in a bowl and brush over the top of the pie.

9. Crimp the edges of the pie crust together. Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

A Berry Easy Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

• Pie crust

• 6 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen

• * cup granulated sugar

• 5 tbsp cornstarch

• ) tsp salt

• + tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Spray the pie pan with cooking spray and place the pie crust in the pan.

3. Combine and fold the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice and lemon zest together..

4. Pour the $lling into the pie pan.

5. Place the second pie crust on top, and create a lattice or a fun design with the other pie crust. Keep your designs thin — they will be easier to bake.

6. Crimp the edges of the pie crust together.

7. Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

8. Let the pie cool slightly before serving.

More Spice

Cinnamon Pie

Ingredients

• Pie crust

• 8 oz cream cheese

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 ) cups heavy cream

• ) cup all-purpose our

• 3 tbsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• + tsp salt

• ) tsp nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Spray the pie pan with cooking spray and place the pie crust in the pan.

3. In a mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar.

4. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time.

5. Add in the heavy cream, our, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and salt.

6. Mix until fully combined.

7. Pour the $lling into the pie pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Ind&,ge 1n the war., 2o.fort1ng f,a3ors of this homemade cinnamon pie, where each bite delivers the perfect autumn vibe. Perfect for cozy gatherings or a solo treat, this pie is sure to become a new favorite in your recipe collection.

Pie Crust

For all of these recipes, feel free to use store-bought crust, but if you are looking to up your pie game, here is a simple pie crust recipe.

Baking Tools

• Food processor

• Spatula

• Rolling pin

Ingredients

• 1 stick of cold unsalted butter

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 4-6 tbsp ice water

Note: cold ingredients are very important. Don’t let them warm up.

Instructions

1. In the food processor, combine butter, flour and salt.

2. Pulse it until it forms a crumbly texture.

3. Add one tbsp of water at a time and pulse until large dough balls begin to form.

4. Take out the dough and push it into a lump/disk.

5. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

6. Note: double this recipe if you are making a top-crust

Before Use

Roll out dough with a bit of flour on your surface and the rolling pin. The diameter should be slightly larger than the pie pan. For easy transfer, roll the dough onto a rolling pin and then transfer it to the pan.

Dining Hall of the Century

Say goodbye to grimy salad bars and hello to allday breakfast. Centennial Village’s dining hall is serving up fresh eats to keep you fueled from wake-up to late-night bites. While UM’s dining experience hasn’t gotten raving reviews in the past, the new dining facility is giving the campus a chance for redemption. Get ready, ’Canes — your campus dining experience just got a major upgrade. words_ noah gulley, brandon blanco & communitywire.miami. photo_ethan dosa. design_ariella green.

The 4rand-new, do&4,e de2ker Centenn1a, V1,,age D1n1ng Ha,, offers p,entof seat1ng opt1ons for social groups, quiet study sessions or even romantic couples. !e dining hall is also open for late-night dining !ursday through Saturday from 11 p.m. – 2 a.m.

With eight food stations, an all-day breakfast and even a cupcake shop, the new Centennial Village dining hall is getting thumbs-up from many students who say they enjoy dining at the sprawling 40,000-square-foot facility.

“It’s amazing,” said Ty Raimann, a sophomore majoring in business management. “It’s certainly a major upgrade from the previous Stanford Dining Hall.

Donivan Drzyza, a senior who has eaten in every dining hall across campus over his four years at the university, said he also likes the new dining hall digs.

“I’d say the options are a lot more diverse,” said Drzyza.

!e two-story dining hall — with its multiple indoor and outdoor seating areas for 600 people — is one of the highlights of Centennial Village, the new $335 million campus housing facility that replaced the $ve-decade old Hecht-Stanford Residential College.

In August, the University of Miami showcased the new facility with a 10-day dining hall campus debut that featured TikTok stars A.J. and Big Justice. Festivities included sessions with the new sta%, dietitians and food in uencers, a pop-up bagel shop, a barbecue day, vendor fairs, several giveaways and a presentation from Food Network celebrity chef Monica “Mika” Leon.

Joel Chamizo, director of Dining Operations, who has been with the university for 20 years, elaborated on the process that went into the menu o%erings for the dining hall.

“We have a lot of history and production

records on what are the hits and misses,” said Chamizo. “One of the major things for the students is choices. We always want to make sure there is always a balance, a variety in making sure we are serving something di%erent at each station.”

!e dining hall layout features di%erent food stations, including pizzas, pastas, burgers, yogurt parfaits, a deli station, an allergen-free food station, Misha’s Cupcakes and even a teaching kitchen.

Khushi Bajaria, a junior public health major, said he liked the variety of vegan and vegetarian options and the endless breakfast hours.

“A lot of people love the all-day breakfast option, especially if they prefer whatever variety that is available,” said Bajaria.

Raimann said he is also a breakfast station fan. “I’m having pancakes right now at dinner time, so I’m really pleased with it,” Raimann said.

Michael Ross, district manager of Compass Group, the contract food service company that oversees all of the dining halls at UM, said he believes the Centennial Village dining hall is exceptional.

“!is is the latest and greatest, and we are just thrilled with it,” said Ross.

!e goal for Ross and his team is not only to make the dining hall aesthetically attractive, but to also have the ability to address the dietary wishes and social environments that students yearn for.

“Any student that has an allergy can come in here and ask if we have gluten-free pasta,” Chamizo said. “All of our pasta that we use in house is Barilla pasta and it is vegan as well.”

Despite the positive reviews of students

and sta%, some students were more critical of the new o%erings, including a $rst-year student who wanted the stations to o%er more seasonings “beyond salt and pepper,” and a senior who said he missed the salad bar setup at the old dining hall.

Others complained that while they like the quantity of food options, they did not think the quality of the o%erings increased that much at the new dining hall.

“!e quality of food is about the same, but it’s an overall better atmosphere,” Drzyza said.

Freshman Andrew Ortega remains positive saying, “It may not be the homecooked meals I enjoy that my parents make, but there’s plenty to choose from, and I can have something di%erent every week.”

Although Centennial Village houses $rstyear students, the new dining hall is open to the entire UM community. Payment is required up front to enter it like a bu%et.

“!e whole thing is terri$c,” said Joseph B. Treaster, a journalism professor in the School of Communication, who dined at Centennial with a few colleagues. “It’s brand new, it’s clean, it’s inviting. !ere are all kinds of di%erent foods, and everyone who was working there went out of their way to help me $nd what I was looking for.”

Centenn1a, V1,,age D1n1ng Ha,, has n&.ero&s 2o&nters !e Confectionery counter o%ers sugary bites from morning to night, varying its options each meal. Some sweet o%erings include cinnamon rolls, carnival cookies, Oreo cookie dips and blueberry loaves with vanilla glaze.

Centennial’s Culinary Classes

The new Centennial Village Dining Hall is not only the new campus dining hot spot but a fun, interactive space where students can learn how to prepare their own meals.

With shiny new kitchen appliances and cookware, Station 9 in the dining hall o%ers students a chance to see cooking demonstrations and a chance to eat foods they have learned how to cook. !e station has seating for 22 students, 16 of which were $lled at the inaugural cooking class in September.

During the one-hour class, chef Alfonso Mendoza introduced his 16 student souschefs to shiitake mushroom eggplant lettuce wraps. He carefully guided them on preparation, including instructing them on how to hold a knife, cut properly and put ingredients into the pan.

“It is a humbling experience learning how to do something new that can be used for yourself, friends and family,” said Mendoza, who is an executive chef with Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, the culinary experts on campus.

Students were positive about the $nished product.

“Very delicious,” said Kasey McPherson, a senior ecosystem science and policy major. McPherson attended with several other members of Plant Based Canes, a student club for vegans and vegetarians. “I have been to cooking classes, but this was my $rst in Centennial Village and it was fantastic.”

Mendoza said the dining hall works with nutritionists to o%er universal meals for each class. !ese meals are free of all the nine major food allergies. Students who have allergies can feel safe to participate in these classes and eat the food.

“If you are interested in looking for healthier alternatives, starting somewhere where they provide you the foods and how to make it, is a good place to start,” said Mendoza.

Although the $rst class catered to nonmeat eaters, other cooking events will include meat and desserts, said Michael Ross, district manager of Compass Group, the contract food service company that oversees all of the dining halls at the university

“Our next one is apple pie,” said Ross, who added that the dining hall will inform students of the dates and menus of future classes. !e goal is to have at least one a month along with other cooking demonstrations.

AMERICANA

What do Lana Del Rey and Uncle Sam have in common? This issue’s special section, Americana, explores all things red, white and blue. Hit the polls and learn how to vote in the upcoming election. Romanticize the smell of cigarettes and beer-soaked floors as you venture among Miami’s dive bars. Salute the strong group of students enrolled in ROTC and what the program entails. American pride runs thin, but celebrate unity in this country’s time of need. photo_lizzie kristal.

Born fro. an21ent

4e,1efs that the earth was f,at, many still take that geographically-controversial stance.

I,,&str1o&s and .-ster1o&s, the Illuminati is believed to be a group of high-power celebrities and politicians controlling the world.

UFO

2onsp1ra21es

2,a1. the go3ern.ent is hiding substantial evidence that extraterrestrial friends have visited earth on numerous occasions.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Where there is smoke, there is fire. But where there is theory, is there fact? People are often predisposed to pessimism, looking at life with a glass-half-empty worldview and assuming the worst in one another. Who could blame them? Have you seen the news? However, this pessimism becomes problematic when people refuse to take events at face value. Should something terrible occur, people choose to believe that the story is more grim and gory than broadcasted to the public eye or that powerful actors manufactured it behind the scenes. words_caleigh russo. illustration_ sovannreach po. design_sal puma.

Where paranoid thoughts meet twisted ideas is the crossroads of conspiracy theories. !ey lurk across the media, preying upon a jaded, susceptible audience to gain traction.

“People like to believe things that match with what they already believe about the world,” said Joseph Uscinski, a University of Miami political science professor specializing in conspiracy theories. “If you have a worldview that believes shadowy conspiracy theories run the world, you will believe them.”

So, when theories surrounding staged moon landings, microchips, or even child sex tra cking rings surface, some fault$nders see facts within cynical $ction. However, plenty of people are intrigued by conspiracy theories but dismiss them as entertaining and far-fetched.

“People believe in conspiracy theories because they are interesting, and they give people something to believe in,” said So$a Noonan, a junior majoring in media management. “Conspiracies are usually very dramatic, and who doesn’t love some drama?”

“Because our generation is so technologically oriented, anyone and everyone has access to public portals and sites, resulting in conspiracy theories being thrown around le and right,” said Alex Almenara, a senior majoring in political science. While Almenara says that she has been interested in following conspiracy theories since middle school, she always takes them with a grain of salt.

“!e interesting thing about conspiracy theories is that they claim something is going on in secret,” said Uscinski. “!ere is no evidence shown and no evidence against it because conspirators are going to throw red herrings out to trick people,.”

“!e few conspiracy theories I would not be surprised if they were true are the ones with the most evidence and information that back up their legitimacy,” said Almenara. O en encountering many conspiracy theories on platforms like Reddit or Facebook, Almenara noted that most of the time, conspiracy theories are baseless arguments with only one piece of evidence.

“In my opinion, an idea purely based on belief does not make a conspiracy legit,” said Noonan. For her to consider a conspiracy theory credible, Noonan said she needs to see that there is factual evidence and deep research involved in its development.

“I would say the government knows aliens exist based on — probably fake — videos that would be much more legit

than the baseless theory that Bill Gates is responsible for COVID-19,” said Noonan.

When asked about the most ridiculous conspiracy they had seen in the media, both Almenara and Noonan cited the theory that the earth is at.

“It’s just not at. It’s literally not,” said Noonan.

“You will see conspiracy about everything,” said Usckinski about the conspiracy theories that haunt the Internet. “!ey are just ideas, and new ones are being made up constantly.”

Citing the Taylor Swi Super Bowl and Princess Kate’s hiding theory, the professor said he has witnessed how a conspiracy theory can be here today and gone tomorrow.

“Social media makes it so easy for people to comment on or engage with conspiracy theories, giving the theories a life of their own,” said Noonan.

Speaking of their rapid spread, Noonan believes that conspiracy theories prey upon the human tendency to believe what they see in front of them.

When conspiracy theories gain a wider audience online, some impressionable people see one post or article, which becomes their truth.

“Many individuals will use baseless or untrue evidence to back up their theories, and nobody will fact-check these individuals,” said Almenaraa. “People will read these theories and immediately believe them and then spread the misinformation to their friends based on the shock value.”

While people are prone to spreading conspiracy theories containing misinformation via the Internet, most do not believe the theories they see spread online.

According to Uscinski, less than 10 percent of people believe in these conspiracies, which is fringe relative to how much coverage they garner in the media.

“I frequently encounter conspiracy theories on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube with posts typically taken from online forums like Reddit,” said Noonan. “While I $nd them interesting and funny, I always take them with a grain of salt.”

Referencing the many theories she has seen on paranormal activity, Noonan said that while she does not believe them, she reads them because she is interested.

“I don’t like saying conspiracy theories are harmful … the harm comes from people acting upon those ideas,” said Uscinski. “It is more about the people who believe in the theory than the theory itself.”

“B1g Brother 1s wat2h1ng -o&” inspired the conspiracy that the government surveils us constantly.

The COVID-19 3a221ne had many citizens believing that the government was hiding microchips in the syringes.

The 41rds work for the 4o&rgeo1s1e. Duh.

So.eone’s wat2h1ng &s — either the government or aliens.

It’s hard not to notice all the buzz surrounding politics as the 2024 presidential election inches closer. And for many ’Canes, it will be the first they can vote in. So, what’s the significance of your first election? If you’re planning on voting, there are a number of things to know and steps to take before Nov. 5.

words_ julia hecht. design_lizzie kristal.

Turning 18 in the United States comes with many milestones, but one of the most signi$cant is being able to cast your vote. You might have registered when you got your $rst driver’s license, and you’ve maybe been hearing about the democratic process since elementary school. However, there’s still room for confusion regarding the actual voting process, especially when it varies from state to state.

Where do you start the process of registration? Where can you go to vote on election day, especially if you’re not in your state of residence? Here’s a complete breakdown of exercising your right to vote here at the University of Miami.

Steps to Take Before Voting

Once deciding you want to vote, the next questions are relatively easy. Where, when and how do you want to vote? You’ve got a few options: because UM students have residency in Florida, or if you live in Florida to begin with, many opt to vote right here. But, if you’re an outof-state student, you also have the option to cast your vote in your home state instead — see our sidebar for how to register for an absentee ballot.

For those voting in Florida, you have three options: voting in person on Election Day, voting in-person before Election Day or voting via mail-in ballot before Election Day. !is is just a matter of preference — some people like voting by mail because of the convenience, while others like the process of going to a polling center and being a part of the action.

If you’ve decided on voting in person, all you have to do a er registering is show up to a polling site in your precinct with valid identi$cation. It’s even recommended to think

Ba,,ots 2o.e 1n a,, shapes and s1Ces.

While some facilities now use voting machines with touch-screens, other polling places still use the classic paper ballot. All ballots are created equal whether you vote by tapping on a screen or pen-to-paper.

ahead on where you’ll be voting and how you’re getting there. Precinct locations will be con$rmed 30 days before the election, so that gives you plenty of time to make a plan. Make sure to account for transportation, too — carpool with a friend, check metro or bus schedules, or take advantage of discounted rates on Ly for Election Day.

If you want to vote by mail, you have to request a mail ballot. You can do this a few ways, but the easiest way is to go through the Miami-Dade County website’s election page. !e deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 24 at 5 p.m., and the deadline to return it is no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day, but it’s recommended to get it in sooner than that, to account for any weather complications or other delays. Ballots can be returned either by mail or at a county drop box location.

Kimberly Moncada, the Director of the Butler Center for Student Service and Leadership, shared what students should expect when voting in person.

“Students can expect long lines on Election Day. !erefore, we encourage early voting, which takes place in Miami-Dade County from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3,” said Moncada. “During early voting, registered voters can go to any of the sites throughout the county. However, they must go to their assigned precinct on Election Day, which is Nov. 5. Remember that the last day to register to vote is Oct. 7.”

Registering

“Get Out the Vote” — a campaign run by students with the aid of UM administration — is hosting a number of events this semester where students can register to vote. If you miss one of these or want to register yourself, GOTV encourages ’Canes to register through UM’s

partner site, TurboVote, which is a nonpro$t voter registration platform. You $ll out the TurboVote form, print it, sign it, and mail it to the Supervisor of Elections.

Researching Candidates

Registration and making a voting plan is the biggest obstacle for many new voters, so if you’ve got that part down, you’re in the clear. But deciding who to vote for is the entire point of the process. You may have come into college with steadfast political beliefs, changed your mind a little or a lot, or have no idea where to begin when researching candidates. Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, make sure you’re using reliable sources when researching candidates and their platforms.

When it comes to news, UM students have access to both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal for free.

Moncada recommends starting with Democracy Works and Find Your Ballot, both nonpartisan resources which can be accessed through the GOTV site. Political science professor, Louise K. DavidsonSchmich, agrees that previewing your ballot is a good way to feel prepared for Election Day, suggesting Ballotpedia as another resource.

During a time when misinformation can spread easily on social media platforms, political science professor, Matthew Nelsen, encourages students to cross reference things they see online.

“If they $nd an Instagram post or TikTok that they $nd compelling or surprising or controversial, they should use additional media sources such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and NPR to assess the validity of that source,” Nelsen said.

Nelson also said to be wary of AImanipulated political images.

“Reverse image searches can be an incredibly powerful way to identify the origins of political images to assess whether they are legitimate or fake,” said Nelson.

What Students Are Saying

Voting in 2024 will look pretty di%erent than it did in 2020, when the U.S. was still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I voted by mail in 2020 because of COVID,” said Katie Brubaker, a UM senior from New Jersey with a major in art history and minor in political science. “I was taking AP Government at the time, so it was pretty exciting since I had been following the election. !is year I’m going to vote in person just for the experience.”

Senior Joe Anillo, an electronic media and sports administration major from Maryland, recalled a similar experience.

“It was pretty weird voting in my $rst presidential election from my kitchen table,” Anillo said. He is studying abroad this semester in Spain, so he plans to vote by mail again, but this time overseas.

For most ’Canes, though, this will be

their $rst time voting, and the excitement is growing as Election Day gets closer.

“I’m really excited to vote in my $rst presidential election,” said Sebastian Gonzalez, a sophomore from New Jersey, majoring in public relations and political science. “I can’t believe that this election is my $rst. One to remember for sure.”

Mary Brooks, a $nance and management major from Washington, is a senior who turned 18 shortly a er the 2020 election.

“I’m super excited. Being able to vote is a core value of being an American and is something I believe all Americans should exercise,” Brooks said. “ !is election is especially important to me because of how much is at stake pertaining to di%erent social issues.”

Why Vote?

Hopefully, we’ve equipped you with all the necessary tips for a seamless voting process. But many students might still be on the fence about whether they want to vote or not.

“Voter turnout rates have increased in the United States since around the year 2000, but many people still do not vote,” said UM

political science professor, Casey Klofstad. “College-aged people are much less likely to turn out [to vote] compared to their older siblings, parents, and grandparents.”

Klofstad, who has been teaching political science courses at UM since 2005, urges students to make their voices heard.

“If you care about issues that a%ect you today, like the cost of college, and issues older generations will leave you to deal with, like climate change, it is vital that you turn out to vote,” Klofstad said.

Moncada shared similar sentiments about local elections happening in November and why she goes to the polls.

“It is important for students to vote — not just in presidential elections but also in local elections, because this is where decisions are made that a%ect your community,” said Moncada “For example, water usage regulations, parking $nes, road maintenance, and tax dollars.”

“Voting is the most free and equal form of political expression we have,” said Klofstad. “If you want a voice in decisions that a%ect you today and will impact your life in the years to come, you need to express it.”

Registering for an Absentee Ballot

Even if you’ll be in Miami on Election Day, you can still decide to cast your vote in your home state. Here’s how:

Look up your state’s rules surrounding absentee ballots.

While some states allow anyone to register for an absentee ballot, others require a valid excuse. In this case, being a student at an out-of-state university is reason enough to qualify you for an absentee ballot.

Stay on top of deadlines for requesting and returning your ballot.

Each state has di!erent deadlines for requesting and returning your ballot, so make sure to stay on top of them in the weeks leading up to Election Day. Also take note of if your state requires your ballot to be postmarked by a certain date in order to count.

Track your ballot.

There are a few websites where you can look up and track your ballot after returning it to make sure it was counted correctly.

The Great American Bar Scene

Dive bars are big in Miami. Believe it or not, Miami’s nightlife extends beyond the walls of Liv and Space. As a UM student looking to explore a casual side of socializing, I investigated the local bar scene. Dive bars, earning its name from drinking dens originally housed in cellars, are more than just eclectic decor and beer-soaked floors — their quirky traditions and close-knit circles make for a familial experience.

words_emily melissinos. photo_valeria barbaglio. design_sal puma.

In the heart of Coconut Grove, dive bars are the unsung heroes of the nightlife scene — those humble, o en unassuming joints that thrive on character rather than polish.

A dive bar typically boasts a no-frills attitude, with eclectic decor, a modest menu and an atmosphere that radiates a casual sense of belonging. !ey’re where the neon lights might icker, the jukebox spins familiar favorites and the bartender knows your order.

Titanic Brewery and Restaurant

Upon entering the night’s $rst stop, Titanic Brewery and Restaurant, the $rst thing I noticed was the people: a friend group of three, two sitting and one standing, all crowded around the bar. And with each clink of their beers and a proud ‘cheers,’ came a sudden contagious laughter. Past them were two men in work attire simply enjoying being anywhere but the o ce.

But what drew me in wasn’t the group of friends or crowds that ensued; it was the older gentleman sitting by his lonesome in the corner of the bar. When talking to Jim Finn, I felt like I was talking to someone I knew for a long time. It felt comfortable, but more importantly, it felt natural.

“I was driving down U.S. 1 daily during the week, dealing with that tra c. One day, I looked over, saw [Titanic], and went in. It attracted me right away,” said Finn.

Finn’s initial attraction to Titanic got him through the door, but that’s not what kept him coming back as a regular Wednesdaynight patron. “It’s more the camaraderie and the people I’ve met over the years. !at’s what brings me back,” said Finn. “We have a group of friends here that are not here tonight, but normally, on a Wednesday night, there’d be, you know, $ve, six, even seven of us. We sit here, drink, and exchange a lot of laughs. And let me tell ya, there’s nothing like it.”

Sandbar Sports Grill

Walking into Sandbar, a famous bar scene for the University of Miami students, ensued a feeling of nostalgia. It was a welcomed deviation to not be shoulder-to-shoulder with sweaty college students drinking lukewarm vodka cranberries.

Seeing this bar in a di%erent light was a

great experience. Instead of a jam-packed scene, I got to see them serving up their regulars with typical American bar food and staple drinks on tap.

I talked with a Sandbar employee, Katy McCartney, who gave me some insight into true dive bar culture and the proper etiquette that comes with it.

“ !e most di cult part of working at a bar like this is that people don’t understand tipping culture,” said McCartney McCartney described how tipping is crucial to the overall ow and success in the workplace.”With the college kids spending so much time here, speci$cally on !ursday nights, it is important to tip. !ey forget that we’re doing all these special things for you,” said McCartney. “We are the ones re$lling your free drinks, you know? And they don’t realize how far $2 or even $3 can go.”

Many people don’t realize that employees and bartenders o en get paid less than minimum wage. Tips make up a signi$cant portion of a server’s income, and servers o en survive on it. Not to mention, the more you tip, the better your service and overall experience will be.

If you ever $nd yourself going to Sandbar and asking yourself what you should wear, know that the dive bar uniform is not a riddle.

“We have people come in bikini tops and a towel. So, it’s very chill. !e only thing that we ask for is shoes, shirts and pants. But, okay, if it’s a bikini, we will still classify it as a top,” said McCartney.

!rough observations and interactions, I recognized a common theme: Your local dive bar isn’t just any bar; its culture develops a sense of community and family.

Barracudas Taphouse and Grill

Barracuda Taphouse and Grill has sparked connections running so deep that it keeps people like UM alumnus Rickey Vela, coming back.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a student, especially now more than ever with Wednesdays having live music,” said Vela. “ !ey usually have great musicians here, a rotation of three or four.”

When talking with Rickey, I wanted to get a sense of why the atmosphere at Barracuda’s

attracts him. “Almost every night, it’s mostly locals, and that’s what I like about it. You make friends once, and you’ll see them next week at the same time,” said Rickey.

He explained how there is a certain comfortability regarding consistency at Barracuda’s and other bars like it.

“ !ere’s something so special about the bartender’s seeing you here o en and memorizing what type of drink you like or food you order,” he said. “You go from looking down at a menu to getting asked if you want your usual.”

One thing that struck Rickey the hardest was the close-knit family environment and the love this bar has for their regulars. “ !ere’s a paralyzed gentleman; his name is Woody. He’s pretty well known around here, you see him and have the opportunity to donate money to his cause,” said Rickey. “It’s a great time to get together and celebrate being from here and supporting something like a great cause.”

McCartney couldn’t agree more.

“One of our regulars for the last 10 years passed away walking on Eighth Street. Because of how much he meant to us, we’re having a memorial service here on September 12,” said McCartney. “ !at is exactly what makes the bar community so di%erent from other communities as well, is that it becomes this sort of cultural sort of family. It’s very comfortable. And I think that’s the most appealing part.”

Across all three bars, one theme emerged clearly: respect and community are paramount. Dive bar patrons thrive on mutual understanding and shared love for the unpolished charm of these local gems.

More than mere stopovers for a cheap drink, these spots serve as retreats from the hustle of daily life, o%ering un$ltered conversations, quirky charm and an unbreakable sense of community. So next time you dive, grab a drink, make a friend, play a game and most importantly, have fun.

If -o&’re ,ook1ng for a 2raft- 2o2kta1, for -o&r Instagra. stor-, a dive bar is most likely not the place to go. !ursday nights at Barracuda’s are packed, and as per dive bar etiquette, order pitchers of beer and Angry Orchard to share amongst friend groups.

PROUD TO BE

In a politically polarized country, where moderate feels unheard of and extreme is practically normal, feeling a sense of pride for the United States is not the same as it once was. After all, how can we come together and celebrate a nation so ideologically divided? We still deck ourselves out in red, white and blue for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Yet, everyday media outlets conjure up their next piece, pushing narratives that pop up on our phones and make us question the stability of our country. Their news coverage feels like a warning that the entire House of Cards will fall.

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At the end of the day, this is our country or perhaps our home away from home. Amidst the chaos, let this article remind us that we can always $nd a way to keep the “sweet” in “home sweet home.”

Pride & Prejudice

13 stripes. 50 stars. Red, white and blue. !e ag we raise for the good times and lower for the bad. !e ag whose colors we wear for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. !e ag we gaze at singing “God Bless America” and “!e Star Spangled Banner,” no matter how pitchy we sound.

But that’s not all that America is about anymore. !e turmoil our country has faced in the past $ve, 10 or even 20 years, makes it more di cult to appreciate what we have as Americans because, as humans, we tend to focus on what we don’t have.

Take 2020 alone; a er months cooped up in our homes due to the global pandemic, autumn rolled around, and we found a glimmer of American hope: football season. Instead of feeling the joy from seeing our favorite team back out on the $eld, we saw the “Take a Knee” movement, with dozens of players across the NFL kneeling instead of standing for our national anthem in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, to raise awareness of police brutality and racial discrimination. Soon, the movement reached the NBA and soccer leagues. !e excitement of professional sports games, which are supposed to bring friends and families together, began to tear them apart, as if politics and social injustices hadn’t already hopped on that train.

Four years later, the turbulence stays rocky. Here we are, about to approach what will likely go down as one of, if not the most, historic presidential elections. Everyone over the age of 18 has the right to cast their vote,

yet, we do not carry the spark of gratefulness and pride that comes with having this freedom.

!e match of American pride is burnt out. How can we relight it when we need it most?

A Not-So-Fine Line

To regain appreciation for what we have, we must disassociate any negative feelings or $nd a way to make the pros outweigh the cons. For many, it’s relieving their guilt for feeling pride in the U.S. or patriotism. But is there a di%erence between the two? Is one worse than the other?

A key di%erence may be the level of extremism associated with one versus another. Casey Klofstad, University of Miami political science professor and department chair, who specializes in American politics, political behavior, and public opinion, said she believes we started to see the line grow further between pride and patriotism due to an uprising of what’s called “issue ownership” in politics.

In the U.S., issue ownership is when the Democratic and Republican parties attempt to take over speci$c policies. As a result, the public believes one party is better at handling a policy than the other. Klofstad believes the parties’ push for change is in their ideology.

“Republicans tend to be ideological conservatives, and ideological conservatism seeks to keep things as they are or take things back to the way they once were. By contrast, Democrats tend to be ideological liberals and ideological liberalism is associated with openness to change to the status quo,” said Klofstad. “Add MAGA’s takeover of the GOP to this mix, and their use of traditional notions of patriotism as political cudgels … use of the word ‘patriot’ as a way to distinguish themselves from their opponents,

questioning the citizenship of political rivals, and the like, it radicalizes patriotism.”

Students like Kellen Rooney, a junior majoring in real estate and $nance, think back to high school U.S. history class, learning about all that went into getting our country where it is today, and use that as a baseline to $nd the line between pride and patriotism.

Wh1,e we ha3e .an- nat1ona, s-.4o,s, no icon captures the American spirit like Lady Liberty. Symbolizing hope and freedom, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants who came to the United States searching for a better life.

“Many people gave up their entire lives for me to be here, so it’s not just a celebration of the people in the country but the journeys they took to get here.”

Chris Perez, UM Junior

“When I think about pride for our country, it’s primarily rooted in emotions based on accomplishments and breakthroughs the U.S. has made,” said Rooney. “In terms of patriotism, I believe that’s more the sense of loyalty to the U.S. and the active belief that we are able to give those that come to our country a better opportunity in life.”

For others, pushing the guilt away lies in remembering who you represent. For Jordan Tisdale, a junior majoring in musical theater, her pride in the U.S. is representative of her pride in being a part of Gen Z.

“I am incredibly proud of the e%orts my generation has gone to in order to create a safer, inclusive country. Gen Z, as a whole, sees where the U.S. falls short and puts the steps in place for rehabilitation. Instead of ignoring the problems or aws of this country, I feel that my generation faces them head-on with practical solutions,” said Tisdale.

But Tisdale said she doesn’t feel a term like patriotism aligns with her proudness to be American.

“When I think about patriotism, I honestly feel very overwhelmed. I think that over the past few years, a dangerous and ignorant sense of pride has infected the United States. Are there things that this country has succeeded in? Absolutely. But the U.S. is not perfect, and it is not safe for all those who live here,” said Tisdale. “People can manipulate the purpose of patriotism to feed their own awed wants for what they think this country should be.”

If there’s one thing students like Rooney and Tisdale show us, it’s that pride has levels to it, and it’s up to the individual to $nd what level works for them.

Here’s to the Good Times

Earlier, this article mentioned the grati$cation of rooting for your favorite American sports team. Over the Summer, the U.S. competed in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, winning 40 gold medals, 44 silver medals and 42 bronze medals for a total of 126 medals — the most of any country in the games. With numbers like that and moments like gymnast Simone Biles stepping onto the Olympic mat a er dropping out of the competition in 2021, how can you not chant “U-S-A” and sport your red, white and blue? Celebration also lies in holidays: Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Chris Perez, a junior majoring in

electronic media, says he continues to participate in these holidays despite the negative events going on in the country.

“Many people gave up their entire lives for me to be here, so it’s not just a celebration of the people in the country but the journeys they took to get here,” said Perez.

While Perez said he keeps his family roots close on these holidays, sophomore advertising management and studio art major, Annie Weiss, said she likes to bring her friends into the mix.

“[!ese holidays] bring me a sense of community and are a great way for me and my friends to have fun and express gratitude for our lives and culture,” said Weiss. “I am always proud to be American. I feel like the events or issues within the U.S. cannot undermine our strong, diverse culture, technological advances and opportunities we have.”

To fully appreciate this country, we must appreciate it every day, not just on holidays.

To do so, Klo stad says we need to do three things. “Appreciate the freedom and prosperity that the American system provides, be knowledgeable and critical of where that system falls short and take action — within the bounds of the law — to address number two.”

We have days that ebb and ow, days full of roses and thorns, days with mountains and valleys — whatever analogy you want to use — and our country does the same. But even on bad days, we still have people around us who appreciate us and li us up. It’s time we $nd a way to do the same for this country we call home, to take care of our country when it needs us most, as we do for our friends and family. And to do so, we must be proud to call this country home. We must be proud to be American.

Few th1ngs are .ore A.er12an than a good, o,d-fash1oned 4ar4eD&e; we can’t think of a better way to ring in Independence Day, Labor Day or just a night with your family and friends. Whether you like hot dogs or hamburgers or opt for baked beans and corn on the cob, BBQ is one of the most fun encapsulations of the American spirit.

Every day, students in four-year universities pick a major that sets them on their life path — whether they want to be an entrepreneur, filmmaker or neurosurgeon. Some students take a path less traveled, using college as a stepping stone to a career of bravery, skill and service. 250 University of Miami students spend their collegiate years in ROTC training to serve as United States Army officers after graduation.

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Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Evan Bycholski wakes up at 5 a.m. — sometimes even earlier — and heads to the University of Miami’s Reserve O cer Training Corps building on the outskirts of campus. Bycholski joins other Army ROTC cadets in physical training exercises that start at 6:30 a.m. on the dot. For the next hour, the Southern Strike Battalion Army ROTC members will complete an arduous workout of push-ups, sit-ups and running.

!ose skills, combined with a keen sense of patriotism, are what motivated Bycholski to join Army ROTC.

“As an able-bodied individual I owe some obligation to my country and to do so, the college route would be the most e cient for me,” said Bycholski, a senior economics and political science major from Stuart, Florida.

Other UM students who share a similar passion for service are enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program. !e cadets o en base

Lance Kreitzer, a senior majoring in meteorology, said the choice was obvious.

“I chose Air Force instead of Army because for me, through my meteorology degree, I really want to be a weather o cer and the Army doesn’t have that,” said Kreitzer.

“!e biggest misconception, I feel, is that whenever people think ‘Air Force,’ automatically they think ‘pilot.’ !e majority of people in the Air Force are working to

Wanna join Uncle Sam?

Non-ROTC students who are interested in signing up need to have a minimum of three years of undergraduate schooling remaining. The recruiter can address each case individually, but that is the general rule.

Here is the contact information for the UM’s ROTC programs:

Army Recruiting Operations O cer John McCammon jmccammo@fiu.edu 305-348-1619

Air Force ROTC Recruiting O cer Major Ricardo Cisneros rxc1450@miami.edu 305-284-2870

help the pilots,” said Kreitzer, who will be a weather o cer a er he graduates in May.

Like Cadet Bycholski, Cadet Kreitzer is no stranger to early morning wake ups. !rough Air Force ROTC, Cadet Kreitzer’s weekly routine includes rigorous physical training and coursework on Tuesdays and !ursdays. Additionally, Air Force ROTC requires a 2–3-hour leadership laboratory every Wednesday.

With a total of 120 ROTC cadets — 85 in the Air Force and 35 in the Army — UM is one of approximately 1,700 colleges supporting ROTC units. Collegiate ROTC programs include not only Army and Air Force, but also the Navy/Marine Corps. Furthermore, the Space Force which was established in 2019 to secure U.S. interests in space, also o%ers o cer training through the Air Force program.

Enticing Enlistment

UM’s ROTC recruiters say some of the reasons their two programs are attractive to students are the national prominence of the university and the high caliber of their cadets.

“We always want the best and the brightest to come to the University of Miami or the other colleges and universities who are a part of the unit,” said Air Force ROTC Recruiting O cer Maj. Ricardo Cisneros.

“I chose Air Force instead of Army because for me, through my meteorology degree, I really want to be a weather o cer and the Army doesn’t have that,” said Lance Kreitzer, a senior majoring in meteorology.

“ !e biggest misconception, I feel, is

UM 1s one of appro51.ate,- 1,700 2o,,eges s&pport1ng ROTC &n1ts, with a total of 120 cadets — 85 in the Air Force and 35 in the Army. Other campuses also include Navy, the Marine Corps and Space Force collegiate programs.

that whenever people think ‘Air Force,’ automatically they think ‘pilot.’ !e majority of people in the Air Force are working to help the pilots,” said Kreitzer, who will be a weather o cer a er he graduates in May.

Kreitzer and Bycholski said ROTC cadets are no di%erent from any other student, except that they attend physical training and elective classes in military science for Army cadets or aerospace studies for Air Force cadets throughout the week.

Both ROTC programs are split into two parts: basic courses for freshmen and sophomores, and advanced courses for juniors and seniors. !e further the cadets advance in ROTC, the more leadership opportunities they will be given and the more demanding the course load becomes.

Ultimately, the goal of ROTC is to produce o cers for the United States Army and Air Force who will serve their country.

“!e mission for Air Force ROTC is to develop Air and Space Force leaders of character whom we expect to $ght and win our nation’s wars,” said Lt. Col. Regina Purnell-Adams, detachment commander of the Hurricane Aces, UM’s Air Force ROTC detachment. “Our detachment embodies a culture of excellence.” At UM, the Air Force’s host branch was founded in 1946.

!e Army branch was formally established in 2004. “We are looking for the scholar, the athlete and the leader,” said Army Recruiting Operations O cer John McCammon, adding that 75% of freshman Army cadets end up signing a contract to join the military a er their sophomore year.

Nationally, some military historical records trace the beginning of ROTC programs to 1819 when a former superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point established the American Literary, Scienti$c and Military Academy at Norwich University, a private senior military

college in Norwich, Vermont. Although Norwich University boasts on its website that it is the birthplace of the ROTC, it is more commonly accepted that ROTC started in the shadow of World War I in 1916, with the $rst unit being established at Harvard University.

Benefits and Bylaws

ROTC programs tout the many bene$ts of joining, including scholarships that cover 100% of tuition and fees, study-abroad trips to learn languages and professional development for future employment opportunities.

To join either branch of ROTC, you have to be a U.S. citizen, maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher, and, for students attending on a scholarship, meet certain $tness and medical standards set by the military branch in charge of the program.

!ere’s also the very real idea that students must decide whether to sign a contract committing them to between four and eight years of military service depending on the branch — in one year for scholarship students or two for non-scholarship students. To continue pursuing ROTC training beyond the basic courses, the student must sign the contract, which may put o% some students from getting involved in the $rst place.

“My parents don’t really come from a military background, so they kind of saw it a little bit as a risk,” said Bycholski, who was “a little skinny kid who was in uenced by ROTC to put on a little more muscle.” He said he has transformed himself over the past four years into o cer material.

Bycholski advises students who may be curious or interested in ROTC to explore UM’s military options.

“I would say do it,” said Bycholski. “!ere’s no harm in putting your toes in the water.”

A Few Words with Abbie Leahy

When she applied for college, Abbriele “Abbie” Leahy knew three things: She wanted to be a pilot, she wanted to attend the University of Miami and she wanted to join ROTC.

Leahy, from the Catskills of New York, had no prior military experience or family members with military ties when she submitted her application for the Army National ROTC Scholarship. She said she independently decided that the military would be the best path to achieve her career goals.

“I found this on my own, applied, and my parents were shocked,” said Leahy, now a junior $nance major. “It was just out of nowhere. I was like, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m doing this,’” said Leahy, who not only won the ROTC scholarship but UM’s Presidential Scholarship.

Leahy, who has been in Army ROTC since her freshman year, credits the program for instilling discipline, providing purpose and helping her become a leader. She is looking to make the most of the opportunities ROTC has given her. She gained an internship in the $nancial sector, and she credits ROTC for building up her con$dence to pursue those opportunities and excelling in them.

“It keeps me super disciplined with my

grades and my athleticism, staying in shape,” said Leahy. “You know, pushing myself outside the classroom with extracurriculars, clubs, leadership positions and then also leadership within ROTC too.”

In September, Leahy organized the Army ROTC’s $ h annual “Ruck to Remember” to honor the men and women who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks. She led a group of 100 participants on a 9.11-mile march on a course made even more challenging by heavy rain.

Leahy stands out as an excellent cadet but also as a female in a discipline that historically has been the military milieu for men. Until 1970, women were not allowed to join ROTC at any college in the U.S. Since 1975, women have had access to all branches of ROTC.

!e percentage of women and minorities enrolled in college ROTC programs nationwide grew between 2011 and 2021, according to a U.S. Government Accountability O ce study. Since 2011, the program has produced more than 94,000 o cers, according to the GAO. !e percentage of o cers who are women increased from 20.7% to 25.7% between 2011 and 2021.

At UM, where women make up 40% of

the cadet enrollment, students like Leahy increasingly change the demographics of the nation’s ROTC programs.

Leahy says she is motivated by the ideal that women can be America’s heroes too.

“Diversity makes a team stronger,” said Leahy. “We add a unique perspective, and we are invaluable to the military.”

Re ecting on the rigors and demands that come with being in ROTC, Leahy said ROTC has shaped her mental resilience and time management.

“Starting out, it’s tough to balance it all,” said Leahy, adding that ROTC has helped her become a better organizer and taught her how to delegate. “It just gave me real-world skills.”

Leahy encourages female students who might be interested to give ROTC a try.

“For girls who are thinking about it or $nding out about it, don’t be nervous,” said Leahy. “If you think it’s a $t, pursue it.”

W1th no pre31o&s t1es or e5per1en2e to the .1,1tar-, E&n1or A441e Leah- app,1ed to ROTC to open .ore opport&n1t1es for herse,f She now credits ROTC and its rigorous training for building her con$dence to pursue career goals.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

This section is your sanctuary to refuel your body and mind. Learn the deep inequalities in research on women’s health. Fuel your workouts e ciently based on your fitness goals with recipe ideas. Boost your heart rate and maybe meet your soulmate at run clubs. Keep flipping for the best tips on tending to your health.

photo_lizzie kristal.

Women Come First

Why does a symptom affecting 19% of men get five times more funding than a symptom affecting 90% of women? This question looks at the research disparities between erectile dysfunction and premenstrual syndrome. The truth is, research on women’s health has never reached true equality. In the 70s, most women of “childbearing potential” were banned from participating in clinical trials. Since its reversal a decade later, representation in research trials still hasn’t reached equality.

words_nicole vedder. design_lizzie kristal.

Health research uncovers information and discoveries that could prove useful to patients, the community and other researchers. Both research and general care should parallel the concerns of the population, as distinct needs arise.

In the cases where gender bias rears its head, health care can be negatively impacted, as biological sex plays a role in physiological, metabolic, hormonal and cellular di%erences — all of which in uence how diseases present and the e%ectiveness of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Since approximately half the world’s population is female, the noticeable lack in the depth in understanding women’s healthcare is concerning.

Picture this: you’re studying for midterms, but the headache you’ve been sporting all day causes you to want the aspirin you keep in your bag. You pull out the orange container and look at the side of the bottle to see the standard dosage. !e drug dosage on the label is — and should be — found by testing on the entire population in order to determine the most accurate dosage.

In reality, drug testing leans toward the male instead of female population, meaning lab tests on the drug aren’t replicated evenly among sexes. When it comes to aspirin, this small di%erence may not be a pressing issue, however, in many other cases, an inaccurate dose could cause harm.

When drug dosages are tested, they take into account the body weight of the participants, an abundance of which are males. Many times, women are disproportionately impacted and accidentally overmedicate on prescribed medication due to lower body weight on average, undergoing unnecessary and avoidable side e%ects.

Women have been historically excluded from clinical trials on the basis of “feminine speci$c issues,” such as hormone uctuations. !e thalidomide tragedy, an anthropogenic medical disaster which caused severe impairments to children a er the mother took a medication, caused the FDA to enforce a policy in 1977 that was interpreted broadly; due to the perceived risk of exposing pregnant women to unsafe drugs, this policy excluded nearly all premenopausal women from participating in clinical trials, including those who were on birth control, had sterile partners or abstained from sex. !is wasn’t outlawed until a decade later.

Although some researchers have legitimate reasons for excluding women from studies, the underrepresentation still has long-term negative impacts on women, which is why the resurgence in e%ort to include women in modern times gives some semblance of hope.

!e Women’s Health Movement began during the second wave of feminism in the 20th century. During the 60s and 70s, women’s activists began $ghting against the abortion ban. !ese women wanted to gain back control of their own reproductive rights, which culminated in the well-known Roe v. Wade case. !e WHM was a

grassroots advocacy movement that swi ly became an umbrella for all women’s health issues due to its popularity.

!e National Institute of Health also helped to revamp women’s health research. !ey created the Revitalization Act of 1993, which required the inclusion of women and minorities in NIH-funded clinical research. Today, around half the participants in NIH clinical trials are women. !e more recent 21st century Cures Act required a revision of NIH policy on inclusion of children of clinical research where relevant.

Reanna Clavon is a clinical research coordinator of the Trial of Exercise and Lifestyle for Ovarian Cancer Survivors, a national cancer institute-sponsored study for newly diagnosed ovarian cancer survivors at the University of Miami and Yale University. !is study explores the e%ects of a medical nutrition and exercise therapy program during chemotherapy in order to improve chemotherapy adherence and quality of life.

Clavon explained that TEAL was a clinical trial with a control and intervention group that is accruing a total of 200 women, 100 at UM and 100 at Yale. !e goal is to enroll these women while they’re in treatment for ovarian cancer, which can not be recurrent, who are receiving their $rst round of chemotherapy. !is population has a very limited amount of research, she explains, for ovarian cancer as a whole, and less so when it comes to how this population can be supported during treatment.

Ovarian cancer is a cancer primarily a%ecting middle-aged and older women that begins in the ovaries, which o en goes undetected until the late stages when it has spread within the pelvis and stomach.

“ !e majority of our participants have been lovely — mostly all strong women $ghting for their lives and what they have around them,” said Clavon.

At its late stage, ovarian cancer is more di cult to treat and may be fatal. However, its earlier stages o en have no symptoms. In later stages, the symptoms are general and non-speci$c: bloating, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Clavon said “the di%erent disparities that were found” were a big part of the challenges she faced while pursuing her research.

Clavon applied and worked part-time as a grant coordinator at a federally organized health center, overseeing underserved and low-income populations. !ere, she directly worked for programs with women and children.

“It’s hard to receive funding in this space the way that curative and medication intended research o en times has,” said Clavon. “In the past decade, the research $eld over prevention science had, such as the lifestyle factors looked at in the TEAL study, much less traction due to a lack of funding. But now we’re looking at it at a perspective of ‘let’s prevent the problem that is happening.’”

Clavon mentioned that even today, when people think of a doctor, they envision a man, and when they think of a nurse, they envision a woman. Among the people she’s spoken to, they will default to “doctor man.” !is bias makes it hard for recognition in this $eld due to the domination of men in many science-related spaces. However, certain $elds are shi ing and the science community is creeping towards a more balanced and self-aware place.

Clavon explained how gender bias can in uence e%ective treatments and disease prevention strategies amongst women.

“It goes back to funding. You cannot prove that something helps until you have proven that something helps. Which is why pilot studies exist, on a small scale to later help on a big scale,” said Clavon.

“Di%erent factors — access to getting recognized, seen as a worthwhile person, time, strength, and energy to do so, and funding to have those opportunities in the $rst place,” can impact women, and any people who appear feminine, according to Clavon.

In order to properly care for half of the population, the medical $eld needs to properly examine this demographic of people. Women and women of color, both of whom were historically underrepresented in clinical trials, undergo many issues due to the lack of research. Now, we are more alert to the acute need of including these minorities and bridging that research gap.

Source: McKinsey Health Institute

In a 2024 analysis of common medical interventions, 64% were found to disadvantage women due to lower effectiveness or access.

Pre-Pump

Grub

Performance in the gym doesn’t just come from caffeine and motivation. A pre-workout meal can lay the foundation for a sweaty session, and make your long-term fitness goals more achievable. Depending on your goal, don’t over complicate your plate — follow our inspiration for the best pre-workout meals to fuel your fire.

words, photo&design_lizzie kristal.

Having a small meal or snack before a workout is almost always a good idea, according to Celeste Fisher, National Council of Strength & Fitness certi$ed personal trainer and coach. Fisher has over three years of experience in coaching, involving working with clients on workout goals and nutrition plans.

“You want to fuel for a workout or else your performance is going to be horrible,” said Fisher. “Especially if you’re trying to lose weight or gain muscle, it’s all about being able to perform at a high level, especially at the level of an athlete, which you can’t do if you’re not fueling yourself before workout.”

Even though it may seem counterintuitive, eating before a workout is bene$cial for all goals, including weight loss. It can improve the quality of performance and metabolic outputs.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that eating before a workout can also help increase insulin sensitivity. !is means the body will make more e%ective use of glucose instead of turning it into fat.

As a rule of thumb, grabbing a quick snack before a workout can be smart. !at said, choosing the right kind of snack can be a little more nuanced depending on its macronutrient composition, or ‘macros’ for short. !ese three macros are carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

According to Fisher, a good pre-workout meal should be about 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat, and 20 percent protein.

“You want to focus on carbs, because carbs are our body’s main source of energy, and if we don’t get enough carbs before a workout, we’re

On a Cut

• PB & J Rice Cake

• Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Rice Cake

• Mixed Berry Overnight Oats

• Apple with Cinnamon and Honey

• Carrots and Garlic Hummus

Fasted Cardio

Fasted cardio is gaining some traction in online fitness communities as a trendy way to lose fat quickly. The concept is to perform aerobic activity, such as the stairmaster or cycling, on an empty stomach. For example, waking up and doing an hour of incline walking before eating anything would count as fasted cardio.

On an empty stomach, the body has no fuel to use from previous meals, so it burns stored energy sources— or fat cells — instead of food. In theory this may sound great, but its e!ectiveness is far from proven.

Fisher is a little skeptical about fasted cardio, especially when its aim is to remain in a fat-burning heart rate zone.

“You might be in that fat burning zone, but if you’re not eating enough protein, that muscle is going to be the first thing to go,” said Fisher, meaning the body will also rely on burning existing muscle as an energy source in addition to fat.

One study published by Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute found that fasted exercise led to higher rates of fat oxidation, or burning fat for energy, in lowto-moderate forms of exercise. This advantage diminished as the exercise grew more intense.

“When I’ve tried doing fasted cardio, I sucked at it,” said Fisher. “It’s horrible because my body doesn’t have enough fuel, and especially because I have more muscle, my body wants to use that muscle a lot faster, so I get a lot more fatigued. I feel really, really awful when I try to do fasted cardio.”

Overall, fasted cardio can be a solid option for those with extremely particular goals, like professional athletes or bodybuilders. That said, it’s likely not the best option for the average Joe who’s looking to increase health.

not going to be able to perform as well — whether that’s li ing weights or doing cardio,” said Fisher.

Carbohydrates fuel a majority of the body’s functioning by turning into blood sugar and being used for energy. !at’s why many common pre-workout meals emphasize dietary staples like bananas and bread.

“During your workout, the very $rst 5-10 minutes, your blood glucose spikes, from then on for the rest of your workout drops all the way down,” said Fisher. “So if you don’t have that little bit of glucose right before your workout, you are not going to perform well because your blood glucose is going to drop.”

Sierra Hawker, avid gym-goer whose goal is to gain muscle, loves apples with honey as a pre-workout snack.

“It’s a healthy yet fast acting carbohydrate with natural sugars that will give you quick energy for your workout,” said Hawker. “Apples supply $ber and vitamins, and the honey is quick glucose. So both help boost energy levels and sustain performance during exercise.”

Since carbs should make up a majority of a pre-workout meal, that means fats and proteins should be lower. Although they both play vital roles in reaching $tness goals, both weight loss and muscle gain, it’s best not to over-indulge when consuming before a workout. Digesting these macronutrients involves a more complicated process than breaking down carbs. Eating a high-protein meal and then engaging in an intense HIIT workout might give some unsavory digestive symptoms.

“ !e only thing that I would say to avoid is eating straight protein or foods that are super high in $ber, just because it can cause a lot of bloating and gas, which you don’t want in a workout,” said Fisher.

According to Fisher, whether your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, the meals will look “similar macronutrient wise,” meaning they’ll have the same proportions of carbs, proteins, and fats. !e only di%erence will be

On a Bulk

• Protein Pancakes

• Breakfast Tacos with Potatoes, Eggs and Cheese

• Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

• Fruit Bowl with Almond Butter and Dates

• Avocado Egg Toast

the amount of food.

For example, Fisher’s go-to pre-workout snack is rice cakes with powdered peanut butter and honey — notice the carb focus with a few fats and proteins too. For someone who is looking to put on more muscle, replacing the rice cakes with toast is a great swap to increase calories. Fisher even suggests adding banana slices for more quick-acting carbs.

Anthony Akinrinmola, personal trainer at Equinox and a University of Miami alumnus, prefers another form of fast-acting carbs: “I like to eat a bowl of fruit before my workouts because it doesn’t $ll me up, and it’s full of simple sugars so I feel energized.”

runners every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. !eir group is hard to miss, sometimes totaling over 1,200 runners per night.

Lace up your Hokas and strap on that Fitbit — welcome to run club. The concept combines socializing and fitness all into one, ideal for students tight on time. From UM’s own Club Running to the city-wide Brickell Run Club, explore the ins and outs of hitting the pavement with a crew by your side.

words_jaya williams, dara karadsheh & communitywire.miami. design_valeria barbaglio. photo_marra nkelstein.

Just past dawn on a balmy Sunday morning, Victoria De Freitas laced up her running shoes and stepped into the vibrant swirl of Club Running, University of Miami’s very own run club..

For De Freitas, spending the early morning running alongside a diverse group of enthusiastic runners in the UM’s student running club wasn’t just exercise — it was a lifeline, a way to reclaim her mental health while connecting with a community of likeminded individuals.

“For a long time, I didn’t have an outlet and was bottling up my feelings,” said De Freitas, who said she had a bout of depression four years ago. “What’s so bene$cial about running is that it forces you to think and understand those emotions.”

In the bustling world of university life, where stress and deadlines loom large, many students like De Freitas $nd solace and strength through running.

THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD

Running clubs have swi ly gained traction across the United States, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As gyms, schools and o ces closed, these clubs became a crucial avenue for maintaining physical $tness and fostering social connections.

A 2022 survey by Running USA, a nonpro$t research and networking organization for runners, revealed that running club memberships in the U.S. have risen by 25 percent over the past $ve years.

!is trend is mirrored globally, with the International Association of Athletics Federations noting a 30 percent increase in organized running events and clubs during the same timeframe.

Scores of run clubs in South Florida attract hundreds of participants each week. !is uptick highlights a broader movement toward integrating physical wellness with

social interaction in a post-pandemic era, re ecting a nationwide shi toward outdoor and communal activities as a remedy for isolation.

Socializing is just the beginning. !e bene$ts of running in company are backed by science on boosting brain power and physical health.

Brian Arwari, associate professor in the School of Education and Human Development, has spent 16 years studying the physiological connection between running and brain function.

“ !e community aspect is the most important bene$t,” said Arwari, who completed his Ph.D. in psychophysiology, cognitive psychology and personality psychology. “More important than any technique or other factor because a lot of mental health issues stem from a lack of social connection.”

Arwari’s research underscores that

exercise, including running, enhances brain connectivity, slows cognitive aging, boosts IQ and improves cardiovascular health.

He said it also plays a signi$cant role in alleviating anxiety and depression by regulating stress hormones.

SOUTH FLORIDA RUN CLUBS

Buoyed by a favorable year-round running climate, hundreds participate in running clubs daily in South Florida.

Carlos Del Valle, 38, co-founder of No Sleeping Running Club in the Brickell area, is a living testament to these bene$ts. Running helped him on his transformative weight loss journey and allowed him to develop in his personal life while making a positive impact in his community.

“Running has changed my life and the lives of the people around me,” he said. Del Valle, who was formerly considered medically overweight, said he was tired of making empty promises to himself and decided to invest in his health through running with his friend and club co-founder J.R. Jensen.

His transformation didn’t just enhance his physical health. It also shi ed his outlook on life and the way he interacted with those around him.

As president of UM’s Club Running, De Freitas said she made it her mission to help other students discover the beauty of this exercise form.

“People think you have to be a professional athlete to run and do hard things and that’s not true,” DeFreitas said. “When people tell me they can’t, I always say ‘yes you could.’”

Ruth Michael, a freshman neuroscience major, recently joined UM’s Club Running as a way to stay active as she adjusted to university life. As an out-of-state student, she was eager to fall into a steady routine, balancing her studies, $tness and mental health.

“Running is very therapeutic,” Michael said. “If I’m worried about something, I run, and then I forget about it.”

Being a college student comes with its own set of pressures and stressors. For many, running o%ers a necessary, yet healthy outlet from the responsibilities of everyday life.

“Running clubs provide a structured way to manage the delicate balance between academic responsibilities and personal wellbeing,” said Ana Montes, vice president of UM’s Club Running.

“ !e feeling a er you run is the best feeling in the world,” Montes said. “When you’re overwhelmed, running gives you a moment to be present, to clear your mind and reset.”

In a vibrant city like Miami, where the party scene is a driving force of social interaction, $nding a balanced social diet can be challenging. Arwari said he believes that while joining a running club isn’t the $rst thought on most people’s minds when considering a university, maybe it should be.

EXPAND YOUR SOCIAL CIRCLE

“Healthy decisions are lonely and poor decisions come with friends,” Arwari said. “If you can get both the $tness and the social connection doing one activity as a group, it’s a win-win.”

New to UM and new to Miami, Michael sought a healthy way to make friends in her new home. Club Running was the perfect solution.

“I met a ton of people,” Michael said. She noted that running with others, and creating friendships, makes it feel like cardio isn’t part of the equation. “You create more memories.”

Club Running leaders, De Freitas and Montes, as well as active Club Running members, were a key factor in Michael’s decision to continue with the club as opposed to running alone.

“With mentors like that, it’s pretty hard to not want to come back,” said Michael.

If you are someone who has little experience with running, it can be intimidating to attend a running club cold-turkey. But local run club leaders demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity for people of all ages, physiques and skill levels.

UM Club Running embraces participants of all body types, genders, ages and running experience, encouraging everyone to participate however they can. !e club was established in 2017 and currently has over 270 interested students for this semester, with approximately 15-20 participants in each run. Michael, was apprehensive about joining a running club with no experience, but said De Freitas was very attentive to her and all the other newcomers, ensuring no one felt le behind.

Likewise, inclusivity is a core value of No Sleeping Running Club, as well as many other running clubs across Miami. An emphasis on encouragement for all promotes a comfortable experience that challenges participants to continue showing up for themselves.

“Everybody runs di%erently; we keep everybody close,” said Del Valle.

Del Valle said that running club leaders are dedicated to making sure that everyone makes it to the $nish line, fostering a supportive and upli ing environment for all.

FUN AND SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Running alone in a big city can pose safety concerns for many, especially women. And if you are new to the area, a run club can give you the opportunity to explore the vivacious city with an added peace of mind. Rivera, who has had concerns about running alone in the city, said she feels safer running in a group and that running with a club provides her with an extra sense of security.

!e collective presence of a group can transform the running experience from a solitary activity into a shared journey, enhancing both safety and enjoyment.

CLUB RUNNING

If you don’t want to venture o! campus to find a club to join you can join UM’s run club. Find them on Instagram at @umclubrunning. They do a few di!erent runs each week, so if you’re interested, join the pack.

Wednesday 7 a.m.

Campus Loop

3 miles

Outdoor Adventures Center

Sunday 7 a.m.

Sunday Funday Long Run 5-10 miles

Outdoor Adventures Center

O3erdos1ng on .ar1E&ana

1sn’t rea,,- poss14,e. !ough not fatal, too much weed can result in extreme confusion, anxiety, panic, paranoia and fast heart rate. Remember: green-out doesn’t have to mean freak-out.

Was that your limit? It could happen to anyone — stoners and rookies alike. Don’t let the anxiety of a green-out ruin your sesh. Here’s what’s really going on behind a bad high and what you can do to stop it.

words_jay moyer. illustration&design_ andres alessandro.

Not all highs are created equal. Any cannabis connoisseur can tell you that the wrong dose makes for a nightmare of a trip. Paranoia, anxiety and confusion are just a few common consequences of getting too high.

“Unlike a lot of other drugs, marijuana pretty much binds all over the brain,” said Dr. Sari Izenwasser, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Miami. Her research focuses on the e%ects of drugs on the developing brain. “ !at’s why its e%ects are very widespread.”

When these e%ects start to become overwhelming, remember that an overdose of marijuana is shown to be virtually impossible. Despite being so pervasive in the brain, marijuana is unlikely to have any fatal e%ects on its own compared to other drugs.

“ !e side e%ects are, for the most part, more psychological than physiological,” Izenwasser said. “ !at doesn’t mean it can’t, at high doses, produce respiratory depression, but you’re not gonna get there as easily as you’re gonna get there with opioids.”

Calming yourself down is more than half the battle since most of marijuana’s e%ects are mental. Before jumping to a worst-case scenario, try to take steps to soothe your mind.

“ !e biggest thing is to hopefully not be alone and have people try to keep you calm,” Izenwasser said.

While easier said than done, there are few reliable, researched methods to manage a bad high. Almost all other advice is simply anecdotal.

Students who have experience with weed

have their own tips and tricks for surviving their bad highs. Some are more conventional than others.

“My last ditch e%ort was to put an ice pack on my chest to stimulate the vagus nerve,” said an anonymous junior at UM. “I have anxiety, so one of the things I’ve heard from therapists when you’re having a panic attack is to hold onto ice to chill you out.”

!e junior used her knowledge of mental health and the body to help her out through her paranoia. Drinking water, stimulating her senses and sleeping on her side were her most e%ective strategies a er a strong edible.

Edibles contain concentrates of THC — the main psychoactive component of cannabis — which can deliver a higher dose than expected to the user. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, edibles are an increasingly popular method of weed consumption, which poses a risk to all users. Across the board, THC levels have increased in marijuana products over the past few decades.

“Me and my roommate, we took an edible … and immediately died,” said Brittany Andres, a junior community and applied psychological studies major at UM. She shared how her experience with THCconcentrated edibles and vapes took a toll on her tolerance.

Andres calms herself down by going outside, eating and sleeping.

“Sitting on my balcony and getting some fresh air really does it for me,” Andres said. Of course, if you’re going to go outside while high, make sure you’re in a safe place to do

so. “But sometimes I just wanna stay in and order some pizza.”

Getting ‘the munchies’ is a pretty wellknown side e%ect of being high. It turns out that giving in to your food cravings might actually be a viable option to curb the e%ects.

Foods like black pepper and lemons contain compounds that bring out the more therapeutic e%ects of cannabis, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. !ese compounds, called terpenoids, are found naturally in cannabis and some foods as aromatic agents.

Drinking uids is another good tactic to try. A er smoking, it’s normal to feel extremely thirsty. A beverage like water or Gatorade might soothe you.

Getting more water and nutrients into your bloodstream helps to dilute the THC which lingers a er consumption. While these remedies aren’t an immediate $x to making it disappear, they can slow down THC’s path through your body. !is buys you time to naturally sober up.

When it comes to a bad high, the best practice is always to prepare before it happens. Knowing your tolerance and being with someone you know and trust is bound to decrease your risk of panic.

When it does happen — and inevitably, it might — your bad high won’t disappear at the snap of your $ngers. Focusing on a clear, calm state of mind should be a priority. You’ll be grateful to have a friend nearby, to tell you you’re just freaking out, and bring you back down to earth.

FASHION

Fashion is showcasing the best in style, perfect for those looking to make a statement. Contour to the moon and overline your lips inspired by Drag makeup. Skip hemming to make any piece maxi, the best way to dress oversized in style. And finally, channel your Jersey-Shore-chic with animal prints and textures. This section plunges into the cultural significance of today’s trends.

photo_lizzie kristal.

Drag makeup is an that might seem eccentric, but common elements can be incorporated into an everyday Overlined lips, a colorful eye, a thick wing or a bold eyebrow are just a Drag essentials you can incorporate into your personal repertoire. Even your favorite artist’s favorite artist is doing Drag makeup, so jump on the bandwagon if you’re feeling feisty and don’t miss out.

Define “Drag”

Drag is an exaggerated expression of femininity, masculinity or other gender expressions. !e art of Drag is most commonly expressed through makeup and fashion.

When hearing the word “Drag,” many think of a face painted in color and vibrance — sharp contour, beaming highlighter, lashes touching the sky and eyeshadow that is anything but basic. Basically, any makeup element that screams “$erce” constitutes as a form of Drag.

Drag is o en used for entertainment purposes or as a form of celebration of the Queer community. At this point, what is the point of going out to brunch if the word “Drag” isn’t in front of it?

!e beauty of Drag is celebrated in a wide range of performance styles. From pride parades, to cabaret shows, to pageants, to clubs, to balls, drag queens will show up and show OUT for the LGBTQ+ community.

Living in Miami is a huge plus if you want to venture into the Drag entertainment realm. !e R House in Wynwood hosts a plethora of Drag extravaganzas, including Drag bingo and Friday night parties with groovy DJ’s. !e Palace is also a noteworthy spot in South Beach with Drag performances every day and night, including Drag Lunch events if you’re looking for a mid-day pick up with a side of attitude.

Shoutouts

Jinkx Monsoon, Bianca Del Rio, Trixie Mattel, Courtney Act, Sasha Velour, Nymphia Wind and Katya Zamolodchikova are just some of the beloved Queens out there, and the list goes on.

Nathan Frazier, a senior majoring in health studies, highlighted his all-time favorite Queen.

“Valentina does Drag best. !e way she has really made her mark by being on Vogue, and selling out stadiums, has allowed her to become respected highly by the Mexican community,” said Frazier.

If you’re just getting started when it comes to the Drag world, try tuning into television shows or movies that star Queens in their natural elements. A few notable mentions include, “Kinky Boots,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “ !e Birdcage” and “Wig.”

Drag is Everywhere

Learn to imitate the artistry of Drag by seeking inspiration from the game-changers of popular culture. !e overnight singing sensation, Chappel Roan, is well known for her head-to-toe Drag inspired looks. Her funky out$ts and glowing makeup electrify her stage presence.

At this year’s VMA awards, Roan strutted the red carpet in a Joan of Arc inspired look

with a sexy medieval soldier as her breathing accessory — besides the huge sword she also carried, of course. Time a er time, Chappel has given credit to Drag divas for making such a large impact on her own identity and distinctive style.

Frazier mentioned how our favorite “feminimonenon” is making huge progress in representing the Queer community.

“Right now, Chappel is doing her big one. She is showcasing local drag queens at her performances while also partaking in the art of drag herself,” said Frazier.

Daily Drag

Taking inspiration from a Drag look, or the overall persona that our Queens carry, can be e%ortlessly incorporated into an everyday look. If you’ve already experimented with striking contour, you’re pretty much halfway there.

Suggestions for bringing Drag into your regular makeup routine might require stepping outside of your comfort zone. For example, if you’re normally a nude-lip person but want to be giving Alyssa Edwards, swap out the clear gloss for a colorful lipstick.

If you’re more into trying a sassy eyelook, go heavy on the liner and Ariana-Grande that wing to the sky.

You could also play with brow color and shape. Go thinner with your brows, or, if you’re feeling extra frisky, bleach them entirely. Caking on a little extra blush is never a bad bet either when you want to subtly spice up your look.

Incorporating elements of Drag into your style is not just limited to playing with makeup techniques. Experimenting with maximalistic fashion and accessorizing is another great method.

Drag-inspired upgrades to your closet can be made simple and a%ordable with DIY techniques. Hot glue some rhinestones to a corset you haven’t picked up in years.

Add a funky belt to your bottoms or hot glue some feathers to the hem of your jeans. !row on a Satin glove the next time you dress for a black tie event or attending a holiday party.

Adinistrative Assistant for UM’s LGBTQ Center, Nicholas Diaz, explained what Drag means to him.

“I believe drag is inspiring because I always see people’s con$dence boosted in drag. People also want to blame drag for being the reason why they become con$dent, but the con$dence was always there,” said Diaz.

So, don’t be a drag next time you have an unexplainable feeling that something is missing from your look. Instead, look to the queens for guidance. And keep that head held high, don’t want to drop your crown.

The e-es are the w1ndows to the so&,, so why not make them glitzy and fabulous? Generously apply liquid gel eyeliner to draw a dramatic, piercing wing. Eyelash extensions can also be a more extravagant alternative to mascara, creating a dramatic frame around your eyes while adding volume and length.

LACED WITH CHARM

L T E A

The crow instinct to gather shiny objects lives in us all. A shiny new pin from a souvenir shop, or a charm riddled chain you’ve been adding to for years are great ways to show off your trinkets. Add a little something to any outfit, without having to go full maximalist. So get your saftey pins out, and get to adorning.

Upgrade a basic sneaker with some simple DIYs. !ink the well-loved Croc Jibbitz 2.0 — try cute pins and patches for a touch of personalization. !read bright beads on one side of a safety pin for a quick, yet durable, way to enhance your kicks. Draping chains are another inexpensive method to channel streetstyle. Lastly, on trend with coquette-core, swap basic laces for some colorful, dainty ribbons. Whether a bright pop of color or adding intrigue with a pattern, ribbons can step-up your shoe game.

words_lizzie kristal. photo&design_marita gavioti.

PURSE-ONALIZED

Take a bag from boring to blinging by draping customized chains and charms around it. Most tote bags and shoulder purses have little metal rings to hook chains on, making the DIY opportunity rather simple. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby sell decorated beaded chains and single charms for you to mix-and-match at reasonable prices. Old necklaces also make for some great decor, especially if they’ve been tarnished or out-worn. Add some charms that speak to you, and you’ve got yourself a brandnew look.

KEY TO COUTURE

From DIY crochet projects to long-lost trinkets, just about anything can make the perfect keychain. Dollar store cra s are a cheap way to make key accessories, or buy alreadymade keychains from your favorite boutique. For a fun project, grab a “mystery bag” in the jewelry section of your local thri store to pull together unique beads and charms for a spunky keychain. Attach it anywhere — from your bag to your wallet, a unique keychain keeps your individuality in the spotlight.

Ro2k1ng .a51 2,othes 2o.es down to the a22essor1C1ng and st-,1ng.

Balance-out long jeans with a stiletto heel and vintage bag with hardware.

MAXI MAXI

Ma51 st-,es aren’t E&st for dresses — long jorts bring laid-back comfort and cool street style together. Perfect for guys looking to stay ontrend, shop similar styles at ASOS, Urban Out$tters and Levi’s for an e%ortlessly cool vibe.

The maxi dress: Many have encountered her and have gotten to know her over the years. She’s joined us to our beach-day brunch outings, night-time adventures or when we’re trying to bring some much-needed upscaling to an occasion. Emerging from the Bohemian fashion movement from the 60s, maxi fashion typically refers to ankle or floor-length and generally oversized clothing items, most commonly tops, dresses and skirts. words_ariella green. photo_valeria barbaglio. design_charlotte deangelis.

Maxi fashion gained momentum in the 70s following fashion designer Oscar de la Renta’s $rst ever maxi dress design at the 1968 Elizabeth Arden fashion show. Immediately following the show, !e New York Times published an article featuring the maxi dress, and the fashion trend only grew from there.

Maxi fashion was embraced and accepted by the hippie movement, and one of its early adopters and muses for designers was actress and singer Jane Birkin. Birkin’s relaxed and minimalistic approach embodied the era of the 70s.

!e relaxed, less restrictive and non form-$tting design of the maxi dress became a symbol of liberation and self-expression for women as they were $ghting for gender equality. Women of all body shapes could embrace themselves in whatever pattern or textile they wanted while still remaining fashionable and functional in their garments of choice.

Sophomore biology major So$a Bronstein is a religious Jew and follows Jewish modesty standards of covering her elbows and knees in her everyday clothes. Since attending the University of Miami, Bronstein has grown spiritually and has embraced maxi fashion along with it.

“I am really happy that maxi skirts are so in right now,” said Bronstein. “It is so nice to walk around campus and feel like I’m $tting in as opposed to feeling like I’m the only one in a long skirt in Miami.”

Bronstein said how she’s noticed more stores and brands such as Anthropologie, Lululemon, Olive & Tuesday, By Tess Collection and Apparalel are including more maxi pieces into their clothing lines.

When living in

Miami, fashion is all dependent on the weather, which is subject to change at any moment. Bronstein said that the best skirts for running errands on a busy day is the Lululemon Nulu Slim-Fit High-Rise Skirt, priced at $78.

Business owner of Stem Boutique, Katya Llerena, opened her Coral Gables store in January 2019 a er working for years in the corporate world of advertising and marketing. Since then, Llerena has been working with clients by helping them $nd their best styles.

“Maxi fashion combines e%ortlessness with elegance, making it perfect for anyone who wants to look put together without too much fuss,” said Llerena.

Llerena said she noticed her customers buying maxi pieces for all sorts of occasions, regardless the time of day the event is occuring. While Llerena is a fan of maxi fashion, she advises her customers to be mindful of styling the maxi pieces.

“Sometimes maxi dresses can make us look shorter, or throw o% our proportions, so it’s important to style them with the right footwear and ensure the neckline and sleeves complement our $gure without overwhelming us,” said Llerena.

!e idea of maxi in fashion does not strictly limit to dresses or skirts, but extends further to include coats, jackets and even jewelry.

“I’m a big, big fan of big chunky gold jewelry,” said Isabelle Fitzpatrick, senior journalism and public relations major. “I have a really chunky gold chain that I wear for sentimental reasons, because it was my grandpa’s. My philosophy is that it’s big and gaudy and gold. So everything has to be big, gaudy and bold.”

Fitzpatrick would describe her sense of fashion along the lines of boho, and is a big fan of the oversized pant and baby tee look.

“Pairing big statement oversized pieces with a more minimalist base out$t, like jeans and a plain top is a really cool way to step up a very casual out$t,” Fitzpatrick said.

Ma51-on-.a51 1s a great wa- to dress in style with modesty. Don’t be afraid to layer multiple oversized pieces, especially when they contrast in color, texture or pattern.

Store manager of OHM Boutique, Sydney Johnson, has been working in retail for seven years now, and has been with OHM since 2021. Johnson prefers a more $tted look to complement her sense of style rather than maxi fashion, but said how she does notice many women purchasing and rocking the oversized look — especially long skirts.

Unfortunately, the maxi style saw a decline in the 80s as women began to incorporate more suit jackets and shoulder pads for a powerful look. However, what goes out of style tends to make a huge comeback. Maxi fashion made its comeback in the 90s and 2000s with in uencers such as Sienna Miller.

Unlike actress Jane Birkin, Miller would accessorize her maxi dress with items such as a belt, a crossbody bag or clutch, a widebrimmed hat, or even an oversized jacket, vest or cardigan depending on the type of event she was attending.

Designers such as Marc Jacobs and Vera Wang reinvented the maxi dress through a modern approach while still respecting its bohemian roots. Marc Jacobs approached the maxi dress with a grunge twist to it. His designs incorporated annels, slips and layered pieces to create a laid-back, rebellious vibe. Known for her bridal gowns, Vera Wang elevated the maxi dress through the use of luxury fabrics and intricate details to her pieces to wear to either formal or everyday gatherings.

In the media today, Llerena noticed certain celebrities such as Hailey Bieber and Zendaya for wearing maxi fashion.

“Hailey o en adds a modern twist with edgy accessories, while Zendaya brings a chic and versatile touch,” Llerena said. “In uencers like Emma Chamberlain and Addison Rae also embrace maxi styles, showing how they can be fun, trendy and perfect for everyday wear.”

“Maxi and midi are timeless,” said Fitzpatrick. “In recent years, the whole mini and micro mini skirt thing has been huge. So, I think it’s a little bit almost subversive at this point to wear something longer like that. It sticks out more. It’s di%erent than your whole legs being out.”

Whether you’re getting ready for that boat party you’ve been wanting to attend all week or a special day with a special someone, maxi fashion may be what you’re looking for to give you an e%ortless, yet classy look.

Hear My Roar

Want to make your look louder? Animal print is currently at the top of the food chain and we can see why. A mixture of neutral tans and browns, animal print is the primal pairing for your basics, whether you’re looking to elevate a black skirt or jeans.

Everyone has a favorite animal — whether it’s your best friend trying to secure free drinks at the bar, or your roommate barking at Ross Lynch at 2 a.m. Lucky for you feral animals, pelts and prints are in. Try channeling Snooki with a cheetah print dress or harnessing Gaston with a big fur coat. Either way, sharpen your claws and enter the jungle.

words_caleigh russo. photo_valeria barbaglio. design_lizzie kristal.

Where the Wild Things Are

Here’s where to hunt for animals: Abercrombie, Princess Polly, Edikted, White Fox Boutique, Mango, Pretty Little ing and Urban Out tters.

Why should you limit animal print to just clothing? You can still channel your inner wildcat with animal print accessories – from shoes to handbags or sunnies.

Jersey Shore Chic

What’s old can be made new again — formerly a Jersey Shore staple, animal print is making its way onto racks everywhere, letting people channel their inner 2010s Snooki.

welcome to the JUNGLE

In My Natural Habitat

Animal print is the perfect blend of vintage, trendy and sexy; it’s e ortlessly attering while o ering versatility that neutrals can only provide. While trends come and go, sexy is forever, and what is sexier than animal print?

Wild at Heart

Why limit yourself to only cheetah print? e mighty jungle is full of a diverse array of species — from alligators to zebras or snakes. Bring the entire animal kingdom into your out t.

Born to Be Wild

How can you trust the newest trends; microtrends make it nearly impossible to always stay up to date. Keep an eye on microtrend to avoid investing in pieces that will be so cheugy in one month’s time.

The Distraction Mini

It’s important to stay up-to-date on current events, but the heated discourse around elections can get overwhelming. Give yourself a little distraction by completing our Americana-themed version of the “New York Times Mini Crossword.”

words&design_charlotte deangelis.

1 2

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5

Down

1: !e type of vessel Christopher Columbus arrived on in 1492

2: Land of the free and home of the ______

3: Acronym for the government position elected in November

Across

1: What is on the American ag other than stars, singular

!e right all eligible people should exercise during elections 5: !e sweet treat that has become an American staple

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photo_lizzie kristal.